I chose today to read the comment section of an article in the “Independent” – an internet publication which I know little about, that pointed out the FBI was being sued in order to force them to make public information relating to their decision to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.  Many people, including myself, believe that the decision by James Comey to suggest the FBI had more of Hillary Clinton’s emails to “investigate” (which proved to be untrue – these emails were on a computer owned by the estranged husband of one of Mrs. Clinton’s staffers) caused enough late deciding voters to vote for Donald Trump to swing the election.  Right now, as I’m writing this, the news media is focused on the role Russia played in turning the election toward Trump – which they should be investigating – that reality, in itself, is REALLY BAD – but, in the process, there’s little talk about the FBI’s role in the election and even less talk into how the voter suppression laws in states like North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and others prevented MILLIONS of mostly democratic voters from casting their ballots.

Nate Silver, of a website called FiveThirtyEight, who is what appears to me to be the most respected “pollster” out there, was very clear regarding the effect Comey had on the election.  He stated that Comey’s letter to the republican congress cost Hillary Clinton the election.  “No ifs, ands, or buts.”  As I was reading the aforementioned article and then the comments I couldn’t help but think about the right wing brainwashing that’s been going on in America since the days of Ronald Reagan.  Reagan initiated the “hate” towards OUR government and began the intellectual assault on “liberals” that is thriving in the world of the “right wing” to this day.  As I was reading the comment section to this article my mind was reinforced with the thoughts I’ve been having about “how bad is it going to have to get, before us “liberals” have a place at the table again.  And, keep in mind that Barack Obama, at least to me, was/is no “liberal.”  I consider President Obama to be a moderate pragmatist.  As I’ve written before, I was never certain he understood/stands there’s a WAR going on in America for the heart and soul of this nation.

As I was reading the comments to the article referenced above it was kind of depressing to read comments from people who were spouting the “talking points” of the propagandists that permeate our airwaves on behalf of the republican “establishment” (that most of these people claim to be against) while referring to those who disagree with them as “libtards” or worse.  It’s as if their point of view is “true” because Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or one of the many mouthpieces for the right wing propaganda machine said so.  We have evolved into a fact free society and having dialogue between people with opposing viewpoints is nearing impossible.  I’m sure there are many others like myself who choose to avoid discussions about politics with friends who’ve been “sucked in” by Fox “news,” Limbaugh, or the many other options out there for people who are spewing misinformation because the misinformation has been deeply embedded in their brains.

I remember watching the election shortly after the Comey comments were made public and the resultant effect on the polling.  I remember Silver withing a day or two warning people who thought Mrs. Clinton would win that there was a major shift happening.  On one program where it was either him or one of his associates being interviewed, their polling (which has proved to be very accurate over the past few years) suggested that over 50% of undecided voters found this revelation to be enough to cause them to vote for Trump.  Of course, Trump played it masterfully, and the “news” that there was nothing to the emails – which came out one day prior to the closing of the polls – was too little and too late for Mrs. Clinton.

As more and more Americans become aware of the reality that Trump was correct when he said the election was going to be “rigged” – and, that it was rigged on his behalf – he will become an even more illegitimate holder of the highest office in this land.  Trump is already showing his bullying nature as he chooses a cabinet that is making “libtards” cringe and by refusing to divest himself from his real estate empire that will cause him to be in violation of the constitution’s emolument clause on the day he takes the oath of office.  I personally believe Trump thinks the republicans wouldn’t dare confront him on this issue and the democrats can’t because they are in the minority in both houses of Congress.  In my mind, this will be a CONSTANT issue for however long Trump survives in the White House.

Here’s a reality that not many people are talking about.  I have no doubt that there’s a large block of republicans who would rather have Mike Pense as president instead of Trump.  It would not surprise me at all if Trump fails to make it all the way through is first term in office.  When things start going south and, in addition, when “we the people” start learning more about Mr. Trump (assuming any investigative reporters survive his assault on the media) and his business and personal dealings I would not be surprised to see the republican “establishment” (which is still in control, no matter what people think) flee from Trump in an instant.

For example, he pledged to sue all the women who came forth and accused him of sexually assaulting him.  I for one, hope he follows through on that “promise.”  Or better yet, how about Gloria Allred and some of the other attorney’s involved sue Trump – kind of like what happened to Bill Clinton if you remember.  I love listening to my republican friends who have disdain for Clinton because of his philandering tell me they voted for Trump for “moral reasons.”  Will the republicans have the courage to enforce their own pledges to enforce the constitution regarding Trump’s clear conflicts of interest that are bound to “pop up” all over the place or stand up for their own “moral” principals?

One thing republicans have convinced me of over the years is that they are good at winning elections but terrible at governing.  This very reality shows the depth of their propaganda “machine” that continues to cause middle class Americans to vote against their own self interest. I’m feeling as if it will take another disaster similar to the Great Depression to get every day Americans who’ve been sucked in by Fox, Limbaugh, and the rest of the right wing MISinformation machine to realize they’ve been duped.  For example, I have to wonder how many Trump voters even know that his cabinet is full of people he defiled during the campaign.  I believe at least three top posts are going to Goldman Sachs people.  Trump’s cabinet will be filled with the cream from America’s elite 1%.  His appointees are pledged to wipe every government regulation that protects “we the people” from corporate overreach off the books.  Get ready for the next “bubble!”

You pretty much have to believe Trump thinks he’s untouchable as far as our laws and our constitution.  He can do whatever he pleases.  After all, he “won” without divulging his taxes, he “won” despite admitting he’s a sexual predator, he “won” with the label of “racist” with a known “White Supremacist” as his CEO (supposedly, there’s another video out there that exposes Trump using the “N” word behind the scenes at one of his TV shows), he “won” despite being labeled the liar of liars during the campaign from the fact checking websites, he “won” with the help of women voters whom he insulted over and over again during the campaign, and to top it all off, all those republicans on the “never Trump” bandwagon have been falling all over themselves to get on the “inside” since the election results became reality.  I’m sure he feels there’s nothing he can do to “upset the apple cart.”  And, he may be correct, but my naive belief in the American system and America itself tells me otherwise.  I believe there are MILLIONS like myself who will never accept that Donald Trump is legitimately the president of the United States.  And, I believe all these republicans scurrying for favor with Trump will head in the other direction at the first signs of disaster – which, in my mind, is not an if but a when.

After the Iowa Caucuses Donald Trump exclaimed, “I love the uneducated voters.”  He also said, during one of the debates when it was brought up that he hasn’t paid a dime in Federal Taxes in the past 18 or so years, “that makes me smart.”  And, in reality, he’s proven that he’s really smart.  He’s played the media like a virtuoso on the violin and he’s ginned up those “uneducated voters” that he loves to the point where they voted in record numbers.  He’s given the right wing racists in America a true champion and the end result is people like the ones I referred to above who are making divisive (and uneducated) comments on websites attacking the very “libtards” that are more in tune with their own self interests are blindly loyal to Trump.

These people are disgusted with the dysfunction of our government and have been convinced by the right wing propagandists that it’s the fault of the “libtards.”  In reality, they have no idea who’s fault anything is because they ALLOW their opinions to be formed by the the experts of misinformation.  Hannity, Limbaugh, and many of the other “minions” in this propaganda scheme are marvelously good liars ( additionally, during the election, I thought Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s campaign manager, was maybe the most skilled liar I’ve ever listened to in my lifetime with the exception, naturally, of Trump himself) and I haven’t met one Trump supporter who has cross checked any information they “believe” – because why would they? it came from Fox “news,” or Rush Limbaugh.  To suggest Fox “news” might not be giving “facts” causes some of these people to start throwing things as they yell about “libtards.” (or worse)

I was never an enthusiastic Hillary Clinton supporter, but the more I witnessed her being attacked from all sides in our “liberal” media, the more I realized that there must be a reason the “right wing” was in such fear of her.  I believe she would have had the courage to stand up to these people, but we’ve all been spared four long years of one “invented” scandal after another.  Now, we get to sit back and observe how much damage can Trump and all the surrogates who’ve jumped on his “bandwagon” can do to what’s remaining of the “New Deal” of the 30’s and 40’s and “Great Society” of the 60’s.  I’ve written in the past that rights and privileges are much easier to lose than to get back once you’ve lost them.  The “right wing” cabal that has been behind the destruction of America’s middle class since the days of Ronald Reagan has been here throughout history.  In fact, it’s feeling, to me, like “deja vu all over again” regarding my vision of America in the 1920’s.  We’re experiencing a wealthy elite expertly turning one blue collar faction against another while ripping us all off while our focus is on things like “immigration,” or “gay rights,” or “email scandals,” or – well, the list goes on.

I have to cringe when a farmer, or a factory worker, or any member of the working class is calling me, a teacher, a “libtard” because I believe they should have basic health care as a right, that their children should have access to higher education without “breaking the bank,” and that America should bring her troops home and stop trying to be the world’s policeman.  It makes me cringe when I’m called a “libtard” because I want our government to balance its budget and pay off at least some of its debt – while the “conservative” who’s calling me names is voting for one republican after another who pushes the deficit to record levels and continuously is cutting taxes for his cronies – and, then masterfully puts the blame for the deficit on democrats while our “liberal media” lets them get away with it.

I don’t understand why someone who depends on the Affordable Care Act would vote for someone who pledges to repeal it – as the first thing he does in office.  I don’t understand why people who depend on Social Security and Medicare would vote people into office who are determined to undermine both programs.  And, I really don’t understand why ANYONE who calls themselves a Christian would vote for someone who’s an overt racist and sexual predator and then tell me they did so for “moral” reasons.  Time will tell how this plays out – one thing I hope is the result of Trump’s presidency will be the emergence of a wave of political awareness and activity by America’s young voting age people that pushes us towards Bernie Sanders’ “agenda” – but I believe the potential for a national disaster (economically and militarily) due to Trump’s presidency is “off the charts.”

I hope I’m wrong, but I fear the damage caused to our republic will take at least a generation to overcome.  And, remember, Trump and his cronies are experts at profiting off of what’s disaster for “we the people” – this is why so many are lining up to battle his agenda from day one – there are many Americans who use the internet to mobilize who “get it” and are “paying attention.” Like me, they don’t trust the democratic party to have the “spine” for the “battle.”  We’ve seen a pretty much one sided “war” since President Obama took office and the republicans have been the “aggressors.”  The republicans will do anything to gain, and now keep, power.  They’ve succeeded for the second time (the first being Bush/Cheney) in their attempt to create their “permanent republican ‘majority'” and they’ve got a bully in chief in the White House.  It’s not going to be easy to get those people who referred to people like me (in the article in the “Independent”) to realize they’ve been duped and to join forces to actually create a REAL populist movement (like the “New Deal”) aimed at “fixing” Washington DC.  Again, the next four years should be interesting at the very least.

I’m trying to force myself to watch a bit of the “news” on TV of late and it continues to remind me of why America continues in this downward spiral that will soon, in my view, accelerate once “The Donald” takes the oath of office.  I haven’t written much lately because it’s so hard for me to even imagine that Donald Trump will actually be the president of the United States in about a month.  Watching MSNBC tonight confirmed to me why this is even possible and gives me a feeling of depression as I try to imagine the future.  And, I’m not thinking from my perspective, but from that of my children and grandchildren.

When Barack Obama became president and I started writing about what I called, at the time, the “red flags” which caused me to worry about the “what if’s,”  one of the first things President Obama did was to essentially PARDON those in the GW Bush/Cheney administration who authorized TORTURE and carried it out because he wanted to “look forward instead of back.” (The torture was not the only activity of the Bush/Cheney regime that was illegal) At the time President Obama said, “America” doesn’t torture people.  That decision was like “blood in the water” for republicans and they’ve been on the attack ever since – pushing their actions beyond the limits of the constitution and the legal system knowing there was an administration which was timid regarding enforcing our laws regarding those “at the top.”  Wall Street essentially got a “free pass” regarding the “melt down” that caused an untold number of people around the world to LOSE TRILLIONS of dollars along with the “free pass” given to Bush/Cheney et al and those “at the top” have felt comfortable in continuing their reckless behavior ever since.

Additionally, I saw “red flags” when President Obama filled his cabinet with Wall Street insiders like Larry Summers and Tim Geithner and political hacks like Rahm Emanuel.  He kept some of the Bush appointees in place like Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense which virtually assured that his promise to get America “out of Iraq in 16 months” was nothing but political rhetoric.  So the republicans had it both ways – they were able to mount an unprecedented strategy of obstruction regarding the policy proposals of the Obama administration, yet their campaign of perpetual war and arrogance toward our laws continued for the entire Obama Presidency.  I’m bringing this up again (I’ve written many times about my frustration with Obama’s refusal to allow Bush, Cheney, et al to be held accountable for their illegal activity that amounted to WAR CRIMES and more) because I wrote many times that what President Obama seemingly failed to understand was/is that there’s a WAR – internally – for the heart and soul of this nation, and those who want to turn back the clock to the days of the “robber barons” are VERY SOPHISTICATED and they have UNLIMITED funding and, obviously, they’re winning.

This “WAR” has been ongoing since the infamous “Powell memo” written by soon to be (at that time) Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell back in 1971 or 1972 – I’ve read about it reported in both years from different sources.  What is clear from the reporting about this memo – written to the US Chamber of Commerce as I recall – is that it was the beginning of the downfall of America’s great middle class that had become the envy of the world thanks to the policies of the “New Deal” of FDR and the “Great Society” pushed by LBJ.  And, of course, Dwight Eisenhower was the kind of republican people like me long for – although, Eisenhower was referred to as a communist sympathizer by the descendants of those pushing the right wing agenda that has become today’s republican party.  I’m talking about those in the network of the “Koch brothers,” those who call themselves the “Family,” and those who, to this day, align themselves with the views of the John Birch Society.

This “WAR” also includes those on both sides of the “race” issue.  The election of Barack Obama brought the (unbelievably large number of) covert racists in America out from “under the rocks” and the “leader of the pack,” Donald Trump (he led the “Birther” movement) ended up winning this past election with the support of what Hillary Clinton accurately referred to as “The basket of deplorables (not a good campaign strategy – telling the truth) which includes the KKK, the so-called “alt right” – which is the “White Nationalist” movement that includes among others the “Skinheads.”  Obama, due to the fact that his father was born in Kenya, could not carry this part of the fight and our “liberal media” failed miserably to call it what it was/is.  I have to say that the FACT that Donald Trump’s campaign “CEO” was/is the leader of the “alt right” movement says it all.  Yet, our “liberal media” let him (Trump) get away with this – and, to this day, they’re continuing to let him get away with this because Steve Bannon is Trump’s chief advisor in the White House.

It’s the “media” that is what is so discouraging to me as I look forward to what might “go down” in the next four years (and, I’m not talking about the Dow Jones average – but, it’s likely to get the same result).  Trump played them masterfully – and, they still don’t GET IT!  I wrote many times about my frustration with all the FREE airtime MSNBC gave to Trump – in my mind, it was aimed at keeping this election competitive because of the amount of MONEY they could/would make from the advertising and the ratings they would receive.  In essence, they participated in the “legitimizing” of a candidate that should never have gotten close to the White House.  Now, they’re trying to figure out what went wrong – but, I doubt they will EVER own their responsibility for turning a White Supremacist, a fascists, a homophobe, a sexual predator (by his own admission) into our 45th president.  (again, it’s hard for me to even believe this is happening)

I’ve written many times that I don’t believe the democratic party has a clue as to what is really happening in the political realm right in front of their collective faces.  (Maybe with a few exceptions, like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, etc.)  This republican takeover of our system of government (they want to essentially dismantle most of it) has “long legs.”  The biggest instigators, in my mind, are the aforementioned “Koch brothers” who’ve been busy undermining the democratic party in one state after another – focusing on state legislatures and governorship’s – while the democrats are thinking they need to control the White House at all expense. They are masters at surreptitious political strategy.  They get you looking one way while they’re busy doing “their thing” in another direction.  The Koch’s, for years, have been working from the “bottom up” and you could see the result by looking at the “red and blue” on the maps showing the results between Trump and Clinton.  It makes me wonder if democrats have a clue as to what is really happening.

So, what we now have is a House of Representatives that is almost impossible to vote out of republican control because of their gerrymandering strategies of 2010, (Not only did Clinton win the popular vote by almost 3 MILLION votes, the House routinely is controlled by republicans despite the FACT that democrats get Millions more votes every election cycle – in other words, the leaders of the republican party have much more political savvy than the leaders of the democratic party), but along with that there’s the Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision (along with their decision to “gut” the Voting Rights Act of 1965) that MOST of the people I know – and, they are “educated” – have no idea what it is or what the ramifications of it are, and you have a political party (republican) that clearly believes the “end justifies the means” and they will do anything to retain power.  The end result of all this is Donald Trump as president.  (I believe the “liberal media” needs to take ownership of the FACT most people still don’t even know about “Citizen’s United” and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act)

Today, MSNBC was (FINALLY) taking the “news” that Russian hackers were working to help Trump and hurt Clinton seriously.  Of course, it’s a bit late for them to consider this a newsworthy story because the Russians have succeeded in their attempt to flip the election, but today’s news went a bit farther.  Evidently, there’s evidence that the Russians were much busier than working to flip just the presidential election, but also several congressional elections as well.  Maybe now we know why Donald Trump wants to be “friendly” with Russia, and Vladimir Putin whom he referred to as a “great leader.”  (If you remember, Trump actually encouraged the Russian hacking during the campaign) Yikes!  (This all is further evidence that our “liberal media” is not on the side of “we the people” – in my mind, the people I see on TV are not journalists, but more like actors.  Their focus in on ratings and not factual news)

There’s more.  If you feel a bit uneasy that other countries – in this case Russia – are playing a role in determining our elections through “cyber warfare,” well, think about that Citizen’s United decision I referenced above.  It has turned our election process into a moneyed free for all.  It’s pretty obvious to most Americans that our political process is for sale to the “highest bidders.”  And, when people like the Koch’s can pledge upwards of a BILLION dollars in one two year political cycle those like myself feel like our $25 donations here and there don’t amount to much.  The Citizen’s United decision not only opened the “floodgates” to corporate “investment” in our political process, but it allowed this “investment” to be covert.  Which, in turn means that “we the people” will never know how much of the money that’s flowing into our election process is coming from foreign entities.  I can hear my right wing friend saying,”Well, how do you know that money’s not going to democrats” (he believes since I think the republican party should be “history” I must be a “democrat”) – which is the epitome of a false equivalency and, in my mind, the truth is that it doesn’t matter where the money’s going – it shouldn’t be allowed into the process in the first place.  In 2012 I totally disagreed with Mitt Romney when he defended “Citizen’s United” by saying, “Corporations are people, my friend.”

Corporations consist of people, but they are entities that gain their rights from the people.  The result of the Powell Memo I mentioned above has been the corporate takeover of our government which is, as I’m writing this, bordering on Mussolini type fascism without Trump – and, now we have a president who’s campaign slogan – “Make America Great Again” – mirrored the campaign slogan of a famous fascist politician back in the 30’s – “Make Germany Great Again.”  Most Americans who read this probably think I’m nuts because they get their “education” from a “liberal media” that they believe is giving factual information.  Well, from my perspective, we have outlets like MSNBC – fighting for ratings at whatever cost – who supposedly represent the “liberal” counter to Fox “news,” which is nothing more than GOP TV, continuing to this day propping up Trump as being legitimate.  They gave Trump massive amounts of free airtime, and failed miserably to report on all the “dirty tricks” (from the days of Nixon) republicans were using to swing this election (in cahoots with the Russian government), and now we all have to live with the results – for AT LEAST four years!

Fox “news” and the GOP have been practicing, for as long as I can remember, Joseph Goebbels’ “Big Lie Theory” and I can’t remember one time ANYONE who’s an investigative “reporter” making the connection.  I’ve heard some people questioning the absence of facts from many of the right wing “arguments” (and, from virtually everything Trump says) but no one, at least that I’ve heard, has made a connection to Goebbels (Hitler’s chief of propaganda).  As I looked at the election map, I noticed many of the rural areas that went heavily for Trump get their “news” almost exclusively from Fox – with the help of right wing radio talkers like Rush Limbaugh.  This propaganda scheme has been in the works since the days of Ronald Reagan and the rest of us continue to turn a blind eye to the reality that “we the people” are being brainwashed.  As I look back, this has been going on for as long as I can remember.  In fact, with the advent of the internet, now there is a plethora of “fake news” that people are just wrapping their minds around.  Again, from the perspective of the republican party, “The end justifies the means.”  As Paul Weyrich once said, “I don’t want everyone to vote” – and he added – while talking to a group of “conservatives” – the more people we can keep from voting the better our chances are of winning.

Add to all this the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and you have the formula that republicans used to put an unbelievable man into the office of president.  When we the people, if it ever happens, get the truth about this past election Trump will be viewed in even more disdain than he is today.  When you look at the Russian influence and then, if anyone ever tabulates the numbers of voters who were denied the privilege of voting in states that enacted voter suppression laws after the section 5 of the Voting Rights Act was gutted, Trump’s “legitimacy” will be even further in question.  (And, I haven’t even mentioned the FBI director, James Comey, and his incredible attempt to swing the election – which may have been the final straw against Mrs. Clinton in rust belt states)

As Trump puts together his “team” a couple things are apparent.  First, those of us who said when Trump is talking you know there’s lies coming out of his mouth, aren’t surprised that his cabinet is filled with men from Goldman Sachs and members of the military.  His cabinet is predominantly White and his pick for the Department of Education is a woman who is an opponent of public education.  In fact, he’s putting people in charge of departments across the board who are known to want to close them down.  For example, Rick Perry will be in charge of The Department of Energy which he famously couldn’t remember that he wanted to eliminate during the 2012 primary campaign.  The chaos that is likely in the next four years will be difficult to reverse – it will be interesting to see how Trump’s “base” responds when they realize he’s not only failing to “drain the swamp” he’s making it swampier!  One thing we can count on is that their source for “news” – Fox – will find a way to say the swamp is being drained.

The question I have:  Is there anything resembling investigative reporting sill out there (OK, I know about reporters like Greg Palast – but, if you don’t follow people like Thom Hartman you NEVER hear them) on any outlet that might be considered “main stream?”  When “we the people” wonder how we got to this place where a man who admitted to being a sexual predator has been elected president, the first place to look, in my view, is the so-called “liberal media.”  Our system of government relies on the media to be the “fourth estate” – holding the other branches of government accountable.  Most people in America assume the information they get watching the “news” is factual.  Unfortunately, in my view at least, nothing could be farther from the truth.  My greatest discouragement lies in my belief that MSNBC did more to legitimize Trump than maybe any other “news” outlet.  As I stated during the election – most people understood that Fox is the mouthpiece of the republican party.  If there’s a place where the reality of a Trump presidency SHOULD have been FULLY exposed – it should have been MSNBC.  Instead, they allowed themselves to by played masterfully by Trump – and, unfortunately, I don’t expect that to change going forward.  Once disaster hits they’ll be right on it.  I just don’t see them taking ownership of their role in creating the disaster.

What’s the old saying? “Hope springs eternal” – Well, now, despite losing the election for President of the United States, Donald Trump is the “President Elect” – via the abnormality of the Electoral College he, himself, ridiculed before it allowed him to “win.”  If you remember, we went through this – to a lessor degree – in 2000 and ended up with GW Bush/Dick Cheney.  And, we all now know what that brought us.  Essentially, that is what makes all this all the more interesting to me – as I witness an American electorate desperately searching for something DIFFERENT from what they’ve seen from Washington DC in the past 30+ years.  It really underscores the sophistication of the republican propaganda scheme and the gullibility of the American people – and, it’s becoming clearer, the “liberal media.”

As I’m writing this Trump is 58 days from being inaugurated and we’re seeing an incredible amount of what is predictable about American politics in general and the republican party in particular.  (I may get to my thoughts about the Democrats – but, we’ll see).  The republicans, including those in the “Never Trump” movement, have been stumbling all over themselves to curry favor with their new “standard bearer” – just as I predicted many times – it’s all about the POWER with republicans and has little to do with what is best for “we the people.”  To me, the sad reality of this election is it really exposes the lack of sophistication with America’s voters (and, believe me, I’m not a strong “Hillary” supporter) and our “liberal media’s” connection to the corporate stranglehold more and more people are recognizing is the MAJOR threat to the fundamental values Americans have taken for granted since the days of the New Deal.

What’s really going to be interesting is watching a man who, it appears to me, still doesn’t understand what he’s gotten himself into – and, how the various factions that brought him to this place are bound to react when they realize the level of bloviating Trump spewed at his rallies as he ginned up the WHITE middle class in America that is fearful they are “losing their country.”  Since the election I’ve watched videos of groups affiliated with the KKK being overjoyed that “one of their own” has won the “White House.”  You can imagine how they’ve felt these past 8 years.  And, the White Supremacists who are painting swastikas on buildings they consider part of the “liberal establishment” and doing the “heil Hitler” salute at their rallies are overjoyed.  Trump is trying to disassociate himself overtly (along with coded “hints”) from the so-called “Alt Right” movement – but, the reality is that his chief White House “advisor” Steve Bannon is essentially the mouthpiece of this movement.  I heard Trump today, in an interview with I believe the NY Times, say, “If anyone can show me proof that Steve Bannon is a racist he will be asked to leave the administration.”  Previously, I’ve seen some of Bannon’s quotes – I wonder if there are any “investigative” reporters left in America who will take Trump up on that offer.  I can guarantee you, there are millions of Americans who would feel better if Bannon was asked to leave the administration!  (However, the “Alt Right” – which includes groups like the “Skinheads” would be in instant revolt).

Today, it was announced that Niki Haley, governor of North Carolina – a person who was part of the “Never Trump” movement – was appointed as U.N. Ambassador (opening the way for a right wing Trump supporter to move into the North Carolina governor’s mansion) and, of all people, it’s being rumored that Mitt Romney will be appointed Secretary of State.  Of course, this would only further prove that Romney lacks conviction in anything he says.  These republicans continue to show their “true colors.”

Wall Street is so excited that it is now at new record levels.  The report today was that the “financial sector” is up over 20% in anticipation that Trump will be rolling back the regulations that were put in place after the Bush/Cheney fiasco led to the “Great Recession.”  Well, hold on to your “you know what’s” as we head back toward more financial skulduggery and, who knows, maybe this republican administration can put us into another “Great Depression.”  What’s really interesting to me is that the same “deficit hawks” – who were completely silent during the Bush/Cheney years when Clinton’s $250 per year surplus was turned into what eventually became the $TRILLION per year plus deficits that Obama inherited – AND, complained bitterly during Obama’s term as he brought the deficit down by more than 50% but would do NOTHING to help stimulate the economy in a way that would bring it back to a surplus – are now crawling back under their rocks as another republican administration prepares to balloon the deficits to new record heights.

As I listened to the words of Bannon (who, by the way, equated himself with the devil) as he predicted a stimulus package that makes Obama’s look tiny and compares with what was done in the New Deal I had to wonder – will these republicans actually go for this.  Personally, I’d love to see America’s roads and bridges, her schools, post offices, etc. etc rebuilt.  I’d love it if they did it in a way that shows acknowledgement that we need to transform this nation toward a “green economy.”  But, I have to say, my practical self is very skeptical.  I remember Bush/Cheney engaging in two WARS all on credit.  In fact, they initiated the largest tax cuts in American history while pushing the military spending through the roof (Kind of like Reagan on steroids).  So, is it going to be deja vu all over again?  Except with the caveat that this time there will be TRILLIONS spent on rebuilding our infrastructure (which is definitely needed).  And, where will all the deficit hawks be during all of this?  Will this republican congress that would agree to NOTHING with Obama in the White House change their tune?  Will they take the same approach Dick Cheney took in 2002 when he said, “Reagan prove deficits don’t matter?”  (Evidently, with these people, they only matter when it’s a democrat in the “White House.”

I have to wonder how Trump will respond once all these “happy days” are behind him and he actually is in charge.  I believe he will NEVER  be considered the true president – just as Bush was always understood to be the president because we had a right wing Supreme Court (which, unfortunately, is the worst part of the this election to me).  The court not only anointed Bush, but in the ensuing years – with the help of two of his appointees – the court unleashed unlimited CASH into our election process (which is one of the things all these “conservatives” seem unhappy about – the corruption in Washington DC – it’s just that virtually every person I know who voted for Trump has no idea what Citizens United is – and, of course, who’s responsible for it) AND, they gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  Those two things, in my mind, are the reasons republican control virtually every aspect of our government.  In fact, as I’ve stated before, I don’t trust the results of the election in the states where the most egregious voter suppression laws were enacted – North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.  I believe it is likely that without the voter suppression efforts (and, I also don’t trust the results where they were using electronic voting machines in the states where the voter suppression tactics were in full force) that Hillary Clinton would have carried all of those states.  We’ll likely never know – just as it’s never been common news about the actual results in Florida in the 2000 election.  In America, we just assume everyone is “above board” – despite the reality that we know this is not the case.  I wrote before the election, as Trump was complaining that the “election was rigged” – that the ONLY way he could win was if that was true.

I guess what we’re waiting for now is if Trump will actually try to fulfill all his boisterous campaign promises.  I’ve already heard him say that he’s not going to “prosecute Hillary Clinton” – as if it’s up to him.  (Of course, Obama blocked ALL the impending investigations into the Bush/Cheney regime – which included two men who had admitted to authorizing WAR CRIMES on national TV and saying they’d do it all over again – and, I’ll save my comments on that for another day, other than to say I complained bitterly to Obama about allowing them “off the hook” and pointed out that he was just enabling the next president to do the same thing – which Trump has claimed he’ll do “and far worse.”)  Is Trump actually going to attempt to repeal “Obamacare?”  It would be awesome if it was strengthened and if they could figure out how to reduce the rising cost of medical care – but, will he actually “pull the plug” on the 25 MILLION who now have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.  (personally, I’m in favor of a “single payer” system where if you’re working you’re paying taxes toward some kind of “medicare for all” plan).  Do you think Trump will institute the “public option” so there really is competition in the insurance industry?  (Not likely – it’s the insurance industry that funds the campaigns of enough members of Congress that this will never happen – it’s the “Fox guarding the hen-house” theory of designing a health insurance system)

Of course, in the campaign Trump bloviated to African Americans, “What do you have to lose” by voting for Trump?  Well, it will be interesting when we find out.  Is he really going to rebuild the inner cities and will he do it in a way that improves the lives (and livelihood) of the Black community?  I heard today he was appointing Ben Carson as the head of HUD – despite Carson’s claim that he’s not qualified to lead a government bureaucracy.  Evidently, the FACT that Carson is Black is all that matters in this appointment.  Now, don’t get me wrong, if this is true I will be on the front lines hoping that Carson can lead a change in the inner cities of America that would better the lives of those in the Black community who are struggling.  I’m just going to be totally honest here – I’m very SKEPTICAL.  Trump certainly doesn’t have a history favorable to the plight of the Black Community and his leading advisor is a White Nationalist.  Do you see why I’m skeptical?

As stated above, at some point I’ll write a post aimed at the democrats – I usually save my remarks for the republican party which, in my view, can’t be history fast enough – obviously, it’s going to be around for a while.  One thing we can almost be certain of is that the Democrats won’t provide much opposition to Trump.  If he gets blocked it will be by the deficit hawks I’ve said in this post that I believe will head back under the rocks until the next democrat is trying to fix the disaster we’re all about to experience.  I’ve always maintained that the problem with the democrats is they don’t have the courage of their own convictions.  You already hearing them talking about how they can “work with Trump.”  I don’t know what it’s going to take for them to “get it” – this is  a WAR for the heart and soul of this nation – and, they just got defeated by a known racist, a misogynist, a man who was publicly exposed as a sexual predator, a homophobe, a pathological liar, and a man who has shown little to NO knowledge of how our government works.  They based their campaign on why we shouldn’t vote for Trump instead of why we SHOULD vote for them – it’s like they’ve been caught up in the same fear mongering that has identified the republican party for years – but, it’s like men against boys.

Trump sees no value in facts.  He speaks without thinking.  He’s constantly bloviating and he’s now in a position where his stupidity risks the livelihoods of the rest of us.  When I looked at the maps of the electorate the voted him in, it was like a clear vision of the parts of America where people have no access to information except that which comes from the mouths of the propagandists on Fox “news” along with the right wing blabbers like Limbaugh, Savage, etc.  To call these Americans “low information voters” is complimentary.  When I try to reason with someone who watches Fox it’s an impossibility.  They are almost always convinced they’re “educated” to the “facts.”  Rarely has anyone I’ve talked to who watches and/or listens to that stuff given me a reason to think they “cross check” information to see if it’s true or not.  When I can stomach watching Fox for even a few minutes, I don’t need to look hard to find their disassociation with facts.  Donald Trump is completed disassociated from facts AND he’s a pathological liar.  The first day he takes office he will be violating untold numbers of American laws simply related to his holdings and the undeniable conflicts of interest that can’t be avoided.  The main question I have in my mind at this point is will the Democrats have the courage to hold Trump accountable.  History tells me, don’t hold your breath.

Donald Trump is the epitome of the republican’s ability to win elections using the theory of “the end justifies the means.”  As stated above, we’ll probably never know the shenanigans that went into him pulling this off – but, the republican party now owns Trump and will be defined by him.  He’s trying to be the next Reagan (another master liar and racist) and the republicans seem to be falling in line.  Again, will the Democrats capitulate?  Or, will they fight and stand up for all of us who voted against Trump?  One thing’s for sure.  America’s downward spiral will continue for at least another 4 years!