The September 3 Plum Line blog by Paul Waldman, opinion writer at the Washington Post has a very good take on the way racism will be weaponized by the Trump campaign in the mid terms and 2020 election cycles. link
He uses Elizabeth Warren as an example, and in considering Waldmans` very cogent argument, I came to realize that racism is not the only factor, nor maybe even the most inspiring factor motivating Trump.
I am coming to think that it is Vendetta, pure and devilishly simple. The man is motivated by hatred.
His mantra to hit back twice as hard is well known. No slight is forgotten or forgiven, they are all filed away in the orange dome.
I think it would be fairly easy to imagine any policy goal of the Trump administration in light of a vendetta, but lets just look at one example;
Imagine with me if you will how the cabinet level meeting goes: “Ok, Ryan Zinkee, the main target is Obama, but as you know I also hate Hillary, and all indians, so see what you can put together to help me get back at these enemies!”
Zinkee obediently goes to work, and comes up with a master plan that will hit all three targets, and win accolades from some locals, and shore up the ultra right wing federal land transfer base, and please the mining industry (even if they are Canadian and Australian).
So the diabolically clever plans calls for Trump to annihilate the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monuments, he gets to take a triple hit at a big group of people he hates with a passion: The 5 four corners area Tribes( link ) that worked with Obama to create the Bears Ears, who Trump conflates to just "Indians", Obama whose entire works Trump will attempt to destroy, and Clinton`s declaration in 1996 of the Grand Staircase National Monument, because Hillary!
Trump is Using presidential power to hit back at any and everybody who ever said anything cross about him. In this way, Trump acts exactly like the master of the larger than life semi cartoon villains in the Batman series, Penguin, Joker, Riddler, and Catwoman link . They are all rolled up into one grotesque evil doing villainous cartel. His passion is to tear it all down, to destroy it all, anyway he can.
Since it is vendetta that motivates, there is little concern if the blow hits the exact right target. I mean what in the world did the Zuni, Mountain Ute, Hopi, Ute, and Dine-Navajo tribes ever do to Trump? They may belong to a national association that also counts among its members the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, but it certainly was not these 5 tribes that supposedly ruined his casino! Little matter, they are indians! Wasn't it enough that Obama loved and admired working with the 5 tribes on a conservation project so dear to their hearts? And they probably used private e-mail accounts, so Hillary!
His cult like base can`t stop watching the carnage, even though for the most part the vast majority were never originally offended, I mean the Bears Ears and the GSENM are in the middle of very desolate desert after all. Still they love the show. In our one episode Batman(5 Tribes) catch the Joker(Zinkee), and take him to jail(court) though the damage of the crime is done. Meanwhile Penguin(Wilbur Ross), Riddler(Steven Miller), and Cat-woman(Kiersten Nielsen) are all conspiring (colluding) for next weeks(or the next tweets) episode. Episode after vendetta fueled (gawd it is never ending) episode.
We desperately need to unplug theT(rump)V(endetta).
In all seriousness though, the Liberty and Justice of all the people of our nation are of little concern to a maniacal president who is only concerned with his own and the carrying out of a full blown vendetta. We cannot rely on a republican controlled congress to unplug the TV.
Trump and the republican party have abandoned the patriotic basis of Liberty and Justice for All that every citizen of our nation relies on, so vote Democratic candidates for Liberty and Justice all the way!
