From the "Will this Nightmare Ever End" Department: YES!

Last week, The Atlantic's contributing editor David Frum wrote,

Reactions to actions by Trump are always filtered through the prism of the ever more widely accepted view—within his administration, within Congress, within the United States, and around the world—that the 45th president is a reckless buffoon; a conspiratorial, racist moron, whose weird comments should be disregarded by sensible people.

By now, Trump’s party in Congress, the members of his Cabinet, and even his White House entourage all tacitly agree that Trump’s occupancy of the office held by Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and Eisenhower must be a bizarre cosmic joke, not to be taken seriously. CNN’s Jake Tapper on August 2 quoted a “senior national security official” as saying: “Everyone at this point ignores what the president says and just does their job. The American people should take some measure of confidence in that.”

Everybody at this point ignores what the president says.

Of course, except for when they do not ignore his insane babblings. Which is, unfortunately, too often.

However, the Arizona Eagletarian has confidently said repeatedly (in person, on Facebook and Twitter), for more than a year, that Trump "is going down." We just do not know how long it will take.

Last week also House Judiciary Committee chair Jerrold Nadler told CNN that formal impeachment proceedings have begun, with the lawsuits his committee filed to compel testimony of various impeachment witnesses. In that same interview, Nadler predicted Articles of Impeachment could be presented to and voted on by the entire House of Representatives by the end of 2019.

Then today, author and columnist Windsor Mann wrote,

It's too soon to say when Donald Trump's presidency will end, but it's not too soon to say how it will end. It will end in disgrace. And when it does, Trump's defenders will turn on him.

Some already have. On Sunday, Anthony Scaramucci, Trump's former communications director, said that Republicans should "replace the top of the ticket in 2020."

Former White House aide and Apprentice contestant Omarosa Manigault never had a bad word to say about Trump when she worked for him. Trump said he hired her "because she said GREAT things about me." But after she left the White House, she said Trump was "mentally impaired" and accused him of saying the N-word.

Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, said he was "mesmerized" by Trump when he worked for him. It wasn't until after Cohen quit working for Trump and was sentenced to prison — as a result, in part, of lying for Trump — that he ceased to be mesmerized and instead became disgusted. In congressional testimony, he called Trump a "racist," a "cheat," and a "conman."

Trump's sycophants are as loyal as he is — which is to say, not at all. In The Art of the Deal, Trump counted Roy Cohn as a friend, calling him "a truly loyal guy." After Cohn contracted AIDS, Trump "dropped him like a hot potato," according to Susan Bell, Cohn's longtime secretary. That's the kind of friend Trump is — the kind you don't want.

The people who are loyal to Trump are loyal not because they like him as a person but because they have something to gain from him. [...]

Trump's cult of personality is a cult of power-worshippers. "It is the place and power we bow to, not the man," William Hazlitt wrote in his 1823 essay "On the Spirit of Monarchy." When Trump is deprived of his place and power, people will stop bowing to him.

However, increasingly, for whatever reason (might that have something to do with corporate media playing up Trump's insane babbling?), people with whom I interact either in person or online, seem increasingly to be concerned, skittish, or some outright scared that Trump will not relinquish the Office of the Presidency when his term is up... or he is ousted from the White House. That is, if the US Senate actually holds a trial on Articles of Impeachment.

Blogger Teri Kanefield has digested some very important insight from political scientists and legal scholars who cogently see through the bluster that constantly spews from the White House. She has become one of my favorite authors. Her background as a criminal appellate attorney and author of quite a few books on figures in the Making of America tells me she has great insight that can provide hope grounded solidly in American political history.

Last night (Wednesday), I posted one of Teri's blogs to Facebook along with this quote from it,

Angering & discouraging people so they don’t want to vote is easier and less costly than manually flipping votes or hacking computers. What can we do?

Stop being shocked.

From Prof. Timothy Snyder: “Being continually shocked is a luxury. It’s pre-helpless”

Understand that the GOP is acting from desperation. Don’t take the bait. Grass roots politics keeps tactics like this from working.

Understandably, some smart, politically thoughtful and active people responded. A couple of those comments sounded discouraged. I responded to one of them with this,

I understand. I read on current affairs regularly/frequently (some friends say I'm obsessive about it). I've been deeply engrossed in politics for more than 25 years.

If I was pessimistic, I would have either died long ago or found something else to focus on.

I don't make statements lightly or flippantly... even though it may seem that way at times.

In a sense, we've needed to suffer the buffoon presidency to allow us to recognize what we need to do to rebuild American institutions.

America is RESILIENT. We focus. We persist. We survive and we WILL thrive.

Long ago (maybe a year or so ago), I learned a bit about the surprising science of Alpha Males. 45 is NOT an Alpha Male. He is a crazed bully.

45 IS going down. He WILL be impeached, even if the Senate doesn't try him and oust him from office. He will not preside over the American federal government after January 20, 2021 if he even lasts that long.

Note especially at 13:00 to 13:15 the speaker's insight on what it takes to be a good leader and what happens to bullies.

Back to Windsor Mann's column,

Trump's post-presidency will be sadder and more pathetic than his presidency. His presidential library will be neither presidential nor a library. His memoir, if someone writes one for him, will be dreadful — ghostwritten, poorly written, replete with falsehoods and errors, and bereft of insights and useful information. His presidential papers will contain such statements as "Horseface"; "trade wars are good, and easy to win"; "a very stable genius"; and "your favorite President, me!" No mainstream public figure will want to be associated with his legacy.

How many Members of Congress speak candidly about Trump with admiring language? In hearings held recently in the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees that prefaced the now formal impeachment proceedings, did any of the Republican members speak glowingly about Trump? Or did they instead sound spiteful, vindictive and most importantly -- highly defensive?

Make no mistake, there is and will be work that has to be done. Does anyone believe that we can "coast in neutral" from now until November 2020 and expect a good outcome for our country? I doubt it. But the urgency is clear and will not subside.

There will be an emergent Democratic front runner. One with vision and unstoppable energy. One who has already thought through a helluva lot of what needs to be done. And to the degree that the rest of the candidates AND their supporters rally around that front runner when the time comes, Trump will be buried under the biggest landslide in American electoral history.