For years I’ve been lamenting about the direction of America’s republican party, since the days of the Iraq fiasco initiated by the Bush/Cheney regime under false pretenses while they were taking a sledge hammer to the national debt via two ridiculous tax cuts and, incredibly, initiating two wars on “credit cards.”  They not only mismanaged the two “wars” in the Middle East but they led the WORLD economy into what could have been another “Great Depression” – which was prevented by Barack Obama and democrats who turned what was described as the “Great Recession” into a progressively burgeoning economy which was handed off to Trump in 2017. Trump was “handed” and economy which was SLOWLY progressing into one of the strongest economic situations in modern American history.  Then came our so-called president who immediately started taking credit for the economy he inherited from President Obama while turning it into another mess.

At the beginning of the Trump administration, Trump was, as I just said, taking credit for what President Obama left to him – 200,000 or more jobs gained each month – low unemployment – a systematic reduction of the annual deficit, and a straight line of improvement on Wall Street since President Obama’s economic team turned the disaster he inherited from Bush/Cheney into a complete turnaround.  After Trump’s “election,” I pointed out it would be one year before Trump would be able to take credit for anything regarding the economy. The reality for any president is that the first year “on the job” the economy functions based on the policy of the previous administration.  Trump’s first year was very good.  I told anyone who would listen, wait until you decide whether or not Trump can manage what he inherited from Obama until he’s been in office for a couple of years, at a minimum.

Obama, for example, turned the $1.5 TRILLION deficit he inherited – per year! – into a deficit of just over $400 BILLION – a decrease of 70% when he left office.  During Trump’s first year he managed to add a few BILLION to the deficit, but what happened in the second year regarding the deficit, in my view, was telling to what those of us who were repulsed by Trump’s “election” (with three MILLION fewer votes than Mrs. Clinton) have been predicting for the future.  This year he’s already caused the deficit to BALLOON to almost double what he inherited from Obama – thanks to the tax SCAM for the top 1% – and the annual deficit – which Trump and republicans complained incessantly during Obama’s two terms, despite its steady decline – is now predicted to be over $1 TRILLION per year for the foreseeable future.  Every time I watch the head of Trump’s office of economic advisors, Kevin Hassett, with his painted on “s@#t eating” grin, as he gives predictions even a retired sixth grade teacher can see as complete bulls@#t I shudder for the future of America.

Trump is the result of the republican party’s direction since the days of Ronald Reagan.  Reagan started the “trickle down” assault on our Treasury, an almost annual funneling of taxpayer money to America’s wealthy, plus the push toward a corporatocracy. Bush/Cheney turned the party into a pile of ruins (which included the two aforementioned tax cuts – turning a $250 annual surplus into TRILLION dollar deficits) to where republicans willingly embraced the so-called “Tea Party” once “we the people” chose to elect a person of color to the “White House.” For republicans, the “Tea Party” was an act of desperation.  Anyone who doesn’t recognize the RACIST roots of the “Tea Party” wasn’t paying attention back in 2009 and wasn’t watching their rallies – with all the despicable RACIST signs  aimed at Obama – and the despicable RACIST speeches at their rallies.  (And, hasn’t been listening to the words coming from the mouths of the so-called “freedom caucus in the House since the advent of the “Tea Party”) 

This all led to the “birther” movement which catapulted Trump to the forefront of the “Alt Right” white nationalist movement in America.  Again, anyone who doesn’t realize the RACIST roots of this movement have their heads way deep into the “sand.”  Republicans brought this on themselves! (30 years ago the Koch brothers were part of the fringe of American politics)  And, trust me, these people (I’m talking about the “money changers” who finance republicans in Congress from behind the scenes) will not go away – they have unlimited amounts of MONEY and they’ll spend it to get what they want – which is something approaching total destruction of many of the government institutions resulting from the “New Deal,” (FDR) the “Fair Deal,” (Truman) the “Great Society” (LBJ), and even remnants of the Nixon years like the Environmental Protection Agency.  They’ve (The Koch’s and their brethren) been “chipping” away at all this for as long as I can remember – it’s just that someone like Trump, who has no “scruples,” is the perfect (so-called) president for them because anything he can consider a “win” for himself is, well, OK. (Also, Trump has made it clear his true advisers come from Trump TV – Fox “news”)

I believe it’s true there are many Trump supporters who weren’t motivated by his clear RACIST history, but it’s hard to argue that MANY, likely MOST of Trump’s supporters are, at a minimum, subliminally (for lack of a better word) RACIST.  This is an indication of the lack of education by so many Americans – Trump even went so far during the campaign to claim “I love the uneducated voters.”  Well, it seems to me, that’s almost a requirement to be one of his supporters.  Ruefully, much of the “destruction” Trump is causing to America affects the very people who consider themselves his “base.”  That being said, the sad reality is those “money changers” behind the scenes in the republican party have been pushing a BRAINWASHING scheme since the days of Reagan – resulting in people like Rush Limbaugh dominating the right wing talk on the radio airwaves and, worse, Fox “news” – the brainchild of Roger Ailes, an extreme republican dirty trickster back in the days of Nixon – which has been LYING to a significant segment of America for the past 20+ years with the express purpose of creating division in America.  Clearly, Fox has succeeded in its mission.

That puts what is happening, presently, right in the heart of the republican party.  The American economy is about to come apart at the seams, the U.S. is enabling countries like China and Russia to expand almost unopposed across Europe and Asia.  America’s traditional allies are likely looking “jaw-dropped” at America and simply wondering what on earth has happened to “The beacon of the free world.”  As Angela Merkel said earlier in the year – “we’re on our own” – as she was contemplating the future of the European Union.  It’s gotten to the point that people like Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Lindsay Graham, and almost any republican make me feel sick to my stomach when I even see their image, let alone listen to the bullsh@t coming from their mouths.  I don’t believe “we the people” can even imagine the depth of the DAMAGE which will be the result of Trump’s time in office.  The question in my mind is whether or not the DAMAGE will be reversible.

And, I’ve always said those of us who have been blasting the republicans since the day Bush/Cheney LIED us into Iraq are stuck with democrats as the means to stop this disaster.  I’ve always claimed the problem with the democrats is they are “spineless” – but, this version of the republicans is making the democrats look like Ninja warriors.  However, the reality is “we the people” are STILL depending on democrats to stop this republican ATTACK on our country.  Trump is doing Putin’s bidding and he MUST be stopped – sooner rather than later – and, it’s up to the democrats to do so.  I recommend that democrats begin the legislative session which begins in a week or two very aggressively fighting against everything Trump.  It’s clear he SHOULD be impeached – However, I predict democrats will be very tepid in dealing with the issue of impeachment. 

Back in 2006 we had both a president and vice-president who had publicly ordered TORTURE, making themselves to be WAR CRIMINALS and “we the people” voted in democrats to put an end to their tenure and the fiasco in Iraq.  At the time I managed to get my very own 15 seconds of “fame” at a televised town hall by questioning my democratic representative as to whether Bush and Cheney SHOULD be impeached for authorizing TORTURE – I might add to a resounding standing ovation from the thousand or so people at the town hall.  His response was what I (unfortunately) expected;  they would likely not impeach Bush and Cheney because they couldn’t get a “conviction” in the Senate.  I’m guessing we’re going to hear the same logic in the coming months by this (new) version of the democratic party.  (As I’ve said on many occasions here: “I hope I’m wrong”)

Many, including myself, have been pondering how “we the people” negotiate the next two years.  The reality is that Trump continues to push boundaries, just like a sixth grade bully, and “we the people” could be in for a situation that will continually get more unbelievable.  Many, again like myself, don’t believe the republicans are going to have the guts to stand up to what MANY of them have to realize is antithetical to their own beliefs simply because they’re getting judges or some other disgusting reason.  Right now, it’s become even more apparent that the national security of this nation is MORE at risk than it’s been for close to 20 years and quite possibly much longer than that.  That’s what is obvious, but Trump’s sycophants continue to undermine the institutions they were installed to do just that – they’re doing it surreptitiously – and most of that fails to reach our so-called 24 hour news cycle.

All of this is being done by a so-called president who, it appears, gained the office he holds via a variety of ILLEGAL maneuvers.  While there can be no doubt Trump was paying HUSH money to women who threatened to expose his sexual exploits which would have confirmed what he said on the Access Hollywood tape – “to affect the election” – there’s more.  The “hush money” payments would be bad enough for just about anyone at any other time in history, to say “bye bye” to a president, but that doesn’t even compare to what likely happened with the alleged conspiracy with the Russians to affect the outcome of the election.  (and, of course, Trump continues to do the bidding of the Russians and, apparently, they’re [Trump and Russia] still working in tandem as they attack the “Russia investigation” via social media almost in unison – with most Americans still not realizing the Russian ATTACK on America is still ongoing!)

As a (liberal) Christian the worst part of all this to me is that Trump’s base consists MAINLY of the so-called “Conservative Christians” in America who just keep giving Trump “Mulligans” – which is how one of the right wing Christian leaders rationalized their support for Trump.  They (“conservative Christians”) continue to believe what they hear on Fox “news” (Trump TV) and from LIARS like Rush Limbaugh – and they do this willingly because they’ve convinced themselves the abortion issue is the ONLY meaningful issue in America and they’re getting “conservative” judges. Well, there’s a “price” to pay in all this that goes well beyond all the judges.

I listen to so many Christians upset that their children are no longer “walking with the Lord” and they just can’t figure out why.  When I point out it’s because young people see right through all this LYING and “DAMAGE” (to the country, to the world, and to the planet) and the FACT it’s the “Christian right” which is the group making up Trump’s base – the hypocrisy is just too much for them – well, many of them, to handle.  They see the RACISM, they see the GREED, they see the attack on our environment (The polar ice caps are melting, for heaven’s sake, and republicans continue to deny “climate change”), they see children pulled from their families at our southern border while simply seeking asylum from horrific conditions in their home country, they see the national debt being increased so rich people can be even richer (I suppose that’s part of the GREED), and they see “Christians” supporting a (so-called) president who’s LIED close to 7000 times since taking office (and, they see his supporters LYING for him).  To them (and me) that’s NOT “Christian” and they don’t want any part of it.  For me, that’s the saddest part in all this.  The “GOOD NEWS” in all this is I can guarantee you, Jesus Christ would NOT be supporting Donald Trump!

Final Thought: I read in the New York Times an article which was startling, to say the least, about how the “Christian right” views Trump. You can read it HERE. To me, it’s just further confirmation of why young people are rejecting Christianity. This just proves that people who are susceptible to conspiracy theories will believe just about anything. I guess it’s why so many are referred to as “ditto heads!”