(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . A Picture for Our Times [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-25 By David Glenn Cox “There are no bad pictures; that’s just how your face looks sometimes.” ― Abraham Lincoln Say it again; a picture is worth a thousand words. This mugshot is so honest and is an unabashed genuine photo of Donald Trump. A face many who have displeased Trump have seen before. The photo is iconic and will be with us forever. Trump had bragged that he was going to make his booking in Atlanta a media spectacle, and he did that. But the spectacle is only temporary, while the photo is permanent. Like Nixon waving goodbye to us from the helicopter, no matter how you spin it. Waving like Nixon is leaving on vacation, but not fooling anyone. Speaking of fooling someone, who really believes Donald Trump is six foot three and 215 pounds? His ass alone weighs 215 pounds. I don’t think they used the scale, but just took Trump’s word for it like at the DMV. At that height and weight, Trump would look like a basketball player instead of looking like he’s hiding basketball under his coat. But it does illustrate that you couldn’t beat the truth out of Donald Trump with a baseball bat. Charge him with felonies and round up his cronies to testify against him, “How much do you weigh?” Two hundred and fifteen pounds. On the moon maybe! It is but a small vanity perhaps for such a large liar. It is possible Donald Trump tells a dozen lies bigger than that before breakfast. A man caught philandering while his wife was in the hospital giving birth to her son. What’s a little lie about his gravitational effect then? Matt Gaetz and Jimmy Jordan announce investigations into the prosecutors. Yes, of course they do. The wailing and gnashing of teeth in the ashes and sackcloth of the true believers. The cheerleaders of doom, still believing in the Great Pumpkin. Does anyone really think that plan is going to work? That the investigations and trials can just be cancelled and forgotten about, just like that? Never mind everybody! Never mind! During the Republican debate, six of eight Republican candidates voiced their support for Trump, even if he is convicted of numerous felonies. But the problem here isn’t the six, it’s with the two. Two candidates were willing to admit the truth. “A house divided against itself can’t stand.” – A. Lincoln. A political party with two conflicting images of reality and only one image can survive. A year ago, it was inconceivable that a Republican candidate would dare say, “He’s guilty and got it coming to him.” Now there are two who say it. Other candidates are uncomfortable with being asked the question and tap dance on the head of a pin. But this affair can only go one way. Video evidence and a cooperating witness in the stolen document case. You know if the old duffer had only taken a box or two of documents. There could be some level of deniability. “Oh, those boxes! My mistake. Let’s see, now where did I put those?” But a room full of boxes shuffled around the Mar-a- Lago mausoleum like hiding Christmas presents. The government asked for the documents to be returned and Trump lied and conspired to keep the documents. Who did Trump think he was playing with here? “Ha, ha, I sure pulled the wool over their eyes! Don’t worry, they won’t be back. I told them I didn’t have them anymore.” Then like a revelation from up on high, “Oh shit! The video cameras! And a whole new crime saga begins. That video evidence will reach the public eventually making it just that much harder to defend the 215-pound orange Bhagwan. There are only two reasons to lie about the documents. Either criminal intent or a mental illness. Napoleon needs those documents on Elba to manage the empire. Trump still prefers being called Mr. President and takes offence at being called by his earthly name. All signs point to mental illness. Either his plan was to sell the documents or to wrap himself up in them and pretend it is still the good old days. “Mrs. Bates, are you up there?” The legal machinations of his co-conspirators point to a frenzied and desperate attempt to escape from the noose. Mark Meadows claims he was only performing his duties as Trump’s Chief of Staff. And the judge responds by reading Meadows the Hatch Act. Which makes it illegal to comingle campaigning with official duties. That’s where we are; their legal escape strategies now implicate them in other crimes. As the plausibility index rises. But we have a new insight into this affair. Trump was/is contemptuous of law enforcement and will lie his ass off until his last breath. He’s captured on video committing crimes but plans his own booking for the greatest media spectacle impact. “I’m ready for my close-up Mr. Deville.” This is an open wound for the Republican Party. Defending Trump as the evidence begins to pile up and we approach election day. In the Republican debate, they spoke about if Trump is found guilty. That’s a tacit admission that Trump could be guilty which runs counter to the official propaganda. Officially, according to Republican Party organs this is all political and a weaponizing of the Justice Department. But the question was asked, “if Trump is found guilty.” Accepting the very real possibility that Trump is guilty but willing to support him anyway, criminal, or not. But ask yourself, which way will this go? Will public opinion continue to support Trump in the face of overwhelming evidence exposed card by card. Which reality will stick around, and which will fade away? As the conspirators flip or are convicted, can they all be discounted as heretics? An honest picture of a dishonest angry man. A man who will defend his emotional Bates Motel, despite the obvious signs of guilt. Angry that he is required to answer to anyone. The other day, Trump joked about flying off to Russia. Ooooh, that’s very telling. Like a suicide victim talking about death! What’s $200,000 in bail money to Trump? For Republicans it is a crack in the sky and a tear in the fabric of the universe. Trump is booked and the choice now for Republicans is riding the lightning down to its inevitable conclusion or climbing off the bicycle before going over the handlebars. It’s a picture for our times. “You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry” ― Abraham Lincoln [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/25/2189554/-A-Picture-for-Our-Times Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/