Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:36 pm
*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*
During the 2012 general election, and campaign, one could hardly believe the level of mendacity coming out of the Willard Romney campaign. In fact, it became fairly apparent that no matter how frequently the Republicans in Congress lied as part of their automatic opposition and obstruction to President Obama up to that point, their deceit and lies paled in comparison to Romney’s seemingly pathological lying. Four years later, despite Willard’s record capacity to lie, even he couldn’t hold a candle to Donald Trump who epitomizes what it means to be pathologically incapable of telling the truth; an affliction that permeated his entire campaign staff. Now that the election is over, one of Trump’s trusted accomplices is still lying profusely and although there is no excuse for lying, there is a purpose in the filthy lie that Donald Trump won by a landslide and by the most significant number of votes since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
After a brief stint as the Trump campaign’s inside voice on CNN, former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is back on team Trump and lying for his boss as if his very existence depends on it. After telling the truth during a speech about the monumental assist Trump’s campaign received from FBI director James Comey eleven days before the election, Lewandowski nearly out-lied his corrupt boss Donald Trump. He repeated a Trump campaign lie and said that “Donald Trump won the election campaign by the largest majority since Ronald Reagan in 1984.” Seriously, Lewandowski actually told a lie that it seems nearly impossible that every person on the planet knows was a gross violation the Ninth commandment.
The brief truth is that in the past eight presidential elections since 1984, Donald Trump comes in at number 8 out of 8 in the popular vote and 6th out of 8 in the Electoral College vote. Add to that little bit of truth, Hillary Clinton garnered a couple of million more popular votes than dirty Don and more than any other white male candidate in history; and her lead continues to grow.
Now, it is simple to think Lewandowski and the Trump camp are lying about a “landslide victory” and a “mandate” just to stroke their megalomaniac boss’ over-inflated ego, and that may be the case. But there is another reason that makes just as much sense; the policies that Republicans and Trump will ram down the throats of the American people are highly unpopular.
With every policy position, campaign promise, and stated proposals on the Trump-Republican agenda certain to invoke anger among Americans, Trump’s liars are attempting to convince the people that promising to implement those devastating policies are why Trump won a monumental “landslide victory.” And, that no matter how unpopular the Koch-GOP and Trump’s agenda, they are, after all, “mandated” by the voters to unleash Hell on the people. Sadly, Americans are so inherently ignorant, uninformed, easily fooled and just plain stupid, that they will likely fall for the Trump lies and accept damaging policies they “heard from Trump’s acolytes” are mandated by the people.
There aren’t many Republican-Trump policies that have the support of the majority of Americans, and it is relatively safe to say there are next to none, but perusing recent polling about just a few of the policies Trump and Republicans have pledged to implement demonstrate just how unpopular their policies are and why it is important for them to lie about a non-existent “mandate.”
Trump, and for sure, Republicans have pledged to give the National Rifle Association their due attention in both relaxing gun regulations and blocking any hope in Hell of ever getting simple and sane gun safety laws enacted. This is despite an overwhelming majority, including NRA members, of the population that want the most basic of safety provisions; universal background checks. They will never happen.
On a woman’s choice, Trump has made it clear he will specifically nominate a Supreme Court justice who pledges to overturn Roe v. Wade. Whether it is his misogynistic twist on exerting control over all American women, or playing at abject obedience to the Vatican, Pope Francis, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Hobby Lobby’s owners, or the evangelical right, Trump’s, the USCCB, evangelical right and Hobby Lobby’s owners plan and intent for the nation is contrary to will of the majority of Americans who do not want it overturned.
On tax cuts for the rich, the people have for years wanted the wealthy’s unfair tax breaks reined in; most Americans are not enthused about another Republican plan where the rich getting richer at their or the nation’s expense. Of course Republicans and Trump could not care less what the people want and are proposing unheard of tax cuts for the rich; at the expense of everyone else.
Related to giving more wealth to the rich is the Koch Republican plan to seize all federal public lands, including wilderness areas, national parks, and protected areas and transfer them to corporate control and privatization. Although the people vehemently oppose the idea, the Koch brothers want it so badly that the GOP made it an integral part of the official RNC platform.
Americans also overwhelmingly want immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and among those wanting Congress to act is no small number of Republicans. However, like the other policies Trump and Republicans will enact, a minority of Nazis (alt-right), white nationalists, bigots, Ku Klux Klan members, Donald Trump and white supremacists don’t want any reform that doesn’t involve mass deportation and imprisonment.
By now some Americans are aware that the concept of Medicare as they know it and as it was devised is set for a massive reform in the shape of a coupon. Even though the people do not want the retirement healthcare program privatized, the Koch brothers, Republicans and Donald Trump do and they own the government. Some Americans likely thought there was a chance Social Security would be expanded, or at least protected, and the majority of the people want the program preserved, but now that the Kochs, Republicans and Trump run the nation, Social Security will be fortunate to survive privatization. It is all but guaranteed Republicans will raise the retirement age and cut benefits; because it is contrary to the will of the majority.
This list could go on for pages, but the point is that the American people are going to get a very healthy, and unchallengeable, dose of everything the majority opposes. It is possible that some of the people may catch on that the next iteration of government will fundamentally go against their wishes and best interests, but even that is questionable. Because besides the stupid people who voted for what they never wanted, it is possible that if Trump and his thugs lie enough that he is doing what the people mandated in a “landslide election,” he can convince more stupid Americans that the Republicans’ impending assault on them is mandated by their fellow citizens. If successful, Trump camp’s ploy may go down as a con on par with George W. Bush’s Iraq War swindle.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn't look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
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