The Rise of Great Leader Trump
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Whatever policies Trump intends to enact during his presidential term is unknown. He has back-tracked; evaded; back-flipped; side-stepped and often contradicted himself. The most recent case-in-point was when he condemned/congratulated Americans protesting at his ascendancy to power – all within a short period of time;
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The MSM is reporting that he has begun to moderate his extreme views and comments made during the bitter election campaign. He now appears to be a supporter of free trade, according to a recent Herald story.
In effect, he is becoming more ‘presidential’.
Perhaps even “mainstream”.
However, the same cannot be said of his supporters.
Whether it is the appointment of far-right businessman, media executive, and pro-Israel mouthpiece, Steve Bannon (aka, America’s version of Cameron Slater) as Trump’s ‘Chief Strategist’, or, Reince Priebus, lawyer, careerist-politician, and Chairman of the Republican National Committee, appointed as Trump’s White House Chief of Staff – there is a pronounced cabal of right-wing conservatism colonising the new administration.
Far from “draining the swamp”, as Trump has promised on numerous occasions, he is replacing it with one of his own making. As former Democratic Party candidate, Bernie Sanders pointed out;
“Mr. Trump described himself as a populist taking on the establishment, someone who would ‘drain the swamp. Unfortunately what we’re beginning to see is what I feared, which is a lot of what Mr. Trump said to get votes is not what he intends to do as president of the United States.”
In other words: same swamp, different muck.
More frightening still are comments from Trump’s other supporters. Supporters like Omarosa Manigault.
One-time contestant on Donald Trump’s “reality” TV show, ‘The Apprentice‘, Manigault was appointed as as the Trump-campaign’s director of African-American outreach in July of this year.
In August this year, on a PBS ‘Frontline‘ Election Special, Manigault uttered what must be one of the most creepiest, chilling comments in American political history;
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzSvzTTBALg
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Not since Kryptonian super-villain General Zod trashed the White House in a ‘Superman‘ movie, have such threats been uttered;
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKDFop0aqYQ
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Given a chance on ABC’s ’20/20′ current affairs show to minimise her “bow down to President Trump” comment, Manigault dug the hole deeper still.
But more critically, note her passing reference to a “list of critics” which the interviewer seems not to pick up on;
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03cmSdHD4-k
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Three months later, on 8 November, Manigault made this astonishing and disturbing admission to the Independent Journal Review;
“It’s so great our enemies are making themselves clear so that when we get in to the White House, we know where we stand. If [Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican-SC)Graham] felt his interests was with that candidate, God bless him. I would never judge anybody for exercising their right to and the freedom to choose who they want. But let me just tell you, Mr. Trump has a long memory and we’re keeping a list.”
Her ordination as a minister of religion in 2012 does not appear to have mitigated her tendency to spitefulness. (Brian Tamaki would probably see her as a “kindred spirit”.)
Journalist Sunny Hostin confirmed Trump’s vindictive nature;
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udfw636hZ0I
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‘Late Show‘ host Stephen Colbert summed up the revelation of Trump’s Enemies List, saying;
“Wow, an enemies list. They went from zero to Nixon in no time flat.”
Colbert was referring to disgraced former US President, Richard Nixon. In 1973 it had been revealed during Senate hearings into the Watergate Scandal that Nixon had kept a secret Enemies List.
One of Nixon’s “enemies” was eminent journalist, the late Daniel Schorr.
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In 2009, Schorr recounted to Jordy Yager from ‘The Hill‘;
[Schorr] has worked at CBS, The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor, among other organizations. Though he has received three Emmys, numerous decorations from heads of state and countless journalism awards, there is one honor above all that makes Schorr beam with pride.
The distinction came during the 1973 Senate Watergate committee investigation into Nixon and his administration. In his testimony to the committee, John Dean, Nixon’s former White House counsel, mentioned that the president had kept an “Enemies List” — for those for whom the president “mean[t] some harm” and whom he did not like.
After waiting throughout the day, Schorr, who was covering the event, got his hands on the list of 20 people and began to read it live on-air.
“I got to No. 17, and I said, ‘No. 17, Daniel Schorr, a real media enemy,’ ” Schorr recalled.
“I almost collapsed on the air. I had never read it before, never seen it before, never expected it. But I continued and said, ‘No. 18, Paul Newman. No. 19, Mary McGrory [the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The Washington Post].’ It was such a distinguished list,” he said, joking that the notoriety of the list made him more popular. “My lecture fees went up.”
Schorr continued to infuriate Nixon with his critical coverage and was no stranger to the president’s wrath. He is listed in the three articles of impeachment brought against Nixon. It is a badge Schorr wears with honor.
Though Schorr was dismissive of Nixon’s Enemies List, there remained the dangerous reality that a President of the most powerful nation on Earth; Commander-in-Chief of America’s armed forces; privy to information from a multitude of intelligence agencies, and access to the nuclear launch-codes – was compiling a list of personal enemies.
The Nazis had their own “Black Book“ – a list of enemies in Great Britain who were to be rounded up after the successful German invasion and occupation of that nation;
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But only fascist regimes indulge in real Lists of Enemies; people who displease despots, and either end up dead, disappeared, or having “unfortunate accidents” in their lives.
Who is to say that the incoming Trump Administration is fascist?
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Acknowledge for above images: US Government
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References
CNet: Trump dials back anti-protest tweets
New York Times: Donald Trump Appears to Soften Stance on Immigration, but Not on Abortion
The Guardian: Donald Trump appears to soften on Obamacare and Clinton emails
NZ Herald: Trump softens tone on trade policy
The Intercept: Steve Bannon Made Breitbart a Space for Pro-Israel Writers and Anti-Semitic Readers
Wikipedia: Steve Bannon
Wikipedia: Reince Priebus
The Independent: Bernie Sanders – Donald Trump is already breaking his pledge to ‘drain the swamp’
Wikipedia: Omarosa Manigault
USA Today: Omarosa Manigault named head of black outreach for Trump campaign
The Hill: Omarosa – Critics will have to ‘bow down’ to President Trump
Youtube: Omarosa – ‘Every critic, every detractor will have to bow down to President Trump’
Youtube: Rise Before Zod, Kneel Before Zod
Youtube: Omarosa on ‘Bow Down to President Trump’ Comment
The Hill: Omarosa – Trump camp keeping list of enemies
The Grio: Reality TV star Omarosa has been ordained as ‘Rev. Manigault
Independent Journal Review: Omarosa – Republicans Who Vote Against Donald Trump Will Be Put On “A List”
Youtube: Omarosa Suggests Trump Campaign Keeping List of Enemies – The View
Youtube: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – Trump And Obama, Sitting In DC, A-W-K-W-A-R-D
Wikipedia: Nixon’s Enemies List
The Hill: Journalist recalls the honor of being on Nixon’s Enemies List
Wikipedia: The Black Book
US Gov: Make America Great Again
Previous related blogposts
Donald Trump and the lessons of history
Dumber and dumber, scarier and scarier
When Fact Follows Fiction – The Weird World of U.S. Politics
Trump – the cultivation of demagoguery
Black Ops from the SIS and FBI?
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We do not need Judith Collins’s massaged statistics to tell us there are not enough police – every day John Key and Gerry Brownlee remain at large their crime spree continues.
And looking at America we see that, courtesy of a corrupted FBI they have a ‘president’ that would disgrace a troupe of drunken baboons.
NZ might get lucky, Key may get devoured in Peru by ravenous llamas… but America is dying of shame before Trump’s combination of of incompetence and corruption has even taken hold.
It’s the school children I feel sorry for – how can they aspire to anything when all they see that is rewarded is laziness, dishonesty, stupidity and self-interest.
Frank your post seems very hyperbolic to me. Trump policy could end in disaster, for sure, but I strongly feel folks at TDB are getting waaaaay ahead of themselves (and the facts on the ground, most of which suggest Trump will be a moderate (he’s not even a Republican)). This fear-mongering isn’t doing anybody any good. As John Stewart points out, America is STILL America post-election. And it is the very much the same America that voted Obama in TWICE in the last 8 years.
We can’t take the wall literally but we can take it seriously. Short/medium term those that run private prisons will win because Trump will increase the amount of private prisoners.
NItrium, I think you will be sorely disappointed with Trump. he’s not the messiah, y’know, just a very naughty boy.
As usual, an outstanding assessment from you, Frank. We enjoy the many different angles you look at things.
As for the woman, Omarosa Manigault, she is a frightening indication of where this Trump administration is going.
@ NITRIUM Near everyone in the media are, in my opinion, keeping their paychecks by towing the cabal line. Should TDB response bloggers cheer for war-mongering, child satanic ritual killer Hillary whose death from being eaten alive by her own bile is imminent? Perhaps she will follow her master Soros sooner rather than later and it will be considered a mercy act for humanity: http://www.ascensionwithearth.com/2016/11/benjamin-fulford-update-breaking-news.html
I give the media max of three months before the “we were waiting to verify our sources” media “journalists” start their truth blitz.
Helena, you are implying that criticism of Trump = endorsement of Clinton. Are you aware it’s possible to be equally disgusted by both? I am, and I’m not alone. If the best defence of Trump you can come up with is hyperbolic personal attacks on his defeated rival, that’s not very encouraging.
For those interested, here’s a counter blog that pulls apart most of the threads of what Frank claims here, which imo is getting pretty close to irresponsible and irrational fear-mongering (something TDB has been courting a lot lately), as opposed to useful and informative: http://thesaker.is/fear-and-loathing-inside-the-deep-state/
Nitrium,when Frank writes a critique on John Key, you’re only too happy to appreciate his insights and fact finding. But when it comes to another right wing politician you happen to support, he becomes irresponsible? How does that work?
seems to me that Trump supporters share one important feature of their leader, they don’t like criticism.
Samwise – couldn’t put it better myself.
Nitrium, this link you’ve posted in the most irresponsible propaganda. One example, the attempted defence of Steven Bannon, which attempts to shift the blame for the appalling hate speech he regularly publishes on Breitbart.com onto Milo Yiannopoulos. Milo is an appalling excuse for a human being, but he is only responsible for writing the articles that bear his name. Milo was actively headhunted and published by Bannon as the Breitbart editor, and Bannon is ultimately responsible for everything published on that site, not Milo or anyone else. Bringing Bannon into the White House is “draining the swamp” like setting a forest on fire is mitigating climate change.
Nitrium;
You are doing some good work and another great link.
Thank you. Keep them coming.
Too many folks are still forming their opinions via MSM.
Either that or willfully blind.
Cheers.
Nitrium, far from being ” irresponsible and irrational fear-mongering”, Frank’s analysis is straight-forward and based on his usual high-standard fort researching facts. Perhaps if you weren’t so star-struck by that demagogue Trump, you’d see that shill for what he is, dangerous, ignorant, and willing to exploit minorities to climb over them for power.
The latest news is that Trump has appointed Betsy DeVos, an advocate for Charter Schools, as hi Education Secretary.
So far from “draining the swamp”, he’s replaced it with something just as repulsive, just more rightwing.
Let us get totally honest, “the left” has lost credibility long ago, being the laissez faire international free immigration propagandists. That was even adopted in opportunistic ways by the neoliberals, Key at al, to allow wide spread, liberal immigration, to create more competition between local workers and new migrant workers for jobs and pay.
The left has failed to understand that you cannot simply allow mass immigration and keep wages and living standards up.
That is why Trump succeeded in the US, that is why NZ First is successful, that is why Labour and Greens are struggling.
Follow this and learn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w-_NObzPp8
We are screwed with the so called “left” that we have, who follow ideological pipe dreams and forget their own people. We will not win with Labour, they are total losers, we need a NEW party in NZ, to cater for real NZers.
Take care, I had a terrible two days, I am coming back to my senses, Trump is not the answer, but we need new answers for NZ.
Mike, the left hasn’t been in charge of Labour since the late 1970s, which is why New Labour and the Alliance were eventually formed, followed by the Greens. Just like nationalists haven’t been in charge of National since the late 1980s, which is why NZ First was formed. Since the reforms of the Labour constitution, covered thoroughly on this blog, to allow the unions and the general membership to have more influence over party decision-making (eg the leadership), the left has finally got a look-in again, leading to the election of two lefties as party leaders (Cunliffe and now Little). But Blairite neo-liberals have been in control of the party for three decades now, and they will not let the left have it back without a fight.
By all means criticize neo-liberal pronouncements and policy from Labour (eg “we are a free trade party”), and tell them what you want to see them saying and committing too instead. But totally writing Labour off shows ignorance of the progress that is being made inside the party, and effectively gifts the election to National for a fourth term of feeding the house into the fire to keep themselves warm. Supporting NZ First is also supporting National’s fourth term, unless and until they make a public commitment not to support a National coalition after the 2017 election.
“.. the left hasn’t been in charge of Labour since the late 1970s, which is why New Labour and the Alliance were eventually formed, followed by the Greens. Just like nationalists haven’t been in charge of National since the late 1980s, which is why NZ First was formed.”
Ok, points taken, also re the internal changes within Labour, but at present they still seem to be searching a new path and approach, which I find hard to get sense out, and I fear many voters feel the same.
Also I remain suspicious of NZ First.
The opposition though appears split and divided, despite of the MoU between Greens and Labour, and them two are not looking like they will get enough votes to go it alone.
It is a dilemma, and we may have just another repeat as in 2014 next year.
Trump has already “trumped” the TPPA and other trade deals, he will also “trump” climate change deals, and we will speed up to the abyss even faster:
https://guymcpherson.com/climate-chaos/climate-change-summary-and-update/