The other day I may have experienced what bothers me most about the reality of Donald Trump as president.  I was asking a friend of mine, who voted for and supports Trump, about how he felt about the “health care” (Tax cut for the rich) bill and the proposed budget.  He said, “It won’t affect me.”  The cutting of “Meals on wheels,” “it won’t affect me.”  And, a couple more examples, but I’m sure you get the point.  Additionally, the idea that Russia interfered in our election doesn’t bother him” “everyone is doing it.”  The FACT that Trump is turning off our traditional allies and making “nice” with various ruthless dictators around the world doesn’t bother him – or, he doesn’t believe it’s true.  He’s convinced the media is “Fake” and he doesn’t believe anything – apparently, unless it comes from Fox “news” or right wing websites like Breitbart, etc.

This is a good man,  He’s worked hard his entire life and I certainly respect his right to his own opinion.  It’s just that what he believes – and, it goes beyond the above – he’s OK with the cuts to virtually everything people like me believe in, he’d be OK with the total dismantling of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Education Department, OSHA, etc. and, somehow, as a Christian he believes in Trump as a person.  Trust me, I work on him in that regard – I don’t see how anyone who calls themselves a Christian can be a supporter of Trump.  I “get” the “hope” that Neil Gorsuch’s appointment to the Supreme Court will end legalized abortion – there are MILLIONS of republicans who vote republican for that very issue – I believe – but Trump?  To me, this would just be another example of accepting that “the end justifies the means.”

My friend apparently doesn’t believe Trump accused himself of being a sexual predator in the “Access Hollywood” tapes – but, it’s right there for anyone who wants to see/listen to it.  He doesn’t believe the women who came forward to expose Trump for that very behavior – or, the reports that Trump routinely walked through the dressing rooms of the “beauty pageants” he supported while the contestants were changing their clothes – including the “Miss Teen USA” pageant” where it was reported he walked in on 15 – 16 year old girls changing their clothes – some with no clothes on at all (who called it “creepy”).  To me, this behavior is more than creepy!

My friend, and Millions of other Americans, don’t have second thoughts about Trump’s history of racism – and, the FACT he’s associated with and financially supported by leaders of the White Nationalist movement in America.  It doesn’t seem to bother him or them that Trump’s support comes from groups like the skinheads and the KKK.  Either they don’t care, or they support Trump as he pushes the “White” and “authoritarian” agendas around the globe.  He’s turning off our traditional allies that we’ve stood side by side with since WW II – plus, those from the former “Soviet Union” who have since joined NATO.  Trump’s cavalier attitude is raising red flags EVERYWHERE except with his “base” who have been brainwashed to believe he is going to “Make America Great” again – whatever that means.

I mean, I’m having a hard time figuring out how taking health insurance from MILLIONS will make us “great again.”  Also, not sure how another YUGE (Thanks Bernie) tax giveaway to the wealthiest in America will make us “great” again?  (Of course, Trump, himself, will presumably save MILLIONS from his “tax plan.”  I really don’t understand how that FACT doesn’t sink in to those who support him.)  Of course, so far Trump has been unable to get a single thing through Congress – it’s probably Obama’s fault :o) – but, at some point republicans are going to try to put some sort of legislation together – because, it’s reflecting on them as well.  I keep wondering, how long are republicans going to put up with Trump’s incompetence – and, his destruction to what “we the people” have held in importance for the past 50+ years.  How much DAMAGE will Trump be allowed to accomplish before republicans, themselves, say enough already?  The sad reality, to me, is that republicans in Congress believe Trump will sign whatever they might bring him, so the rest, apparently, is OK.

Not only is Trump turning off our traditional allies, but he’s kissing up to a group that I would describe as “strange bedfellows.”  I “get” that the United States still relies on Saudi Arabia for our oil – but, Trump’s giving the Saudi’s access to, what was reported ultimately would be, $350 BILLION worth of sophisticated military hardware in my mind tells the Middle East that the United States is taking sides in this endless war with the Sunnis and Shia.  I really find it interesting the way Trump (and, to be fair, other America leaders) have failed to accept that most of the 9/11 attackers came from Saudi Arabia – and, that they are the money behind Al Qaeda (and, possibly, ISIS).  To me, the “war” between the Sunni’s and Shia is none of our business and, obviously, we should NEVER have invaded Iraq back in 2003.  If you’ve read any of my earlier posts you would know that my biggest “beef” with President Obama was his willingness to “look forward instead of back” regarding all the LIES and the TORTURE associated with the Bush/Cheney regime and their invasion of Iraq.  To me, that let Bush and Cheney (and others) off “scott free” for committing war crimes.  (Over a MILLION people died and MILLIONS were uprooted from their homes)

Donald Trump is further evidence that the system for electing presidents in America is SCREWED UP!  The electoral college has got to go!  Bush was “elected” by the Supreme Court, thanks to some “hanging chad,” the president elect’s brother as governor of the key state where it took the Court to defeat Al Gore, and despite Gore’s winning the so-called – but, apparently meaningless – “popular vote.” And, now we have Trump as the “winner” despite actually LOSING by around 3 MILLION votes – and, acting as if he has a mandate to undermine virtually everything this nation has stood for over the past 70 or so years.  Today I read how Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, stated that, essentially, Europe must fend for itself – the alliance of nations that formed after WW II – NATO – is on unsound footing because of Donald Trump.  If anyone understands the danger of a “White Nationalist” movement, it would be the Germans!

I’ve often pondered on the amount of damage Trump might do before republicans come to their senses and IMPEACH him from office.  Well, the fragmentation of our traditional allies around the world – while, at the same time, sucking up to the dictators – is DANGEROUS territory – but, are republicans even noticing this?  For those of us who can’t even imagine how someone like Trump could become president, this is a difficult position.  I just believe his incompetence will eventually lead to a disaster of major proportions – just not sure from where it will evolve.  I’m thinking that the disaster is most likely to be in the form of an economic downturn that could be far worse than the “Great Recession” Bush/Cheney gave us.  And, of course, republicans gave no help to President Obama as he put together policies to pull us out of that “mess,”  and I’m, for one, not confident they would understand how to pull us out from the next big “mess.”  (Trump claimed he inherited a “mess” – was he not paying attention in 2009?)

However, there’s this military thing that republicans seem to want to exploit.  Somehow, I believe there’s “stuff” going on with our military that is not being reported – we’re all busy trying to figure out if any Americans colluded with the Russians during the last election.  I believe that while our focus is on the Russians there’s a LOT of the damage I worry about that is “flying under the radar.”  I mean, why would anyone want to increase our military spending by “Yuge” amounts and then not do anything with it.  At some point, our “leaders” (I hope) will come to the realization that spending more on our military is actually making us less safe.  We seem to be incapable of visualizing how those in other nations view that.  It’s like the old saying, you push a mouse into a corner and he will strike back.  Additionally, from my perspective, building more bombs is NOT the way to create new jobs!

2018 can’t come soon enough for me (actually, I’m hoping to still be here for election day that year).  However, I have to hope that democrats have learned being anti-Trump isn’t enough to regain control of Congress.  It seems our politicians – across the board – have determined that playing to people’s fears is the way to win.  That’s what terrorism is designed to do – play to people’s fears.  Osama Bin Laden understood how to defeat America – we are undoing ourselves from the inside out – based on FEAR.  That’s got to stop or we will end up destroying all the good that came from the “greatest generation.”  (Those Americans who brought us through the Great Depression and helped win WW II)

So, democrats need to come up with a message.  (personally, I’ve always been an “independent” voter – but, under present circumstances I can’t bring myself to vote for any republican)  My first suggestion would be to start pushing IMMEDIATELY for the so-called PUBLIC OPTION that SHOULD have been part of the ACA.  As republicans are trying to figure out how to dismantle “Obamacare” (The Affordable Care Act) the democrats should be suggesting how to FIX it.  The original bill was very complicated and I’m not pretending to understand where it needs fixing, but – short of implementing a single payer system of health care (ie Medicare for all) the “Public Option” would be a great place to start.  Who knows, maybe even republicans, at this point, would go along.  (OK – I know that’s ridiculous – but, a guy can hope can’t he?)  Democrats need to give voters a reason to vote for them, and the PUBLIC OPTION just might get people’s attention.  Even some of the people who voted for Trump!

Somewhere along the line several “right wing” websites got my email address and they are constantly flooding my inbox with their crazy “stuff.”  Of course, it’s mostly 2nd amendment this and 2nd amendment that, or anti Hillary Clinton “fake news” – as if it’s coming directly from the Kremlin – or it’s preposterous lines of defense for Donald Trump.  I’ve tried to “unsubscribe” – but, evidently, clicking that button only assures them they’re sending their propaganda to a real email address so, every day it’s “delete, delete, delete” and delete some more.  Today’s email from (I believe) “Patriot News” had its leading byline reading something like “Guess who else gave classified information to the Russians, think 43, 44.”

I rarely do anything but delete this garbage, but this one – well, I almost tried to figure out how to respond – but, my better senses took over and I stopped just in time.  The Trump enablers, almost to a “t,” use deflection as a way to justify one stupid blunder after another.  Usually, it’s “Hillary Clinton did this,” or “Hillary Clinton did that,” or “Barack Obama did ………….” – I think you get the point.  In most cases their stupidity is such that I choose to just “delete” and mark it up to some kind of Fox “news,” Rush Limbaugh, NRA conspiracy to keep unsuspecting “conservatives” across America in the dark.  However, some of the “stuff” Trump is doing just can’t continue to be “justified” because someone else did it so it’s OK for Trump.  In the case of sharing classified information, certainly other American presidents have shared classified information – even with the Russians.  Like in most areas, Trump either doesn’t understand the protocol or doesn’t care – neither choice is good.

In this case, Trump shared information of the HIGHEST level of classified labeling WITHOUT getting the approval of the entity (in this case Israel) who provided the intelligence for our nation.  That’s the difference and it’s a YUGE (using Bernie Sander’s adjective) difference!  Had Trump requested permission from the Israeli’s to pass this info to the Russians there would be – as the Trump people like to claim regarding the Russian “investigations” – “no there there.”  That he didn’t do that has led to reports that the Israeli’s (with whom he’s meeting as I’m writing this) were “furious” with Trump’s decision.  Additionally, it’s been reported that the sharing of that information with the Russians has put an Israeli “contact” inside Syria into “jeopardy.”  Should that person (or persons) come to harm, this “story” will “get legs.”  Additional “fallout” from Trump’s decision to share this info with the Russians were reports that other sources of intelligence around the world are considering “clamming up” with regard to America because they don’t trust Trump with the “secrets.”

People in other parts of the world are not stupid – despite the attempts of the right wing media to portray America as the only civilized nation in the world – or something to that affect.  Most of them are “shaking their heads” at what’s going on in the United States.  How on earth did this buffoon get elected president?  (Millions in America are wondering the same thing – that’s why there’s so much interest in the so-called “Russian investigations.”)  The Parliament in Briton held a vote as to whether they would even allow Trump to enter their country.  Trump’s election in America has led to several European countries voting against the white nationalist movement that was gaining steam in Europe before Trump took office (which I consider a plus – the movement is spurred on by white nationalists).  He has put the reality of this movement “front and center” – and, thankfully, most people around the world are rejecting it.  America will REJECT it as soon as “we the people” have the opportunity – which appears will be in the elections of 2018.  At that point in time we’ll find out if democrats have developed a “spine” and if they will do what – should they gain control of Congress – the republicans didn’t do prior to 2018.  (Consider me skeptical – I still remember democrats taking back the House in 2006 and refusing to impeach Bush/Cheney for the illegal TORTURE due to political expediency – I’m really hoping this WON’T be deja vu all over again)

If you can’t figure out what I meant when I somewhat predicted “what republicans didn’t do prior to 2018, here it is:  The republican party could end this nightmare by impeaching Trump.  So far, from what I can tell, there’s just a handful of republicans who are willing to “jump ship.”  They are clearly PROVING what I’ve been saying  for years – it’s all about the POWER with them.  They’re good at obstructing, they’re good at LYING to win elections, they’re smart and sophisticated when it comes to manipulating the political system, they believe the “end justifies the means” and they’re willing to do or say whatever it takes to win elections – BUT there’s one thing they’re very BAD at:  GOVERNING.  Republicans are proving under Trump they have no idea how to make government work.  Their idea of governing is cutting pretty much anything that provides help to someone in need, giving MORE and MORE tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, and SPENDING unlimited amounts on the military to create more (MILITARY) “jobs, jobs, jobs.”  Of course, to justify all this spending, they need to keep us in ENDLESS wars.

Today, Trump’s budget proposal would cut almost $2 TRILLION from “the least of these” and GIVE $7 TRILLION to those who don’t need it – over the next 10 years.  The list of campaign promises Trump will have broken if he could somehow get this budget past the democrats in the Senate seems endless.  Let’s just say Trump is very comfortable with MILLIONS losing health insurance, food stamps, meals on wheels, school lunches, early childhood education, along with the demise of Medicaid, cuts to Medicare, and an surreptitious attack on Social Security.  Corporations that are already HORDING Trillions of dollars in profits from the Obama years will be laughing all the way to the bank.  Trump says “I’m smart,” but then he wonders why so many Americans are already sick of him – he wonders why our country is divided.  Honestly, he doesn’t seem that smart to me.

Here’s a view of how this all would play out from another angle: By the time republicans finish with their budget proposals if they can somehow cram them through Congress while they still have the majority, there’ll be something like 24 t0 30 MILLION Americans without access to health insurance over the next 10 years and an additional 7 to 10 TRILLION dollars added to our national debt.  In the case of the latter, they will either blame President Obama for the debt or they’ll take the line of Dick Cheney during the last republican give away to the wealthy (in 2001 and 2003 with massive tax cuts for the wealthy that, at the time, turned a $250 BILLION surplus into a $300 BILLION deficit – and, that was only because the two wars weren’t reported as part of the deficit) and say, “Ronald Reagan proved deficits don’t matter.”  Obviously, to republicans, deficits only matter when a democrat is in the White House.  (And, I might add, not one republican supported Bill Clinton’s budget which led to the YUGE surplus in the late 1990’s)

And, that doesn’t even look at the damage from the other proposed draconian cuts.  I spent the last half of my working life as a Middle School teacher in a high poverty school.  I could go on and on about the damage the cuts to school lunches, early childhood education, elimination of the support for children’s health, the cuts to Medicaid, the cuts to food stamps, etc. will have on those Americans living under the poverty line.  Honestly it makes me sick thinking there’s enough republicans who believe in “every man/woman for him/herself” – while virtually every one of them are part of the privileged few.  And, the saddest part (maybe the part that makes me the angriest) is that most of these people are in the positions they’re in because of what many refer to the “commons” that they want to undermine.  (and, I haven’t even brought up the environmental stuff, or the assault on regulatory agencies, or all the “science denials.”  The damage from Trump and his republican enablers, as I’ve said numerous times now, could be devastating!

People, including Trump, are talking/complaining about the reality that our nation is “divided.”  And, the truth is they’re correct – at least in pointing it out.  When you get a glimpse at these right wing websites like I’m getting every day in my inbox you can see why the nation is divided.  I believe it goes back to the election of Barack Obama.  What I certainly didn’t understand at that point in time was the underlying level of RACISM that still existed in America.  During my years as a middle school teacher, I was seeing 11 – 12 year old students who seemed to be “color blind.”  I worked for many years as the partner of an (incredible) African American teacher and we used to joke that students would constantly get our names mixed up.  Black or White didn’t seem to matter to them.  Obviously, President Obama was “before his time” as he tried to create an atmosphere where there was just “The United States of America.”  I believe those who clearly opposed him because of the color of his skin (and, Trump would be at the “head of the class” with the so-called “birther” movement) will ultimately garner a shameful place in American history.

America’s “greatness” has nothing to do with Trump’s “Make America Great” movement that is backed by White Nationalists, neo Nazis, members of the KKK, etc.  Whether those “conservatives” who ultimately jumped on Trump’s bandwagon want to admit it or not, they have chosen alignment with the aforementioned groups – and, no matter how this all turns out, they won’t be able to change that.  Some republicans may come to their senses and “jump ship” – but the longer they wait, the more damage Trump will do and they will have to share in the responsibility.   Seriously, when the “Russia thing” finally is fully public knowledge, the republicans supporting Trump will bear some of the responsibility – and, I’m guessing MOST Americans DON’T want Russia (or any other foreign nation) meddling in our elections – any American who would cooperate with something like that would be committing TREASON.  However, no matter the results of the “Russian Investigation” Trump has proven himself unfit to hold the office – he’s already, on several occasion tried to interfere with the investigations, and he’s proven he has no idea what he’s doing as president.

It will be interesting to see where “Patriot News,” Breitbart, and the other right wing sites like them stand if and when this Russia connection becomes irrefutable.  Are they actually wanting a “holy alliance” with Russia?  Of course, Trump has shown admiration for other hard core dictators around the world beside Vladimir Putin like Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.  Just today I was reading about Enes Kanter, a basketball star in the NBA whose country of origin is Turkey.  Kanter is a critic of the Turkey DICTATOR Erdogan who’s responsible for the jailing and/or murder of hundreds of thousands of Turks, and he (Kanter) was recently in Europe promoting his foundation when the Turks canceled his passport and tried to get him returned to Turkey.  He suggests, had they succeeded, that would be the last we ever would have heard of him.  Of course, Trump is a supporter of Erdogan – evidently his crimes against “humanity” just like Putin’s are of no concern to Trump.

As I was reading the article (where Kanter said he wants to become an American citizen) something really interesting caught my eye – this at almost the exact same time I read an article of how Michael Flynn, Trump’s fired National Security advisor, was claiming the “fifth” as he refused to send subpoenaed materials to the Senate Intelligence Committee.  Kanter is a supporter of an exiled Turkish Muslim cleric named Fethullah Gulen who’s stationed in Pennsylvania and is leading the opposition to Erdogan from America.  Interestingly, I believe this is the man Flynn allegedly was conspiring with Turkish officials to kidnap and return to Turkey bypassing America protocol.  Flynn received over half a MILLION dollars in just a few months working on behalf of Erdogan, surreptitiously, in the United States while also working on Trump’s campaign and ultimately from Trump’s cabinet.  And, without reporting as a “foreign agent.”  Yikes!  Does anyone besides me wonder why Trump is such a fan of Michael Flynn?!

We got a good “up front and personal” viewpoint of how the Turks work last week as Erdogan was welcomed into Trump’s White House – to me, almost unbelievable on its face.  Of course, recently, Trump congratulated Erdogan for gaining an even stronger “grip” on Turkey’s society via what many reported as a bogus election, so it was no surprise he invited him to a “state visit.”  What I didn’t hear any Trump commentary on was what happened as Erdogan returned to his hotel after the visit.  There was a small group of protestors outside wherever it was that Erdogan was staying – and, instead of just ignoring them and returning to his suite, Erdogan’s “body guards” violently attacked the protestors and, in one scene that I saw, a couple Erdogan guards were KICKING a protester in the head as he was lying on the ground.  Other guards were wielding billy clubs and smashing people in the heads with the billy clubs.  John McCain suggested the Turkish ambassador should be kicked out of the country.  I didn’t hear anything from Trump.  I believe he admires people like Erdogan and part of his frustration is his lack of ability to respond to protests in like manner.

Honestly, I don’t expect much remorse from “Patriot News” if Trump is found to have conspired with the Russians to influence the election.  A more likely scenario, to me, will be that Trump’s financial dependence on Russian money – and, the possibility that he helped Russians “launder” large sums of money – will become public knowledge – which won’t bother those at “Patriot News” and their brethren either.  Whether or not any of the dealings are “illegal” will be irrelevant to those who think like me – if Trump is “vulnerable” to Russian influence – that is to say, if he’s an unwitting Russian “asset” – he shouldn’t be anywhere close to the “White House.”  I believe the part of the country that “Patriot News” appeals to will blame any negative findings on Obama, Clinton, or “liberals.”  Or, how about the media?  The truth won’t matter to them.

Those pushing sites like “Patriot News” are also those who are encouraging Americans to arm themselves to the “teeth,” they push stocking up on  the type of food rations that would suggest they’re the conspiracy theory people who think the government is the enemy.  These people want the benefits of government, but they don’t want to pay taxes and the only way they participate is to try to tear government down.  They used to be the “fringe” in American politics – but, evidently, the internet has given them a way to push their message on a grand scale – I have no idea how many have “bought into” their philosophy – but, the reality is that Donald Trump is president – so, they are way more than the “fringe” in today’s world.  God help us!

Final Thought:  I’m going to click “unsubscribe” once again, but I’m guessing the link doesn’t work.  Maybe I should keep the emails coming just to keep a sober realization of how the extreme right in America are thinking – and, to help me understand why the “divide” in America is not ending any time soon.

I got an email today forewarning me that Lawrence O’Donnell, the host of “The Last Word” on MSNBC will have his show canceled as of early June.  Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m surprised.  O’Donnell is probably the most knowledgeable cable “news” host there is when it comes to understanding the way our government works.  Also, he “tell it like it is.”  Most of what he predicts actually happens and, for people like me (I guess I’m a liberal), it’s refreshing to listen to someone who doesn’t “beat around the bush” when it comes to the American political scene.  Hopefully, O’Donnell will “land” somewhere and continue to be a voice for those of us who are fighting against the DAMAGE Donald Trump and the republicans who are enabling him can accomplish until “we the people” come to our senses and vote these people (Trump and his enablers) out of office.

I’ve written how MSNBC played a significant role in Trump’s ascension to the “White House” during last year’s campaign.  I had to turn them off because EVERY time I turned them on there was Trump, Trump, Trump.  In all my years of following politics I’ve never seen anything like how they allowed themselves to be “played” by Trump.  I could only guess at the amount of free publicity they gave him – all, in my view, for the purpose of pushing their ratings and generating as much income as possible from the election.  The outcome was irrelevant to them.  Now, many of the “hosts” on MSNBC are still enamored with Trump, but the present agenda is all the “breaking news” regarding the one Trump “foo-pah” after another.  While O’Donnell clearly is on the “never Trump” side the reality is that MSNBC is owned by Comcast.  Our “liberal media” is in the hands of about 9 or 10 “conservative” corporations – and, people like O’Donnell very possibly don’t sit well with whoever is on the board of directors.

Shortly after Comcast purchased NBC (“parent” to MSNBC) Keith Olberman was fired.  Now, I’ve heard many stories about Olberman being difficult to work with, but, to me, the reality was that he was too “liberal.”  I know nothing more about O’Donnell than he’s a very competent host of his program and he definitely seems to me to be a “liberal.”  One of my great fears is that these corporations who own our “liberal media” are, one by one getting rid of the true “liberal” spokespersons.  So, will Rachel Maddow be next?  And, then Chris Hayes?  I can tell you this, the rust belt in America and much of the South, from what I’ve heard are exposed to Fox “news” (which should be called GOP “news”) and right wing talkers like Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, Savage, and the like – and that’s it.  It’s no wonder they voted for Trump and it’s no wonder they’re the people in America who believe Trump’s preposterous claims about our “Fake news.”  (a strategy he took right from the Kremlin)

I’ve seen this coming.  Recently, MSNBC gave a prime time spot to Greta Van Susteren of Fox “news” fame.  I try to listen to her, but she’s clearly not been completely cleansed from the brainwashing that goes on at Fox.  And, the latest “addition” to the MSNBC “news” staff is Nicolle Wallace who was part of the Bush/Cheney administration and worked on John McCain’s staff during the 2008 election.  We, in America, make it seem like we’re the “land of the free” and we criticize other nations who don’t have “freedom of the press,” but, right before our eyes, an incredibly sophisticated propaganda scheme seems to be playing out.  If we get to the point where there’s just one perspective (“conservative” whatever that means these days) then for all intents and purposes you’ll have to look on the internet for anything resembling a “free press.”  And, I can guarantee you, there’s people working to control that venue as well.

Many people (like myself – in my naive way) want to think of MSNBC as the “liberal” alternative to Fox.  If you’re a “liberal” their messaging just sounds better (most of the time).  But, slowly, they seem to be purging the “liberals” from their airwaves and plugging in republicans – even if they’re “moderate” republicans.  Let’s face it – those who comprise the board of directors of Comcast are similar to any other corporate “heads” in America and, it’s all about the bottom line, shareholders are supreme, and their role as the “fourth estate” is seemingly secondary.

We’re in a critical time in American history and people like me are concerned that the foundation of our republic is under assault and “we the people” MUST do whatever we can to stop the Russians, any other country which would attempt to interfere with our “free” elections, and the Trump people who have conspired with the Russians during the last election.  People like O’Donnell have the knowledge to understand what is actually happening to “we the people” and taking him off the air says volumes about Comcast and NBC.  His willingness to “tell it like it is” most likely will be his undoing with the corporate “heads.”

I believe there are members of the staff of MSNBC who understand the role they played in enabling the success of Donald Trump.  The HUGE amount of free airtime they gave Trump – I mean, they played numerous Trump speeches on the campaign trail from start to finish – I’ve never seen anything like that before – helping to give him “legitimacy” in the eyes of who knows how many Americans.  Remember, Trump LOST the popular vote by almost 3 MILLION votes and carried the electoral college by a razor thin margin in several key states.  It didn’t take much to turn several key states from “blue” to “red.”  For example, Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd, who I’ve referenced in frustration many times (saying Matthews should “know better” because he worked for democrats for years as a staffer and speech writer) now, I believe, fully understand the DANGER Trump presents to our nation and, I have to believe they have some level of remorse for their role in enabling him.  Their “tune” has changed now that Trump’s incompetence and arrogant behavior is undeniable and they are no longer “coddling” him, but it will be interesting to see if O’Donnell’s departure affects their messaging going forward.  I’m sure they want to keep their jobs.

Another thing that will be interesting – I just thought of this, I don’t watch much “regular” TV but, Trump, I believe, had a show on NBC – will be if Trump has any “sway” with the people “upstairs” at NBC.  Could he be the reason they’re letting O’Donnell “go?”  Honestly, that wouldn’t surprise me.  Just log into the stock market news (I usually log into “Yahoo Finance”) and you’ll see a very different view of Trump.  From what I can tell, those on Wall Street could care less how Trump got elected.  What they care about is whether or not he can cut their taxes and repeal regulations that were invoked after they almost destroyed the economy in 2007-08.  Just like with the “heads” at Comcast, It’s all about the money.  And, by further reducing the “voices” heard by “we the people” they can more easily continue with their brainwashing “every day Americans” into thinking that by giving Wall Street executives MILLIONS in tax cuts we’re all going to get better jobs.  That foolish nonsense didn’t make sense when Reagan initiated it in the 80’s, it hasn’t made sense since Reagan, and it doesn’t make sense today – but, go figure – republicans are still getting away with it and they, and their benefactors, are “laughing all the way to the bank.”  (The way they get away with it is brainwashing via right wing media – I have to wonder, is MSNBC headed in that direction?)

It’s people like Lawrence O’Donnell who are willing to expose the THEFT of America’s resources taking place in the highest levels of America’s corporate hierarchy and, by extension, via republicans in Congress, which makes him dangerous to them.  If you read this post and you agree, please write to letters@msnbc.com  and state your concerns (I’ve already done so).  You could call 212-664-4444 to share your concern.  Honestly, I wouldn’t want ALL “liberal” voices on the air – I’m fine with others disagreeing with me.  (It’s nice when you can actually dialogue about differences without getting angry)  I just feel that the purging of liberal voices from the airwaves is a conspiracy that goes beyond the bottom line of corporations.

Years ago, in my local market (Portland. Oregon) there was a radio station “on the left side of the dial” that had “progressive talk.”  During one of President Obama’s campaigns, I believe it was the one against Mitt Romney, the station was closed down and replaced by ANOTHER sports talk station.  What was most interesting to me related to the justification based on “ratings.”  Of course, after “ratings” was given as the excuse to why they made the programming change it became public knowledge that the “progressive talk” programming had 8 times the audience of the sports talk programming.  I believe the same can be said for “The Last Word.”  I’m pretty sure, based on what I’ve heard, that the ratings for MSNBC during O’Donnell’s time on the air have gone WAY UP.  Supposedly, there are days when he “beats” Sean Hannity who is in the same time slot at Fox.  That would have been unheard of prior to this year.  So, why would MSNBC cancel a show (“The Last Word”) that’s getting progressively more popular?  I’m going to call that number above and ask that question for myself.

Yesterday I heard (and read) how Donald Trump believes the “Russia investigation” is the greatest “witch hunt of a politician” in American history.  The first thought that came to my mind was what is a “witch hunt?”  So, I “googled” it and this was the answer:

Witch Hunt: “The searching out and deliberate harassment of those (such as political opponents) with unpopular views.”  OK, I “get” that Trump has “unpopular views” – I mean, when you really think about it he’s angered MILLIONS by pushing a “health care” bill that’s really a tax cut and will take health insurance from them (approximately 24 MILLION according to the last estimate I read) and it will damage Medicare and possibly destroy Medicaid; he’s attacking the environment in numerous ways – which would include brazenly opening several “treasured” American “landmarks” to oil drilling; he has a history of racism and misogyny;  he’s “overflowing” the “swamp” instead of “draining” it, and he’s LIED so much that the only people who still believe ANYTHING he says are the ones who watch Fox “news” or listen to the many “conservative” (whatever that word means anymore) “talker” broadcasts that permeate the radio airwaves.  For example, the LYING of Rush Limbaugh has been documented many times over, but the so-called “ditto heads” continue allowing him into their brains.  Limbaugh’s and Fox’s audience make up a significant portion of Trump’s “base.”They probably believe the investigations are a “witch hunt” and Trump has very strategically convinced them the “media” is “Fake news.” (Of course, they believe that Fox is “real news” – it’s the others who are “fake”)

The problem for Trump is there are still “adults in the room” in Washington DC and around the nation.  As one person put it the other day, “If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s very probably a duck.”  The “circumstantial evidence” surrounding Trump and his surrogates during the campaign and during his first four months in office is overwhelming.  It’s NOT  a witch hunt when people KNOW, for example, the Russians “intruded” in our election with the intent to help Trump and hurt Mrs. Clinton.  I could go on about ALL the evidence that would suggest the Trump campaign was “colluding” with the Russians, but whether it’s true or not – it’s IMPERATIVE that “we the people” find out.  You would think that if Trump really was “innocent” and, as he says, wants to get this behind him as soon as possible that he wouldn’t be LYING, his surrogates wouldn’t be LYING, and he’d welcome a non-partisan investigation which is what most people think will happen with the “special counsel” Robert Mueller.

Here’s what to me would actually qualify as a “witch hunt” – as long as Trump brought this up.  Say for example the American people somehow managed to elect a President who descended from an African American – like, say Barack Obama.  Now, picture some person leading a campaign questioning whether or not this person was an actual American citizen and therefore eligible to be president.  For example, say this person would demand a BIRTH CERTIFICATE for this person, evidently because the person was NOT white!  And, picture if this person persisted in this “birtherism” for, maybe, up to FIVE years playing to the dark side of millions of citizens – despite clear evidence (which no “white” president has ever been publicly expected to produce) that this president was born in, say, Hawaii – just to paint a hypothetical scenario.  Even after a birth certificate (that no other president has ever had to produce) was published this person persists in claiming that the president is an “illegal alien” and not eligible to inhabit the “White House.”  Now, if something like that would ever happen – THAT would be a WITCH HUNT!  Based on his comments yesterday, I’m sure Trump would NEVER participate in an actual “witch hunt.”

Donald Trump is the MASTER at projection.  When he accuses someone else of something, his records need to be checked.  I mean, it’s getting a bit ridiculous on all the hypocrisy coming from Mr. Trump and those who surround him.  Just last week Trump revealed sensitive CLASSIFIED information – which, it’s true, he’s the ONLY person who can declassify anything he wants – to, of all people, the Foreign Minister of Russian AND the Russian “ambassador” who is in the middle of much of the collusion “stuff.”  After claiming Hillary Clinton should be “locked up” for using a private email server that “could possibly” compromise “classified” information, well, you probably “get” where I’m going with this one – to me, giving it outright to an adversary is well beyond “Clintonish.”  (Of course, the question then becomes; does Trump consider the Russians as “adversaries?”)

And speaking of “lock her up,” Trump reportedly is continuing his “relationship” with Michael Flynn – to the point of contacting him against the orders of his legal counsel, encouraging Flynn to “stay strong” (think about that one – what do you think Trump means by that?) and suggesting there will be a job in the White House waiting for Flynn once all the investigations are over.  Of course, Flynn’s major objective right now is to avoid a judge or jury saying “lock him up” which could be tricky “water” to “tread.”  I mean, just from what is public knowledge Flynn is going to need a compassionate judge or jury to avoid jail time (or a pardon by Mr. Trump – do you think that thought has anything to do with “stay strong?”).

Then there’s Paul Manafort.  Yikes!  This guy’s also got some serious “issues.”  When I observe what’s going on with Manafort I think that Trump my be the “vehicle” that discourages uber wealthy pontificaters from seeking high public office.  As I’ve said a few time in prior posts, I feel Trump is WAY in over his head in thinking “he’s the only one who can save America” – or that he’s going to “Make America great again.”  It appears Manafort’s monetary dealings with Ukraine and Russia are going to get a “review” that wouldn’t have happened without his participating in the Trump campaign.  To this day I’m guessing NONE of them, Trump included, thought he had any chance of “winning” and now the “ship’s coming in.”  Trump didn’t “vet,” apparently, anyone who came “on board” his campaign.  The fallout from that is going to be severe – for Trump and those who he allowed in and shouldn’t have.

In fact, I’m convinced that even if Trump has no connections to, or had no knowledge of, the collusion with the Russians, other aspects of his “empire” are about to be “investigated” and the likelihood that Trump’s been doing some “naughty” stuff along the way, it seems to me, is likely to be exposed.  Take for example, money laundering.  No, that’s not taking your cash to the laundry and running it through a cycle – that’ working with someone else to HIDE money – where it came from or where it’s going.  Here’s an example that could be possible “money laundering.”  Say someone purchased an estate in Florida, for example, at an enormous price – like something like 45 MILLION dollars – never moved in and then, maybe a year or two later, sold the same property to – maybe – a Russian “oligarch” who’s trying to hide large amounts of money from someone – for 100 MILLION dollars.  Now, I’m not smart enough to put all this together, but I’m guessing if someone did something like that they wouldn’t want, for example, someone like Robert Mueller, checking it out.

“Special Counsels” usually have a very wide latitude for their investigations.  In other words, they follow the “FACTS” wherever they lead.  If you’ve been paying attention to the “Russian investigation” you’ve probably heard that phrase.  That’s exactly why I believe Trump is using the term “witch hunt.”  No matter his involvement in the “Russia thing” I believe the reason he’s been unwilling to release his tax returns is because he doesn’t want ANYONE “snooping” around in his business.  I have a feeling lots of “stuff” is going to come out that has nothing to do with the “collusion” in the campaign.  It may tell a story about Trump’s “connection” to Russia – and, explain why he’s such a fan of Vladimir Putin – I’m guessing there’s a financial “connection.”  Also, there’s other countries around the world where Trump is doing business and I’m sure he wants “we the people” to know NONE of the details of that.  It’s going to get interesting at some point.

So, what Trump calls a “witch hunt” is not likely to end any time soon – and, it will be interesting how this affects the draconian agenda the republicans are attempting to cram through congress.  Trump, yesterday, claimed the “special counsel” is causing a “divide” in our nation.  As I’ve stated here, it’s Trump’s agenda – which the republicans are wholly “on board” with – that is dividing the country.  And, apparently, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.  Republicans will continue to push this right wing “stuff” – democrats will fight them tooth and nail – and it’s likely not much will get done (although, I have to admit, I don’t know how much of the republican “agenda” will require 60 votes in the Senate).   As I stated in my previous post, the “special counsel” will likely give Trump more time before he has to face the reality of all the investigations – so, there could be a lot more damage done to “we the people.”  However, every day republicans put up with Trump is a day closer to 2018 when “we the people” will have the opportunity to correct this problem.

Final Thought:  I’ve said several times that, in Washington DC, Trump’s in “over his head.”  Here’s an example:  Trump thought people would be happy when he fired James Comey.  He claimed Comey was unpopular with the FBI.  He sent Sarah Huckabee Sanders out to claim “numerous FBI agents have thanked us for firing Comey.”  Well, it appears the TRUTH is that Comey was revered in the FBI and he left behind a lot of written memos regarding EVERY interaction he had with Trump.  And, those in the FBI who are unhappy Comey was fired have a lot of “ammunition” to “get” Trump.  Trump’s bullying ways are coming back to haunt him – and, in my view, he’s no match for those in the FBI and intelligence community.  It was foolhardy of Trump to antagonize them prior to and after taking office.  Again, he’s in WAY over his head!

Virtually every time I force myself to listen to Donald Trump speak the word “pontification” comes to my mind.  Today, I decided to look up the meaning so I “googled” the word and the “Urban Dictionary” says this:

Pontification: “The act of speaking out for the purpose of hearing oneself speak.
Posturing…speaking to people that don’t really care what you say one way or another since you’re speaking solely to front yourself as “someone in charge”.
Speech or written communication that is generally pointless except to cast favorable light upon the speaker or author as if the message were a pronouncement from on high.
Usually full of shit.”  Generally, I don’t use that kind of language (the final sentence although, I have to admit, there have been times after hearing Trump speak I’ve thought it) but after reading the definition I understood why that word (pontification) keeps coming to mind.

Yesterday, I heard excerpts of Trump speaking at the commencement of the Coast Guard Academy and, true to form, he was “pontificating” about how he’s the most attacked president, by the media, in the “history of the United States.”  Actually, I’m the same age as Trump so I have had access to the same period of history regarding the “contemporary” part of that comment – and, very probably, have at least as much understanding of American history as Trump.  My first thought coincides with the last sentence in the definition referred to above.  At this point in time, I think for Trump the best way to state it is “you haven’t seen ‘nothin’ yet.'”

For those of us who witnessed the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of Richard Nixon I believe it’s fairly easy to say that the negative reporting (from Trump’s perspective) is in the infant stages.  Yesterday, a “special counsel” was appointed by Rob Rosenstein, he of the now infamous “memo” leading to the firing of James Comey, and from my experience in following politics that appointment did a couple serious “things.”  First, I believe it will give Trump more time in the White House – if, as many believe, he’s legally vulnerable.  The counsel, Robert Mueller, will need time to get a staff, get sufficient funding, and, basically, review all the evidence that is already in the “pipeline” regarding the alleged “Russian collusion” by members of the Trump campaign before he can “start.”  Also, Mueller, most believe, is expert at “keeping the lid” on his work and “we the people” very might have no idea what the result of his investigation will be until it is completed.  One way or the other, this will give Trump time and it means lots of media “drama.”

Now, Trump has repeatedly shown that he’s expert at “shooting himself in the foot” with his random tweeting and foolish comments to the press along with a clear demonstration to all who are paying attention of his incompetence when it comes to governing.  One of my main concerns since the day Trump was elected was how much DAMAGE he would be able to inflict on “we the people” before republicans say “enough already” and remove him from office.  With the special counsel that day very likely has moved farther along on the calendar.  Personally, (I’m just a retired school teacher) I don’t know how the “special counsel” affects the Congressional committees (that have very low “approval” regarding their ability to act fairly) which quite possibly could be the source of information that would lead to an impeachment inquiry.  I believe it’s possible, for example, that Mueller’s investigation could prevent James Comey from testifying in open session before either of the Congressional Intelligence committees (or the other committees who would like to “grill” him) and it could prevent the “so-called” memos Comey was writing each time he encountered conversations with Trump from becoming public.

For example, the alleged memo that states Trump attempted to get Comey to stop the investigation into Michael Flynn, if it’s actually true, could be enough to get Trump impeached.  Most people would consider that “obstruction of justice.”  And, who do you think will be believed, Trump or Comey? Trump, himself, admitted to asking Comey on three different occasions if he was under investigation – once in a setting where Trump said Comey was attempting to keep his job (whatever that meant – if you’ve read many of my posts you know I don’t believe a single word coming from Trump’s mouth).  The reality is that Trump is in pretty deep whether he participated in any collusion or not.  As Richard Nixon found out “the cover up is usually worse than the crime.”  In this instance, if there was a crime, it’s REALLY a bad one, because I believe colluding with the Russians to swing an election would be TREASON.  And, that’s BAD!

Curiously, (and, in my mind, stupidly) Trump continues to support Flynn publicly and today it was reported that a few days ago Trump contacted Flynn to encourage him to “stay strong.”  So far, I haven’t heard anyone having the same reaction I’ve had to that little “tidbit” – but, to me Trump talking to Flynn at all is a HUGE RED FLAG.  Why would he be encouraging Flynn to “stay strong?”  If Flynn is innocent of any wrongdoing (well, we know that’s not true) he should just tell the truth – no problem, right?  I’m guessing there’s some kind of “arrangement” with Flynn to assure him if he gets to the point where anyone’s chanting “lock him up” (as he famously did against Hillary Clinton at the Republican Convention last year) Trump has the authority to “pardon” him.  If you remember the Bush/Cheney administration we had a good example of how the executive can protect those who “take one for the team.”

Scooter Libby was convicted of lying to prosecutors in the case where Valerie Plame, a CIA operative, was “outed” as retribution for her husband telling the truth about uranium and the country of Niger.  To me, there was no way Libby should have been the one “prosecuted” for an offense that could possibly have put many lives of CIA operatives at risk (we’ll likely never know).  I believed then and I still believe the person responsible for “outing” Plame was none other than Vice President Dick Cheney himself.  Of course, Cheney is as sly as they come and, again, Libby “took one for the team.”  GW Bush “commuted” his sentence (instead of pardoning him – which would have been too obvious) and Libby went down as the “good soldier.”  I’m suspecting there’s some kind of arrangement for Flynn via Trump and we’ll never hear the full story from Mr. Flynn – especially if he’s facing the “lock him up” ending to the story.  And, mark my words, if Flynn is found guilty of any crime, Trump will pardon him.  Trump isn’t nearly as subtle as Bush/Cheney – so, I believe it will be a full pardon.  (I mean, why else would they still be having “stay strong” conversations?)

Today, I forced myself to listen to a couple minutes of Trump’s (pontificating) comments after meeting with the President of Colombia.  True to form he was referring to all the “wonderful” things that have been accomplished already in his administration.  “All the jobs with Ford and GM” (as if they actually exist or they’re the result of something he did?), and all the “wonderful” things we’re going to get done.  Massive tax cuts, health care, and massively building up our military.  Essentially, even though I believe democrats can block almost all of his intentions, just listening to him makes my stomach queezy.  Like, “We’re going to enact the greatest tax cut in the history of America.”  Yikes!  (of course, that would include his “health care” bill, which is really one YUGE – in the words of Bernie Sanders _ tax cut)  If he would get his way, the deficit hawks in the republican party would have another $10 TRILLION or more to blame on the next democratic president – and, more than likely a disastrous economic meltdown to blame on President Obama – trust me, they’ll find a way)

Most people are realizing, at this point, that the Russians succeeded beyond – very probably – their wildest dreams in undermining our democratic institutions.  I don’t for a minute believe they thought they’d actually succeed in getting Trump elected – I believe their vision was to drive the divisions in this nation in a way to make another Clinton presidency a failure.  Obviously the Russians have a clear understanding of how insecure Americans are right now.  Republicans have played to the fears of Americans after 9/11 to cause “we the people” to allow government intrusion past the previous boundaries – “in order to keep us safe” –   Trump has adopted the “strategies” of the Russian “oligarchs” – attack the media on one hand and claim the media is putting out “Fake news” – and, then, on the other hand, participate in putting out “fake news.”  The end justifies the means – and, the “end” is POWER.

Every time I hear Trump speak I have to wonder how so many Americans could have been fooled into voting him into office (history will likely say the reason was Hillary Clinton).  I’ve said many times I believe Trump to be the epitome of a narcissist – here’s the meaning:  Narcissism is the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one’s own attributes.  Trump doesn’t need anyone else “patting him on the back” because he’s too busy doing it to himself.  So, it shouldn’t have surprised me when I read the definition of pontification – a word I’d heard used over the years but had never given much thought to – why I think of that word virtually every time I listen to Trump.  It’s like his “point” is ALWAYS to draw favoritism to himself.   There’s an old biblical proverb: “The FOOL is the one who thinks he knows, the WISE man is one who knows he doesn’t know.”  I’ll let you decide how this applies to Trump.  (OK, it could – and does – apply to all of us – very much including me, but we’re not president)

As Trump’s presidency has progressed I’ve noticed he appears angrier and angrier each and every time I see him.  His face seems to always have at best a stern look and at worst it’s bright red as if he’s ready to bite someone’s face off.  The rumors of what it’s like inside the White House tell of yelling and cursing at his aides and you can see the tension on their faces every time they face a camera.  There seems to be no joy.  Except for ONE time!  Last week, at the urging of Vladimir Putin, Trump welcomed a couple Russian diplomats, one being the “Ambassador” (spy) that had secret meetings that were LIED about by several Trump surrogates, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Attorney General Sessions, and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, and the other being the  Russian Foreign Minister who actually joked about FBI director Comey’s firing as he entered the “Oval Office.”

True to form, there were no American press representatives in the meeting, so it probably seemed likely to Trump that nothing would come of it – like maybe no one would even know the meeting took place (one day after Trump admitted to FIRING Jim Comey because of the Russian investigation).  What was originally the hardest part of all this for me to process was that the only way “we the people” found out about the meeting was through the Russian News Agency TASS.  On their website were numerous photos of Trump, the Ambassador, and the Foreign Minister evidently having a wonderful time.  It took a while to dawn on me, but that was the first time I could remember seeing Trump with a broad smile on his face since his early days in office.  Obviously, the “optics” came across as Trump being in friendly company.  On the heels of the Russian interference in our election and the investigations into the Trump campaign’s possible collusion this did not make things look better for Trump.

At the time, to me, it was simply another example of the arrogance of Trump as if he can do whatever he chooses and he’ll be given a “free pass.”  It appears to me Trump believes the republicans are either afraid to “check” him or he foolishly believes they’re in “accord” with him.  As I’ve said many times since the election, I believe republicans will “put up” with Trump only as long as he’s not endangering their own positions – which is getting REALLY close as I’m writing this.  Depending on how “deep” the trouble is, I believe republicans may already be close to the end of the “plank.”  Trump was all smiles in his dealings with the two Russians, but I don’t for a minute believe there’s many in his “base” who will continue “smiling” with him if the evidence turns “south” on these investigations.  I can’t imagine Americans being OK with political leaders committing treasonous acts – and, at some point, even the republicans in Congress are going to have to face the reality of Trump’s folly.

Even if Trump is totally innocent of any collusion with the Russians during the election, his incompetence is putting America in a very vulnerable situation.  There is nothing remotely funny about all this.  And, while republicans are deciding how long to put up with Trump’s nonsense, “we the people” are watching his surrogates undermine their own credibility by CONSTANTLY LYING to the American people.  It’s as if they don’t understand “we the people” want to know what’s going on with our government and we want our government functioning efficiently. The other day I watched deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders essentially lashing out at the press corps with a stern angry face – all they while she was damaging herself by attempting to defend Trump’s (and hers and the others) LYING.  Trump and his “team” are near the point where they’ve lost ALL credibility.

One of the reasons Trump’s in the White House is the frustration – misplaced as it was – with so many Americans at the dysfunction in Washington DC.  However, right wing media outlets successfully put the blame on President Obama for all the OBSTRUCTION that was the publicly stated strategy of Mitch McConnell and the republicans in the House.  McConnell was filibustering anything coming from Obama’s White House and republicans in the House were not only blocking Obama’s agenda, but they were busy working to undermine Hillary Clinton for several years before the 2016 campaign.  Unbeknownst to them (I’m sure) they were working in concert with the Russians on that “front.”  As we look back, there was some really bizarre behavior by Trump and his surrogates during the campaign that is coming back to “haunt” them.  A couple examples off the top of my head:  Mike Flynn leading the “lock her up” chant and Trump calling Mrs.Clinton “Crooked Hillary.”  The topper may end up being Trump continually accusing Mrs. Clinton of being unfit for office because of allegedly (and carelessly) compromising “classified information.”  I personally heard him on that one several times.

So, speaking of carelessly leaking “classified information,” every day there seems to be another revelation about Trump that just makes me shake my head and wonder how long is this charade going to continue?  Today, it was the report that during the aforementioned meeting in the White House with the two Russians, Trump, himself, leaked Classified information of the highest order – and, to the Russians yet.  Had anyone else done this it would be a criminal offense, but since the president can de-classify anything he/she wants he’ll get away with another absurd FOLLY.  However, the fact he can’t be legally held responsible for leaking Classified information, he’s potentially harmed the nation’s security in, to this point, undetermined levels.  The reports state that this information was sensitive enough that our “allies” (who are actually watching all this – maybe closer than many Americans) may decide to refrain from passing information to American intelligence out of fear that Trump will pass it on to our adversaries (this information apparently came from strategically placed allies who may now be able to be uncovered by the Russians).  To me, whether Trump did this unknowingly (some reports suggest he was bragging) or not is irrelevant.   He’s the president and it’s becoming clear that none of us, republicans, democrats, independents, libertarians, and you name it are “safer” with Trump in the White House.  The question in my mind:  “Is he a buffoon or a turncoat?”

Virtually no one believes anything that is said by Trump or any of his surrogates – they’ve all proven a willingness to LIE for this president – and, there’s going to be a time, probably sooner rather than later, when a REAL crisis will emerge and America is going to be extremely vulnerable and no one will believe a word coming from Trump’s or his minion’s mouths.  For heaven’s sake: Trump is the “Commander in Chief” – process that for a few minutes.  It’s SCARY.  The man not only doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s irrational, he’s narcissistic beyond imagination, and he’s a pathological liar – which means he actually believes his own lies as the words are spewing out of his mouth.  You can tell watching him speak – he’s making things up as he goes – and, afterward he tries to twist reality in a futile attempt to make the latest LIE not be a LIE.  That’s how classic LIARS work and he’s a danger to “we the people.”  Come on republicans, do the right thing!  AT this point the “secret’s out” – so, republicans are now complicit if they don’t stop this man from doing more damage to our country.

Unfortunately, Mike Pense has been compromised because he’s been caught LYING for the Trump cause on several occasions.  And, the way Pense LIES shows a man with a strong lack of character – and he’s next in line!  Yikes!  After Pense, in the “chain of command” comes Paul Ryan – another incredible LIAR.  I’ve watched him carefully as he attempts to hide a HUGE tax cut for the wealthiest Americans inside a “health care bill” that robs MILLIONS of Americans from access to health insurance and his willingness to LIE is also alarming.  I know most people say “all politicians lie” – but, this year it’s gotten to the ridiculous stage.  President Obama, no doubt, spun issues – but, for the most part, he told it like it was.  Even George W Bush is looking much better to me (minus Dick Cheney).  The Russians succeeded in undermining our “democracy” (it’s actually a republic) and the turmoil we’re dealing with is likely to be putting smiles on Vladimir Putin’s face and it could last at least until 2020.  It’s just that if Trump is allowed to continue “flipping off” our constitution the damage could become almost irreparable.  This could get a lot worse in a HURRY.

There’s NO WAY the Justice department, under the direction of Jeff Sessions and Rob Rosenstein can lead what’s left of the investigation into the Russian interference in our election and Trump’s connection to it and have any semblance of support from the America people.  There needs to be a “special prosecutor” who has the resources to bring all of the investigations to a close – and it needs to get started forthwith.  Also, as much of the investigation that can be done in public needs to be done in public.  This is a potential crossroads in American history.  Regardless of how any investigation turns out (and, hopefully, there was no collusion – although the circumstantial evidence that’s been made public to this point would suggest otherwise) the reality is that we have a president who is not able to do the job.  America can not endure four more years of this – the man doesn’t appear to have learned ONE thing since the first day he took office – and, it’s on the republicans to do something about it.  They wanted the majorities – you know, their “permanent republican majority” as Karl Rove called it – well, now they have it and it’s on them to act in a way that puts this nation’s interests above their party.

When all is said and done on this low-point in American history “we the people” have to hope that our “leaders” do, what at this point in time seems impossible, but as the saying goes “turn a lemon into lemonade.”  It’s time for the partisan infighting to come to an end and it’s time for the needs of the American people to supersede the wishes of the Corporate donors who’ve flooded Washington DC with TRILLIONS of dollars designed to create an atmosphere where the American people are fighting over “wedge issues” while the wealthy elite are plundering even more of he wealth of our inheritance – ie this nation.  If that requires republicans who are supporting the anti New Deal push of the last 35 years to be voted out then so be it.  But, ideally, this episode with Trump will cause many in Washington to realize their jobs are to do what’s right for the American people and that they don’t work for those who have the dollars to fund their re-election bids.  And, it would require democrats who understand that they, too, represent “we the people,” and NO ONE should be disqualified because of a difference in fundamental belief – ie the abortion issue.

I have breakfast almost every week with a friend of mine who (foolishly :o) voted for Trump and a person who sees the world entirely different than myself.  However, we first off realize there’s a “higher power” than us and all of this (to us it’s Jesus) and secondly we understand we can see things differently and still have great and productive discussions about the “issues of the day.”  I often call him a “whack job” and he simply calls me a “liberal” (which, evidently in “conservative” circles is worst than a “whack job” :o).  But, we do it in love and we can laugh at each other while we’re doing it.  Often, we long for the day when our “leaders” can come to the same place – where the different views are OK and the search for solutions lies somewhere in the “middle.”  Many in Washington DC, especially on the “right,” see “compromise” as a “dirty word.”  That’s bad.  Until we in America can get back to a place where our nation is once again a “we” society, this partisan “bickering” will continue.  People around the world are watching and the “terrorists” and the Russians are using our own insecurities to destabilize our government.

Final thought: As many have said over the years, the only way America can be defeated is from within.  Let’s hope our Congress realizes this before it’s too late!

If you’re reading this and you don’t understand that the reason Donald Trump fired Jim Comey, the director of the FBI, was because he (Trump) wants to impede – in fact, STOP – the investigation into the Russian interference with our election, you need to listen to the interview Trump (curiously) gave to Lester Holt of NBC a day or so after the firing.  In the interview, Trump essentially admitted to doing just that.  In my previous post I pointed out my contention that when Comey said he was “slightly nauseous thinking his actions 11 days prior to the 2016 election may have impacted the election” – meaning, in Trump’s eyes, it makes Comey sick to his stomach thinking he may be the reason this narcissistic, lying racist is president – was the final “trigger” for Trump.  I believe, at that point, Trump realized Comey was going to do him no favors in the investigation and very likely would “follow the evidence wherever it leads.”  Trump is smart enough to know that’s a bad deal for him.

Now the question becomes, “will Trump get away with it?”  And, sadly, the answer to that question may lie almost totally in the hands of the republicans – all of whom took an oath to “defend the constitution” when they accepted the responsibility of their office – but, I’m certainly not one who fails to see the level of CORRUPTION in Washington DC with all the money flowing into the “coffers” of our “representatives.”  I’ve mentioned several times on this site that I believe Trump will last only as long as it seems expedient to the republican leadership in Congress – because, their number one goal is to win reelection again and again.  The situation in the House should get real interesting if Trump is allowed to continue this disastrous course because they ALL will face the voters in 2018.  I’m guessing the 2018 election could be a landslide of historic proportions if Trump is allowed to continue his arrogant disregard for “we the people.”

The last poll I heard said Trump is now down to 36% approval which is EXTREMELY low for a president in his first 3 months in office.  If he continues to “tank” in the polls these republicans will be fighting to save their own “skins” before too long.  But, we have to wonder what actually will it take to get their attention.  Think of all the votes they’ve taken over the years where they disregard enormous consensus among the American people – and, then successfully BLAME the democrats (over the past 8 years it was always President Obama’s fault – they can’t blame him now – well, actually, they’re still doing it, but more and more Americans are seeing the absurdity in that strategy – FINALLY) – for example, had the “public option” passed in the “Affordable Care Act” (ACA) we wouldn’t be having the issue today with the “health care crisis.”  That, in itself, would have helped to solve many of the problems facing our health care system and it would have put us MUCH CLOSER to a “single payer” system which is the real solution to the problem.  Republicans have been blocking that idea since the end of WW II and are likely to continue doing so because of the aforementioned CORRUPTION (money) flowing into the nation’s capital.  But, I digress.

Trump spent five years claiming President Obama was an illegal alien – that wasn’t enough to disqualify him in the minds of his “base” – despite the absurdity (unless you’re a total racist) of the “claim.”  Most Americans saw first hand as Trump, himself, admitted to sexual predator behavior in the “Access Hollywood Tapes” – behavior that has had numerous confirmations from various women – including teenagers from the Junior Miss America pageant – and, in the minds of republicans and his “base” that didn’t disqualify him (despite the CLAIM of those in his base that they’re the “moral majority” or the party of “family values” – Trump, this weekend actually gave the commencement address at Liberty University – a right wing Christian University – is it any wonder why so many “millennial’s” are turning away from Christianity?)

Trump ORDERED his press secretary to make an absurd LIE about the size of the crowd at his inauguration – to most I know in his base – no big deal, “all politicians lie.”  He fabricated another “whopper” about 3 – 5 ILLEGAL aliens ALL voting for Hillary Clinton as the reason he LOST the popular vote by 3 MILLION votes – that didn’t seem to bother his “base” (and, I’m not talking about the FACT he LOST the popular vote – the LYING didn’t [and doesn’t] seem to bother them at all – including the republicans in Congress).  Trump has lied so many times that it’s hard to keep up with all of them and I’m absolutely CERTAIN that we don’t even know about many of the LIES.  For example, I don’t believe for a minute that Mike Flynn was negotiating about “sanctions” with the Russian “ambassador” without Trump’s knowledge.  That’s a LIE we’re still to “learn” about.  I don’t believe Flynn lied to Vice President Pense either – despite that being the “reason” he was fired.  I believe Flynn was following orders when he met with the “Ambassador” and he’s “taking one for the team” after being “outed.”  If you haven’t noticed, Trump continues supporting Flynn despite ALL the evidence implying the FBI should “lock him up.”  Do you think Trump doesn’t want Flynn to “tell his story?”

You would surmise Flynn would know he’d be “taped” by the NSA in any discussions with Russian “Ambassadors” (they’re almost always spies – and, by the way, Trump let this same guy – spy – into the Oval Office recently with an entourage of Russian journalists who some say could have “bugged” the “Oval Office”) but it’s likely something Trump would have “missed.”  Regarding allowing the Russians into the White House just a day or so after firing Comey was also “bad optics.”  But, apparently, Trump is going to have to either be caught “red handed” in the collusion investigation or just get REALLY REALLY stupid before his republican cohorts in Congress notice that he’s really messing up this country.  Obviously, the whole Russian scandal isn’t enough to get republicans in Congress to take notice and Trump continues to get support from his “base” – although the support is weakening.  I’m not sure how low it will have to get before Congressional republicans take notice.  Again, my belief is they’ll put up with this absurd nonsense until their own jobs are in jeopardy.  (A similar scenario occurred in the Bush/Cheney era as Iraq was invaded using a “credit card” pushing the national debt skyward and “conservatives” looked the other way)

I could go on and on about the LYING and how it hasn’t seemed to affect a significant portion of Trump’s “base.”  I believe Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan continue to hold out hope they can CRAM as much of their cold hearted agenda through Congress as possible and they believe, and I think they’re absolutely correct, that Trump will sign ANYTHING with the thought he will be able to “claim victory” – even if he has NO IDEA what he’s signing – like with the TAX CUT disguised as a “health care” bill recently crammed through the House.  The “health care” part of that bill was irrelevant to Ryan and the republicans who wanted to repeal the ACA – how do I know this? – well, they passed the bill with no idea of the costs or effect of the bill from the CBO (which is HIGHLY unusual) – because, the one thing they’re clear on with the bill is that it will FUNNEL about $800 BILLION into the “coffers” of all those wealthy Americans (the top 2% plus corporations) who’ve been “investing” in them.  Just like real estate is all about “location, location, location,” republican politics is all about “tax cuts for the wealthy, tax cuts ……… hopefully, you get the idea.

My point here is that I’m not sure how bad it has to get before republicans in Congress take notice and do the right thing – which is to send Trump back to the real estate business.  Actually, if the investigations get far enough and the “collusion” is as bad as it appears it might be, there may be enough impetus to do some serious investigations into Trump’s “world” and, from my vantage point, it appears Trump could have some serious liabilities out there.  For example, there’s the house he purchased in Florida for $45 MILLION (yes, that’s a lot, especially when you’re not going to move into it) and then sold to a “Russian Oligarch” (who didn’t move into it) for $100 MILLION a year or so later.  What’s the saying? “Nice work if you can get it.”  Well, there are laws about money laundering and that one certainly looks a bit suspicious to me.  Also, this Russian “investigation” could lead to inquiries into where Trump gets his money which could be a bit awkward considering the reports about much of it coming from Russian “oligarchs” or Russian controlled banks – and, the connection with those Russians who were actively “hacking” the DNC in the election and trying to undermine the process.  Additionally, I’m guessing there’s good reason Trump doesn’t want to reveal his tax returns.

If the dots get connected it won’t really matter what Trump’s base thinks at that point – I mean, back in the days of Watergate, there were still many Nixon supporters when he resigned – there does become a point of “no return” in these things – and, I’m certainly going to do my part, if that happens, to point out that republicans in Congress seem way to comfortable with the possibilities here and are accepting of a lot of Trump’s “stuff” that if it was coming from Clinton or Obama I can only imagine their outrage.  I’m not one to suggest that democrats are innocent of hypocrisy, but compared to the republicans it’s “boys against men.”  The hypocrisy of these republicans is historic.  I believe history will suggest Trump’s presidency as almost unbelievable – despite the Russian interference and the Comey letter – which likely swung the election – because of the willingness of republicans to look beyond the reality of Trump’s personal history and behavior and how it says VOLUMES about the sincerity of their “moral positions.”  (I actually have a friend who said he voted for Trump because of “morality”)  Honestly, (I’m a – liberal, I guess – Christian) It’s  EXTREMELY hard for me to believe Trump would be invited to Liberty University to give the commencement address.  To me, that’s not a good “witness.”

What is going to be the reaction when Trump nominates a political partisan as the director of the FBI with the clear understanding they will put an end to the “Russian investigation” – which, from all accounts, was “ramping up” (Comey requesting additional resources) just prior to Trump’s firing him.  And, with Jeff Sessions and Rob Rosenstein leading the Justice Department I’m sure I’m not the only American feeling as if Trump could possibly pull off squelching the investigations.  Trump is not very subtle about his leanings toward authoritarian tendencies – he doesn’t like the “checks and balances” in the constitution, he’s busy convincing his “base” that the actual media is “FAKE,” while he’s pushing the narrative that Fox is actually “news” and he uses outlets such as Brietbart and the Enquirer as actual “news.”  What’s interesting to me is that the Russians are the experts at creating “fake news” and they did a lot of it during the 2016 campaign – now Trump has “hijacked” the idea and labeled those who are investigating him as “FAKE NEWS” – and, many of his “base” are “buying” it.  There’s a good reason why those who listen to Rush Limbaugh (a Trump supporter) are called “ditto heads” – I’ll let you figure that one out for yourself.

Personally, I want to know the FACTS about whatever involvement the Trump campaign had in the Russian interference into our election.  I’m concerned that republicans will be complacent in blocking the investigation – they confirmed Jeff Sessions, who has a history of racism, as Attorney General who – despite “recusing” himself from the investigation, supposedly urged Trump to fire Comey and he’ll likely “get away” with that one.  Assistant Attorney General Rosenstein has been compromised by his actions in the Comey firing and he’s the person who would have to appoint a “special prosecutor” – and, he’s unlikely to do so.  It’s been reported that John Cornyn might be the president’s choice to replace Comey – and, Cornyn is a partisan political “hack” who could conceivably stop the investigation.  At some point republicans are going to have to decide if they will put country before party.  Trump clearly fired Comey in an attempt to BLOCK the investigation – if he gets away with this – it’s on the republicans in Congress.  I’ve said this before:  2018 can’t come soon enough for me.  (Then we’ll have to find out if the democrats have the courage to do what republicans can’t bring themselves to do)

Back when I was teaching (Middle School) we had a sign on the wall that said: “Tell the Truth, there’s less to remember.”  Someone should send that sign to Trump’s “White House” and hope that the message it portrays would sink in.  That would help prevent the fiasco that has transpired as Trump’s surrogates have attempted to defend the indefensible regarding the reasoning behind Trump’s firing of James Comey.  Vice President Pense (on many occasions) was quoted as saying Trump fired Comey based on the recommendation of the Assistant Attorney General Rosenstein, Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer (who LIES virtually every day for Trump) said the same thing in response to questions from reporters as did advisor Kellyanne Conway and assistant press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders (who, today, said she didn’t see why people considered it a problem today when Trump, essentially, “cut off their knees” by saying he had already decided to fire Comey before meeting with Rosenstein).

This is normal with today’s White House.  We have a president who’s a pathological LIAR and continues to verify that “diagnosis” (obviously, I’m just a retired teacher – but when you’ve spent most of your life dealing with “Middle Schoolers” you learn how to identify LIARS).  Now, as Comey himself today verified, the director of the FBI serves at the pleasure of the President and Trump had every right to fire him.  The problem arose from the way it was done, the timing, and the LYING intended to justify – and deflect from the truth – the real reason Comey was fired.  (Not to mention Trump’s attempt to destroy Comey’s character in an interview he [foolishly] granted to Lester Holt where he essentially admitted to obstructing justice) I watched today as pundit after pundit tried to figure out the real reason why Trump actually fired Comey and most, in my opinion, missed it.  They did make the connection to Trump’s frustration that the “Russia investigation” is getting dangerously close but I believe Comey said something during testimony last week to the Senate Judiciary Committee that was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” for Trump.  Remember, you read it here first! :o)

During the testimony Comey was asked about his decision to “re-open” the Clinton email investigation just 11 days prior to the election which violated all FBI protocol and, by most sources, is the reason Trump is sitting in the White House. Comey’s response to that question, I believe, is why he’s no longer the head of the FBI.  He said, “I feel slightly nauseous that the decision I made could have had an impact on the election” – or words to that affect.  I can only imagine sitting next to Trump as he watched his FBI director say he felt “nauseous” because he may be the reason Trump is president.  Now, keep in mind, Trump is the closest thing to a classic NARCISSIST that I’ve ever seen.  I have no doubt that would be interpreted by Trump as the ultimate “slam.”  It’s been reported that Trump tried to get a “loyalty pledge” from Comey and, instead, got a promise of honesty.  Put those two things together along with the advancing FBI investigation (just last week Comey was asking for more resources to allow the FBI to ramp up the investigation) and you have the real reason Comey was fired.

Trump may be a good real estate person, but he’s in way over his head in the political arena – which he clearly demonstrated during this latest fiasco. (It seems everything he touches has fiasco written all over it) In his letter to Comey, letting him know he was fired, Trump did the unthinkable – as if he’s got no advisors giving him sensible advice (I mean, I would have counseled him against this one) – he said something like thanking Comey for telling him three times that he was not under investigation in the Russian investigation.  What???!!  Are you kidding me?  I would know better than to do that.  Aside from the FACT he shouldn’t be asking Comey if he’s “under investigation” (I don’t believe Comey told him that he wasn’t – I mean it makes me uncomfortable writing this knowing my president is this foolish) I believe he’s created ANOTHER opportunity for republicans to end this nightmare – from most accounts simply asking Comey if he’s “under investigation” is potentially “obstruction of justice.”

Trump himself said that during a dinner meeting with Comey where Comey was saying he wanted to remain as the director of the FBI he asked Comey if he was “under investigation?”  Now, put yourself in Comey’s shoes.  If you were lobbying to keep your job and your boss asked you a question like that – well, I’m hoping Comey didn’t simply say “yes.”  I’m sure we’ll eventually find out – but, from all accounts, whether you like Comey or not (and, I’ve certainly expressed my displeasure in his interference in the 2016 election – he’s going to get an uncertain, at this time, place in history over helping put Trump into the presidency and now getting fired just as the Russian investigation is “heating up”) he is regarded by almost everyone I’ve listened to who knows  him or works with him as an honest up front type of person.  I still remember him, during the Bush/Cheney years, making a stand against the use of illegal wiretapping by the Bush/Cheney administration. (At that point in time I definitely admired him)  I believe Trump is compounding his mistake by characterizing Comey as a “grandstanding showboat.”  Most people refer to him as being more like a boy scout.  This is not going to end well for Trump.

The reality that needs to sink in at the White House is that if, as they say, there’s no “there there,” they should STOP the LYING and pontificating.  Mike Pense, who I’m not the only person who thinks he’s likely the “next president” needs to stop the constant LYING for Trump who would clearly throw anyone “under the bus” – based on my interpretation of listening to his comments during the Holt interview – if that’s what it would take to save his skin.  While Trump was demeaning Comey’s character he was still defending Mike Flynn – who’s very possibly hearing the chant “lock him up” in the not too distant future. I believe Trump is still defending Flynn because he doesn’t want Flynn angry enough with him to “spill the beans.”  If, after Flynn gets whatever he’s going to “get,” regarding the problems he has with taking money illegally from foreign interests without permission from the Defense department and then not reporting it on various national security forms and not registering as a foreign agent, if Trump pardons him we know why there’s the “sweet talk” now.

But, Trump had no second thoughts about undermining Pense and the other White House surrogates who were sent out to give a false reason for Comey’s firing. Yesterday I listened in near disgust as Ms. Sanders – who I had never seen before – was a bit combative as she basically seemed incredulous that the press corp was expecting HONESTY from Trump’s spokespersons.  Trump and his minions are, every day, showing the authoritarian tendencies that put many Americans (including me) off.  I’m sure that today they will be acting as if nothing happened and will be complaining that none of the “good” is getting reported.  The solution to that problem is For Trump to show his taxes and encourage an independent investigation into the Russia issue.  If there’s “nothing there” he should act as if there’s “nothing there” and ease people’s minds.  Most Americans DON’T want politicians or their surrogates colluding with foreign governments to interfere in our elections – with Russia being at or near the top of the list.

Trump actually acted as if he still doesn’t understand this investigation into Russian interference is REAL and, at the very minimum, several of his surrogates are in jeopardy not to mention his own role – whatever it may have been.  I keep thinking back to the Republican National Convention where Trump’s surrogates made only one change to the platform – and, it had to do with undermining support for Ukraine and reducing opposition to Putin’s interests in Ukraine.  I heard an interview where Trump himself said he was OK with that change.  Certainly made me wonder at the time, why?  Well, since that time, the “wonder” has grown considerably.  I believe if Trump really has nothing to worry about (as mentioned above) he’d be encouraging an independent investigation and he’d be showing his tax returns to make sure we all know, one way or another, whether he’s got financial ties to Russia.  One thing I’ve learned through all this is the sophistication of the Russians as they turn people, unsuspecting in many instances, into “assets.”  I keep thinking about the so-called “dossier” that was published by Buzzfeed and wondering how much of that will ultimately be corroborated.

I listened to Steve Schmidt the other night, who is a leading republican consultant and who, it appears to me, is one of the few (republicans) who actually “tell it like it is” – even though I don’t always agree with his conclusions – challenging republicans in Congress to face up to the reality that they are the ones responsible for “fixing” this problem.  He. like me, is TIRED of all the LYING and he realizes the long term damage that is being done to the “republican brand” because of Trump’s incompetence.  As he said, “the world is watching.”  This all would be embarrassing if it weren’t so serious.  We’re getting to the point where NO ONE believes anything coming out of Trump’s mouth and where virtually all those whose job is reporting to the American people about the actions of the White House are questioning the words of Trump’s surrogates.  I’m convinced that KellyAnne Conway is not seen much on TV as one of Trump’s advisors is because people just tired of her CONSTANT lying.  If Pense does assume the role of President, he needs to remember that All of his LIES are being safely stored in data bases that will be used to question his veracity in the future.  It’s one thing to be loyal – it’s quite another to continue LYING to the American people.  It’s time for Pense to start making sure what he says in public is going to be backed up by Trump.

Trump is about to leave on a trip over seas and I’m worried that he’s going to embarrass himself and “we the people” who somehow allowed him to gain this position.  To me, this (foreign policy) is where Trump’s presidency gets really dangerous.  He has proven time and again that he does not understand government, he doesn’t understand American history, he doesn’t understand world events, and he has a propensity to coddle dictators. He’s never said a bad word about Vladimir Putin (and, astonishingly, right in the middle of the Comey fiasco, he met with the very Russian “ambassador” in the “middle” of the Russian controversy – apparently at the suggestion of Putin himself – with Russian journalists present and not American.  I could write a post on that one alone.), he’s complimented Duterte of the Philippines and invited him to the White House, and he met in the White House with the president of Egypt, and called Kim Jong Un a “smart cookie.”  Actually, I’d be OK with all of that had Trump not been rude to the Chancellor of Germany and leaders of other countries allied with the US or had he not seemed to be endorsing Putin’s candidate in the French elections.  Republican presidents are confusing to me: Bush had a thing with pushing democracy everywhere, Trump seems almost the opposite.  As Mr. Schmidt said the other night, “the world is watching.”

He’s still claiming that “If the Russians interfered in our election I want to know about it.”  This is over 6 MONTHS since it became the UNIVERSAL conclusion of all 17 facets of our intelligence community.  The heads of each of those departments testified as such to Congress – I remember them being asked if Russia interfered with the election with the intention of helping Trump and hurting Clinton – one by one the each answered “yes.”  That was months ago – and, Trump is still wondering if it was Russia? (or maybe China, or who knows?) The man is not credible.  In fact, after listening to him yesterday in the interview with Holt I came away thinking he’s delusional. Pathological liars believe their own lies – they are constantly making things up to suit the circumstances, which is exactly why at the beginning of this post I referred to the sign at my school that said “Tell the truth, there’s less to remember.”  Trump is running into this problem seemingly every day and the Comey fiasco is just one more example. (When there’s  film vaults full of your previous lies, and people realize LYING is the norm, it’s really hard to get away with the “revisions.”)

Final Thought:  It really is time for the republicans in Congress to intervene and stop the LYING by ending Trump’s term as president.  He’s daily giving them reasons to do so – yesterday admitting to what amounts to “obstruction of justice” by asking Comey if he is “under investigation” – not to mention ALL the violations of the emoluments clause in the constitution regarding his many properties and financial entanglements around the world.  Who knows what his taxes would reveal – there’s got to be a good reason why he won’t show them.  They need to stop this before Trump gets to the point where he’s seen as pathetic – which will soon be the case unless there’s a miraculous “turnaround.”  I’m guessing, at this point, the real estate business is looking quite good to Trump again!

I’m sure I’m not the only American citizen who’s watching in dismay as Donald Trump and the republicans are busy trying to undo anything and everything “liberals” believe in.  Most of what “we the people” are witnessing, however, seems to me just the tip of the “iceberg” regarding the potential damage Trump’s administration is/can do(ing) to the fundamental values Americans like me have grown up with.  And, I’m sorry to say, many of Trump’s supporters are of my age and appear to have lost sight of what actually did “make America great.”  The more I watch Trump and his surrogates the more I believe what they really mean with their slogan is “make America white again.”

Almost every week we get more and more information that would infer Trump and his minions actually did do, what to me is the unthinkable, the (treasonous) act of conspiring with a foreign nation (Russia) to undermine our election process.  There’s little doubt now that the Russians hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and, they’ve been at the forefront of “Fake News.” (And, by the way, Trump’s constant referring to “fake news” regarding the cable outlets that are actually investigating his action is about as classic a use of political projection as I’ve ever seen.  ie, you do it, then blame your opponent for doing what you’re doing to get the attention focused elsewhere)  What we don’t know is if the Russians managed to hack any of the electronic voting machines during the election.  Just the possibility of that is one more reason why I believe all American elections should be done with paper, traceable, re-countable ballots.  Regardless, until the TRUTH is “out there” this subject is going to be the focus of the reporting “we the people” see if we’re watching the “news.”

However, it may be the “behind the scenes” stuff where the MOST damage is being done.  For example, as a retired teacher I know there’s a lot of problems with our public education system, but having Betsy DeVoss as the Secretary of Education is a bit unnerving.  I’m not sure what she’s doing in that post – which is why I’m writing this – because those of us who are “ordinary people” should care about public education and we should be aware if there are any drastic changes being made.  Hopefully, anything happening will be positive, but my instincts tell me to “be afraid, be very afraid.”  Like most of Trump’s supporters (this is one of the very few things I would have in common with most of them) I’m done with my education.  I hope and pray that today’s youth will get the same opportunities those of my era got – and, I have to add, I’m very skeptical.  In my mind “No Child Left Behind” was an underhanded attempt to undermine public education and the system is still “reeling.”  We need to know what DeVoss is “up to” and I believe it’s likely to be “flying under the radar” because of the Russian stuff.  I certainly don’t believe she’s intending to “fix” public education.

Then there’s the State Department and the Defense Department.  Trump isn’t even nominating people for MOST of the under secretary positions in both departments.  These two parts of our government, it seems to me, are right up there as the most important.  Especially, in today’s world with a president who’s proving time and again that he has no idea what he’s doing.  Trump has been diagnosed by more than me as an authoritarian figure and his assault on the media, his assault on the intelligence community, and all his platitudes toward DICTATORS around the globe – especially Putin – along with his lamenting about the restrictions our CONSTITUTION puts on his ability to get what he wants should throw up RED FLAGS!  It’s not healthy for decisions to be made by a very few people.  Granted, most people say James Mattis, the Secretary of Defense, is an honorable and competent leader, but the same can’t be said about Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State.  There’s a very small number of people weighing in on the decision making process – which is scary when the “decider” is a narcissistic pathological LIAR who’s exhibiting strong authoritarian tendencies.

There’s also the other important parts of the bureaucracy that many of Trump’s benefactors would love to demolish.  The person in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency is an oil minion who had a history of suing the agency prior to Trump choosing him to head it.  They are proposing cutting it to the point where it is dysfunctional. (much to the glee of people like the Koch Brothers who’ve been fined MILLIONS for their lack of respect for our environment)  The EPA recently removed ALL references to “Climate Change” from their website and they’ve either fired or muted the scientists studying what may be the most important issue of our time.  (Evidently, until Mar a Lago is under water, Trump and his minions will be climate change deniers)  Additionally, they’re opening the Arctic and the east and west coasts to more drilling.  The damage from undermining the EPA and removing restrictions on the use of fossil fuels could be catastrophic in the long run. (Trump, like me, is 70 – hence, no worries)

The Energy Department is being run by a republican, Rick Perry, who famously couldn’t remember he wanted to abolish it during a campaign debate back in 2012.  I’m sure he loves the place now – but, he’s another connected to the oil industry who could be very quietly leading the actual demolition of this agency.  More likely, what he’s doing is making it easier for oil companies to bludgeon the earth in search for more of the oil that is contributing to the climate change that the EPA is ignoring.  This is what you call “teamwork.”  What it appears they’re “up to” is opening the coastal areas for drilling and making it easier for the oil companies to get permits.  The mantra – as Sarah Palin once said, “Drill baby Drill.”

Agencies like the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) will get starved for funding, making the food supply less safe.  I listened to Trump’s Treasury Secretary talk about how money for school lunches will be dropped because “there’s no evidence it leads to school success.”  Of course, teachers (like I was) would find many ways to argue that point – with most of us, we were/are always providing food for hungry students so they have a better chance to be successful learners.  I listened to Greta Van Susteren, one day, on her MSNBC show lament how any school personnel could possibly embarrass a student without the ability to pay for their lunch by giving them a cheese sandwich or some other way of making sure that student’s poverty is known.  Well, the reality is that comes from republican efforts to “cut” the “wasteful” spending that “gives” food to “undeserving” students.  There was one republican (actually, I believe it was several) who suggested if students couldn’t afford their lunch they should have to work for it – by cleaning tables or some other task.  Van Susteren focused her dismay on the lunch room workers who are doing what they’re told (most are near minimum wage earners) with no apparent knowledge of where that type of thinking comes from.  And, now, Trump’s “budget” would remove ALL funding for school lunch programs.  (Apparently, it’s hard for privileged people like Trump and the Goldman Sachs surrogates he’s filled his cabinet with to have any empathy for children growing up in poverty)

I could go on and on – the “health care” proposal is simply a HUGE tax cut disguised as “health care.”  I guess Trump and his surrogates believe the MILLIONS who will lose access to health care – via Medicaid – probably don’t vote anyway so what’s the big deal.  Planned Parenthood serves MILLIONS of poor women’s health needs – they want to defund that.  Medicaid and ultimately Medicare and Social Security are in their “cross-hairs” yet “we the people” won’t even see it all coming because we’re busy trying to find out how high in Trump’s hierarchy does the treasonous actions with Russia go?  And, yes, I’m just as much focused on the Trump/Russia attack on our republic as anyone else (probably more than many) – to me, from Russia’s standpoint, it was an act of war – from Trump’s potentially treasonous – well, hopefully we’ll find out the Truth about the level of collusion.  But, if we’re not paying attention to all these underlying issues the damage done there could take a decade or decades to “fix.”

Trump is the master manipulator when it comes to the media, but his lack of understanding regarding the constitution and the functions of the government will ultimately catch up to him.  In fact, it’s happening virtually as I’m writing this.  I started this post a day or so ago and in the meantime Trump decided to FIRE James Comey – the Director of the FBI who was “closing in” on the so-called Trump investigation regarding the Russian collusion.  Of course, as he ALWAYS does, Trump lied about the “why” and seemed oblivious to the “when” part of the decision.  Right when someone’s investigation is “ramping up” is a BAD time to fire them – especially if, as you say, there’s no “there there.”  It really doesn’t look good.  And, only the most foolish of the Trump supporters would believe the stated reason Comey was fired:  “Because of his handling of the Hillary Clinton email scandal.”  Right!  If you actually believe that, I’ve got a bridge I’d like to offer you at a very reasonable price.

Of course, not only does Trump lead the LYING about why Comey was fired but his minions with no apparent self respect – meaning Vice President Pense, Sean Spicer, and KellyAnne Conway, the three I saw/heard (plus there was a lady in the White House briefing room I didn’t recognize pushing the absurd LIE that it was all about the Clinton emails and Comey’s press conference 9 months ago) are WILLING liars to the American people – not just on this issue, but it’s been ongoing since Trump took the oath of office.  And, no, all politicians DON’T lie to the American public anywhere near the level of Trump and his surrogates.  I’m really concerned that Mike Pense is such a WILLING LIAR because, if (or should I say when) Trump’s IMPEACHED Pense is next in line – and, he’s going to have a very difficult time gaining any traction with the American people because he’s leaving video evidence of one LIE after another.  And, who’s next in line?  Well, it’s Paul Ryan – YIKES!  He’s another very WILLING LIAR.  His lies regarding the “health care bill” rival Trump’s in relation to demonstrating his disdain for the intellect of “we the people.”

And, speaking of the oath of office, when are republicans in Congress going to “grow a pair” (OK, that’s just wrong the way I said that – I should have said, get some courage) and step up and be “counted.”  If republicans continue to enable Trump’s behavior the only hope “we the people” have to STOP this dangerous man will be the 2018 elections.  As stated above – in the meantime there could be a lot of MAJOR damage done to the America many of us have come to take for granted.  Republicans have CONTROL of both houses of Congress so it’s on them to put a stop to all of this un-American “stuff.”  (Today, Trump actually met with the Russian “ambassador” who Flynn was meeting with and, the only way “we the people” know about it is because Russian media outlets posted images of the meeting.  Russian journalists were allowed in but not American – go figure)  Unfortunately, I believe both Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are thrilled to have someone in the “White House” who will sign their draconian legislation and that’s more important to them than whether or not our country has been attacked by Russia with willing support of American citizens.  This is the most significant crisis in my LIFETIME!  I truly hope there’s some courageous Republicans in Congress who will step up and demonstrate they were serious when they took their oath of office.  Otherwise, it’s going to be a very LONG two years until “we the people” can vote them out of office.

I just listened to James Comey’s testimony (well, part of it) before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Before I get to how incredulous it seemed to me, let me say that I’m coming to the conclusion it’s better that Trump won the 2016 election for several reasons.  The main one is that it’s exposing the republicans for what I’ve been writing about for years.  Now they’re in a position where they can no longer BLAME Barack Obama or the democrats (with any credibility) for their lack of ability to “govern” and I can only imagine how toxic it would be had Hillary Clinton “won” the last election.  (I put “won” in air quotes because as we all know she actually did win the popular vote by 3 MILLION votes)  Now, we’ve got republicans on the verge of passing a “health care bill” – that’s actually a massive tax cut for the wealthy – which will take health insurance away from (according to CBO estimates) 24 MILLION Americans and will hike premiums and deductibles for everyone else.  When the “rubber meets the road” this should be enough to get “we the people” to come to our senses and start voting these people from office.

Back to Comey: the man is unbelievable to me – even though I’m now depending on him to actually TOTALLY investigate the collusion between Trump and Russia in the last election.  After his comments today I’m not very confident he will do so – but, I can hope.  Comey defended his announcement that the Clinton email “scandal” had been re-opened (despite there being nothing new found) because he felt he had an obligation to “report” as opposed to “conceal.”  He said he felt “nauseous” with the thought he may have swung the election but that he would do the same thing again.  He said it would have been very bad to conceal the possibility there was something “there.”  On the other hand, he felt no compulsion to announce that the Trump campaign, and presumably Trump himself, was under investigation for colluding with the Russians in the Russian intrusion into the election.  I don’t think I’m the only person who wonders where he came up with the distinction.  And, certainly, to me – a Russian ATTACK on our republic is much more serious than Hillary Clinton having a private email server just like the two previous republicans (Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell) holding the same office – Secretary of State.

Republicans passed their “health care” (again, it’s a tax cut disguised as “health care”) bill, in my view, in response to the ridicule they and Trump have been receiving for getting NOTHING done of significance in the first 100 days.  Now, for all the right wing Christians who think no further than the issue of abortion, the nomination and confirmation of Neil Gorsuch was enough to make them happy.  I believe most of them could care less if it was the Russians who made this possible and, they won’t care about this “health care” law unless it somehow becomes an actual law and it affects their pocket books.  I’m really sad to come to the conclusion there’s so many in America who just can’t bring themselves to care about “the least of these” in the words of Jesus.  Today I got an email from Joseph Kennedy III that put it much better than I ever could.  It reads:

It is among the most basic human truths: Every one of us, some day, will be brought to our knees. By a diagnosis we didn’t expect, a phone call we can’t imagine, or a loss we cannot endure.That common humanity inspires our mercy. It fortifies our compassion. It drives us to look out for the sick, the elderly, the poor, and the most vulnerable among us.

Yesterday’s bill — yesterday’s devastating bill — does the opposite.  The bill is more than premiums and tax cuts. It is a cold and calculated world view: One that scapegoats the struggling, and sees fault in suffering. One dead set on dividing us based on who we love, where we come from, the direction of our faith and the size of our fortunes.

We see it in their tax plan, their budget cuts, their immigration policy, their civil rights assaults — and yesterday, in their cruel health care plan.  We must reject it.  We must decide, instead, to take care of each other — because, but for the grace of God, we will all one day wake up in need of a little mercy.

This nation’s character has never been defined by the power we give the already strong — but by the strength we give the weak.

This is our ultimate test. And it starts right now. Get involved in the fight today:

Thank you,

Congressman Joe Kennedy III

I watched republicans yesterday celebrating something dreadful because it was the only thing they could muster to make it look like they are actually “governing.”  We have a president who’s admitted to being a sexual predator, who’s daily violating the emoluments clause in the constitution, and who clearly has no idea what he’s doing as the “leader of the free world.”  Unfortunately, it appears to me that the republican leaders in Congress see Trump’s incompetence as a major opportunity for themselves.  For example, Paul Ryan has been trying to repeal Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security for years.  He’s had several creative schemes that have always been rebuffed in one way or another.  Now, he’s got a president who will basically “sign anything” if he can be convinced it makes him look good – even if he has NO IDEA what he’s signing. I suppose it’s possible, Trump actually believes this is a good “health care” bill).

I wasn’t sure how to react as I watched Trump claim – while sitting next to the Prime Minister of Australia, who he couldn’t remember his name – that “this is a great plan.  It will lower premiums, lower deductibles, and provide better coverage – ALL demonstrably FALSE statements – which is no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention to Trump – almost EVERYTHING he says is FALSE.  However, he did then say something TRUE when he looked at Australia’s Prime Minister and said, “Your health care system is much better than ours.”  That’s what those of us on the “single payer” side of the issue have been saying for years.  That comment would leave one to believe Trump actually knows how bad this bill is.

Many Americans are afraid that the Senate will actually pass this through and they will be without health care coverage again.  The blatant inhumanity yesterday’s vote represents puts my complaint about republicans in bold context.  They’ve been protected from “exposure” for the past eight years because President Obama was in the “White House.”  In my mind, it was the FACT that Obama “looks different” that energized the “White Nationalist” base that is Trump’s reliable “firewall” preventing him from going into the “twenties” on the approval polls – I know people who actually say they voted for Trump for “moral” reasons.  (Virtually every one of them get their “information” from Fox “news”)  The sexual misconduct, the three divorces and the adultery that went with them, the strategic bankruptcies that brutalized workers and (foolish) investors, the racism, and the incompetence doesn’t seem to bother them.  For most of these people the issue is abortion and they believe Trump will lead to the repeal of Roe v Wade.  And, Trump is playing the “card” to the hilt – ie “TWO Corinthians.”

Yesterday I watched segments of the Senate Judiciary hearings where James Comey was being questioned and it became clear that republicans are circling the wagons around Trump and they will do everything they can to prevent the TRUTH about the Russian COLLUSION in the 2016 election from becoming public.  A couple months ago I mentioned that it would be courageous republicans who would help “we the people” find the TRUTH about the Trump campaign’s involvement with the Russian attack on our republic and, I mentioned that, as much as I don’t trust them, I thought the ones who would lead the way would be John McCain and Lindsey Graham – two people that I believed understood the reality of Vladimir Putin.  Apparently, all it took was a few BOMBS and McCain and Graham are happy as “clams” with Mr. Trump.  Can you imagine what they’d be saying if it was President Obama and his campaign which had colluded with Russia?  This should NOT be a PARTISAN issue!  The fact that it apparently is causes me to feel a sense of depression.  At this point, I’m hoping to live long enough to see the TRUTH exposed – one way or the other.  Some of the “truth” seems undeniable at this point.

Obviously, Mike Flynn is in a HEAP of trouble.  It shouldn’t be too long before his “lock her up” chant at the republican convention comes back to really HAUNT him.  From what I can tell, the FACT he BROKE THE LAW is pretty much without question at this point – although, technically it’s all “alleged.”  Although, it doesn’t seem “alleged” that he took money from foreign governments without the permission of the defense department which is a violation of (at least) military law.  (obviously, I’m no lawyer and don’t understand what laws the so-called “experts” are [virtually all of them] referring to when they explain Flynn’s legal vulnerability regarding his military obligations.)  Additionally, it’s been reported that he LIED to the FBI, (that’s a bad one – way more than a poor decision on email servers), he didn’t register as a foreign agent, (again, not good) and he reportedly didn’t disclose the MONEY he got from Russia and (presumably, although questions have arisen on the actual source) Turkey.  It was also reported that Flynn conspired to kidnap a Turkish dissident so he could be returned to Turkey without extradition procedures.  (Really, this is ALL very bad)  I can’t help be getting this thought in my head: “Lock him up, Lock him up.”

There’s so many possible “leads” to connecting Trump with Putin and the Russians that the investigators will be busy for quite some time if they actually follow them.  Obviously, Trump feels they won’t do it and he’s going to “get away” with all the “stuff” that he’s doing that could be interpreted as “thumbing his nose” to our laws and constitution.  There’s just too many “coincidences” for me to believe there’s “nothing there.”  I mean, even if somehow we’d find out there was no collusion with the Russians in the election – the amount of money Trump is MAKING via being president (yesterday, he said to the republicans who were celebrating their draconian bill: “can you believe, I’m President?”) is obscene and enough to support articles of impeachment.  That’s not to mention the bill taxpayers are paying to support his “habits” and those of his family which is bordering on STAGGERING already.  If he lasts four years, the secret service tab for him and his family will add a significant amount to the national debt that republicans always complain about (when a democrat is in the white house).

Meanwhile, republicans in Congress will be getting as many tax cuts as they can until Trump is actually fully exposed.  Even with them being in control of virtually everything, the reality is they seem to have no idea how to actually govern.  They don’t seem to have any problem with the Russian aspect of all this and they seem to be getting closer and closer to Trump – even the so-called “never Trump” people prior to his nomination.  It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the words that come from their mouths have little real meaning.

So, here’s what republicans have to hang their “hats” on after the first 110 days of the Trump “era.”  They got their Supreme Court justice (which, again, to many on the right – that’s all they wanted) and they got a HUGE tax cut for the wealthy (and the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies) which will ultimately total $800 BILLION that is disguised in a so-called “repeal and replacement” of the Affordable Care Act (ie “Obamacare”) that will take health insurance from (according to the CBO – that, actually hasn’t scored this form of the bill which is apparently more draconian than the first one) 24 MILLION Americans, it will increase deductibles and premiums, and those in the 50 – 64 age range that can afford health insurance will be paying up to 5 times what they are now.  The estimate that I heard yesterday was a 60 year old person making $26,000 per year would pay $14,000 for premiums and get a subsidy of between $2000 and $4000.  You don’t have to be a Math teacher (which I was) to figure that one out.  And, aside from a lot of executive orders that are attempting to deregulate most of what people like me believe in, that’s it.

It boils down to a lot of DAMAGE, and very little good (I’m working on a post regarding the abortion issue in my head – regarding Judge Gorsuch).  Climate change is an issue that our children and grandchildren are going to (rightfully so) give our generation a terrible grade in the years to come – and this period with Trump at the “helm” will be the worst part of that history.  The deregulating, in my view, will lead us into another major financial meltdown and, personally, I don’t trust Trump and the people around them to pull us out of it – if it happens on his “watch.”  The harm to the environment could be massive.  It’s as if we’re back to thinking about “today” (and “me”) while not worrying about the future (and “us”).

Just the combination of this “health care” bill (tax cut) and the “tax reform” proposed (an even more egregious “tax cut for the rich” – it will benefit Trump himself to the tune of tens of MILLIONS of dollars) will explode the national debt by something in the neighborhood of $7 TRILLION (yes, that’s with a T) and, I’m guessing all these “deficit hawk” republicans will be back to quoting Reagan (like Dick Cheney did in 2003) and saying, “deficits don’t matter.”  Especially, when they’re aimed at republican benefactors.  Trump’s solution to the exploding national debt would presumably “negotiate” a “deal” to avoid repayment in full.  Something along the lines of his repeated business bankruptcies.  This could potentially cause irrefutable HARM to the American economy and our standing in the world.  (Which people like Steve Bannon could care less about)

I have to ask myself: “Is there a solution?”  Well, I’ve been pushing for it for years and that is VOTE these republicans out of office.  They will continue their slide to the “right” and continue bludgeoning “we the people” out of our tax dollars until we STOP them – and, the ONLY sensible way to do this is at the ballot box.  If this vote that happened yesterday, along with all the other crap these people are cramming down our political throats isn’t enough to get both progressives and moderates off their butts and to the polls, then we deserve what we get.  I’ve lamented repeatedly that the damage Trump can do is enormous unless “we the people” make it clear “we’ve had enough and we’re not going to take it anymore.”

I “get” that the democrats leave a lot to be desired (although, I believe the senators in my state, Washington, are outstanding and will fight this graft to the bitter end – and, there’s many others like them) but that’s the only alternative.  If we can “flip” the congress, then it’s time to let democrats KNOW that we expect them to FIGHT for the values their party was defined by back in the days of FDR.  The wealthy elite backing Trump and his party will NEVER go away – but, there’s MORE of us than them, and we need to be active – and encouraging those we know to be active.  For me, 2018 can’t come soon enough.  I’m already praying “we the people” will send a message to republicans that is unmistakable! Enough already!

Final Thought: “we the people” can’t depend on James Comey OR the republican led Congress to find the TRUTH about the Russian/Trump “connection” and, we certainly can’t depend on the republicans to provide honorable, decent leadership – ie everything they do – even “health care” – is designed to funnel taxpayer dollars to the wealthy.  It’s time to take “affirmative action” and put them in the history books where they belong.