Let’s take it for the sake of argument that Representative Justin Amash and his team have uncovered incontrovertible proof of impeachable offenses by President Donald Trump over the Russian scandal, and that the Mueller reports has been misrepresented. It appears he’s using this talking point to push for a possible in-party challenge to Trump in the next presidential election.
He is likely more informed on constitutional matters than I am or perhaps any of you reading this are. He is a congressman, after all, but a more singularly sincere and principled one than you might find in all of Washington, with the exception of Thomas Massie. The Republicanism doesn’t bother me; he’s a proponent of freedom.
What’s more, it’s difficult to have a stake in the outcome of this investigation if one is not standing for a particular party, or indeed a “wing” of a particular party. The whole Russian conspiracy thing may be a damp squib; Trump lying, maybe not. Either way, let’s not lose our hair over it.
Why should we care? Let’s examine what he is accused of, exactly: The worst case leveled against him is that he is an active agent of Putin, trying to bring down The Republic™. So what, exactly? So one bunch of crooks have been infiltrated by another bunch of crooks. At the end of the day, we’re still being ruled by a bunch of crooks.
You might be able to argue that one set of these crooks is worse than the other, but only by a hair. You can point to the tariffs, which is indeed one of the dumbest policies actually enacted in recent times. Yet do we really think we’d stand a better chance of avoiding war with Iran with someone else in power? Sounds like swings and roundabouts to me.
The harpies have been on this for several years now within the general theme that Trump has offended something deeply sacred about the American system. It’s inconsequential that he has this aura of corruption about him, as the system was never innocent to begin with.
The state’s main aim is to plunder and kill. t has been since its inception. The government does little more than expropriate resources from productive people, give it away to their friends, and blow people up that get in their way. It provides no productive benefit to humanity.
These days it has taken on a respectable veneer; its essentially-coercive nature obscured by the Punch and Judy Show of the democratic system. Those brought to us as potential leaders have good teeth and straight ties, and hold whatever trendy views that happen to be in vogue at the moment.
As this shroud has become thinner as we’ve started to wise up, it’s almost as if we’ve stopped appointing kings and started electing court jesters. Trump, as opposed to Dr Jones from Surburbiaville, is a little bit rough around the edges. His flaws are out in the open, and makes a mockery of the sanctified rituals of the state religion. That aspect of him can be appreciated.
The other aspect of him is the opportunist. He’s not to be trusted to be the savior of all that is good and great.
But what good is to be gained by getting rid of him and replacing him with Dr Jones? This reminds Brits of the attempt by the establishment to roll back Brexit: Even if it succeeds, it will fail. The citizenry simply will not accept a return to the old order. No, if you’re going to righteously push back against villainy, it has to be against the entire structure that enables the very concept of top-down rule to begin with. Is Justin Amash prepared to do that?
James Smith
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