Former President Donald Trump has been hit by another gag order prohibiting him from disparaging witnesses and court officials in his public statements. Getting him to shut up, however, seems like an attempt to defy the laws of physics.
We Object To Your Objection
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."
3 Comments. Leave new
The last I heard — I confess to the heresy of not following every single detail — Donald Trump had been fined $10,000. Despite all the snark about how he’s going broke, $10,000 is like one of us lumpen normies buying a candy bar. As a deterrent, a stern fingerwagging would have had more success.
I am noticing an alarming speciation of Trump Derangement Syndrome (where democrats become incapable of rational thought because Trump is a stupid doodie head and we all hate his stupid guts because he’s so stupid, so there). I will call it “dem dumb.”
Basically, the crazier part of the Republican Party tried to shut down the government. That was averted at almost the last moment. Then eight members of the party got Speaker McCarthy thrown out. Did the democrats sit down and say, “We have to stop this. We don’t like McCarthy, but these eight aren’t forcing him out so they can replace him with someone reasonable. We’ll have eight democrats who are in safe districts vote for McCarthy.” Instead, the democrats let the only chance they had to stop this just walk right past.
Now? Trump got to flex his power (even while digging out $10,000 in loose bills from his breast pocket), showing he’s the one in charge of the party, the crazies are empowered to keep pulling crazy tricks, and the person in charge of what the House does, and how the House does it, is an anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, gun enthusiast who thinks the 2020 election was stolen.
I should set up a table outside the House and sell extended warranties and reverse mortgages.
1) It is not at all clear to me that McCarthy was any better than Johnson will be. 2) The Republicans have the majority in the House and, by tradition, get to choose their leader without influence from others. That the Democrats had a small opening during which they could have thwarted that tradition does not mean that they should have. Even if you think the ends justify the means, we still don’t know whether the Democrats should have; perhaps McCarthy would have been unable to deliver any legislation even though he continued to hold the Speaker’s position (for a little longer).
I see what you’re saying but I think the issue here isn’t one of tradition or procedure (it is hardly tradition for a party to toss its own speaker out on his head). This is basically a case of “don’t let crazy drive the school bus.” It was obvious (to me — and if I saw it, it had to be a blue-light special at Walmart obvious) that McCarthy was being sent to Coventry because he wasn’t “pure” enough for the fanatics, and these fanatics are not your father’s Oldsmobile. Trump has generated a collection of politicians who are alarmingly doctrinaire but not in ways that can be mediated by facts or experts. They KNOW they’re right because of attitudes grounded in religious belief and emotional urge. Stepping in to save McCarthy would have been the smart play.
Now? I hope Biden’s good at corn hole, because he is going to be spending a lot of time in the White House with nothing to do, as the House blocks every single piece of legislation that gets submitted by the democrats that doesn’t align with the “correct-think” of the Republican Party. If I were Johnson, I’d return the rule for ousting a Speaker to the status quo ante: requiring a party caucus or conference. If I could get away with it, I’d make it even harder than that.
Dear God in White Jesus Heaven, another four years of Trump.