OK, I decided to watch as much of the Vice Presidential debate as I could stomach.  When it was over, I tuned in to MSNBC to see how the “experts” saw the “debate” and, as usual, by the time I turned off the TV I was simply shaking my head.  I guess I should stop acting surprised at how things are going in our nation when I see, time after time, a “liberal media” that’s more about entertainment and trying to, I guess, say the “right thing” – while amongst peers than “reporting” what actually is going on.  I’ll preface whatever is going to come out tonight by saying I was a bit prejudiced against Mike Pense right from the start because I was aware of many of his anti-worker, right wing proselytizing positions before tuning in and I didn’t expect much from him.  (After all, he accepted the “honor” of being Donald Trump’s VP candidate – which implies that his political career in Indiana was headed for a “fall”)  I didn’t know much at all about Tim Kaine.

What got me to repeatedly have to tune out was Pense REPEATEDLY LYING about Trump’s comments/positions.  What I thought was good was that Kaine REPEATEDLY called him out on the LIES.  At the end of the “debate” I had to listen to the commentators on MSNBC defend Pense for his “demeanor” – or something along that line – while essentially attacking Kaine’s performance as “caffeinated.”  Yikes!  That kind of explains it all to me.  If you’ve been on this site before, you might know that I don’t believe there’s a “liberal media” and I’m concerned (majorly) that MSNBC is considered by many to be (at minimum) giving the “progressive” viewpoint while instead they’re focused almost exclusively on building ratings and helping to create a “contest” in this election year that will keep their viewership “up.”  To me, I didn’t hear hardly a whimper about the number of LIES that Pense was spewing (and, keep in mind, I was only able to stomach a portion of the “debate”) and yet people like Chris Matthews jumped right in panning Tim Kaine for “interrupting” Pense – personally, I was very pleased he did so.

I can’t say how many times I’ve heard Donald Trump on MSNBC (and, it’s probably worse elsewhere – I just REFUSE to watch/listen to Fox “news” or CNN or pretty much any of it any more) spewing OBVIOUS lies and “getting away with it.”  Occasionally, there will be a commentator who points out the fabrications, but I’ve seen it rarely.  It’s as if people like Matthews, Chuck Todd, and now Brian Williams are bound and determined to give Donald Trump – and his campaign – credibility.  The other day, for the first time I can remember, I heard an extended portion of one of Hillary Clinton’s speeches on MSNBC.  Up until that point, it had been Trump, Trump, Trump – all the time Trump.  It’s as if they’re so fascinated by Trump that they don’t realize he’s manipulating them for BILLIONS in free advertising.  I’ve been following politics in America since the Eisenhower/Adlai Stephenson days and I’ve never seen what I’m seeing in this election.  I guess the networks won’t make the money they’re planning on if America sees Trump as the political buffoon he actually is.  There was nothing of substance coming from Pense’s mouth in the “debate” and that falls in line with EVERYTHING I’ve heard from Trump.  It’s always GENERALITIES and LIES.  (And, most of the lies are obvious enough that if the commentators are actually following the race – they should know they”re LIES and SAY SO!).

I started this post a few days ago and the “establishment” of the republican party was still “endorsing” him – basically, in my view, because they’re covering their asses in case he actually wins.  My hope is that “we the people” will hold ANYONE who is supporting this person accountable at the ballot box.  Now, more of Trump’s “deplorable” self (to borrow a term from Mrs. Clinton) has come to light with the release of a couple of recordings of Trump being Trump “back in the day.”  Now, in my mind, it should be no surprise that the man is “deplorable” – for heaven’s sake – he hired a White Supremacist to be his CEO, and expert “fabricator” (I’m trying to be nice) as his campaign manager, and a man right out of the “Big Lie Theory” to be his media mogul for his campaign.  Trump’s racist and misogynist comments have kind of piled up all over themselves since he began running for president and a significant portion of the republican party bought into his nonsense right from the start.  Only a very few republicans have been willing to acknowledge what an almost sick man Trump really is.  I keep wondering if he getting all this attention because people are afraid of him???

So now some REALLY lewd comments he made a few years ago have many of his (hypocritical) supporters running for cover.  His bragging about trying to F@#k a married woman, bragging that because he’s famous women let him grab their “p@#%ies,” and a lot more seems to have finally gotten their attention.  I mean, I was in almost disbelief when Trump defended his lewd comments regarding Rosie O’Donnell by saying “no one would disagree with me.”  (Of course, I certainly would)  Tonight Trump gave about as disingenuous an apology as anyone could imagine about his lewd comments and ended his “apology” with what appeared to me a warning that he’s going after Bill Clinton’s infidelities.  This is no surprise.  He has deflected EVERY attempt to get him to say something of substance in this campaign – along with ALL of his surrogates – to unsubstantiated attacks on Hillary Clinton.  The upcoming presidential debate should be some spectacle.

Tonight, on MSNBC (I actually tuned in to Fox just to see what they were saying – and they were talking about Hurricane Matthew) I heard republicans – who were previously “endorsing” Trump going so far as to suggest he drop out of the race.  I seriously doubt that he’ll do that, but Lawrence O’Donnell seemed to be suggesting there may be a plethora of video showing Trump as his “deplorable” self on the shelves of various production outfits.  As I said at the start of this post – Mike Pense is nothing to shout about.  He’s part of the right wing fringe in America that has this nation retreating to the days of the robber barons.  I have no doubt that, from the standpoint of the republican establishment, Pense looks like a savior – despite the FACT he didn’t run for president, and he’s very unpopular in his home state due to some right wing policy decisions that have harmed Indiana.  That being said, I can’t imagine Trump stepping aside to placate the establishment that he so despises.

I guess the part that bothers me the most out of all of this is that it took F bombs and “grabbing p@#$ies” for these people to get disgusted.  All the other racist rhetoric, the association with the alt right and neo Nazis, all the LYING and on and on wasn’t enough.  What if these videos hadn’t come out and Trump would actually win the White House.  And, all of this, is without mentioning his TAXES.  All these people have been willing to vote for someone who’s hiding his TAXES which would educate ALL OF US on ALL the conflicts of interest someone like Trump would have as the president of this great nation.  The world is watching, and I believe Trump winning would lead to an economic crash of mammoth proportions (there’s probably some kind of crash in the offing as is) and could lead to America’s undoing as the center of world commerce.  People around the world can see what a disaster this man is, apparently – maybe until now – the republican party was unwilling or unable to do so.

I still clearly remember back in 1980 (and before) when I started noticing republican politicians, at that time it was Ronald Reagan, making up the “facts” as they “went.”  Since then, most people I know have concluded that “all politicians are liars,” although, in my mind, there is a difference between “spinning” information to your point of view and out and out lying.  If you’ve never read “The Family” by Jeff Sharlett, I would highly recommend it.  Sharlett infiltrated what, at the time, was called the “C Street House” which was the home of a group of “conservative” politicians who were, and I’m sure still are, connected in a very secretive network of “leaders” who believe in authoritarian principles of government.  In order to succeed, lie if it’s necessary.

This group formed back in the thirties as opponents of FDR, the “New Deal,” and the labor movement which brought many of the privileges those of us in the working class have been taking for granted ever since.  They believe in “the end justifies the means” philosophy, and they were the ones who associated themselves with people from the Third Reich who managed to avoid the war criminal prosecutions post WW II.  Some of the world leaders they’ve invited into their “cells” include people like Suharto of Indonesia, who was one of the most brutal and corrupt leaders in the world – but, he was celebrated by this group (known internally as “The Family”) because of his authoritarian personality.  Some of the others they admired: Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and in today’s world Putin.  I’m sure you’re beginning to see where I’m going with this.  While I don’t know for sure that Donald Trump is part of this group, based on his clear admiration of Vladimir Putin and his own Fascist, authoritarian tendencies, I’m guessing he’s somehow part of their cabal.

I’ve pointed this out many times on this website, but one of their main “strategies” – and, now I’m talking about those in the “Family” and by connection, those members of the republican party that have pushed that party over the right wing edge – is the “Big Lie Theory” of Joseph Goebbels, the head of propaganda for the Third Reich.  This is the philosophy Fox (so called) “news” has been built on and over the past few years it’s the general philosophy of the right wing pundits, “talkers,” and politicians.  It’s as if they’re all programmed from the same computer and they spew the LIES over and over until people begin to believe their LIES are actually true.  Reagan was good at this – it was as if he believed his own fairy tales as they spewed from his lips.  (The past three republican presidents – and many of their surrogates, should all have been prosecuted for illegal activity)  GW Bush was very good at this and Dick Cheney was near the master.  However, I believe they all have to take a back seat to Donald Trump.  The other day I “googled” to see if anyone was comparing the “lies” of Hillary Clinton to those of Donald Trump. One site which had done so compared them like this:  Clinton’s lies are like “misdemeanors” Trumps are like “Felonies.”  I thought that was pretty prescient.  I believe it was “Politico” which had compared over 200 claims by both Clinton and Trump and it wasn’t even close.  In fact, Trump had more “whoppers” (4 “Pinocchios”) than all the other 20 presidential candidates combined.

I bring this up because most people I talk to who don’t want to vote for Hillary Clinton say it’s because she’s such a liar.  Yet, they’re going to vote for Donald Trump.  Now, that doesn’t make any sense, but when you check out our “liberal media” it becomes more clear.  As I’ve said many times, when I can stomach to listen/watch “news” I tune in MSNBC.  They are supposed to – at least that’s the impression I’ve been given – be the “liberal” counterweight to Fox (supposed) “news.”  Well, MSNBC has given Trump an unbelievable amount of FREE airtime – broadcasting many of his “speeches” in their entirety.  Yes, some of the commentators on MSNBC attempt to call out Trump on the absurdity of some of his comments, but, they also allow him to “get away” with one LIE after another regarding Mrs. Clinton, Barack Obama, the government in general, the military, and I could go on, without any sign (that I’ve seen) of FACT CHECKING.  This is exactly what Ronald Reagan was allowed to do back in 1980 – so, it makes me wonder “what’s up?”  Are they simply trying to keep this election close – to improve their ratings?  Or is there more to it?

Keep in mind that republicans have passed voter suppression laws in several states that are designed to prevent something in the neighborhood of 10 MILLION people, mostly those in areas that tend to vote democratic, from voting.  They own the companies that produce the electronic voting machines that are easily hacked, and people all around the world are already wondering how this election can even be close with the republicans putting up a candidate that is clearly not QUALIFIED for the office, and has the potential for MAJOR disaster should he succeed in November.  (I haven’t heard ANYONE in the “liberal” media talking about this.)  Also, if you remember 1980, there was a 3rd party candidate that allowed Reagan to win (John Anderson), in 2000 there was Ralph Nader – who’s ego couldn’t allow him to see the damage another Bush presidency would bring, and this year there’s libertarians who clearly have NO CHANCE and are taking more votes from Clinton than Trump – it’s like Deja Vu all over again. (I’m guessing republican insiders are funneling money to the libertarian candidates)

Hillary Clinton has been bludgeoned by the “liberal media” (with the help of a right wing in the republican party that is creating “scandal” after “scandal” – none of which EVER proves to be worthy of the effort and expense they go through. (ie “Benghazi”) It’s as if they are constantly “beating the dead horse” as the saying goes.  One of their leaders actually admitted that the Benghazi hearings were designed to damage Mrs. Clinton’s “poll numbers.”  And, of course, when you listen to Trump’s surrogates, their answer to EVERY question regarding their (incompetent) candidate is “But, Hillary Clinton……..”  Their entire campaign is predicated on attacking Mrs. Clinton – and, mostly with LIES!  They are good at this, and the “liberal media” is allowing them to get away with it – rarely challenging the veracity of anything that comes from the mouth of Trump or his minions.

I managed to listen to a bit of MSNBC today and (apparently) the latest “scandal” has to do with Clinton referring to Trump’s supporters (or, I think it was half of them???) as a “box of deplorables.”  Of course, she was referring to the racists, the misogynists, the xenophobes, homophobes, etc.  I found it interesting that the person MSNBC was interviewing, who claimed Trump and him (Mike Pense) would never encourage someone like David Duke (presumably one of the “deplorables” although I didn’t hear him say that) to support their campaign was the Vice Presidential candidate himself, Mr. Pense.  And, of course, he’s the governor of Indiana who implemented an anti-gay law that caused people like the governor of my home state (Washington) to ban state funded travel to Indiana.  And, while no one on MSNBC brought that up, in response to Mr. Pense claiming they did not want the support of Duke, the former head of the KKK (I’m sure it was a “wink, wink” comment) the “reporter” for MSNBC failed to question Pense on the FACT that Trump’s CEO, Steve Bannon, is a White Supremacist and Trump has a myriad of connections with White Supremacists – who support him en masse – in FACT, Trump led this group (of what Mrs. Clinton called “deplorables”) in the so-called “birther” movement – which was the “thing” that catapulted him to prominence among this group of “conservatives” in the first place.  This is not a hard connection to make! (Now, Trump’s campaign is claiming Trump “believes Obama was born in America” – but, he will NEVER say this – he’s having it BOTH WAYS!

Honestly, I feel a bit awkward defending Mrs. Clinton because I’ve never been a strong supporter of her, but I have to say – no matter how this election turns out – I’m TOTALLY discouraged by the FACT there are so many Americans who are willing to support someone like Trump.  The worst part of this, for me (as a Christian) is that the so-called “Christian right” may end up being the “base” that puts Trump into the White House (should the unthinkable happen).  Are we looking at a recreation of 1930’s Germany – right here in the United States of America?  Dear God, I truly hope not.

Yes, I wish the democrats had come up with a better candidate than Mrs. Clinton (I believe Bernie Sanders would have won this election easily), or the republicans could have found someone palatable to run – remember, Trump defeated a group of candidates commonly referred to as the “clown car.”  Recently, Trump has been gaining in polls which was predictable when he hired Kellyanne Conway (an expert paid “fabricator of the truth”), Steve Bannon (White Supremacist from Breitbart “news,” and the “alt right”), and David Bossie a longtime Clinton antagonist and the force behind the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision that could conceivable ruin this nation.  (The sad reality is that the Supreme Court is at stake in this election and if “we the people” want any hope of overturning “Citizens United” Trump CAN NOT BE ALLOWED TO WIN!)  From my perspective, “the liberal media” is not doing its job in informing “we the people” about who’s behind Trump’s campaign.  Apparently, Mrs. Clinton was attempting to do this in a very awkward (and foolish) way by making the “basket of deplorables” comment – which diverted the dialogue away from, well, “the deplorables” – like Bannon, Bossie, and Conway – among others (including the hedge fund guy who’s financing all of them and I’ve only heard his name mentioned once – Robert Mercer.)

I recently sent FACTS from a website called “Politico” that had studied over 200 statements (claims) made by both Trump and Clinton.  (In fact, they FACT checked the claims made be EVERY candidate running for president in this election)  As stated above, Donald Trump is the LIAR “in chief” – NO ONE of the other candidates, including Mrs. Clinton even comes close.  In fact, what was surprising to me, during the primaries I checked their data base on “lies” from all the candidates and both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were about even and well “ahead” of ALL the other candidates.  Of course, my friend (a conservative who I think has been watching Fox again – yikes!) replied without discussing the “data” – he simply pointed out that Politic is a “liberal” outfit and, apparently, not believable.  (there was plenty of other evidence supporting the REALITY that Trump is a (maybe even pathological) liar.  I point that out because my (good) friend is voting for Trump because Mrs. Clinton “is such a liar.”  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that same thing.  “We the people” have been getting BRAINWASHED for as long as I can remember and this right wing assault on our nation has been growing like dry rot on a wood structure since the day Ronald Reagan was elected.  Should “they” (whoever “they” are) succeed in getting someone like Trump into the White House, I grieve for my children and grandchildren and feel it may be a generation before the damage can be “fixed.”  (God help us if Trump’s voters actually know they’re voting for a fascist)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’ve pretty much stopped watching (and listening) to what is considered the “main stream media” because I’m convinced they’re giving Donald Trump so much free air time simply to create “excitement” to push up ratings.  I’ve been saying for years that it appears to me that our so-called “news” outlets are more into creating news than reporting news.  What’s driving my thoughts on this subject today is the reporting I heard (briefly) yesterday on the latest “scandal” where apparently Ruth Bader Ginsburg expressed her true feelings about Mr. Trump.  What I heard was Trump’s response, so I have to assume Ms. Ginsburg’s remarks were not complimentary.  Trump was (as usual) calling her names.  I was listening to MSNBC (on my XM radio while driving my car) and I couldn’t help but think that the commentators, even on MSNBC, are almost like programmed robots.

First you hear the “scandal” – or whatever topic they’re “discussing,” (I maintain “we the people” are under a constant barrage of brainwashing by the “liberal media”) – then they provide you (as the listener – or viewer) with two totally partisan (hacks) pundits that put the spin from the right or the left on the subject.  And, I have to admit here, the pundits (hacks) representing the “right” seemingly are better prepared to push the narrative.  In this particular instance – I can’t remember who was “representing” the “left” – but their argument was totally defensive.  I pictured myself in their place and wondered why they didn’t, at the very minimum, ask why Ms Ginsburg’s speaking out about Trump was worse than Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas participating in the Koch Brothers’ summit meetings – you know, where all the billionaires converge in their attempt to turn America into a corporatist fascist state?  To me the hypocrisy is stark.  It kind of summarizes my disgust with the democrats and the so-called “liberal media” that have allowed Fox “news” (and their “followers”) to have convinced a large number of Americans  that liberals (like Ms.Ginsburg) are the problem.

I have to agree that it would be better for all Supreme Court Justices to remain as neutral (politically) as they can – of course, they have their fundamental beliefs like anyone else – and to avoid the media.  But, again, it irks me that the “right” is allowed to get away with condemning Ginsburg for speaking out, yet the corporatists on the Court cavort with the right wing cabal and nothing is said.  To me, Scalia and Thomas at a Koch Brothers “convention” is far worse than Ginsburg speaking her mind!

This follows close behind the latest “scandal” regarding Hillary Clinton and the email server issue.  I really have to wonder if anyone else will be asked to submit tens of thousands of their emails to the government to be scrutinized.  We know, for instance, that both of Mrs. Clinton’s predecessors in the Bush/Cheney administration exchanged “classified” information in private email accounts but neither were ever asked to submit ALL of their emails for scrutiny.  We also know that Jeb Bush had a private email server when governor of Florida.  Wouldn’t it be interesting to read all of his emails as himself and his secretary of state were manipulating the voting in Florida so that his brother could become president.  And, of course, all these people who are now claiming that Ruth Bader Ginsburg would have to recuse herself if she’s in the position to hear a “Clinton v Trump” case following the election were completely silent regarding Scalia and Thomas helping to vote in George W Bush – and, we all know what the real consequences of that decision was.

I’ve been disgusted with our media more than ever since I saw that their dereliction of duty was leading to the possibility that someone like Trump might actually win the White House.  I have written ad nauseum about the damage Bush/Cheney did to this nation – it’s really difficult to quantify because we are a resilient people and we “keep on keepin on,” but both militarily and economically the damage was severe.  Barack Obama has managed to kind of “stabilize the ship,” but the bigger problems still exist – and, they’re getting worse.  For example, if “we the people” are unable to reverse the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision and re-establish the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 it’s just a matter of time until the corporatacracy “wins.”

There’s estimated to be something along the lines of 15,000 lobbyists in Washington DC.  It’s common knowledge that when a congress person loses their job, they simply move across the street to a lobbying firm into a job that usually pays as much as 10 times their congressional salary.  It’s also public knowledge that these lobbyists have essentially “bought” the majority of our Congress persons and our nation’s political process has thusly been corrupted to the CORE!  Our “liberal media” turns a “blind eye” to all of this.

The reason Trump did so well on the republican side and Bernie Sanders did well on the democratic side is that a large segment of the American population is disgusted with the level of corruption in our government.  Sanders very eloquently pointed out the issue of income inequality that has been growing since the day Ronald Reagan took the oath of office.  I have friends who complain about this (the inequality in incomes and also the demise of unions) and then turn around and vote for republicans.  I wrote in my previous post about a good friend of mine who is a Fox “news” devotee who is going to vote for Trump for “moral” reasons.  Honestly, when I heard him say that, I was speechless.  He said to me, “no matter what you say you’re not going to change my mind.”  (Actually, at that point, I hadn’t said anything – obviously, he’d had a similar conversation with someone else prior to our meeting)  I can understand him not being enamored with Mrs. Clinton (although his reasoning was straight from the mouths of O’Reilly and Hannity), but to vote on “moral” reasons for Donald Trump is – well, again, I’m struggling to find words.

That gets me back to my main thought, which is the hypocrisy (on steroids) of the Trump campaign and it’s enabling treatment by the “liberal media.”  I’ve heard Trump refer to Mrs. Clinton as “Crooked Hillary.”  Not once after hearing that have I heard one pundit point out the absurdity of Donald Trump referring to ANYONE with that “moniker.”  If that’s not the “pot calling the kettle black” I don’t know what is!  Come on Donald, show us your taxes!  (that’s just for starters)  If Trump manages to make it to the election without disclosing his taxes he should be disqualified just for that (of course, would that make Gingrich or whomever decides to be his running mate  the candidate?).  Then there’s “Trump University,” There’s the three or four bankruptcies and three wives.  (I’m throwing that in just in case my friend would read this to help him with his morality judgement)  I’d love to see Trump turn over all of his emails just to make sure he’s not “crooked.”

Have you ever been to a casino in Las Vegas or Atlantic City?  If you have, did you notice the type of people “running the show” – so to speak?  I’d love to see all of Donald Trump’s business dealings vetted to the degree Hillary Clinton has been “vetted” – both her public life and her private life.  I almost get angry when I hear Trump refer to her as “Crooked Hillary” and the commentators say NOTHING.  To me, it’s disgraceful that we’ve even gotten to this point with someone like Trump running for president.  It couldn’t happen without complicity from the so-called “liberal media” – I’ve actually stopped watching and listening to MSNBC (with occasional relapses) because of their willingness to allow Trump to dominate their air space.  I’d love to see how much FREE publicity he’s received just from them.  The man has repeatedly made racist, misogynist, and outright absurd remarks that imply fascist tendencies while making baseless comments about his opponents (it’s now down to him and Mrs. Clinton) and our media continues to let him “get away with it.”

The fact that Fox “news” has “made up” with Trump is no surprise to me, but the reality of MSNBC (and presumably other cable “news” outlets) kissing up to him is what is so disturbing.  I can guarantee you, as I’m writing this, the right wing “establishment” (that Trump so effectively ran against in the primaries) is “educating” him on how he’s going to run his campaign. I’m sure he realizes by now that he can’t “self fund” a run for the presidency and he needs their money and their endorsements.  (Personally, I hope any politician who endorses him gets the opportunity to work on K Street shortly after the next election)  Likewise, the “never Trump” movement among republicans, I’m sure, now realizes they have to work with him in order to make sure they keep their jobs.  Kind of an awkward situation, but totally predictable.  It’s all about the POWER and the MONEY.

With the help of our enabling media, all the racist comments, the misogynist remarks, the ridiculous foreign policy comments, concerns about his taxes, concerns about his business practices (crooked?), and his phony attempts to claim he’s a “Christian” will all be “water under the bridge.”  The American public proved after the Bush/Cheney debacle that they (I have to say “we” because we’re all part of this) have “short term memory issues.”  The rest of the world is watching in almost shock – and, the damage that a Trump presidency would conceivably cause will last beyond my lifetime.  The right wing of the republican party has been doing to our nation, since the election of Ronald Reagan, what people like Trump (and the last republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney) do to their businesses.  They bleed out all the assets and leave the remnants of what they inherited (or, in the case of business, purchased) in a heap of worn out infrastructure and a mountain of debt.  They (and their associates) walk away with the money and that’s all that matters.  Evidently, corporations in control is what will “Make America Great again.”  The great irony of all this is that people like my friend keep voting for them (republicans) based on “moral” reasons – republicans claim to be “pro-life.”  It’s worked since 1980, why change now?

Virtually every time I think of “The Donald” as the “presumptive” presidential nominee I’m reminded of the saying “be careful what you wish for.”  Of course, many in the republican party who’ve willingly “attached their star” to the so-called “tea party” are now running for cover.  The combination of the racist make-up of the “tea party” – I’ll never forget the signs at one of the first rallies I witnessed where Jim DeMint was speaking to a crowd of “Obama haters” – and the policy of “divide and conquer” that was put on steroids during the Newt Gingrich “heyday” (and, it wouldn’t surprise me if Newt was Trump’s choice for VP) eventually was destined to “come back to haunt” the republican party.  It appears that Trump’s nomination is speeding up the process.  My hope is that when people realize what the republicans stand (or don’t stand) for, the process of purging them from the American political scene will begin.

Now, please, don’t get me totally wrong.  From a practical point of view, we need two parties for a two party “system.”  It’s just that the republican part of the “equation” has drifted so far to the “right” that I believe the only way to pull it back is through a purging.  Just think of the so-called “clown car” at the beginning of the 2016 presidential campaign.  There was a reason it was called the “clown car.”  I mean, the final two “standing” were Trump and Ted Cruz.  That should tell you all you need to know about where this party has gone.  While we all (well, now I’m talking about “progressives” or “liberals”) bemoan the Citizens United Supreme Court decision – and, it was, in my view, one of the WORST decisions in my lifetime – followed closely by the McCutcheon decision and the gutting of the Voting Rights act, the unintended consequence from the republican point of view is that it enabled people like Charles and David Koch to FLOOD the electoral process with mountains of money in a surreptitious attack on the basic fundamentals of American government as it evolved from the Great Depression.  And, thus was “born” the “tea party.”

The Koch’s (and their brethren – of whom there are many “well healed” Americans who can’t seem to get enough money and power) have latched on to the fears of the older white working class Americans and used their wealth to manipulate the process so that many, many Americans go to the polls bound and determined to vote against their own self interest.  I’m sure that from an historical perspective it’s an interesting process to watch unfold – but, from my view, it threatens the very foundation of the great middle class I was fortunate enough to be a part of as I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s.  People like me who came from “humble beginnings” always felt as if moving up the social ladder was possible – which is not how young people of today feel.  This is EXACTLY why Bernie Sanders has such a robust following of young people who would otherwise not be participants in the political process.  Sanders is speaking about the issues that give young people hope for the future.

I was reading the Op-Ed page of the New York Times the other day and I noticed an article by Thomas Friedman that made me think he’s been reading my blog.  For years I’ve been railing against the republican party – not because I’m “anti republican” – I’ve been an independent my entire voting life (almost 50 years) – but, because the party has become almost unrecognizable from the standpoint of what turned America into world leaders after World War II.  Republicans now mirror the right wing “establishment” that was considered “fringe” during the years leading up to the inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1981.  Moderate Republicans of that era are persona non grata in today’s right wing environment.  That all being said, the truth is that this radical right wing faction has been present throughout America’s history.  “We the people” have had to “repel” this group of greedy militaristic people over and over during our nation’s history.  Their “fore fathers” hated the New Deal and passed that hate down over the years and they’ve been persistent in their battle to turn America into a fascist corporate dictatorship.  They call it the “permanent republican ‘majority'” which is designed to be a stranglehold on the courts, the congress, the media, and the White House.  When I think about it today it seems as if they have only been stopped because of George W Bush’s inability to put a complete sentence together.

Bush did give those behind this movement (whoever they are) a great boost when he nominated two corporatist judges (John Roberts and Samuel Alito) to the Supreme Court.  Little did “we the people” know that these two judges – who both railed about “activist judges” in their confirmation hearings – would be among the most egregious “activist judges” in America’s history with their aforementioned “Citizens United” decision (opening the floodgates of secret corporate money into the political process – further corrupting an already corrupt congress), the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and McCutcheon which also allowed more freedom for wealthy Americans to buy political influence.  Combined with a republican controlled Congress (and, due to gerrymandering expertise, a House that will be difficult to “turn blue”), and a media that is controlled by about 9 or 10 right wing corporations, the only thing preventing this “permanent republican ‘majority'” (in the words of Karl Rove) is control of the White House.  Then along comes Donald Trump!

George W Bush turned out to be an incompetent buffoon, but he had enough political acumen to convince people he was a “compassionate conservative” and, with the help of the Supreme Court (and, his brother in Florida) he gained control of the executive branch of government.  As I write this the thought that comes to my mind is that Americans apparently have really short memories.  The other thought is how important the media is and how easy it is to manipulate public opinion if you have control of the media.  I mean, when you look at what Bush/Cheney did to this nation it’s hard for me to even imagine that republicans could conceivably be back in control – even the control of congress is hard to imagine.  Do we not remember the incompetence in Afghanistan, the illegal intrusion of Iraq (along with torture and all the rest), and the melting down of our economy via encouraging reckless behavior on Wall Street?  There’s more, I mean I could go on and on – Hurricane Katrina, “No Child left behind,” politicizing the Justice Department (new hires had to make a pledge to be a republican), outing a CIA agent, Abu Ghraib, Massive debt,  etc. etc.  That was bad, but now republicans are thrusting Donald Trump on America.  I mean, it was either Trump or Ted Cruz!  Are you kidding me?

So, let me say this again – it’s not the republican party I’m railing against, it’s the present day version of the republican party.  “We the people” CAN NOT allow this version to succeed.  I realize that the Democratic party leaves much to be desired (thank you to Bernie for forcing the Democrats closer to their foundation) but Trump and the republicans are unacceptable.  The republicans were unacceptable prior to Trump – as I’ve stated before, but, I believe Trump is the result of the republicans latching on to the “Tea Party” as a way to regain control of Congress.  We’re talking about a segment of the American population that is still holding on to the old “White privilege” reality that Ronald Reagan tapped into in his rise from “fringe” candidate to being the epitome of what republicans look up to.  What I’ve called in the past the “puppet masters” (that is, whoever is “pulling the strings” behind the scene) seem to be a group of corporate dominated people who can’t get enough when it comes to money and power.  The only word that comes to mind is GREED!  Unbelievably (at least to me) they’re still saying they’re going to “cut taxes and balance the budget.”  That was “fool’s gold” in the days of Reagan, and it still is – but, with the help of a media that is shamefully silent on political nonsense it’s still the mantra of the republican party.  Hopefully, now that they’ve evolved to Donald Trump, this will be the end of it.  (although, I doubt that – a quick reminder that Bush/Cheney should have been enough to do the “trick”)

These right wing republicans continue to “haunt” America like a bad dream.  We MUST realize that there are unlimited resources available to them.  People Like Charles and David Koch have untold BILLIONS they’re willing to spend to manipulate the political scene to one where it’s easier for them to make even MORE money – with less regard to the rest of us.  They are major polluters and they have a history of a lack of concern for “we the people.”  It’s the very regulations that can force them to be “good citizens” that they hate and they’re doing everything in their power (which is immense) to wipe environmental and economic regulations from the books.  And, the Kochs have many others who are “walking” along side them as they push to repeal whatever is left of the New Deal.  What many of the “tea partiers” don’t understand is that Social Security and Medicare are directly in the sights of those aligned with this right wing cabal.  Of course, many in the “tea party” who’ve complained about the Affordable Care Act as “socialized medicine,” also were quoted as saying, “Keep your hands off my Social Security and Medicare.”  America’s political reality, in 2016, makes no sense – and, Donald Trump is the exclamation point!

I’ve been trying to motivate myself to write lately and, I’m not sure if I’ve had too many thoughts in my head to focus on one topic or if I’m just so disgusted with where the U.S. has evolved politically that I’m turned off.  I keep reminding myself that back in the day when Ronald Reagan was first elected I saw the evolution to a selfish nation taking place and I didn’t say anything. So, I’m trying not to allow myself into that same space again.  As I watch the political situation moving toward November and all the “moneyed interests” (who made up the “stop Trump” movement) moving toward funneling their money to Donald Trump it just reaffirms that the republican party is focused SOLELY on POWER.  I’m guessing these financiers believe Trump, should they succeed in (the seemingly impossible) getting him elected, will do what he’s told in return for all their money.

Of course, all along Trump was claiming he would fund his own campaign – and, while I never believed a word of it (I don’t believe ANYTHING Trump says), Trump doesn’t have nearly enough money (even if he’s been truthful about his net worth) to run a general election campaign for president.  That being said, there are some definite “red flags” I’m seeing in regard to what should be a landslide victory for whoever the democrats put up against Trump.  First, as I just said, the “stop Trump” movement has become the support Trump movement.  That isn’t what bothers me the most.  I expected it – as I just said, with republicans it’s all about the POWER.  More bothersome to me: I used to listen to MSNBC on my XM radio as I drive around, but I simply got sick of them giving Trump an unbelievable amount of FREE publicity in what is beginning to appear to me a very surreptitious attempt to support Trump’s candidacy.  I wrote a while back that I’m beginning to think that MSNBC is more dangerous than Fox, because the general thought is that they are the “liberal” alternative to Fox.  I turned it on again the other day and there was “Trump, Trump, and Trump” dominating the discussion.  In the time I listened – not one word about the democrats – who, if I’m not mistaken, still have a campaign in progress.  My third red flag is the voter suppression that’s been pushed by republicans for the past few years that could block enough democratic voters from voting to swing the election and doesn’t seem to get much “play” in the “liberal media” Fox “news” has America so worked up about.

I read the other day where Newt Gingrich’s former “sugar daddy” Sheldon Adleson has committed $100 MILLION to Trump’s campaign.  I can virtually guarantee you the rest of the “money changers” (including the infamous “Koch Brothers”) will fall in line.  The fact that Trump shows a startling resemblance to a famous German politician back in the thirties will not deter any of those operating behind the scenes in the republican party.  Again, it’s all about POWER.  I’ve mentioned in earlier posts about the so-called “Powell Memo” written in 1972 by a future Supreme Court justice (Lewis Powell) setting out a plan to subvert the labor movement and promote corporatism – a plan put in place by the United States Chamber of Commerce  plus the Supreme Court – and those in the republican party who’ve been pushing this “plan” will do anything to win the White House this November, because it potentially fulfills their dream of the so-called “permanent republican ‘majority.'”   (control of Congress, the Courts, and the White House) Trump will have BILLIONS in support – even from those who think he’s a wack job – because, as I’ve said, they believe they can manipulate him should he win the election.  I shudder to think what this would mean to my children and grandchildren.  The available money (including foreign money – sorry Sam Alito, but President Obama was “right on” when he predicted this soon after the Citizens United DISASTROUS decision! (Just imagine Trump with the nuclear codes!)

Regarding the media,I’ve been writing for years about how absurd it is that the general “consensus,” as portrayed by the media itself, is that we have a “liberal” media.  This is the result of Fox “news,” (GOP “news”) and all the republican “talkers” – either on the radio or the “pundits” who make the rounds on various cable TV formats spewing the same talking points that are directed from some secret part of the republican caucus.  I’ve pointed out many times these people have latched on to the Joseph Goebbels “Big Lie Theory” and it works really well for them.  The general public is unsuspecting and NO ONE in the “liberal media,” that I’ve heard, EVER even mentions this reality.  Honestly, you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to figure this out.  (apologies to Ben Carson)  Just watch different sources on the same day and you’ll see a plethora of republican “experts” spewing the same lie OVER and OVER again.  The theory is; if you repeat a lie often enough people will believe it’s true.  In a society that is made up with the busyness of America, the people are susceptible to the “sound bite” world that seems to be defining us.  Since Bill Clinton (unfortunately) signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 our media outlets have contracted to the point where something like 9 (right wing) corporations CONTROL over 90% of America’s media outlets.  As a nation, we’ve been BRAINWASHED!  Do you honestly believe these RIGHT WING corporations are supporting a “liberal” agenda on the rigidly controlled airwaves?  Yikes!

Donald Trump did say a couple things that I saw (and heard) during the primary campaign that I believe were “right on.”  First, when he was in Iowa I heard him say that America’s voters are “stupid.”  Personally, I’d characterize it with a different word (I’ve called them “low information” voters) – in my mind, for the most part, America’s voting public means well, I just think they are unsuspecting recipients of the brainwashing I referred to above.  The other thing I heard Trump say a couple of times was that he “loves the uneducated voters.”  I once referred to America’s “uneducated voters” (again, I used the term “low information”) and was accused by a second rate right wing “talker” (Lars Larsen who operates locally to me) as being an “elitist.”  Of course, he and the others of his ilk made the same reference to Barack Obama – and, I’m sure none of them understood the stupidity of that characterization either.  The truth is that the republicans DEPEND on uneducated voters (low information) – otherwise they would be “history.”  Personally, I’m hoping that by nominating Trump they speed up their demise, but the red flags I’m writing about tonight are all there to help continue the charade.  (Remember, they managed to get both Ronald Reagan and GW Bush, two “low information” politicians into the White House)  Our “liberal media” has given Trump MILLIONS worth of free publicity – way beyond ANYTHING I’ve ever seen in my 40 years of voting – and combined with my other two “red flags” I’m writing about this evening, who knows, maybe America’s voters will vote us into a fascist corporate state.

The third “problem” as I see it is the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the same Supreme Court that allowed all the secret money into our elections via the Citizens United decision.  I’ve heard estimates that as many as 10 MILLION (mostly) democratic leaning voters will be denied the right to vote by a conspiracy nationwide of republican “insiders” to make it more difficult, or impossible, for certain voters to participate in the election.  For years, republican leaders have claimed that the fewer the number of voters the greater their success at the polls.  Within days of the Court’s gutting of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act several states had “plans” in place to make it more difficult for (mostly poor, old, and/or young) people to vote – people that largely favor democrats.  Some politicians were even quoted as saying this would be the reason republicans would gain control of their states in the ensuing elections.  Combine this with the gerrymandering which has made it almost impossible for democrats to gain control of the House (in the last election, democrats had over 1.3 MILLION more votes than republicans yet were in a sizable minority in the House) and you can see the result of the republican expertise in manipulating the political process.  They believe the “end justifies the means.”

Unfortunately, for those of us who want to see this version of the republican party rejected and given its rightful place in America’s history books along with the “Robber Barons,” the “Trusts,” and the eerily similar republican party of the 1920’s, it seems as if stopping their “free market” agenda should be a no-brainer.  I mean, we’ve been down this path before.  The problem, as I see it, is that the alternative is the democratic party and, as I’ve said before, I often think they don’t have the courage of their own convictions.  This election year the democrats have Hillary Clinton (someone who’s been absorbing “body blows” from the “liberal press” for something approaching 25 years) and Bernie Sanders, who’s not a Democrat at all, he’s an independent running in the Democratic primaries.

The greatest irony, from what I can tell, in this election is the similarity between Trump and Sanders.  No, not their individual positions – those are like night and day.  What’s so similar is that, in my view, both men are representing the overwhelming number of Americans who are TOTALLY “fed up” with American politics.  And, thanks to that “liberal media” that Fox “news” so adroitly defines for us all, most Americans have no idea who’s largely at fault for the gridlock in Washington D.C.  It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure this out, (sorry to Ben Carson) but the republicans have been following a policy of OBSTRUCTION since the days of Newt Gingrich and the so-called “Contract for America.”  (I’ve always called it the “Contract on America”)  In a “nutshell” this “obstructionist” approach to politics has defined republicans since the early 90’s and when they actually are put in a position to “govern” they have no idea what to do.  They “gin up” their base when they’re in the minority – blaming democrats for the nation’s “ills,” and, when they have control of Congress or the White House, they mess things up “royally” and – do the one thing they’re really good at – blame democrats!

The result of all this is that the republican “base” got sucked in by Donald Trump (as if he’s an “outsider” – who knows how many politicians Trump has “bought” over the years – but he’s no “outsider.”  What he is, essentially, is an ignoramus when it comes to how the government actually functions – this will become clear in the general election.  On the other hand, Sanders is the result of the democratic “establishment” ignoring the BASE that made the country (and the party) great from the 1930’s to the 1970’s)  You can see (looking at all the statistics that are readily available online) the great economic divide that we’re experiencing today and that Sanders is campaigning against which began around the time of Powell’s memo in 1972.  Reagan put the “free market” “corporatist” philosophy on “steroids” in the 1980’s (the height of the anti-worker anti-union movement, the “trickle down” [I call it “trickle up”] economic ripoff, the military mega-buildup, and the massive push for deregulation, just to name a few of the strategies to turn America into a corporate oligarchy) – a push which is nearly complete as I write this.  Bernie Sanders “gets it” and MILLIONS of “liberal” Americans are supporting him.  I believe Sanders’ supporters are similar to Trump’s supporters in that they are virtually COMPLETELY disillusioned with our present government and it’s lack of resemblance to the constitution which is its foundation.

While I philosophically “side” with Bernie Sanders, I in no way buy into the 25 years of attacks on Hillary Clinton.  Yes, she is a moderate (although Bernie has succeeded in “pulling” her toward the “left”), but she’s in no way what Fox “news,” Rush Limbaugh, and the rest of the right wing propaganda machine makes her out to be.  I watched her in the so-called “Benghazi” hearings, and she was as knowledgeable a person regarding the machinations of our government as any person I’ve ever heard. This could not be said for the republicans who “grilled” her for 11 hours.  The only thing they proved to me is that you don’t need to understand how government functions to be a member of Congress.  And, the reality is that it’s going to be Hillary Clinton v. Donald Trump in November.  I’m one of the MILLIONS who’ve given Bernie small donations (I believe I’ve sent him around $60) but, I have to say that I stopped giving him money when I sensed he was willing to destroy Clinton in order to win the nomination.  The tenor of his campaign changed along the way and it really bothered me.  Hillary Clinton is not a bad person and my hope was always that the democrats would campaign solely on pertinent issues.  When that started to change, I backed off from Bernie.

The bottom line for me is to defeat the republicans, not only for the White House, but for control of Congress as well.  I have good friends who I have to listen to as they characterize Hillary in the same terms as Fox “news.”  They say she’s a liar (but, can’t give one example of why), they say she is untrustworthy (again, without a shred of evidence).  One of the members of the Benghazi committee admitted the purpose of the hearings was to destroy Hillary Clinton’s “poll numbers.”  Republicans have been focused on this for years, and they’ve, to a certain extent, succeeded.  Their problem is that their “base” came up with Donald Trump as the alternative.  And, if you think Hillary Clinton is “stupid,” I believe you’re going to be surprised as you see her debate Trump in the general election.

As I turned on the TV tonight (not sure why I do this) I could see the movement to deny Donald Trump the republican nomination for president is running on all cylinders.  The republican party created the circumstances that make Trump relevant, but they don’t like the outcome.  They locked onto the “Tea Party” movement when it was convenient but they apparently don’t like the “base” that came along with that “movement,” because one after another they are scheming on how they can deny Trump the nomination.  This should be interesting.  The election of 2016 is, from my vantage point, the most significant election in my lifetime. (with the possible exception of 1980 – Ronald Reagan and 2000 – the Supreme Court’s “crowning” of Bush/Cheney – so, I guess, I should say this is one of the most significant elections in my lifetime)

The main reason I’m feeling the importance that republicans LOSE this election hearkens back to the books I’ve read which place the “blame” on America’s (deplorable) state of corporatacracy to a memo written by Lewis Powell all the way back in 1972.  (Read: “Who Stole the American Dream” by Hedrick Smith)  The next president will be selecting the deciding vote on the Supreme Court and, in my view, that decision is FAR MORE important than the one determining who the next president might be – although, both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz could do incredible damage to the image of the United States if our people are STUPID enough to vote for either one of them to the point they would inhabit the White House.  The next Justice on the Court will be with us for at least another 20 years and I don’t believe we can withstand 20 more years of corporate activist judges turning America more and more into a corporate run fascist state without giving away our heritage.

Conservatives always are lamenting “activist judges” and then they give us John Roberts and Sam Alito who (along with Antonin Scalia and his shadow Clarence Thomas and Justice Kennedy) have unleashed an unimaginable flow of (unaccounted) corporate money which is coming from who knows where (and, yes Mr. Alito, much of it is UNDOUBTEDLY foreign money – determining our elections) and is aimed at fulfilling the dream of Justice Powell and those corporatists who’ve followed him to turn America into something every day Americans still can’t conceive.  The money, however, is allowing our CORPORATE media to BRAINWASH working class Americans into believing people like Trump and Cruz (and the rest of the right wing republicans) have their best interests at heart.

Powell’s “memo” laid out a plan, that was “internalized” by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was (and is) intended to blunt the impact of working Americans on the political process and empower corporate interests in a way that would allow them to dominate our nation politically.  Karl Rove calls the intended outcome the “permanent republican ‘majority'” and the republican party has been dangerously close to “success” in the last 16 years.  First with Bush/Cheney and a republican Congress – that part of the plan was “foiled” because Bush ultimately showed his lack of intellect as he stumbled through one sentence after another while trying to deal with critical issues – plus, at the same time, he and his VP (Dick Cheney) essentially were destroying America’s military, the country of Iraq, destabilizing the Middle East, bumbling crises like Hurricane Katrina, and leading our financial system into near default in a way that even the “low information voters” of America could understand was not good.

Barack Obama was elected to reverse all the damage done by Bush/Cheney but one of his first actions in office was to block ALL the investigations into the lawless (and War criminal) behavior of Bush/Cheney et al which was a classic and MAJOR blunder.  That was like telling the republicans “I’m weak.”  And, they’ve responded with the nastiest, most obstructionist and irresponsible congressional behavior – maybe in the history of the country.  (although, in reality, our country has some deplorable history that we all try to ignore)  Of course, their full out attempt to ensure that President Obama FAILS has led to a historically bad “do nothing” Congressional Record – and, with the help of the so-called “liberal media” republicans have been allowed to “get away” with this.  With the encouragement of America’s racist elements in the highest places ( Charles and David Koch, Limbaugh, Beck, McConnell, DeMint, and I could go on and on) the republicans have “hitched their wagon” to those who make up the “Tea Party.”

And, now, the “upper echelon” of this “Grand Old Party” doesn’t like what the “rank and file” are doing.  The reality of a Donald Trump candidacy is finally sinking in and it’s very interesting watching all those involved, who allowed this to get to this point in the first place, squirm.  I’d call what the republican “establishment” is doing “circling the wagons.”  They’re planning to do everything in their power to block Trump and they plan to do this somehow without turning off the MILLIONS of Americans who’ve voted for him.  And, here’s the real rub – if they’re successful, they could end up with Ted Cruz as the alternative.  I’m guessing there’s nearly as many who are gagging on that alternative as who are having stomach issues thinking of “supporting” a Trump candidacy.  (Personally, Cruz makes me gag more than Trump does)

Tonight I had turned on MSNBC and a couple things struck me in a way that makes me almost cry when thinking about what is happening to this nation?  First, MSNBC, who I believe has played a major role in giving Trump ENDLESS free airtime because of the entertainment value of his campaign is part of the “establishment” that is, as mentioned above, circling the wagons.  I believe MSNBC is going to put a MAJOR effort into promoting John Kasich of Ohio – a personal friend to Chris Matthews – who (Kasich) is a bit less of a right wing wack job than both Trump and Cruz.  Of course, Kasich has garnered a few scant votes along the way (with the exception of his home state of Ohio – his only primary victory) and it will be interesting to see where all the Trump supporters and Cruz supporters go when the reality that they don’t represent the “establishment” of the republican party becomes evident.  Kasich has less than 1 out of every 10 republican votes cast so far.  (who said “majority rules?” – I’m hearing republican “leaders” explain that no one really knows what the “rules” are)

The other thing that I noticed tonight was that, on the Democratic side of the ledger, which has garnered far less attention – even on MSNBC, the supposed “liberal” network – the democrats will undoubtedly find a way to “shoot themselves in the foot.”  I do like Bernie Sanders (he’s really an independent) but I worry that his campaign could lead to many democratic voters staying home in November should he not gain the nomination.  I hope he gains the nomination, but the chances, at this point, are not good – and, I don’t trust our “liberal media” to clearly identify the true consequences of a republican victory in November.  I really can’t remember a time in my life when I’ve felt a democratic victory is more important than 2016 – whether it’s Bernie or Hillary.  I love that Sanders is pushing the debate to the “left” but I fear many of his supporters simply don’t understand the “stakes” of this election.  They’ve shown themselves in 2010 and 2014 that they will stay home if not excited.  This year, the stakes are too high for that kind of an attitude with any of them.  Democrats should be pushing hard to retain the White House and REGAIN control of Congress. (and, then do something progressive with the opportunity)

Whether it be Trump, Cruz, Kasich, or someone else the “establishment” manages to “put before the voters,” moneyed interests will be BOMBARDING “we the people” with disingenuous (at best) propaganda over the airwaves designed to fulfill Powell’s dream – which is a government TOTALLY under CORPORATE control – in the form of BILLIONS in expenditures as people like the Koch brothers “invest” in their “future”  – A republican controlled Congress, Court System, and White House – will make, now, thanks to Citizens United, an exponentially more difficult task of reversing the “trend” as the corporate money will continue to BRAINWASH Americans into believing in things like “Trickle Down” (I call it Trickle up) economics and perpetual war.  We can look forward to more “private prisons” – I can’t believe “we the people” have allowed that one – EVER – lower taxes on the wealthy, higher deficits (and, they’ll somehow continue to blame President Obama – count on it) and a continued deterioration of working class America.  This really is a BIG DEAL!

If you don’t understand, for example, how politicized the Supreme Court is, for example, you’re not paying attention.  The FACT that republicans are REFUSING to even consider President Obama’s choice to replace Scalia on the court should send a strong message to all Americans of exactly what I’ve been writing about for years.  These Republicans MUST GO!  People of all persuasions SHOULD participate in a MASSIVE anti-republican march to the polls in November and purge these people from the “halls of Congress.”  And, in case you haven’t read many of my posts – I’m no fan of the democrats.  They have proved time and again they don’t have the courage of their own convictions when “push comes to shove.”  However, in my view, they are far less dangerous than the republicans and “we the people” would be sending a message to both parties that the days of the “moneyed interests” corrupting our Congress are OVER!  One of Bernie’s MAJOR plus points is his commitment to appoint a judge who is committed to reversing the DEPLORABLE Citizens United decision.  Getting corporate money out of our politics is a necessary first step in “we the people” reclaiming what we’ve lost since the Powell memo.  (I’m guessing that if Bernie wins the democratic nomination and it appears he will win the election, you’ll see McConnell change his “tune” regarding the nomination of Merrick Garland – a much more conservative judge than Sanders would nominate)

Most Americans have NO IDEA of Lewis Powell’s memo to the Chamber of Commerce and they still believe everything in “the land of the free” is on the up and up.  In the early days of this blog I referred to America’s “low information voters” and got a response from a local right wing “talker,” Lars Larsen, accusing me of being an “elitist.”  This is the same term that was applied, astonishingly, to our first African American President – a man who is the epitome of “the American dream” – because these right wing zealots will say anything and do anything that allows them to continue this almost 50 year “march” to their “permanent republican ‘”majority.'”  So, now people like Larsen are “stuck” with either Donald Trump (fascist tendencies) or Ted Cruz (a Dominionist – look it up!) or a republican “base” that realizes they are simply the “tools” of the moneyed “elite” and, despite the FACT they created this mess (republicans are very good at creating “messes” – see Bush/Cheney et al), they clearly don’t like it.  The “establishment” of the republican party is looking for any way they can “stop Trump” and still have a viable party.  I’ve been lobbying for the demise of the present day republican party for a few years. (this push for a corporate/fascist state) Just, maybe, the time is nigh.