halfgeek.codes

What if I told you in 2012 that in just a few years, the United States would see its first dictator-president in living memory actually hold his own government hostage over budget to wall off the southwestern border? ¹

Would you have believed me?

What if I'd told you that The Washington Post would publish stories like this (emphasis mine)?

President Trump's year of lies, false statements and misleading claims started with some morning tweets.... [T]he start of a year of unprecedented deception during which Trump became increasingly unmoored from the truth. When 2018 began, the president had made 1,989 false and misleading claims, according to the Fact Checker's database, which tracks every suspect statement uttered by the president. By the end of the year, Trump had accumulated more than 7,000 untruths during his presidency — averaging more than 15 erroneous claims a day during 2018, almost triple the rate from the year before. ²

... or this?

[The president's departing Chief of Staff John F. Kelly] defended those serving Trump as delivering him the right information, even if it might be disregarded. "It's never been: The president just wants to make a decision based on no knowledge and ignorance ," Kelly said.... [Kelly] was also more subtle than former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who a few weeks ago said Trump was "undisciplined, doesn't like to read" and tried to do illegal things but was often thrwarted by those around him .... The idea that Kelly regards his biggest success as standing in Trump's way is a pretty strong indictment of Trump as a person and of his presidency. ³

What if I told you that president would bring the dignity of his office down so far as to actually get laughed at while addressing the United Nations?

Would you have believed that?

I wouldn't have. Not in the new era of the transcendent President.

A couple of years ago I posited that the election cycle that put Donald Trump in the Oval Office could have the effect of energizing people to get involved in politics — or at least become more aware of it and the associated issues — and stop "phoning in" their votes — if they bothered to vote at all.

At the close of 2018, I can say that it's certainly affected me. I've researched and written about much more national issues-oriented content than I had ever before. The FBI Investigation into Russian meddling in the election. Fusion GPS and the infamous dossier. Comey. The auto industry. Syria. Immigration. US Oil and the Iran nuclear deal. North Korea. Conservativism. I researched and wrote about them so I could have some understanding about the issues, form an opinion (my thoughts are carefully identified), and share it all with anyone who cared to read. My hobby has taken on a new dimension.

Personally, I believe that the President won't be allowed to move too far afield of his office. But, particularly in view of his latest tantrum over immigration, I find myself wondering if I'll be writing about much the same thing on the eve of 2020.

*sigh* So, here we are: