As our country is less than 100 days out from the 2018 mid-term elections, every American, who still has the ability to think for themselves, needs to ask a very serious question. Who is protecting the nation against “all enemies both foreign and domestic?” It is not an idle question. Every official of the federal government including senators and members of the House of Representatives takes the following oath:
I (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.
The only exception to this is the oath taken by the president of the United States:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
The founding fathers evidently took it for granted that the president would defend the country against all enemies both foreign and domestic. Unfortunately, they never envisioned Donald Trump. He has never solemnly swore an allegiance to anything other than himself. It is doubtful he can even faithfully execute the office of the presidency. He is in Washington far less than any previous president. His weekend golfing outings with his family, business and political cronies are far and away more time away from actually governing the country. That is not to mention the cost to the taxpayers. His weekend get-a-ways have already cost the nation more than what President Obama and Vice-President Biden rang up in eight years of office!
And then there are the frequent roadshows. The incessant need the president has to get in front of adoring crowds of his true believers. It has nothing to do with governance. It is sheer entertainment. His kool-aid drinkers roar their approval at his every utterance. He recites his best tried and true insults, personal attacks and downright lies that are sure to get applause and chants; none of which has anything to do with faithfully executing his oath of office.
We should not forget the almost daily tweetstorms than emanate from the White House in the early morning hours; a continual negative attack on the very institutions he swore to defend, the intelligence agencies, the CIA, FBI, Congress and the rights and principles of the Constitution. Of course anyone who dares question or criticize him will bear the brunt of his vindictiveness. We are long past the point of giving the president the benefit of the doubt due to his inexperience in government. His consistent betrayal of the principles embedded in the Constitution erode the fiber of our democracy and make a sham of the institution of the presidency itself. The oath he took on January 20, 2017 did not say he would faithfully execute the ambitions of Donald Trump. No, it says he will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States of America! It is not him personally. He is not a king or an autocrat. He is a temporary custodian of the institution of the presidency. He obviously has never understood this.
Fast Forward: This week, at the sometimes daily briefing from the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that the president has been doing everything to defend the nation against any country that is trying to subvert the 2018 mid-term elections. To enforce this impression, she trotted out five high ranking members of the administration to reassure the nation that there has been an ongoing effort since the president took office to stop any foreign interference and safeguard our elections: John Bolton, the National Security Adviser, Dan Coats, the Director of National Intelligence, Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI, Kirstjen Nielsen, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and General Paul Nakasone, Director of Cyber Command. Bolton gave the typical partisan praise to the president’s efforts. Nielsen’s comments were more of an afterthought. However, Coats and Wray were the most credible in their assessments of Russian continuing interference and attacks not only on our election processes but also our nation’s infrastructure systems.
Interestingly, while these administration officials were trying their best to put a positive spin of their particular areas of responsibility to insure our elections, the only person absent was the president himself! He was too busy getting ready for another roadshow in Pennsylvania where he lashed out against the very institutions that are trying to defend our nation against the Russian cyber-attacks on our democracy. Given everything we have seen from this president, since his election, is that he is not going to do anything to halt Russia’s attacks. For whatever reason, he remains beholden to Putin and Russia.
The president has violated his oath of office. The Republican Congress has taken an August vacation. They too have violated their oath of office in standing by silent while the president continues to commit acts, which can only be cast as treason. As patriotic Americans, our only defense is our franchise. We must vote in November as if our life depends on it. Because it does. This insanity has to stop. This is definitely the most important election of our lifetime.
The Progressive Democrat 