Alan Znedell, April 20, 2024

For nine years, our nation and the world watched Donald Trump defy tradition and political norms, and except for passing the Paul Ryan/Mitch McConnell tax cuts, support positions and policies that were clearly at odds with the desires of the majority of Americans. He has a predator’s nose for weakness, grievances, petty anger, and anxiety, combined with a shameless willingness to pander to the kind of racism, bigotry, misogyny, and xenophobia that our country hasn’t seen since the 1930s.

His well-documented ability to sow chaos and discord often put our nation at significant risk. He enabled the awakening of marginalized groups and belief systems that we thought we had relegated to our past, as our nation emerged from its adolescence. In his lust for power and desperation to regain the White House to avoid felony convictions and potential prison sentences, Trump pulled out all the stops in his war against truth, decency and the primary responsibility of an American president – defending our Constitution.

He courts autocrats and disses our allies. He craves absolute power and disdains democracy, because he will never capture a majority of the popular vote in an honest election. He stokes voters’ anger and appeals to their venal self-interest with policies that dangerously weaken our standing in the world, and will ultimately result in economic consequences that will hurt everyone, like the January 6th insurrectionists who drank the Kool Aid and didn’t realize they were being led down a path to self-destruction until they faced incarceration.

We, who knew what Trump was from the outset, believed that eventually, when voters and legislators were forced to face the real implications of Trump’s madness, they would see the light and reject him. It has come down to the wire, but finally, we see it happening. The likely consequences of allowing Russia to defeat Ukraine, of failing to provide Israel with what it needs to defend itself, and not sending a message to China that we place the same priority on Taiwan’s independence have come crashing down on the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

Mainstream, responsible politicians from both parties always knew that recklessly allowing to Trump to take over our values and policies would lead to bad outcomes for the country. The question has been how long it would take, and what circumstances would have to exist for them to stand up to him.

It was clear that once the true Republicans that have not been driven from government demonstrated the courage to rebel against Trump, the bubble of his dominance would be broken. The revolt of Republicans who believe in responsible government against the maniacal domination a vile minority of Trump supporters played out yesterday and today.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, with whom I disagree on virtually every policy, has my full support on the issue that is most important to all of us. A man who supported Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and his attempts stymie Congressional action to deprive President Biden of legislative victories, finally understands that Trump is a malignancy that will eventually destroy our country if it isn’t excised.

Johnson is a right-wing ideologue, but he’s also an American who takes governing seriously. He understands that supporting Ukraine, (and therefore, NATO,) Israel, (and therefore, the enemies of Iran,) and Taiwan are vital to our identity as a nation and to the global fight of democracy against autocracy. Most important, he understands that loyalty to America trumps loyalty to Trump. Today, Johnson brought the bills to the floor and they all passed, Ukraine aid by 311 to 112, Israel aid by 366 to 58, and the Indo-Pacific alliance by 385 to 34.

It was a huge victory for the United States and a crushing defeat for Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, and the rest of the MAGA terrorists. Even the brash, outspoken Greene seemed to sense that she’s done, announcing that she’ll now leave the issue of Johnson’s speakership to the voters. Former Republican Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, who came to national prominence by denying Trump’s charge that the 2020 election was stolen, told CNN that Donald Trump will lose the 2024 election, and it’s up to Republicans to get their party out of the ditch he drove them into.

The bubble of Trump’s dominance has burst, as has the power of the MAGA minority in the House to dominate the majority. Outside of the primaries, Trump is on an impressive losing streak. All his court challenges have been rejected, and his daily rants against judges, jurors, and witnesses have him looking more pathetic every day.

His trial for covering up hush money payments to porn stars to influence an election that begins on Monday is the least serious of all the felonies for which he has been indicted by New York, Georgia, and the Department of Justice. But it is the most damaging to his character. After the trial, a lot of people who voted for Trump while holding their noses in the past will find the stench too difficult to overcome this time.