I have never liked scary movies. Those previews with the frightening scenes are a turn off for me when I am at some local theater. One movie that I will not watch a second time is Silence of the Lambs. I thought about that film title when I was watching the members of the U.S. Congress make believe that there is nothing going on in Washington that we should be worried about.
Many things have happened since January 20 when Donald Trump became president. His health care proposal that robs the poor and gives to the rich is a sad chapter in our history. The interference with our elections by the Russian government should alarm every American citizen because if it happened last year, it is destined to happen again. His disastrous visit with the European leaders created a threat to our long-term security.
Yet with the exception of Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, the vast majority of the Republican Congress sits mute accepting the morning tweets, the veiled threats and the daily tear down of America’s human infrastructure. It is hard to believe that almost nothing shocks the senses of these duly elected people, even if it hurts the same people who put them in office.
It is an accepted fact that the Republican Congress wants tax cuts and the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. They have the ability to do it on a bipartisan basis but, ever since the days of Speaker Newt Gingrich, working with the Democrats has become a toxic party issue. So for now, the majority in Congress prefers to sit on their hands and let President Trump tear the country down with executive orders and presidential announcements.
When I think about all the attacks on President Obama and candidate Hillary Clinton over issues such as classified documents, the Clinton Foundation, conflicts of interest and a host of other issues, all of which are being repeated by President Trump, and yet his silent majority sits silent. There is a long history of American presidents abusing their power while in the White House, but nothing compares to the actions of the current president.
The Trump cabinet is stocked with agency heads who have in the past used their public positions for private gain. Some of the president’s advisors have been hired because they pledged to dismantle the same organization that they now head. Candidate Trump took dead aim at Hillary Clinton for the operations of the Clinton Foundation, yet President Trump’s daughter accepts $100 million from the Saudis for her new foundation.
Firing the FBI director and threatening him with a daily tweet would have resulted in impeachment talk if President Obama had done it. Candidate Trump stated, “Any person in the government who takes the Fifth Amendment and refuses to speak is guilty of treason.” However, General Michael Flynn can do the same thing and he gets a pat on the back and is told to “stay strong.” Where are the cries of outrage from the Senate and House leaders?
In the weeks ahead, America will have to deal with more and more scandalous news because the daily drip of bad news will not stop. Sadly, the lambs in power will remain silent watching our beloved Constitution get trashed.
Former State Assemblyman Jerry Kremer is a partner at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek in Uniondale. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or Anton Media Group.
