Monday, May 07, 2018

"The confrontation is what Trump wants — to galvanize his voters heading into the midterm elections. "

Trump Reverses Strategy: Will Drag Out Mueller Probe

I have to tell you, I think this is evilly (I looked it up, it's a word, archaic) brilliant. It is a "boomerang" strategy: take your opponent's most lethal weapon and use it against him. It is the first coherent, thought out--Machiavellian--strategy that they've had and I do think it is in Trump's best interests legally and politically, which, and this is crucial, are merged. It ticks all the boxes and cuts the Gordian knot of, Fire Mueller, Don't fire Mueller: DON'T fire Mueller. His investigation is the greatest threat to you. Boomerang Mueller back on himself by dragging his investigation out.

America 2.0 is a mobocracy with a messianic Leader. For his mob the Leader is identical with the nation. Nazi Germany is unthinkable without Hitler. China without Mao. The Leader of a mobocracy is not a "caretaker" of the executive position as was said of presidents of the former United States. The government and all its apparatus, and the nation itself, are made identical with the person of the Leader. The key point here is to recognize mobocracy as a form of democracy, which is to say that ultimately the non-political supports of a democracy, the law, the administrative and bureaucratic structures, all have to bend to sufficient popular pressure. The Special Counsel will have to bend to the mob's will. A mob does not care about the legal superstructure of a democracy. It only cares about the Leader. If the law can help the Leader, it stays. If not, it is swept away.

The evil brilliance of this strategy is that, as Hitler did, as Putin does, it boomerangs democracy and its superstructure back on themselves. When you "dovetail" two of anything you destroy whatever separateness each had. Trump's new strategy "dovetails" the political and the legal, both get swallowed up in service to, and in the person of, the Leader, Trump.
https://publicoccurrenc.blogspot.com/2018/05/trump-reverses-strategy-will-drag-out.html


From WaPo It's Bannon's idea:

Trump and Republicans appear to be increasingly relying on the idea that the Mueller probe is a “witch hunt” to galvanize the base in the midterm elections.

That’s potentially a recipe for much worse to come.

Over the weekend, Trump lawyer (sic) [OHHHHHHHHHHH!] Rudy Giuliani went on ABC’s “This Week” and openly stated that “we don’t have to” comply if Mueller issues a subpoena to try to compel the president to testify in a sit-down interview.

Politico reports this morning that Trump’s team actively wants to frame the midterms as a referendum on whether his presidency should survive...This strategy is favored by the former keeper of the Trumpist flame, Stephen K. Bannon, who is explicitly arguing that the GOP tax cuts won’t be nearly as successful in turning out the base:

“You’ve got to make it an up or down vote Nov. 6. I want Trump on the ticket in every district,” Bannon said in an interview. “You have to put Donald Trump on the ticket. You’re not voting for Congress. You’re voting for Donald Trump.” [So, it was Bannon who was Jonathan Karl's source.]