Have you seen this?
It’s one in a slew of pro-Trump ads that has been airing since last Wednesday. Set to the song “Love Me” by the singer-songwriter JMSN, the roughly 30-second spot shows a rapid progression of pictures and video of President Trump, as he touts his accomplishments and denounces “communism, socialism and Marxism.” As it ends, you are informed that it was “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
Trump is deeply unpopular and running strange, propagandistic advertisements is not likely to change that fact. But the wisdom of the campaign notwithstanding, the real problem with this is more legal than political. It is against the law to use taxpayer dollars for propaganda and explicitly partisan purposes.
“This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes,” Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a Democrat, wrote on social media. “It is a Hatch Act violation for any government employees who worked on it or used government resources to make it. It is blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions proscribing the use of government resources for political campaigns.”
In a news release, The White House wrote that the ad is a public service announcement, “a reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it’s worth defending — at home, at the border, and abroad.” For his part, President Trump — who personally directed the chief of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, to use taxpayer funds for the ad campaign — says “these are ads for the country.” “I’m not promoting a candidate,” he added. “I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office. I’m promoting the country.”
But unlike a public service announcement, this ad — and others like it — aren’t promoting a government program or service. They exist to glorify President Trump: to love him, as the song suggests.
Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer who served under President George W. Bush, gave The Associated Press a blunt assessment of the advertising campaign. “You watch all three ads, they’re sheer propaganda,” he said, adding that “This is increasingly looking like what authoritarian governments do to promote their leaders.”
Compared with the money used to build the president’s ballroom, this is not an expensive campaign. So far, the White House has spent about $5.5 million of a $20 million contract to produce and promote its pro-Trump propaganda. But again, it is less the cost than the fact that the president is showing his deep contempt for a fundamental norm of American democracy: We don’t use government to glorify our political leaders, at least not while they’re alive.
If future Americans want to vote to memorialize or otherwise praise past leaders, that is up to them. But it is not the place of the president to issue propaganda on his behalf, with money taken from the public till.
It is not clear that Democrats have the appetite to impeach Trump for a third time. Even if they did, there is almost no chance that they would have the votes to convict and remove him from office. And yet, this is exactly the type of offense that demands a response from the legislature. A president that shows this much contempt for the republican character of the American system — who seeks, at every opportunity, to set himself up as a strongman over the entire nation — is a president who must be sanctioned by the people’s representatives.
There are any number of strategic reasons to do this as well. With both chambers of Congress, should they win them, Democrats could orchestrate a long investigation and drawn-out trial that consumes the administration and implicates key figures beyond the president. But to be honest, I care less about the politics here than I do the principle. If this propaganda campaign — among many other offenses — isn’t worthy of an article of impeachment, then nothing is.
What I Wrote
Speaking of legally questionable, fraudulent spending, I wrote my column this week on the president’s effort to seize the power to spend from Congress.
It does not receive as much attention as Trump’s assault on American cities or his draconian program of deportations and removals, but the president and his administration have been waging an all-out war on Congress’s once-sacrosanct power of the purse.
I joined my colleagues David French and Michelle Cottle on an episode of “The Opinions.” And in the latest episode of my podcast with John Ganz, we discussed the 1998 World War II drama, “Saving Private Ryan.”
Now Reading
Michael Kazin on “equality” and its discontents for Democracy.
Kate Manne, a professor of philosophy at Cornell University, comments on the mood on campus for The Cut.
Valentín Tapia on the fight to save Chile’s democracy for Liberal Currents.
Adam Serwer on Trump and the Supreme Court for The Atlantic.
Mark Lilla on Judith Shklar and the “liberalism of fear” for The New York Review of Books.
Photo of the Week
This is The Greenbrier, a resort near White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. I took this photo during the summer while driving in the area.
Now Eating: Taverna Salad
We’re still getting good summer produce here in Virginia, and so I used a recent haul from the market to make this salad. It is a perfect accompaniment to a meal of grilled meat or fish. It also works on its own as a nice, light lunch. Be sure to use your best olive oil and red wine vinegar. And feel free to adjust the recipe to your liking. I prefer to make this, for instance, with feta cheese. I also go easy on the capers, or omit them entirely. Recipe comes from NYT Cooking.
Ingredients
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⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
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1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 small clove)
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½ teaspoon dried oregano
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Salt and pepper
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3 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces (or 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes)
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1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
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1 orange or yellow bell pepper, halved, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces
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½ large English cucumber, halved, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces
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½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
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¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
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¼ cup minced red onion or shallot
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2 tablespoons (drained) capers, coarsely chopped
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2 scallions, thinly sliced
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1 (6-inch) pita
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1 (8-ounce) block halloumi cheese, patted dry and cut into ¾-inch-thick slices
Directions
In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup olive oil with the vinegar, garlic and oregano. Whisk vigorously to combine then season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, parsley, red onion, capers and scallions. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Chop the pita into 1-inch pieces and place them in a small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Heat an 8-inch skillet over medium. Add the pita pieces and cook, tossing often, until toasted and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Return to the small bowl to cool, reserving the skillet.
Place the halloumi slices on a small plate and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the halloumi until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut the slices into bite-size cubes.
Add the pita and halloumi to the salad, toss well and serve.
The post ‘What Authoritarian Governments Do to Promote Their Leaders’ appeared first on New York Times.
