Tuesday, August 21, 2018

The Uncensored: Hair Trump or Herr Trump, Revisited



Back in 2015, on another network as it were, I published one of the earlier considerations of the question "Is Trump a Fascist?" Since then, as any even now-and-then readers of my publications on OpEdNews know, I have come to the conclusion that indeed Trump, along with the ruling class sector that he represents, is on his way to establishing what I have come to call "21st Century Trumpite Functional Fascism." In one aspect of it currently, Trump is displaying more and more his attraction to/belief in authoritarianism (which is a central aspect of fascism).  

Under the Constitution, Presidential power is limited by the powers of the other two branches. But A) Trump is on his way, with the active participation/cooperation of Senators Mitch McConnell, the Majority Leader and Chuck Grassley, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to taking over significant segments of the Judicial Branch, especially at the Supreme Court level. And B), even when his actions go against the wishes of significant sectors of the ruling class that put him in power, such in starting up a trade war and weakening NATO, where he can make decisions on his own without consulting Congress, like imposing tariffs, he is doing so. Another example, is his going way around the usual, written procedures in such cases, to remove former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance, for political reasons, just because, functionally at least, he can. (It is highly ironic that it is highly unlikely that, were he required by law to have it, given his long-standing business ties to Russia, President Trump himself could not get national security clearance.) 

Then C) he has completely ignored Congress in setting immigration and refugee policy, again because he can. D) He is doing the best he can to destroy whatever is left of the Affordable Care Act, in this case apparently because it has President Obama's name attached to it. (Of course, he might be doing the same thing if it had the name of that State model which preceded it, that is Romneycare in Massachusetts. Doesn't like Romney much either.) Further, E) he has been able to take over one sector of the Legislative branch and turn its function into one which is simply attempting to run political/judicial interference for the Executive Branch. That of course is what the Devin Nunes-led majority of the House Intelligence Committee is doing. Finally, F) in courting the Religious Right, which is becoming an ever more important part of his shrinking base, he is relatively quietly assaulting the separation of church and state which fundamental principle of democracy appears at several junctures in the Constitution. (It should be pointed out that the words "God," "Bible" and "Christian" do not appear in that document.) If unchecked, this could lead to a 16th century European-style religious authoritarianism.  

Click here for the full article. 

Source: OpEdNews

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