About the only topic Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell agree upon is that they want Trump off the front pages and being the lead story of the television anchors. McConnell’s need is far more urgent as Trump’s divisiveness will not help the Republicans regain the Senate and the House. Biden wants to create bipartisanship and rule on his own transformative merits. The current President needs his bully pulpit to sell his reforms and not have the oxygen guzzled by the doings of his successor.
Both Biden and McConnell had their unrealistic hopes dashed this week as Trump returned to the American stage with a bang. However the forty fifth president is about to prove that there is limit to all publicity being good publicity. Every time Trump opens his mouth, points his finger and allows the breeze to ruffle is orange coiffure McConnell winces as he knows that every member of the Republican caucus is going to be asked to comment. Luckily for McConnell Trump’s triumphant return is turning out to be more like a whimper than a bang. McConnell’s problems really begin when the civil legislative and criminal litigation and investigations into Trump and January 6 begin. Trump’s return began with a shower of negative news.
BAD BAD WEEK FOR THE DONALD
The week in which heralded the return of Donald Trump to the scene was accompanied by the following happenings:
The announcement that his company and oldest best friend Chief Finance Officer Alan Wiesselberg were to be criminally charged for tax evasion was the worst possible news for Trump, McConnell and Biden in that order:
A trove of, what can charitably labelled insane, Trump e mails directed to his newest worst friend Bill Barr surfaced. These outlined his frenetic conspiratorial attempts to prove that he won the election:
His longest standing newest best friend Rudi Giuliani was disbarred for purveying a tissue of lies about conspiracies to steal the election from him; The detail provided by a panel of judges was astonishing as it had to be as Giuliani was claiming attorney client, (Trump), privilege:
Biden’s Justice Department contested in court the State of Georgia’s Trump inspired legislation to deprive African Americans the opportunity to vote;
One of his worst friends Nancy Pelosi announced a commission to enquire into the January 6 insurrection about the same time that the first of five hundred defendants were about to be tried for the latter, most of whom were either claiming that their actions were because of Donald J.Trump. The Judges in the trial have already castigated the Republican mantra that this insurrection was no big dig deal:
Leaks from a slew of books about to be published on the sickening inner workings of the Trump WhiteHouse hit the media. Obviously there is a rush of informants anxious to tell all about what really happened. Included are - his disdain for the Covid Response team and his consulting them while in Walter Reid, the prayers by CDC Head Redfield in the hope that Trump’s, as not yet fully revealed, near death experience would allow him to reflect and warn the country as to the danger of the disease and then the full story of January 6 where he egged on the insurgents. There are more and more stories of the corruption of his cabinet….
The former Vice President, Mike Pence, who has a genuine following amongst the Evangelicals which was the reason Trump chose him in the first place, is making more and more of a virtue of following the statutes and rarifying Biden’s election. On the same day as Trump’’s coming out party Pence bragged that he “was proud” to have ratified Biden.
Finally Trump went on the road to rid the Republican Party of anyone who opposed him so as to ensure, lest McConnell forget, that he not McConnell, is the leader of the new GOP. The really bad news was that even Fox News didn’t rate his rally in rural North East Ohio as their lead story. There were accounts of it on the equivalent of page five in all the media except the new far right channels such as Newsmax. Incidentally no one, including Fox News, covered the earth shattering event live. So in fairness to Trump, Jay H. Ell will give it the airing it deserves.
That certainly the week that was, but back to the revivalist meeting.
MASS RALLY IN THE OUTBACK - THE SCOOP
The forty fifth President held his first rally since spurring on the insurrection on January 6, in Wellington Ohio. The latter is a village with a population of between four and five thousand. Presumably he went there to stimulate the local economy. The good news is that it is about a forty - five minute drive from Cleveland but don’t blink as you drive through as you may miss it.
Now Wellington Ohio is in Lorraine County which is represented in the House of Representatives by Republican Anthony Gonzalez who had the chutzpah to vote for the ratification of the election results as well as being one of the ten GOP members who voted for the impeachment of Trump for spurring on a coup. The reason Jay H. Ell goes into such detail about an unknown Congressman representing a godforsaken part of Ohio is that he was the main subject of the jamboree.
The rally was attended by “thousands”. Fifteen to twenty thousand were expected but although no one seemed to be able to pin a number the consensus was that there were “thousands” but not the grandiose number predicted. The venue was the Lorraine County Fairgrounds which really didn’t lend itself to the occasion. There is very little seating arrangements to watch the annual cattle parade or taste the cheeses which Wellington, (Ohio), is renowned for but the crowd hung in there.
One fact was for sure that those that those were in attendance were the true devotees. They differed only as to the state of where the Trump Presidency was at - some claiming that he was still the Commander in Chief at the moment and others going along with Q’Anon theory believed he would be reinstated only in August.
There were the usual flags and bunting and MAGA red caps and hysteria. What was missing was the usual entourage of local and national dignitaries - the Republican Governors and Congresspeople etc. Instead those that were mentioned in dispatches were the forty - seven year old Majorie Taylor Greene, who only recently learnt about the holocaust by visiting the holocaust museum in Chicago - she hopes to visit the African American museum before 2022 - and the My Pillow Man, who has become a national standing joke.
So what did the cult leader have to say?
THE MESSAGE - THE SHOW MUST GO ON
As always the former TV star lionized those who were out to get his enemies and there were no greater enemies than those who did not back his Big Lie. So he introduced to the world, let alone the crowd, Max Miller a former aide who he was backing against the traitor House of Representative Gonzalez, “Max’s opponent is a guy named Anthony Gonzalez, who is bad news. He’s a grandstanding RINO, (Republican in name only), not respected in DC, who voted for the unhinged, unconstitutional illegal, impeachment witch hunt. He’s a sellout , he’s a fake Republican and a disgrace to your state , I will tell you that”.
Miller himself had echoed in anticipation what needed to be said. About Trump he professed, “Love that guy” and pronounced that Gonzalez would never live down his betrayal. Trump was Miller’s “role model, period, bar none”. Jay H. Ell supposes it takes all types to go on the road.
Then out of the blue Trump attacked another little known Congressman, Tim Ryan - a Democrat who was “a disaster”. Ryan is a rising Democratic star who has announced that he will run with five others in the Democratic Primary for the Senate next year. There is a vacancy due to the retirement of the sitting Republican Senator. Well he gave Ryan a boost as he was elevated to many TV talk shows to explain why Trump had singled him out.
Enough already with Tim, Max and Anthony and onto the main event Donald J. Trump live.
Trump gave them what they came for namely that he may well be running in 2024, “We won the election twice. It is possible that we will have to win it a third time in 2024”.When all the victimization talk was over he blamed Biden for not fixing up the border immigration chaos that he had inherited from Trump himself. He argued that Biden’s policy was inhumane! The media and even the “woke generals and admirals” came in for fire.
“We will take back the House. We will take back the Senate. And we will do it soon”. Trump like everyone else had forgotten that it was he that had lost them both his good self..
So it was all the same show. To those who watched and hoped for something new they were disappointed. However like with Billy Joel and Elton John they revelled in the familiar and sung along. If Trump was thinking of doing the circuit as a paid entertainer he must have taken away encouragement. However he was no longer news on what he does. He can only become headlines as to what he is done to him.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
For Trump and McConnell 2022 is about competing as to who is the cult leader of the Republican Party. In fairness to McConnell he answers to his corporate pay masters while Trump answers only to Trump. For Biden 2022 sets him on the path to move the imperfect American dream a bit closer to fulfillment and like it or not Trump will keep giving him a hand.
Trump’s choice of venue for one of his most important constituencies the forgotten rurals, was perfect but without the media coverage it will have very limited impact. He would be better off not risking his power within the Republican Party by not getting involved in local elections for the sole purpose of revenge. The audience came from far and wide and it is a fair guess that most of them don’t even vote in Gonzalez’s constituency. However Jay H. Ell is not paid to give Trump political advice so he will just have to learn the hard way.
By the way for those of you missed it Trump followed up Ohio with a visit ti the border dissing Republicans all the way there and back.
No comments:
Post a Comment