(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Trump will decide who is 'naughty' and 'nice' – Daily Montanan [1] ['More From Author', 'January', 'Evan Barrett'] Date: 2024-01-15 It’s a ritual. Annually leading up to Christmas we make sure our children and grandchildren hear the message: He’s making a list, Checking it twice, Gonna find out who’s Naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town! The lyrics remind the little kids to be good so Santa might reward them for their nice behavior with a few toys and presents. They also remind us there are standards of positive behavior that teach our children. We are also reminded of naughty behavior that Santa Claus would punish with no gifts or a lump of coal. But replace Santa Claus’ name with that of Donald Trump and the song takes on a frightening and deeply sinister meaning – a toxic mixture of political projection and prediction, a precursor of future punishment for those who Donald Trump considers “naughty.” Each day Trump spouts his naughty list. But, you say, “What’s the big deal? Richard Nixon had an enemies list.” A dramatic revelation of the Watergate investigation leading to former President Richard Nixon’s resignation was the existence of his “opponents list” and “political enemies project.” But Nixon, for all his failings, believed in our Constitutional structure. A seasoned attorney, former Congressman, Senator and Vice President, Nixon tried in his way to make our government work. But, when confronted with his terrible deeds against our democracy, unlike Trump, Nixon had the character to resign. Nixon wasn’t willing to destroy American democracy to maintain his political power. Unlike Donald Trump, Nixon, a Quaker, felt “shame” which helped guide him to his resignation. John Dean, the White House Counsel who exposed the corruption in the Nixon White House – the person who publicly revealed the opponents list and political enemies project – has said that the powers of the government were never used to “screw” anyone. But being on Donald Trump’s list carries specific dangers for the person listed – dangerous punishment coming right from Trump’s own lips. He threatened execution of the former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, whose sin was to insist that the military would not be used as a political tool inside America. Trump has said on the record that “he will lock up his political enemies” if he were president again. Donald Ayer, former deputy attorney general under George HW Bush said: “It is appalling that a presidential candidate could suggest using the Department of Justice to go after his political adversaries, to go after Biden and his family, and to effectively make the Department of Justice an arm of the White House to be used for its political purposes.” And that cuts both ways. Trump also has sweet presents for those he considers “nice,” meaning nice to him. His nice list includes the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and others who stormed the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort, at Trump’s urging, to stop the peaceful transfer of power – to fulfill Trump’s belief that he should never have to give up the presidency. If he ever becomes president again, Trump has promised to use the presidential pardon power to the free those who have been found (or pleaded) guilty in court for the January 6 attack on democracy. He demagogically calls them “hostages.” In a new Trump world, he’ll use the powers of the federal government to either punish you or reward you depending on whether you’re on the “naughty” or “nice” list. And, Donald Trump is no Santa Claus. Evan Barrett lives in Butte after retiring following 47 years at the top levels of Montana economic development, government, politics and education. He is an award-winning producer of Montana history videos, including his 2022 release of “Last Best Constitution.” [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/01/15/trump-will-decide-who-is-naughty-and-nice/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/