Monday, April 02, 2018

Hog Trump and the Corruption That Could Destroy Him



As I'm sure you know, I've been portraying Donald Trump as a hog as long as I can remember.

I realize that there are other names one could call that misogynist, that bigot, that dirty old man.



But hog, with apologies to real pigs who are better than him, always seemed right to me.

So you can imagine how happy I was to see the latest cover of New York magazine.



And see that beautiful piggy nose, and read what I have reluctantly come to believe. 

Most of his well known character flaws may not be enough to sway his equally bestial supporters. 

His racism and misogyny motivate the Democratic base, but both were perfectly apparent in 2016 and did not dissuade enough voters to abandon him. The Russia scandal is substantively important, but it is also convoluted and abstract and removed from any immediate impact on voters’ lived experience. 

The reports of Trump’s affair with Stormy Daniels, even the possibility of hired goons to keep her quiet, is not exactly a disillusioning experience for voters who harbored few illusions to begin with.

Not when so many of those supporters are so morally corrupt that even the holier than thou evangelicals won't even spank him with their Bibles...


But corruption, defined by the use of power for personal gain, might just be Trump's biggest political liability.

Historically, corruption — specifically, the use of power for personal gain — has played a central and even dominant role in American political discourse.

There is a reason Trump labeled his opponent “Crooked Hillary,” and it stems from a law of American politics Democrats would be wise to remember: To be out for yourself is probably the single most disqualifying flaw a politician can have.


His administration reeks of greed and corruption.

It should take very little work — and be a very big priority — for Democratic candidates to stitch all the administration’s misdeeds together into a tale of unchecked greed. For all the mystery still surrounding the Russia investigation, for instance, it is already clear that the narrative revolves around a lust (and desperation) for money.

And the simpler you can tell that story, the more impact it can have.

Trump represented himself as a rich man feared by the business elite. He had spent much of his life buying off politicians and exploiting the system, so he knew how the system worked and could exploit that knowledge on behalf of the people. In fact, his experiences with bribery opened his eyes to what further extortion might be possible. Trump was never looking to blow up the system. He was simply casing the joint.

Let the corruption of his crime family be what sends him to the Big House.



So we can serve up the hog in the gilded manner he deserves.

On a silver platter.

With an apple in his mouth...


24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Despite his obvious corruption, Trump will never spend a day in prison. And he knows it. You can take that to the bank.

Steve said...

with one tweet he can move markets, tell me he is not cashing in?

lagatta à montréal said...

Thank you for apologising to actual pigs, animals we exploit for food and pigskin.

Anonymous said...

Trump is just a grifter who thought he could run for president and that even if he lost the publicity would boost his brand. Instead he won and his brand is taking a beating. This is not going to end well.

Anonymous said...

Trump's approval rating is at 50%. 4 points higher than Obama at this time in his presidency.

Jackie Blue said...

Trump's base only sees this as a positive. "Prosperity Gospel" teaches that if he's getting rich, he's right with God. All the better that he's "starving the beast" and the money isn't going to the "deep state" or big-gummint programs that are thought to benefit the hated nanny-state libs: social safety nets, education, healthcare, all those "commie socialist" things that the rubes see as a threat to their Spartan, survivalist God-guns-and-grit way of life.

That they would benefit from it too is immaterial to them. The cognitive dissonance of conservatives is as staggering and incurable among rank-and-file idiots in the U.S. as it is for Ford Nation, Scheer's unholy Levantine cult, and the Brexit bigots. Dear Leader could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, make a "killing" selling the victim's organs, and wouldn't lose any votes.

The project for Democrats, then, ought not to be converting the Kool-Aid or Orangeade drinkers, but getting out the vote en masse among their core constituencies. If get-out-the-vote works, the only problem will be overcoming the kind of Republican gerrymandering and outright partisan corruption that's led NBC's Joy Reid to say out loud what the rest of us were fearful of, but not quite ready to admit: the GOP's goal is to turn America into apartheid South Africa. At that point, Trump's grifting and debauchery will be the least of anyone's worries. The real matter of concern is what his personal corruption is more or less a distraction from and the tip of the iceberg representation of: the Republikoch/Talibangelical Party's long-term agenda of God, guns, and GREED.

Jackie Blue said...

Well, naturally. The people who would be most likely to respond negatively are getting deported, intimidated into silence, or shot. Not to mention how easily polls can be rigged or gamed, especially in the digital age. With all that data up for the highest bidder it's practically a cakewalk to invent phony respondents who sway the results one way or the other.

But that doesn't mean I discount the idiocy (or racism) of half my fellow Americans either. It could easily be argued that we have less to fear from artificial intelligence than we do from... organic stupidity.

Steve said...

and your proud of that? A fish rots at the head. If 50% of America approves of Trump that is not a fish its bones on the beach.

Steve said...

he he borrows the most gold makes the rules

Anonymous said...

I would hazard a guess and say that once Bob Mueller's investigation is complete, no one person will have ever had a clearer, evidence based picture of the rampant corruption that permeates all things Trump. What Bob can or will do with it remains to be seen but one thing's for sure, he's been described as a consumate professional who is relentless and unwavering in uncovering an undeniable truth.
Though I wish it would conclude, there's a reason the investigation has taken this long. I would say Trump can be best described as a big fat rotting onion and with every layer Mueller uncovers, another is exposed and another until the day Con Trump is finally hit with a category five shitstorm that eventually and mercilessly destroys him.
JD

Anonymous said...

Events suggest a struggle for control is starting to develop between the comorbid psychological disorders of Alt Right populism and Trumpism. The Alt Right populists need max media volume on their messaging in order to maintain a strong position of money and power. As leader Trump has to convince the same victims he is making progress until he can corrupt the governmental system to do his bidding. Like Putin once successful he can back fill the media spelling the end of the road for the Alt Right power brokers. The whole movement will become just another tool in the tool box only to be trotted out when required and in the prescribed strength.
As in his past business dealings Trump seems to excel in an illusionary virtual world but does not fare so well in the real one. For example the students who paid for the illusion of a Trump U degree found it worthless in gaining real employment. Time seems to be growing short for Trump in the illusionary world as there are a number of variables beyond his control but who will fill the vacuum? Will the patients suddenly recover, develop a new disorder or fall under the spell of a never ending supply of happy meds.
RT

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:51, A large grain of salt is required for this poll as it's from Rasmussen, whose "likely voter" model tends to favor Republicans. CNN has him at around 40% for March, which is still 40% more than he deserves.
JD

Simon said...

Hi anon@10:51 AM....well that's an interesting prediction. You don't have next week's lotto numbers by any chance? And what bank? Not a Russian one I hope...🤔

Simon said...

Hi Steve...oh great now you tell me, Trump told me the stock market was booming so I sold all my gold yesterday...🙀

Simon said...

Hi Steve...well I don't doubt that. I imagine the whole Trump crime family is sitting around the dining room table buying and selling stocks like crazy. Except unfortunately for the U.S. So is the Chinese government....

Simon said...

Hi Lagatta...you're welcome. but don't look at me I'm a vegan !!!!!😇

Simon said...

Hi anon@1:36 PM...yes, it seems that every week there are pictures of somebody chiselling the word TRUMP off a building somewhere in the world. It's a great consolation, even as Boss Trump and his Gand chisel their way into Fort Knox. One day the only place you'll be able to find Trump products is in a dollar store....

Simon said...

Hi anon@1:51 PM...where did you get that number? The last I heard his numbers were in the forties. Which I thought was way too high. You're not spreading fake news are you? But it doesn't really matter. Spanky Trump is already the worst president in the history of the United States, and Americans won't be making the same mistake twice. I can see Trump as a Walmart greeter, after he finishes serving his sentence for fraud and/or treason. How about you....😳

Simon said...

Hi Jackie...well said. You know when we tell future generations living in the rubble of a post Trump world that the orange oaf once said he could shoot somebody and get away with it, they are going to ask us why he was allowed to run for President, or why he wasn't arrested and taken to a prison or a mental hospital? And I haven't a clue what I'm going to tell them, except plead insanity and beg for mercy...🙀

Simon said...

Hi JD....yes, it's clear that Mueller has a serious interest in Trump's business interests, and that probably explains why Trump is getting so agitated. I too wish that Mueller would conclude his investigation. But the way I see it, the longer the investigation, the longer the sentence...👮🏻

Simon said...

Hi RT...the example of Trump University is a good one. Trump pumped so much hot air into that con job it's amazing it didn't rise off its foundations and float away. Leaving it's poor graduates with a degree not worth the paper it is written on. That's why I like what Chaitt suggests in the article I linked to. The Russia stuff might be too esoteric, and Trump's bad behaviour to hard to distinguish from their own, but showing Trump rolling in the trough is probably the best way to alienate even his most loyal supporters. So go Spanky go, the more slop the better...😼

e.a.f. said...

Regardless of the corruption, and the rest, his base will stay with him. Unless he is convicted of something which removes him from office Trump is going no where.

Trump does sound like a nut bar. But his base is loving it. All we have to do is wait until the mid terms to see if the Dems step up to the plate and if Americans have had enough. If the trade war with China develops into something more than it is now, people may vote against Trump because it will impact their pocket books.

Aside from all the Trump show stuff, what to watch for is those 8 million kids who turn 18, the anti gun students from Florida and all those striking teachers in Oklahoma and those who were on strike in Virginia and of course Kentucky. Public school teacher may have hit a wall in the U.S.A. It would appear they are so poorly paid, its a choice between groceries or health care.

lagatta à montréal said...

Is this recent? I remember you discussing meaty meals with Séb and friends...

I'm not a vegan, but I've eliminated mammalian meat and have been striving to get more vegetable protein in my diet. I have a hard time digesting some legumes; if not I'd probably be vegetalian at least in terms of food intake. I digest tempeh well, because it is fermented. I've always eaten a lot of vegetables.

On the subject of evil and stupid people, have you seen "The Death of Stalin" yet? You'll note that his sleazy, sexploitative and drunken son Vasily Stalin is also probably the worst hockey manager in history. He managed the Soviet Air Force team, and made their plane take off in a blizzard. They all died, as did their doctor, their masseur and the crew. So Stalin Jr just assembled another team... He is darkly funny as the most ignorant and toxic coach ever.

lagatta à montréal said...

I think Ivanka Trump's brand is taking a beating too.