Peter Espeut | Sinking into Trumpism

The victory of convicted felon and sex offender Donald Trump in the US Presidential Elections last week has thrown the democratic world into a tizzy. Countries that uphold democracy and ethics in public life have preferred their elected leaders to appear squeaky clean, at least in terms of not having been found guilty of higher crimes.

Machinations will take place behind closed doors, and secret deals will be struck with shady characters; but politicians are expected to be clever enough to avoid being caught red-handed, and convicted in a court of law. Such conviction – or even a hint of possible guilt – has seen the death of many a promising political career.

In the most powerful country in the world – that polices lesser countries for drug-dealing, human trafficking, corruption, and money-laundering – being a convicted felon – and awaiting trial on other charges – is clearly not an obstacle to being elected. I am sure that Isat Buchanan and the People’s National Party (PNP) have taken note of that! Not to mention Marissa Dalrymple-Philibert and Andrew Holness! Jamaica is sinking into Trumpism!

Many people expect politicians to tell barefaced lies – especially embellishing their achievements, denying wrongdoing and failures, and misdirecting blame elsewhere; some people call it “political spin”, and its best practitioners as “spin doctors”. According to a Washington Post story published on January 24, 2021, during and after his term as US President, Donald “Trump’s false or misleading claims total 30,573 over four years”. Talk about being pathologically mendacious!

TAKEN CAREFUL NOTE

Being an openly proven liar is clearly not an obstacle to being elected. I am sure that both the PNP and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) have taken careful note of that. We have legions of accomplished “spin doctors” on both sides. Our own airwaves, social media and print media are filled with “fake news” and “alternative facts”, what we used to call “lies, damned lies, and statistics”.

Jamaica is sinking into Trumpism.

Heretofore presenting a public image of orthodox family life without the taint of sex scandals has also been important for electability, and countless condemnations and even resignations have resulted after the revelation of even minor peccadillos.

With the rise of militant feminism, even the hint of spousal abuse or violence against women or girls could sink even the most promising young politician. That a crotch-grabbing misogynist sex-abuser could win nomination, and then have millions of women vote for him, boggles the mind.

But then we here in Jamaica may have on the ballot in the upcoming general election, a person who is alleged to have assaulted his common-law partner with a chair. Having him as a standard-bearer seems to cause his party no shame. Trumpish behaviour!

One remembers the kerfuffle caused by a sitting US President – the Democrat Bill Clinton – being accused of consensual sexual activity with a young White House intern – and lying about it – which led to his impeachment in 1998 by the Republican-dominated US House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Democrat-dominated US Senate in 1999. Politics is not about truth and honour, but about naked political advantage!

In June 1963 John Profumo, the 46-year-old UK Secretary of State for War in the government of PM Harold Macmillan – and a married man – had an extramarital affair with a 19-year-old model and topless dancer. Profumo denied the affair in a statement to the House of Commons, but weeks later, a police investigation proved that he had lied. Profumo resigned, but the scandal severely damaged the credibility of Macmillan’s government, and Macmillan resigned as prime minister in October 1963, citing ill health. The fallout contributed to the Conservative government’s defeat by the Labour Party in the 1964 general election.

Those were the good old days!

Fifty years ago in 1974 President Richard Nixon was forced to resign after the Watergate revelations. He was accused of arranging for electronic listening devices (bugs) to be placed in the headquarters of his political opponents, which he denied strenuously, famously declaring “I am not a crook!” Two savvy investigative journalists were able to prove Nixon’s involvement, and “Tricky Dick” was forced to resign.

WHERE ARE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS?

Where are our investigative journalists today? We need them more than ever!

But with today’s permissive politics, the revelations of smart investigative journalists may not cause public alarm and outrage. I wonder if today, Nixon, Profumo, or Macmillan would have been required to resign?

Not only did the Republican Party win the White House last week, but they also retained their majority in the House of Representatives with at least 219 seats, and they won control of the Senate by flipping three seats previously held by Democrats.

Remember that Donald Trump was twice impeached – in 2019 and 2021 – by the Democrat-dominated House of Representatives; he was twice exonerated by the Republican-controlled Senate.

With the current make-up of the US House and Senate, it is unlikely that Trump will ever again be impeached while in office.

On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States of America in a landmark case ( Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593) ruled in a 6–3 decision that presidents have absolute immunity for acts committed as president within their core constitutional purview, at least presumptive immunity for official acts within the outer perimeter of their official responsibility, and no immunity for unofficial acts. One must remember that President Trump appointed three of the nine justices in the present US Supreme Court.

This is as close to a constitutional dictatorship as we are ever likely to see in the good old US of A.

The present Jamaican Constitution requires that to amend a deeply entrenched clause, at least one opposition senator must vote with the government. We must protect this safeguard at all costs, lest Jamaica further sink into Trumpism!

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and development scientist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com