Trumpty Dumpty 

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As the reign of King Trumpty Dumpty teeters on its crumbling foundation of fraud and lies, there is growing clarity: The bulk of Utah's congressional delegation are spineless yes-men.

If there wasn't a crisscross frame and a set of strings holding their bodies in normal-looking poses, all except one would be mere piles of over-starched shirts and suit jackets—complete with the imposing GOP lapel pins. Of course, three of Utah's four representatives all have had good training—spinelessness seems to be much admired in Utah politics.

We're talking about the House vote to repeal Trumpty's declaration of a national emergency. Three congressional representatives—Rob Bishop, Chris Stewart and John Curtis—have once again shown a tireless tenacity in embracing the morally-defective strategy of party-over-principle. Although they're all Mormons, who can look for inspiration in their sterling-silver CTR rings, it seems that their commitment to choosing the right is defined strictly as support of the GOP's agenda. Excuse me for a moment; I'm headed to the head for some more projectile vomiting. And if you're not suffering from nausea, you should be.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot to mention that there was one Utah representative who voted to repeal Trump's national emergency declaration. Joining the 245-182 landslide vote, our Rep. Ben McAdams upheld the laws of the land. It's hard to say what he would have done had he been a Republican, for he, too, voted along party lines.

The only really courageous congressmen were the 13 Republicans who crossed the aisle, rejected their party's bullshit, and voted according to rationality and conscience. Their constituents should be proud. On the other hand, the 182 who voted against the repeal are a sad reality of partisan politics.

McAdams voted for the repeal and made it clear that he disapproved of Trumpty's latest self-serving ploy. Being Utah's only Democrat in Congress is an uncomfortable situation, at best, and we can only hope that the future won't see him sucked into the party-loyalty whirlpool.

No congressmen should be fooled by the shocking transparency of Trumpty's action, recognizing that his "emergency" was a not-even-slightly-veiled attempt to bludgeon Americans into unconscious submission to erecting a border wall. That's what a pathological narcissist does, and Trumpty clings tightly to his script in order to sustain his highly fragile ego. The declaration of the emergency was like a continuous eight-track loop of the government-shutdown melody played in December—a disaster that caused millions of American's a shitload of pain and did both short- and long-term harm to the nation's economy.

There is plenty of verified history on how Trumpty works, and none of it relates to the smooth art of the deal or the real success of a win-win outcome. The "emergency" scam was just his latest attempt to prove Trumpty is the King and he will have his way at any cost but his own.

In a state where so much lip service is given to the "Choose the Right" slogan created by their church's Primary organization as an inspiring reminder to its young people, how come only one of our congressmen actually looked down at his stylized sterling silver CTR ring and voted according to conscience and the constitutional principles that Utahns claim to be so dear?

Get real. Is there really anyone naive enough to believe the border situation is dire? Everyone knows that immigration has been poorly managed, but we're also at a historic low of illegal border crossings. It's no secret; Trumpty's declaration of a national emergency was not based on facts. It was just another temper-tantrum abuse of power.

Even Americans who share Trumpty's IQ aren't that stupid, are they? Trumpty's declaration trampled the constitutional mandate that the president is prohibited from spending money without the approval of Congress. Despite the 13 representatives in other states who crossed party barriers long enough to vote responsibly, Utah was only able to deliver one vote to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Pathetic.

And we all know: When it's time for the Senate to ratify the repeal, there will be two Utah senators sticking to the compelling-but-mindless status quo, thoroughly short-changing their constituents by devotion to the GOP, instead of a real commitment to the greater good of the American people.

Utah needs wise, strong congressmen—not a bunch of wimps. It's going to take strong character to drain the swamp. Let's Dumpty Trumpty.

The author is a former Vietnam-era Army assistant public information officer. He resides in Riverton with his wife, Carol, and one mongrel dog. Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net