And The “Oscar Goes To—President Trump”

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Oscar winner for “Best Actor” in Leading Role

The Sergeant of Arms of the United States House of Representatives boomed “Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States of America” as the Prevaricator-in-Chief strode triumphantly through the Hall of Congress shaking hands with admiring supporters on his way to the podium.

Once there, he stood imperiously soaking up the sustained applause, a lovefest between yesterday’s enemies now admiring fans lined up on one side of the aisle.
We saw a disciplined President Donald Trump deliver a message to the joint session of Congress, sticking to the teleprompter scripted for him by the two Steves, Bannon and Miller who are driving the agenda of the alt-right in the House that African Americans built.

At the end of each sentence he would pause to serve as a cue for the House Speaker and Vice President who stood up meekly and led in the ovation, loyal Republicans, now Trumpists on the right side of the hall rising in unison to give their new El Supremo a sustained applause. It was nauseating to watch. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the old decaying Soviet Union under Leonid Brezhnev when his tired speeches were followed with rhythmic programmed applause by the Politburo of the Communist Party (CP) followed by the assembled Congress of of the USSR.

The showman did not disappoint his handlers. He gave them Oscar-worthy performance, citing statistics –truth be damned– the number of unemployed in America he said was 96 million which would have made the unemployment rate more than 40% when in actuality it is 4.7%.

He had apparently included students, retirees and those on disability to make his case. Immigrants, he implied were responsible for most of the crime in America and he brought as evidence selected victims to make his point whereas several studies show the opposite to be the case; one such study by the libertarian conservative Cato Institute was cited by the New York Times “Contrary to Trump’s Claims, Immigrants Are Less Likely to Commit Crimes,” in a report on January 26, 2017.

In what was perhaps a shameless descent into the absolute low, he brought the widow of Navy Seal Ryan Owens who is still grieving over the loss of her husband who died in a botched operation in Yemen, Trump’s first military decision as a commander in chief. She was overcome with raw emotion at the mention of her husband, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face projected on a worldwide TV screen with the president leading the applause. She was shamelessly used. Ryan’’s father, invited by the President to join him as the coffin was brought to Dover Air Force Base had declined the invitation 4 weeks ago. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to see him,” Owens told a military chaplain at Dover Air Force Base, according to a report by the Miami Herald. “I told them I didn’t want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn’t let me talk to him.”

The President went on issue after issue in his address to Congress citing dubious justifications for his actions and exulting in his proposals –if one can call them that– as they were short on specifics, all pie in the sky promises that he alone can deliver but does not have to explain. It didn’t matter to his servile supporters in Congress how he was going to do all he said he would do. Despite what seems on the surface a conciliatory speech, his vicious anti-immigrant and anti-refugee stand remains a constant theme in his message as is his determination to ban citizens of majority Muslim nations.

The establishment media which has found itself on the defensive lately due to his incessant attacks on its credibility was, as if to curry favor with him, almost unanimous in its praise of the speech, crediting him for looking presidential, saying little on the substance.

His narcissistic immunity shields him from having to answer to anyone. The night was his and he was basking in the glow of the sustained ovation, taking it all in with his chin up a la Mussolini. It was political theatre and choreography that would have done Leni Riefenstahl proud.

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