crisis time

"Don't dare comply!" Trump sputters in contempt
"what Congress wants, no tool of mine will give.
Pelosi's over-reached in this attempt
to challenge me; I'm Chief Executive!"
Those who remember Nixon, twitch and blanch.
The heresy we'd beaten long ago
--asserting sole control for any branch--
marks this regime has just one way to go.
Our Constitution's Framers saw full well
we might confront a president amok
who'd gladly drag our system straight to Hell
if Legislators didn't give a fuck.
The Speaker's dragged her heels quite long enough.
It's long past time she more than acted tough.

jockeying

Mike Cohen made his bid, but came up short,
deemed not deserving full immunity.
Half-willing witness holding forth in court
still takes the  bullet for his "client 3".
'Though Flynn was unrequited in his deal
and Weisselberg stepped up to sing his part,
what's public's not enough--although it's real--
we need to find the shit, not just the fart.
But now our play unfolds another act
our CIA remembers those Trump smeared
and sends a whistleblower armed with facts
the nemesis Steve Bannon must have feared.
The game's afoot; the competition's keen.
The knives are out to play the next John Dean.

bootlicks

Rod Rosenstein proposes to retire
as soon as Trump confirms a new AG.
The consequences could be frankly dire
if Barr reprises Bork's black infamy.
The Checks and Balances our Founders wrought
presume that Congress does the People's will.
There's scant recourse, now Mitch McConnell's bought.
All hope rests on the courts, if there's hope still.
Professor Tribe decries emoluments
from lobbyists, and foreign potentates
aspirants who would buy our government
pursued by the AGs from the sev'ral states.
Our Ship of State seems headed for the rocks
for want of the sure hand of Archie Cox.

October Surprise

directors Coats and Comey testified:
the president attempted to suborn
investigations of why Flynn had lied
in violation of the Logan norm.
Obama's sanctions needed time to bite
'til Russian gold reserves were nearly spent
but Trump claims not to know it wasn't right
to masquerade like he were president.
Our Chief Executive is always one
the president-elect must bide his time
until inauguration's sworn and done
to play the diplomat must be a crime.
Like Nixon's, Reagan's team sprung a surprise
but--unlike Trump's--they knew which parts were lies

the long arm

Bob Mueller's unretired, and back at work
who's served administrations, Red, and Blue
next month, he could be fired by this same jerk
for acting as good conscience bids him do
a Special Prosecutor's what we need
who answers to the Law, but to no man
pursuing evidence where it may lead
no matter where the causal chain began
obstructing justice turned off Nixon's friends
who'd blockd impeachment on the Senate floor
his warp and weft of lies was all loose ends
this marked the point where they could bend no more
this fetid swamp in which our wheels are mired
will only spread 'til Trump's been tried, and fired

second time as farce

obstructing justice brought Dick Nixon down
but Trump's too arrogant to pay due heed
the world's aghast to watch this arrant clown
repeating history to slake his greed
Jim Comey lived to prosecute the mob
investigating Putin's no new thing
but Trump's outraged he'd dare to do his job
he thinks himself above the law, a king
McConnell guards his back; he's holding fast
presuming Orrin Hatch will keep his seat
but no one wed to Donald's sure to last
the GOP could join him in defeat
our Ship of State could shatter on these rocks
if no one fills the shoes of Archie Cox

ejector seat

Mike Pence is designated to stay clean
from all Trump's scandals, be they large or small
perceived to be apart from the machine
surviving their inevitable fall
He buys Trump cred with the Religious Right
by public invocations of our Lord
good-will account for the upcoming fight.
The credibility of Jerry Ford
was in the balance after Watergate
to pardon unenumerated crimes
the crook that half the planet loved to hate
in simple justice, would be serving time.
The pardon-power of our presidents
may be why Trump shared billing with Mike Pence

unmoored

since Nixon, presidents have wooed the Press
if not as public servants, then as guys
who have the people's back in this world's mess
and try to not get caught in blatant lies
but Trump believes he's snatched the big brass ring
and gets to dictate what they must report
as though he were their sovereign and king
and they're stenographers who pay him court
for shear invention, Donald takes the cake
ten Orders for each bill the House enacts
no matter all his precedents are fake
inventing worlds of more convenient "facts"
"abyss!" Church warned, "from which there's no return"
but there's scant evidence that voters learn

wreckage

the Trump administration's going down
before he's even filled a cabinet
who'd want to be advisor to this clown
who'll never listen, or claim to forget
Jeff Sessions' job is gonna be to name
the Special Prosecutor to inquire
just what the Russians did, and who's to blame
does guilt stop with Mike Flynn, or someone higher
what did Trump know? And when? the echoes toll
since Nixon's dirty tricks and Watergate
a chief executive out of control
too self-involved to helm our Ship of State
Fitzgerald sees us heading for the rocks
the man to fill the shoes of Archie Cox

moving forward

Buchanan bathed in use immunity
an innovation Dean'd left on the shelf
absolved, once he'd confessed, to go scot free
as Dean foresaw he'd have to do himself
like magic waters of the river Styx
that turned most arrows Priam's sons could shoot
Dick Nixon's felons and their dirty tricks
were proof against all criminal lawsuit
the precedent's in place to call Mike Flynn
to testify about his Moscow calls
does Sessions think that treason's not a sin?
or--in the end--does he not have the balls?
the dirty tricks that tipped this close-fought race
still cover our republic in disgrace

prosecutorial discretion

where Richardson demurred, Bork swung the ax
that felled our prosecutor, Archie Cox
the Nixon fiction couldn't stand on facts
preferring faith for its foundation blocks
no officer can be beyond Law's writ
if our republic's to belong to us
to be sufficiently legitimate
the president can't be felonious
but now, an amateur ascends the throne
unfettered by a scruple, or a doubt
intent on turning profits of his own
and Congress lacks the balls to throw him out
the same law binds the mighty and the weak
but chances of enforcement look damned bleak

the new darkness

Buchanan bathed in Use Immunity
like magic waters of the river Styx
absolving years of pious treachery

and normalizing Nixon's dirty tricks

O brave new world! 'Twill never be the same

such cynicism loosed upon the land

debasing public service to a game

the tide of bullshit's wholly out of hand

this orange clown swept in on that wave's crest

brings no experience that's relevant

but sycophants assure him he's the best

and journalists seem weirdly diffident

salvation must rely on a Free Press

but many seem complicit in our mess

journalism

Sam Donaldson got in Dick Nixon's face
as journalists of yore were wont to do
evasions spurred the houndpack to give chase
to ascertain if what's alleged were true
John Dean came clean, and "Use Immunity"
diverted any guilt from his fair head
but Mitchell lied in stubborn loyalty
until the tapes laid bare what had been said
Clark Clifford's plan provoked a laugh, at first
but something had to make the bleeding stop
as testimony veered from bad to worst
and all could see the guilt went to the top
we long for such deliverance in vain
while Breitbart dances on the Donald's chain

ulterior

John Erlichman concedes the War on Drugs
was targeting the Hippies and the Blacks
the propaganda painting them as "thugs"
was just the least of Tricky Dick's attacks
he's gone, but Dick's campaign still maims and kills
and feeds the bloated prison industry
their lobbyists infest Capitol Hill
to guard their jobs by writing policy
economies can't run on those in jail
they don't produce and cannot innovate
their swelling ranks explain Why Nations Fail
and most--once out--too soon recidivate
we criminalized booze and paid the price
for making mobsters wealthy on our vice

Butz

farm subsidies distort economies
one seeks in vain a rhyme or reason why
incentives don't align with any need
'cause government keeps pumping the supply

Earl Butz was told to bring farm votes in line
as if democracy were on the block
Dick Nixon didn't need a grand design
his  tactics were unprincipled, ad hoc

now corporations grow fat on the dole
as fam'ly farmers sell out in distress
each harvest finds them further in the hole
as more and more produce produces less

mechanization changed the face of wealth
and undercut democracy's core health