Donald Trump with Republican Senators including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), January 2019 (Al Drago/Bloomberg)
I spoke with Monocle 24’s Georgina Godwin on Monday about the damage to the US system caused by Republican senators covering for Donald Trump’s abuse of power.
We discussing how GOP senators, despite accepting the charge, blocked witnesses and documents en route to this Wednesday’s vote — likely 53-47 on party lines — shielding Trump from conviction.
Then we consider the effect on Executive relations with Congress and the judiciary, particularly in light of Trump’s deceptions and actions — particularly if he wins a second term in office in November.
And I answer Godwin’s question, “Is Trump fit enough in body and mind to serve another four years?”
Listen from 2:08:
Republican Senators are not stupid people. But they are human beings and they are politicians. And in the past week — after revelations by former National Security Advisor John Bolton that documented Trump’s freezing of Ukraine military aid to get investigations of political rivals — Republicans who might defect came under intense pressure from the White House and from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
All my life I have been liberal and still am, I’m not branded, but I line up with the center more often than with either far side. Sitting on the sideline I see no choice but take side with republicans. I don’t think democrats actually have spent any time in the last four years to understand why people in the middle went and go for trump. DT has just about every flaw you can think of, yet the outcome of his administration is not much worst than if democrats were in the office. Why is that? shouldn’t things just fall apart given DT’s character? Instead, dems are worried he can get elected again. I’m afraid you are out of mud to sling.
In the last four years I can list five things that I disliked and five things that I liked done by this the current administration. And that is ten folds more than I can say about eight years of obama. You don’t think the voters see that?
In your podcast you said “…we will see if americans will step up to the plate….”
Let me translate that for you as I hear it from the sideline- you care about america if you vote democrats, and you don’t care about your country if you vote republican.
And somehow DT is considered divisive. That is some fascinating view.
Anonymous,
Really not sure what point you’re trying to make here.
But, yes, let’s see if Americans step up to the place for the future of the country.
S.
Scott, a simple point. Some of the people who are voting for DT are repulsed by his character. But there is so much arrogance is in the alternative that people don’t see putting up with a low character like DT too bad as long as he doesn’t sink the ship, and he hasn’t so far, or he couldn’t. I’m not american, but have watched it for a long time, gone from disliking the US, liking in, being indifferent toward it, at the end admiring the fundamentals of it. No, it is not only DT that is damaging the political system, it is a collective effort. Republican do what they do and bit their chest, democrats do the same thing with a different flavor and think it is cute.
Is it not obvious after this week dems have lost it already? Dems made a strategic mistake for the last four years and this impeachment circus by going after DT. A better approach would have been to stay above all this, but then again, dems are not above all this, they are just in the gutter on the other side of the street.
In many ways the US is not in very good position globally, but this is not a damage of just three years, this happened over at least a decade…some belly button gazing is needed here….