Trump, Democracy’s Ultimate Big Bad Wolf

The ultimate big bad alpha wolf – Donald J. Trump – and his pack of loyal, marauding fellow wolves tried their best to destroy the American democracy and almost succeeded: but they failed to utterly destroy it.  This pack of loyal marauders consisted of almost all of the Republican members in the United States House and Senate, including House Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.  Many of the Republican controlled states around the country, whose Representatives and Senators voted to impeach Mr. Trump, censured those Representatives and Senators at the state level.  Really: After Mr. Trump was impeached for inciting the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, these states actually censured these Representatives and Senators for upholding their oath to defend America against all enemies foreign and domestic and, instead, kissed Mr. Trump’s ring.

The failed insurrection occurred because Mr. Trump lied repeatedly to the American people after he lost the 2020 presidential election.  He repeatedly claimed that the election, which was fair and one of the most secure in the history of our country was rife with fraud and rigged against him.  He lost by a landslide, based on his own definition, but claimed that he had won by a landslide.  He openly pressed states to change their electoral vote counts, encouraged his followers to “Stop The Steal”, and even asked Vice President Mike Pence to use his power – power that he did not actually have, during the vote count certification to nullify electoral votes that would certify President Joe Biden as the newly elected President of the United States.

Although Mr. Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on a bipartisan vote, the Senate acquitted him by a vote of 57 to 43.  In order to convict Mr. Trump, two thirds (2/3) of the senators would have had to vote to convict him.  Since only 57 senators voted to convict, they did not meet the two thirds (2/3) threshold.  Among those who voted to acquit Mr. Trump was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Immediately after Senator McConnell voted to acquit Mr. Trump, he took to the senate floor and gave a scathing speech excoriating Mr. Trump.  Senator McConnell said, he did it.  He is fully responsible for the insurrection that occurred on January 6, 2021, he said.  Anyone listening to Senator McConnell’s speech, had they not known that he had just voted to acquit Mr. Trump, would have sworn that he had voted to convict him.  Of course this did not go unnoticed by Mr. Trump.  Shortly after the senate trial and despite that Senator McConnell was among those who voted to acquit him and despite all of the loyalty that Senator McConnell had heaped upon him over the four years that he was in office, Mr. Trump savagely attacked him…and his wife.

Although after his acquittal by the senate Mr. Trump is faced with potential criminal charges for his alleged involvement in inciting and possibly helping to plan the January 6 insurrection and that he is faced with myriad other legal and civil charges, he cannot help but to be Donald J. Trump; the Donald J. Trump that he has always been, is now, and always will be.  So, he is continuing to move forward to stay in power and ply his trade; whatever that might be.  And just like the scorpion in the story of the scorpion and the frog, Mr. Trump cannot resist stinging even if his sting could likely cause his own proverbial death.

He will continue to sting because it is in his nature to do so.  He will continue to sting because he still wants to be king: and if he cannot be king – which in his mind means only that he cannot be king at the time, then he will be the king maker and manipulate those whom he makes king.  And if there ever comes a time when he can be king again, he will sting to death anyone that he has made king in order to make room for himself.  And he will do it without remorse.  Again, he will do it because it is in his nature…and to be frank, it appears to be the one thing that he truly enjoys.

Eulus Dennis –author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line