By Joey Kennedy
Alabama Political Reporter
I was a Boy Scout for about two seconds. But that’s longer than President Donald Trump, who was never a Boy Scout.
Yet, Trump was typically classless on Monday night speaking at the annual Boy Scout Jamboree, turning the event into basically a political rally, even encouraging the Scouts to boo former President Barack Obama, who hasn’t been President since January, but certainly was a Boy Scout. Still, Trump – apparently jealous of Obama’s continued popularity – just couldn’t manage to give an encouraging speech without throwing in the political bombs.
Toward children, no less.
When we think Trump cannot be any less classy, he manages to be much less classy.
This is the man who doesn’t have the courage to just fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump apparently is at odds with Sessions because Sessions did what a halfway decent attorney general does: Recuse himself from the Russian investigation and any investigation into the wiggy stuff that went on during Trump’s presidential campaign because of his own conflicts.
But Trump, through comments and Twitter rants, apparently is trying to force Sessions, one of Trump’s most loyal supporters, to just fire himself.
And Sessions will at some point. There’s really no coming back from this. Sessions clearly doesn’t have the confidence of the President, but, then, who does have Trump’s confidence, other than Trump himself?
What a bizarre situation our nation finds itself in.
We find ourselves in a similar situation with the special U.S. Senate election here in Alabama, especially the fight between former state Attorney General Luther Strange now U.S. Senator, appointed by disgraced former Gov. Robert Bentley, and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Madison), who are among the many candidates trying to unseat Strange Luther.
Brooks is running a classless ad supporting Second Amendment gun rights with the sounds of gunshots in the background from that madman who shot up a congressional baseball practice. Strange is picking on Brooks by demonstrating Brooks really doesn’t support Trump no matter what he says now.
Yet, both Brooks and Strange support Sessions as AG and Trump as president. Seems they’re going to have to pick one or the other, doesn’t it?
Or can they stand by Sessions and Trump, even as Trump continues his Twitter war against Sessions?
Sessions is in so much trouble, names for his replacement are already being floated, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
What a terrible situation our nation finds itself in.
But back to Trump and the Boy Scouts: Early on he said, as if he were talking to adults: “Who the hell wants to speak about politics when I’m in front of the Boy Scouts?”
And then, for the majority of the talk, Trump spoke about politics, slammed opponents and told the Scouts they’d be able to say “Merry Christmas” again, as if they aren’t allowed to say it already. Even in July.
Trump has been in office only about six months. Already, he’s jettisoned or publicly slammed probably more top aides than any other President at this early point in a term.
Can we imagine what it’s going to be like after a year or 18 months? Two, three, or four years?
I won’t let myself think beyond that.
Yes, indeed, what a damned covfefe situation our nation finds itself in.
Joey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, writes a column every week for Alabama Political Reporter. Email: jkennedy@alreporter.com.
