There is a pretty damned clear law about what politicians can and cannot use in promotion of their campaign. One of the clearest and easiest to follow is that one cannot use government property to assist as a campaign expense.

BEHOLD:

The presidential limo known as “The Beast” making its debut at Daytona 500 today. The president looking for NASCAR fans support in his re-election bid. pic.twitter.com/A17i8wF03C

— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) February 16, 2020

Yes, how very cool. Donald Trump is perhaps the only person on Earth capable of sitting in that car and doing a lap in front of 100,000 people and millions on television without melting into a puddle of pureed embarrassed goo.

But, here we go:

Using the official apparatus of government for what appears to be a political event https://t.co/GWNm8io8O1

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 16, 2020

That Donald Trump doesn’t care for laws generally, and ones that limit his all-powerful image specifically doesn’t seem to register.

What does “the law” even mean anymore? Who is going to enforce campaign laws against the dictator? The FEC? #MoscowMitch has prevented the FEC from filling the sufficient number of seats to take action on anything at all. Going into 2020, the FEC literally has no power to do anything. Sounds like democracy and the “rule of law” under Donald Trump, yes?

So, while it is certainly important to point out each violation of the law, and keep track (because we assume that some day Trump will not be president), the fact that Trump can’t even go to a car race and not violate the law literally couldn’t matter less at this point, because no one is about to hold Trump accountable for anything.

Now, if you happen to turn on the electric Twitter machine, which I highly recommend that you do not do, and follow the messages below the tweet highlighting the illegality, you will not the hundreds of Trumpers pointing out that Obama threw out the first pitch on an opening day or All-Star game – like every president, ever, until Donald Trump. You will also see them pointing out it was the infamous “mom jeans” incident.

*You would think that people who support this president would go out of their way to avoid discussing any president’s “look” in particular clothing. Mom jeans is nothing compared to size 45 khakis and lifted heel shoes.

The Trumpers do not seem to grasp that the baseball toss was not “a campaign event” – which the Daytona 500 certainly was, as we were told by the campaign itself, and that Obama didn’t happen to have the  damned limo drive him to the pitcher’s mound!

 But now I’m trying to be logical with a group that proudly proclaims to be a cult. Not a good idea.

Getting back to the illegal use of government property, Trump has now fully subsumed the Nixonian view of the law, “If the president does it, it is not illegal.”

The code he lives by. Dangerous stuff, even when applied to rather unimportant matters.

****

Peace, y’all

Jason

[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom