The Political Ghosts of Past, Present and Future

In the Dickens novel, the apparitions represent his personal choices and the consequences of his actions. At the cusp of the new year, it seems apropos to consider the ghosts from a political perspective. 

Ghosts from the Political Past

Like many political junkies, I spent Christmas afternoon watching Vice. The Adam McKay film could not have come at a more fitting time. Dick Cheney’s relentless bid for power led us to Iraq, brokered to take over the country’s rich oil fields. The former vice president relied on the Unitary Executive Theory to access power to control the Executive Branch, all the while conducting surreptitious rendez-vous behind Dubya’s back.

Cheney led this country down an evil rabbit hole, taking advantage of the ravages of 9-11 to recalculate the definition of torture and to “enhance law enforcement investigatory tools” through the Patriot Act. (The long title is Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.) 

For those of us who followed Bush 43 in real time, Cheney appeared to be the wizard behind the curtain. His manipulation hit sociopathic levels. In a 2014 appearance on Meet the Press, the former VP danced around semantics to excuse the US policy of torture. 

“Well, torture, to me, Chuck, is an American citizen on a cell phone making a last call to his four young daughters shortly before he burns to death in the upper levels of the Trade Center in New York City on 9/11. There’s this notion that somehow there’s moral equivalence between what the terrorists and what we do. And that’s absolutely not true. We were very careful to stop short of torture. The Senate has seen fit to label their report torture. But we worked hard to stay short of that definition.” -- Dick Cheney 

Recently, a friend asked who was the more evil, Trump or Cheney? Cheney was calculated in his schemes to grab power; Trump views the presidency as an extension of his brand. Both espouse to the End Justifies the Means. Cheney’s manipulations led to tens of thousands of deaths, including roughly 5,000 American servicemen. (According to a March Washington Post article, the exact death toll is “murky.”) Intelligence files support the contention that the invasion also led to the spawn of ISIS. Trump’s rhetoric has led to deep divisiveness and a nodding approval of racism, as well as a sharp rise in hate crimes for three consecutive years since Trump’s election. 

Regardless who is considered the worst of the two, Cheney paved the way for a relatively unbridled GOP power grab of all three branches.

Politics Present

Flashing ahead to 2018, the midterm elections bring Dem control of the House with a 40-seat net gain from the total after the 2016 elections. This is the largest gain of House seats since 1974 when the Dems captured 49 House seats. Trump’s approval rating per Morning Consult (December 21 to 23) has dropped to 39%. The last time his approval rating slumped this low was after Charlottesville. And the president continues to face legal challenges. Dozens of Trump campaign associates have pleaded guilty or been indicted, including the president’s personal “fixer” Michael Cohen who was sentenced to three years for crimes including his role in hush money payments in violation of campaign finance laws. Cohen told an interviewer that Trump directed the payments, aware that the payouts were wrong. 

“Individual 1” aka Donald J. Trump is the subject of multiple criminal investigations. Mid-December, Trump agreed to dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation  under legal supervision, amid allegations that he used the coffers for his personal and political gain. 

A November court ruling allowed the June suit filed by New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood to move forward. The AG issued a statement, “Our petition detailed a shocking pattern of illegality involving the Trump Foundation -- including unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self dealing, and much more. This amounted to the Trump Foundation functioning as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump’s business and political interests.” 

2018 closed out with an impetuous federal government shutdown and a threat to “shut down the southern border” unless he gets the billions of dollars he needs to finish “the wall.” Just before Christmas, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the Administration would be returning “individuals without proper documentation” to Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings. Days later, a second child died in custody at the border. In a statement, Nielsen blamed the death on “smugglers, traffickers, activist judges, and those who seek open borders” but announced DHS would be taking steps to prevent migrant children from dying in US custody. Nielsen also told the Judiciary that she didn’t know how many immigrants had died in US Custody. 

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in December that she hoped her legacy would be that she was “transparent and honest,” a statement that brought a slew of Tweets in response. CBS News has reported that both Sanders and Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah plan to exit the Trump administration. 

The walls appear to be closing in... 

Politics Future

The Dems will be taking over the House majority January 3. Secretary of State General Mattis is departing, replaced temporarily by Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. The White House has announced no plans to replace the defense secretary anytime soon. General Mattis departed following Trump’s announcement the US would pull troops from Syria, a move opposed by the Pentagon but lauded by Putin. 

The House Oversight Committee has issued 51 letters to the Trump White House and agencies. The new House plans numerous investigations into the Trump Administration, including the $50B annual budget of the Department of Homeland Security, which is charged with overseeing Trump’s immigration policy. Kirstjen Nielsen is expected to leave after Davos. 

Michael Cohen will take up residence in a federal prison in March. 

And so on and so on… 

Be sure to follow CityWatch for updates throughout 2019. Happy New Year!

(Beth Cone Kramer is a professional writer living in the Los Angeles area. She covers Resistance Watch and other major issues for CityWatch.)

-cw

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