Regardless of the cause, the effect is the same. The United States is in a tailspin and every foreign leader knows it. The smarter ones have figured out the best way to deal with Trump is to placate him by smiling and nodding in agreement when he addresses the press in their presence. And then return home, consult their policy makers and make adjustments to what Trump announced.
His motivation for almost every order he issues and every action he takes is either retribution, retaliation, or blackmail. His constant whipsawing and backtracking of orders and policies announced only the day is very unnerving. But of course, his base loves it. To them, he is the train conductor and they can't wait to get on board as soon as he toots his horn. [More....]
The leaders of every country have figured out that the best way to deal with him is to placate him and nod in agreement when they are with him. Afterwards, their policy makers can make the adjustments they want when sitting down with Trump's policy people. These leaders know it is just for four years. Like the rest of us, they are keeping their fingers crossed that once a rational, real leader is at the helm in 2029, the chaos and damage he causes will be reversed, or at least rolled back,
As to "Get Your Ya-Ya's Out", it has a remarkable history. Most of it was recorded live at Madison Square Garden in late November, 1969. It would take a book (and a year) for me to describe what was happening in America (as I and hundreds of thousands of like-minded youth experienced it in late 1969). Turns out, I don't need to.
This 2020 article at Pop Matters (not to be confused with my site PopLeft, which is having coding issues at the moment from my tinkering where I shouldn't have tinkered), written by music journalist John Kleinman for the 50th anniversary of the album's release, puts the Madison Square Garden concerts in historical perspective. Right after his introductory paragraph, he writes:
Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! was recorded over two nights at Madison Square Garden at the end of November 1969. The Manson murders were still in the rearview mirror, and the infamous Altamont Festival lurked just around the bend. The darkness that hung in the air as the 1960s drew to a close resulted from a long and painful unraveling of the hippies’ doe-eyed idealism.
In 1968, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy shocked the nation and dealt a stunning blow to the civil rights and anti-war movements. That summer, violent clashes between anti-war protesters and police outside of the DNC in Chicago both stoked Middle America’s fear of hippie radicals and convinced many young activists that peace and love had become passe. A wave of disillusionment and despair swept through the counterculture on 5 November 1968, when one Richard Milhous Nixon was elected President.
Kleinman goes into more detail about the Stones' almost prescient connection between the Manson murders and the incredible version of "Midnight Rambler" at the concert. Ten days after the concert performance, Charles Manson and his female followers were indicted for the Tate-La Bianca murders.
Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! is not only a remarkable live performance by the Rolling Stones but also a snapshot of a crucial moment in history.
I don't think progressives will take to the streets to overthrow Donald Trump. I do think his supporters may when they finally get gob-smacked with the realization he's the proverbial Emperor with no clothes. As Bob Dylan once sang, "Even the President of the United States must stand naked". It's just not Trump's time yet.
As for me personally, Trump is still the un-President who happens to occupy a seat in the oval office. I never use the "president" word for him because to do so would belittle the importance of the role. I'm not surprised he is trying to suck up all the power he can muster. And the real people to blame for putting our country in such a perilous state are American voters.
It's our fellow voters who not only gave the Charlatan in Chief another run in the oval office, but allowed such a dark pall to be cast over America, with their irrational fear of immigrants and their embrace of radical right populism and nationalism. His supporters are either unable or unwilling to view nuances in complex issues. Like the Manicheans of the 4th Century, Trump voters, like Trump, view the world and their lives through the lens of dualism, under which everything is either right or wrong, good or evil, light or dark. To be rich is good and to be poor is bad.
Personally, I don't think the midterm elections will bring enough change. I believe it will take generations to redeem America, and that's assuming, our do-nothing Congress and the federal and Supreme Courts, now stacked with Trump appointees, can or will try to restrain Trump to the extent that we avoid a catastrophic world war and total economic collapse.
Shorter version: The days of "Street-Fighting Man" and "Sympathy for the Devil" are gone. Soon it may be time to head for the beaches of Mexico, the eternal spring weather of Medellin, the pura vida lifestyle of Costa Rica, or just about anywhere in western Europe.
