There are seminal moments in life whch, if you’ve witnessed or been around for, you will never forget where you were when the occurrance took place. Like, as has often got a spin in this space, for the Omagh Bombing, 9/11 and the subsequent American invasion of Iraq, wheels transporting yours truly were parked in Brady’s. Ditto when Barack Obama moved into the White House.
Circumstance precluded my beloved escape hatch being the venue as, in the course of a week two matters made the headlines which had to be digested on the ‘box’ in the office. Both cases were equal in that they stank of a complete lack of leaders. And when there are no leaders, the tail wags the dog.
One an issue being played out on the global stage, the other very close to home. Though not literally, in one way. Michael O’Leary and Donald J. Trump – there are many similarities – both highly successful businessmen, neither short of opinions that make a lot people uneasy. Especially those in high places.
Here’s where they differ, unfortunately. One should never have been let near the most powerful job on the planet, the other would have plenty to offer on certain stages, but his apathy about entering such arenas is a loss to the area in question.
In one corner, there’s a person who expressed an unpopular opinion – one which some of us happen to agree with – the other flouted the sacred oath which is the very essence of the position they held.
Let’s go to Florida first. At this point, it must be admitted that up to five years ago, I had no clue who Donald Trump was. Outside of sport, I wasn’t a telly buff. Not that such is the case now, but there’s certainly a broader base of knowledge from which to work now than was the case around the time my mother had her stroke just over five years ago. Part of that was down to having to get carers in and thus being in bed ridiculously early compared to what I was used to.
It was the one area of my ‘new world’ I completely railed against and still do. Though it’s better now than it was. Thanks entirely to Susie and her innate ability to stand up better for me than could be done for oneself. Anyway, eventually this corner resolved – after many tear-filled sleepless nights, especially during the summer months when I could and should have been out at sports fixtures or – even more preferably – out at hay or silage or the harvest – that if this was the sh** life was going to be now, I was going to get myself a new routine and make the best of the said dung.
Over time a degree of peace was arrived at with this new situation. Outwardly at least. Achieving same by trying to block out what had become the ‘old’ world, however possible. Out of sight, out of mind. Well that’s what I told myself. Did I believe it? Let’s move on…
Part of my strategy was to let myself enjoy more television. Or train myself might be a better way to put it. Very much a case of having to. Being in bed early is the recipe from hell for a chronic insomniac. So the only way. I could abate a cascade of tears drenching my pillow every night was to develop a new nightly routine. Yes there was still sport ad nauseum, but now a few comedies, any amout of true crime/forensic detective shows and, of most relevance now, a re-invigorated interest in the American pilitical scene.
Which has meant getting re-acquainted with CNN News and journalists like Jake Tapper (above) and Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash. Just in time for the US Presidential Election. And, as time has taught me, more importantly, the aftermath thereof.
Back at the beginning of the century, it was the complexity of the electoral system Stateside, and that alone, which got George W. Bush over the line against Al Gore. Eventually. Just. heTwo decades on and Donald Trump tried every mechanism in the book to try and hold onto power. He may as well have been trying to pee against the wind. Last time out, it genuinely was tight between Bush and Gore, this time out Joe Biden won pulling up.
Also, where Gore – to the best my knowledge anyway – took his defeat with grace and dignity, Trump, at his delusional best, took numerous baseless legal challenges against the election results, alledging non existant fraud before he tried to threaten and intimidate various officials into commiting that very offence for him.
That though, all of it, is only chicken feed compared to what the walking orange split would go on to inflict on the American people, as a knock-on effect the normality of the world and, most fundamentally, on the foundations of democracy itself.
“We hold these truths to be self evident” are the only lines this writer knows from the American Constitution/Bill Of Rights, but, to this untrained eye at least, it seemed fairly self explanatory. If something looks right and is declared to be as such, it generally is. Naturally, the same applies the other way round too.
What that single line from the historical document also did was completely oblierate the spurious allegations Trump used as a means to attempt to usurp deomcratic processes.
Before utilising the same falsehoods and rhetoric to whip his unruly mob of animalistic, hooligan supporters into a frenzy of what – had it been committed by people of different ethnicity or nationality would’ve been labelled terrorism. Trump, however, in his only attributable public comment on the riots at the US Capitol, told the insurrectionists they were “Very special” and that (they) ” Love you”.
Think about that for a minute. The then most powerful man on the planet said he (and his sycophantic entourage) “Love” people who (a) storned hallowed ground, (b) attempted to subvert democracy, (c) caused untold amounts of criminal damage and (d) prompted the deaths of four people, including a police officer. A great bunch of lads and lassies.
LITTLE CHRISTMAS
Here in Ireland, January 6th is known as ‘Little Christmas’ or Nollaig Na mBan in the Irish language – Women’s Christmas. A far cry from Trump’s thuggish mob trying to derail ratification of Camalla Harris as Vice President of the United States. Not only that, but, even more heinously, set out to attack Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and “Kill” Mike Pence. Yes, that’s right, Trump’s supporters wanted to execute his own Vice President. After the billionaire bluffer threw his second in command under the bus.
There was something apt, then, that it was two female politicians – Madeleine Dean and Stacey Plaskett – presented some of the most compelling and emotive evidence supporting the case being put forward by lead impeachment Manager Jamie Raskin during the five day trial.Ably supported, it must be said, by the very impressive Joe Neguse. Yours truly had never heard of any of the above before January but it would never surprise me to see the latter in particular upscaling his residence at some point in the future to a rather plush whitewashed abode.
Alas to understand stench currently befouling US politics, one needed only to observe the scandalous farce which ensued in the lead-up to, during and after the actual impeachment vote itself. The material put forward by Raskin, Neguse, Dean and numerous others was so indisputably compelling that only somebody devoid of their senses or feeling under some form duress to side with the worst Commander In Chief the stars and stripes have ever had.
And still they did it. Droves of them. The likes of Lindsey Graham, who admitted during speeches in the chamber that he knew Trump was to blame for the riot, Ted Cruiz who lived up to the nickname – ironically bestowed upon him by none other than the defendant in this case – ‘Lyn’ Ted’ did exactly that. Amply demonstrated by his peddling of the dung at the heart of the entire farce.
Yet people of the same ilk couldn’t jump over themselves fast enough to drop Bill Clintion in the soup over something which, on one hand was frivolous compared to what the 45th President was involved in and secondly was hardly anyone else’s business bar his own and the other person involved.
Most galling of all in my view- and that was only watching on television thousands of miles away – was Mitch McConnell. The 78-year-old stood up during the impeachment vote on Saturday last and said that who he the charges were laid against was “Practically and morally responsible” for the abhorrent attacks during the first week of 2021. Yet he still voted to acquit.
Therein lies an exact microcosm of what’s wrong with politics. On a global scale admittedly, but it is particularly rampant in America – old people remaining in politics and remaining in power with deeply entrenched views for far too long. Don’t be surprised if a certain old timer isn’t done with yet either.