The three big words we must not be afraid to use about Donald Trump
Most of the mainstream media (with some notable and laudable exceptions) spent the entire election treating Donald Trump’s Russia scandal like it didn’t exist. This year we’ve seen the media gradually embrace the scandal, while still ignoring key evidence like the Trump-Russia dossier, and downplaying the known scope of the criminality. The media is also just now beginning to embrace two other key concepts. Combined, they make up the three watchwords that will define Trump in 2018.
Let’s stop using poorly defined words like “collusion” and negatively viewed words like “conspiracy” and start calling the Trump-Russia thing what it is: treason. We can debate all day whether the scandal fits the narrow (and surprisingly poorly defined) legal definition of the word, because that’s not what this is about. The popular definition of treason involves anyone conspiring with a foreign power against the United States. Nearly every key member of the Trump campaign engaged in such behavior, on various levels. Four of them have been arrested for it. Two of them have cut plea deals which will help take down a whole lot more people. And we all know that in the end, it’ll be proven that Donald Trump was in on it all along.
Let’s start using the word “treason” to describe the Trump-Russia scandal. Trump and his people conspired with the Russian government to alter the outcome of the presidential election. That’s arguably the worst kind of treason. So let’s call this what it is, and nothing less. Let’s also become unafraid to start using two other words: “impeachment” and “senility.”
There is only a small chance (some think no chance) that the Republican-controlled Congress will strategically impeach Trump before the 2018 congressional elections, in the hope of avoiding getting totally wiped out. But if they fail to do it, and the Democrats win control of Congress, impeachment hearings will begin immediately. So let’s start calling out the mainstream media for continuing to push the assumption that Trump will end up finishing out his entire term, or that he’ll be in position to run for reelection. Trump is likely to be ousted before then, and it’s important that the mainstream public be made aware that voting Democrat in 2018 will sharply increase the odds that he’s impeached.
Finally, it’s time to begin acknowledging the fact – not theory, not assumption, but plain as day fact – that Donald Trump is in the process of going senile. He’s been in rapid decline for months. He gets confused and wanders away in the middle of his own public events and has to be brought back. He can’t complete a coherent sentence. He slurs his words. He looks and sounds like he’s mostly dead. These aren’t meant as insults. Whatever you think of Trump to begin with, you now have to add in the fact that he’s descending deep into senility. The mainstream media won’t dare say it, for fear of coming off as too biased or too mean. But the guy occupying the office of President of the United States is rather severely senile. Let’s not be afraid to say so.
