Desperation, fear

Why is President Trump frantically campaigning to win his reelection and why did he pressure Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to expedite the confirmation of his SCOTUS nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett? Here's why:

The president's frenetic behavior appears to border on desperation driven by deep fear. He likely fears losing the power of the presidency that has protected him and his assets from creditors as well as litigation in courts of law. Losing his presidency could very well have dire consequences that could see him descending into poverty, going to prison or possibly having to live with both scenarios.

In a forthcoming Commonweal Magazine essay titled "Not a Normal Election," Yale Professor Timothy Snyder provides a likely explanation for the president's behavior of late. Snyder writes: "The plan is not to win the popular (or even the electoral) vote, but rather to stay in power in some other way. He will declare victory regardless of what happens, expect state governments to act contrary to vote counts claim fraud from postal ballots, court chaos from white nationalists (and perhaps the Department of Homeland Security) and expect the Supreme Court to install him."

Judge Barrett fits the plan. Like her mentor, the late Antonin Scalia, she adheres to a nearly limitless view of executive power.

American citizens need to vote to reclaim our nation's democracy that is sliding toward autocracy. They need to demand restoration of the system of governance that made America a great nation with the checks and balances and separate institutional responsibilities laid out in our constitution. We need an effective government system populated with competent individuals at all levels.

For more, search online for "Trumpism and Its Factions: Existential Threats to America's Democracy."

Frank G. Splitt

Mount Prospect