With the prospect of at least the Democratic Party in congress continuing the process of putting some ethics rules and punishments for violations of those rules into effect, The US Supreme Court made some window dressing moves Monday to try to fool some of the people some of the time. 

Specifically they are attempting to fool Democrats in Congress who would really like to see SCOTUS have to adhere to some code of conduct and if they do not, pay some price. The only threat SCOTUS justices have now is a completely empty threat of impeachement which will probably never happen.

Rachel Maddow talks about what institutions can stop misbehaviors. Starting at @5:50 Maddow brings Trump and his total lack of ethics into her discussion. The discussion on Trump ends @the 9 minute mark.  (Total time 19 minutes):

The relevance for Iowa looms large. In two months Iowa will be the focus of national and international news as the first contest in the MAGA Party’s process to choose their presidential nominee for 2024. This is a process that the former president and current 91 count indictee plus multiple sexual abuse lawsuit target has pretty much led in a large way.

Now the MAGA Party looms as the major obstacle that the United States has between it and having a criminal or potential criminal running for president. As the first in line to stand up for ethics, Iowans must stand up and say (to quote John Boehner) “Not just NO! but “HELL NO!”” Will Iowans do the right thing and repudiate Trumpism?

For right now the prospect is slim. Iowans who once had a reputation for hard headed common sense are now almost the very caricature of the rural bumpkin being slickered by the flim-flam huckster from the city. Just like the carnival barker of old, Trump sells his brand of snake oil and then skips town two steps ahead of the local police.

In his wake he leaves believers who can’t see through his BS even though he has soaked nearly every dime from their families. Once again Trump makes promises he has no intention of fulfilling or even remembering. 

So MAGA Iowans have two months to show the country if they will be the bastion of institutional resistance to turning the country over to the criminal element that is Trump or will they be the dupes that show that the huckster can make fools of people who once had a reputation of not jumping at the shiny baubles before they buy.

Unfortunately, the choices that the MAGA Party is offering are Trump, the flim-flam man and the nearly nameless others who are little more than wannabe Trumps. If Trump himself is not the choice, then a candidate who wants to act like Trump probably will be. 

The one candidate who has acted – and I use that word on purpose – like he actually opposes Trump has been Chris Christie. Yet when Christie was governor of New Jersey, he had a real problem using his power to get retribution against a mayor in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Christie was also a Trump sycophant until Trump rejected Christie forcefully.

Even if Iowa MAGAs wanted to make a statement, they have little choice, The very best thing Iowa MAGAs could do for their country would be to write “None Of the Above” on their ballots and start all over. I doubt that will happen.

Instead, I fear we can expect the slow moving coup with the aim of ending democracy in the US to take yet another step forward in Iowa in January. Then on to Trump’s ultimate goal of replacing the rule of law with the cult of personality.

And once the rule of law is gone the extreme right SCOTUS justices won’t have to worry about ethics. They will only have to worry about being properly loyal to the leader.