I was doing a fair amount of driving today and I have to admit, I decided to give MSNBC another chance (I think I’m hopeless) and, there again, was Donald Trump getting the air time for an entire speech.  I’m sure they’ve done the same for Mrs. Clinton – it’s just that EVERY time I try to listen it’s all about Trump.  And, he, today, was basically ridiculing the “media” for giving all the free advertising – that’s one thing he’s really good at – manipulating the media.  Earlier in the day there was a lady on MSNBC (Joy Reed?) who was, from my perspective, “telling it like it is” so I decided to give it another go.  Yikes!!!

Trump was going off on the terrible conditions for African Americans and “Hispanics” and claiming “what do you have to lose by voting for Trump.”  “The Donald” even had the audacity to report the number of shootings in Chicago since the first of the year and blame it on Hillary Clinton.  I’ve really never seen anyone even close to as DIVISIVE as Trump – and, he’s got many of his “low information voters” really “ginned up.”  I truly hope something dreadful doesn’t happen between now and whenever things cool down after the election.  Trump likes to use the term “nice,” but I guarantee you, Donald Trump is NOT a nice man.  He’s making it look as if he’s fighting for the African American vote (in a way that infers African Americans are stupid – but, I digress…… – been doing that a lot lately) and he’s attempting to label Hillary Clinton as a bigot.  This is the man who just hired a White Supremacist to run his campaign.  Wow!!!

OK, if you’ve been reading any of my recent posts you know I’ve been writing about how Trump (and his new advisors – probably because of his new advisors) is practicing the art of POLITICAL PROJECTION – and he’s kind of “upped the ante” as of the past week or two.  If you haven’t read about this “strategy” – very quickly – it’s where the candidate (party, group, or whatever) attacks their opponents by claiming they (the opponents) are GUILTY of the very transgressions the speaker him(her)self is vulnerable from.  For example, Trump – who has a long history of being on overt racist – is trying to pin the “bigot” label on Mrs. Clinton in order to change the narrative away from his own bigoted history.  It starts in the 1970’s when Trump had a systematic way of denying African Americans from renting his properties.  He and his father ended up paying a significant settlement to the government from an anti-discrimination lawsuit filed by the Justice Department.

And, it goes on and on.  Most people who’ve been following this election cycle and the previous two election cycles know that Trump was an instigator in the so-called “birther” movement, claiming that Barack Obama was not an American citizen.  I even remember after President Obama publicized his birth certificate, Trump continued his outrageous (and racist) behavior.  He began his campaign by denigrating Mexicans, he’s made, to me, unbelievably crude remarks about numerous women, he’s attacked Muslims, and I’ve heard him make several coded remarks that would bely his recent attempt to “placate” the African American “community.”  One can only imagine the type of language Mr. Trump uses in private when talking about people who are part of minority communities.

Remember, I’ve suggested that (if you’ve been reading my recent posts) you check out the striking parallels between Trump’s campaign and the campaign of the Third Reich in Germany back in the 1930’s.  (And, remember, Trump’s heritage is German)  These “parallels” are beginning to converge as we get closer to the election.  I mean, Trump had no qualms about associating himself with Steve Bannon, someone who’s been very comfortable associating himself with what’s called the “Alt Right” – which is a White Supremacy, White Nationalist movement.  You’ll have no problem “verifying” what I’m saying here if you simply do a little research on the web.  There’s a clear reason why members of the KKK are endorsing the Trump candidacy and most Americans don’t have to think very hard to figure this out.

Additionally, as Trump is bringing up the issue of gun violence in the inner cities – as he’s claiming that Hillary Clinton’s “policies” (whatever they might be, because he NEVER says what he’s referring to) are the reason “Blacks” are getting shot as they walk down the streets in their communities.  He says he’s going to “fix” this problem (again, not a word on how he’s going to “fix” the problem – to be honest, if I actually thought he had a clue how to “fix” this problem I’d be more inclined to listen to him – because, this is a REAL issue we should be talking about) but, I didn’t hear one word relating to the FACT it’s TOO EASY for people to get their hands on guns (of all types) and I can GUARANTEE YOU that Trump will do NOTHING that might anger the NRA!  I think he’s setting himself up for an embarrassing moment (if he shows up) for the debates with Hillary Clinton – because, I can hear her now asking him how he’s going to get the guns out of the hands of the gang members in Chicago and elsewhere.  He’s going to get “backed into a corner” just like what is happening as he’s trying to “soften” his stance on immigration.  As the saying goes, Trump is in a place where he “can’t win for losing.”

So, I hope you can see why Donald Trump is spewing the “bigot” comments in the direction of Hillary Clinton (and, in some instances, toward Barack Obama as well).  I actually think the strategy is two fold – but, the part I’m focusing on here is the political projection – he’s attempting to get the “onus” of his own “bigotry” out of the headlines by pointing the issue at Mrs. Clinton.  The reality that over 90% of African Americans (by the latest polling) are supporting Clinton and something approaching 1 or 2% support Trump is telling.  (The second part of his strategy, to me, is an attempt to convince the white voters who think he’s too harsh that he’s actually a “nice guy” – and, unfortunately, in my mind – and based on some of the people I know who look no farther than Fox “news” for their “information” – I think this part of the strategy will be more successful than the former)  I believe Trump is doing a bit better with Latino voters, but he’s still likely to get somewhere around 20% of that vote.

I’ve been writing for years about how I believe the republican party – which has been moving to the right since the 1970’s and the HARD RIGHT since the election of the Bush/Cheney regime – needs to be purged of the extremists who are “calling the shots.”  It’s true that people like the now infamous “Koch Brothers” have UNLIMITED funds (plus they are very sophisticated in their ability to affect the political process – far more-so than anyone on the “other side”) and they’re willing to spend their money to control the government (actually, to eliminate as much of the government as they possibly can before people FINALLY realize what’s happening to them) – and, I might add, there’s a network of wealthy Americans [and probably foreigners] associated with the Kochs that make them even more dangerous – this network of uber wealthy people want to privatize as much of the government function as they can and deregulate it to the point where government becomes totally ineffective.  in fact, the reality is they’ve been working at this for years and people are “fed up” with how “ineffective” the government is – but, “we the people” don’t understand why it is so (The Kochs and their surrogates are experts at deflecting the blame to the democrats, and the democrats aren’t very good at “fighting back”) – in fact, even the Trump supporters believe he’s going to make the government work again when the goal is almost the opposite.  That’s almost laughable – it would be, except that this is a real crossroads in American history.

“We the people” have a chance to begin the process of eliminating these extreme right wing people from important positions in OUR government and, hopefully, force the republican party to move back toward where it was in the days of Dwight Eisenhower on through the 60’s.  (This will take years, and 2016 is so important because of the control a Trump victory would give them on the Supreme Court)  Their “conservative” message is not conservative at all – it’s become a message of “free market” zealotry, and it’s been CRUSHING America’s middle class since the day Lewis Powell wrote his famous “memo” to the the Chamber of Commerce.  Now, the party has gone so far over the “edge” that they’ve nominated Donald Trump, an over racist and covert fascist, and he’s spewing out the “big lies” at a record pace.  Trump is giving America a classic lesson in projectionism, but that won’t change the FACT that he’s the “bigot” not Hillary Clinton!  And American voters have the opportunity to set the foundation for the “revolution” proposed by Bernie Sanders.  Unfortunately, Hillary Clinton will be at the “helm” – but, with Trump, this “revolution” would be near impossible.

Last week Donald Trump “shook up” his campaign staff by firing the guy who was taking money from a Russian oligarch closely connected the Vladimir Putin and, instead, hired this guy from Brietbart.com named Stephen Bannon who’s an outright white supremacist.  I’ve seen some of his quotes (I’m sure you can find them on the internet) and, I have to say, the ones I saw were disgusting.  I’ve been aware of Brietbart “news” for some time, but it’s just not the place where I’m going to spend (waste) my time.  From what I’ve read they are the supporter of the so-called “Alt. Right” movement – which is a white supremacist movement.  And, Donald Trump has the right to choose anyone he wants to run his campaign – I will find it interesting in how the so-called “liberal media” interprets this decision by Trump.

Shortly after hiring Bannon Trump gave a speech in Wisconsin to a group of white supporters with the most disingenuous outreach (ostensibly) aimed at the African American voters I’ve ever seen – claiming they will be much better off in a Trump presidency than a Clinton presidency.  In fact, he pretty much blamed the problems of the Black community on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  This was a scripted speech and I can only guess who wrote it, but now Trump’s campaign is being run by Bannon (white supremacist) and Kellyanne Conway who might be the best example I’ve ever seen of someone who could “argue with a fence post.” (Previously, she was advising Ted Cruz)  If these two people get through to Trump (and, it appears to me that Bannon and Trump are on the same page with their racist attitudes and their willingness to create “facts” as they see fit) We will see nothing but a blistering (and, in most cases, unsubstantiated) attack on Mrs. Clinton and Barack Obama.  Trump and Bannon were at the forefront of the “birther” movement early in President Obama’s tenure as president.

And, Ms. Conway is very good at what she does – it’s just that she’s a sophisticated proponent of what I’ve been writing about on this site for years now – the republicans “adoption” of the “Big Lie Theory” as a way to convince the public that they’re out for the “middle class” – or, in the instance of Trump’s recent remarks in Wisconsin, for the Black community.  Honestly, NONE of what Donald Trump does causes me to waver in my interpretation of his “plan” – which is something eerily similar to Nazi fascism.

Now, I have to say that I believe there’s lots of room to have a real debate over issues and character with Hillary Clinton (that being said, I don’t believe half of what I read and hear about her in the “liberal media,” but I’m not an enthusiastic supporter either) except that Trump is apparently not capable of this. First of all, I don’t believe he’s got a grasp of the issues more than what many of us have in our “water cooler” discussions.  And, secondly, I believe that if Trump himself was “vetted” to the extent that Mrs. Clinton has endured over the past 25 years he wouldn’t want to discuss “character” in public with anyone.  (three marriages and six bankruptcies) To me, Trump is a pathological liar, so he “believes” whatever happens to be coming out of his mouth – but, in a debate with Hillary Clinton, I would expect her to have foundational facts that Trump would find difficult to refute on national TV.  He bullied his way to the republican nomination in the “debates” with the “clown car” – but, debating Mrs. Clinton will be far different.  He’s got issues she’ll raise – like the bankruptcies and his business practices that he’s hiding by not disclosing his taxes. (I predict his REFUSAL to disclose his taxes will become a more significant issue the closer we get to election day)

That being said, I don’t expect Trump to publicize his taxes because they will expose many of the LIES he’s claimed about his own expertise. (it will be interesting to see how the “liberal media” deals with him withholding his tax information)   He bases his campaign on HOLLOW promises that he can “make America great again” (whatever that means) because he’s a good negotiator.  Huh?  People have to be so turned off by the inability of our government to “get things done” (which, by the way, creating gridlock has been the foundation of the republican strategy since the 1994 “Contract with America” – foisted on us by Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, Dick Armey, and a group of right wing zealots who’ve since [mostly] left Congress due to various corruption issues) that millions of Americans have taken the “bait – hook, line, and sinker.”  If America’s no longer “great,” then it’s the republicans who’ve been busy undermining the GREAT “New Deal” and its aftermath since the 1970’s.  They’ve (republicans) succeeded in undermining our government and placing blame on democrats. (In my view, part of that “equation” is that many democrats don’t have the spine to fight for their own values – but, that’s a story for another day)

I have to add though, that Trump is a manifestation of the so-called “tea party” movement that was engineered by the Koch brothers and Fox “news.”  Roger Ailes, then the head of Fox “news,” has now been added to Trump’s campaign and, along with Bannon, Trump now has two racist “advisors” who represent the racial hate spewed out toward President Obama for the previous 7 1/2 years.  I have good friends who were not able to see the level of racism in the “tea party” movement and I’m guessing some of them will vote for Trump because they really dislike Hillary Clinton.  However, as I once said to one of them, if you associate yourself with a racist organization, then you become part of that organization.  You don’t get it both ways.  There are many Christians that I know who have voted republican for years based simply on the abortion issue (somehow assuming that republicans are going to stop people from having abortions), but, at the same time, have found themselves voting for people who are racist, or support racist legislation.

When I (try to) listen to people I know who are going to vote for Trump, in almost every instance, the rationale is how corrupt Hillary Clinton is.  What’s really interesting, at least to me, is that in virtually EVERY instance the people I’m talking to are spewing the EXACT same “talking points.”  And, these are people who don’t research the information they’re processing – it comes from the Cable news outlets.  For example, I have two friends who in the past couple of days told me how corrupt Hillary Clinton is and I could have been listening to Fox “news.”  In both cases, I just asked where their information came from and they wanted only to say “the news” – one guy told me he watches all the different channels – but, they both admitted to watching Fox “news” for their main information.  When I suggested that Fox “news” is a propaganda arm of the right wing they became a bit defensive.  Of course, none of us wants to admit that we’ve allowed ourselves to be brainwashed – but, in my mind, that’s exactly what’s been happening in America for the past 35+ years.  And, the cause of this isn’t “fair and balanced” – it’s coming from the right wing and it all started with the “Powell Memo” in 1972.

I recently wrote about “political projection” and it probably shows itself in issues of race more than anywhere else.  I can remember many times (including from Kellyanne Conway) where republican “pundits” were accusing democrats (and, President Obama) of “using the race card” in situations where they were clearly supporting some form of racist activity.  I can’t remember the exact details, but as they’ve been working overtime to suppress the voting rights of minority (and democratic leaning) voters they will accuse democrats who are opposing them of “using the race card.”  This is how they deflect the focus of Americans from their own misbehavior.  The best example I can think of right off the top of my head is their “disdain” for “activist judges” as they’ve BLOCKED (or opposed) virtually every appointment made by President Obama while “their own” judges (Scalia – RIP, Roberts, Thomas, Alito) are possibly the MOST activist judges in American History.

The aforementioned judges are responsible, for starters, (well, not Alito in this instance) for the invasion of Iraq (and, who knows, possibly 9/11 because Al Gore might have listened to the intelligence before the attack on the World Trade Center) because they CHOSE George W Bush as President back in late 2000 when Al Gore had likely won the election.  Once Roberts became the “chief judge” and Alito was on the court, we got “Citizens United” – maybe the WORST decision in the HISTORY of the court – we’re seeing the ramifications of “Citizens United” as we watch the “0.1%” (along with foreign nationals) buying off our Congress and politicians around the country.  “Citizens United” was “judicial activism” on steroids and they topped that off with the McCutcheon decision (further opening the “floodgates” of money into the corrupting of our system (Citizens United = corporate money, McCutcheon = wealthy individuals).  If allowing corporate and wealthy interests to buy the political process wasn’t enough to achieve their aims they topped that off by GUTTING the Voting Rights Act of 1965 allowing their “base” to introduce voter suppression legislation within days of the ruling.  For those who don’t believe there’s a connection between the court and the right wing republican party – well, Scalia and Thomas are (were, as I noted earlier, rest in peace Mr. Scalia) regulars at the “Koch Brothers” annual fundraisers and propaganda “fairs,” and the voter suppression legislation was already drawn up as the court inexplicably gutted the historic Voting Rights Act. (their goal, as I heard it, was to prevent something like 5 to 10 MILLION people from voting in the 2016 election).

That reminds me, as I was earlier writing about their strategy of political projection.  Well, voter fraud is a great example of how they do this.  Despite the EVIDENCE that shows actual voter fraud to be almost negligible – EXTREMELY RARE in light of the MILLIONS of votes cast in a presidential election, that is the “justification” republicans give for their voter suppression legislation – it’s designed to stop “voter fraud.” Additionally, of the RARE instances of alleged fraud (again, something like 30 allegations out of 60 MILLION votes) virtually NONE would be stopped by issuing voter ID cards, although that is precisely what the new laws require.  The idea behind the voter ID laws is to purge the low income voters from the polls who tend to vote democratic (because many would be unable to get them or pay for them).  This (projection) is a very important part of the republican strategy designed to gain power despite the reality that their “platform” is “tilted” strongly toward the wealthy elite in America.  But, I digress……..

So, Donald Trump is claiming Hillary Clinton is a BIGOT and CORRUPT while concealing his own dealings by refusing to disclose his taxes.  He’s PROJECTING his own vulnerabilities onto Mrs. Clinton in a way to hide the vetting process from exposing him for what he really is.  He has a history that would suggest that he SHOULDN’T be anywhere near the White House.  However, he seems to be the MASTER at manipulating the media – they are so infatuated by Trump that he doesn’t need to spend too much money advertising because he’s getting the predominance of the media attention.  (Interesting to me, his plan seems to clearly be based on getting this attention, but as some in the media are actually exposing some of what I’m writing about here, Trump will [and is] complain(ing) that he’s being unfairly attacked.)  Trump will praise those who BLINDLY support him (if you’ve noticed, he’s now on “good terms” with Fox “news”) and attack anyone who tells the truth about him.  If I had the chance to ask Trump one question, I would preface it by saying “Before you can make America great again” Mr. Trump, SHOW ME YOUR TAXES!

I was driving in my car today and decided to give MSNBC a try (it’s hard most of the time) and, of course, there was Donald Trump giving a speech on “foreign policy” – or so I was led to believe.  What really caught my attention as I listened to (as much as I could stomach) his speech was a part that seemed to be to be a clear (and dangerous) deviation from “foreign policy.”  I believe he was back on the “immigration” agenda when he pointed out that as president he would have an aggressive – he called it “extreme vetting” – campaign to “root out” people considered to be “radical Islamist’s” and they would be rooted out (I can’t remember his exact term) from our (America’s) society – “viciously” if necessary.  In fact, he made it a point to repeat the word “viciously” several times, evidently to drive home his point.

This all reminded me of two things: first, the reason I started writing in this venue in the first place – the Bush/Cheney arrogant, irresponsible, dishonest, and ILLEGAL invasion of Iraq in 2003 along with their failed “adventure” into Afghanistan, which continues to this day.  Secondly, my initial “red flag” as a President Obama supporter when Obama began his administration back in 2009.  The Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld et al regime came up with the term “enemy combatants” which included essentially ANYONE they chose to hang that moniker on – AND, they claimed the authority to TORTURE these so-called “enemy combatants” which they did on a regular basis (in their futile search – in most instances – for “actionable intelligence”).  It was President Obama who enabled their ILLEGAL behavior when he said, “We’re going to look forward instead of back” and he blocked virtually ALL investigations into the ILLEGAL activity of the Bush/Cheney administration which clearly included WAR CRIMES.  (Not to mention, illegally surveying their own people – among a plethora of other transgressions).  Obama stated, at the time, “The United States of America does not TORTURE.”  (I can still remember thinking, “well maybe you won’t, but what happens when we elect another republican along the lines of Bush/Cheney – ie Trump?)

So, now we have a republican nominee for president who’s already BOASTED that he’ll authorize WATERBOARDING “and a lot more” should he be elected president  claiming he’s going to “extremely vet” – who? Well, I inferred from the part of the speech I heard he’s talking about Muslims and if he decides they’re “radicalized” well, I’m not sure exactly what the plan is, but all I can say is he used the term “vicious” repeatedly in how he would “root them out.”  I’ve written several times on this site about the alarming parallels between Donald Trump’s various proclamations during his campaign and those of the Third Reich in Germany during the 1930’s.  Honestly, this does nothing to calm my fears – it only confirms what I’ve been seeing.  My hope is that those in our “liberal media” will take the time to research out these parallels and educate our public that seems to operate via the “sound bite” world we’ve evolved to since the advent of the 24 hour cable “news” cycle emerged in the 80’s.

I’ve recently written about the book I’m presently reading, “American Amnesia” by Hacket and Pierson and Donald Trump is making their book more of a “must read” for anyone wondering how did we get to this place in America?  Clearly, the push by the right wing of the republican party to create a “permanent republican ‘majority'” has backfired with the election of Trump.  The republican strategy to OBSTRUCT everything coming from “the other side of the isle” has been the engine that has “blown up” – causing so many Americans to lose total faith in our government.  The problem, as I see it, is that our “liberal media” refuses to educate the public on why (and how) we’ve gotten to this point – which leaves me with no alternative but to believe they are part of the problem.  Of course, it doesn’t take a “brain surgeon” to understand that Fox “news” is essentially GOP TV – they are basically “feeding the beast.”  The other participants (MSNBC, CNN, etc.) I guess, are much less overt in their role.  But, the reality is that it’s been the republicans who’ve essentially had a POLICY of blocking EVERYTHING progressives are for and then BLAMING the democrats for the quagmire in Washington DC.  And, “we the people” have to research what’s really happening in our nation’s capital to find out who’s at fault here.

In “American Amnesia” there’s a chapter devoted to the United States Chamber of Commerce and the right wing “think tanks” and “Super PAC’s” that have been funneling money by the “truckload” to our elected representatives – right in the bright of day – and, I NEVER hear much discussion on the CORRUPTION that is inevitable when our representatives are part of a “play for pay” government.  It’s really no secret that, especially with republicans in Congress, if you want to keep your job, you’ll do as you’re told – you’ll vote according to those pulling the purse strings.  And, I’m finding out in this book, who’s pulling those strings.

Most people are aware, now after their scheme has been exposed in recent years of the now infamous “Koch Brothers.”  Yet, most Americans have no idea how far the “tentacles” of their moneyed elitist network has been woven into our nation’s government – from local city government all the way up to Washington DC.  They have unlimited funds and they’re willing to spend it to get their way (legislatively).  What many of us aren’t aware of is how the Chamber of Commerce works and special interest groups like Karl Rove’s “Crossroads PAC.”  The Chamber is totally disgusting to me as I read about their agenda and how they’re going about succeeding in their mission.  (The aforementioned “Powell Memo” was written to the Chamber back in the 70’s and when “new blood” took over (I believe the guy’s last name is Donahue who now runs the place) in the mid seventies, the Chamber changed from something that at least resembled a bipartisan advocate for business to a cut throat lobbying arm of the right wing “free market” agenda that’s been chipping away at the “New Deal” since, well, almost since FDR was put in his grave.  What was a fringe element of our society, essentially until Powell’s memo, is now the “mainstream” of the republican party.

I’m going to tie this back to Trump, but I’ve got to add a little more background.  There are THOUSANDS of American businesses that spend money with the Chamber, but the large corporate interests and Wall Street interests are giving them “donations” in the MILLIONS of dollars in return for the Chamber lobbying Congress on their behalf.  The Chamber keeps as many of these “donations” SECRET as they can (although many are exposed in Hacket and Pierson’s book) so that “we the people” have no idea who’s buying off our representatives in the Congress.  And, something in the neighborhood of 90% of the Chamber’s “donations” end up in the “coffers” of republicans.  Big businesses who are what Hacket and Pierson refer to as “rent seekers” – (especially polluters and companies on one side or the other of the health care crisis in America – ie, tobacco, coal, oil, pharma, health insurers, etc.) – rent seekers are businesses which don’t want to pay the costs of them doing business – for example, the tobacco industry doesn’t want to accept responsibility for the health issues of smokers, the coal industry doesn’t want to pay the costs of the environmental damage they cause both mining and burning coal, the oil industry is pushing the climate change deniers, etc – they want “we the people to pay those costs.  And, the top executives of many of these corporations “donating” to the Chamber are hauling in MASSIVE compensation packages as they increase their “bottom lines” at the expense of “we the people.”

Of course, Wall Street and the financial sector is in lock step with the Chamber of Commerce as they FIGHT regulations, many which were put in place during the Great Depression, designed to prevent what almost happened at the end of the Bush/Cheney regime – an economic “meltdown.”  The Chamber has lobbied Congress to make it easier for the “too big to fail” banks to rip people off with their subtle financial tricks and they’ve fought “tooth and nail” against people like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and by extension Hillary Clinton who are trying to make sure they can’t use “we the people’s” money for the purpose of gambling on exotic “swaps” that produce nothing of value and is simply bankers figuring out how to make money using money.  (I’ve read some books on how they do this, and I have to admit to being a bit lost in my attempt to understand the process – no one suggests these people aren’t very smart- that’s not the issue, the issue is their greed and their reluctance to “give back” to what Thom Hartman calls the “commons.”  With the Chamber’s help, hedge fund managers, for example, are still paying significantly LESS in taxes because of loopholes (carried interest? Another thing I’m not too sure of) that cut their tax bill something like 50% (or more).

OK, I’m bringing this up because tonight I happened to turn on MSNBC – and, true to form, there was Donald Trump giving a speech somewhere in Wisconsin, and, sure enough, MSNBC was (evidently, I couldn’t stomach to watch more than a few minutes of the speech) showing the ENTIRE speech.  More FREE airtime for Trump (honestly, he’s got these people fooled).  I’m referring to this because in this speech he accused Hillary Clinton of being the recipient of the money and support of “Big Business and Wall Street.”  Trump essentially listed almost all the groups that have a history of association with the Chamber of Commerce and that have been almost EXCLUSIVELY donating their MONEY to republicans – as they’ve FOUGHT to BLOCK virtually EVERY initiative the the Obama administration.  These Trump accusations were so absurd that my stomach got queezy and then he switched to BLAMING the problems in the African American Community (somehow) on (unidentified) actions of Hillary Clinton.  This was so ABSURD that I was almost in disbelief.  However, I couldn’t bring myself to check to see if the commentators “fact checked” Mr. Trump upon the completion of his remarks (I should say LIES).

What also caught my eye was that Trump was reading from a Teleprompter and it’s been reported that Roger Ailes (the recently fired head of Fox “news” – he essentially created Fox “news” – but, evidently, despite his advanced age he still has a problem respecting women in the work place) is now affiliated with Trump.  Ailes is one of the sleaziest political operatives of all time AND (and here’s the indictment of America’s voting public – that doesn’t “fact check” information) one of the most successful.  Ailes is a strong proponent of the “Big Lie Theory” that I’ve written about ad nauseum and, as shown by tonight’s speech by Trump, there are no boundaries he (and Trump) won’t cross.  They say, pathological liars believe their own lies as the words are coming out of their mouths – Ala, Donald Trump.  He calls himself a “truth teller” which would be laughable, but he’s running for President of the United States.  “We the people” MUST defeat him a the polls in November, and AS MANY of his republican cohorts who refuse to disavow Trump along the way.

As I listened to Trump tonight I couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration that so many good American people have been sucked in to thinking he’s the way to “change” America.  The republicans have brought our government to a halt, ON PURPOSE, and, with the help of Fox “news” and people like Ailes who can’t even spell the word integrity, they’ve brainwashed a significant portion of America to believe that this right wing fascist movement is the way solve the problem of government gridlock.  The republican goal is, has been, and will be, to plunder the American public of as much of their tax dollars as possible before we “wake up.”  They’ve convinced millions of Americans that a man who has NO government experience or knowledge and who has bankrupted something like 6 companies at the expense of untold thousands of working people is somehow qualified to be president.  (maybe they’re trying to find a way to make Bush/Cheney look better?)  I guess the only way this could be more ridiculous would have been for Trump to pick Sarah Palin as his running mate!

Watching Trump tonight I realized he’s an amazingly good LIAR.  All I can say is that I sincerely hope the commentators on MSNBC (who curiously ran this speech in “prime time”) commented on the absurdity of what Mr. Trump was claiming!

The 2016 Presidential election might not be one for people to be excited about, but it sure stands a chance to be one of the most interesting elections – certainly of my experience as a voter (almost 50 years).  I’m presently reading a book titled “American Amnesia” by Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson and it really gives the reader a good perspective on how we (Americans) have evolved to such a state in our political process.  To me, the reality that someone such as Donald Trump could even make it to the top of the “ticket” of one of the two “main” political parties in America is sobering.  (of course, as I was writing that last sentence the thought that Sarah Palin was on the ticket for Vice President just 8 years ago flashed through my mind :o)  I’ve heard so much coming from Trump’s mouth that validates the thesis of Hacker and Pierson’s book that makes me even more discouraged regarding America’s voting public.  It’s becoming more obvious all the time that Americans don’t understand what made us a great nation in the first place.

I’ve stated (almost endlessly) how much I believe the Republican party, in its present form, needs to be “history,” and the FACT that Donald Trump is the “leader” of the party says it all, from my vantage point.  Today, I finally heard a reference (from a political pundit) to the “Big Lie Theory” (if you’re not familiar, that’s the theory put forth by Joseph Goebbels, the head of Nazi propaganda, back in the 1930’s as Hitler rose to power – and, by the way, Hitler’s campaign slogan was “Make Germany Great again”) and how Trump is taking this theory to the extreme.  What’s interesting is how he’s playing the political pundits on the cable “news” channels as he throws out one controversial, absurd, and, by many accounts, STUPID remark after another in his attempt to dominate the media.  Then, of course, he BLAMES these same pundits for their reaction to his remarks (as he speaks at his rallies) as if the negative fallout is their fault and his surrogates, when asked to explain his remarks, switch immediately into the “but Hillary” attack mode.

I believe Trump has hardly any money, from the standpoint of what it takes to run a presidential campaign and his “ground game” is woefully weak.  So, these absurd, ridiculous comments will continue to “flow” out of his mouth – because it leads to massive “free advertising.”  Some of his statements are so absurd that the media “pundits” I’ve listened to – both the ones who are trying to be “fair and balanced” (yuk, yuk) and the ones who are leaning to or supporting Hillary Clinton seem to be searching for words to deal with Trump.  The past couple of days Trump has been calling Barrack Obama and Mrs. Clinton the “founders” of ISIS.  This morning I listened to Chuck Todd (if you’ve been around my site you know he’s not one of my favorite “news” commentators) trying to carry on a conversation with one of Trump’s surrogates about this absurd claim by Trump (that, apparently, he’s now calling a sarcastic comment – whatever that might mean) and his minion responded to every opportunity Todd gave her to explain the comments by attempting to switch the conversation to an attack on Hillary Clinton.

I can’t bring myself to watch, or listen, to much coming from our “news” media, so I can only hope that someone explains a little history to Mr. Trump and those supporting him (the other day I saw Rudy Giuliani on “Hardball” on MSNBC – and, it’s as if Trump’s surrogates are programmed and they’re following the “Big Lie Theory” to a tee – they’re going to switch EVERY conversation about Trump to attacks on Mrs. Clinton – most of them unsubstantiated) about, in this instance, the formation of ISIS.  I’m pretty sure one of his surrogates claimed that President Obama “formed ISIS” when he lent support to rebels fighting Assad In Syria.  Presumably, he’s talking about the rebels that posted an online picture of themselves with John McCain a few years back (when republicans in Congress were pressuring Obama to support these “rebels.”  It’s true that some of the rebels fighting Assad are part of ISIS, but the reality is that ISIS is essentially “Al Qaeda in Iraq” which formed as a result of the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld et al invasion of Iraq back in 2003.  It’s also true that republicans in Congress supported arming the rebels in the fight to overturn Assad.  To say otherwise is patently FALSE! Whether or not this was a wise decision is entirely another matter)

I suppose Republicans can argue about how President Obama has attempted to neutralize ISIS (or, as some say – including I believe the rebels themselves – ISIL) but, to call Obama (and Clinton the founders, is absurd, it’s STUPID, it’s careless, and, because Trump is presumably a possibility for the White House and the “world is watching,” it’s incredibly dangerous. Donald Trump has people around the world shaking their heads wondering what on earth is happening in the United States of America.  (Of course, apparently, Putin and others of his ilk are happy as clams to see the U.S. dealing with this, and, if it was up to them, Trump would be the next President of the United States.  (It would make their jobs so much easier)

People like Trump use a strategy that most people don’t understand and it’s called political projection.  For example, Trump is calling Mrs. Clinton something along the lines of “Crooked Hillary.”  And, he seems to be getting away with this.  He also (along with his “team”) then complain that Mrs. Clinton isn’t being “vetted” fully by the press while he’s being treated “unfairly.”  All of this is clearly designed to MAKE SURE the media doesn’t snoop around to discover how “CROOKED” Donald Trump really is.  Every time I hear him use that pejorative on Mrs. Clinton I think of the saying, “That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”  However, Trump is so good at manipulating the media that they are struggling on how to deal with him and they’re letting him get away with this.  (we should be talking about “Crooked Donald”)  It’s a great way for Trump to attempt to hide his “issues.”

I do believe many in the “mainstream” (including many Republicans) are beginning to understand how dangerous the man is.  Just do a little historical research on 1930’s Germany and the parallels might get your attention as they got mine.  Today’s Republican party has been inching its way toward a total commitment to what would amount to a corporate/government partnership (ie a Mussolini type fascist government) since the days of Ronald Reagan.  I’ve written about the so-called “Powell Memo” written in 1972 (by future Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell) that laid out the plan for “conservatives” to enable the interests of our corporate elite and diminish the influence of labor (working class people) in our electoral process and history will show their plan has been enormously successful since then.  The “plan” was “jump started” when Ronald Reagan won the White House in 1980 and, by all statistical data, it’s obvious that corporate interests have blossomed and worker’s interests have, at best, stagnated – and, by many measures, deteriorated – since then.

“American Amnesia” the book referenced at the beginning of this post, is one of many books I’ve read that confirms that America’s “middle class” hit its peak in the late 1970’s and has been getting “squeezed” ever since – which was the goal of Powell’s “memo.”  Republicans have been masters at brainwashing the American public (at least a sizeable portion of it – using the aforementioned “Big Lie Theory” – “if you repeat a lie over and over enough, people will believe it’s true) that “cutting taxes on the wealthy” is the key to economic success – despite the FACT that virtually ALL the data would prove OTHERWISE!  With the help of our “liberal media” republicans have fostered an environment where the public  has “forgotten” what got us here in the first place and where many still believe that government is the “enemy.” (despite the FACT that the government is us – meaning “we the people”)  And, Republicans have intimidated many in the media to the point where they get away with many of their lies without even a “whimper” of a challenge.  (believe me, Trump is counting on this to continue)

Donald Trump has taken all of this republican push toward fascism to new levels.  He is a dangerous candidate for president and even rational republicans are beginning to understand this.  My hope is that Trump is so outrageous that he gets the attention of enough Americans to realize we need to purge this nation of the present day republican party (they nominated him for heaven’s sake).  If there are any republicans with the GUTS to stand up and push back on those who’ve been attempting to turn their party into a bastion of fascism I hope they will do so – BEFORE the election.  Maybe, then, the party could re-form in a true “conservative” sense (in the tradition of the moderate republican leaders of the post WW II era (Eisenhower et al)  who understood that success in America is founded on a true blending of government and business (Hacker and Pierson call it a “mixed economy”) and a willingness for republicans to find ways to COMPROMISE with democrats in order to “get things done.”

Today I heard Donald Trump claim that he’s a “truth teller.”  Of course, when you hear someone characterize themselves in that manner – well, all I can say is DON’T BELIEVE THEM!  I find it interesting that Trump (and his surrogates) are claiming Hillary Clinton to be a “liar” and yet, I don’t see much reporting on the actual “vetting” of the comments coming from the candidates.  I did see a report during the primary campaigns where a website (I believe called “Politico”) “fact checked” all the candidates for the veracity of their claims.  Surprisingly, Hillary Clinton came out about at the same level as Bernie Sanders – both of them being considerably more “truthful” than ANY of the Republicans in the so-called “Clown Car.”  And, of course, the person at or near the BOTTOM of the list (all 17 republican candidates were “vetted”) was Donald Trump.  I haven’t heard people like Chuck Todd or Chris Matthews or the others on MSNBC (that’s what I listen to when I can stomach it) reference Trump’s veracity.  I’ve long since learned that politicians “spin” reality to their own advantage (actually, I think most all of us do this) but there are instances where you just have to call something a lie.  And, I believe that if the TV pundits truly vetted Donald Trump, his claim that he’s a “truth teller” would simply be ONE MORE LIE!

One more thing:  After publishing this post, and while continuing to read “American Amnesia” I read something referring to the republican “strategy” of obstructing EVERYTHING President Obama was “for” – a strategy “hatched” prior to his inauguration (Do you think the color of his skin had anything to do with that??? But, I digress……).  What I found interesting, after just writing about Trump and his use of “political projection” – projecting your own issues onto your opponent in an effort to prevent people from “getting” the truth – and, I noticed the word “fascism” was used to characterize President Obama repeatedly as he put forth his “plan” to pull the nation from the abyss that GW Bush/Dick Cheney left as their legacy.  (speaking of “American Amnesia” – it didn’t take long for our “public” to “forget” what the result of 35 years of “trickle down” left us as Bush/Cheney fled Washington DC “with their tails between their legs”).  While I could characterize President Obama as “pragmatic” – certainly not as “progressive” as I had hoped when I first voted for him – but, fascist???  That is as absurd as claiming he’s the “founder” of ISIS.  These people (republicans) are very sophisticated in their attempt to brainwash enough Americans for them to continue their pillaging of our economy and, much to my chagrin, they are “inching” way too close to fascism for me – but, to hide their true “plan” by putting it on President Obama is just one more example of why this version of the republican party needs to be SOUNDLY voted out of power in November 2016.  The scariest part of all this, to me, is that, had they been able to come up with a credible candidate in this election they may have achieved their “permanent republican ‘majority.'”  I guarantee you that Trump’s defeat (unless Congress is “turned blue” – AND, democrats move toward Bernie Sanders and his “revolution”) will only temporarily sideline the “moneyed interests” who are bankrolling this “push to the right” that’s been happening since Powell’s “memo” in 1972.  Unless, or until Americans understand what is happening to them (I’m talking about those of us in the middle class) this push towards a “corporatacracy” (fascism) will continue.