Trumpzilla Isn’t Stupid, but We Might Be…

According to Dylan Byers of CNN, Trumpence Bannon has canceled multiple open press events this week, opting not to let reporters into the room to ask questions.

Before last night, I would see this behavior as the avoidant pouting of a petulant manchild who can’t deal with criticism or even form a coherent sentence on his own. But last night I attended a free speech and democracy panel hosted by Pen America. Timothy Snyder, a Yale history professor and author of a new book call On Tyranny, put Trumpzilla’s actions in different light.

In Snyder’s view, Trumpence Bannon is following the classic script of fascism. His attempts to undermine and marginalize the press is nothing less than the second step in a plan to destroy democracy. The relentless shocking statements, the endless manipulation of the news cycle and the normalization of the absurd are the methods used to cripple truth and make America a 21st Century totalitarian state.

It is easier to laugh at Trumpzilla than to take him seriously. It is comforting to see him as a buffoon and regard any references to fascism and totalitarianism as pure hyperbole. But it is a mistake to think it can’t happen here. Once you subscribe to that fallacy of American exceptionalism, the end has already started.

Why Trumpence Bannon Told Flynn to Call the Russians

“Scapegoat (noun): A person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency.”

I’m not a spy, but I have some exposure to spy logic. I’ve written five spy novels and I’ve read tons more. I’ve studied international affairs with a particular focus on spying.

That’s why the Flynn resignation sounds like a poor excuse for a cover story.

Peter Baker of the Times, published an article earlier today claiming that Trumpence Bannon (TPB) only found out about Flynn’s Russia contacts after the fact.

"Asked if Trumpence Bannon instructed Flynn to talk about sanctions with Mr. Kislyak, Spicer said, “No, absolutely not.” Asked if Trumpence Bannon was aware that the issue had come up before the Justice Department told the White House, Spicer said, “No, he was not aware.”

So let me see if I get this straight: Flynn goes off the reservation and tells a Russian diplomat what Trumpzilla is going to do to help Putin, but he never got orders from anyone else, or told anyone else anything before he made the call. Is that the story we’re going with?

Question: Why would he do that? Was he promising Russia that he could somehow manipulate Trumpzilla into aiding Russia before anything was decided? Was he just talking out of his ass? Or was he just doing what TPB told him to do? Did TPB tell Flynn to use his Russian contacts to go outside the State Department protocols and make a back door deal with Putin?

Answer: In my experience, the concept of cui bono (for whom does it benefit) is a helpful tool for understanding human behavior. Under this theory, people act based on their motivations and self interest. So if Flynn talked to Russia, there was a reason for it. If Flynn wasn’t the ultimate beneficiary of the action or he wasn’t the ultimate decision maker, then someone else got the benefit.

Question: Who could benefit from Flynn talking to Russia?

Answer: Trumpence Bannon.

Based on the current shitshow, the logical sequence of events goes like this: Trumpence Bannon wanted to reward Putin for helping with the election. He sends Flynn to deliver that message. If the message goes through, great. If Flynn gets caught, he gets thrown under the bus and the Trumpocalypse rolls on.

We need to change that narrative.

We need to prove Flynn talked to the Russians because Trumpence Bannon ordered him to make that call. We need to establish that Flynn was not a rouge agent, but an active member of an administration catering to a hostile power. We need to drain the swamp before North Korea starts firing test missiles and Russian ships are breaking peace treaties…

Too late.

Trumpence’s War on Truth (about Terror)

By Gamal Hennessy

In less than a month, the Trumpocalypse has devolved in the cesspool of “making shit up as we go along” even when discussing issues as serious as terrorism.

One only has to look at stories of the non-existent “Bowling Green Massacre” or Trumpzilla’s recent anti media rant about the under reporting of terrorist attacks around the world.

But we’re used to this by now.

We challenge everything he says before it’s even left his mouth. We call him on his bullshit and he responds with the same hasty, uninformed , stupidity that defines his brand.

Consider this analysis from Katie Mettler of the Washington Post:

“But what’s more telling is not what the list included — but what it didn’t. Some of the countries most devastated by terrorism from Islamic extremists were left out entirely, as were any mentions of terrorist attacks on U.S. soil perpetrated by active shooters, or race terrorists like white supremacist Dylann Roof.”

Translation: According to Trumpence Bannon, violence that stokes fear of the other and upholds the narrative of racist exclusion needs to be over reported. Violence that doesn’t fit this narrative needs to be labeled as fake news or ignored completely.

All this ignorance would be comical, except half the population of ‘Merica either believes this bullshit without question or doesn’t care that he’s always lying. Either way, his lies are going to get us into a war. He’s going to make money from it, while some of us die. And he’ll just pretend it didn’t happen at all.

Have fun.

G

Trumpzilla Might Be the Best Spy Ever

By Gamal Hennessy

I’ve been interested in spies and espionage for my entire adult life. I write about spies in my Crime and Passion Series. I read books on real and fictional spies. I watch a ton of spy movies. When I got out of law school, I might have even applied to the CIA (but I can’t confirm or deny anything). I consider myself a proud spy nerd, which is why Trumpzilla’s latest scandal is such a guilty pleasure for me.

According to unconfirmed reports, Russian spy agencies have collected a dossier of compromising information against Trumpzilla

“The memos describe sex videos involving prostitutes with Trumpzilla. They also suggest that Russian officials proposed various lucrative deals, essentially as disguised bribes in order to win influence over him. Finally, they describe several purported meetings during the 2016 presidential campaign between Trumpocalypse representatives and Russian officials to discuss matters of mutual interest, including the Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman, John D. Podesta.”

• Scott Shane, Adam Goldman and Matthew Rosenberg for the New York Times

All this is pretty wild stuff, but the implications of the alleged information are of special interest to spy nerds everywhere. See, when a spy wants to manipulate someone, there are four major ways to do it based on the acronym MICE (which stands for Money, Ideology, Coercion and Excitement). Under normal circumstances, a spy picks one of the four methods depending on his or her target. But if the memos are accurate, then Putin made sure to use all four methods on Trumpzilla:

• Money: Bribes
• Ideology: *
• Coercion: Sex Videos
• Ego: Stroking his ego by helping him beat Clinton

From the perspective of a spy nerd, gaining control of a United States president has to be one of the most successful operations in the history of history. The Trojan Horse, D-Day and Madam Butterfly all pale in comparison. Why fight a war or steal secrets when you can control an entire country on demand?

Of course, if you are an American (or live on the planet Earth in general) this might be the worst thing ever, especially if the Trumpocalypse wipes out everything everywhere.

Well played, Comrade Putin. Well played indeed...

Have fun.

G

* Ideology is a dubious concept when it comes to Trumpzilla, since the only thing he believes in is himself.

Who Does Trumpzilla Work For? (Hint: Not for You)

By Gamal Hennessy

There is a myth in American politics about elected officials and private businesses. In theory, the people who run governments as public servants are supposed to think and act for the benefit of the country as a whole, not for themselves or specific corporations.

But like many other aspects of American politics, Trumpzilla is throwing the illusion of public service out the window. According to Julie Bykowicz and Chad Day of the Associated Press, “days before the inauguration, he continues to own or control some 500 companies, creating a tangle of potential conflicts of interest without precedent in modern U.S. history.”

We already know he has to repay Putin for his help in hacking the election and ushering in the Trumpocalypse. We already know he’s filling his cabinet with cronies, ass kissers and denizens of the swamp. Now we have indications that he will insist on maintaining business relationships with the potential to turn the presidency into his personal Monopoly bank.

So when it comes time for him to make a decision that will impact the American people (like on January 21st) whose interests do you think is going to be important to him? Putin? Trump International? His own fragile ego? Whoever he’s working for, people like you and I will rank very low on that list, if we are on the list at all.

I’m reading a book now called The Shock Doctrine that explores the recent history of disaster capitalism and corporatism in America. As I read this book, I understand that Trumpzilla is far from the first to use his office to line his own pockets. But unless we fight him, we might suffer the most for his greed.

Have fun.

Gamal

The Trumpocalypse is a Black Hole of Fake News

By Gamal Hennessy

There is a cliche in self-help circles known as “fake it until you make it.” No one exemplifies the power of this slogan more than our president elect. He took a fake name, bragged about his fake business skill, parlayed it into a third rate fake TV show, and then rode a wave of fake promises and fake news all the way to the White House.

Trumpzilla might be the product of our age, but it appears that ‘Merica isn’t really sure what to do with him now that he’s coming into power. His supporters, his staff and “his” party are all struggling to deal with him and according to The Nation, the press is too fixated on the fake to report on the real.

:Then there’s the Twitter feed. Filled with falsehoods and threats, it has become a crack-like addiction for reporters, successfully diverting attention from reporting about Trump’s corruption, incompetence, ignorance, dishonesty, misogyny, prejudice, and authoritarian tendencies, to name just a few of the new president’s charms. Favoring spectacle over substance, journalists fall for this gambit every time—like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football."

Eric Alterman: The Nation,  The American Press Is Under Threat as Never Before

In 2004, Stanley Bing wrote a book called “What Would Machiavelli Do?” with a specific chapter on bullshit. One of his main examples of successful bullshit was Trumpzilla, even back then. Bing wrote “...in the art of bullshit (and it is an art, not a science) Trump towers above all others like a Colossus.”

This might have been fine for shady real estate deals and banal reality TV, but now he’s made it. While he can’t only perform at the level of his ability (160 characters or less), we don’t have to.

Sun Tzu said, “All warfare is based on deception.” In the modern war of information, Trumpzilla’s Twitter is a weapon of mass distraction. Once we look past the smoke and smear campaigns, we can resist the Trumpocalypse and restore some semblance of our sanity.

Have fun.

G

The Active Struggle Against the Trumpocalypse ​

By Gamal Hennessy

The dark cloud of the Inauguration creeps closer. Obama is taking his “victory” lap, making his “farewell” speeches. All of us have to prepare ourselves for a 2-4 year resistance. There have been several pieces written in the past few weeks offering advice on fighting the scourge that is Trumpzilla, but Charles Blow was succinct in his oped piece in today’s New York Times.

"When politics seem out of your control, remember that community and culture are very much in your control. We help shape the world we inhabit every day. A life is a collection of thousands of decisions, large and small, made every day. Make those decisions with purpose and conviction, especially [during the Trumpocalypse]"

- Charles Blow, The Anti-Inauguration

His suggested list of activities are broad and varied:

• Protest him, his actions and what he stands for in public.

• Volunteer to help all the people he plans to attack

• Donate to the causes he plans to victimize

• Subscribe to credible news sources

• Read to educate yourself on the issues

• Write to the people in power to frame the discussion

• Love your tribe and let them know it

January 20th, 2021 can’t come soon enough. Until the final day of the Trumpocalypse, many of us will fight him and what he represents. This list and others like it will help. Some of us will not make it, but it is often the struggle that defines us, not the outcome.

Have fun

Gamal

The Criminal Congress

By Gamal Hennessy

When I was learning how to be a writer, I found out there are two types of criminals. One type breaks the law, the other makes the law. The law breakers include robbers, rapists and murderers. The lawmakers include the underhanded members of Congress who voted to abolish the Office of Congressional Ethics yesterday.

"House Republicans voted to eviscerate the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent body created in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct by lawmakers after several bribery and corruption scandals sent members to prison. The ethics change, which prompted an outcry from Democrats and government watchdog groups, is part of a rules package that the full House will vote on Tuesday. The package also includes a means for Republican leaders to punish lawmakers if there is a repeat of the Democratic sit-in last summer over gun control."

- Donna Cassata: Associated Press

Now what might motivate Congress to eliminate ethical oversight? Is it possible that they are so upstanding and moral that the OCE is an unnecessary expense? Or is it because they plan to conduct so many ethical violations that they want to avoid any and all oversight into their illegal activities? 

And what is worse? Is it the murderer who kills a man in cold blood or the politician who cripples national healthcare, imprisons people for profit and helps destroy the environment for his corporate masters? Is it a matter of intimacy, or a matter of scale?

We’re about to find out.

Have fun.

Gamal

Kidnapped by the Police

By Gamal Hennessy

There are pockets of American law enforcement using the tactics of totalitarian dictatorships. The New York Times recently published a story on a Justice Department investigation on the police departments in Louisiana. According to the report, police held people for days without any justification or even accusing them of a crime. The pattern of “investigative holds” (i.e. government sponsored kidnapping) focused on minority populations.

“Officers have routinely arrested hundreds of citizens annually without probable cause, strip-searching them and denying them contact with their family and lawyers for days — all in an unconstitutional attempt to force cooperation with detectives who finally admitted they were operating on a mere “hunch” or “feeling.””

— The New York Times Editorial Board

Systemic abuse by the police against minority communities is fundamental to ‘Merican culture. If killing people for flimsy reasons is condoned, and the prison industrial complex profits from mass incarceration, then being held in jail for a “hunch” doesn’t seem that bad. But when the Justice Department answers to Trumpzilla, how many of these abuses will be investigated and stopped? What would prevent the Trumpocalypse from adopting government sponsored kidnapping as a political tool to intimidate and remove elements of society that don’t fall in line? How soon will it be before isolated pockets of secret police become the norm?

Remember the Moscow Rules.

Has America Already Turned its Back on Trumpzilla?

By Gamal Hennessy

Trumpzilla claims to have lots of friends. He’s desperate for the photo ops with Kanye (while building his Legion of Doom). He pontificates about his love for Putin (especially since that whole election tampering thing). He even talks to the President of Taiwan (threatening to destabilize Asian geopolitics). Yes, a lot of people love Trumpzilla, but does America?

According to a recent article by George Edwards III of the Washington Post, Trumpzilla lacks four of the basic fundamentals of popular support:

1.       He has no mandate based on the popular vote

2.       The American people don’t support his policies

3.       Public opinion is polarized

4.       Our public opinion is not a malleable factor

Now keep in mind, a lack of public support isn’t necessarily going to end the Trumpocalypse. Trumpzilla will still try to run rampant over the Constitution and sell the country off to his friends. And we are the same people who just knew Clinton was sure to win the White House, so we could be completely wrong…again. We know ‘Merica loves Trumpzilla, but he might not have as many friends as he thinks. Maybe long term public rejection will subdue the raging beast and send him back to the tacky golf course he came from.

Have fun.

G

Who Gave the Trump Zombies a Monopoly on Social Media?

By Gamal Hennessy

As the Trumpocalypse begins to take shape on the horizon, the Resistance looks for new tactics to help in the struggle. Like everyone else in the modern world, law makers on all levels are using social media to get the message out and win the war of words. But that will change if the Trump Zombies get their way.

“House Republicans have proposed punishing representatives who shoot video or take photos on the floor of the chamber — a change in rules seen as a direct response to a dramatic sit-in in June by House Democrats demanding a vote on gun control legislation that was streamed live online.”

— FRANK THORP V: NBC News

So why is it that Trumpzilla can tweet anything he wants, any time he wants, and manipulate mainstream and social media at will, but any attempt by the Resistance to shed light on the process of government is met with a proposed fine? The hypocritical demand for asymmetric media access isn’t new. Totalitarian regimes do it all the time. But maybe if we get a chance to see how Washington is really governed, we can limit the damage Trumpzilla and his Zombies can do.

Have fun.
G