One of the great things about our democracy is elections. Every few years we the voters, get to go to the polls and cast our vote. We either vote to keep someone in office, or vote to replace the person with someone new. Hopefully, when we cast our vote, we have fully informed ourselves about our candidate and not solely looking at the R or the D after his/her name.
Now, you might be asking, where am I going with this?
This past weekend while listening to the radio, a commentator on MSNBC stated, after someone else mentioned the current president would either leave peacefully or be escorted out by the Secret Service, said we would definitely have a peaceful transfer of power. The commentator said the reason we would is because the current administration really has no loyalty by the people around him. Without that blind loyalty, no one would be there to defend him to keep him in office.
On that point I disagree.
He has many elected officials, paid staff and voters who are blindly following him.
I wasn’t able to verify if he has kept them of not, but at one point he, as a candidate, had private security guarding him in addition to the Secret Service. At one time, the president-elect had even said he might keep this private force with him after becoming president (https://prospect.org/article/trump’s-private-security-force-operational-and-legal-swamp). The one story I could find stated he did have private security around him, but they were unarmed. For me, seeing how gun-control works, I don’t think it would be too far-fetched they would quickly become armed if the current administration decided he wanted to be like Putin and Kim Jong-un. If paid enough, there are plenty of people who will do anything for a large sum of money without thinking of the ethics, morals or ramifications involved.
He has most Republicans in office blindly following him. Look at the most recent hearings, endorsements or praise heaped on him by most Republicans. His cabinet members are also blindly following him, at least in their public faces.
There is also the 34% base that is blindly following him being fed by the Fox propaganda machine.
Of that 34%, I’m sure there are some fanatics and white suprematists who would gladly take up arms for him. If you are paying attention, you see they have already been doing so.
Do I hope there will be a peaceful transition of power? Of course!
Am I so naive as to think he will go gladly into the good night? Of course not.
Do I see the possibility of the current tyrant in the White House attempting a coup, even a legal one, to become like his buddies Putin and Jong-un? Most certainly, for all the reasons mentioned above.
The upcoming election cycle, how Congress handles the Mueller investigation, and how long it takes for people to fully become woke will all factor into which scenario plays out.
I’m still hoping for a traditional transfer of power.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 