(Continued)

Chapter 3

IS THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY ACCIDENTAL?

COUCH: Several accounts attributed the president’s constant and persistent attack against the Mueller’s investigation to his concern that his stunning success would be less triumphant if it is perceived that his victory was achieved, even in part, with Putin’s help.

It was on the record that the president did not believe that he would win the election. I do not believe that he even wanted to be president. The luckiest man in the history of mankind did not need anything that he did not already had. He lorded over a faithful and obedient staff and consultants compared to the cantankerous, opiniated public servants who would be working for him at all levels in the government. The White House was smaller and less luxurious than Mar-a- Lago; Camp Davis could not compare to Bedminster.

ME: Then, why did he enter the race?

COUCH: A very good question. I thought, before the information came out of the Muller’s investigation and from the press, he did it out of vanity to show the Republicans that he was better than any of the potential republican candidates.

He was not initially endorsed by any conservative Republicans such as Mercer, Murdoc, or even Bannon. During the campaign, he offended the Republican establishment by openly showing disdain to almost all the big names in the party such as McCain, Bush, and did not spare even lesser figures such as Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina.

With the benefit of new information, I am certain that his decision was not motivated solely by vanity; it was a cold calculation with cash in his mind.

ME: Cash? The president is a billionaire.

COUCH: I don’t know if he is a billionaire or not. But there is no record, public record, that he is. He has refused to release his tax returns. For a man who flaunts his wealth at every turn, that is not just unusual, it’s agony.

But, there are signs that he is not rich or at least not as rich as he insists. One billionaire called him a con man. Another billionaire said that if he had parked his assets inherited from his father in an investment fund and did nothing, he would have been richer than with the fortune he claims he is worth. These talks came out only during his campaign for president. Think about such dismissive and derisive talks among the rich people in New York City and probably the country, that must have been circulating for years. They must surely have smarted him. Russia then was the solution.

ME: To build in Russia. But it would be illegal to do business with Russia.

COUCH: That’s why I suspected that he did not enter the republican primaries just for narcissistic reasons alone. He wanted to get to the power center, or better yet, to be the center of the Republican Party. He would position himself either to protect some still unknown interest, assumedly he already had in or with Russia, or to take advantage of the new position to gain more lucrative business opportunities with the Russians once the sanctions would be gone. I am pretty certain now that he only wanted to head the Republican Party going into the general election then lose it, so that he would be the de facto leader of the Republican Party which, or at least its most vocal, aggressive faction, he knew had secretly pushed for a rapprochement with Russia.

ME: As the leader of the Republican Party, he would lead the charge to lift all sanctions against Russia and create a much preferable alliance with the Russians.

COUCH: And in the process, he would be able to benefit handsomely for his family’s business and – very possibly – to cover up any illegal activity – if any – that had been committed, with the help of Putin and his cohorts. He would become a billionaire many times over and shove his new status to the face of those hypocrite and fake money people in New York.

ME: So, candidate Trump’s aim was simply to win the primaries.

COUCH: And his performance during the primary campaigns was astounding. Just like a sink hole suddenly appearing in the middle of a lake of 17 candidates, all water rushed over and carried everything with it into the hole. All other 16 candidates looked weak and defeated. The stunned Republicans swiftly abandoned them and focused their energy on Trump. And for the first time, witnessing his raw, coarse, bully like manner on the podium, they saw their victory against a formidable opponent, dawning.

ME: The hard part was to defeat Hillary Clinton.

COUCH: Yes. Even though Mr. Trump had the ageless looking, energy, street fighting skills, Mrs. Clinton did not seem to faze. She had the upper hand in all the debates against him.

ME: That was when the Russian helping hand was needed?

COUCH: No doubt. The question is, had the Russians already messed with our political system before there was any hint of a collusion with the Republicans? The most logical answer is yes, the Russians had done what they have always been doing, spying and messing with all nations, not just the U.S. They were already in our system.

ME: Surmise, right?

COUCH: Don’t have to remind me. That’s my specialty. Remember that the Republicans historically were the scourge of the Communist Soviet Union and continued to be with Russia under Putin for the same ideological reasons? Why would they want to help the Republicans?

There was a theory pushed hard by the ultraright that Putin held a deep grudge against Clinton because she voiced doubt regarding the Russian presidential election result giving him another term. I am not sure Putin was that emotional (an emotional person would not show his less than athletic body to the world). Besides, she was the one to have pushed the reset button. But even if that were true, that Putin hated the Democrats, why would he want to help the Republicans, Russia’s mortal enemies? Unless there was a quid pro quo.

ME: You promise to lift the sanctions and we will help you take control of the White House?

COUCH: Exactly. So, in that sense, in addition to the assumed fact that he did not really want to win the election and actually become president of the U.S., an immensely difficult and complex political position on this earth, the Trump presidency is accidental.

But that’s too simplistic. His performance was very convincing. For the first time, the ultraright saw one of them walking to the White House through the front door: pink skin, golden hair fluttering in the wind, intimidating in body as well as in manner, freshly naive just like Reagan (his attitude about getting North Korea to the negotiating table was a copy of Reagan’s I will get the Soviets to the negotiating tables) but more devious and cunning, calling things as the ultra right want them to be called (Mexican immigrants are rapists and criminal; there are decent people in the KKK and among the white supremacists etc.)

His bully like manner has since attracted sizeable number of followers to the tune of 30% of the voting population who have made him a cult leader. But the president did not create the cult. The cult had been in existence, albeit silently, for a long time before he came along; they just found a soul mate and made him its face. No matter what he did or would do (killing someone on Pennsylvania Avenue?) they would still stand behind him.

ME: But he was elected with more than 30% of the voters, more like almost 50% of the popular votes.

COUCH: That’s true and that’s why I am reluctant to label his presidency accidental. He blended his racist messages with legitimate concerns of ordinary Americans such as a flawed immigration policy, terrorism, economic disadvantages, perceived unfair trade practices by other countries especially China. That swayed the 20% in his favor and mind you not just Republicans but a significant number of Democrats voted for him too.

For that success, you have to respect his and his backers political acumen. His election would be definitely accidental and illegitimate if the Russian investigation could determine how much influence their interference had in the 2016 presidential election. Even 1 or 2% would have made the opposite of the outcome, and supported people who contended that Trump’s presidency is illegitimate.

ME: I detect some sadness and worry in your voice.

COUCH: Because of the takeover of the Republicans Party by the extremists.

(To be continued: “The Republican Party and the American Dream”)

(Continued)

Chapter IV

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE AMERICAN DREAM

COUCH: The attack by the president on the FBI and the intelligence agencies is to me understandable. He definitely has something to hide. But the concerted attack against these agencies by the Republicans in Congress is disturbing. The FBI has been a storied and venerable institution respected and trusted by the nation. It was one thing for the Republicans to attack the Democrats and his critics to protect the president. But it did not make any sense for them to publicly belittle, humiliate and debase the FBI and its leaders.

ME: Unless the FBI’s investigation touched the nerves of the Republican Party.

COUCH: Yes, the nerves of the extremist faction of the Republican Party, not the party itself. This faction is fighting to protect itself and hopefully its malicious scheme.

The Republican Party was the party of Lincoln fighting the civil war to abolish slavery. The same party decided to accept up to 1.6 million Vietnamese refugees over the objection of the Democrats led by Joe Biden when South Viet Nam fell. With a history like that, I have a hard time to believe that the party is involved in the pervert policy of racism. But it seems to have been too compliant to its radical faction’s demands. There are good Republicans in Congress, but they have seemingly been intimidated and stayed silence.

ME: They should remember the Raymond Burke’s adage: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothings.

COUCH: That is why it is very difficult to understand them, because the stakes are huge: the destruction of democracy and with it the American Dream. The only way to understand the Republican Party’s establishment in its current state is that it was caught off guard by the surprising strength of the Tea Party movement or whatever you call it, white supremacy, ultra right etc., which turned out to be very well funded and well organized. These people are extremely aggressive and downright bullying and they have come from inside the Republican Party.

Even if any so-called Establishment Republican who is not a coward, came out and publicly opposed the Meadows, the Gordons, they would almost certainly meet the fate of John Boehner, and then such courage would not do any good.

ME: So, the solution is the Democrats and hopefully, their winning in November?

COUCH: I thought about it. Who would be willing to protect the American Dream, the dream of all men being created equal with unalienable rights to Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happinesss , if not the Democrats?

Wherever I look, I only see Republicans come out in force to protect not just the president, but anything connected to the president. Their effort is so open and blatant, you would give up any hope that they would do the right thing such as saving democracy, saving the country from foreign interference. Congressional Republicans viciously attack and humiliate the DOJ and the FBI while they are investigating the Russian efforts of undermining our national security. Think about it: the intelligence agencies have proofs that Russia has spied on us and done serious damage to our political system. And what the Republicans in Congress do? – They attack the very people and institutions who are trusted with the task of protecting our nation and people against the kind of villains such as the Russians.

ME: You don’t seem to be sanguine about the Democrats ability to handle the problem.

COUCH: Here is the thing: racism and discrimination is not democratic or republican. It is the white race’s flavor even though it seems that Republicans are doing more than ever before in modern times to destroy the American Dream. Imagine that Hillary won the election. The Tea Party in Congress and the ultra-right would have come out in force to sabotage any democratic legislation designed to effect political or social changes. Just observe what they did in Congress while Barack Obama was president. They investigated Hillary Clinton – seven times – trying to hold her responsible for the Benghazi attack, a city nobody heard of before the attack, in a lawless country, and they wanted the secretary of state to go to jail for that attack.

The control of Congress by the Democrats would not make these guys go away or less vicious. So, I am not sure the Democrats would be effective. The deep division in the country would get deeper and the Democrats would have a hard time to govern unless they would compromise and practice horse trading. The American Dream would probably not die a sudden death but a prolonged and sure ultimate death.

Besides, it is not their moral obligation; they did not create or nurture this kind of extremism. The Republicans and their policies over the years did.

ME: Who else will get the job done?

COUCH: The Republicans.

ME What?

COUCH: The extremist force as we now know is about 30 to 33% of the population strong. That is an incredibly huge and scary number of people holding racist thoughts. They existed before Trump and will exist after Trump. The president has made many statements to brag about their support, to give the impression that no matter how outrageous what the president did or said, this huge segment of the population would still support him. But that is to put the cart before the horse: the president just does and says whatever the extremists desire, that is why they support him. Let him say something like I don’t want to build the wall, or the wall is an offensive idea, and we will find out if the extremists are still behind him.

ME: So, Trump is not the problem, the extremists are?

COUCH: Exactly.

ME: How do you propose the Republicans to handle this issue?

COUCH: It will be a formidable task to win over the extremists, because racism is imbedded in the nature of men, and the extremists are not just farmers in Iowa or workers on the docks. They are also intellectuals and billionaires.

But I believe that the Republican Establishment still has good and effective members, who believe in the ideas of Lincoln, Reagan – Ideas that will make our nation a stronger and better place for people of all races to thrive and contribute to the happiness of all. We have seen a few good examples such as John McCain, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake, etc.

ME: Do you think that they would win the struggle just by speaking out, showing their good hearts and being a good example of what a decent human being should behave?

COUCH: My hope is a little more than that. Do you know that the elephant has a zombie gene that would trigger a self-destruct process, causing a cancerous cell to destroy itself. The extremist faction in the Republican Party is a cancer cell in the body of the party.

The Republican establishment is not only in the best position to snub out this dangerous segment within its own party. It has the duty to do so because it is responsible for policies and legislation that created this group and have enabled it to be growing and empowered. I still trust that the Republicans, despite their short term devilish political maneuverings, will overcome this disgraceful episode in their history and will again show their courage and foresight.

ME: Where do you suppose that the Republicans will find their zombie gene?

COUCH: I don’t know. I am not a politician. I am just a conspiracy theorist. If they could find ways to investigate Hillary Clinton seven times by seven different committees, they should be able to find their zombie gene.

THE DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO DESTROY THE AMERICAN DREAM

The American Dream could have started with Columbus. But he did not dream of America. He was dreaming of India. He was still dreaming of the Far East after settling in America.

So, we can say that the Pilgrims were the first people who actually dreamed of America, as a land where they could be free to express their religious beliefs and escape persecution. That was certainly a true American dream.

Then, there are other dreams that so many people in other parts of the world believe that only in America they would be able to realize them. In fact, they have faith that in America, they would achieve them: the dream of having enough food on the table every day for their family, the dream of being able to obtain adequate medical care for their loved ones, the dream of seeing their children books in hands walking to school, the dream of buying a house, the dream of having a job to save enough for a well provided retirement, the dream of being able to choose their political representatives… They hold these dreams as an article of faith that once they are in America, they are no longer dreams but a reality.

But there is another American Dream, a much bigger and deeper dream, the American Dream that speaks to the true nature of men that has been warped by fear, desperate needs that could not be satisfied by any other means than killing the weaker. It was enunciated by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence of the U.S.A.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of
Happiness“.

It was no doubt divinely inspired as one can’t fail noticing the irony that Jefferson wrote those words while outside of his study’s window, black men and women slaved away on his plantation. The truth of his words came to him despite the life he and his fellow white people had been leading au contraire, as if the words were sent down to him from above when he was in a trance.

But his words are so evident that they need to be repeated:

“All men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and Pursuit of
Happiness.”

That is the American Dream, which since the day it was declared, has become the Dream of every man on earth.

It is a dream that you are respected for who you are, not because the law punishes anyone for harming you but because everyone – all – understands that it is wrong, it is against the true nature of men to harbor a hostile feeling toward someone for no reason other than he/she looks different than your children or cousins. A dream that you do not have to move to the other side of the street, just like Henry Kissinger did when he was a school boy in Germany, when there is a group of different people coming your way on this side. A dream that people understand that whatever power you have, the brain power of an Einstein, the physical power of a Schwarzenegger, the financial power of a Warren Buffett, it will be used to build, expand, and maintain the common good of society, and improve the conditions of mankind. It is not just against man-created ethical principles to use your power, in whatever form, to harm others. It is against the true nature of men. And the true nature of men according to Confucius is kind and good. That is the Dream that entitles us, the Dreamers, to call ourselves “civilized” and other creatures such ISIS, hyenas “savage”.

The history of the young nation, the U.S.A., has had hiccups, but its trajectory has mainly in the right course toward fulfilling the Dream. But, what has transpired in the U.S. since Newt Gingrich got elected to Congress is great cause for alarm. The wisdom of having two parties competing in the political process seems to have gone unrespected for the last several election cycles.

Since the emergence of the Tea Party, the ultraright has steadily moved forward and been incrementally gaining ground and power. It is not a local phenomenon but a global movement, a political globalism (ironically, the ultraright vocally denounces economic globalisms as if to cover up their own hidden agenda) and a deep state of ideology tinged with racism and white supremacism (hence the oft repeated denouncement of the alleged Democrats deep states by the ultraright media and political circle). Their agenda has been revealed little by little but now seems clear: A re-establishment of the absolute dictatorship of white men of centuries past.

Without much subtlety, they insist that “all men” means white men. To the extent that they have subscribed to the words of Thomas Jefferson, that interpretation has clearly gained acceptance in Russia and Eastern Europe.

The alt right’s modus operandi has been “the end justifies the means”, and “win at all costs”. The Dallas Morning News pointed out that fact when it denounced in an editorial that the Republican Party had abandoned all conservative principles to win an election by publicly endorsing Donald Trump candidacy without reservation.

Before the Trump candidacy, a group of white men, in the U.S. as well as in Europe had tried hard to advance White Supremacism. In Europe, they have made much advance in France with the father/daughter team named Le Pen, and in England, in a surprise coup, they sought and won secession from the European Union; their platform included their opposition to immigration. Boris Johnson openly despised Barack Obama.

But, in the U.S. they were like ronins wandering in small clusters for years without a daimyo.  Trump candidacy and the ensuing campaign deliberately spoke to them and to their dark instinct. Thus, they found their leader. With him as the lead man, that white supremacist interpretation of “all men” has come out in the open and bullied its way into the center of political and social power in the U.S. They consider Democracy, Jeffersonian ideology, not a social and political goal, but an impediment blocking their path.

The Dream is now facing its imminent demise.

Whether they are playing the role of a soupape de securite , an outlet for the extremists to vent anger and frustration, the Republicans seem to let the extremists lead the way. Or rather they, the Republican Establishment, the Reagan Republicans, the true conservatives, have been incapable of holding onto power and exerting authority over this radical faction. It is painful and sad watching the Republican leadership playing obsequious role of enablers, moronically smiling and applauding whatever the president says or does including nonsensical, irrational, weird utterances and mannerless behavior. Either out of deliberation or weakness, they have been shirking their responsibility to the country, to the Constitution, and to the ideals forming the American Dream.

 

A CONSPIRACY THEORY:

The Case of Mira Ricardel and The (Supposedly) About Face of the President

The First Lady demanded an official in the White House to be fired. Who is she?

It turned out she was just a deputy national security adviser, a relatively unknown official until now, in an administration that even second tier members are famous or infamous. I was puzzled. So, I called COUCH.

COUCH: What’s up?

ME: Just want to get your take on the firing of Mira Ricardel.

COUCH: It is indeed an interesting case. You are right that not many people heard of Ms. Ricardel until the First Lady demanded her firing. Many people in Washington who have worked with her agree that she is a tough bureaucratic player with a strong personality, a very smart woman. Her bio includes impressive assignments at the Departments of Defense and State. But she has never held a top job. Only second tier, obviously acting at someone else’s directing.

ME: That’s why I am surprised that she antagonized the First Lady and her office, as if she felt confident and safe doing so.

COUCH: She did not just antagonize the First Lady and her staff. It has been reported that she was the force behind the abolishment of the position of White House cybersecurity chief, the dismissal of another NSA staff. She blocked some nominees wanted by Jim Mattis, Secretary of Defense, because they were Democrats, meaning not Republican loyalists. She bullied people of lower rankings and butted heads with people above her. And she looks just like a grandmother dressed to go shopping for groceries.

ME: A difficult woman.

COUCH: She is zealous as if she has been sent on a mission.

ME: What do you mean?

COUCH: Remember the deep state that I told you about before?

ME: We do not have regular conversations a la Tuesday with Morrie type. But yes, I do remember your theory, or theories.

COUCH: Here are a few things worth noting: She is brilliant but has always been an underling to some other official. She is a daughter of immigrants from Croatia still speaking Croatian at home. I mention this because, as a rule, at least my rule, when you are new in something, you are more zealous than members who have been in that thing longer than you. You are more royal than the king and in this case, more conservative than the conservatives.

ME: Why?

COUCH: I just state the rule without going into the why, that is for others.

So, she was a good recruit, or candidate, to follow instructions and faithfully execute them.

She claimed to be a Reagan conservative. Nowadays, there is no such denomination in the Republican politics (or at least the Reagan Conservatism has taken a back seat) and because she has proved to be a republican loyalist, my theory is that she was sent to the Trump administration to represent that zealous faction, the ultraright if you will. When she picked a fight against a cabinet member, several ranks above her, she had confidence. When she fought the First Lady and her office, she had confidence. Confidence does not happen in a vacuum, and in Washington politics, you are not confident just because you think you are right. You must have support from some quarter that you believe has power over, or at least powerful influence on the outcome of the dispute – in this case the power over, or influence on the White House.

ME: The ultraright deep state?

COUCH: Is’nt it obvious to you?

ME: Now, she is gone, the influence of the ultraright on the White House is waning?

COUCH: I doubt it. They are sophisticated and their operation is octopus-like. One cadre dismissed doesn’t mean the operation is crippled. I doubt that it would make even a tiny difference in their influence or power. But there have been some developments that I find peculiar.

ME: What developments?

COUCH: The president’s kind words for Nancy Pelosi and Andrew Gillum, the Democrats who have been demonized by him. He called Gillum a cold-stone thief whatever that means. But now, he is wooing them and by association the Democrats. He has offered help to Nancy Pelosi to become the next Speaker of the House. He highly praised Andrew Gillum. I just wonder what is going on?

ME: The president has been known for changing his positions all the time, more than any politician on the records. What is new about that?

COUCH: When you see a boy and a girl exchanging glances in a crowd, will they be lovers? Will they elope? You can’t know for sure. But one thing you know for sure is there is definitely something there, no matter how ethereal it may be.

The president could probably try to hedge his political future now that the Democrats own the House. Or, is the Republican wind, I wonder, blowing back to the right Reagan Conservatism – away from the ultraright?

ME: Don’t give me false hope COUCH.

COUCH: We will see.

John P. Le Phong, Attorney at Law