The American Crisis Deepens

It is widely believed that the horrible corona-virus epidemic that cut across the world began in this wet market in Wuhan China. Others speculated that it may have started in a Chinese biological research lab ... and got carried to that market. Others have different theories on the origins. Chinese were even to claim that it got started by American agents!

In any case, as with the rest of the world, the virus hit America hard!

New York City for instance

As the virus spread westward hitting Europe hard and then heading towards America, Trump shut down flights into the country from China, and put deep restrictions on other flights into the country. Democrats immediately complained that Trump's actions were entirely imperious. Then later, as the virus did indeed hit America, he was criticized bitterly by the same voices "for not having acted soon enough." Indeed, his discussions at press conferences (typical of the times) turned political ... as the media made what it wanted of his explanations, either supporting his efforts to act against the virus or attacking him for the way he said this or that.

In any case, this national crisis did not bring the country together ... but once again seemed only to give political opportunists yet another cause to go against their ideological opponents.

The Philadelphia Inquirer – March 11, 2020

Another casualty of the corona-virus crisis was the Stock Market, which tumbled as the country's businesses were forced to close down on a "stay-at-home order imposed by state after state as the panic spread.

Pelosi explaining the Democratic Party's much greater financial demands
in the economic relief program

"BLACK LIVES MATTER"

Then in Minneapolis on May 25 occurred the arrest and death of a Black man, George Floyd, by a White cop, Derek Chauvin, involving Chauvin's holding a resistant Floyd to the ground by keeping his knee on Floyd's neck – as Floyd protested "I can't breathe." Indeed he could not, and died as a result. All of this was caught on video and shown repeatedly across all the media, Facebook and YouTube as well as the national news media.

Black fury exploded in Minneapolis – where the incident took place – and Minneapolis quickly began to look like Los Angeles during the Rodney King riots ... and Fergusson, Missouri, during the Michael Brown riots. Shops were broken into, then burned to the ground, with whole neighborhoods coming to look like bombed out war zones.

But the action did not stop there. It soon spread to city after city across America as Blacks (and Whites) turned out for "peaceful" protests on behalf of the cause, "Black Lives Matter." Unfortunately, these peaceful protests were also soon accompanied by the looting and burning in city after city across America, similar to those continuing day after day in Minneapolis.

Tragically, in St. Louis, Black retired police captain David Dom was killed defending a friend's store … and many police (Blacks among them) were wounded (some killed) during the riots. At this point even some prominent Blacks came out in opposition to the way the demonstrations were developing, complaining that this was not the way to improve race relations in America.

Antifa takes charge

Meanwhile, the cause was joined by angry, mostly-White, Antifa ("Anti-Fascist") youth who turned the matter into a grand assault on all social authority – the pandemic restrictions being big contributors to the anti-authority mood. And the dynamic became one of physical attack on the police (called out, of course, to contain the damage caused by the rioting) – characterized by Antifa rioters (and minority voices as well) as Fascist devils. So this dynamic became more than just one of racial tensions. It began to look like wholesale social revolution … especially in early June when Antifa youth took control of downtown Seattle and turned six city blocks into their police-free "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" … defended by fully-armed youth.

At this point, a number of big-city mayors (Liberal Democrats) came out with the announcement that they would be cutting back funding on their police budgets … to relocate that money into more "socially sensitive" minority-support programming. Soon this was becoming a refrain heard even more widely among America's state and urban public authorities. Defunding the police was becoming the new thing in the world of "political correctness" … which a lot of local officials wanted to get on board with.

Needless to say, with the police on the defensive as "fascists," urban crime skyrocketed.

George Floyd is brought down by Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020 who held him down for nearly 9 minutes by placing his knee on Floyd's neck ... with Floyd dying in the maneuver. The video recording of this arrest would spark major national outrage resulting in demonstrations ... both peaceful and not so peaceful

Chauvin (left), plus three other officers (who did not intervene) are placed under arrest
for murder (Chauvin) ... or aiding and abetting a murder

Minneapolis Blacks go on a rampage over the Floyd murder

Then the protests spread around the country (late May and into June)

... joined by young Whites affirming a co-identity with Black suffering

Injury and death

In the melee, retired St. Louis police chief David Dom is killed when he attempts to defend Lee's Pawn and Jewelry Shop from looters

Caught on video and arrested for the murder was 24-year old Stephan Cannon

Another of the uglier versions of the days' events took place in Seattle (May 30th)

Which then led young "progressives" even to take over 6 city blocks in downtown Seattle (succeeding after two weeks of police and National Guard units versus activist violence ... ending only when the police were ordered to stand down by Chief Carmen Best, allowing protesters to create their "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" (CHAZ)

August 2020 ... Seattle continues to rock from the BLM movement as BLM marchers demand an end to "White Privilege" ... a largely peaceful event … except for the small group that advanced into White residential neighborhoods and demanded that they give up their homes!

And on and on the protests go in Seattle ... resulting in ugly conflict in September

Meanwhile elsewhere the process of cleanup commences... even as the protests continue to rage on across the country

THE SUPREME COURT EXPANDS THE LEGAL SUPPORT OF LGBTQ DYNAMICS

In the meantime, America was so caught up in the street rioting occurring across the American political map, that it almost missed the importance of the decision that the Supreme Court came to in the case of Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. On June 15th (2020) the Supreme Court announced that the 1965 Civil Rights Act included also protection of transgender sex … in deciding 6-3 that the Michigan Funeral Home had violated the law when it refused to allow one of its employees to cross-dress when meeting with grieving family members – in violation of the business's dress standards. Interestingly, on the majority side was the supposedly conservative "originalist" Justice Gorsuch … who explained that Title VII of the 1965 Act did not include exactly the wording of transgender rights, but it certainly could be understood to have intended that in the category of "sex" discrimination outlawed by the Act.

Complaints from the Right were that this was simply judicial legislation … as if this were some new development. But as we have seen repeatedly, there is nothing new about such "legislative" self-empowerment of the Supreme Court. It has been going on since the beginning of the 1800s under Marshall. But hopes were that Gorsuch would bring "originalist" scope to the bench. But judicial power is very seductive. Indeed, Gorsuch was already sliding to the Liberal "center."

Actually also, although Kavanaugh joined Thomas and Samuel Alito in dissenting, he did so out of the strictest of originalist principles … whereas he expressed himself extensively personally in favor of all the progress happening elsewhere in LGBTQ rights. But the Left paid no attention to his efforts to put himself on the Progressive side of politics … and attacked him for his vote nonetheless.

Thus little by little, traditional Christian understanding of the nature and requirements of Godly sexuality are being set aside by the courts … to a point that any refusal to go along with the new or "progressive" sexual standards would find itself in deep trouble with the law – as the courts amplify the intent of the nation's laws, laws that the federal courts dictate ... without restraint or even hesitation.

THE CHAOTIC 2020 ELECTIONS

Not surprisingly, the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the electoral process deeply, with both the Democratic and Republican parties having to hold mostly virtual (online) conventions … with few delegates able to attend physically, because of the new public participation restrictions.

In the process, the Republicans reconfirmed the Trump-Pence ticket. And the Democrats chose Washington veteran Joe Biden, who had served in the U.S. Senate from 1973 until his move to the position as Obama's Vice President in 2009 … also an unprecedentedly elderly 78 at the time of his selection as the Democrat's presidential candidate! And out of the predetermined category of a "woman of color" to be chosen as his vice-presidential running mate – a bold act of politically-correct racism/sexism actually – Biden finally chose Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator representing California since 2017 and California attorney General prior to that (2011-2017).

The critical role of the pandemic

The pandemic would also reshape deeply the way the November voting itself went … with the majority of the vote by way of mail-in voting rather than personal presence at a voting station. The latter in fact became itself a major campaign issue, with the Republicans claiming that mail-in voting could easily lead to massive fraud (it is after all easier to check on the authenticity of a registered voter at a polling station) … and with the Democrats supporting mail-in voting as a matter of justice as well as convenience. It was well-known by both parties that a much higher percentage of Republicans turn out to vote at polling stations than do those who identify themselves as Democrats. It was assumed – by both parties – that mail-in voting would enhance considerably the Democratic Party vote (which indeed it did). Thus the mail-in voting became a highly-charged political matter ... even though mail-in voting was not a new phenomenon … just one that clearly was going to play a vastly larger role in the 2020 elections!

Then President Trump contracted (a fairly mild) case of the virus in early October … and had to be quarantined, keeping him from attending rallies during this important month leading up to the elections. This did further damage to his presidential credentials, which were already suffering from voter discouragement over the whole pandemic issue. Being the president, he was subtly expected to have solutions to the crisis. He was working on the matter … but not as fast as much of the public expected, an expectation heightened by the Democrats who understood how the pandemic played to their own interests.

A shameful political debate

But the real problem facing Trump going into this election was the behavior that went on during the first presidential debate held at the end of September. It was a repeat of Trump's performance four years earlier when he constantly interrupted his opponents, in this case Joe Biden, during his presentation. Insults were sent back and forth dominating the conversation … rather than in-depth policy clarification. And the moderator, Mike Wallace, merely added to the confusion with his own frequent interruptions in the discussions. All in all, it was a bad scene – especially for Trump, whose rating suffered the worst of the two candidates … according to the media polls, which of course, varied substantially in their measurement on the basis of their own ideological preferences.

A second debate had to be called off, because of Trump's illness. So only one more debate was conducted (October 22nd) … much calmer and more to the policy point this time. But it seemingly changed little in the political standing of either candidate. Trump's terrible first performance had pretty much decided the "undecideds" against him. Thus, according to the various polls, Biden was running well ahead of Trump at that the approach of the elections.

Wallace's intervention did not help matters
(creating the impression that he was not neutral in the contest)

But overall ... Trump's behavior clearly was undercutting Trump himself

The final debate was held on October 23rd ... debate focused on actual issues at hand

But for Trump, a better second performance (October 23rd) would do little to bring his ratings back up. Most Americans had already decided where they stood in the election.

And thus a deeply divided country goes to the polls on November 3rd. Actually the majority of the voting had already taken place by way of mail-in ballots prompted by the stay-st-home national action caused by the Corona-virus pandemic.

But this huge amount of mail-in voting was protested strongly by the Trump team because it allegedly permitted wholesale corruption (though Trump himself voted by mail ... and mail-in voting was not new in America)

Biden wins

On November 3rd the nation "went to the polls" (the group that had not already voted by mail before that date). Because of the new voting dynamics, it would take several days before a fully clear picture of the outcome could be discerned … and that only when the close Pennsylvania vote was finally confirmed.

Ultimately, over 81 million votes went to Biden and over 74 million votes went to Trump. This was the largest number ever of votes cast in an American presidential election, with both candidates (even Trump) receiving more votes than any previous candidate. Both won 25 states each in the electoral college vote (Biden naturally also winning unfailingly Democratic D.C.'s 3 electoral votes), though Biden's strength in both New England and the Pacific Coast put the actual electoral vote strongly in his favor, 306 to 232. And surprisingly Biden's vote included (very narrowly) Georgia and Arizona, both Republican-leaning since the 1990s … and a matter of great interest to Trump.

A graceless political transition

There had been much previous speculation as to whether or not Trump would offer a graceful turnover of power to his opponent, should he lose the election. As it turned out, the transition was indeed far from graceful.

Rather than concede when it was clear to all (including even the conservative Fox News) that Biden had won the election fairly enough, Trump claimed that Biden had done so only through extensive voter fraud, illegal ballots having given Biden his victory. Trump – despite Attorney General William Barr's announcement that an extensive FBI inquiry into the matter found no evidence pointing to extensive fraud – was going to challenge the results in court in a number of instances (a strategy he had learned years earlier as a businessman).

Despite the assurance of the state authorities that the voting had been amazingly clean, Trump pressed his case (most notably in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania) … not able to actually demonstrate any true amount of fraud he assured everyone was key to the illegal outcome.

It was simply Trump being Trump … using his own reasoning (notably with the help of a band of lawyers) to press his case, by whatever means possible. Ultimately the day of the vote of the Electoral College arrived (December 14th) and the earlier count in favor of Biden was reaffirmed.

Political damage in Georgia

Tragically for the Republican Party, Trump's pressure on Georgia to reexamine the vote (and declare a Republican win) – not once but three times – did not play well in Georgia's runoff elections held on January 5th. In the November elections, Republican incumbent Senator James Perdue had failed to receive the 50% required by the state to be returned to Washington as the state's senatorial representative. Perdue had gained only 49.4% of the vote … with his Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff gaining 47.9% of the vote. But Trump's behavior had created such ill feeling among Georgian independents, that when the runoff was held, the vote switched entirely, even with a smaller turnout: Ossoff with 50.6% and Perdue with 49.4%. Thus the Republicans lost a vital seat (and consequently its majority) in the Senate, largely because of all the Trump antics. The Senate was now tied, 50 Republicans (even some of those rather "independent-leaning") and 50 Democrats, with the new Democrat Vice President Harris able to vote to break any voting ties that might occur.

The assault on Capitol Hill

Then on the following day … just to make the transition even uglier, Trump called for a rally in front of the White House … and challenged a huge and very hyped-up gathering to march on the Capitol Building – and demonstrate to Congress (which had gathered that day to give official authorization to the Electoral College vote) their anger over the supposedly fraudulent elections. This they did … but not stopping merely on the lawn in front of the Capitol Building, but instead storming it … thus producing a very violent confrontation with the Capitol police – and the retreat in fear of the gathered Congressional members. In the melee, a female Trump supporter was shot and killed, several protesters died, presumably from medical emergencies, and numerous officers were hurt badly, one dying from his wounds, before they could be cleared out. Many of the participants would later be identified and arrested for what was clearly a federal crime.

Immediately calls were issued for the impeachment of Trump (the third attempt) … and indeed on the 13th of the month the House successfully voted exactly that. But of course this action would then have to go to the U.S. Senate … where, even with some Republicans switching to the side to convict, the necessary 2/3rds vote would not be forthcoming. 57 Senators (including 7 Republicans) voted to convict; 43 (all Republicans) voted to acquit. But almost immediately speculation arose as to the possibility of the Democrats finding another way to take Trump down … permanently, so that he would be unable to run again for the presidency.

On January 6, 2021, the members of the House of Representatives gathered to certify the electoral college vote.

That same day, Trump decided to hold a rally at the White House in protest of the "fraudulent" elections ... and then called on his supporters to march on Capitol Hill to protest the day's "illegal" action.

This they did ... failing to merely gather in front of the Capitol Building but choosing instead to invade it ... seemingly typical of the way protests had been conducted lately.

In the process, Representative stopped the vote and went into hiding

The National Guard was eventually called out to help the Capitol police

In the melee, one protester was shot, numerous people wounded including a policeman who later died of his wounds and others died of medical conditions that could not be attended to.

It was a terrible show of a president leaving office.

And it would, of course, become grounds for a new impeachment effort ... voted on by Pelosi's House on January 13th, 232-197 after a 2-day hearing

And again the Senate failed to gain the 2/3 vote necessary for actual conviction

And thus it was that Trump ended his presidency
... refusing to attend Biden's inauguration on January 20th

Trump saying goodbye as he and Melania leave Washington early on the 20th just prior to Biden's inauguration ceremony

Go on to the next section: Biden's First Days

Miles H. Hodges

28. INTO THE AGE OF TRUMP THE AMERICAN CRISIS DEEPENS

Miles H. Hodges

28. INTO THE AGE OF TRUMP

THE AMERICAN CRISIS DEEPENS