HOW WILL IT ALL TURN OUT?

It's the question I asked everyone I met on my road trip across America: How will it all turn out? You know, the Trump thing.

The range of predictions surprised me. From, Trump is a man of "heinous" character, to "it's all a bunch of noise."

I found cynicism: "Muller will find collusion, but nobody's going to care." And head-up-butt wishful thinking: "Nothing he's done is Constitutionally wrong."

Lots of fear: "He'll start a war and ride out four years." And, "He could lose the 2020 election, but refuse to concede."

My friends with the most dogmatic opinions were those who were the most informed ("I can almost 100% guarantee you, he won't make it through all four years."), and, to a shocking extent, those who were least informed "What's the pee-pee tape?"). Everyone else expressed sensible uncertainty about the fate of Trump, et al., and all the unpredictable political events in our immediate future.

Will the Democrats control the House after this fall's elections? Answers were "yes," "no," and "they have a 52% chance." Few thought Trump will actually be impeached, even some of my most liberal friends.

Will Trump last four years? Get re-elected? I heard every conceivable answer.

I asked the big question about how it's all going to turn out because, like everyone else held captive by the drama, I wish I knew. And there's no way to tell. Anything is possible. Any one of us, or none of us, could guess correctly.

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Having broached the question, it's only fair that I put out there my own prediction. As a wise friend reminds me, everyone's entitled to their own stupid opinion.

Character is destiny. This truth comes, not from a fortune cookie, but from a Greek philosopher 2,500 years ago. Trump's character is thoroughly and absolutely foul. He's a psychopathic narcissist, and the most corrupt politician ever. There will be no good ending for Trump, and history will not be kind.

Absolutes can be dangerous. The worst character ever? You might ask in response, as did one friend, "Yeah, well what about Hitler?" To that, I say, if that's the bar, you got me.

Next up for defense by the Trumpettes, always, is Hillary. "Well, yeah, but what about Benghazi," etc., ad nauseam. They proclaim that no matter what Trump may have done, or is doing now, he's still way better than that lying, stood-by-her-man, evil woman. We'll soon see how that works out.

No matter how bad things look, they are always worse. That's my second political principle. Trump never really wanted to be President. He just wanted to build his brand, get richer, and feed his insatiable ego. He never counted on savage, investigative beasts clawing through his sordid garbage. What we know now will be just the start of revelations about the Trump/Kushner shenanigans with Russian criminals and their booty.

Trump and his court of jesters are in way over their heads. The talent and brilliance of those determined to learn the whole truth -- journalists, Muller and crew, honest bureaucrats -- will persevere. For all his instinctive gifts as hustler and con man, Trump's not very bright. Nor are his kids, and certainly not his coterie of buffoons, whom he considers "the best people." Journalists have risen to the challenge, and they are rock stars of the day.

People are fucking morons. This is actually "Wayne Rule No. 1," but I stuck it in here at the end, since it's sure to offend. Nevertheless, it's a failsafe rule for explaining any inexplicable behavior, such as "how can 40% of voters still support the greatest con man that America has ever seen?"

The upshot. I think the Muller team, as well as the Senate investigating committee, have grounds for impeachment right now. Trump's efforts to keep his own hands clean of his Russian money-laundering scams, campaign collusions, and personal foibles (e.g, Stormy Daniels), will prove amateurish. He's going down.

The Democrats will take the House in the mid-terms, but probably not the Senate. That will leave an impeachment process uncertain, since the House impeaches, but the Senate convicts. In any event, I think the House will initiate impeachment before the 2020 election.

At that point, the walls of reality will be closing in on Trump. With Jared facing jail time, his own scandalous misdeeds further revealed, and public support dropping back into the 30's, what will he do?

For one thing, he will find some way to fire Muller. It may be a suicidal act, but there will come a point when he has nothing to lose. It will be too late. When he realizes that, then what?

The rosy scenario is that he will resign. Declare his MAGA mission complete and go home. I can't see that happening. When has he ever backed down? Okay, maybe once, when he let that porn star spank his flabby ass with the magazine with his own face on it.  WWJD? Let's give him a mulligan on that one, like the Christians are doing.

The nightmare scenario is that he starts a war to rally public support behind him. That could work. I could absolutely see him capable of doing that. It would not surprise me. Pick a country. Syria? How about Mexico?

The most-likely scenario is that he continues along in his bubble, until it bursts when he loses the 2020 election in a landslide. He will declare himself the victim of fake news and illegal votes, find some way to blame Obama, and retreat to whatever ignominious future awaits him alone. Melania will be on the first jet out of town. Trump will be endlessly featured on National Enquirer covers, as she declares that her prenup was negated by his affairs and cover-ups.

Attorney Michael Cohen will write a tell-all from jail, in order to pay his own legal costs. Fox News viewership, and NRA membership, will sky-rocket as they declare the imminent end-of-the world, with a Democrat woman as President. Fox will reveal she is related to Hillary, with intimate ties to the Deep State. Evangelical leaders will declare her to be the new she-devil and the Anti-Christ.

Anyhow, that's what I'm predicting.

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As for how this road trip of mine turns out, it ends where it began -- at home, which is now less than three hours away. I'll wrap up this little travelogue, "Travels with Wayne," later, with one more story.

Yesterday: PARADISE

http://wayneaschmidt.blogspot.com/2018/04/paradise.html