Thread by @althecat

After listening to four days of post Mueller Report US cable news broadcasts (as podcasts) I’m experiencing a phenomenon I’m going to call ‘reckons nausea’. /1

Not because the reckons are inherently nauseating, but because the Trump debate is evolving into a new phase - one that derives its qualities from metastasizing stupidity. /2

To understand why, let’s forget about Russia-Gate for a bit and zoom out. /3

Regardless of whether you can vocalise the undisputed truth that Trump is unfit for office - and many can’t - surely it’s obvious to all Americans now that their a Constitution is a dumpster fire. /4

America’s punditocracy have become the quintessential boiled frogs, unable to remember what happened last week, let alone retain a remotely clear perspective on the past 30 months. /5

Yes British post #brexit democracy is also a hot mess teetering on a precipice, but compared to the U.S. of 2019 it looks coherent - and at least there is an identifiable path out of the nightmare. This is not the case in Trump’s America. /6

While @theresa_may has an advanced case of monomania, and @jeremycorbyn can be (generously) described as a stubborn selfish old codger, and both of their respective parties are disintegrating, an election or 2nd referendum is looming. /7

When viewed from the outside, America’s political debacle now has the appearance of a non-stop circle jerk, set against a background of advancing fascists and drowning polar bears. /8

Meanwhile the horrific terror events in Sri Lanka is a sharp reminder U.S. elections have consequences, and not just for Americans.

Extreme violent nationalism and racial and religious intolerance have been globally unleashed. /9

Just six weeks ago NZ’s horrific white extremism terror incident - the mass murder of 51 worshippers - captured America’s attention, seemingly because a large number of Americans felt a bit responsible. Less so this obscenity. /10

And as the world burns - without his friend and conscience John McCain to guide him, Senate Judiciary Cmtte chair @LindsayGrahamSC - formerly the thinking Trump skeptic’s go-to Foreign Policy Senator - has morphed into a robotic Trumpist cheerleader. /11

W.B. Yeats “Second Coming” describes precisely where we are now:

“The worst are full of passionate intensity and the best lack all conviction.”

The center cannot hold (& isn’t). /12

In this context if you turn on your TV to find out what is going on at the center of the dumpster fire - with the Institution formerly known as US Democracy, what do you discover?

Metastasizing stupidity. /13

A sizeable portion of the U.S. and U.K. media - encouraged by Muelller’s report - seem to still think that somehow this is Julian Assange’s fault.

How this can be when he has been in captivity for 8 years is a mystery, regardless of what he said about Seth Rich. /14

Which brings us to the “collusion” question, on which Mueller said he didn’t find any conclusive evidence (whilst simultaneously classifying all the evidence which might point at the truth, and informing us of this fact.) /15

It takes just a little imagination to bring Trump’s nakedness on the collusion question into focus. While the actual evidence would be nice, it doesn’t require a great leap to see the context, and explain Mueller’s failure. /16

If Paul Manafort really conspired and coordinated with Russian military intelligence without Trump knowing (as we are expected to believe), wouldn’t you think Trump might be a bit pissed off about how much trouble this has brought down on his head? /17

Usually anyone trying to claim credit for Trump’s “greatest electoral victory in history” would boil his blood. Yet the only witness who kept faith with Omertà (the code of silence) is also the only person other than Putin who Trump openly admires. /18

If you are a hostile power running a U.S. Presidential candidate (with Mob Boss pretensions) as an undeclared foreign agent it makes sense to confine all communications to a single face to face handler at the heart of the campaign. /19

Sure this is a reckon, but it’s also common sense. Trump refused an interview. Manafort pretended to cooperate and continued to lie. And has now taken a bullet for his mark. And the evidence around all this is classified. And we’ve seen this before. /20

It makes sense, but it’s only hinted at by Mueller, and all the evidence is classified. Why? One possibility is that Saint Robert Mueller is not really lifting the veil intentionally. Does the U.S. want to admit to the world that Putin played them like violin? /21

It’s worth remembering - when thinking soberly about Mueller - that he led a 9/11 investigation which - at the direction of the GW Bush White House (Cheney) - closed off inquiries into the Saudi Govt. (Prince Bandar) connections to the hijacker handling operation. /22

Selective high stakes national security state amnesia, secrecy and lies are not an aberrant phenomenon for the U.S. deep state, they are standard operating procedure. /23

And it’s also worth remembering the executive powers extremist & Attorney General William P. Barr previously served as A.G. under former CIA chief and President George HW Bush. /24

A cynic might conclude Mueller’s job was to define the scope of the impeachment playing field - narrowly - job done. And that Barr’s job was to close the door on impeachment in this term, by delivering the @GOP controlled Senate the cover they need them stand firm. Job done. /25

Truth is, an impeachment conviction in the U.S. Senate has always been impossible given the GOP Senate majority. And Barr’s performance over the past few weeks has provided that reality with a tissue of plausibility and a legal form. /26

Which brings us to the Democratic Conference, too many of whom (to quote Yeats) lack conviction.

From an DCCC perspective, the strategic electoral response is simple. Time impeachment in such a way to make the 2020 election all about electing a Senate that will impeach. /26

While it’s unlikely dems will win the Senate (given the constitutional gerrymander) an election conducted in such circumstances would put the @GOP on defense, be electrifying & deliver turnout, maximising the chances of defeating Trump, which is rightly the prime objective. /27

But that’s not how either low conviction Democrats, or the vast bulk of the nausea inducing cable TV pundit army (note: there are some exceptions) are framing the issue. /29

Instead the impeachment hope industry isn’t missing a beat, cable TV talking heads now speak of Mueller’s “roadmap” to obstruction, the secret investigations & the prospect of jail time for @realDonaldTrump following the 2020 election. /30

A cursory knowledge of American political history suggests the odds of this outcome are zero. If/When Trump tanks in polls he will be offered a safe resignation exit, wherein most probably Trump and his handler Manafort will be pardoned by Pence after a quicky resignation. /30

That being said, convincing @realDonaldTrump to go along with this may prove tricky. /31

In the meantime there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge. And although the real deep state (I.E. Trump ‘s new Bush Family protectors) has a damage mitigation effort in play, it’s success is far from guaranteed. /32

All we know for sure is that Trump’s exit is not coming anytime soon.

This dumpster fire, which is fast spreading globally will likely continue right up to 2020, and while it does the forces of darkness will have no incentive to back off their dirty tricks. /33

As far as the billionaire oligarchy ruling the U.S. is concerned, Trump may be a S.O.B., but - using the phrase attributed to FDR - he is their S.O.B.

Plus he has delivered them the Supreme Court, and they think love of democracy is a naive affectation. /34

Meanwhile the cable network metastasizing stupidity, can be expected to get worse and worse.

The current cable news game plan appears to brief their talking numpties to confuse the Democratic Party into pulling itself to pieces in a battle over whether to impeach. /35

It might be a good thing for the Democratic Conference to take this off the table, with a clear statement that their intention is to investigate and impeach before 2020, at a time of their choosing, in a manner designed to inflict maximum damage on the @GOP. /36

As for the masters of cable TV, one can but hope that journalistic values might get a look in.

Real reporting of the ongoing investigation may be more expensive to produce, & less profitable than endless reckoning, but it would be more honorable. /37

And it might even be a ratings boon. As things stand with “anarchy loosed upon the world”, things are changing, and giving truth a chance could be worth a shot.

Plus in the long run it might also save the planet. /38 #HopeSpringsEternal

Meanwhile those of us out here in the wider world can confidently expect the dumpster fire formerly known as U.S. Democracy to continue to blaze, and for its destructive fallout of fascist partisan extremism to continue to poison our planet. /39

ENDS

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