Most media pundits are academics, politicians, ex-politicians, political consultants or other professional hangers-
on who dominate the Washington scene.
But it’s too bad almost none of these outlets include observations from average Americans, except for those wasted and politically ineffective posts on Facebook and Twitter.
Still, 51% of Americans believe Trump should be fired, according to a CNN poll, For those who favor Trump’s firing, the decision by the Republican Senate essentially means the “fix is in.”
The “fix is in” is accepted language for a rigged system, whether it be for the outcome for an election, jury verdict or bidding process. This term has been around since one group of people started to have more than another group of people and didn’t want to share.
Flash forward to Dec. 18, 2020, when the Trump impeachment trial began, and we got an unprecedented view into the ceremonial workings of a formal government proceeding, like a state funeral or presidential inauguration. In addition, we saw how raw political power is used to present, shade and block arguments in a courtroom setting involving the national leader of the world’s top democracy. This was a spectacle that the average person never sees firsthand in their lifetime. In the process, we got to see how “the fix is in” is implemented right on our TV screens.
And what did we see?
No witnesses. No Problem. This may be news to Judge Judy, but a presidential impeachment trial does not have to have witnesses or documented evidence. No need for “he said, she said.” In the Senate, just let it slide when it comes to answering a charge made by a witness for the Democrats. The key is for a lawyer in a $3,000 suit to deflect a question in a stilted, formal, confusing way, so the average TV viewer will just say “That sounded good.”
Who is paying Trump’s lawyers? Anyone who has ever dealt with a lawyer that the clock starts running as soon as the phone rings. But in Trump’s impeachment trial, average Americans don’t know who is being paid and how much. Who pays Trump’s lawyers? Who pays Giuliani and Dershowitz? We all doubt that money is coming from Trump, so it probably is coming from some hidden campaign finance committee. Who will raise their hand and admit they are paying the lawyers and how much?
Is it OK to buy-off the senators who are also the jurors? Now, that is not supposed to happen in most jurisdictions, but here are some reports saying Trump gave big cash contributions to other senators who were on his “jury.” While this was disputed, there is no doubt that the US Senate has the greatest collection of millionaires assembled in one room at any one time in the country. This makes it more difficult to buy off the jury, but it is still possible. Take the case of Senate leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). He and his wife, Elaine Chao, the current Secretary of Transportation and former Secretary of Labor, have an estimated combined net worth ranging between $13.42 million to $54.56 million. Plus, he gets a salary of $193,4,00. So, while these people are wealthy, they are not going to reject any form of contribution, whether it be in political favor or cash contributions. If they did, they would not be in politics.
Is Trump’s unlawfulness in the best interests of the country? Florida Senator “Little” Marco Rubio says he is. In a statement, Little Marco (Trump’s term for him from the Republican presidential debates) said: “For me, the question would not just be whether the President’s actions were wrong, but ultimately whether what he did was removable,” Rubio said. “The two are not the same. Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a President from office.” So, the next time a co-worker is caught stealing from the company, tell the boss it is not in the best interests of the company to fire him. Then, let us know what your boss says next.
See how Trump’s new legal scams trickle down to local courts. People going to state, county and city courts should be extra alert now when they go to court. The reason: some zealous Republican prosecutors could apply the same legal Trump sorcery to your case. If you are charged with stealing intellectual property from a non-US corporation, say it was done for the national interest.
Or, if you are a defendant accused of robbery, just say you were doing it for the benefit of the local economy. This means it is not a crime, especially if you say no witnesses can testify to the robbery.
Let’s see how the local court systems respond, especially if they are in counties that voted for Trump. Let’s see how fascism works in small-town America.
