Today’s Big Numbers
22 Number of days until the election
20/10/5 20 is the Number of days the CDC clearly says severe #COVID19 cases are infectious; and 10 is the number of days since Trump the alleged onset of Trump’s symptoms. If we are to believe he was diagnosed/tested positive when he said or even that he became infected at the ACB super-spreader event, he would still have at least 5 more days to quarantine.
3 Number of candidates being considered by Joe Biden for the position of US Attorney General (Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Former Acting US Attorney General Sally Yates; and Former Gubernatorial candidate and Georgia State Representative, Stacey Abrams).
I often wonder if Democrats, or the so-called “Resistance,” are being too hard on President Trump? Not because I doubt the veracity of all the accusations and reportage about his corrupt nature and business practices, but because, if we believe the 2016 election results, we voted for this.
Continuing the theme of “Elections have consequences,” is it unfair in a democracy to stifle change, even if that change comes in the form of fundamentally shifting the type of government we operate under in America?
If Trump won an electoral victory “fair and square,” albeit not a popular one, do the losers of that vote get to stem the tide of whatever change may emerge from his election, or any president, during the course of that president’s Administration?
Does a mandate give you permission to do more than lead the executive branch? Does it give you the right to change the very nature of the government? Should a new CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken have the support of backers to introduce hamburgers or SMOG checks?
Democrats are of the mind that Trump was given the power to preside over the form of government for which he was elected and making radical change is anathema to the mandate he was given. They seem convinced that people believed Trump presented himself as a man who would use his business acumen to shake up a staid system to improve the lives of the “every man.” To suggest otherwise, supposes that had people known what a scoundrel Trump would turn out to be they would have voted differently. But would they?
That Trump is even still in the running at this point in the 2020 race suggests there are still enough people willing to support him at the expense of a democratic system of government, that it is quite possible the remaining voters are resisting something that has overstayed it’s welcome: Democracy. Perhaps it’s time to let democracy go?
For those hanging in there to fight the good fight, November 3 and the interregnum (lame duck period) will be the proof in the pudding. Did America so miscalculate how bad Trump would be and use this opportunity to course-correct NOW. Or will the supporters and enablers turn out to prove beyond doubt that we, as a nation, do in fact want to move in this new direction. Of course, the Constitution, to which Trump swore an oath, specifically calls for a democratic republic, but that was a long time ago.
Based on polls, the majority of Americans (as high as 17%. An ABC/Washington Post poll was just released showing Biden with a 12% lead nationally) and he is leading in virtually all swing states.
Democrats are holding out hope that those who voted for Trump in the 2016 race did so because he was a business man and an outsider who would come in and shake things up. But is he and has he?
Two recent investigative reports have been published by the New York Times, both pulling the curtains back on Trump’s business dealings.
The Swamp That Trump Built gives a detailed accounting of a cast of characters who have made it a regular practice to do business at Trump properties, essentially buying access and filling Trump’s pockets as they seek political favors.
The other, Trump Engineered a Sudden Windfall in 2016 as Campaign Funds Dwindled, which painted a picture of a man, a “billionaire,” whose campaign was down to a meager $1.5M, who appears to have used shell companies to funnel other people’s money into his campaign; then worked to repay with political favors that make the millions of dollars paid in a “pay to play” environment just a drop in the bucket.
“In interviews with nearly 250 “business executives, club members, lobbyists, Trump property employees and current or former administration officials provide a comprehensive account of how well Mr. Trump’s customers fared with his government — and how the president profited from his reinvented swamp. an avatar. He represents the ego and id of America…
Patrons at the properties ranged widely: foreign politicians and Florida sugar barons, a Chinese billionaire and a Serbian prince, clean-energy enthusiasts and their adversaries in the petroleum industry, avowed small-government activists and contractors seeking billions from ever-fattening federal budgets. Mr. Trump’s administration delivered them funding and laws and land. He handed them appointments to task forces and ambassadorships, victories as weighty as a presidential directive and as ephemeral as a presidential tweet…
More than 70 advocacy groups, businesses and foreign governments threw events at the president’s properties that were previously held elsewhere, or created new events that drove dollars into Mr. Trump’s business. Religious organizations did both, booking more than two dozen prayer meetings, banquets and tours, capitalizing on the president’s popularity with white evangelicals to bolster their own fund-raising and clout. Until the pandemic, one well-connected lawyer hosted a monthly mixer, known as Trump First Tuesdays, attended by the president’s acolytes…
Donors even paid for the privilege of giving money to his campaign and super PAC. Mr. Trump attended 34 fund-raisers held at his hotels and resorts, events that brought his properties another $3 million in revenue. Sometimes, he lined up his donors to ask what they needed from the government…”
Obama once publicly supported a solar panel company and was pilloried for years. He had no financial stake, just trying to promote new green jobs. Imagine if he had taken the CEO from Solyndra to Hawaii or Martha’s Vineyard for private dinners, where he got a kickback. But for some reason Trump supporters just don’t care. They know it’s wrong, but chalk it up to “he’s a businessman.” As if being an unethical conman is the same as being Lee Iacocca.
“By analyzing the tax-return information and public records, The Times was able to trace the flow of money — first to companies that Mr. Trump alone controls, and from there to Mr. Trump himself.
To understand how out of the ordinary those payments were, consider the company that became the destination for the bulk of the money: Trump Las Vegas Sales and Marketing.”
The result of the investigation showed a pattern of self-dealing, un-repaid loans, direct business payments, side deals, and cover-ups it all, over the years since Trump won the 2016 election. Business people the world over showed up to kiss the ring of the new grifter in chief, with a blatant disregard for the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. From that steady flow of cash, we can conclude that without that influx of money, Trump’s façade as a successful businessman would have imploded.
With the 2020 election barely three weeks away, the president's campaign team still does not appear to have settled on a single strategy to increase his standing in the polls. As a series of unfavorable news stories have emerged in recent days, including several about his financial and tax woes, and as his personal health challenges persist, President Trump's history of advancing his own version of reality has moved from his business dealings into the political spotlight.
According to the Times article, “When Trump advances conspiracies about illegal voting, ballot harvesting, or doesn’t rebuke so-called militia men who conspire to kidnap a governor because they don’t want to wear masks, we have to wonder why those narrative are more favorable to him than having us dissect his business maneuvers. That is the Con that he ran and won on. His image as a business man. He stays in office based on the conspiracies that distract from the fake persona.”
What happens next is up to you. This week, find 2 people who are inclined to lean toward voting for Trump and encourage them to read either or both of the articles I referenced. Perhaps understanding that Trump is not what they thought might inspire them to reconsider their support.
If you want more political commentary from Greer McVay, listen to the Capital G Podcast, which is now available on Apple Podcasts and most places you listen to podcasts.
Read more, visit the Capital G Podcast website. That’s Politics with a Capital G!