Trump saved the worst for last

[Zorro]

Opinion by Max Boot

Presidents usually experience a poll bump after they leave office. George W. Bush, for example, nearly doubled his popularity rating between 2009 and 2018. If there is any justice in the world (admittedly a big if), that won’t happen with Donald Trump. If posterity needs any reminder of how awful he has been, all it will have to do is look at his final days in office. Trump has saved the worst for last — and there is still a month to go before he is evicted from the White House.

Trump’s singular focus since the election has been on overturning the results even at the cost of destroying U.S. democracy. For more than six weeks, Trump has been spewing conspiracy theories about nonexistent election fraud — claims that have been rejected in 59 court cases and counting, including by Trump-appointed judges.

On Friday, as the New York Times first reported, Trump met at the White House with retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a pardoned felon, and attorney Sidney Powell, who was fired from the Trump legal team after promoting conspiracy theories about the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez too wacky even for Trump. Trump reportedly discussed with the duo Flynn’s idea of declaring martial law and having the military “rerun” the election — or, failing that, appointing Powell as a special counsel to probe (nonexistent) election fraud.

These dangerous ideas may not be implemented, but simply the fact that they are being discussed marks a new low. Never before in U.S. history has there been a record of a president discussing a military coup to stay in office. Is there any doubt that if Trump could find any active-duty generals willing to carry out this plot against America, he would give it the go-ahead? In this instance, all that is preserving the Constitution is the military’s fidelity to the rule of law.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/20/trump-saved-worst-last/

[underpants]

1. This asshole still has a month left

So there’s a month of him being and asshole.

[Irish_Dem]

4. And there is always a new low. There is no bottom. nt

[regnaD kciN]

7. To quote Shakespeare (King Lear)...

“And worse I may be yet: the worst is not so long as we can say, ‘This is the worst.'”

[Irish_Dem]

8. Exactly, if we still are able to say this is the worst, we have not yet hit the worst.

[Blue Owl]

2. The only bump tRump will get is from Junior's janky stash

[vlyons]

3. There will be no coup

Even if there were 1 or 2 active duty generals, who would give such an illegal order (there aren't any), none of the officers under them would follow it, nor any of the enlisted men under them. With Trump, there is no bottom. He is delusionally seeking a way to keep his ass out of prison, when he gets convicted of running a criminal enterprise. NY is coming after his sorry ass, and he knows it.

His karma is ripening, even as I write this. A mere 30 more days.

[exboyfil]

6. I predict a future fight will be getting him out of Florida

The Florida governor will try to prevent extradition.

[Stuart G]

9. In order to escape prosecution, Trump may flee to Russia.. & take his money with him...

[AZ8theist]

13. You mean our taxpayer money...

[Stuart G]

14. Trump has recieved millions in ..."contributions"...I suspect he will take that money. I think that

number is over 100 million dollars. Those "contributions" will be enough to lead a..."pleasant life style in Russia."

[Rhiannon12866]

19. That's why he ran and is still running

He ran out of options when all his "businesses" failed, so running for office was just his latest moneymaking scheme. He never expected to "win," had no intention of doing the job and he hasn't. But he sure liked those contributions and won't give that part up.

[AZ8theist]

21. Yes, the rubes are never in short supply...

For money OR brains.

But let's not forget how much was fleeced from the taxpayers on Secret Service golf cart rentals, foreigners staying at Doturd hotels, forcing the military to stay at his dump in Scotland, diverting cyber security funds to build his imbecilic "wall", etc., etc., etc., etc.,......the list goes on and on...

[Tommymac]

16. He's got no money. Only debt.

Doubt Putin wants him...well, maybe as a court jester...

[Nitram]

18. Trump would hate living in Russia because no one would pay him any respect.

[keithsw]

17. He absolutely will

Desantis is a Trump jr. Minus the vulgarity. I live in Florida and have to listen to his right wing shit and lies constantly

[Girard442]

10. Remember in 2016 when we believed that almost no Evangelicals would vote for Trump?

How could they possibly when the man publicly crapped on every one of their most cherished beliefs?

Yeah.

[Pantagruel]

5. Expect a slate of outrageous pardons

in addition to all the Trump statements and acts undermining his office.
Yet, somehow I fear we won't pursue a strong legal campaign to reverse his sabotage , punish him and deter future bad actors. We need a vicious legal hammer to pound this criminal into total submission.

[Sneederbunk]

11. The Military figured him out a long time ago.

IMHO Trump was never given access to the real nuclear codes.

[speaknow]

12. First things first. Michael Flynn

The traitor on tv saying what he said about call out
the Army and declare Martial Law, was really speaking
to the Generals to do it.
Trump complaining, well what else would he do, never
really did anything for the people of this country.
That is why we are in a mess now, because as he said
"I TAKE NO RESPONCEABILITY" That is the only
true thing he said.

[AZ8theist]

15. I disagree...

Doturd spoke 2 truths during the 2016 campaign.
(And ONLY 2 truths...)
1. The 2016 election was rigged. It was. By Russia.
2. "If you vote for Hillary, you'll have a criminal in the White House". I voted for Hillary and yes, we ended up with a criminal in the White House.

[spooky3]

20. A minor quibble with Boot:

"In this instance, all that is preserving the Constitution is the military’s fidelity to the rule of law."

And one other thing - fear that the incoming President could take action against them. Surely the military leaders are thinking about the new Commander-in-Chief and that he's watching their actions.

I am amazed that more people such as Republican Congresspersons, with their authoritarian tendencies, aren't more concerned about the power that Biden will have to hurt them in various ways, especially if he decides to be even half as evil and vindictive as Trump. He's been around politics long enough to know how to do this. Are they betting that he will be a much better person than that? Probably, but you would think that they would be more concerned about hedging their bets.