By this week, I had fully expected to have broken this opioid habit of writing about Donald J. Trump. After all, as of Jan. 20th he had been ousted from the White House, had taken his last ride in the presidential helicopter and limousine, would be hiding out in Florida somewhere, and the Congress he’d had his followers attack would be mulling over his second and historically bad impeachment proceedings.
Besides that, the presidential inauguration of POTUS 46, Joe Biden, was so tastefully done, including the brilliant presentation made by L. A.’s own Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, and a fireworks show to die for, that why waste sour milk on old, rancid cereal, I thought.
Ahhh, but temptation yanks my chain. I could not help but mention that Mr. Trump has now decided (at least according to news reports) that he will establish in big, bold lettering, a new OFFICE Of THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES in Palm Beach, Fla. (and at public expense). Reportedly, that office would handle, “the managing of (no longer) President Trump’s correspondence, public statements, appearances and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump Administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism.” Yuck !!
To that announcement, a Florida comedian held a microphone over the lip of an empty plastic-wrapped garbage can, and asked, “Your comments, Mr. Trump?” ‘Nuff said.
Trump’s representatives also said that the former POTUS was in the preliminary stages of possibly setting up a new political party, to be called the Patriots Party, and he would use it to take down any Republican candidates who did not support him during this last impeachment endeavor. That it is an empty threat, a blind man can see.
Successfully setting up a new political party is tremendously hard work, and Mr. Trump has already shown himself to be adverse to hard work and critical thinking.
Last point for the week: The new U.S. Senate trial for Trump’s impeachment needs to try something a little different. Since there are still several Republican Senate admirers and Trump-train riders in the Senate, in order to get the 17 Republican Senators necessary to convict Trump of incitement to treason and riot (must be 2/3 of the Senators present and voting), it may be better to come through the side door and not the front entrance. To wit, there is nothing in the Senate rules for impeachment that bars the Senate from requiring a secret vote on whether to convict Mr. Trump.
The early photographs and footage of Senate action and noise concerning the first part of the impeachment ceremony have already shown a lot of Republican cowardice, craven political calculations, etc., even though on January 6th, Trump sent a mob into the Capitol Building to physically attack congressional leaders, including Senators.
Trump is gone, and so is his twitter account, yet he still has a hold on the Republican Party. Rather than waste time berating the Republican Senators for not growing a pair, the Democrats can vote to conduct the impeachment verdict through a silent vote (secret ballot).
There is already congressional precedent for that, though not in impeachment proceedings. But that will certainly get the sucker convicted and barred from ever running again.
I say, let’s do it !!!!
Professor David L. Horne is founder and executive director of PAPPEI, the Pan African Public Policy and Ethical Institute, which is a new 501(c)(3) pending community-based organization or non-governmental organization (NGO). It is the stepparent organization for the California Black Think Tank which still operates and which meets every fourth Friday.
DISCLAIMER: The beliefs and viewpoints expressed in opinion pieces, letters to the editor, by columnists and/or contributing writers are not necessarily those of OurWeekly.
