As an atheist, I often find myself saying things like "And people wonder why I don't believe in God!" (As in: "The last Transformers movie made half a billion dollars? And people wonder why I don't believe in God!"), and to me there is no better illustration of the lack of a benevolent higher power in the universe than the fact that Donald Trump has lead such a charmed life that is so richly underserved.
A recent New York Times expose stated that, thanks to some dubious tax dodges, Trump's father Fred made Donald a multi millionaire at the age of eight! And over the years his dad funnelled literally hundreds of millions of dollars more into Donald's pockets, helping him avoid the fall out of his five bankruptcies and play the part of a successful businessman for the media, even as he put his name on every conceivable product and ran scams like Trump University. His life long mistreatment of women has never caught up with him, even after he's been accused of sexual assault by no less than nineteen of them, and he's somehow survived into his seventies with reasonable health despite almost never exercising and living on a diet of mostly Big Macs and fried chicken!
And then there's the absurdly good luck that he has had in the political world; during his campaign, he weathered one self induced disaster after another. From insulting John Mc Cain's war record to the infamous Access Hollywood tape, it's unimaginable that any other presidential candidate could lie so often, boast so outrageously and insult others so childishly and still remain viable. And then his victory in the election came from such an absurd confluence of winning narrowly in just the right places that he won even while losing the popular vote by around three million people. And as president he inherited a strong economy that he has taken complete credit for, while his Republican supporters in congress have turned a blind eye to the various scandals that have emerged in the dumpster fire of his administration.
But it appears that, for once in his long life, Trump may have a problem that even his father's money or the complete obedience of his party can't make go away. Recently, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in what his sentencing judge referred to as a "smorgasbord" of crimes. Among that smorgasbord were the payments that he made to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy centerfold Sharon Mc Dougal to keep their alleged affairs with Trump silent during the campaign, a felony crime that he claims he did at the direction of Trump himself. He even has a recording he made secretly of him and Trump discussing the payments.
The president and his supporters have tried to downplay his involvement in these payments, but it is now an undeniable fact that our president is a co conspirator in felony level crimes. And while most legal experts say that a sitting president can not be indicted, there is no such protection once a president is out of office. To make things even more interesting, the statute of limitations on Trump's alleged crimes would expire by 2024, but not 2020. This raises the stunning possibility that the next election may actually decide whether or not Trump goes to jail!
And this is just the beginning: when the Democrats retake the House of Representatives next year, there will be a torrent of investigations into the numerous possibly criminal actions that Trump and other members of his family have made before and after his ascendency to the White House. It should be remembered that well before he got into politics, Trump has been accused of shady dealings with organized crime members both foreign and domestic, and the added scrutiny a president gets may reveal those dealings in all their criminality. It's entirely possible that winning the presidency may be the worst possible thing for him, just as it was the worst possible outcome for the country. Yes, for once in his life Trump's luck may have finally run out on him, and the schoolyard bully may finally get the comeuppance he deserves, which may even include prison time. I just wish it happened years ago, before he had a chance to harm the country and it's standing in the world.
