An Upside To The Chaos?

Posted on by under Election 2024, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

It’s been an … um … ‘interesting’ week thus far with two stories dominating the news cycle, both the stuff that nightmares are made of:  Trump’s fraud trial in New York, and McCarthy’s ouster as Speaker of the House.  Charles Blow’s column in the New York Times yesterday, however, poses the notion that perhaps there may be a positive outcome to the chaos and commotion.  I’m not sure if I agree with him, but it’s definitely food for thought … and I hope he’s right.

The Ripples of Republican Chaos

By Charles M. Blow

04 October 2023

This week, Donald Trump delivered his version of a sad tiny desk performance, hunched over the defendant’s table in a New York courtroom, diminished and watching the illusion of power and grandeur he has sold voters thin and run like oil in a hot pan.

He insisted on appearing in person at his civil fraud trial, apparently believing that he would continue to perform his perverse magic of converting that which would have ended other political careers into a political win for himself.

His hubris seemed to consume him, persuading him that in matters of optics, he’s not only invincible but unmatched.

He has done it before: In August he scowled in his mug shot — a precursor to his Fulton County, Ga., criminal trial — summoning the allure of an outlaw, using the photo to raise millions of dollars, according to his campaign.

But I think his attempts at cosplaying some sort of roguish flintiness will wind up being missteps. Courtrooms don’t allow for political-rally stagecraft. There’s no place to plant primed supporters behind him to ensure that every camera angle captures excited admirers. He’s not the center of attention, the impresario of the event; no, he must sit silently in lighting not intended to flatter and in chairs not intended to impress.

Courtrooms humble the people in them. They equalize. They democratize. In the courtroom, Trump is just another defendant — and in it, he looks small. The phantasm of indomitability, the idea of him being wily and slick, surrenders to the flame like tissues in a campfire.

The image was not of a defiant would-be king but of a man stewing and defeated.

The judge in the case even issued a limited gag order after Trump posted a picture of and a comment about the judge’s clerk on Truth Social.

Meanwhile, there’s the historic ouster of the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, by members of his own party for the unforgivable sin of seeking a bipartisan solution to keep the government open.

In Greek mythology exists the story of the Gigantomachy, a battle between the Olympian gods and giants. According to prophecy, the gods could emerge victorious only if assisted by a mortal. Hercules came to the rescue.

But in Republicans’ version of this drama, McCarthy could have emerged victorious over his party’s anarchists only if Democrats had come to his aid. None did.

He was felled by a revolt led not by a giant but by the smallest of men, not in stature but in principles: the charmless Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida.

Anyone who thought that Democrats were going to save McCarthy should have thought again. Ultimately, he succumbed to the result of his own craven pursuit of power: The rule that Gaetz used to initiate the vote to strip McCarthy of the speaker’s gavel was the rule McCarthy agreed to in order to get his hands on the gavel in the first place.

Republicans are engaged in an intense session of self-flagellation. Does it also hurt the country? Yes. But in one way it might help: America needs to clearly see who the culprits are in today’s political chaos, and the damage they cause, so that voters can correct course.

And the events of this week should give voters pause. The tableau that emerges from the troubles of Trump and McCarthy is one in which the G.O.P.’s leaders are chastened and cowed, one in which their power is stripped and their efforts rebuked.

This is just one week among many leading up to the 2024 elections, but it is weeks like this that leave a mark, because the images that emerge from them are indelible.

All the inflamed consternation about Joe Biden’s age and Hunter Biden’s legal troubles will, in the end, have to be weighed against something far more consequential: Republicans — obsessed with blind obeisance, a lust for vengeance and a contempt for accountability — who no longer have the desire or capacity to actually lead.

Their impulses to disrupt and destroy keep winning out, foreshadowing even more of a national disaster if their power grows as a result.

How Republican primary voters respond to this Republican maelstrom of incompetence is one thing. How general election voters will respond to it is quite another.

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36 thoughts on “An Upside To The Chaos?”

  2. Earlier, I read another sensible conjecture for the future of the US House. Not saying it will happen, but it’s sensible. As sensible as possible, given the majority. At the beginning of this is one awesome meme, and at the end, a video worthy of Jolly and Joyful.

    The stuff in between doesn’t disagree with any of Charles Blow’s piece. I’m just adding it to the picture. https://www.dogshirtdaily.com/p/the-game-theory-of-a-vacant-speakership

    Liked by 2 people

  3. There are patterns in chaos. Gravity forces structure.
    Letting McCarthy to sink was a mistake that is going to harm us all. Sam was generally disliked by all. He was slovenly in thinking and disgusting in behavior. He was always first to the donut box where he touched all and took the creamfilled one every time. We had to take a journey through very dangerous terrain and Sam was at peak bother. Not at all out of character, Sam fell into the quicksand. His friends thought it a great time to torment him and the rest were put off by his boorish manner of requesting help. So he sank into oblivion taking with him the keys to the bus that would take everyone to home. Peace be careful of what you wish the grave is cold.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Agreed. It would seem that his supporters no longer care about serious government, but instead prefer entertainment, a circus show. This nation will soon be ripe for the picking by a hostile and ambitious foreign nation … hmmmm, perhaps Putin & Russia? Sigh.

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  6. As I suggested below to Keith, Trump is masterminding his appearance to look smaller than he believes he is. This is not a trick of court lighting, this is, my apologies to Mr. Blow, this is Trump in action, looking defeated on purpose to create a vision of incompetence. He is acting a part that might get him off with the proper jury. “Have pity on poor defenceless little me!” he is crying, with his eyes full of crocodile tears. And he is liable to be succesful. If he can fool Charles Blow, he can fool almost anyone. The jury needs to keep their eyes on the real Donald J. TRUMP, not the actor sitting in the courtroom…

    Liked by 4 people

  7. Jill, I am reminded of why Donald Trump should not testify. He doesn’t have a good memory and he is not a good student with facts. An attorney tells the story about deposing Donald Trump, which is under oath and subject to perjury laws. The attorney got Trump to “correct” 30 stories in one deposition. So, Trump appearing in court will not put him in his best light. A good friend used to say “always tell the truth; you don’t have to remember as much.” That would sum it up in a nutshell for Trump. Keith

    Liked by 4 people

      • Rawgod, maybe, but conservative pundit David Brooks echoed what White House reporters gleaned. Trump’s White House was equal parts chaos and incompetence. Further, financial reporters said well before he was president, while Trump was a good sales person, he was not a very good manager. So, I believe he is not pretending to be incompetent. And, he lies so much he does not know where the truth stops and the lies begin. Keith

        Liked by 3 people

        • People are quick to underestimate Trump’s idiot savancy. He is not a real genius as he claims, but he is a genius at making those willing to belIeve him see him as he wants to be seen.
          This man is a sociopath. He is incapable of looking weak UNLESS HE WANTS TO LOOK WEAK.
          I think most Americans are unable to see Trump for what he is, a conman from the word “breathe.” I dislike this man as one of the most hateable men alive today (you know who most of the others are) but I still can see he is a master manipulator of low-intelligence others, and those who are looking for someone to worship. People are actually scared of him, including a lot of Democrats. That doesn’t happen unless they are mesmerized. Believe he is a genius at that, and you will begin to see the truth. His power may be a sham, but it is real to those who want it to be real.

          Liked by 3 people

    • Exactly. I cannot imagine, knowing that he is his own worst enemy and cannot keep his mouth shut, why any lawyer in his right mind would even agree to represent Donald Trump! Not only that, but he doesn’t even pay his lawyers promptly, if at all! Why would anyone … ???

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  8. What’s happening to Biden’s administration… gone off the deep end?
    McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Biden administration announced it waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction on Wednesday, marking the administration’s first use of a sweeping executive power employed often during the Trump presidency.
    Is Biden trying to be more centrist and win over the swing voters??? Hmmm…

    Liked by 1 person

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