The other day, as I was driving around, I was thinking about all the issues democrats are supporting in the next election which have overwhelming public support and the reasons why MOST of those issues will likely “never see the light of day.” The reason: republicans (And Moscow Mitch).
If you’ve studied recent American history at all, this is no surprise to you. (And, I’m talking about post WW II history) For example, there’s a raging debate among democrats about how to fix our “broken” health care system – the solutions ranging from “Medicare for All” to fixing the Affordable Care Act starting with the “public option” which, save for Joe Lieberman, would/should have been in the original version, are part of every democratic message. The bottom line is “health care for all” is of MAJOR concern to an overwhelming MAJORITY of Americans and who is doing EVERYTHING they can to stop any reform? Republicans, of course! (Actually, republicans have been blocking democratic attempts at “universal health care” since WW II! Somehow, democrats managed to get Medicare passed in the early 60’s – with Ronald Reagan predicting it would destroy our nation – you know, “socialist medicine.”)
I was listening to the mayor of Dayton Ohio the other day referring to the recent mass SHOOTING which killed at least 9 people (in less than a minute) in Dayton and she said that incident was the 250th MASS shooting in America – just THIS year! People have been fighting for sensible gun reform in America since (at least in my memory) the shooting of Ronald Reagan and his press secretary James Brady back in the early 80’s. In fact, at one point, there WAS an assault weapons ban – but, “we the people” are no match for the NRA and their republican sycophants. Recent polls, for example, show that over 90% of Americans support meaningful background checks to buy a gun, but who is blocking this? Of course, republicans!
Americans overwhelmingly support raising the minimum wage (which is ridiculously low) and democrats are arguing not only about how to do it but, also, how high to make it. This one affects MILLIONS of workers who, in many instances, need public assistance or more than one job to survive. Who is preventing the minimum wage from increasing? You guessed it, Yep, republicans!
Then there’s things like keeping the Russians – and anyone else who’s attempting to make a cyber attack on our nation – from gaining access to our voter systems and from INTRUDING on our election process (as well as our cyber infrastructure). To me, this one is a no brainer – do whatever you have to do to guarantee our elections will be fair and our internet systems are safe. There’s legislation in the Senate right now which would address this issue – it’s already passed the House – and, it would, I believe, insure there is a “paper ballot trail” in the elections process in EVERY state – and, it has overwhelming public support. Who’s blocking it? You got it right again: Moscow Mitch and the republicans! I’ve read where McConnell has received HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars from the Russians – not to mention the NRA!
If you’re someone who’s tried to get ahead by going to some kind of advanced education institution, like COLLEGE, and aren’t someone like individual 1 who was “born with a silver spoon” in your mouth and you’re suffocating from the debt you incurred to get that education, only to find jobs which don’t pay the rent and your loan payments, there is a solution which many democrats are supporting. There’s absolutely NO reason to force our younger generation to suffer from this debt when we SHOULD be INVESTING in our own people, to the point of ENCOURAGING them to gain education with “we the people” helping to (or actually) pay(ing) those, in many cases, massive debts. Paying the college debt of young working class Americans would be MUCH cheaper and a MUCH better investment than a tax cut for the wealthiest among us along with the corporations who are flush with cash and use the money to buy back shares. Why don’t we do the former and but someone actually does the latter? Who? You guessed it: republicans! (Oh yes, the long term return on that investment – that is paying off the debt of those who have chosen to gain an advanced (above High School) education – is exponentially greater than the return on individual 1’s tax scam – a scam which has already “fizzled” and could be part of the cause of the next recession)
Most Americans believe in our constitution and agree that no one SHOULD be above the law. Clearly, only a small “sliver” of Americans have read the Mueller report so many don’t understand the level of criminal activity coming directly out of the “White House” and being almost encouraged by William Barr, the new Attorney General. It will take a look back in history for the full level of criminality of individual 1 and his supporters to be fully known by the public. I, the optimist, still believe most of the 30 some percent of Americans who continue to support individual 1 don’t understand his level of corruption and actual law breaking. To those who are actually paying close attention it’s clear there’s a challenge to our system of “laws and not men” which is under a systematic assault and there’s a group of our Congressional leaders who are supporting the lawbreaking by their silence. Who are they? You’re right again: republicans!
Over the past 35+ years there’s been a very sophisticated system of right wing propaganda developed which spans the media via radio talkers, “conservative” cable TV outlets, and a “diseased” part of the internet which is growing as if it’s dry rot on the foundation of your house. You can listen to people like Rush Limbaugh on the radio (and many “junior” Rush’s who will say ANYTHING for money – and, believe me, they’re hauling in bundles of money), you can watch Fox “news,” and there are increasing right wing outlets on the internet which are all part of a push to scam as much MONEY from America’s (soon to be former) middle class before “we the people” figure this out. This propaganda scheme will, at some point, become exposed and it will “burn” – and, that day seems on the horizon. The DAMAGE? It’s likely to be lasting! And, sadly, there’s a clear segment of our “leadership” in Washington who will support this LYING attack on our unsuspecting “uneducated voters” till the “bitter end” and that’s the republicans. (What’s worse for me is that they’ve adopted the propaganda scheme of the Third Reich which is known as “The Big Lie Theory.” It’s worked for them for years and the FACT this “strategy” was what was used by Nazi Germany means nothing to those using it and the republicans enabling it)
Getting to the foreign policy issue, well, is there one? Here’s what we know: individual 1 is AWOL from any semblance of “running the government.” One of his “successes” is the gutting of important government institutions which are required for the security of our nation and there’s a deafening silence coming from one segment of Washington DC. Individual 1 has the world’s economy “teetering” on the “edge” – helped along by his “tariff war” – and there’s a group of “free market” leaders with “lock jaw.” Our so-called president has our traditional allies looking away from the U.S. for their own security requirements as individual 1’s CURIOUS connection to Vladimir Putin has become more public – to the silence of one of our political parties. The autocratic tendencies of individual 1 are undeniable to all, seemingly, except this “blind” political party. You know where I’m going – it’s the republicans who “the cat has their tongues.”
And, this connection to Russia? We/re talking about OVER 100 meetings between staff of individual 1 and Russians which were LIED about. (There was – and is – a LOT of LYING) Individual 1, himself, in a public setting ENCOURAGED the Russians to “find the missing emails” – in reference to Hillary Clinton emails he said were “missing” – and, withing 5 hours, the attacks – coming straight from the Kremlin – on the Clinton servers were underway. Personally, I’ll NEVER forget individual 1 standing next to Putin at podiums in Helsinki after they met for a couple hours (with NO ONE from America present besides our so-called president) and with individual 1 saying in regard to Putin’s denial of the allegations made by our 17 intelligence agencies that the Russians ATTACKED our election, “His denial was forceful” and then saying in regard to Putin denying the allegations coming from the heart of America’s intelligence community, “I don’t know why the would have.”
To me, John Brennan put it best when he said, “Individual 1 (he, of course, used his real name – not the one given him by the Southern District of New York in which he’s listed as a “co-conspirator” to two FELONIES as “individual 1” which is where he got the “name” I choose to “give” him) is either a “witting or unwitting asset of the Russians.” Since Brennan said that, individual 1 has done NOTHING to cause me to question whether he was correct or not. The only question i have is whether it’s “witting or unwitting.” After individual 1 going out of his way to promote the Russians as part of the G-7 summit this past weekend, I’m beginning to believe it’s “witting” and that the only reason Robert Mueller was unable to prove a conspiracy on the Russian side of his report is because of the stonewalling individual 1 is masterful at.
Yes, individual 1 commits what seems like childish blunders as he FIGHTS to prevent “we the people” from knowing the TRUTH about his connection to the Russians but the sad (and dangerous) reality appears to be that America has a so-called president who is beholden in some kind of serious way to Vladimir Putin and the Russians. The blunders are one thing, the connection to Russia is quite another. Putin is in the middle of a decades long attack on the fundamentals of the Western democracies and his plan is working. America is divided as never before in my lifetime, Britain is about to pull out of the EU after a “Brexit” vote which was subversively impacted by the Russians similar to how they attacked America during the 2016 election, Germany, France, Hungary, and other European countries are being “attacked” by this right wing fascist plan of Vladimir Putin. Individual 1 seems to be “right there” with Putin!
That’s the ONLY way to explain some of his actions. And, just like all the other things I’ve listed in this rant, the republicans just continue to accept behavior that, for example, if it came from Barack Obama, they’d be apoplectic! I believe, ideally, our nation’s system would work best with TWO vibrant political parties which represented a large swath of the population and could work together to find sensible solutions to problems. I believe that is possible, but the first step in getting there is, as I’ve been pointing out for years now, is for “we the people” to vote out the republican party as it exists today.
Final Thought: If you’re eligible to vote in the 2020 election, DO SO! Talk to others and encourage them to VOTE! Here’s the reality, there NEEDS to be a WAVE election – that means a massive, overwhelming rejection of this republican assault on our basic values and basic institutions. The ONLY way individual 1 has ANY chance to be re-elected would be if he can turn off enough progressive voters so that they stay home. Some young people in America are in their late 20’s to early 30’s and have NEVER voted. I believe if they turn out and vote for the issues that matter to their lives individual 1 will be in the history books – very possibly with a stint in the jails of New York. Personally, I feel that whatever lies ahead for him, he’s earned. Early in his term I predicted he would come to rue the day he decided to run for president. I believe that day has already arrived and he’s now attempting to get a second term because that is the only way to protect himself from all the impending legal issues. Once out of office I believe he will be treated as the mafia like “boss” he really is. His narcissism has brought this upon himself and he’s beginning to look like a pathetic old man!
A “pathetic old man” who, reflexively, lashes out at his “enemies” with classic projection. Today, James Comey was (partially) vindicated by the IG report ordered by individual 1 (and William Barr) in our so-called president’s FUTILE attempt to perpetrate the “no collusion, no obstruction” LIE he’s been spewing since the day he asked Comey to “let Flynn go.” Individual 1 has been claiming Comey should be jailed and, at his rallies, his idiotic minions follow his lead into shouts of “lock – her/him – (depending on the target of individual 1’s venom) up” so, as one might expect, our so-called president considered the IG saying Comey shouldn’t have “leaked” the memo which led to Mueller (That’s one thing Comey’s done he’s been reprimanded for which I’ve been very thankful) as agreeing with his accusations Comey “lied” and should be “jailed.” In fact, Comey wasn’t accused of LYING (of course, how would individual 1 be able to discern that – because he LIES about EVERYTHING) and he won’t be prosecuted. Also, the memo he leaked was not “classified.” As one might expect, it’s our so-called president who’s LYING – AGAIN! The real IRONY here is that it’s individual 1 who is facing JAIL, virtually the day he leaves office. If you don’t know what projection is, look it up!