by Robert Reich:
This morning I phoned my friend, a former Republican member of Congress.
Me: What's going on? Seems like the White House is imploding, and Republicans are going down with the ship.
Him (chuckling): Were officially a banana republic.
Me: Seriously, what are you hearing from your former colleagues on the Hill?
Him: Theyre convinced Trump is out of his gourd.
Me: So what are they going to do about it?
Him: Remember what I told you at the start of this circus? They planned to use Trumps antics for cover, to get done what they most wanted big tax cuts, rollbacks of regulations, especially financial. Theyd work with Pence behind the scenes and forget the crazy uncle in the attic.
Me: Yeah.
Him: Well, Im hearing a different story now. Stuff with Sessions is pissing them off. And now Trump's hired that horses ass Scaramucci -- a communications director who talks dirty on CNN! Plus Trumps numbers are in freefall. They think hes gonna hurt them in 18 and 20.
Me: So whats the plan?
Him: They want him outa there.
Me: Really? Impeachment?
Him: Doubt it, unless Mueller comes up with a smoking gun.
Me: Or if he fires Mueller.
Him: Not gonna happen.
Me: So how do they get him out?
Him: Put someone else up in 20. Lots of maneuvering already. Pence, obviously. Cruz thinks he has a shot.
Me: But that wont help them in the midterms. Whats the plan before then?
Him: Lots think hes fritzing out.
Me: Fritzing out?
Him: Going totally bananas. Paranoia. You want to know why he fired Priebus, wants Sessions out, and is now gunning for Tillerson?
Me: He wants to shake things up?
Him (chuckling): No. The way I hear it, he thinks theyve been plotting against him.
Me: What do you mean?
Him: Twenty-fifth amendment! Read it! A Cabinet can get rid of a president whos nuts. Trump thinks theyve been preparing a palace coup. So one by one, hes firing them.
Me: I find it hard to believe theyre plotting against him.
Him: Of course not! Its ludicrous. Sessions is a loyal lapdog. Tillerson doesn't know where the bathroom is. Thats my point. Trump is fritzing out. Having manic delusions. Hes actually going nuts.
Me: And?
Him: Well, its downright dangerous.
Me: Yeah, but that still doesnt tell me what Republicans are planning to do about it.
Him: Look. How long do you think it will be before everyone in Washington knows hes flipping out? I dont mean just weird. I mean really off his rocker.
Me: I dont know.
Him: No all that long.
Me: So what are you telling me?
Him: They dont have to plot against him. It will be obvious to everyone that hes got to go. Thats where the twenty-fifth amendment really does comes in.
Me: So you think
Him: Who knows? But hes losing it fast. My betting is hes out of office before the midterms. And Pence is president.
https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/?hc_ref=ARRKz2Y1PBS-EpyqNTC8t2PCgRzCoGZYqQ59aJxu_GXvXz0Vz4jZKSyxKyIgIKeQdkg&fref=nf
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)R&
blaze
(6,249 posts)Red Mountain
(1,693 posts)Pence has no charisma. Not many people are going to believe him when he promises things will be different. Trump's demise will tear an exit wound in the Republican party like a hole into outer space. Lots of screaming bodies will be dragged out as the party depressurizes.
Or so I hope.
elleng
(129,800 posts)and a record in Indiana many won't like, but that won't matter to many in the trump 'base.'
BigmanPigman
(51,368 posts)This seems very, very plausible. R. Reich is a solid realist and I trust his judgment. If he called this person then it was most likely a good source.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)he did NOT have a serious mental disorder in order to support him. Now that it's obvious and proven problematic, they're claiming he's just NOW losing it. Uhuh. It's all ass-covering and ego-bracing fake justification to go with all the rest of their fakery. They don't need more mental disorder to find him unfit for office. What they put in office was unfit from the beginning. And that proved their own unfitness as well.