POP GOES THE POPULISM

Is the World Waking Up?

What is populism? It’s formally defined as a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups. We get that, and the pundits will never let us forget it’s why they think Donald Trump was elected president.

There are many “experts” who predict that populism will spread through the democratic nations of the world, but have they missed the most important aspect of every sovereign nation, the people themselves? There is a big debate in America about the classification of those “ordinary” citizens and what they really want. There is a sense that research is ineffective in predicting voter blocks. How many polls have been wrong and why are the pollsters so inaccurate?

Computer science has popularized the acronym GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) to explain outcomes that don’t match known results. Some blame dirty data for inaccurate results. In most cases, however, research fails to consider that people change their minds. Numbers don’t lie under pure math, but when trying to gauge the attitudes and judgements of the masses research can only look backwards.

One of the miscalculations of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, was that the populism in the United States with Donald Trump could be borrowed for his own election. The pollsters tell us how popular Trump is in Israel, but that could simply be a regurgitation of the propaganda from Netanyahu’s camp. The two recent elections in Israel demonstrated how many of its people want change. There is a timestamp on populism, and you can’t just pitch propositions, you need to deliver the goods.

In the UK, Boris Johnson has used a populism message of Brexit, even with lots of lies sprinkled throughout his propaganda, to gain power and force Prime Minister Theresa May out of the way. But now that the Brits have had time to take a sober look at what Brexit could mean, there is less of a populace mandate to leave the EU. At least, the prospect of a departure without a firm agreement and plan in place will cause economic damage and stir up emotional wounds in Ireland.

The UK Supreme Court has said that Mr. Johnson’s suspension of Parliament for five weeks is against the law. Supreme Court President Lady Hale said, “The effect on the fundamentals of democracy was extreme.” Of course, Johnson disagrees with the decision but he will obey. And that is what happens when the muscle of the mob of populism meets the well-thought-out rules, procedures and traditions of a country.

We shouldn’t get too excited about the rejiggering of policymaking; the sport is rather mercurial. Having watched politics for more than sixty years, I know that changes come slowly, but there can be a whip back to a conservative viewpoint to offset a wild swing to more liberal legislation. Most people will say they want something done by the government, and they might be solidly behind it, until they get the bill. Conservatives tend to warn us about too much spending and control by the feds, while liberals like the safety net, even if it means more taxes. But those definitions don’t always hold. A fake conservative in the White House has driven this country into deeper debt without any regard for a balanced budget.

Donald Trump doesn’t care about the science of politics or the battle tested policies and procedures that have kept America strong for more than 240 years. He’s a loud talking fathead who yearns only for love while not taking the time to comprehend what any of this really means. His narrative is his own composition without any proof that it will work. It’s not good when the concerns of the middle class are disregarded by an established political system, but what happens when one man takes on the world and decides that it’s his way or the highway? This imbecile of a president has forced our country into a trade war with China and many people have suffered. Trump’s tax cut did very little for the middleclass, but really helped the corporate power structure buy back stock and gave the owner class a way to own more.

One of the results of missteps by populists is that people get frustrated and walk away from politics. It’s not a Republican or Democratic thing, but rather a calculation of knowing what people truly want and delivering the goods. The waves of populism change quickly, and those who believe their result lasts forever are fools. Donald Trump is slowly losing the power of populism and many now see that he is just another corrupt politician. Hopefully, those who have been hurt by his policies will wake up and realize that it’s not just the stock market, it’s a way of life. Are we better off with Trump? Some think so, while those who look forward will see that tomorrow can be far better for more people with a better way to distribute the wealth of our great nation. Populism is not a government; it’s a fad.

Read About The Country We Love

The book that tells it like it is…

Gold, God, Guns & Goofballs shows how we’ve wasted our GOLD on bad wars and corruption. While GOD is there for many people as a spiritual enrichment and the provider of glowing feelings, the truth is just praying and believing will not change our major arc. We don’t determine who gets a GUN. We aren’t sure if we have paramilitary groups ready to storm the White House or a White Castle. There is no control of weapons. The GOOFBALLS with the power constantly try to manipulate us into spending more money on bombs and tanks and wars. When all of our institutions are infected with neglect and fall in disrepair, we will only have ourselves to blame. This book is not an antidote for the left or right, it’s an accelerant to move the middle off their collective asses to go do something positive for America.

Get the Kindle Version HERE. Or order your paperback edition HERE.

LIKEABILITY AND TRUST

The Gold that Eludes Trump

A great salesperson will always make sure their customer is comfortable before asking them for the order. If a person likes you, they will be more inclined to buy from you.

Sometimes I like to discuss the similarities of the Greek terms ethos, pathos and logos, and how these concepts can help you to accomplish things with other people. Ethos is the spirit or culture of an individual or organization. The first thing another person should understand is where you stand. Can they trust that your goals will align with their desires? Why would you want to spend time with someone on whom you can’t truly depend?

Now pathos is less obvious, but equally important. Pathos is pity, sadness or a general empathy for another, the old “walk a mile in my shoes.” To gain a higher level of engagement with another person or nation, you must communicate a feeling for their position. You want to present to them a solution that you believe will solve their problem or meet their needs.

It’s only after establishing that you are standing on a firm position with your own culture and that you truly understand and care that you are ready to present a logical argument for your proposition or request. Trump fails miserably on all aspects of this ancient progression.

He opens every encounter with his despicable, transaction-oriented, me first attitude which lets the other person immediately know that they don’t matter. Trump has no empathy and openly asks the other person to focus on him. His viewpoints and the way he is perceived are more important to him than any agenda items that might be achieved. Many of the things Donald Trump says lack a logical explanation. He can’t look past himself to find a firm reason why what he wants is good for the other person. Even worse, many of his proposals are not good for our country. What happened to America First?

The latest controversary of a “whistleblower” filing a complaint about the President’s interactions with a foreign leader will not go away. And consider Trump’s odd behavior relative to his income tax returns. He guards them like secret documents that risk contempt of congress and court to keep us from seeing them. We cannot trust his word that they are under audit any more than we can believe what he now says about his conversation with the leader of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the recently elected president who is the Jon Stewart of that country. This is not funny anymore.

Trump attempted to use the court system of Ukraine to go after his political rival Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, in order to have a talking point for the 2020 election. This is just weeks after Trump believed that he was acquitted by the Mueller Report. Perhaps this emboldened the Donald and made him think that seeking personal help in a US election from a foreign entity is proper. Leaders of our major ally countries know that Trump’s word means nothing and that they don’t trust him. They know that when they meet as a group (G7, UN) he fails to show at discussions about climate change, meaning he has no interest in this threat to the world. He has no understanding or empathy about the issue.

Maybe deep down inside this man knows the danger of pollution and climate change and is so embarrassed to have other people look at him in disbelief, especially his daughter Ivanka. Or could it be that Trump really doesn’t think polluting the planet and warming the atmosphere are causing extreme weather events? Clearly, he doesn’t see these as important issues. His “logos” or logic on matters of science hold them to be irrelevant. Trump’s preposterous position is this; things he cannot understand are not important. It would be great if we could tie his hands and sew his mouth shut, but it would be much more productive and fulfilling if he simply went away.

According to the latest stats from Real Clear Politics, Trump’s favorability stands at 41.8% with likely voters, while 53.4% give the President an unfavorable rating. In a recent NBC – Wall Street Journal poll, 69% of registered voters say they don’t like Trump personally, regardless of their feelings about his policy agenda. 50% say they dislike him personally and dislike his policies, while another 19% say that they dislike him but approve of his policies.

Most people cannot trust a person they do not like. In all aspects of his presidency, Trump continually acts on his emotions. He’s not a trustworthy person in word or action. As more and more comes out about Donald Trump, the godfather, attempting to bully the leader of a very important country like Ukraine, we will see his sole intent is protecting himself. His self-image is far more important than defending American interests and values. His priorities are wrong, and the culture of his administration is based on lies and disinformation campaigns. He has no empathy for people who aren’t rich, and his judgement is marred by not listening and lack of intellectual grounding. He’s a big fat clown in his red, white and blue circus suit. We must move on, tear down the tent, soon.

Read About The Country We Love

The book that tells it like it is…

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PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES ARE BORING

Trump Handicaps a Race Without Him

You wanna watch but it’s hard, like watching a baseball game between two teams you don’t care about. It’s become clear that neither the network nor the moderators make a difference. The debate structure is uninformative; it’s just talking points and poorly written punches.

We know that the Tweeter-in-chief will drop his multiple putdowns and rebukes of those who are running on the other side. He will call them names and say they are all socialists, but he should be worrying. Afterall, lots of people really don’t like Trump. Polarity gets him attention, but it doesn’t bring more people to the party.

In the Spring of 2016, I sent a note to my assemblyman in New York. I’ve known him for a long time. He lived in my building. I suggested that a better presidential ticket would have been Biden and Warren. He explained he was a Hillary man and reminded me that she and Bill were his constituents. Monday morning quarterbacking is not my style, but I really thought Hillary had too many problems with women to bring the country together. Yes, women.

Debates that aren’t actual debates hurt both the Republicans and Democrats. The failed system of having a glossy, sparkling set with candidates standing behind well-lit podiums is a bit much.

Since 2016, I have contended that Bernie Sanders did more damage to Hillary Clinton in the debates than Trump or the Russians. Hillary was her own worst enemy at times. You remember, not traveling to the right states at the right time, telling coal miners she was going to put them out of business and fainting on 9/11. Not faults, no blame, just realities.

Because there were so few candidates on the debate stage, Bernie was able to position Clinton as a Wall Street darling who would kowtow to the money managers at the banks, just like Trump did once he was elected. Bernie’s enthusiasm for social programs is infectious, but the specter of increased debt for America is senseless.

I could march through all the candidates and point out their strengths and weaknesses, but that snapshot would be meaningless in such a mercurial process. In 30 days the statistics will probably look totally different. Call me crazy, but a moderate at the top of the ticket makes the most sense. Progressives always appear to be more active because they have a huge list of things they are going to do, but we know, most of what they are proposing won’t get done. I suggest the main job of a democratic president in the first 100 days will be nullifying every executive order that Trump has signed.

Being passive is not the way to get noticed on a stage of ten, but sometimes we, the voting public, must listen to the words and not get sucked into the emotional rapture.

In most cases, the incumbent president has an advantage because everyone has seen what has happened their years of governance. However, this president has created a greater gap between those in his base and those out of it. He attempts to create the illusion that all Democrats are part of some radical leftist conspiracy, but deep down inside he knows many rich Democrats. He used to be one.

All the excitement generated by a presidential run can be snuffed out in a New York minute. People are not strongly cemented to any one Democrat. They know Biden and, even with all his gaffs and misspeaking, he’s as comfortable as an old shoe. And at this point in American history, we simply need a president who relies on sharp experts and experienced aides more than his gut. Donald Trump isn’t at all smart about how to run a country. He’s made a ton of mistakes and the effects of his policy changes just might destroy the environment. No small thing.

Trump’s naiveté puts him in the position of needing to say who he thinks did the best job in the debates and what he hates about democrats. He can’t find it within himself to keep his mouth shut and let the process play out. His ego whispers into his frontal lobes, urging him to speak up and affect the numbers. What he doesn’t comprehend is pushing too hard on any one candidate might make their spotlight shine more brightly.

It’s sad that we haven’t found a better way to present ten or more candidates to the American public. Our flawed fake debate approach only eliminates people instead of producing and promoting a well-defined platform. Many newspapers the morning after the debate focused on conflict about healthcare. If the democratic candidates are still arguing about how healthcare can be fixed for the future, the party has a messaging problem that needs to be addressed.

Most people work for companies that provide healthcare insurance. The common man doesn’t get to pick the provider, the company does. The worker’s focus is how to navigate a system that appears to be working against them. Judging by the large deductibles and copays this whole matter is broken, but the Democratic party hasn’t come up with a platform specific solution.

The next debate will cull the herd a bit more, but it will be down to money and polls. What a country we live in! Democrats decry dirty money in politics but use contributions as an indication of success. I get polls. They allow us to judge who is getting attention on a national level. But that matters more to political fanatics and network news junkies compared to most of the middle-class who knows only some of the faces. They will forget about Andrew Yang’s money giveaway and Castro’s lame attack on Biden. In the end, it will come done to brand recognition and electing someone who can thank Donald Trump for what he didn’t ruin as the helicopter whisks him away from the White House in 2021. Anything less than that will be the destruction of America.

Read About The Country We Love

The book that tells it like it is…

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MESSAGE TO REPUBLICANS

Take the Money and Run

Math has always been a secondary reality for me, but I have managed to make and spend a lot of money in my life. I am like many in our country. I carry a little more debt than I should, but hey, why not live a comfortable lifestyle? When my kids wanted something, I usually found a way, and now that they are having kids, I expect them to make sure their children are neatly clothed, properly nourished and unconditionally loved. That brings me to Donald Trump.

I woke up this morning to this headline on the CNBC Financial Network: Trump’s tariffs cost US businesses $3.4 billion in June. Because the current liar-in-chief sits in the Oval Office, his misdirection is far beyond a game. Trump is going to damage the core American business model. True Republicans know free markets and they understand that controlling spending by balancing budgets make sense, but currently there are NO REAL REPUBLICANS. They are just Trump lemmings following him over the cliff. Not to pour salt into Republican wounds, but the People’s Bank of China said this, “The Chinese side advises the U.S. to leap over the cliffs and return to the correct track of rationality.”

There is a theme here and Republicans should cut ties with the maniac in the White House who listens to no one and, like a snapping turtle, stays clenched and hyper focused solely on what he wants, even when it hurts hard-working Americans. Most experts warned Donald Trump that his theory on how to change world economics was flawed and thought he demonstrated a lack of knowledge on how global markets work. This has now been proven, much to the chagrin of those who know better.

The best thing Senator Leader Mitch McConnell can do is call his chamber back to work right now to address several important issues. Not only is there a genuine need to pass reasonable gun control measures but having the Senate in town to talk to Trump about what the Trade War is doing would be productive. Someone needs to massage some patience and reasoned strategy into his thick skull. The 1% has made enough money and the tax cuts were mostly used for stock buybacks, not wage increases. According to AP, “Companies in the S&P 500 spent $806 billion on stock buybacks in 2018, blowing away the previous record of nearly $590 billion set in 2007.” Maybe the Republicans should sell all their stocks and begin buying real estate. In short, they should take the money and run. Their party is about to end.

Trump supporters in Congress should reevaluate Trump and his destructive policies. Everyone wants America to do well, and part of that is the stock market. However, the middle class of this country is focused on paying for housing, diapers, backpacks and waffles. As prices soar to pay for Trump’s vindictive trade fiasco, all the benefits of the tax cuts have been eroded by an overzealous demigod.

Why have we put our faith and economy in the hands of a man who has taken countless companies and enterprises into bankruptcy? Why did millions of Americans believe Trump would make things better? Are we all that stupid? Why can’t we hear the truth when it hits us in our heads? I remember when the stock market was crashing in 2008 and Senator John McCain said that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were “strong.” As pensions were drying up and 401Ks were imploding, McCain showed his misunderstanding of the market and economics. Between that and Sarah Palin, McCain sunk his chances to be president.

By electing Trump, the Republicans have forced themselves to the edge of a cliff based on his lack of knowledge about global economics. Trump has always been against globalization, but that never stopped him from taking his own brands around the world. Assuming for a second that Trump actually knows what he’s doing, that would mean that all he does is meant to create hate toward countries and people in order to get elected. Wow, how shallow and immoral. Just to put a bow on this bag of shit, most of the Trump MAGA hats are made in China.

The Donald keeps talking about how bad things are in China, which begs the question why is that good for the world? He claims that companies are returning their bases to America, but why would they? With uncertainty and tariffs, is it wise to move an operation to a country without a firm economic foundation?

When will a Republican knowledgeable about economics and global supply stand up and state, in clear language, that the current tactics with China will ripple through the world and perhaps cause a global recession? No one wants to be negative, but without some sense of realism in the Oval Office, we are putting all our chickens in one basket. And one person controls that basket. WHY?

Read About The Country We Love

The book that tells it like it is…

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OLD WHITE PEOPLE

What’s wrong with Donald Trump?

I just turned 70-years old so I get to say things that younger people cannot. Some might think that I have become a curmudgeon of monumental proportions, and to those ageists, and in the spirit of age equals wisdom, I say, “Go F yourself.”

This last week, we saw some extremely funny reality TV, with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi taking pot shots at the President of the United States. The fool in the White House seized the bait and attempted to console himself with his sophomoric retorts. What is rather remarkable is these people oversee billions of our tax dollars and the defense of our country — scary old white people are running things.

In their back and forth, each older leader claimed the other is not mentally right. Now age doesn’t necessarily mean that you lose your faculties but judging by his comments a case could be made that the leader of the free world has some mental problems. Our president says he hasn’t changed, and that might be true, but that doesn’t mean he’s fit to be president.

Donald Trump is a pathological liar. Anyone who has observed his routines over the years would agree he has a major problem telling the truth. He forces those he hires to lie at his command. We saw that in the Roosevelt Room when he asked his team to claim he was calm during the three-minute monologue he used to abort a planned meeting on US infrastructure. Of course, his minions said what he wanted them to say, and Nancy Pelosi’s description of his temperament and tone was certainly shaped to advance her agenda. That aside, more than six Democratic leaders came to the White House for a meeting, and I have to believe they attended in the hope of getting some things accomplished. Trump then walked to the Rose Garden and barked about how badly the meeting went. On display was a prepared sign outlining the Mueller report. I’m not sure what the sign had to do with the subject of the meeting, infrastructure. Why would any mature adult need a fabricated interpretation of RUDE? Trump walked out of the meeting and he admitted that Pelosi’s comments were the reason.

Let’s face it. Donald Trump is a fucking, spoiled brat. He has no logic circuitry in his conspiracy ridden brain. It’s time that we get beyond this polite protocol and treat him like the child he is. First, we need some discipline, and if that doesn’t work, a shrink.

For grins, let’s assume Trump has a few good ideas. If those ideas are beneficial to America and our people, why is there always an air of despair about things being unfair, sad and a disgrace? Why does he always need to put down the other party or the former president, which makes half of America feel badly when he’s pitching an idea? Any good communicator knows that you don’t implant negatives when seeking acceptance.

Trump loves to slip a giant turd into the punch bowl before dancing around the party lauding the tasty libation. He tries to convince the attendees that Obama and the Democrats put gin in the punch. Huh? More than half of the country doesn’t trust him, and I suspect most world leaders clearly see his lack of credibility. I may be old, but I’m not stupid. Trump is worse than Nixon.

Research and poll results are important to Americans. We always want to know what people are thinking. We crave knowledge and truth. When Trump says he’s the most transparent president ever, any thinking person will laugh. He requires and exists on lies and secrets. He won’t show his tax returns, when every other president for the past 50 years has disclosed the details of their wealth. What could be so wrong with his taxes that he fights so hard to keep them from being revealed?

Could it simply be that he isn’t rich? Yes, it could. His ego is fragile, his skin is thin and he’s highly vulnerable to shame. Did you notice that he almost crumbled when Pelosi suggested that an intervention should take place? The highest-ranking member of the House just said out loud that she thinks Trump is nuts, causing Trump to repeat his “very stable genius” sales pitch. Who says shit like that?

I think the researchers need a new model. We don’t need to know if people approve of the job he’s doing or whether they support the old white guy. We need to get down in the dirt and dig up the true feelings of our people. And by the way, pollsters should feel free to use this suggestion to gather feelings about anyone running for office, Congress or the Supreme Court. I call it the DOUGLAS SCALE, and this metric will help us understand the real feelings of the America voters and citizens.

How would you describe your true feelings about Donald Trump? (choose one):

1. He’s worse than what my body feels after Chemotherapy.
2. He’s a total loser and I hate him with all my heart.
3. He’s a despicable human being with no redeeming qualities.
4. He’s a pathological liar who should seek professional help.
5. He’s only in this thing for himself and will do the wrong things for his ego.
6. He means well but lacks the ability to be understood.
7. He’s got some good ideas, but everyone is against him.
8. He’s a remarkable President who will change America forever.
9. He’s really doing God’s work, the American God.
10. He’s the best and should be made President for life.

It would be interesting to see the percentage of people who truly hate the guy. I’ve presented a more American grading scale. We are not a polite people and, since Trump has become president, we have become a more open and direct populace. He’s a dangerous President who needs to be taken out of office, either by impeachment or voting. Trump is an unstable menace to our mental health.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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ONE DIMENSIONAL DONALD

Trump’s Inability to be Presidential

In today’s hyper partisan, social media fueled reality, every word, thought and prayer is overanalyzed by a mass media gone mad. And when something bad happens, anywhere in the world, people turn to their leaders for fatherly, or motherly, guidance to get them through the trauma.

Even if you are a Donald Trump supporter, you must admit that the man rarely says the right thing during a crisis. His inaction on situations he simply disagrees with may be a more critical problem, like grounding a fleet of questionable jets. Why did he wait so long? Was he weighing Boeing stock against peoples’ lives?

Trump’s inarticulate nature exposes his real lack of intelligence and leadership talent. After each of his controversial utterances, others run behind him to the TV cameras to explain away his confused meanings and, sometimes, outright lies. This is why he has never graduated to the presidential seat of decorum.

Donald Trump, like a trapped mouse in a house with a larger than life cat, is off his meds and tweeting so much he needs a time-out. The cat in this metaphor could very well be Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a woman even Steve Bannon admires for her methods against Trump. And just like the coy house cat, she will play with her prey before finally rendering it lifelessly limp at the doorstep of the American public.

But the world keeps turning and bad events get churned into our awareness. When a neo-Nazi white nationalist decided to massacre a group of praying people, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, spoke to her nation. Yes, we heard and felt her pain, but we also experienced her resolve to do something about the gun laws in her country. She clearly stated an action of resolve.

When Donald Trump was asked about whether he thought white nationalism is a spreading problem in the world, he replied, “I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess. If you look what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that’s the case. I don’t know enough about it yet … But it’s certainly a terrible thing.”

Rather than overanalyze that response, I’d like to point out something systemic in the way Trump talks and tweets. He has a strange inability to comprehend the gravity of his words and actions. It’s as if he doesn’t realize that he’s President of the United States. And there is another disturbing tell in the Donald’s attempts.

When more than 130 people were killed in Paris in November of 2015, Trump chanted a mantra that the cure for mass shootings is guns for people on the other side so they can shot back at the bad guys. But when a white nationalist or Neo-Nazi uses a gun or car to kill people, Trump becomes a deer in the headlights. Without an empathy gene, he simply cannot show any.

Trump’s dismissive response to the threat of White Nationalism sounded like he was trying to protect those from that ilk who support him. Maybe, in his hazy way of thinking, they would protect him should something bad happen to his presidency. Those aren’t my thoughts; they are his words.

Michael Kennedy is a lawyer who represents Trump’s ex-wife. He claims Ivana Trump said that from time to time her husband would read a book of Hitler’s collected speeches, My New Order, which he kept in a cabinet by his bed. Now I would be crazy to promote or disseminate a conspiracy theory and must ask why Ivana Trump would lie about this? It makes sense, given everything Trump says and does.

In 1990, Donald Trump was interviewed by Playboy magazine. Heed the seeds of white nationalism in his words, “I’m a strong believer in genes, that my kids can be brought up without adversity and respond well if they have the genes.” He amplified that thought during an interview with Oprah Winfrey saying that people can be successful if they have the right genes. He uses his uncle’s professorship and his father’s success in business to prove his “good genes” self-evaluation.

In his manifesto, the New Zealand terrorist who killed 50 human beings asks himself, “Are you a supporter of Donald Trump?” and then answers, “As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no.” And if you have the stomach to read his vomit, you will see that his justification for the killing of Muslims is this dogma that says replacement of non-Europeans is the duty of the white nationalist. He clearly believes people having white genes are better than those with brown genes, because their blood is not clean. He even uses an inept warning to his “special” race that they “may find their very own genes being bred out of existence.”

The Prime Minister of New Zealand received his diatribe minutes before the massacre took place. This was a political act of terror intended to create a civil war in America. And Donald J. Trump never used the word “terrorist,” why?

The media rightfully attacked our idiot-in-chief and his response sounded much like his comments after Charlottesville. He tweeted more than 50 times, his fingers complaining and farting. He called out Fox News for suspending Tucker Carlson and Jeanne Pirro, demanding that his state TV reinstate them. And in a kind of demonic trance, he once again disrespected John McCain. Trump’s tweets are psychological tics, a disorder he cannot control.

If he was a convicted murderer, Trump’s tweets could be used to demonstrate insanity. But he’s a “stable genius” who with every tweet disproves his whole “successful gene” theory. He’s the bastard son of Iago, the most devastating of Shakespeare’s characters. He destroys several people’s lives in the play Othello, including two deaths through the manipulation of everyone around him. Yes, read it, Donald Trump is Iago. The worst lesson from the play is that even though Othello attacks Iago, the villain is still alive at the end of the play. Remember, impeachment isn’t death, it’s justice. And what America and the world needs right now, is justice.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

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PROJECTILE VETOING!

Trump Cannot Hide from the Truth

The truth is that Donald Trump has created more problems than he has solved. His promises were sales pitches lacking merit and empathy. His magic wand mentality has been proven to be more about him than what is good and righteous for the world or the United States of America. From the moment he came on the national political stage he was out to exploit hate in exchange for power.

The “revolt” that took place in the Congress with the vote against his “national emergency” is a good first step toward restoring faith in our broken government. Trump thinks he can just veto anything he doesn’t like. He has never comprehended the Constitution and the checks and balances of the three branches of government, but there is something more onerous and dangerous that Trump has wrought on America and now the world.

In an interview with the far-right radical website Breitbart, Trump said, “I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump — I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point and then it would be very bad, very bad.”

That certainly sounds like a warning from a President who thinks he can harness those in law enforcement for their support and violence when we get to that “certain point” he references. Trump telegraphs messages to those people he believes would do dirty deeds to help him stay in power. He is clearly using fear as a weapon against the people and that makes him an enemy of the people, now doesn’t it? He is challenging the very notion of peaceful transition, which is a hallmark of our democracy.

Just hours after Trump used those words in that interview, something really bad happened in New Zealand. 49 people were gunned down during Friday prayers by a self-described white supremacist. Before you scream that I am using that event to shit on Trump, you should read the 87-page manifesto that the killer posted before his rampage, which was streamed live on social media.

The killer, in his self-written Q and A, asked himself, “Are you a supporter of Donald Trump? As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure.” He declares that he should be remembered, “I did my best to prevent the death of my race.”

His manifesto continues, “Won’t your attack result in calls for the removal of gun rights from Whites in the United states? Yes, that is the plan all along, you said you would fight to protect your rights and the constitution, well soon will come the time.” Isn’t that what Trump was really saying? Who have we become?

In his writing, the accused killer used the word “invader” 55 times. Donald Trump has called people seeking asylum in the US “invaders.” Here are his words, “This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!” As the headline in the Washington Post read, “An ‘invasion of illegal aliens’: The oldest immigration fear-mongering metaphor in America.”

Near the end of his rambling statement, Brenton Tarrant, a white man from Australia, said, “Eventually, when the white population of the USA realizes the truth of the situation, war will erupt. Soon the replacement of the whites within Texas will hit its apogee and with the non-white political and social control of Texas; and with this control, the electoral college will be heavily stacked in favour of a democratic victory so that every electoral cycle will be a certainty.”

I truly believe that Donald J. Trump has some questions to answer. And whether he does it under oath or not, he must address the people of the world and be clear in a denouncement of this hate. The people of the United States need to know, in no uncertainly terms, that this President agrees to throw away his dog whistle and put down these people. When terrorists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis say they are inspired by him, something is WRONG. Every American should pressure the Congress to change this script before it’s too late.

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TRUMP’S FATAL FLAW

The Government of One

This morning I woke up to a startling newspaper headline, “Trump bans Boeing 737 Max Flights.” To my way of thinking, and many avionics experts agree, this action should have taken place days sooner. A major flaw in the process is that we didn’t hear this decision from the FAA or it’s “acting” Administrator Daniel K. Elwell, nor did the pronouncement come from US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. We had to wait for Trump to decide. The plain truth in this age of a power-hungry president is that government agencies are afraid to act. They are frozen in place because everything is judged on how it will affect the Donald or how he will feel about it. Our government agencies are not making decisions in the best interest of our nation. Their actions are based on emotions, not science.

Donald Trump was more interested in talking to the CEO of Boeing than discussing matters with experts at the FAA and NTSB. He’s more comfortable dealing with business executives than lifelong government specialists. What if a plane had fallen out of the sky while Boeing’s top guy, Dennis Muilenburg, was chatting on the phone with POTUS? Trump took the word of the company that its planes were safe to fly, while every other country grounded the jets out of an abundance of caution if not plain common sense. And I would be negligent if I didn’t mention that Trump’s acting Secretary of Defense, Patrick M. Shanahan, came to the administration from Boeing. He worked there for more than two decades and was known as “Mr. Fix-it.” Was he even consulted? What did he have to say?

The United States of America is not a big company to be piloted by one person. The institutions, cabinet positions and administrative heads should be qualified in their specialty and be allowed to state their opinions quickly and unfettered. Trump wants it all to be top down, fighting the foundational concepts of our country where ideas and desires should flow from the bottom up. The people who work in our government aren’t there to agree with Trump. They are supposed to use their radar to find problems and solve them. If we must wait for King Trump to declare anything, we will only get one answer, and that will probably not be a good answer or the correct answer.

The comments from Ms. Chao and Mr. Elwell seem to say that we were making our decision based on facts, rather than emotion. Clearly, Chao wasn’t worried. She flew a Boeing Max 8 to Texas where she spoke that day. But President Donald Trump really mucked things up with this Tweet, “Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!”

Someone should ask Donald Trump if he would like the Einstein’s in the military to take the radar and telemetry out of Air Force One. This response from our Commander in Chief is lacking science, logic and facts. It demonstrates his stupidity. For someone whose company owned jets, Trump shows a worrisome lack of aviation knowledge. His tweets prove he shouldn’t be around any decision that involves science, technology or law.

We heard him on the campaign trail saying he knew more than his military generals. Most of us thought it was just another lame, boastful joke. But the longer we experience this swamp scum of a man, the more we are coming to believe he actually thinks he knows everything. Hopefully, he won’t attempt heart surgery on anyone. Or attempt to invade a country. Or launch a nuke. Or run the FAA. Oh shit, he’s in charge of most of this. Are we doomed?

This morning we are reading the news about how the air crash in Africa is affecting Boeing stock, a loss of some $25 billion. A Boeing 737 Max jet sells for slightly more than $100 million. If you are mentally calculating the cost per life, then you are guilty of the President’s belief that everything is a transaction. You can kill a journalist, but if you want your oil and money you will look the other way. If the Saudis, Russians and Iranians want to spray poison on their people, it’s their problem. If you don’t like dissidents, just sneak into a country and kill them. And if you want to use social media to screw with the election in our country, go ahead and do it. Trump’s beliefs and actions are those of a dictator.

Our president dodged a bullet this time. If he had waited longer and another plane had crashed, he would have had to explain to America why this government isn’t working. His supporters will believe that he was strong and made the right decision, but in truth he was SLOW and frozen by the corruption and lies of his underlings. When he should have been meeting with smart people about this air travel dilemma, he was busy watching the sentencing news of Paul Manafort.

We also learned yesterday that Trump most likely attempted to manipulate the Justice Department through his fake “acting” Attorney General Matthew Whittaker. Nonetheless, his followers simply swat another fly away from the slowly rotting administration he has created. The “trumpsters” will continue to disregard facts from the Oversight Committee in Congress while wearing their little red “Hitler hats” in public. It might be time to remind ourselves that those “best people” Trump promised to hire are mostly unpatriotic liars. Many of those people trying to “be best” are now convicted felons. People who Trump put in charge of important parts of his campaign and administration are now in jail. Could this be why the Donald thinks he must make every decision himself? Would it not have been a better idea to hire authentically good people and listen to them? Why do we have a jackass President?

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PELOSI PLAYS WITH TRUMP

Real Politician vs. Fake Politician

One of the aspects of Donald Trump that many of his devoted followers really liked was the fact he wasn’t a politician and said whatever he wanted. When Trump told his base that making nice with Putin would be good for the country and world, they hocked their patriotism and went with him. Their blind loyalty has clouded millions of people’s judgement that Russia and Putin would never do anything to hurt the US.

Trump truly believed he would be able to run the country like he ran his businesses. He soon found out that all those “best people” he pulled into the administration were there either to self-serve or out to get him. Really? If these were the best people, then I would hate to see the mediocre people.

The Donald and his ego decided to play the game with his self-anointed deal mastery and what he believes is a likeable personality. Neither exist. He isn’t funny or pleasant in any way. He’s simply an imitation of the 1950s back-stabbing politician of Tammany Hall. His hand is out only to receive. He’s transparently transactional and none of his interactions carry any expertise or empathy. He doesn’t give a shit about any person other than himself and everyone knows it, including Republicans.

Everything was going miserably fine, until the voters woke up one morning and figured out that Republicans had been sucked into this transactional approach with little to no regard for the people. As the soy beans were rotting away in storage, the Republicans were sword dancing with the Donald over a tax cut that helped only the very rich and monumentally increased the country’s debt. They voters gave the Democrats a majority in the House and Trump got reintroduced to Nancy Pelosi.

Trump somehow believes that calling her “Nancy” is a kind of putdown. It’s her name, dumb shit, and she isn’t about to sit back and watch the President of the United States push Congress around. Remember, Nancy Pelosi grew up in the tough and demonic politics of city government in Baltimore. Her father taught her well, and Donald Trump is not nearly as challenging as the things her family faced with labor unions and dock workers in Maryland’s largest city. She has always been a Democrat, unlike Trump, who is a fake Republican.

Trump thought he could huff and puff away Obamacare. Had he read the research, he would’ve seen that the national insurance plan was actually getting good marks. As Obama suggested to Trump, just slap your name on it. Trump’s inability to see good ideas constantly gets in his own way.

Now, Pelosi has given an interview to the Washington Post Magazine saying, “I’m not for impeachment. This is news. I’m going to give you some news right now because I haven’t said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I’ve been thinking about this: Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.”

This could be the single most powerful putdown of a President ever uttered. She said that Trump is not worth impeachment! It is tantalizingly funny and a bit absurd that someone could be so bad they don’t deserve the codified method of removal built into the Constitution. Crafty Pelosi left the door open for the real event when indisputable evidence is presented, but Trump will not be able to deal with this latest salvo.

What will he do? Agree with Nancy or continue pounding his ridiculous statements about Democrats hating Jews? Has Trump finally painted himself into a corner of paranoia? Does Trump really fear Democrats or Jews? Does he fear African-Americans, or just Muslims? His ping-ponging of hate comments make him seem a crazy old man. If only he had a drinking problem all this would make much better sense.

Pelosi knows what she is doing. Her comments will take the spotlight off the “Democrats are anti-Israel and anti-Jews” nonsense that Trump has been farting out of his presidential mouth. And in the end, it’s the denotation he hugs like the flag. He wants people to say there is “no collusion” and that he’s a good boy, but a 78-year-old grandmother from San Francisco is playing Trump like a worn-out deck of cards. She has found the Joker and she’s working in her own unique way to remove it from the deck. This will take time, but she wants her next move to be a surprise. She’s is holding a full house, and she knows it.

The Trump card, a valuable resource that may be used, especially as a surprise in order to gain an advantage, is in Nancy’s hand, not the President’s. Pelosi’s measured message is like a mother who knows her son is never going to make it in pro sports. She’s saying, “Son, go have fun. Don’t worry about what the other kids are saying about you.” For now, she’s kicking the can down the road, but eventually she is going to have to comfort the kid when he’s told by the authorities to go do play somewhere else. There will come a time to pick up that can and put it in the recycling bin. Or Prison.

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SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

Welcome to Trumpworld, Suckers

As much as we want to believe that the judicial system is unbiased, sometimes we feel that an American judge hands down a decision based on a deep-seated bias. Feeling this way, can cause a loss of faith in the system, leading to the phrase, “this system is rigged.”

If you are wondering why the court always pronounces a duration of incarnation in terms of months, you wouldn’t be alone. The clue might be in the “time off for good behavior” policies and laws which are earned in monthly increments. When you looked at your phone and saw that Paul Manafort got 47, you might at first have thought it was 47 years. No, that was 47 months, sucker!

It’s obvious that Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis decided that the crimes leading to Paul Manafort’s conviction were not so bad. This judge was quite talkative during the trial and seemed to berate the prosecutors and editorial comments at every turn. Conservative Judge Ellis said in his ruling that Manafort led an “otherwise blameless life.” Really? Just to remind everyone, the recommended mandatory sentence of Manafort’s crimes is 19 to 24 years. That’s more like 200 months, but the guy got a sentence short of four years.

Let’s put this in perspective. Being caught in Florida with 20 grams or more of marijuana can mean a five-year or 60-month sentence. Why would Paul Manafort get only 47 months? The cynical mind might ask if Judge Ellis is a Republican. Is Judge Ellis anti-tax laws? White collar criminals are not always given such an easy sentence. Bernie Madoff got 150 years in prison. Was that decision because many of his victims were rich white people?

Manafort was found guilty of eight counts of bank and tax fraud by a jury of his peers, He stole from the US Treasury in the form of tax evasion and lies over decades. This decision will certainly pale in comparison to the upcoming sentence that will take place next week in the District of Columbia, where he pleaded guilty to witness tampering and conspiracy related to his illegal lobbying and money laundering. This surely sounds to me like he is a menace to society.

Judge T.S. Ellis did order Manafort to pay restitution of $6 to 35 million and undergo three years of “supervised release” after his nearly four years in jail. I’m not sure what that means exactly, but we all know where this is headed. President Donald Trump wants to pardon Paul Manafort because he thinks he’s a “good guy” and he is “very sad” about what has happened to him. This is based on Trump’s doctrine that “rats” are bad and people who “don’t flip” are good. But Trump has a political decision to make in this matter.

If Trump pardons Manafort, or any of his associates, before the 2020 election, he will risk that the central argument in the next election will be his seemingly lawless acts in a “law & order” administration. Trump fears not being re-elected, because the day after the inauguration of the new president could be the day Donald J. Trump is taken into custody. This next election for Trump might be the most important event in his life.

Paul Manafort is just another bottom feeder scumbag who has fleeced the political system and ignored the tax laws for his own benefit. Like Roger Stone and Dick Tuck, this ruthless, soulless human has bilked candidates around the world out of their money. You might say, “Let the buyer beware,” but there are some significant changes in US policy that were engineered by these self-serving bad guys. Our policy toward Turkey was massaged by retired General and convicted liar Michael Flynn. Paul Manafort manipulated the Republican platform taking arms away from our Ukraine ally. Also, Roger Stone, may have managed the Wikileaks damage from the US. Doesn’t all that sound like treason?

While the House of Representatives passed a resolution against hate and bigotry, the judge in the Virginia courthouse was, in a sense, giving Manafort a gift. Manafort will get more time, but he will serve only a little more than 600 days, not 47 months. If Trump gets re-elected, the first thing he will do is pardon all the criminals he likes. Welcome to the new rules of an evolving despot. The gangster in the White House simply doesn’t care about anything or anybody other than himself.

The President might claim vindication with Manafort’s light sentence, but Trump talks out of his ass most of the time so we can disregard his transparent use of social media. The artful use of the term “collusion” is code for “don’t flip.” You don’t need to be Alan Turing or Michael Cohen to know the subtle subtext of his hyperbole.

Most of the lies and misinformation Trump has transmitted should be reason for his impeachment. But don’t be discouraged, Trump, like Putin, won’t live forever and the worst case is that he will attempt to stay in office by declaring a national emergency. If this asshole gets re-elected, democracy must be on guard.

I take a severely cynical approach to the Manafort sentencing. Judge T.S. Ellis fell for the defendant in the wheelchair trick. Yes, the defense lawyers used the oldest ruse in the book. Like prisoners who ate soap to affect their health and get early release, Manafort ate rich foods all his life and now has gout in prison. Anyone who has tasted prison food knows there’s nothing in that slop that could give a person gout. If I was being even more cynical, I would suggest that Judge Ellis is jealous of the power given to a DOJ Special Counsel. He might see that investigative body as a threat to his own power. We will never know.

Next week will bring another act in this political passion play as Judge Amy Berman Jackson lowers the curtain on the witness tampering, illegal lobbying and money laundering case in Washington. Manafort hid $55 million from the IRS and was caught. He pleaded guilty because he knows that Trump’s pen is surer than another jury trial. Once again, the rich and powerful seem to have a different system of justice. How did this ever happen? Oh yeah, MONEY!

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