I stumbled across these videos -- part 1 and part 2 -- from February 2017. They comprise an interview of Joe Scarborough by Stephen Colbert. I consider myself a moderate lefty but Scarborough represents the kind of conservative I can admire and respect. While I probably disagree with him on most political and economic issues, he has a respect for our laws and institutions that I believe is essential for the American experiment to thrive -- and even continue.
Scarborough makes the point that Republicans need to understand that there will be life after Donald Trump (the inference being that there will surely be a Democrat in the oval office someday.) At that, Colbert tells Joe he doesn't necessarily share his guest's optimism that there will be a period of time after Donald Trump. It may have been a joke three years ago, but I've become increasingly worried that Colbert may have been right. (And honestly, he seemed half-serious at the time.)
Since Trump's election, people have been talking about his dictatorial tendencies. To wit: he's reduced presidential statements and news conferences to Twitter rants and press gaggles in front of the White House (no press room, no podium, no presidential seal or American flag -- just Trump and a microphone); he constantly refers to the press members in attendance as "enemies of the people" -- a classic exercise from the dictator's playbook; he diminishes in word and deed our alliances and the institutions of the post-WWII order; and he shows a very real affinity for dictators of other countries (Kim Jong Un, Rodrigo Duterte and above all, Vladimir Putin -- who, incidentally, must love the aforementioned weakening of the U.S.-led world order. The Russia investigation matters, people.)
Just this week Trump fired members of his administration who testified against him in his impeachment trial. And he's apparently tweeted to their desired effect his unhappiness with the length of Roger Stone's sentence for his seven-count conviction in the Mueller investigation.
Trump obstructs justice, interferes with court proceedings (remember, he live-tweeted insults of the ambassador to Ukraine as she testified) and he flaunts norms of every kind, including those that prohibit by law, public servants from profiting from their positions. Not to mention that he continuously lies about everything.
I believe the time has come when reasonable minds have to transition from decrying Trump's dictatorial tendencies to concluding that they're coming true. The Democrats sure as hell better beat him in November, because if they don't, Colbert's half-serious prediction just might come true.
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