Trump's Beer Hall Putsch - By Proxy

In 1923, Adolph Hitler attempted to lead a rebellion. He failed. He was arrested and sentenced to prison. The failed rebellion became known as the Beer Hall Putsch.

Hitler eventually rose to power and the world suffered for it. Today we have a Hitler surrogate in the United States. He is a man who was compromised and recruited by Russia's President, Vladimir Putin.

Trump is our very own Moscovian Candidate. A criminal opportunist who has betrayed his country for economic reasons. A psychopath who has resonated with other psychopaths across our country.

Unlike Hitler, who actually led his attempt at rebellion, Trump has allowed proxies to stand in for him. Today Trump's putsch took place in Charlottesville, Virginia without Trump.

American NAZIs and the KKK and other white supremacists marched. They came armed with assault weapons and clubs and shields.

Last night we saw a torchlight parade in Charlottesville that could have been shot by Leni Riefenstahl.

To be clear, we have had NAZIs in the United States before. Prior to World War II the NAZI Party was organized and held rallies and even retreats for adults and children.

Today's NAZIs are part of a political coalition that is a significant part of Trump's base. Trump is so totally compromised. He can't afford to alienate his base and he can't cross Putin. When he finally speaks about this, he says nothing.

As I watch this on the TV, I am amazed by how vapid our reporting has become. Instead of castigating the demonstrators, we have an assortment of commentators whose lack of clear condemnation only serves to normalize this type of behavior.

In the last week we have literally been barraged by Donald Trump. His threats against North Korea and Venezuela only added to our confusion and anxiety. We allowed ourselves to be distracted by this. We did not focus on what truly needs to be focused on - the criminal investigation of Trump and an emerging coup.

A recent poll suggested that over half of Trump's supporters would not object if Trump said he needed to suspend the 2018 elections. I don't think we have ever suspended elections. What is happening now?

Steve Bannon is the White House Chief Strategist. He was the executive chair of Breitbart News. He is  a darling of the alt right. He has been promoting nationalist propaganda. Here he is with Dinesh D’Souza in the White House. He's promoting D'Souza's latest book - The Big Lie. The book compares Democrats to NAZIs. 

D'Souza was convicted of making illegal campaign contributions. Another picture shows him in the White House with Sebastian Lukács Gorka. Gorka is deputy assistant to the President. Gorka has actual ties to NAZIs and has a questionable Ph.D.

It's not okay for White House officials to promote books, but Bannon and Gorka have no problem doing so. So much of what goes on in the Trump administration is illegal and unethical. Trump began dismantling our government from day one. He has appointed incompetents to his cabinet, with the notable exceptions of Mattis and McMaster.

Trump will be completely exposed if Muller proceeds with his investigation. People will go to jail. If the Democrats win back the House in 2018 they will Impeach Trump. What's a traitor to do?

Trump is not about to go to jail. I have no doubt he would take the country down first, but that is where he is headed unless he does something dramatic like suspend elections and take his coup public. In order to do that, he needs popular support and that's what Charlottesville is all about - an emerging army of Brown Shirts. 

I don't know if Trump can pull this off. He has the Republican Congress, but he has also been willing to alienate them recently by attacking Mitch McConnell. Why? Is he abandoning them to form his own party? He's had his own private security force all along. Now he just might be desperate enough to take the final leap. What has he got to lose?

A miraculous savior is not going to stop this. George Washington is not going to come back from his grave and clean out D.C. Our best hopes are Robert Mueller and James Mattis. Robert can prosecute under the rule of law and James can prevent the misuse of our military, but they are operating within the law and could get swept up along with everyone else.

Now's the time to ask what you can do for your country. Sitting on your butt and burying your head in the sand ain't gonna fix this. Start demanding action from our Congress. Either that or resign yourself to the possibility of living in a dictatorship.

Holy Moly!