Fact checking Trump has become an exercise in futility. The only solution is to report when he tells the truth. Forget the rest. Almost nothing in his Davos speech comes even close to truthful. He has constructed an alternate media reality in which he and the MAGAtes live. Even his promise not to use force to grab Greenland from Denmark should not be taken at face value. He has a compelling record of not living up to his commitments.
Fortunately, but sadly, more than 40% of Americans still approve his metaverse:
Most of the rest are fed up, not only with his lies but with his performance. Trump polls negative on all of his featured issues:
Never mind how my friends and colleagues feel. His record is abysmal on neglect of human rights, abuse of the military, and alignment with Russia in foreign policy.
Only clamorous failure will bring this man around to some semblance of reasonable behavior. I admit that statement includes a dubious hypothesis that he is capable of rationality. But he is a bully and understands power. It needs to be wielded against him.
Yesterday I advocated that the Europeans and Canadians dump their US Treasury holdings. The Europeans have already done well to deploy forces to Greenland. Rapid admission of Iceland to the EU, re-admission of the UK, and progress in Ukraine’s membership negotiations would all help.
But domestic politics is where the real solution lies. We have already seen a mini-blue wave in US elections over the past year. Democrats are out-performing in gubernatorial elections and flipping a significant number of state GOP legislative seats. Redistricting appears to favor Republicans, but not dramatically. Democratic prospects of winning the House in November still are good, though the wave may not be a giant one. The Senate will be harder, but @prem_thakker tweets:
Trump approval, per The Economist Georgia: -18.6% Maine: -18.4% Texas: -17.2% Michigan: -15.8% N Carolina: -13.6% Ohio: -9.2% Iowa: -8.7% Florida: -7.5% S Carolina: -7.3% Mississippi: -6.9% Alaska: -6.6% Louisiana: -5.1% Nebraska: -1.8% These all have Senate elections this year
A few Republican members of Congress could make a big difference even before November. Those who are unhappy with Trump should not just retire, as they have been doing to avoid being primaried. They should agree to caucus with the Democrats, at least until the next election.
The Republican margin in the House is thin: 220 to 215. If even one or two Republicans threaten to do it, Trump will need to adjust his more extreme inclinations. If three members would have the courage to caucus with the Democrats, the House would change hands. The Democrats would then run the place, with subpoena power.
This move wouldn’t necessarily save Greenland, Venezuela, or Iran. But it would slow Trump’s perfidies and force him to move towards the center.
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