The consensus is that US President Donald Trump has had a positive effect on the economy and unemployment. Some 209,000 jobs were added last month alone and the Dow Jones is experiencing unprecedented highs. However, the political establishment is in no mood to shower Trump with praise for his economic achievements.
Most lawmakers are so obsessed with Russia’s alleged interference in the election their behaviour is beginning to smack of 1950s McCarthyism. If the White House was graced with a Samoyed First Pooch there would be mutterings.
Russo-phobia has taken on a life of its own; it’s become fashionable. Wouldn’t be surprised to find senators dubbing Russian potato salad “freedom taters” down the line echoing their renaming of French fries as “freedom fries” when France refused to toe their line pre-2003 invasion of Iraq.
The same can be said for the US media and its armies of so-called expert panels rolled out daily to air purely speculative ‘analyses’ in what is often a jolly back-slapping party atmosphere.
Republican and Democratic senators have joined hands; this time to block the president from confirming new appointees to top jobs while they are away during the August recess.
Why? Because they fear he might fire his out of favour Attorney General Jeff Sessions and replace him with someone willing to boot Robert Mueller, the Special Prosecutor who has been given a broad mandate to investigate possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, as well as anything else the probe might throw up.
Making his job difficult
Mueller is generally viewed as a man who doesn’t do favours and isn’t swayed by his personal political persuasions. He is rummaging through all aspects of this haystack in search of a smoking gun, including the Trump family’s finances, tax returns and former and current business ties to Russian entities which the president has termed his red line.
Ominously, the prosecutor has already impanelled a Grand Jury in Washington.
President Trump believes he and his family members are victims of a political and media witch hunt. He may have a point. US Senators from both sides of the aisle appear intent to make Trump’s job as difficult as possible. Both Republicans and Democrats virtually tied his hands over the sanctions bill targeting North Korea, Iran and Russia.
He could have vetoed the bill but in that event his veto would have been quashed by lawmakers. Moreover, entrenched in the bill is a provision that forces the president to seek Congressional approval before lifting anti-Russian sanctions. Trump has questioned the legality of this move.
As a result, President Vladimir Putin, who was sitting tight hoping for better relations with the US, now understands that hope is futile and has agreed a pact with the Islamic Republic of Iran to strengthen military, technical and technological cooperation, including weapons sales.
Russia has slammed the US for launching a “full-scale trade war” and Prime Minister Medvedev has accused the administration of demonstrating “complete impotence” in the most humiliating fashion.
Besides the indisputable fact that Washington gains nothing out of fomenting enmity with Russia — and certainly not out of a closer detente between Moscow and Tehran — the authority of America’s commander-in-chief has been undermined. His credibility with foreign heads of state has been shot along with his ability to forge deals with other countries now that Congress has signalled it is in charge. Lawmakers, including a not insignificant number from Trump’s own party, are also voting against the president’s campaign policies. His attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans railed against almost to a man during Obama’s terms, have been dead in the water. Until now there has been no movement on corporate taxation reform and individual tax cuts, the promise of which has buoyed stocks and encouraged international corporations to create jobs.
Unless you happen to be one of my regular readers you might assume that I’m a died-in-the-wool Trump cheerleader. On the contrary, no one has been a more vocal critic.
That said he is the person chosen by the American people to lead them — and that he cannot do effectively while under constant attack from outside while having to deal with moles in the White House leaking information and documentation, such as transcripts of private conversations between the president and foreign counterparts.
There is nothing traditional about Donald Trump’s presidency. He is making up his own rules and, yes, those who say he governs by tweets have a point. He has no time for political correctness or protocol. He says whatever comes into his head without filter, often at odds with statements from advisers and surrogates.
But here’s the thing. To the establishment’s chagrin the American voting public turned its back on stereotypical baby-kissing coached candidates for a man they believed to be authentic. They knew who he was before they cast their votes. Blaming Russia is a cop-out. The sanctions were aimed at the King of Pennsylvania Avenue not at Putin. Corralling the president is an assault on the man and, more importantly, the office. The greatest harm to America’s democracy is not Russia but damaging self-destructive hysteria being generated within.
— Linda S. Heard is an award-winning British political columnist and guest television commentator with a focus on the Middle East.