Don Trump: If You Get It, You Get It and If You Spread It, That's the Price Of Freedom

It appears the most recent patch of swampland being sold by republicans looks like this. Democrats, such as Michigan's Governor, Gretchen Whitmer are deliberately crashing the economy with draconian stay at home orders in order to defeat, not the Coronavirus, but Donald J. Trump in November. The theory goes that the spread COVID-19, while regrettable. just isn't worth keeping hard working Americans unemployed. In other words if you get it, you get it and if you spread it, well, that's simply the price of freedom.

In order to emphasize the point demonstrations popped up from North Carolina, to Ohio, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Michigan protesting business closures and social distancing regulations. Not surprisingly most tended to look like Trump campaign rallies, and in Michigan's case a little more.

On Wednesday in Lansing, what was called, "Operation Gridlock," took place. It was primarily organized on--where else--Facebook. The main group promoting it was the Michigan Conservative Coalition. Mother Jones reports, it is a pro Trump outfit that is an offshoot of and financed by the Michigan Freedom Fund. The Michigan Freedom Fund is a non profit organization banked in large part by the DeVos family. That would be as in Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. All doubt about the connection between the two groups was removed when the Facebook page inviting everyone to the shindig listed the fund as a, "co host," of the event.

And what an event the Secretary's favorite charity threw. Several thousand people showed up in their vehicles jamming the streets of the Michigan capital. Heavily sprinkled through out the crowd were Trump-Pence campaign signs, MAGA hats, and a minimalist pro Trump float. That's not to mention a self styled militia group toting semi automatic weapons, a Gadsden, "Don't Tread On Me," banner, and at least one Confederate flag. A few others displayed signs bearing swastikas.

After the Governor condemned the presence of the swastikas a Fox News guest claimed the signs were merely expressions of, "ironic humor."

Ah yes, swastikas are always quite ironic, not to mention humorous, especially during right wing political rallies.

The next day a crowd showed up in front of the Minnesota Governor's residence railing about that state's shut down. Although the militia bands, confederate flags, and swastikas were missing, the MAGA hats and Trump-Pence signs were everywhere, along with a few biker gang types roaring through the streets.

Meanwhile, Don Trump quickly backed down after figuring out his, "total authority over governors," power grab didn't play as well as he and probably Stephen Miller thought it would. He issued a statement saying the decision to rescind local shut downs was completely up to the states who had imposed them.

By Friday he was letting those state's Governors know exactly what he really thought. In a series of three tweets he urged his followers to, "LIBERATE," Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia in that order. In the case of Virginia he threw in a line about saving the second amendment because it was, according to him, "under siege," in the Commonwealth.

The focus on Gretchen Whitmer, who Trump refers to as, "the woman in Michigan," is obvious. Everyone, including him, believes she is on Joe Biden's short list to become his running mate. She must, therefore, be demeaned, libeled, and defamed. His campaign and its toadies have already been circulating a misleading photo of her, along with a very close knit crowd, signing what they claimed was her social separation act. In short she was violating the very same regulation she was signing into effect. The photo wasn't fake, but it was taken in January, 2019, months before anyone on this side of the Pacific had heard of COVID-19 and the measure didn't have anything to do with social separation.

Hey why not? Once it's out there it doesn't matter if it is true, or not does it.

Beyond seeing Whitmer as an enemy no reasonable person in the country can have any doubt Trump believes his re-election is slipping away. The Coronavirus isn't something he can gloss over, or write off as fake news, though Lord knows he's tried. No, the virus is a force of nature which spreads relentlessly. It completely ignores Don Trump's grand, but empty promises and, in the end, exposes not only his incompetence, but his cheap jack sales pitch as a total fraud.

If this last week of hollow bluster, back pedaling, futile counter attacks, and pitiful excuses have proven anything, it's that Donald Trump is not only completely devoid of answers, but his only real concern is, no matter how many deaths, the retention of power.

Ladies and gentlemen, mark it down. Unless he pulls a coup, or republicans are able to disenfranchise millions of legitimate voters, Donald John Trump has just become one big ass dead duck.



4-18-20