FROLITICKS

This past week has shown a bout of insanity not seen for some time under any American president. First, we had Michael Cohen’s testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, calling the President “a liar, racist and conman.”  Wow!  Then we had the abysmal failure of the Trump-Kim talks over North Korean denuclearization and end of U.S. sanctions. Next, we had word of Trump last year ordering officials to grant top-secret security clearance to his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, despite warnings by his own senior counsel and chief-of-staff not to grant such clearance.  Congress now wants officially to look further into the matter.

Meanwhile, 77-year old Bernie Sanders has once again declared himself a presidential candidate for the Democrats in 2020. Some analysts have predicted that as many as 40 Democrat candidates may launch bids against Donald Trump for the White House.  One may have to issue them football sweaters, each with numbers and names since there would be enough players to form their own NFL team. The trouble is that they don’t appear to have a common game plan, with some moving far to the left and others trying to be more centrist. Are Americans really ready for democratic socialism, a brand already attributed to Democrats by Trump? Ah, those dam lefties!

Last but not least, we have the President issuing an emergency order so as to take existing funds from the defense and other budgets to help pay for the construction of “barriers” along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. House of Representatives then voted to revoke Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to build his wall, whose efforts Trump vows to veto. Of course, the whole situation — due to valid questions of constitutionality — will end up in the courts, probably lasting several months if not years before a final decision is rendered.

What’s worst, numerous Republicans, mainly because they are afraid of Trump’s base, are increasingly backing the President’s executive orders and crazy political manoeuvrings. Of course, all of these shenanigans make good fodder for comedians and Saturday Night Live sketches.  One doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry!  As William Shakespeare once wrote: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”  In this case, the politicians are playing the role of clowns, with Trump leading the way.