A few observations on the launch of Trump II
The barrage of executive orders created the impression of an action president hitting the ground running, but of course they were written in advance, teed up and ready to go; all Trump had to do was sign them. Don't expect anything like this apparent level of activity to persist.
Actually, the word "written" may not quite be applicable here -- many of the executive orders contain weird typos and bungled formatting which suggest they were created using "AI". These errors could lead to problems later when interpreting or citing them. They also imply that the people Trump employed to write these orders are as lazy and inept as he is, entrusting the drafting of such important texts to a technology known to be absolute crap. Combined with his determination to fill most of his cabinet with sex offenders and crackpots unqualified for their posts, this does not foreshadow a very effective administration.
The executive orders themselves are all over the map, ranging from pointless idiocy like trying to rename the Gulf of Mexico, to common-sense actions such as repudiating racial discrimination ("DEI") and the trans nonsense, to outrageous attacks on fundamental rights and the Constitution itself.
Among the latter, one standout is the attempt to abolish birthright citizenship as it was established by the Fourteenth Amendment. Here is some of the legal history of birthright citizenship, showing why it would be virtually impossible for the Supreme Court to find this order constitutional -- and the attorneys general of over a dozen states are already gearing up to challenge it. If the Court does uphold it, that will sweep away any remaining pretense that it is anything more than a mere utensil of partisan politics.
Aside from the executive orders, Trump or his team have taken other actions -- the HHS website has been scrubbed of useful information on abortion, for example. Most infuriating is his sweeping pardon of the January 6 insurrectionists. Many had hoped he would at least exclude those found guilty of violent attacks on police, but he did not. The move has been condemned by some Republican senators and by NRO, and by police unions which had endorsed Trump before the election, though they were fully aware that he was promising to do this when they endorsed him. The pardons will put hundreds of very dangerous people back on the streets, and send a signal that Trump's followers can commit violence with impunity in the name of causes he approves. This flagrant coddling of violent criminals is a frontal attack on law and order -- showing how far Trumpism has dragged the Republican party away from the values it used to claim.
Speaking of pardons, Biden left office on a praiseworthy note by issuing pre-emptive pardons to several individuals who were under threat of politically-motivated persecution under Trump -- notably Dr Fauci, who has become the target of the most batshit-insane right-wing covid conspiratardia of all.
Then there was Elon Musk's already-notorious salute during his speech after the inauguration. In case you haven't seen this, here it is:
Of course, who knows how long Musk will remain part of Trump's cabal -- Trump is reportedly getting tired of him throwing his weight around. Ramaswamy already seems to be on the way out.
Finally, remember that things are not all bad. Support for populism and hostility to billionaires is very widespread among the US public. Robert Reich offers the hope that Trump's second term will shock the American people into greater awareness of the power of the billionaire oligarchy, provoking a backlash. Bernie Sanders points out that some of Trump's campaign promises were actually positives, and calls on Democrats to hold him to them. And the new American awakening will continue, on the right as well as the left. We missed the chance of a much better four years, but I have plenty of hope.
posted by Infidel753 at 9:11 AM
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