by Jeffrey A. Rendall
Have you ever been shown an image and told it portrays something you just don’t see? I’m not referring to a Rorschach test (a psychological test in which subjects’ perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both); no, I’m talking about a regular run-of-the-mill photo you see in the newspaper or displayed on TV.
If that’s the case then you know how half of America now feels about the ongoing jumbled witch hunt the Robert Mueller investigation has devolved into. This week supposedly marked a huge turning point in the liberals’ crusade to bring down the presidency of Donald Trump, with former campaign manager Paul Manafort being convicted in federal court (of non-campaign-related crimes) and sleazy former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen pleading guilty to Mueller’s charges.
Through all of it the media’s painted a portrait of Trump that’s more than a little hazy – it’s downright indistinct. The figures are unclear and the actions are open to wide interpretation. One thing’s for sure – it’s a presented piece of evidence that wouldn’t hold up in court.
For his part Trump initially took the legal troubles of his former associates in stride. Jordan Fabian reported at The Hill, “The president responded to the twin legal blows ahead of a campaign event in West Virginia, telling reporters the Manafort conviction was a ‘disgrace’ that had ‘nothing to do with Russian collusion.’ Trump said he feels ‘badly for both’ Manafort and Cohen, but did not comment further on his former lawyer’s guilty plea.
“The president later sought to show he was unfazed by the stunning legal developments during the rally in Charleston, where he briefly touched on the news during his speech to supporters.
“’Fake news and the Russian witch hunt. We’ve got a whole big combination. Where is the collusion? You know they’re still looking for collusion. Where is the collusion? Find some collusion. We want to find the collusion,’ he said.”
In case you’ve been living in a news bubble for the past year plus, Manafort’s conviction had something to do with his criminal past business dealings with Ukrainian entities and Cohen’s guilty plea was related to alleged payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and playboy model Karen McDougal (to keep them from going public with affairs allegations).
As Trump pointed out on Twitter for the umpteenth time neither legal matter had anything to do with what was purportedly the purpose for the Mueller probe in the first place, to investigate “collusion” with the Russian government to tip the 2016 election in Trump’s favor. The subject’s been beaten to death by practically every news outlet so there’s no need to rehash here. If there was indeed some sort of ties between the Trump campaign and Vladimir Putin’s henchmen they haven’t been exposed. Certainly someone would’ve leaked the slime by this time (John Brennan?).
So instead the media’s now going haywire that Mueller found wrongdoing by two guys who once worked for Trump – imagine that, the president interacts with people who skirt the law! If you looked long and hard enough you’d see Trump probably mingles with lots of would-be felons on a daily basis. All politicians do. This is the DC swamp we’re talking about, where most of the inhabitants should be fitted for prison bracelets before they even fill out their employment paperwork. Heck, how many White House staffers exceeded the speed limit on the way to work this morning?
And what’s the deal with the media’s fascination over Trump’s past sex life? Even if the allegations are/were true, which he denies, isn’t it a “private matter” between husband and wife? Big Bubba Bill Clinton literally had accusers coming out of the woodworks in the 90’s – including an admittedly naïve intern who was just barely out of college – but liberals didn’t give a hoot about those transgressions. Bill clearly lied under oath, too, and it wasn’t considered a “high crime and misdemeanor” worthy of impeachment back then.
Why the double standard, Democrats?
The alleged Trumpian prurient conduct occurred over a decade ago, well before he launched his political career. By contrast some of Clinton’s dalliances were proven to take place during his presidency – within the confines of the Oval Office no less. Not to completely excuse Trump’s deportment (if true), but what’s the moral statute of limitations on redemption and forgiveness?
Ultimately, it’s up to the voters to decide. If Trump broke campaign finance laws (not likely) there will be consequences though a sitting president cannot be indicted while in office. Despite all of their bluster and hypocrisy Democrats don’t have much of a stump to stand on. Here’s thinking the media will attempt to keep this story alive until something more sordid comes along; when that happens, we won’t hear anything further about Paul Manafort or Michael Cohen until they’re useful to the muckrakers once again.
The truth is, the public doesn’t care about Manafort or Cohen. And contrary to the claims of liberals, none of this signals a pattern of corruption from Trump either. Trump-bashing Democrat Juan Williams wrote earlier this week at The Hill (about the minority party’s plan to get even with the president), “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sent a letter out last week calling on voters to put Democrats in office to fix the GOP’s ‘brazen corruption, cronyism and incompetence.’
“A ‘culture of corruption’ campaign message against the GOP has worked before. Pelosi became Speaker in 2006 when former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s (R-Tex.) shady dealings with lobbyist Jack Abramoff dominated the headlines…
“[K]eep in mind that corruption is more than old-fashioned political graft. The far more serious crime is Trump’s corruption of our collective civic soul as Americans. There is the normalization of cynicism, paranoia, hatred of immigrants, racism, lying and stealing. To me, that is the real crime. Every Republican who has enabled it will be judged by the voters in November.”
Many a survey has presented a different picture than Williams’; since a majority of the public sees the Mueller investigation as a partisan-driven nothing-burger and the lot of people who still believe there’s something to it long ago joined “Chucky” Schumer, Pelosi and (insert any Democrat’s name here) as card-carrying members of the Trump-hating resistance.
Anyone who can’t recognize this show-trial as a desperate and coordinated assault by the Washington establishment to destroy an outsider president who’s making a difference in altering the swampy status quo is truly blind indeed. And, as practically acknowledged by Williams above, Democrats are planning to resurrect their successful (but old and stale) “corruption” theme to run on ahead of November’s elections (they used it and won the House in 2006).
Therefore, expect Democrats to drone on and on about “corruption” ad nauseum from here until Election Day (and beyond). Where they can’t speak to their superior positions on immigration, crime, national security, the border wall, funding for the military, the environment, energy production, taxes…and the myriad of cultural dilemmas…now they’re dredging up “corruption” and dragging around Stormy Daniels’ filth from years long passed.
Do Democrats truly suppose they’re going to pry Trump supporters away with these flimsy inquisitions and values lectures? What do they hope to accomplish?
It’s simple – this is all a distraction from the positive news coming out daily on the economy, foreign policy, employment and consumer confidence. If you’re in the political opposition and can’t talk about your legislative proposals why not dish on Trump’s real or perceived character deficiencies? Besides, talking about Trump’s past sex life prevents them from having to divulge details of their own personal bugaboos. It’s like killing two birds with one stone!
And it goes without saying Trump himself has discovered a winning campaign strategy by highlighting the Democrats’ numerous obnoxious catcalls to abolish ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Polls show three-quarters of the public is against doing away with the federal agency that enforces immigration laws and shields us from terrorists – so it’s the Democrats who are swimming against the tide of public opinion here.
Their only hope is “corruption,” though it’s hard to see how any of this would change minds about Trump. Everyone knows the president has a history – and people understand his behavior isn’t “typical” for an Oval Office occupant either. Trump kind of breaks the mold…should it matter?
Jay Cost wrote at National Review, “…America’s Founders worried in the early days about aristocracy or monarchy corrupting the republic, but that does not mean they wanted leaders to be profane or slovenly. Rather, they hoped that representatives would come from, in the words of James Madison, a subset of the citizenry, ‘whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country, and whose patriotism and love of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial considerations.’ …
“Even Andrew Jackson, arguably our first democratic president, and a predecessor Trump has frequently cited with admiration, was a war hero. He was seen as an example of the best of America. And Jackson, like Washington before him, had a bearing in public that reinforced this image.
“Just because we want our president to act with a little class does not mean we are secretly pining for monarchical government. The Founders had a similar view, for a decidedly republican reason: The dignity of the occupant of the presidential office should reflect the dignity of the American people.”
Here’s where ardent Trump backers diverge with Trump’s marginal supporters, and of course, his detractors and enemies. While there probably isn’t a person in the land who’s been wild about every single Trump social media outburst, most of his staunchest fans recognize the tweets for what they are – a means to convey a message apart from the liberal thought police filters of the mainstream establishment media.
What unique times we live in with a president possessing (and using) the ability to send thoughts directly several times a day if he so chooses. Most past presidents likely would’ve shied away from using Twitter at all (if they’d had the option of employing it), too terrified of the public ostracization that follows any transmission that could be interpreted as politically damaging.
Can you imagine Mitt Romney tweeting as president? John McCain? Jeb Bush? Cowards, all of them!
The entertainer in Trump knows how to keep his presidency interesting and riveting. Ever notice how he never goes more than a day or two without stirring up some kind of news buzz? The bash-Trump-all-the-time media plays into his hands by taking his tweets and retransmitting them with their own spin. Trump currently has 53.9 million Twitter followers; establishment media outlets help him reach additional millions every day.
The presidency is different now than it’s ever been and the definition of presidential “dignity” must account for the changes. Most if not all presidents wouldn’t be as fond of calling out “fake news” as Trump is, but it can truly be said, Trump doesn’t want to be like anyone else, especially the past few presidents. Fair enough.
For those who are frequently turned off by Trump’s behavior, just look the other way and concentrate on what he’s done, not how he’s done it. After all, “presidential conduct” is in the eye of the beholder. David Horowitz wrote at American Greatness, “All politicians have flawed characters. It’s the nature of the job, which requires compromises, prevarications, dirty deals, and the like. In Trump’s case, what is important is not his loyalty to his wives (and none of them seem to be complaining) but his loyalty to the cause he champions and the people who support him.
“Has Trump kept his promises to his supporters? Has he stayed the course he set for himself of making America great again? That loyalty is the character trait that matters most in a leader, and should matter most in any assessment of Trump. He has taken great personal risks and incurred great personal costs. His reputation for example, was pretty good before he ran against Democrats and their media, who fueled an epidemic of hate portraying him as a racist and neo-Nazi.
“I’m betting there isn’t another Republican who would not have wilted under these attacks. Who would have had the fortitude to stay the course, and keep his promises. That’s really good character. And it’s presidential.”
President Trump deserves much credit for weathering the media tempest that’s swirling around him at all times. The president generates much of the news himself, of course, but conservatives should admire a politician who so willingly endures the worst to make America great again.
