Something dramatic happened in US elections this week. The republicans were hammered in Virginia1, and it was perceived to be mostly an anti-Trump backlash. This should make the Republican Party very nervous, because if it continues until the midterm elections2 in November 2018, the Republicans may be even more badly done over. So, the Republicans have two options, neither of them particularly engaging for them, I expect. They can get rid of Trump, either via the Mueller investigation (which may lead either to impeachment or arrest), or simply by impeachment by the Republican controlled House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate3. On the other hand, if the Republicans do nothing, their electoral result in 2018 is likely to be diabolical if the swing in Virginia is any indication of anti-Trump trends across the US.
If the Republicans do lose their majority in the House of Representatives, then it is likely that Trump will be impeached very soon thereafter. Being the narcissist that he is, I suspect Trump will resign before he is impeached, as Nixon did. This seems appropriate, because, while he may not be a burglar, he is the closest thing the US has ever had to a traitor in office. While not spying for the Russians, Trump clearly won the electoral college with the aid of Russian interference in the election campaign and possibly in the vote count itself. While may people consider that he is Putin’s stooge, I doubt that is the case. Putin’s aim would have simply to sow chaos in the US and this has worked perfectly well. Among those able to understand what Trump is about, his main supporters are of his ilk, the more rapacious of the corporate class. Trump is doing all he can for them, and himself, in chasing tax cuts for the ultrarich, getting rid of environmental regulations for numerous industries. This will allow these industries to be more profitable and allow them to dump waste and emit noxious liquids and gases into the environment. The US has been handed over, not to Russia, but to the corporate class, and that will be nearly as ruinous for the US.
Sources
- https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/virginia-general-elections
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_midterm_election
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment#United_States
