The implications of the reactions of many Republicans and conservatives, including some who claim to be Evangelical Christians, who believe themselves to be the holiest of the holy, to the verdicts in the Trump hush money trial are going to have a far reaching impact which I belive will lead to a staggering repudiation of the whole party in the November election. I may be wrong, and it may very well be that America's integrity, commitment to its core values, its constitution, and to the things which have always made it great, have eroded to the point where there is a majority out there who are drawn to the kind of dictatorial demagogue that is Trump's kind of undefined, nebulous, fascist populism. Maybe there is a majority of Americans who are willing to set their own rights and freedom aside to see those Trump has identified as enemies, which includes ALL Americans with dark skin--including the Hispanic-Latino communities, along with all blacks, Asians, Arabs and any Jews who don't go along with his ideology.
Maybe there is a majority of women who like to be treated like property, and then dumped out to fend for themselves when their dominant male gets tired of them, or they start to get older. Maybe there are now a majority of Americans who have lost touch with this nation's history and heritage and along with it, everything that has contributed to their own identity.
Maybe there is a majority of conservative, Evangelical Christians who are now willing to set aside their doctrine and theology, which they think is superior to that of any other brand of Christianity, especially Catholic and Orthodox traditon, to support a man who openly denies the core doctrines of their faith and lives a life that blasphemes God and trashes the gospel preached by Jesus Christ, recorded in the scriptures Evangelicals claim are without error and infallible.
But I don't think so, not by a long shot.
No Need for MAGA, America is Still Great
Republicans have claimed a lot of labels for themselves, including "the party of 'family values,'" and "the party of law and order." They have blamed Democrats and their policies, legislation and political positions for high crime rates, for what they consider to be a drift toward immorality because of their support for those whose sexual orientation or gender identity is not traditional, they claim crime is the result of the manner in which Democrats administer public school systems and police departments in the big "blue" cities, even though the crime rates are just as high, if not higher, in many small towns and rural communities, especially in the South.
They capitalized on the theme of "defund the police" which came out of the Black Lives Matter protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd and they've gone so far as to defend the vigilantism of murderer Kyle Rittenhouse, claiming that's the outcome of the lack of enforcing the law
But now, with all of this caterwauling, hand wringing, wailing, moaning and screaming over Trump's 34 felony convictions, they are showing that they value power and money over all American virtues and values that make one a patriotic American. They are trashing the Constitution, along with the established system of justice, which includes law enforcement protection, by their defense of a felon who is also advocating for establishing a fascist dictatorship in America.
What if A Democratic Former President had Been Convicted of 34 Felonies?
It's not been that long ago that William Jefferson Clinton was President of the United States. Remember how Republicans, many of whom are still in Congress and in politics today, acted when his misbehavior was revealed? They impeached him. They became the "law and order" police, shrieking and flapping their lips, claiming that character mattered more than political platform or government policy and they roundly criticized the Democrats in the Senate who did not support convicting him, claiming that this was solid proof that Democrats were anti-Americans, and did not believe in a "nation of laws."
Now, just a couple of decades later, they've done an about-face. Character no longer matters in a candidate to most Republicans, especially not to those who have become his MAGA base. They are now in favor of flaunting the law, trashing it, literally covering it with human waste as they demonstrated in their attack on the US Capitol in January of 2021, as long as it is necessary to achieve their own purposes, over the rights of other Americans. Crime, violence and destruction are not only permissible, they are necessary to defeat equality and freedom for all, in order to defend and impose their own ideology.
Had this been a former Democratic President who was convicted on 34 felony counts, there would be cries for execution from the far right. They would line up to defend the judge and jury, to reward them, and to proclaim that the justice system in America still works.
But there wouldn't be any defense of the criminal activity from the left. Democrats wouldn't be going off the deep to circle the wagons, bash the justice system and defend one of their own who was caught up in corruption. There is a Democratic senator going through a similar issue right now, and no one is claiming the courts are being weaponized, and that justice isn't being served. There will be no protests, no criticisms or accusations made of the judge, and no attacks on the jury if he is found guilty, at least, not from any of the Democratic leadership. And that tells me, and every other American who wants to listen, all we need to know about Democrats and Republicans.
And the manner in which the President, his family, and his party, are handling the issues surrounding his son, Hunter, offer a remarkable and extremely stark contrast to Trump's whining, shrieking lip flapping. It would require living on another planet not to be able to see the difference in the way the President is handling this with his son, and the integrity, patience and respect for the law that requires, and the absolutely unacceptable, ridiculous tantrum that Trump, the orange turd, is throwing.
A Staggering Repudiation of the Republican Party
There are a couple of early signs, even in just the few days since the verdicts came in, that indicate what's very likely to come in November as a result of this conviction. The mainstream media and the right wing media, for the most part, were caught off guard by the convictions. Other than a couple of steady, experienced, knowledgeable commentators who can read the signs and make solid predictions, the fact that Trump was found guilty on every single count has left most political commentators in the media in a tail-spin.
The general consensus of most of the media's political "experts" was that if there were convictions, it would be a mixed bag of guilt and innocence. Some expressed doubt that there would be a conviction, claiming that there must be at least one "rogue" juror in the mix. There were a few commentators, Lawrence O'Donnell, Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, Nicole Wallace, to name a few, who seemed more certain that a conviction on all counts was coming.
So, in spite of all the speculation, and the fact that this is a unique situation in history, no one has really thought much beyond the moment. Denial from Trump is such a foregone conclusion, given his inability to accept results of things he doesn't like, his reaction and that of most of his MAGA base, is predictable. It's everyone else's shock and surprise that leads to the conclusion that the reaction to this isn't going to be favorable for Trump. Americans who still believe that we are a country of laws, and that law and order must prevail will come to the conclusion, over the next few days and weeks, will solidify their support behind President Biden, and whether or not the polls will reflect it, this spells doom for the GOP.
We'll soon see if all of the chatter about the Republican party figuring out a way to nominate someone else to run against the President comes to fuition. But if that doesn't happen and Trump is at the top of the GOP ticket in November, I predict disaster will come upon the GOP. There's a lot of political ammunition in these convictions, including the fact that the coverup actually did interfere with an election, and very likely would have changed the outcome had it been known the GOP nominee had an affair with a porn star while his wife was caring for an infant child at home.
The cost is going to be particularly high for those who continue to criticize the court system, follow yet another Trump lie that this was rigged and he did nothing wrong. People are getting tired of the excuse that Trump claims everything which doesn't go his way is rigged against him, in spite of the fact that he's pretty much able to buy his way through just about everything else and rig things for himself. His rhetoric never changes. People who are either too biased, or too ignorant, to think this through will buy his whining. But they're a minority and there aren't enough of them to elect him.
This is Not Really Going Out on a Limb
I'd love to take the credit for being the first to float the idea that this particular conviction is going to cost the GOP dearly, especially if its leaders keep trying to help Trump find ways to get around justice. But there are already others, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartman, David Pakman, who have been saying for a while that guilty verdicts in this trial, even if it wasn't a complete slam dunk, would be a political disaster for the GOP, particularly if they weren't willing to separate themselves from Trump when he was found guilty.
The appearance of support on his behalf during the trial, including the presence of Speaker Mike Johnson, will also be a factor in bringing down Republicans. While many GOP representatives are protected by heavily gerrymandered districts in deep red states, there are plenty of districts across the country where it's close enough that a big deal like this will affect the vote and push the support of independents and third party liberals toward the Democratic candidate. The House will shift in 2024, enough, I believe, to make it secure for Democratic candidates for the Presidency to win an electoral college tie there if it comes to that. The Senate, which some have thought might be a tough prospect to keep, looks like it will stay in Democratic party hands into the next Congress.
Trump's whining, which, as usual, gets a huge amount of media attention, is the rhetoric of a pathetic loser. The 2020 election didn't go his way, so it was rigged. Now he's been justly and deservedly convicted of 34 felonies by a jury of his peers in a justice system that his own party has stood behind implicitly, until he became a defendant. That shows their blatant and pitiful hypocrisy, and their complete lack of conviction and character, and his whining shows that he is the pathetic emotional cripple that those who know him well say is his primary characteristic.
He passed his peak during his Presidency. The electoral win he managed to squeak out in 2016, a quirk of an outdated system, and as we now know from this plethora of felony convictions, a manipulated campaign, was the best he is capable of doing. He isn't gaining support. His MAGA base reached its max, and is leaking disillusioned members, and there's not anywhere else to gain support, and no evidence anywhere that he's picking up anywhere near enough to make up for his losses, something that even Fox News has had to acknowledge.
Even without the effect of 34 felony convictions and a jail sentence looming over his head, it is my personal belief and conviction that Trump is not going to win the 2024 election. I think this trial, which was the only one he couldn't manipulate by depending on corrupt judges or Republican politicians, is going to make that assurance doubly sure.
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