This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

As I watched Donald Trump emerge from the White House yesterday. I was struck by how subdued he appeared. Not the fire and brimstone, argumentative Trump, but the defeated Trump, quiet and reflective. Shoulders slumped, slow talking like the Adderall had worn off. He spoke almost more like a former president than a current one.

It’s better to fail all at once than to almost succeed. If the Nazis had been turned away from Stalingrad initially, they might have saved themselves. But because they had almost succeeded, they poured in more and more resources trying to win the city, which led to their eventual downfall. Stalingrad meant nothing. It was an unimportant dot on a map, a river town, and wasn’t an essential target strategically.

Likewise, the Russians in Ukraine have been trying to surround the town of Pokrovsk for over a year and a half now. They had the town three quarters surrounded and felt victory was almost within their grasp. Each assault felt like it could be the final one to make the big breakthrough and seal their victory. In a war which has had few successes for Russia, it was the bright shining hope. So the Russians poured in more and more resources and the Ukrainians began to bleed them white.

The second Trump Administration began in bluster, venom, and hate. Gutting government agencies firing workers by the thousands. Upending the world order and the world’s financial order. Pushing through the dormant, doormat rubber stamp Duma, the big bastard bill. Granting tax cuts for the rich and pain for everyone else. Calling the rule of law judicial tyranny. Then they tripped on the stairs over Jeffery Epstein’s shoes. They were winning! Why should they back off now? But Epstein clung to them like a bad smell. They couldn’t understand it. They had lied to the worker bees before. Why was this time so different?

The cracks began appearing. The November elections weren’t just bad for the misadministration, they were disastrous. The Argentinian bailout blew up in their face. The boisterous bragging about defeating inflation hurled at consumers struggling to get by was another crack in the ice. The ICE Gestapo in America’s streets quickly turned loyal supporters into doubting questioners. But they couldn’t back off now! But always in the background was Epstein. Pam Blondie Bondi bragged she had the Epstein files on her desk. She’d gone through them and there was nothing there incriminating Donald Trump.

Then Trump’s birthday card to Jeffery Epstein made Blondie look like the liar she actually is. Trump asked, “are you still talking about Epstein?” Trump threatening to sue for a billion dollars, but he didn’t. The advance was beginning to stall and the misadministration also began to stall. They began to look defensive, like they had something they were hiding. Files? What files? Oh, those. Scandals at the DHS and the FBI. Scandals at the Justice department. Failing political prosecutions.

Then the government shutdown came. No matter how many times they tried calling it a “Democrat Shutdown.” The public didn’t believe them. In fact, the misadministration had won. But in sympathy, the misadministration had lost. It seems that the red hatted Bubbas and Bubbaettes had parents and family members struggling to afford their health insurance. The farmers had been one of Trump’s strongest supporters and they were getting hammered because of Trump’s terrible tariff policy. Town halls in the red States began to look like controlled riots.

All of the Republican Gerrymandering and all the king’s men couldn’t put Dumpty Donald back together again, and their efforts began to look futile and desperate. Then Marge Tater Greene and Thomas Massie broke with the party. Calling for the misadministration to release the Epstein files. And the more Trump obfuscated and did the Trump two step. The worse things began to look. Facing certain defeat, Donald the turd says, Go ahead, I want all the Republicans to vote to release the Epstein files. But the damage was already done.

 The public wasn’t buying it to start with. So Trump’s 180-degree turnabout looked crazy. Fighting and lying and scheming to keep it all a secret, then at the eleventh hour, telling everyone to vote for the release. As even the dull and slow-witted began to catch on. Trump tried furiously to play, Yeah, but. Yeah but, what about Bill Clinton? Yeah but, what about Larry Summers? Never understanding that by condemning others, he only further incriminated himself. On the one hand, it’s all a hoax! On the other hand, look at what these guys did!

Even with the unconditional support of the contrite purchased corporate media. The public began to get a bad taste in their mouths. Telling Americans’ groceries were cheaper than ever. See? Walmart says so! Appearing more and more out of touch with every word coming out of their mouths. “It’s better to remain silent and to be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” – Mark Twain

The vote on the Epstein files was a watershed. The orange nightmare had told Republicans to vote for it, but he didn’t mean everybody! Rather than the Epstein vote showing allegiance, the vote showed weakness and dissolution. Nobody but nobody in the Republican world wanted their names written down on the wrong side of the Epstein vote. The misadministration had reached its apogee, their Stalingrad, and now begins the long retreat. The spell is finally broken.

Marge Tater Greene becomes the leader of the disloyal opposition. Trump is no longer fighting with Democrats. He’s now fighting with his own and losing. Large Marge slams the orange resident for calling her a traitor. Insinuating she’s receiving death threats from the loyalists. Then Marge announces she’s quitting. Let’s pretend we are in a big-time grown-up world for a minute. Marge’s resignation was a signal, the fix is in. The King will crush all who oppose him, one way or another. The nail which sticks up will be hammered down.

Democrats offer up friendly advice. You don’t have to follow ILLEGAL orders. The resident flew into a rage, calling for witch trials and the death penalty. How dare they question my unquestioned authority! But no matter how much shit they hurl at the walls, nothing seems to stick anymore. Nothing is working! Moving Ghislaine Maxwell from hard time prison to Candy land was a disaster for them both. Trump can no longer pardon her or put her back. She now hangs around his neck like a cursed voodoo amulet.

Victory lost is never found, and like Napoleon. Trump faces the long tortuous walk back. Defeated, with calls of Lame Duck ringing in his ears. Trump’s peace plan was denounced around the world while the US media claimed it’s being seriously considered. It was weakness personified. Then after saying Ukraine has till Thursday to surrender. The resident rodent offers up, “It was only a starting point.” It was only a unilateral demand starting point? We still have five days!

In an all-or-nothing contest, you either win it all or you win nothing. This defeat is not the end of Donald Trump, but it signals that the end is coming, and the end is now certain, and the end is final.

“You don’t care about anything except you. You just want to persuade people that you love ’em so much that they ought to love you back. Only you want love on your own terms. Something to be played your way, according to your rules.” – Citizen Kane