The Senate Trial of Donald Trump
Chief Justice John Roberts. Ten years ago, he gave us Citizens United.
W.J. Astore
The Senate trial of Donald Trump is a colossal waste of time and energy. Why? The result is a foregone conclusion: Trump is not going to be removed from office. Nevertheless, the mainstream media is obsessed with gavel-to-gavel coverage of what is mostly a non-event.
As my wife said to me yesterday, where is all this energy and outrage from Congress and the media about homeless people living in the streets? So many of whom are suffering from mental and physical illnesses of various sorts? Where is the attention to people who can't afford to pay for their prescription drugs? What about all the veterans committing suicide? What about all the corruption that is systemic and endemic across Congress and the Executive branches? Where's the attention to that?
The presence of Chief Justice John Roberts in the Senate provides a salutary reminder that a decade ago, the Supreme Court issued its "Citizens United" decision that declared corporations are citizens and that their "speech" in the form of money in politics is protected.
That decision is yet another example of America's legalized system of political corruption. Why can't we get Congress to change that? Where's the media coverage of electoral corruption? The outrage about corporate money in politics? There isn't any, since the mainstream media is complicit in the corruption.
To repeat myself: Ten years ago this week, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are citizens. Except for a few ultra-rich “citizens” like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, that meant corporations had (and have) superhero-like powers, but with none of the humility of Peter Parker (Spiderman), whose gentle Uncle Ben reminded him that, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Our superhero corporations just want the power, thank you very much, and our government and its three branches willingly bow down and serve them.
Where’s the trial for that offense against the republic? Bang the gavel, John Roberts.
Bonus Lesson: Democrats! Want to remove Trump from office? Nominate a coherent and charismatic candidate for the presidency, have a compelling platform, and inspire people to get off their duffs and vote in November.