The President said something shocking…again

It’s deja vu all over again. The President of the United States said something shocking and troubling beyond belief. My wife and I looked at each other in utter amazement and disbelief. We threw up our hands and yelled at the television screen, “What the hell is wrong with you?!” We watched the pundits fall all over themselves trying to reason why the President said what he said. Some said it was impeachable, if not downright illegal. Others wondered what the Democrats were going to about it. And others still, wondered how the Republican Party would react to what he said.

Nearly 24 hours pass, the President tries to walk back what he said and blamed Democrats and the ‘fake news’ media for blowing it all out of proportion. Democrats scream and shout how offensive the President’s comments were. Republicans paper over what he said, and insist that in the long run, they know the President would do the right thing.

And then we forget about it … until the next thing … and the next.

This is the world in which we now live. For the past two-and-a-half years, this is how things have played out in the beautiful world of Donald Trump’s reality show. You would think that if a President of the United States admitted that he would gladly accept ‘opposition research’ from a foreign government, action would surely be forthcoming from Congress to at the very least, censure the President for his callous remark.

But that’s not what’s going to happen. It never does. Even today, I’ve heard Democratic politicians steering away from the word impeachment, saying instead that we need to get ‘all of the facts’ first. Oh, a few are calling for an impeachment inquiry, though certainly not enough to make a difference in the overall scope of things.

Instead, just yesterday we received word from House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, that former Trump Communications Director Hope Hicks, had agreed to testify … in private. Isn’t that wonderful? And did I not see Donald Trump Jr. yesterday, grinning from ear to ear as he strolled into a House Intelligence Committee hearing to testify … in private?

I may be wrong here, but I thought it was the Democratic position that the American people needed to hear from the people who played prominent roles in the Mueller Report. You know, since almost nobody will read the report and it’s 448 pages, public testimony is how the Democrats were going to build the case against Donald Trump. Oh well, it sure was nice to see John Dean testify in public at least.

Nothing against Mr. Dean here, but is this the best that Democrats can do? Do we have to reach back nearly 45 years to find a guy willing to come and testify about why what Trump is doing is worse than what Richard Nixon did? By testifying openly at the Watergate hearings, Mr. Dean certainly did America a favor by detailing the criminal enterprise Nixon was operating out of the White House. But, I’m sorry House Democrats—this isn’t going to cut it. Enough with the nostalgia tour. We need to see these people in person and under oath, testifying before the American people. Why is this so hard?

The failure to act against this President only serves to embolden him. Like a mafia boss, he only understands power and strength. Capitulating, as Democrats continue to do, will merely fuel the autocratic fire that burns so brightly in his soul.

Meanwhile, where is the media and why are they not camped out in front of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office? Should they not be demanding answers as to why he refuses to bring up any election security measures that the House has passed? And will he now allow a vote on Senator Mark Warner’s Fire Act, which would make it mandatory for any politician to contact the FBI if approached by foreign governments offering services or information? Considering the President’s recent remarks, you would think this would be front and center for the Leader. Instead, what we will get is what we always get from McConnell—silence.

Once again, democracy is under another code red. It’s flashing brightly and illuminating the sky. If the Democrats fail to start an impeachment inquiry immediately, we will move ever so close to the edge of the cliff with this President.

In the meantime, I’ll turn on the tube tonight and wait to hear more shock and awe from the mouth of this President. Yes, and my wife and I will shout until we’re blue in the face … until the next day when he does it again, and we do it again. Deja vu indeed …