COMEY’S “ILLEGAL” ACTIONS AND DEMOCRACY

While Trump and the GOP establishment rub their hands with glee, all hell has broken loose and descended on FBI Director James Comey’s head. This follows his “illegal” intervention on the Clinton e mails issue, which had the effect of reigniting the smoldering 2016 Trump campaign. Not since the infamous Edgar J. Hoover, has an FBI Director interfered in the American democratic process. The impact of what Comey effected cannot be rationalized with some simplistic explanation or minimized. By his ill conceived illegal actions he could influence who could become the next President of the United States. 

In addition, Comey is being accused of being partisan by failing to inform the public that there is an investigation into Trump's involvement with the Russians in their attempt to influence the Presidential elections.

There is a growing consensus that Comey acted against the law. Complaints have officially been laid against him for violating the Hatch act which bars FBI officials from using their official authority to influence an election. Previous Attorney Generals have criticized him as well a 100 former prosecutors. In the teeth of the bedlam Comey, five weeks after the FBI had possession of Weiner’s computer and ten days before the Presidential election, applied for court permission, to examine  Clinton aide Abiden’s e mails which were found to be on the computer. What a crock! By his own arguments these cannot add to his previous insanely drawn out investigation into Clinton’s e mails. His only hope is that in a day or two he clears Hillary. Even then he would have grossly overstepped his authority.

Comey had to have known that his actions would impact on the election as the policy he defied was specifically enacted to prevent interference in the democratic process.

COMEY’S CONSTITUENCY IS THE GOP LEADERS NOT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY

As all this unfolds the FBI Director’s obsequious alliance with the Republican Congressional House Leadership becomes more and more obvious. His public announcement in July that he was not recommending a Clinton indictment was also unprecedented. It was an explanation to the Republican Congressional Leadership why a Clinton indictment was untenable and would irreparably damage his judicial reputation. As he explained, at the time, the legal tenets that made an indictment impossible was the obvious lack of intent of Clinton to compromise American security. Furthermore, all Clinton’s contacts had security clearances. 

Nothing has changed since then. How her aide’s e mails could then conceivably be such a risk to society to warrant him influencing the election of the leader most powerful country in the Western world heavens only knows. Not only was his action unlawful, he, had to be aware of the consequences; namely that one of the candidates, who happened to be the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, whole campaign is based on the fact that his opponent is the most crooked candidate in the world and central to his charge relates to the e mail issue that Comey has resurrected.

Again, in his extraordinary public explanation of his decision he threw a sop to the Republican Congressional leadership. He, an unelected public servant, gratuitously insulted the elected Democratic Presidential nominee by introducing a non legal criticism of Clinton that she had been “careless”. Who was Comey, a public servant to politically editorialize on the behavior of an elected nominee? So what many thought was a pro Clinton statement was in fact not. He was merely laying out the facts as to why he couldn’t prosecute her to those that had demanded it. 

Now as an encore Comey writes to these self same Republican Congressional leaders informing them that he is continuing to investigate Clinton’s e mails. In so doing he violates yet another cardinal pillar of judicial enquiry; not to comment on an ongoing investigation. 

It is painfully obvious that Comey believes he is not answerable to the American public but rather to Republican Congressional leaders.

CHARGE LAID BY BUSH ETHICIST

Richard Painter the chief ethicist in the George Walker Bush Whitehouse between 2005 and 2007 has filed a complaint against James Comey with the Federal Office of Special Counsel and Office of Government Ethics. He with a number of others have filed complaints under the Hatch Act. In a New York Times op ed piece Painter maintained that, “We cannot allow FBI or Justice Department Officials to unnecessarily publicize pending investigations concerning candidates of either party while an election is underway.” He continued, “This is an abuse of power. Allowing such a precedent to stand will invite more, and even worse abuses in the future.”

Georgetown University lawyer David Vladeck argues that Comey has abused his power but is uncertain whether this contravenes the Hatch Act. He contended, referring to the FBI Director’s initial statement that Clinton had been careless, that, “Prosecutors had no right to characterize the behavior of someone not charged with a crime. It is grossly inappropriate for a prosecutor to fan political flames when there is no basis to even suggest any unlawful conduct”

HATCH ACT AND COMEY

The Hatch Act is named after Orrin Hatch the Utah Republican Senator. It was enacted to prevent public officials from engaging in political activity. One of its provisions states that the official must abstain from “any active part” in political campaigns. The Hatch Act has withstood attempts to repeal it on a number of occasions the Supreme Court having declined to intervene.

The question is not whether Comey abused his power by his two public announcements, that fact is obvious, it is whether with he broke the law or not. One need not remind a lawyer of the experience of Comey, that “intent” is extremely important factor in accessing whether a law has been transgressed or not. Now it is obvious that Comey spent time weighing up the pros and cons prior to publicly announcing an investigation to the Republican Congressional Leaders. This is evidenced by the memo he sent to Departmental members where he outlined the argument for his action and the alleged angst he was experiencing. In addition the FBI Chief was informed by his superiors including the Attorney General and her Deputy in the Justice Department that issuing this statement was against their internal policies, which were in sync with the Hatch Act. These included not making any announcements or decisions that could affect an election within sixty days of the voting date. 

So it is obvious that Comey did “knowingly and with malice of forethought” defy Justice Department protocols and in so doing broke the law. If any evidence is needed that by his actions he has influenced this election he need just pick up a newspaper, log onto the internet or turn on the TV. (Interestingly enough Comey was far more sensitive to the importance of this law in relation to Trump and the Russians).

Now why did he knowingly break the law? While it is not necessary to provide a motive for Comey’s actions, the inescapable conclusion is that Comey has priorities other than serving the democratic needs of this country. He apparently is unaware that only in banana republics that non elected civil servants, whether they be in the army or not, influence power changes illegally. 

WHAT ABOUT TRUMP AND RUSSIA?

Put another way if Comey is now in the mode of breaking the Hatch Act why is he not briefing Congress on whether he is or isn’t investigating Trump’s admitted involvement in inciting the Russians to hack the e mails of Clinton?

In fact it is alleged that he is showing partisan leaning towards Trump. Unbelievably, in the light of Comey's behavior on the Clinton issue, Comey refused to sign onto the security finding that Russia was meddling in the American election. His argument was, that it was too near to the November election!

Harry Reid has let the cat out of the bag. He informed Comey in a letter that, "He possesses explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his advisors and the Russian Government".

At best Comey is not taking Trump’s public request to the Russians to hack seriously? If so why not? Then what about corroboratory evidence of Trump’s support of Putin personally and policy wise? There are scores of reports that Russian money is flowing into Trump coffers. His son incidentally has confessed that Trump has  “disproportionate” business interests in Russia. 

Trump has supported Putin’s invasions of Crimea and Ukraine and has ignored the fact that Russia is on the opposite side of American troops in Syria. His support of Russia is in the teeth of America’s sanctions against Russia for its imperialistic land grabs. Then he does not support American allies in NATO and is prepared to leave them to Russia’s imperialistic tender mercies if they don’t pay enough. Finally, his previous campaign chairman Paul Manafort had to resign because of the scandal of his lobbying for pro Russian interests. This a pretty strong prima facie case to investigate Russian connected Trump in the light of the fact that the Intelligence Agencies have labelled Russia as the culprit of the hacking. 

Trump is treading treasonous territory with the Russians. So why is Comey not updating us on whether there is an investigation or not into the Russian cyber attacks on American Democracy and the possible link to Trump and his campaign? They have to be more important than whether Hillary Clinton used a private server or not. This is the question Harry Reid has officially asked Comey. 

Interestingly enough, this matter which really impacts on American security, was not an agenda item in the meeting with the Republican Congressional Leaders that grilled Comey on his initial Clinton finding. They apparently couldn’t care less about American security. Clinton is their number one agenda item as Obama was before her. To hell with the country's legislative agenda and its security.

Comey's behavior is ad idem with that of the Republican Congressional Leaders; they are determined to prevent a Hillary Clinton Presidency.

DAMAGE IS  ALREADY DONE

Having hashed out all this egregious behavior it cannot be undone. The damage is irreversible. Kellyanne Conway and Trump are all awash with their smears. Trump has been maintaining on the stump that the FBI would have never reopened the investigation unless there was evidence of the most egregious criminal activity. The ABC poll initiated this weekend reported that one third of Americans stated that as a result of Comey’s decision they are less likely to vote for Clinton. The Polls are tightening…

As an aside this will not save the Republican Party. Even, in the still unlikely event, that Trump gets elected his agenda is totally at odds with theirs. The Party will break up even more rapidly as he will be the public persona of it. They will not have four years to repair the gash in the boat. So Jay H. Ell don’t know why they are joining the party supporting the illegal partisan behavior of a public servant. It is not in their  interests. 

FBI, THE SCANDAL, TRUMP AND CLINTON

The Director of the FBI, James Comey, dropped a political bombshell of tsunami proportions by defying the time tested policies of the Justice department. He achieved this by making an unprecedented announcement about a pending investigation of a Presidential nominee eleven days before the election. The Federal policy specifically states that no such statement should be made within sixty days of any election. Comey reportedly ignored the Justice Department’s advice not to go ahead and defy policy.

The immediate impact was to stop Hillary Clinton's march to an ever increasing majority of electoral votes and to lift Trump’s campaign from the doldrums. This action of an unelected civil servant was more in line with the politics of a banana Republic than with Jeffersonian democracy. It comes at a time when Trump has shown scant respect for the rule of law and democracy. His main thrust at present is the thinly veiled promotion of a vigilante force at the polls to intimidate voters.

COMEY’S ANNOUNCEMENT 

Comey, a Republican, with a ten year appointment as FBI head, broke the news in a letter to six Republican Congressional leaders. The same Republican leadership had mercilessly attacked him at a Congressional hearing on his decision, in his initial prolonged inquiry, not to indict Clinton. Comey had exonerated Clinton on using private e mail facilities. He had found that she had no intent to risk American security and that everyone she communicated with had security clearance. He stated in no certain terms that his decision not to recommend an indictment was “not even close”. He made it quite clear that it would be, legal malpractice. He further implied that if he handed the docket over to prosecutors he would have at best be regarded as incompetent. 

What rankled the Democrats and Clinton as well as bringing an avalanche of criticism from pundits and legal experts, was that the gist of the FBI Director’s disclosure was strong on innuendo and bereft on facts. He maintained that e mails had been uncovered in another inquiry that might  be relevant to the Clinton case. He had no idea whether they were pertinent or not. In this explanation he contravened yet another cardinal prosecutorial procedure, namely not to comment on an going investigation and even worse he named a potential “target” the Democratic nominee for the President of the United States, Hillary Clinton.

The story unfolded rapidly and what was learned made the Head of The FBI’s decision even more inexplicable. Within twenty four hours Comey’s rush to public announcement was really not standing up to scrutiny as leak after leak hit the news waves.

An investigation of Anthony Weiner’s e mails had established that he had shared a laptop with Huma Abedin, his now estranged wife. Abedin, an important Hillary Clinton aide, had a large number of her work e mails on the computer. This should have not have been a surprise to the FBI as this information had been shared in the initial Clinton probe. The apparent explanation for the presence of the Ms. Abedin’s e mails was that the State Department’s printing facilities were such that Ms. Abedin would print relevant e mails at home, having transferred these to her computer. So why this was triggering an enquiry, eleven days before the election is incomprehensible. This turn of events was made even more remarkable when it was leaked that the FBI had the computer in question for five weeks. Also within less than a day the fact emerged that the bulk of these e mails may well be duplicates of those already reviewed in detail by the FBI.

So this is about Abedin’s e mails not Clintons. Whatever this is about how the legal tenets of “intent” and security clearance of the recipients will change as a result of this latest “discovery” is beyond the bounds of reason. 

In short it stinks.

IMMEDIATE POLITICAL IMPACT

The impact of all this was humongous. Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s silver tongued Campaign Manager, said that the enquiry was a big deal. It could lead to Clinton’s indictment, being found guilty or being impeached. She said it had to impact the electorate because very few citizens knew any people that were being investigated by the FBI. All this fitted in with Hillary Clinton’s profile.

As might be expected Donald Trump went onto the offensive. He at last had some concrete validation of his characterization of Hillary as being the most “crooked” and corrupt candidate in history. He hailed this as an exceptional news development akin to the Watergate investigations. He had the very day before chastised the FBI for rigging their first enquiry. He maintained that this had been the worst example of the rigged system. More so than the election rigging and that perpetuated by the Republican and Democratic establishments. 

The Clinton camp started off relatively circumspectly demanding the immediate release of more information and explanation from Comey, which is still their main message. However as the story unfolded Clinton become emboldened at what appeared to be flagrant and inexcusable incompetence at best, labelling it “unprecedented and deeply troubling”. 

The TV pundits that normally are circumspect like David Gergen, former advisor to four American Presidents, exhorted the embattled FBI Director to resolve this problem immediately as the consensus was that his statement had definitely tipped the balance in Trump’s favor. There were very few legal consultants that approved Comey’s decision. 

The most depressing comments came from the Republican leadership who had at last found common cause with their nominee. They greeted the news with glee. They too have plenty to answer for as the population slips away from them they have moved to level the playing field by voter suppression laws such as reversing the Civil Rights Voting Laws.  

AT THE END OF THE DAY

The prognosis for the next four years is grim. The Republicans instead of showing some internal reflection have served notice that they plan to investigate and thwart Clinton from proceeding with furthering any agenda. They will thus continue their key policy of the past eight years by handcuffing the Democratic President and stultify any legislation. If they do they will be beating to death what is left of the life of the moribund Republican Party. They then will act bewildered when their presidential candidate for 2020 will be from the Klu Klux Klan.

The more “moderate” Republican leadership like Ryan will need to take a tough line if they don’t wish to be the mid wives of the GOP descent into the dustbin of history. If they buy Trump’s narrative that the problem is not them but everyone elses they will share his fate. 

Trump media will swamp the waves and attempt to move America back into the Dark Ages. 

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS OVER

The consensus is that this election is all over bar the shouting. Hillary Clinton is cautiously moving into Arizona, Utah, Georgia and even Texas - all States that have rarely been in the Democratic column for generations. This, when every poll has her winning in the toss up States. 

Jay H. Ell blogged nearly a year ago, six months before Trump clinched the GOP nomination, that he had hijacked the Republican Party. Trump didn’t even pretend that he wasn’t using the lax regulations that allowed him to gatecrash the Republican nomination process for his own account. He made it quite clear then, as he did throughout, that he didn’t care if he had the support of the Republican Party leaders or not. He was, as Hillary Clinton argued, an equal opportunity insulter, insulting Republicans with Muslims, Latinos, women and the disabled. He was unashamedly going solo and the Republicans were pretending all was fine. First they believed he could never get the nomination and then they believed he would change. They, till the latest debate were still hanging around waiting for Godot.

THE PARTY WENT AGAINST OWN REPORT AND STUCK WITH TRUMP

Ironically, Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party National Committee, (RNC), who was responsible for the report that was to be the basis of the evolution of the Republican Party from a twentieth century dinosaur to a twentieth first century animal that would come to terms with the changing demography of America, became a Trump champion. The report had recognized that American politics was no longer controlled by white males. The Hispanics and the African Americans were becoming a larger part of the electorate. In addition the millennials were not hung up with the social values of the 1960’s. The LGBT’s were not only a growing voting block but also could not be abused to rally the party.  Finally, women were becoming more and more crucial in the outcome of elections. 

Donald Trump from the word go stood against nearly everything that was needed to allow the Republicans to win a national election. Over eighteen months it has just got worse and worse as he played to the basest base of the Republican Party. 

IN HOPE THEY DID NOTHING

Initially, the Republican Party coped by denial believing that Trump would not win the nomination. As he destructively marched towards securing the top spot there were some belated frantic attempts lead by Mitt Romney to stop Trump. That failed. Then the mantra was that he would change; “become presidential” or “stay on message”.Throughout the process the intelligentsia of the Republican Party were disaffecting one by one. 

The GOP Establishment lead by Reince Priebus had every opportunity to allow the anti Trump force to prevent a nomination that would ultimately smash the Party and everything it ostensibly stood for. But the “Anyone But Trump Movement” was marginalized at the Party Congress and everywhere else. Not only did Priebus do nothing about it, against everyone’s advice and to this minute he has not cut him loose. Priebus was part of Trump’s recent debate preparation… He threatened Cruz and Kasich that if they didn’t support Trump they would not be eligible to run for the Republican Presidential nomination ever. 

Just pause for a second and analyze what the Republican Presidential Nominee stands for: racism, abuse of women, support of Russia and its blatant interference into America’s electoral process and the rape of the democratic process just for starters…..

The legislative leaders McConnell and Ryan would have unconditionally supported him had he not, with monotonously regularity, gone so off kilter. They had to keep their distance otherwise they would have ruined any hope they had of keeping their legislative majorities. They should have chucked the nonentity Priebus out and told Trump to run on his own. They needn’t have contorted themselves to the extent they did as the end result, anyway, is that the Party is in tatters, the Presidency will be lost in a landslide and the Senate will be Democratic. The only thread the House is hanging on by is that the Congressional Districts have been so gerrymandered by the Republicans that it is very difficult for the Democrats to win it back. It may be irrelevant as the GOP will be so split in the House that Ryan will be unable to control the caucus.

BUYER’S REMORSE

The recriminations are already under way. Morning Joe Scarborough, the influential talk show host,  is being hammered for his initial pandering to Trump. He is denying culpability and in truth he was just one of many cashing in on the ratings that the rantings of that maniac were providing. The only bright spot in all of this was the pained peeling off by the Republican intelligentsia. As Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post argued, “Everyone will have to explain what they were doing as this travesty progressed”.

WHAT NOW?

So a sober analysis of where to go next is overdue. The Democrats needn’t be too smug because they were also accused of the same disdain of the average voter that Trump capitalized on. To Clinton’s credit she has already adjusted to the lessons that caused Sander’s popularity. The message is loud and clear. If anything is rigged it is the economy, in favor of the one percent. A fact that Trump cynically exploited himself and then argued he could be the champion of wealth equity. The GOP has to take that into account otherwise they cannot ever recover. Their base also want Social Security, Medicare, affordable college and protection from the financial sharks, for example. 

Then if they are serious about winning the Hispanics' support they better get with the program that they started in the Senate on Immigration Reform. In addition, realize that even after sixty years of civil rights that there is inherent prejudice in the system to the African Americans. 

One fact for certain is that Trump will not just go away. However, he hasn’t the patience or the discipline to carry on “The Movement”. He will just add the failed Presidential Run to his six bankruptcies and move on toTrump television. Even better news for those who are going to try and resuscitate the GOP is that there is no one who can easily take over the leadership roll of Trumpism. All the contenders are washed up or discredited - Giuliani, Christie and the sad lot of alt- rights should be no match for the legitimate leaders. 

Whichever way you look at there is going to be a Democratic President for at least eight more years.

TRUMP: PRESS RELEASE - EMBARGO 11/9/16

As I predicted throughout the election cycle the election would be rigged. I have been proved correct as Hillary’s overwhelming victory evidences. Had she scraped in it would have been far more plausible but this landslide? ThIs in spite of my obvious humongous support. Believe me, I wasn’t give the opportunity to save America and make it great again. An unholy alliance of the Democratic and Republican Establishments, the media, Wall Street, Overseas Trading Partners, International bankers, Saturday Night Live, Warren Buffet, illegal immigrants, (who voted more than once, you all know what I mean), George Soros, China, Big Money, (excepting mine) rapists, murderers, drug dealers, radical Muslim extremists and then, I suppose, a few good people, all conspired to keep me out of the Whitehouse.  So the insiders will continue to suppress the average man, and I suppose, some women as well.

WORLDWIDE CONSPIRACY USED UGLY WOMEN

Realizing that I was about to win the consortium perpetrated the most flagrant move against me They produced a number of women of all shapes and sizes, but mostly fours, alleging I sexually harassed them decades ago. As I argued again and again on the campaign trail they could have at least produced some pretty women, eights or nines, to make their case plausible. The whole facade was to divert attention from my campaign winning exposure when I provided evidence of Bill Clinton’s abuse of women forty years ago. Just because Melania threatened to sue one of them does not begin to compare with Hillary’s harassing behavior of those Bill preyed on.

The media have deliberately ignored all the e mails revealing what a phony Hillary is. Instead they focussed on the fact that it was Putin’s Russia, (a strong great leader unlike Obama) that hacked the e mails. These just happened to be released through Wikileaks in October before the November election. This Julius Assange dumped a ton of damning stuff daily and they just ignored them. Hillary’s people then attacked me just because I called for Putin to hack them. A man needs help from wherever he can get it.

Then there is the bottom of the barrel stuff -  collusion with NBC’s Saturday Night Live which showed me in a poor light. They got that grotesque Alex Baldwin to play me. Why not Arnold Schwarzenegger? Then they get a blonde Kate McKinnon to mislead the electorate as to Clinton’s looks. While Hillary is a four and a half Kate is a seven - a bit too flat chested for an eight. This helped Hillary cut into my white men vote. Don’t forget it was in the NBC truck where they illegally entrapped me into locker room conversation.

In short I am like you one big victim!

TRUMP TV: POLITICAL PORNOGRAPHY

In order to give voice to the true American heroes, like you and me, thereby continuing the battle to make America Great Again, I am announcing the formation of Donald Trump Media. This will serve the purpose of countering the lies of our current communications services. Our Television Programs will support those values that made America Great in the first place. I will not announce how this might be done as why would I tell the enemy my secrets? That is stupid. 

There will be features such as ; Build That Wall, Vacation at a Trump Hotel, Play Golf at a Trump Golf Course, Drink Trump Water, Get drunk on Trump Wine, Deport an Illegal a Day, Tweeting for success, Keep Those Muslims Out, Foreign Affairs - Why We Should  Ally With Russia, gun rights and similar themes. I will feature a late night adult program revisiting my middle aged youth as reflected on the Howard Stern show. (Sponsored by Tic Tac).

The Executive Director will be Roger Ailes who famously pioneered the successful Fox News which has fallen on lean times of late. The newly formed company will feature four hours of Hannity, who is the only honest interviewer on the box today. KellyAnne Conway will also have a daily feature interpreting what I really meant when I said something else. Mayor Giuliani will host what I am sure will be a popular talk show where he will interview himself, nightly. The Executive Director will be Steve Bannon who was directly responsible for all that sustained unbelievable crap that I have been spouting these past few years.

Subscriptions will be available for the first forty million applicants. The charge will be a nominal and minimal forty dollars a year. All Foundation Subscribers will receive a key ring with a Trump Tower charm. (Only pay shipping and handling). Advertisers please contact Kellyanne Conway for rates. 

As I said from the start I am not a loser.

TRUMP’S REALITY SHOW - THE DICTATOR

Donald J. Trump battling to survive as a contender in the Presidential election in his debate turned his reality show of a campaign into an even greater x rated dark farce. His performance was reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin’s iconic spoof, “The Great Dictator”. He has made a mockery of political discourse and in the process has made America the laughing stock of the civilized world. Threatening to lock up an opponent if he won, (mercifully there is no chance of that), attacking the moderators and calling his opponent “The Devil” he sunk even deeper into the sewer that he wallows in. He rallies his supporters with the war cry, ”Make America Great Again”. This is obviously code for turning America into a racist, sexist, xenophobic and fascist country with him as the dictator. 

DISREGARD FOR DEMOCRACY

Most disturbing is his open disregard for the democratic process - “He will instruct his Attorney General”. This in a matter that has already been investigated by the FBI where its Republican appointed head has indicated that it will be legal malpractice to indict Clinton. Not of course to mention that he spent five years attempting to delegitimize the current President with his bogus attack on where he was born. This he did, without fear of prosecution, using the democratic process to further his treasonous aims. Like so many demagogs before him he uses the democratic process with the stated objective to discard it once he gains power. 

TRUMP CAN ONLY LOSE IF SYSTEM RIGGED

More ominously he has made it quite clear that if he loses the system will be rigged. That coupled with calls for “the second amendment people” to intervene if Hillary wins, he is all but calling for revolution. He whips his adoring audiences up into a frenzy. He calls for violence and to beat up the dissenters. He asks for volunteers to be poll vigilantes. His overbearing behavior in this latest debate was scary. The manner in which the overweight Trump menacingly and threateningly moved behind Hillary into her camera space was instructive. 

The fact that even when he loses he denies that he has lost, even when he is on tape he denies that he made the statement, even when he is down in the polls he brags he is up, and even when he constantly settles litigation he denies that he ever does, makes it evident that he cannot tolerate being “the loser”. What makes anyone believe that his response is to an electoral defeat would be any different? 

WHITHER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY?

What is even more depressing is that the Great Republican Party is at sixes and sevens as to what to do. They should have distanced themselves from this megalomaniac from the word go. They had a precedent in 1964 when the Party abandoned Goldwater and its decision was so clearcut that they were able to win the Presidency four years later. The Republican National Committee, (RNC), lead by a political lightweight has threatened more principled members of the Party that if they don’t endorse Trump their ability ever to stand for the nomination is in jeopardy. Up until his revealing “locker room” tape the condemnation of Trump was limited to those who no longer held legislative positions. The flood of legislators abandoning him following the surfacing of yet another Trump arrogant sexist display was evidence that they assessed that Trump had reached the stage where victory was impossible. Up till then his candidacy had been deemed legitimate by the Republican candidates in spite of Trump calling Mexicans’ rapists, drug dealers and murderers, his blatant sexism, advocating forceful deportation of eleven million undocumented workers, inducing Islamophobia, mocking the handicapped, trashing the parents of a deceased soldier because they were Muslim, and exhibiting a dangerous foreign policy.

THE MEDIA

Then there is the media that justify their legitmization of Trump by arguing that that the choice is between two flawed candidates. There is something obscene about putting anyone in the same category as Trump. To put it at its simplest one candidate operates within the political system and the other is a political terrorist. They need to abandon Trump unconditionally. Let him stay in the bunker with Fox and Friends. He is there anyway. He is singularly unimpressed with the treatment he receives from all the other media. He is only interested in sycophants. So the media that are striving to be “impartial” are not recognized as such by “The Donald”.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE 

One could go and on but it suffices just to highlight one issue that is becoming increasingly more evident - Trump’s apparent collusion with an American enemy, Russia. He repeatedly praises it’s de facto dictator, who is a warmonger and the twenty - first century Imperialist Vladimir Putin. He admires him as a “strong leader”. A leader such as he fantasizes he might be. Putin has aligned himself with the forces of evil in the Middle East and is on opposite sides of the USA  in Syria.  In this issue Trump openly opposes his running mate Pence who supports the American foreign policy position. 

It has been publicly acknowledged that the Russians are attempting to influence the Presidential elections. Yet Trump calls upon the Russians to hack Clinton’s e mails. The DNC has been hacked and  according to the US security establishment the perpetrators are the Russians. Prior to this latest debate, following Trump's request, e mails embarrassing to Hillary hit the waves. Again this release has been attributed to the Russians. A fact that Congress accepts and is still openly denied by Trump. Then even though he son Eric has admitted that they do much business in Russia Trump denies it and won’t release his taxes to prove it. The irrestible conclusion is that Trump and Russia are ad idem.

WHAT NOW?

Whatever happens the Republican Party is in tatters. Their future is uncertain. The one reality they will have to live with  is a Trump out of control and the task of meeting the needs of about forty percent of the electorate he supposedly represents. There is little doubt that the Senate will be in Democratic hands as he pulls the GOP candidates down with him. Speaker Ryan has already openly stated that he wants nothing further to do with him. He has instructed House Members to do as their “conscience dictates” in relation to whether they support the Republican Presidential nominee. There is a persistent rumor that the bureaucratic leader of the RNC has finally diverted the Republican infrastructure to the legislative candidates and away from Trump. As the ill disciplined and disorganized candidate has developed very little of his own organization he will be further isolated. 

There are more shoes to drop in this bizarre election cycle. There will be more tapes with Trump’s “locker room” talk. There will be those women he settled with to shut them up. There have to be more samples of his tax returns leaked to the Washington Post. The Russian hackers no doubt will deliver more of Clinton’s e mails. It can only get worse. 

TRUMP WON?

And there are still those who believe Sunday night was a triumph for Trump. He paraded women that had accused Bill Clinton. All this all was thoroughly already litigated by Kenneth Starr twenty years ago in an $80 million dollar effort to effect a coup d’ etat. All Starr could produce was an unseemly consensual affair that Clinton had indulged in. The latter had lied about it in a deposition and that was enough for a partisan effort to impeach him. Which brings one to the obvious question is Hillary anymore to blame for Bill’s behavior than Ivana, Marla or Melania? This will come back to haunt him big time. 

The only scientific poll on the debate - CCN showed that Hillary won it fifty - seven percent to thirty - four.  The earliest tangible impact of the debate are the projections for the race and the Senate from Nate Silver whose models are considered most predictive in American politics. Hillary’s chances of winning the race have moved to eighty - four percent and the Democrat’s likelihood of retaking the Senate have moved to close on sixty percent. The Wall Street Journal and NBC poll coming out a day after the debate has Trump dramatically down fourteen points. This followed Trump’s locker room tape which he basically laughed off on Sunday. And there are still those who believe that Trump won Sunday’s debate. 

The American Democratic Process is on trial in November. Trump needs to be beaten out of sight and discredited and abandoned by all who claim to support the American Constitution.