Everything hits the fan
However the current siege against American democracy ultimately plays out, once it’s finished playing out, we may well end up looking back on this week as the turning point – and there are a number of different reasons why that might be the case. This week is on its way to being one of the best and worst the Resistance has had, and it’s on the verge of being Donald Trump’s worst week as well. This is the week that everything is hitting the fan from all sides.
First we had the Alabama special election, which proved that the Democrats can take the majority in the midterms, and proved that Trump has become toxically unpopular on a level that’s in danger of being fatal for the Republican Party. Then we saw Trump and his remaining allies finally throw a tantrum about Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Although it’s scary to see it play out, it’s actually a good sign: we knew this tantrum would happen once it became so obvious that Mueller was about to destroy Trump that even Trump was able to figure it out.
And yet this week may also end up delivering two severe blows to the Resistance. Trump’s goons are on their way to selling off the internet to wealthy corporations by repealing net neutrality. Trump’s party is also very close to passing the most devastating tax scam for the wealthy in American history. If these two evil plans succeed, and it’s still not a given that they will, they’ll mark Trump’s biggest – and frankly only – victories. That said, these two moves are incredibly unpopular, and will only motivate even more mainstream Americans to join the Resistance and actively work to oust this guy. Trump’s “victories” don’t help him if they only serve to hasten his demise.
So where does this leave us? The time for Donald Trump to fire Robert Mueller and get away with it was months ago. What we’re seeing now is a panicked, yet conflicted and muddled, belated overreaction from a man who can’t make a timely decision to save his life. The other stuff is just the corrupt Republican Party trying to milk what’s left of Trump’s presidency as he circles the drain. In another week, they won’t need him any longer. Oh, and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is suspiciously floating the idea that he might resign, because this week needed even more complication.
