THE WORST AND THE UNIMAGINABLE

And we come to the end of the week when Donald Trump presented a cabinet made up of “The Worst and the Unimaginable.”

Before we proceed further, we could all do with a good laugh. So here’s the TAFM Friday Laff Riot:

Actor Sylvester Stallone, speaking at an event at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday night, likened Donald Trump to a “mythical character.” That character? You guessed it: Frank Stallone.

(This may be too “Inside Hollywood” for some, so the explanation is that Stallone’s younger brother Frank, also an actor - of lesser talent and luck - starred in the 80s in lots of extra-low-budget action pix - that all made money! - as a “mythical hero” in each; one almost wonders if Sly was trolling Donnie Dimbulb.)

And now on to the TAFM Friday Follies:

The more I think about what Trump has done this week, the more I think that Jamie Lee Curtis in all those “Halloween” movies has nothing on me, scream-wise.

Donald Trump is laughing at us. And he is testing the Republican members of the Senate. Pete Hegseth, Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. are Caligula’s Horse, turned into a herd.

This time around, an emboldened Trump seems unconcerned with placating whatever GOP establishment still exists. Instead, he is selecting nominees whose primary qualification is loyalty to Dear Leader – and daring Republicans to defy him. “All of you will fall in line no matter what I do. It doesn’t matter if my nominees are cartoon villains, completely unqualified, likely criminals, or even people the Russians say are Russian agents. You will bend your knee before me just like they did.”

There are no ponies under all the horseshit he has dumped on us every day.

Trump also announced, during the Mar-a-Lago reception for the America First Policy Institute (the group that is promoting his rewrite of Project 2025), that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is his pick for secretary of the Interior. And yes, Burgum - who fought the pipeline protesters a few years back - will not be up to the Deb Haaland Standard in the job. Another Expect. The. Worst. But you knew that. And that doesn’t count the newest potential outrage: Fox Business host Larry Kudlow to lead the National Economic Council or possibly the Treasury Department.

Make no mistake. Trump, who is driving the clown car, has been busy intentionally creating a spectacle; he is trolling us, hard. Senior Republicans - who after the past nine years ought to be used this, are - reportedly - “privately shocked” by the appointees announced so far.

The question of whether they will fold after January 20 is of crucial importance.

If the congressional Republicans fold on these appointments, they will fold on preserving and protecting the ACA, Social Security and Medicare. And any and every thing else.

We are about to find out what the “secret surprise” is that Trump alluded to in his speeches at the end of the campaign.

My political experience, knowledge of history, and writer’s imagination leads me to think the crisis created by these nominees is potentially our “Reichstag Fire.”

I think Trump’s “secret agreement” with MAGA Mike, the Keebler Speaker of the House, that he repeatedly mentioned in his final rallies, is that when the Senate does balk on one or the other of these nominations, MAGA Mike will announce a 30-day House recess. Senate Republicans will then have the Test of Tests: do they agree to a similar recess - thus allowing Trump to make the recess appointments of all these monsters, as he demanded they agree to pre-emptively - or do they make a final attempt at preserving what is left of their authority?

My personal expectation - based on Senate Majority Leader Thune’s statement that he doesn’t “oppose” recess appointments - is that there is nearly-absolute certainty he will go along with Johnson and recess the Senate for 30 days, allowing the travesty to take place.

But perhaps Thune turns out to have some remaining backbone, and decides to stand up for the life and career he’s had the past 30 years in the Senate, and refuses.

And there we are. The Reichstag Fire.

Would Trump exercise Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution and recess the House and Senate “until such time as he considers appropriate...”?

So far, ever since the day he came down his golden garbage chute in 2015, when he has been faced with what all observers say is an “unimaginable action,” Donald Trump has taken that action.

Or almost nearly every time. He has only stepped back when confronted by strong opposition within his administration; the opposition to his decision to appoint Jeffrey Clark as Acting Attorney General to ratfuck the 2020 election comes to mind.

But we can be sure that in Trump 2.0, such people as those who opposed that move will not be present. There will be no one in the White House saying “no.” All the fools, idiots, sycophants and psychopaths who will surround him will all be cheering him on to whatever “own the libs” fakakte he has decided on.

So yes, he would “prorogue” the House and Senate in this situation.

And tell them “You’ll come back when I call you.”

And there he is. Donald Trump. Dictator. The constitutional system defeated.

All the Worst and the Unimaginable taking their seats in his cabinet. The Article II power in the Constitution effectively wiped out; the Article III power at the Supreme Court among those who have already surrendered.

He then rules by decree, or in our case, by Executive Order.

A commission to chase “woke” flag officers into retirement and their replacement by the “German Generals” he wants? Done.

And that will happen far more easily than we think; the Air Force and the Special Operations Forces are rife with them - the Christian Nationalist fundamentalists Mikey Weinstein and the Miitary Religious Freedom Foundation have been locked in combat with are right there, ready to click their heels and say “Yes, sir, Dear Leader!” the American eqivalent to “Jawohl, Mein Fuhrer!”

A mass deportation program? Done.

All those “constitutional Sheriffs” are waiting to be unleashed. My new cleaning lady will soon find out why she didn’t want to tell her five children who she voted for.

Whatever other “unimaginable” crime he wants to commit? Done.

It took Hitler a bit over 90 days to destroy the Weimar Republic.

It can happen here, and much more easily than any of us thought it could only ten days ago. More easily than I thought, even knowing about the land mine in Article II, Section 3.

What terrifies me is how many “knowledgeable observers” have looked at this issue and failed to see the potential road ahead.

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