Stop The Spread Of Trumpland

Let's put aside that the Republican candidate for president does not believe in climate change and will seek to enact policies to exacerbate global warming.  And that he is a misogynist and a sexual predator.  And that he is a racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Islam demagogue who has given voice to the most deplorable -- yes, deplorable -- elements of American society.  And that his campaign manager is an unapologetic key figure in the alt-right movement.  And that his election would ensure a right wing Supreme Court for generations. 

Let's not bring up the fact that he is the first president in modern history to not release his tax returns.  That he has failed to disclose the countless business entanglements he has here and abroad that would create massive conflicts of interest.  That he has defrauded countless people and is currently battling dozens of lawsuits, including three based on credible allegations that Trump University is nothing but a scam.  And that his denial of any connection with a notorious mobster turned out to be a lie as recently uncovered video has shown.

What we need to be talking about now is that there are rogue elements in the FBI, perhaps including the director himself, that are trying to throw the election to the Republican candidate by leaking information to his henchman, Rudy Giuliani, and spreading false rumors.  "The FBI is Trumpland,” according to one agent, and they are trying to turn the USA into Trumpland.  And we need to be talking about the Russian government's involvement in trying to influence the election in favor of the same candidate -- a candidate who has refused to honestly account for his entanglements with Russian businesses and oligarchs, not to mention Putin himself.  Even given the bat-shit crazy nature of this election cycle where far too much bad craziness has been normalized, this is not normal.  As one clever tweet put it, this is the first time in history that the FBI, KGB and KKK all supported the same candidate.

As far as we know various national security agencies have been investigating Russia's actions and Trump's Russian ties although nothing will come of this before the election.  In addition, the Justice Department Inspector General needs to investigate the leaks at the FBI and the conduct of its director as some Democrats have recently called for.  Obviously, such an inquiry cannot be resolved before the election either.

What can be done now is that the President of the United States can get on the National Tee Vee, not as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton, but as the Commander-in-Chief and Leader of the Free World, to warn the American people of this dire threat to Democracy.  He needs to make sure those going to the polls understand what is happening and what is at stake.  He needs to call for a rigorous investigation and condemn the actions of government officials for using the power of their positions to try to sway a presidential election. He needs to explain that Donald Trump is seeking to exploit this unprecedented conduct.

As Adam Gopnik said six months ago, "if Trump came to power, there is a decent chance that the American experiment would be over."  That would be even more certain if how he came to power was through what is starting to feel like a coup.