Capital games

Yesterday I realised who might and probably should be the first female president of the United States: Lisa Murkowski. John McCain may have remembered last week that he had balls, but up until that moment the only two Republican Senators who’d had any were Murkowski from Alaska and Susan Collins from Maine.

Until yesterday I would have opted for Collins, but that was based entirely on my own bias: somehow the thought of a female President from Alaska came with too much Palin baggage. I’d still go for either of them, but Murkowski crept into the lead when I heard that she’d introduced nine “pro forma” sessions during the next month to ensure that the Senate was never officially in recess over the next month, effectively blocking Trump from using the recess to fire attorney general Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III as attorney general and replace him with a more pliant AG.

Give that woman a bumper sticker: MURKOWSKI 2020.

Seriously, somewhere in the Republican party there must still be someone left with half a brain. Assuming Trump, who is already running for re-election, is still in office in 2020 (more on this anon), someone needs to challenge him as the Republican candidate. It can’t be any of the sad sacks left in the dust in the 2016 nomination campaign. It has to be someone who’s stood up to him. That leaves Murkowski and Collins. As I said, either one would do for me. And I suspect there are independents in every state of the union who might register as Republicans simply to vote for one of these women in the primaries.

Just look at their expressions, both clearly wondering how this clown became the President.

Think about it. A woman beating Trump. A woman. How delicious would that be?

Of course that assumes Trump will still be in the Oval Office in 2020.

In the past couple of months I’ve talked to a handful of mental health experts about Trump. No, not about the effect Trump was having on my mental health, but about Trump himself. The question I asked all of them was this: in the face of all these scandals and screw ups, would a psychopathic narcissist like Trump be more likely to fight to the bitter end or make a show of quitting, citing his terrible persecution and martyring himself to be able to snipe to his followers on Twitter until the end of time? Perhaps not surprisingly this question had already crossed the minds of each of these experts. And none could answer it. He’s just too unpredictable. (No kidding.)

Walking away would of course be his best option. Prosecution would be unlikely. Everyone would be too grateful that the nightmare was over. He could indeed portray himself as a martyr to his base, driven out of office by the same special interests they’d elected him to attack. He’d still be their guy, they’d still hang on every word he said. He’d still have the adulation he craves.

Unfortunately, for the collective sanity of the world, I doubt he will take that route. Mainly because I suspect he genuinely believes he’s done nothing wrong. The man is incapable of ever accepting the blame for anything. And he genuinely believes he is being persecuted. It just doesn’t fit with his psychological profile for him to walk away.

The other news from yesterday was, of course, the grand jury impanelled by Robert Mueller. (Now you’re talking!) Criminal charges are clearly now a possibility. Or are they? Can the President of the United States be arrested and charged with criminal offences? Conventional wisdom suggests no. That said, there is nothing to prevent the President being put on trial after being impeached and removed from office.

Don’t hold your breath. Impeachment starts in the House of Representatives where the Republicans have a large majority of diehards. (None voted against repeal and replace Obamacare.) Clearly Paul Ryan has no problem with the current chaos. Would this change in the face of irrefutable evidence of crimes and misdemeanours? Perhaps, but it’s doubtful. If the Democrats regain control of the House in 2018, assuming Trump is still around, I suspect impeachment will be the first order of business. Until then, don’t look for any help from that direction.

Until then the gong show will continue. Until then the rest of the world will continue to laugh uncomfortably at the unfolding bad taste jokes, knowing that a lunatic is in charge of the nuclear codes.

Until then that old Chinese curse will be hanging over everyone’s head. We are definitely living in interesting times.