I would say about half the country — and the country’s political power — mistrust the President, 50:48.
Democracy is being treated as a religion — a belief we promote perhaps more than the way of life we live — and we are being “feudalized”, driven backward toward a way of life in which more may transpire out of party, personal, and political loyalties than out of the kind of admiration of virtue and reason with which our nation was born.
On the healthy side, President Trump’s presidential victory and subsequent political “wins” have been similarly controversial and marginal. He may be winning as an authoritarian president, but as much seems persistently by the equivalent of two Senate votes.
BackChannels may let the above live as rhetoric rather than get into the around-the-world and the through-the-nation report card. He has so far been the President that lies to his base — “Fake News!” should be enough for a start — and keeps over his head a cloud of dark associates (e.g., Michael Cohen, Paul Manafort) and near-but-not-quite relationships (as with Felix Sater), with much having to do with the laundering of dirty money through real estate investments.
As the related mistrusting of power deepens — “50:48” — one may expect the street to become more restive and state power brought to bear on the political sidewalk. We seem to be far from that today, but the divisive politics would seem to move the nation toward further rancor and shouting. Yesterday’s arrested deserved the privilege, no doubt, but that as much took place speaks ill of the health of the nation.
Also Related on BackChannels
https://conflict-backchannels.com/2017/02/02/united-states-of-america-basic-training/
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