Driving home today I listened to an interview with one of Donald Trump’s sons regarding the upcoming “Super Tuesday” primaries and the hyped up attacks on his father by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.  During the interview I found it interesting that Chuck Todd (and Trump’s son) mentioned the “excitement” in the republican primaries and, in particular, they mentioned Massachusetts where “Democrats and Independents” are voting for Trump.  I couldn’t help but think that there must be many democrats around the country who, if given the opportunity, would vote for Trump just to make sure he’s the republican nominee.  I’m sure I’m not the only person “out there” who believes that a Trump candidacy will be the final “dagger” in the republican party which has been tilting so far to the right in the last 8 years that it is making the John Birch Society appear mainstream.

To top it off, both Cruz and Rubio (if the Democrats are not totally stupid) are making the campaign commercials for the general election as I’m writing this.  I can’t help but think of the saying “It’s the pot calling the kettle black” as Cruz and Rubio accuse Trump of being a racist.  OMG – have both of them failed to actually LOOK IN THE MIRROR each morning as they’re getting ready to go out and LIE to their unsuspecting constituents?  Honestly, to me, both Cruz AND Rubio are WAY MORE dangerous than Trump.  And, if you’ve read my previous posts, you know that I’ve found alarming similarities to Trump’s campaign slogans and those of Hitler in Germany back in the thirties.  I didn’t see Cruz and Rubio standing in shock as Trump was talking about rounding up “illegals” with some kind of door to door “border patrol,” or when he suggested that Muslims should be “registered,” or when he suggested NO Muslims should be allowed into America (shockingly, including members of our military who are overseas serving the nation) “until we figure this out” – whatever that means.

As Cruz and Rubio blast Trump over some phony “Trumped up” (I couldn’t resist :o) claim that he didn’t reject the endorsement of David Duke I basically gagged.  This is how the republican party has worked for as long as I can remember.  My first thought was, “Let’s take a look at those who are endorsing you” – meaning Rubio and Cruz.  The entire right wing of the republican party is infested with racists – so, are we now questioning which racists are acceptable and which are not?  I predict Trump will come out of this “the winner,” Rubio will come out of this “episode” as the “whiner,” and Cruz……? Well, someone might start vetting Cruz at this level – like who are his “supporters” – and, all I can say is it will probably be very interesting.  Can you imagine if any of these guys get “vetted” as Hillary Clinton has been “put through the ringer” what will come out “on the other side?

Of course, Rubio is the perfect candidate for the so-called republican “establishment” – which, unbelievably at this point in time, may include the infamous “Koch Brothers” – Charles and David Koch.  (That, alone, should tell you why the republican party needs to go)  Rubio is the kind of “empty suit” that will do and/or say whatever he’s told to say by what I call the “puppet masters.”  I can really picture him, similar to GW Bush, should he succeed in gaining the White House, being kept from public appearances where he might have to say something “off the cuff” for fear of exposing his difficulty with complete sentences relating to real topics.  And, as far as Cruz is concerned, I thought his former college roommate put it best when he said, “I would rather randomly pick a person from the phone book for president than to have Ted Cruz as president.”  That is from someone who went to school with Cruz.  The reports I’ve heard is the only success Cruz has had in Congress (he won his Senate seat thanks to Sarah Palin – yikes!!) is to absolutely TURN OFF everyone who works in the Senate – and, this is one thing in American politics right now that is bipartisan.  Even his republican colleagues reportedly HATE him!

I can’t believe I’m kind of defending Donald Trump, but in listening to Cruz and Rubio these past couple of days I’m thinking “Trump is looking better and better” as far as republicans go.  Honestly, regarding the accusations that Trump didn’t “deny” the endorsement of David Duke (in time, or ?????) is absurd to me.  Is it not obvious by Trump’s comments regarding Latinos, Muslims, and African Americans that he’s got an issue with race?  Of course, isn’t it obvious that SO DO both Cruz and Rubio?  I’ve listened to these guys for the past few years making one racially insensitive remark regarding our sitting president after another – and, when anyone calls them on it – they, of course, accuse the other person of “pulling the race card.”  It’s a slick game they play, but my point is here that Cruz and Rubio are no great improvement I’m sure from the standpoint of “minorities” over Mr. Trump.  And, this should make my point, both Cruz and Rubio are of Cuban descent and yet Trump is BEATING them in the Hispanic vote (although, most Hispanics – surprise, surprise – are voting for Democrats.  There’s a reason why something like 80 – 90% of African Americans will vote democratic and it won’t matter whether it’s Cruz, Rubio, or Trump.)

There’s also good reason why a large segment of the republican voters have rejected both Cruz and Rubio.  One of the more disgusting parts of the republican campaign, to me, was when Trump (I’ve seen this on at least two occasions) stood in front of a cheering “throng” saying he would commit WAR CRIMES – waterboarding, “And a lot worse.”  I’m not sure which bothered me more – Trump making the claims or the people in the audience wildly cheering a candidate for President of the United States promising to commit WAR CRIMES! Unbelievable, you might think.  But, of course, not to be outdone, withing days I heard BOTH Cruz and Rubio, in reference to the torture chamber at Guantanamo Cuba, known as “Gitmo,” not only calling on keeping it open, but expanding it.  And, I didn’t hear either one of them condemning Trump’s remarks regarding a PROMISE to authorize TORTURE.  Now, had they condemned those remarks as opposed to “suggesting” Trump is a racist (again, I’m reminded of the “pot calling the kettle black”) they may have been able to claim just a bit more credibility.

I’ve stated this a couple times in recent posts, but I’ll say it again:  I believe the republicans embracing the so-called “Tea Party” movement after Bush/Cheney almost destroyed our nation with the “fiasco’s” in Iraq and Afghanistan along with the bludgeoning of the economy – among other failures – was a short term “fix” (in the republican’s “thirst” for power any way they can get it) that is coming “home to roost.”  I believe it is the white, lower educated, working class Americans who’ve been duped by the right wing media who make up the “base” of the Tea Party movement AND Donald Trump’s supporters.  They are ANGRY and Trump, Cruz, Rubio, and the rest of the republican party are ginning up the anger.  This election is going to FORCE the true agenda of the “puppet masters” to the forefront and I’m hopeful that the propaganda scheme of Fox “news,” Rush Limbaugh (and, the other right wing talkers – and, yes, that includes you Lars Larsen), and the “conservatives” in Congress who’ve been OBSTRUCTING our government in their quest that Barack Obama would “FAIL,” would be fully exposed.  In reality, I don’t see a lot of difference between the people who are supporting Bernie Sanders and those supporting Donald Trump.  Both groups are ANGRY that the government, in its present state, is unable to function.

Our “corporate media” (you know; what they have convinced you is the “liberal media”) has failed miserably to properly report on why our government can’t function.  The FACT that republican leaders stated UP FRONT upon President Obama taking the oath of office that their NUMBER ONE goal is that he would FAIL should have been part of every discussion regarding why our government can’t function.  And, does that cause you to think a bit about why they would want Obama of all people to fail?  Do you think the color of his skin has anything to do with it?  (If you answered “no” to that last question I have to wonder where your head is at)  The FACT republican governors and republican legislatures ALL OVER  THE COUNTRY were ready to file voter suppression legislation within days of the right wing Supreme Court (inexplicably) gutting the Voting Rights Act should give you a hint about where republicans are “coming from”  in regard to race.  (I didn’t hear either Cruz or Rubio standing up for those dis-enfranchised by this horrible Court decision)

So, despite the fact that Donald Trump is probably the worst candidate for president in my lifetime (well, right in there with George Wallace) there’s not much difference between him and Cruz and Rubio.  Of course, the republican “establishment” is ganging up on Trump as I write this (I began this post prior to “Super Tuesday” and I’m finishing it the next day) and, it will be interesting to see how the republican voters react to their “leaders” pulling out all the stops to prevent the voters from having the “say” on this nomination.  Obviously, the gloves are off as far as the amount of “mud” that will be coming Mr. Trump’s way – and, as I said earlier in this post, I believe that Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are auditioning for anti-Trump commercials that will play prior to the general election in November!

As a sixth grade teacher I see this kind of whining and name calling all the time.  Honestly, this entire republican campaign has reminded me of middle school drama.  I have to believe that democratic “insiders” are recording everything each of the remaining candidates are saying and it’s going to get a lot of air play come the fall.  So, to sum up my thoughts – the scheme to blast Trump for “when” (or if) he disavowed an endorsement by David Duke (former head of the Klu Klux Klan if you’re not aware) by Rubio and Cruz seems to be the height of hypocrisy to me.  Both Cruz and Rubio, on the stump, claim to be avid Christians.  Their comments remind me of the scripture which says, “Don’t worry about the spec in your neighbors eye until you take care of the log in your own.”  Enough said!

I have a “progressive” friend with whom I was sharing my apprehension about MSNBC and my thoughts that they are seeming more dangerous to me than Fox “news” in what I’m seeing as the push from the “right” for ANYONE calling themselves a republican winning the “White House” in 2016.  My friend defended MSNBC as if they’re “progressive” and giving a fair treatment of the candidates for President on the republican side of the “isle.”  Of course (I’m assuming you’ve read some of my previous posts) I don’t see it that way.  Yes, there are two or three “commentators” “hosts” or whatever you call them that are clearly “liberal,” but the station is owned by a right wing corporation and I’m concerned that its “tilt” to the right is so subtle that it’s giving an almost subliminal message that legitimizes republican candidates that any true “liberal” would be doing everything they can to expose.

For example, MSNBC is presenting John Kasich as some kind of “positive” “moderate” alternative to the Trumps and the Cruz’s and Rubio’s of the world.  He my well be more moderate than them, but that does NOT make him a moderate.  They interview Kasich (and the others) by what many would call throwing “softballs.”  They avoid the HARD questions and they do a disservice to their audience (which, presumably, is “liberal”) by failing to do ANY investigative reporting which would expose the FACTS about each and every candidate.  I’m not a Hillary Clinton supporter (although, if she’s the nominee, I will vote for her over ANY of these republicans from the so-called “clown car.”), but it would be interesting to see MSNBC “vet” these republican candidates even half as much as Clinton has been “vetted.”  The amount of absurd attacks on Clinton is causing me to take a second look – she must be better than I thought if the republicans are spending this much money attempting to uncover some terrible piece of news that will “undo” her.  (Is this simply Deja Vu all over again circa the 1990’s?)

As I stated in a previous post, Kasich is a war monger (he wants to start a war with Russia if his words are not complete bluster), he is anti-union, anti-women, and he was pushing a voter suppression law in Ohio shortly after the Supreme Court (unbelievably) gutted the Voting Rights Act.  John Kasich is no moderate.  He came to office in Ohio in the same “Tea Party” surge that brought us Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Rick Snyder in Michigan (who’s instituted – somehow – a mini – Nazi regime in the state of Michigan which has resulted, in one instance, with the people of Flint Michigan being poisoned by their own water).  Do a little research on these people before you start believing MSNBC that John Kasich is a “moderate.”

Then there’s Donald Trump, who clearly is espousing rhetoric that is Nazi like.  In fact, Trump’s main campaign slogan, “We will make America great again” mirrors the words of Adolph Hitler as he rose to prominence in Germany back in the 1930’s.  (If you check it out, there are some “eerily” similarities between Trump and Hitler – I know that’s not “politically correct” – but check it out for yourself).  If your as old as I am, you might remember the “code” Ronald Reagan used to get the right wing (which includes the white supremacists) to “know” where he was coming from when he initiated his candidacy from Philadelphia Mississippi – infamous ONLY because of the civil rights workers slain there back in the 1960’s.  You don’t find this type of information on MSNBC or any where else for that matter – but, the right wing “surge” has evolved to the REALLY dangerous stage for those of us who wish to preserve America’s “democracy”  and I keep waiting for the “Muckrakers” (circa 1900) who are true investigative reporters willing to uncover the corporatism which is pushing America toward fascism.  In my mind, Trump’s “coded” messaging is alarming, to say the least.

Honestly, the ONLY reason I can see for Trump to be the “front runner” in the republican party is the field of candidates he’s been running against.  Now, it’s down to Ted Cruz (every time I write that name my little voice says, “Are you kidding?”), Marco Rubio (he’s trying to PROVE you can be president by doing NOTHING substantial but KISSING UP to the right people), and the above mentioned Kasich.  (I suppose Ben Carson is still holding out hope, “It might be me”)
When Trump addresses his audiences after his primary “victories” (I believe his highest “winning” percentage total was in Nevada where he managed over 40% of the republican votes) he thanks his supporters by sub-groups.  And, (each time) when he gets to what he calls the “poorly educated” his arms go out and up (as if he’s worshiping in church) and says “I love the poorly educated!”  I will only say to that, I’m sure he does.  He’s relying on voters who don’t “vet” their candidates to turn out in large numbers so that he can (somehow) “Make America great again.”  (What on earth does he mean by that?  I’m pretty sure it means get a white MAN back in the “White House.”  I’m just sayin……)

What’s becoming really interesting with Trump is that reality is setting in with the so-called “establishment wing” of the party.  They conveniently nurtured in the “Tea Party” after Bush/Cheney virtually destroyed republican credibility in 2008 with the disastrous wars, the bumbling handling of emergencies – ie Hurricane Katrina, and the destruction of our economy (actually, the world economy) which was “saved” via the TARP bailouts.  (I guess that’s the republican version of “free market economics”)  Of course, the republican propagandists, expertly using the theories of Goebbels, convinced their “brethren” that the bailout, the resulting deficits, the disastrous war effort, the job losses in the MILLIONS, and the bloated national debt were ALL caused by and the FAULT of Barack Obama!  They were blaming the deficit and the debt crisis on Obama before he took the oath of office – and, the republican base, so lovingly referred to by Trump as “poorly educated” bought into the propaganda “hook, line, and sinker.”  (The now infamous Koch Brothers saw an “opening” and took advantage – and, we ended up with a “Tea Party” controlling the republican congress – including Ted Cruz)

In the early primary states in the 2016 race for the republican nomination for president, something like 60 – 65% of republican voters, as per the exit polls, still believe Barack Obama is not an American citizen – they believe he was born in Kenya (or some such nonsense), and an even higher percentage believe he’s a Muslim.  What’s interesting to me, is that President Obama was a member of a Black Church in Chicago for something like 20 years before running for president and, if you’ve ever been in a Black Church you know that it is an intense religious experience.  All I can say is that if you haven’t experienced this, you shouldn’t be judging the Obama’s faith.  The best way I can put it is that when you’re in that setting you discover that “Jesus is in the House” – in the words of my good friend who’s a minister in a Black Church where I live.  I find it interesting that these republican “Christian” voters reject Obama’s spirituality and Trump holds up a Bible and says, “I’m religious” and the “evangelicals” flock to the polls to support him.  When I heard Trump quote from “2 Corinthians” at Liberty University I thought, “Well, that should undo him with the ‘religious right'” and, instead his poll numbers went up.  Go figure.

Maybe MSNBC is so focused on Trump because they want to help him get the nomination to ensure a democratic victory in November.  Personally, I’m a little more cynical.  The other day I watched Chris Matthews, the “Bill O’Reilly” of MSNBC, do an one hour interview with Bernie Sanders (I believe) at the University of Chicago.  I’ve seen Matthews interview Kasich and Trump prior to the interview with Sanders.  The difference in the questioning was stark.  It was as if Matthews was attempting to undo Sanders.  He almost seemed belligerent in pressing Sanders with questions like “what have you ever accomplished” and, when Sanders (you could tell he was taken aback by the tone of Matthews) would attempt to answer him, Matthews would cut him off in the middle of his answer and blast him as if this was a debate.  Compared to the interviews with Trump and Kasich I was left to wonder what is Matthews up to?  I’ve written several times about him (and Chuck Todd, another of the MSNBC commentators who seems to be promoting republicans) regarding his legitimizing republican candidates by treating them with “kid gloves.”  It seems to me that Matthews (and, MSNBC) is more interested in ensuring there is an exciting “race” for president than actually exposing the side of these republican candidates that ALL progressive voters should be aware.

In 1980 Ronald Reagan was a “fringe” candidate, and the republican propaganda machine, along with “the end justifies the means” philosophy of campaigning led to him winning the White House.  Republicans hold Reagan up as an almost “god-like” figurehead while blaming (for the past 35 years) the burgeoning deficits and national debt on democrats and I don’t doubt that, with the help of the nearly $1 BILLION the Koch Brothers will invest in Trump (or anyone else who’ll follow the company line), along with the voter suppression that republicans have been instituting since the right wing Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, AND the FACT that 80% of the election will take place on electronic voting machines owned and operated by right wing republican corporations, republicans can win an election with someone as unqualified as Trump, Cruz, or Rubio.  (remember, they managed – with the help of the Supreme Court – to get Bush/Cheney into office DESPITE losing by over 500,000 votes and LOSING Florida had the Supreme Court allowed the recount)

The depressing part in all of this is that, for people like me, we feel helpless as we watch what is happening.  Every day I hope that I’m wrong in my gut feeling that this election will be as rigged as Bernie Sanders continually points out our economy is “rigged.”  When you start getting your information from places besides the corporate media, things look a lot different.  My optimistic naive side wants to continue to believe that our “liberal media” will actually start acting as if they’re a “liberal media.”  And, in this instance, I’m pretty much talking about MSNBC.  The more I watch (it’s getting harder and harder to do so) the more I wonder who’s side are they on.  (of course, they will suggest they’re not on anyone’s side, but I certainly don’t buy that)  I simply didn’t understand the contrast, for example, between Chris Matthews’ interviews of Sanders vs. Kasich and Trump.  To me, if MSNBC is truly “liberal” they’d be pointing out the real consequences of a republican victory in 2016.  They’d make sure “liberals” who might be watching their station understood the importance of EVERYONE participating in the process – and, what happens when only 35% of America’s voters show up at the polls.

When the subject is gridlock and the fact that people are angry with a government that is getting virtually nothing of significance done, they’d be reminding people of the 700 – 800 filibusters in the senate by republicans, they’d be reminding people that republicans have been blocking President Obama’s nominations to important positions in the government needed for it to function efficiently by the HUNDREDS!  They’d be pointing out that, due to republican obstruction, there are agencies without agency heads.  They’d be pointing out that the main reason there’s a crisis in the VA health system for our veterans is because republicans REFUSE to fund the VA sufficiently for them to hire enough doctors and nurses to meet the demand (a demand, by the way, caused by two republican led incompetent misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan).  They’d be reminding voters OVER and OVER again that republican leaders stated PUBLICLY (not my opinion but FACT) that their NUMBER ONE goal (as of January 20, 2009) was that President Obama would FAIL.  They’d be pointing out the absurdity of the republicans stating (before the body was cold) that they would not even consider a nomination for the vacant Supreme Court seat – due to the death of Antonin Scalia – during the term of President Obama.  And, they’d be pointing out all the code words used in the past 7 1/2 years that make it clear why they want our president to FAIL – as when John McCain referred to then Senator Obama as “That one” in a debate – and that shows the embedded racism in the republican party.  If MSNBC was truly part of the “liberal media” I wouldn’t have to find all this out by reading book after book on what is really happening in America.

As I’m writing this I’m thinking why would you have to be “liberal” to point all this out.  It’s just the reality of what is happening in America.  Someone might want to defend what’s happening from the republican “side of the isle” but we shouldn’t be ignoring it.  lets have a real debate.  And, it all leads me to believe that the republicans (who, by the way are supported by white supremacist groups all over America – not the least of which is the John Birch Society of the Koch Brothers) hate our president because of the color of his skin.  They just can’t get past that.  I still remember just shaking my head when I heard people on Fox “news” (and Rush Limbaugh in an apparent concerted effort) calling our president an “elitist” a few years ago.  Using their projectionist tactics they’ve often accused our president of using the “race card” while they’re giving their coded messages. It’s really disgusting (I can’t remember off the top of my head – which is where my rants come from – all the times I’ve heard racist remarks coming from the Fox people and Limbaugh and some of the other “right wing talkers,” not to mention the republicans in the Congress – do you remember “you lie?”  I’ve just gotten to the point where I can’t even listen to them anymore.

All of this doesn’t even broach the subject of some of the actual “policy” statements of the republican candidates who seem to be each trying to outdo each other in the few areas of their rhetoric which actually relates to policy.  For example, Mr. Trump has on more than one occasion (that I’ve actually seen) suggested he would authorize “Waterboarding and a lot worse.”  (You can read my posts of a few years ago lamenting President Obama’s choice to allow Bush/Cheney to “get away” with authorizing WAR CRIMES of which waterboarding is one which the USA prosecuted Japanese soldiers post WW II for subjecting American troops to this TORTURE that violates the Geneva Conventions AND American civil AND military law – a decision which I predicted, at the time, could ultimately lead to another American president following suit because Bush/Cheney did it and were not prosecuted for their actions)  Every one of the remaining republican candidates wants to not only keep “Gitmo” open, they want to EXPAND it – and, in the words of Marco Rubio, find MORE “terrorists” to put there.  MSNBC should be telling the truth about “Gitmo” and should be pressing these candidates in their interviews about these issues.  Why wasn’t Trump, for example, challenged on his public announcement that he will commit WAR CRIMES while Bernie Sanders was aggressively challenged on “when have you ever gotten 60 votes for anything?  Why aren’t they challenged on why they believe we should keep a facility open that EVERYONE (who’s chosen to research it) knows is full of people who should NEVER have been put there and which is UNDENIABLY a “black mark” on America AND a recruiting “tool” for ISIL and other “terrorist” organizations who want to target the US.  Americans should know the TRUTH about Gitmo and Abu Ghraib – to help them understand why so many in the Arab world HATE the United States of America.

Donald Trump on at least a couple of occasions accused America’s voters of being “stupid.”  (and, of course, the next day his poll numbers rose – go figure)  Additionally,  he’s very clearly stated that he appreciates his “uneducated supporters.”  In fact, he repeated himself one time by saying, “I REALLY like the uneducated voters!”  I believe it’s the job of the “4th Estate” – the press – to help educate the voters.  And, I also believe that, the more educated the voters, the less chance of a republican president in 2016!  I almost believe MSNBC (and, maybe others, because I’m pretty much not watching TV anymore) is purposely NOT educating voters because their bottom line is enhanced by the “uneducated voters” that Mr. Trump is so thankful for because it leads to a more contested election.  When you get exit polls where 75% of republican voters believe President Obama is a Muslim and 65% still believe he wasn’t born in America you KNOW there are a LOT of uneducated voters out there. They are easily manipulated via FEAR mongering.  As FDR once said, “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.”  Trump, Cruz, and Rubio (and the republican party) are successfully exploiting fear.

And, I place the blame for a lot of that on the media.  They’ve allowed the misinformation to FLOW and just like the republican establishment is probably second guessing themselves at this point for embracing the “Tea Party” movement, should Trump or Cruz or Rubio (I almost feel as if he’s the sleaziest of them all) win the “White House” it could take a generation (or more) to overcome the damage.  I’ve said this before and I’ll probably say it again, the rest of the world is watching and they’re wondering, “What has happened to America?”  I truly hope our “liberal media” doesn’t find itself second guessing their failure to educate the American voters about the TRUTH of the republican party.  (bring it on for the democrats as well – although, I can’t imagine what else they can do to Hillary Clinton, for example)

I’m sure you wouldn’t need to be around this site long to surmise that I’m not a “fan” of Donald Trump (despite the fact I hope the republicans nominate him).  However, today as I was driving to work, I couldn’t help but think that some of his recent comments are in TOTAL agreement with many of mine over the past 10+ years – and, of course, they could be the comments that finally lead to his undoing.

In the last republican “debate” Trump said something along the lines of (in response to Jeb Bush’s absurd claim that his brother “kept us safe”) how can you claim GW Bush kept us safe when 9/11 happened on his watch.  I actually managed to listen to some of the comments and Trump CORRECTLY pointed out there was fair warning and that the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA had sufficient intelligence to prevent the attack – but, they basically weren’t speaking to each other.  And, despite the protestations from Dick Cheney himself (the next day to Trump’s comments?) the Bush “regime” had repeated warnings from the CIA and others in intelligence that an attack was imminent and that planes might be involved.  And, they responded to the warnings by doing pretty much NOTHING.  I’ve read this in more than one book authored by people who were “in the know” at that time.

Trump also (CORRECTLY) pointed out that GW Bush (along with Dick Cheney – and all the surrogates who willingly or unwittingly participated in the scam – sorry Colin Powell) LIED the United States into the Iraq war which has had a more profound NEGATIVE affect on America than virtually any foreign policy decision in the history of this nation.  (that last part is my characterization)  Trump is CORRECT when he lays the present dysfunction in the Middle East at the feet of Jeb’s Brother (and, because I have a good friend who might read this and admires GW I have to add we’ll probably never know how much of all this should fall directly on Dick Cheney).  Of course, Trump is doing this as a way to attack Jeb (and probably not thought out all that well in the face of a party which has already spent years in rewriting their history in a way where they can blame President Obama for all this – AND, of course, EVERYTHING else in the world they can portray in a negative light.

One of the things, in my mind, that makes Trump so dangerous – should he somehow become president – is his tendency to “shoot from the hip” in making comments that appear to have no rational thought behind them.  The contrast the other day when I happened to be watching TV (hard for me to stomach) “news” where excerpts from campaign speeches by Trump, Cruz, and Rubio were followed by a press conference given by President Obama was stark.  My impression of Obama was that I’m thankful we have an “adult in the room” dealing with the complex issues any president in today’s world will be facing.  Trump, on the other hand, was claiming that – evidently, because he’s “smart” and “a good negotiator” – the rest of the world will bow down in – fear? respect? I’m not sure what he’s thinking? You pick the word – to the way he’s going to “Make America Great” again.  Evidently, that’s a sound bite that’s enough to get about 30% of republicans to believe Trump would be a great president.  The reality: people around the world don’t “fear” Trump, they fear “we the people” might vote him in as president.

Of course, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio – to me, are almost worse.  I’ve read that Cruz was the master debater in college and it’s clear he’ll take whatever side of an issue that’s going to “work” for the audience he’s speaking to and, apparently, he’s good at it.  I’m not sure if the traditional republicans – who, by now, are – I’m guessing – finally realizing the results of allowing the Koch Brothers and the “Tea Party” (and all the Billions of dollars) to hijack their party feel any better about Cruz than they do about Trump.  Either one of them will, I predict, generate a MASSIVE turnout among Democrats based exactly on the human emotion Trump (and Cruz) imply would be how they would operate as President – and, that is FEAR.  Cruz portrays himself as a Christian.  Is that the word that comes to your mind when you hear his name, or hear him speak?

And, Marco Rubio?  Is he the third alternative?  I guess the exposure he got from Chris Christie in Christie’s “last stand” wasn’t enough for the republican “establishment” – whatever that is.  I saw Nikki Haley on stage the other day with Rubio – I have to believe that will be more of a downer for her than any help for him (outside of South Carolina) – but, the truth is (and, you won’t get this on the “news”) that both Haley and Rubio, along with virtually ALL the other’s on the so-called republican “clown car” (with the notable exception of Trump) are “regulars” at the “fund raisers” put on annually (maybe semi-annually now with all the money floating around politics) by Charles and David Koch.  Trust me, those two guys are going to go down in history for what they’ve done to this nation – and whether it’s eradicated in 2016 or it takes more time for people to understand the reality of the “Koch Brothers” – they will not be able to hide from what they’ve done.  And, they will have brought the focus on themselves by trying to actually BUY the government of the United States of America.

I wrote the other day about my impressions of the kid glove treatment the so-called “liberal” alternative to Fox “news” – MSNBC – is giving the “positive” or “moderate” republican candidate, John Kasich (another of the republicans feeding at the Koch trough) .  And, he probably is the most “moderate” of the bunch.  Of course, he’ll bring as another round of “boots on the ground” in the Middle East PLUS a confrontation with Russia for good measure and working class Americans could expect more voter suppression and union busting in a “Kasich administration.”  That’s “moderate” in today’s republican party.  Honestly, I don’t understand how any working class American could vote for any of them.

When I listen to the voters expressing themselves I can’t help but thinking a couple of things – and, one is an indirect indictment on my life’s calling.  First, Trump – on more than one occasion (and, I heard this my self, it’s not “second hand”) referred to America’s voters as “stupid.”  In listening to some of the reasoning of people supporting him, I’m leaning in the direction of agreement – although, in my heart, I’m with President Obama in believing that – overall – the American Voting public will NEVER vote someone like Trump (or Cruz) into the White House.  Often, I hope my instincts are wrong, but NOT in this case.

The second thought, which is unflattering as I’ve spent the last third of my working life teaching 6th graders, is that Americans are allowing themselves to be brainwashed by our 24/7 cable media cycle.  People are regurgitating sound bites and talking points they are exposed to on network “news” that is often time pure misinformation and too often LIES without fact checking.  I wrote the other day on my disappointment (and alarm) at MSNBC – the so-called “liberal” alternative to Fox – with their lack of vetting and investigative reporting as they continue to expose members of the republican “clown car” to their “liberal” audience in a way that gives credibility to people who don’t deserve it.  For example, it would NOT be hard to show the RACIST leanings, through outright comments, innuendo, or – even worse – the “code” that’s permeated republican “talking points” since President Obama took the oath of office – from virtually ANY of the candidates in the republican primaries. I’m as guilty as anyone else in expecting the media to do honest investigative journalism – but, absent that, it’s incumbent on “we the people” to do the investigating ourselves – with multiple sources.  (That’s what I teach my 6th graders)

In my mind, if you’re a republican candidate you DON’T get a pass from comments made by many republican “leaders” when they claim their “number one goal is President Obama’s failure” unless you publicly repudiate the comments.  If you’ve participated in a RECORD number of filibusters as a way to OBSTRUCT every initiative of the President – without an alternative proposal – you should be held ACCOUNTABLE (here, I’m referring to Cruz and Rubio).  If you’ve been part of the “birther” movement, you should have to explain your motivation.  And, investigative reporting SHOULD be exposing all the code to the American people as part of the vetting process.  Cruz, Rubio, and the others (and probably more-so, Trump) have made a plethora of coded comments that they’re getting away with ONLY because – EVEN MSNBC is letting them.  If you claim to be a “strict constitutional” candidate, you should have to explain why you’re going to prevent President Obama from nominating a replacement for Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court!  I could go on.

They want to “take our country back.”  What exactly does that mean? (I think you probably know)  President Obama has been called by many of them a Muslim – explain how you KNOW this – SOMEONE should call them on that.  Bernie Sanders calls himself a “democratic socialist” so that’s “fair game.”  However, for those republican candidates who have referred to President Obama as a socialist, communist, or even fascist – they should have to explain themselves.  Where’s the evidence?  And, I’ll use myself as an example of what I’m talking about.  I’ve, myself, said that I believe that the republican party is pushing America toward fascism.  If I was running for President (actually, even just “because” I’ve written it) I would expect to be able to back up my comments with “evidence.”  That’s what I’d like to see (at least) MSNBC demand from these republican candidates if they’re going to continue causing me to have to stomach the interviews.  I’m OK with exposing the audience to all the candidates, but why do we have to be so nice to people who are anything but nice.  Why allow them to hide the “real” them?  Yes, Trump continually refers to himself as “nice,” but do you actually believe an African American, or a Latino American, or a Muslim American, or – I could go on and on – actually believes him?  What does he mean by nice?

I watched the republican “Benghazi” committee spend a very long day attempting to sabotage the campaign of Hillary Clinton a while back.  In the process they allowed Clinton to defend her actions as Secretary of State, to demonstrate an incredible knowledge of how our government functions (knowledge the republicans on the committee – surprisingly – lacked), and to show that she’s got the experience to run this government.  I would love for the republicans who want to be president to have to endure a similar “vetting.”  I’d like them to have to answer for comments made years ago, I’d like to have their emails made public, and – basically – give each of them a chance to PROVE they are capable of being given the “keys to the safe.” (and, by that I’m talking about the nuclear codes)

America didn’t know what it was being “gifted” when the Supreme Court (RIP Justice Scalia) somehow decided they should choose our president giving us the GW Bush/Cheney disaster.  (and, if you don’t like that characterization, I can argue for hours with you – Bush/Cheney were possibly the worst EVER – I realize many republicans have short term memory issues – but, just a reminder:  Bush/Cheney gave us 9/11, the Iraq War, the disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina, and the TARP bailouts – to name a few of the notable disasters)  If America’s voters want another republican DISASTER (re: Bush/Cheney) at least we should know what we’re getting beforehand!  Trump told the TRUTH about 9/11 and the Iraq War to republicans. It will be interesting to see how many of them “jump ship” in the face of such a rarity in republican politics: honesty!  “We the people” need to know the (complete) TRUTH about Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich, and any of the others (including Bernie and Clinton – although, I can’t imagine there’s much more about Clinton that’s not already in the public domain) so, if a republican wins the White House, the war with Russia – for example (via Kasich and ?) – is not a surprise.

If you’ve been on this site before you know that I’m concerned that the “4th estate” in America is possibly the biggest challenge for those of us who are fighting the 35+ year move to the “right” that was initiated with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.  I’ve been reading (over the past 10 years or so) book after book in an attempt to better understand what is happening to the country I love.  In fact, in Hedrick Smith’s “Who Stole the American Dream” a compelling case is made that the deterioration started with a memo by future Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, referred to as the “Powell Memorandum,” which was essentially a “call to arms” for corporate America to seize control of the American political landscape in 1972.  So, whether the “beginning” of the downfall of America’s middle class began with Powell’s memo or the election of Reagan, the reality is that we are at a SERIOUS “turning point” in our nation’s history.

And, I believe, the corporate “masters” figured out that the television media was the “tool” that would get them the “prize” – which is COMPLETE control of the government that most of them profess to hate.  Our media outlets, since Bill Clinton (yes, Democrat Clinton) signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 have been compressed into the control of a handful (or two) of right wing corporations who have inundated “we the people” with falsehoods, misinformation, innuendo, and outright LIES in a propaganda scheme of GIGANTIC proportions (most of us don’t even know what’s “hit us”) that has the potential to turn America into a fascist state as early as November of 2016.  Of course, to those behind this scheme, it’s been a long (and expensive) push to turn this nation from the country the world looked to for leadership to a country that the world is looking to in udder amazement – wondering what the @#% is going in “The Land of the Free?”

This absolutely could not be happening without the “help” of the “liberal media” (by now, anyone who’s been here knows the absurdity of that phrase – “liberal media” is a great example of the success of the propaganda scheme – research Joseph Goebbels “Big Lie Theory” to understand how they’ve accomplished this important part of the “scheme”) which is led by Fox “news” – a blatant arm of the right wing of the republican party.  Unfortunately, in our world of profits and “shareholder value” the other “players” in what’s become a 24/7 “news” cycle on cable television are falling all over themselves trying to get ratings and viewers and, the last thing (apparently) any of these outlets wants to do is to offend the “big players” by telling the truth.  The contrast between Fox, for example, and MSNBC – the supposed “liberal” balance  to them has become so blurred that I have come to the conclusion that MSNBC may be MORE dangerous than Fox.

Fox “news” is obvious in their support for the “push to the right.”  They make no attempt to hide their participation in the Goebbels like propaganda scheme where if you repeat a LIE often enough people begin to believe it is true.  Republican operatives, for years, have been sent out to various “news” outlets with the SAME key words in their “talking points” as they HAMMER their agenda down the unsuspecting “throats” of America’s public – and, it’s always traceable back to Fox.  I can’t tell you how many adults I’ve met in the past 20 years who believe they are informed – to the point where you can’t even have a civilized discussion with them – based on misinformation coming from Fox or the Fox “wannabees.”

MSNBC, on the other hand, was once the “home” of Keith Olberman – who was unafraid in calling out the propagandists and their benefactors – and other unabashedly “liberal” leaning “hosts” of what has evolved to entertainment that seems to create news as opposed to reporting it.  MSNBC still has Rachel Maddow who is an unapologetic “liberal,” and a couple others I can listen to – Lawrence O’Donnell and Chris Hayes – but their messaging is becoming such a subtle “enabler” of right wing bluster – with little to no “backlash” – that I’m beginning to think they are actually more dangerous than Fox.  I’m sure there are many “progressives” that are “trusting” MSNBC to be fully vetting, for instance, the presidential race.  I’m not so sure.

I listen to MSNBC (because of the lack of alternatives) when I’m driving my car (XM radio) and this morning, for example, there was a person (I don’t know his name) who was commenting on the “moderate republican” John Kasich – as if Kasich was the sensible alternative to Trump, Cruz, Rubio, and the others.  He emphasized that Kasich has a “positive” message.  And, of course, that’s exactly what Kasich would have you (and me) believe.  The “host” gave NO real information about (the real) Kasich because, evidently, we can’t even get that on the “liberal” “news” outlet.  The day prior, I listened to Chris Matthews interview Kasich and it was like a couple friends having a casual discussion with little more than an occasional direct question from Matthews aimed at drawing out the “real” John Kasich with less than candid responses to those questions by Kasich.  In other words, these two segments of MSNBC “news” could very well leave the impression in the minds of people who consider themselves “progressive” (which is why they’d be listening to MSNBC in the first place) that John Kasich is a reasonable alternative if we “must” have a republican president.  Yikes!

Here’s some of what they didn’t say – or in the case of Matthews – draw out.  Kasich is a “regular” attendee of the annual fundraising “galas” put on by Charles and David Koch.  That, in itself, should tell you all you need to know.  But, from a practical point of view, since the “Tea Party” uprising Kasich has participated in the republican attempt to suppress voter turnout in Ohio, he’s made a push (that, thankfully, his Ohio constituents resisted successfully) to limit bargaining rights of public employees (similar to the now infamous Scott Walker in Wisconsin) and – this WAS (kind of) brought out by Matthews – Kasich is a dangerous WAR HAWK.  His “bluster” would imply that he’s “itching” for a confrontation with Vladimir Putin over the issue in Ukraine AND he’s a proponent of “boots on the ground” in Syria (and, presumably Iraq and Libya).  In other words, for those who believe GW Bush/Dick Cheney were brilliant to invade Iraq, turn the Middle East into a disastrous military quagmire, and believe “we the people” can solve the age old Sunni/Shia/Kurd problems in the world, then Kasich is the “moderate” alternative (I guess) to Cruz – who claims he’ll turn the sand in Syria to a bright glowing red!

Here’s what I feel I’ve been “getting” from MSNBC during this election cycle.  (Of course, I know what you’re thinking – in America now, because of the money involved, election cycles are NEVER ENDING) Republican this, Republican that.  Crammed down my unwilling throat.  I really don’t understand why the “liberal” “news” outlet spends the bulk of their air time promoting Donald Trump (with virtually NO vetting), Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and now Kasich FAR MORE than keeping tabs on the actual race being run by those proclaiming to be “liberal” or “progressive.”  MSNBC has given an unbelievable amount of (free) airtime to Donald Trump while limiting the “reporting” of the “race” between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to an occasional soundbite and an infrequent interview.  Obviously, those running MSNBC are perfectly OK with a republican winning the White House in 2016 as long as their ratings hang in there.  I guess they’re trying to be more “fair and balanced” than Fox.

Wouldn’t it be nice, for example, if they’d actually do some INVESTIGATIVE reporting.  I’d like to know, for example, some of the details of the frequent BANKRUPTCIES of Donald Trump (not to mention something SPECIFIC about what it means to govern – besides, people will fear me, or “I know how to negotiate,” or “I’m smart”).  I’d like to know, if they want to talk about Ted Cruz, whey EVERYONE in Washington DC HATES him, where his money comes from, and who is supporting him behind the scenes – and, how SPECIFICALLY is Cruz going to solve the inequality issue or what is he going to replace the ACA with?  The same with Rubio – I’d love to see a list of all the things these people have spewed out of their mouths on the campaign trail the contradicts their own positions in the past (and, yes, feel free to do the same with Clinton and Sanders).  What is bothering me the most is when the supposed “liberal” alternative to Fox is propping up members of the so-called “clown car” as if they’re legitimate candidates for president of this great nation – people who deserve to have the code to the nuclear arsenal.  Ted Cruz – are you kidding me?  Trump? Rubio? Kasich? Yikes – what is going on here?

With the passing of Antonin Scalia the stakes in this election just got much higher.  And, I can guarantee you the “puppet masters” pulling the strings behind the republican candidates will infuse however much MONEY they deem necessary to win this election.  They’ll pull out all the stops.  They’ll be trying to suppress as many democratic leaning voters as possible (some estimates say they will prevent between five and ten MILLION people from voting) and they’ll be buying up MOST of the available airtime in key areas around the nation in their attempt to fulfill the dream of the Kochs (and people like Karl Rove) for the “permanent Republican ‘majority.'”  (and, stations like MSNBC will reap the benefit by selling that airtime to the highest bidder with little to no regard for validity)  Now that the right wing has “lost” control of the Supreme Court, this election is of even MORE importance to them – simply because Supreme Court Justices are on the bench for their lifetime (if they so choose).  This is why republicans will do everything they can to prevent President Obama from fulfilling his (and their) obligation to appoint (and confirm) a replacement for Justice Scalia in a timely fashion.  (So, when Bernie Sanders wins the election, they’ll be looking back and wishing they’d let Obama fill the vacancy – that’s a PREDICTION)  If you haven’t figured this out, the Court is part of the “Trifecta” that gives them the “permanent republican ‘majority.'”  Congress, the Courts, and the White House.

I’ll end this rant by saying that no one that’s paying attention fails to understand the partisan position of Fox “news.”  (Of course, this excludes their regular viewers, because they’re clearly NOT paying attention if they continue to get sucked into the Fox propaganda scheme)  On the other hand,  the rightward leanings of MSNBC are subtle enough to be, in my view, more dangerous than the outright divisiveness of Fox!  I’m still trying to figure out the motive of those running MSNBC – I “get” that Comcast purchased NBC about the time they started “purging” voices like Olberman and later Ed Schultz –  It’s finally dawned on me that pretending to be something you’re not is a much more effective way of brainwashing people – and, for those of us who are sick of the endless – unwinnable – wars, the flood of corporate money into politics – and, the politicians who take the money and oppose the “will of the people” – along with the distinct possibility of a corporate/government “partnership” that mirrors Mussolini fascism, I believe what MSNBC has apparently transpired into is far more dangerous to “we the people” than Fox.  As I’ve stated many times on this site – the election of 2016 will determine once and for all whether America is a “we” nation or a “me” nation.  Those who favor the former are numerous, those who favor the latter are few, they’re sophisticated, and they have UNLIMITED amounts of MONEY.  Beware!

While driving home from work today I tuned into MSNBC on my satellite radio (sometimes I just can’t help myself) and listened as the commentators continue their endless discussion of the presidential race for the democratic and republican nominations for the 2016 election. Apparently, that’s the only thing that’s “newsworthy” anymore – except, of course, once an hour they will refer to something else evidently in an attempt to keep people like me thinking they are “reporting” news. As I listen to this “stuff” I can’t help but think that someone somewhere is picturing in their minds how they can “mold” the listeners (or viewers, in this case – because, I believe, on XM radio you get the audio of the MSNBC video) to a “secret” outcome. We, as listeners (viewers) are left to either wonder what the “real” intent of the “outlet” is (in this case – MSNBC) or to BLINDLY allow ourselves to be “guided” to a place that accommodates the “needs” of the “outlet.” (again, in this case – MSNBC)

With that being said, today’s topic – pretty much the entire trip home (about 30 minutes) – was about the effect of race in the upcoming primary in South Carolina and, to a lessor extent, beyond. The focus of the MSNBC moderator (apologies, I can only say it was a female and it wasn’t Rachel Maddow) was on the contest between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. She (the moderator) was referencing the different “endorsements” recently received by both the Sanders and Clinton campaigns – for example: Sanders received the endorsement of Harry Belefonte and Clinton, this morning, received the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. As I was listening to all this – and, the moderator said something like they were discussing the effect of race on this upcoming election – I couldn’t help but think that the only way the African American community in America can lose would be if either one of the two – Clinton or Sanders – does not prevail in November.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because we probably won’t get much of a dialogue on how race will affect the republican primary – presumably because the assumption is that very few African Americans will be voting republican. To me, when we’re discussing the effect of race on the upcoming election cycle, the focus should be MORE on the republicans than on the democrats. For example, earlier today I heard an “expert” analyst point out that a significant percentage of South Carolina republicans are in an “anti-establishment” mood because of the removal of the Confederate Flag from the State Capital. When we’re discussing the issue of race in this election, instead of focusing on who’s endorsing Clinton or Sanders, I believe we should be talking about why it is a “given” that African American voters vote democratic.

Should Sanders or Clinton be the next President, I believe the present make-up of our Congress will continue to make it EXTREMELY difficult if not IMPOSSIBLE to enact legislation that is actually designed to address the deplorable circumstances so MANY African Americans face in today’s “reality.” When you have a leading candidate (Donald Trump) who’s very casual about spewing racist dialogue and you have exit polls in New Hampshire (a mostly “white” state) suggesting 2/3’s of the republican voters favor not allowing Muslims to enter this country, and – in South Carolina – a “significant number of republicans” want that Confederate flag flying on the Capitol flag pole then that, to me, identifies where the discussion should be when we’re talking about how “race” will affect this next election.

I’ve been writing about this since President Obama took the oath of office, but our “liberal media” seemingly doesn’t REALLY want to talk about the issue of race – at least in an HONEST way that actually looks at reality. The verbal ABUSE leveled on our president which is laced with everything from subliminal racist innuendo to outright overt racism has been disappointing, discouraging, shocking, – I’m trying to think of the right word – to me. The reality of my own situation is that I’m so embedded with what Thom Hartman (and others who are much more aware and knowledgeable than me) refers to as “White Privilege” that I was totally naive to the reality of the level of racism in America when President Obama was elected. I still remember thinking: “I didn’t think I would live long enough to see an African American elected president” – in a way that implied my thought process was along the lines of “we’ve come a long way, baby.”

However, President Obama’s election simply brought those with racist leanings (there are many degrees, as I see it – from those who are totally unaware of their own issue to the people who are overtly racist) RACING out from under the “rocks.” And, our “liberal media” is either part of the problem or they simply don’t have the intellectual capacity to HONESTLY evaluate their own cognitive thinking. To me, that’s why the focus of MSNBC in talking about how race is affecting the primary election process, they focus on the contest between Sanders and Clinton questioning whether or not Bernie Sanders can make inroads into African American community in a way that translates into votes. Yes, I believe if Sanders is to prevail, he’ll need to do that – BUT the FOCUS of how “race” will affect this coming election should be, in my mind, on the republican party and WHY African Americans, Latino’s, and other “minority” groups predominantly vote democratic. And, I would suggest that it’s because they’re voting AGAINST republicans as much as they are voting for democrats. In my lifetime, while democrats clearly better represent the needs of the African American community, the TRUTH is (at least as I see it) that those living in our large “inner cities” aren’t much better off today than they were in days when people like me were participating in the Civil Rights movement back in the 60’s.

And, I’m saying that as an indictment on myself and others like me – white, “baby boomers” who have a tendency to vote for President and then go back to focusing on our own situation and not giving the person we voted for the support needed to actually “make a difference.” I say that because, whether it’s Clinton or Sanders in the White House starting in 2017, not much will happen if “we the people” can’t PURGE the Congress of all the OBSTRUCTIONISTS who put their own power and the POWER of their moneyed benefactors before the good of the country. “We the people” allowed the so-called “Tea Party” to take over the House of Representatives and their racist tendencies have not been very well “cloaked in secrecy” – if you’re paying attention at all. Presently, I’m re-reading “Sons of Wichita” a book about the now infamous “Koch Brothers” and, after reading this book, you can see the “fingerprints” of two of these brothers (Charles and David) all over some of the absolutely WORST parts of the last 35 years of American politics.

The Kochs funded the “Tea Party” movement and I still remember former South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, now the head of the Koch’s Heritage Foundation, giving an anti-Obama speech (you know, one of the republicans who were openly claiming their number one goal was Obama’s “failure”) in front of a Tea Party audience. As the camera perused the members of the audience there was one disgusting RACIST sign after another depicting our President in a plethora of demeaning ways that implied he was a ……. (well, I’ll let you fill in the blanks – two words). Of course, DeMint not only didn’t discourage the sign carriers, he encouraged them – ginned them up. Honestly, it made me sick to my stomach and gave me even more compassion on what my Black friends have endured during their lifetimes. These people were claiming allegiance to the Bible and the Constitution while spewing their racial hatred. I still get angry just writing about it.

Of course, the derogatory comments – again both subliminal and outright overt – have continued since the day President Obama won the election back in 2008. Now we’ve got a bunch of republican candidates who, one after the other, are throwing out the “code” to make sure their “base” knows they can be depended on to make sure we never have a non-white person in the “White House” again. I don’t know why this is so hard for anyone who’s a legit “investigative reporter” to figure out. Have any of them even given thought to what the republican candidates mean when they ALL say “we’re going to take our country back.” If that’s not sinking in, just give it a bit more thought. I mean, seriously, they’re going to take it back from what?

Or, they also say, “I’m going to make America great again.” When I hear that one I often times want to scream at my TV set (if I’m actually watching them “debate”) “Do you mean make it great like it was under GW Bush/Dick Cheney?” Barack Obama inherited a MESS that any sane person would have chosen to leave for someone else to clean up. And, working with a Congress that has been, for the most part, led by those whose number one goal is the president’s FAILURE, it is remarkable what has happened with the deficit, for example, since President Obama took office. While republicans were quick to blame (Bush/Cheney’s) deficits on President Obama you certainly now don’t see them pointing out that our president has presided over an economy that’s reduced the annual deficit by in excess of $1 TRILLION. So, if being “Great Again” doesn’t mean going back to the deficit spending and militarism of the Bush/Cheney regime, what does it mean? (I’ll let you figure that one out)

The middle class in America came into the “cross-hairs” of the republican party in 1980 when Ronald Reagan was elected president. They’ve been “cutting taxes and (NOT) balancing the budgets” ever since. They’ve convinced the American public (through their propaganda scheme via Fox “news,” Rush Limbaugh et al, and control of the “fourth estate”) that it’s the democrats, for example, who’ve caused the issue with budget deficits. Just like Bill Clinton took the ridiculously HIGH deficits of the Reagan/Bush I era down to ZERO and then left office with a SURPLUS of $250 BILLION per year – that, had Bush/Cheney continued the policy they [us] would have virtually paid off the national debt in 10 – 15 years – Instead, Bush/Cheney turned that SURPLUS into a MASSIVE deficit of over a TRILLION dollars/year by the time they left office. Since Obama took office republicans have been CLAMORING that the high deficits are going to ruin the country, but the REALITY is that during President Obama’s administration the deficit, as stated above, has been reduced over a TRILLION dollars and is presently below the “pre Great Recession” levels. Republicans are STILL claiming they will “cut taxes and balance the budget!” I can’t believe the American people will fall for this absurd “line” AGAIN! Don’t believe me, click HERE.

I’ll end this rant be saying I’m hoping that Donald Trump is incorrect when he states, “The American voting public is ‘stupid.'”  If you’re at all concerned about the condition of race in today’s America I believe the focus should be on the republican party and why very few “people of color” vote for them.  Yes, I hope that Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have a vigorous debate that includes the well being of those who would be referred to as (In Jesus’ words) “The least of these” (and, yes, this group includes people of all “colors”) and I hope that when elected one of them will change the direction of this nation in regard to those “at the bottom.”  I believe Bernie Sanders is ABSOLUTELY correct when he calls out those “at the top” for their GREED and their unwillingness to address the terrible income inequality in today’s America.  And, I think it’s disgusting that one of our major parties can’t field a single candidate with the courage to tell it like it is in regards to all the racial “coding” that seems to dominate their “debates.”  So, the sad reality is that the only way for Sanders or Clinton to succeed is if we vote republicans in Congress OUT of office!

Final Note: Antonin Scalia, the most conservative (and racist) jurist on the Supreme Court died today, presumably leaving the court with 8 jurists and with a lot of 4 – 4 deadlocks until next year.  I’ll have more to say on Scalia (after all the “mourning” of those in Washington DC who will fail to HONESTLY look at his record) later – but, this makes the 2016 election even MORE IMPORTANT.  As I’ve stated many times on this site, the next president could be appointing several Supreme Court justices, and any one of the republican candidates will only further decisions like Citizens United (or Bush v Gore), and the others that have pushed this nation closer and closer to a fascist state.  If you think like I do, tell your friends to get registered and to make sure they plan to vote in 2016.  The ONLY way republicans win is if the American people choose to stay away from the polls!

I’m feeling as if this election (2016) for President is the most important one in my voting lifetime (since 1968) and, therefore, I’m trying to “keep up” with the process as it unfolds. From the beginning (and, if you’ve been on this site, it will come as no surprise) I’ve been pointing out that there’s not ONE Republican candidate that I even consider as someone who SHOULD have a place on the stage. Yet, there’s still close to TEN of them claiming they want to “make America great again,” or they want to “take our country back,” (I’m guessing you understand the “code” of that message) or any number of cliche’s that have any meaning, from a practical standpoint, whatsoever. Of course, from a policy standpoint, you have Donald Trump claiming he’s going to “build a wall on our southern border AND Mexico’s going to pay for it,” or “No Muslims will enter the U.S. until ‘we figure this out,'” or we’re going to “register all Muslims,” or, because occasionally foreign policy “pops up,” you’ve got Ted Cruz saying, “I will carpet bomb Syria until the sand is glowing bright red.” (or something along those lines) I listened to Marco Rubio the other day (of course blaming President Obama for EVERYTHING) and he came across as such a “slimy” disingenuous person that my stomach had a similar reaction to when I try to listen to Rush Limbaugh.

Then, today, I heard an excerpt from a speech given by Ted Cruz, who “won” the Iowa caucuses, where he BLAMED the Flint Michigan water crisis (along with the Hurricane Katrina DISASTER) on “generations of liberal democratic government” – or something very similar to that. Of course, he failed to mention GW Bush in his reference to Hurricane Katrina – and, of course, republican governor Jindal (honestly, to me that one had so many “Pinocchio’s” that it was off the charts) and, in Flint Michigan evidently Cruz doesn’t understand that Governor Snyder (another of the right wing “Tea Party” Republicans elected with the help of the now infamous “Koch Brothers”) in Michigan has managed to create a mini fascist state where he can send in his “cronies” and override the elected officials ANYWHERE in Michigan where it’s determined, evidently by him, that there’s an economic crisis – which is EXACTLY what happened in Flint a few years back. And, of course, Cruz failed to mention it’s the Snyder “cronies” who decided to save a little money by switching the source of Flint’s water CAUSING the present CRISIS (in an effort to “save money”). This is not even disputable! Of course, Cruz (and the rest of them) is/are so busy blaming democrats for EVERYTHING that they don’t have time, apparently, to actually figure out the TRUTH. (Here’s where I might blame democrats: How is governor Snyder able to get away with this?)

But, it’s not this collection of DANGEROUS candidates – who, in any other era in my lifetime, NONE of them would be considered viable (well, Jeb Bush might have been prior to people being introduced to his brother – apparently, even republicans have had enough of the Bush clan!) that is bothering me so much as this all plays out. The real rub for me, as I continue to observe this process, is the state of deterioration of the “4th estate” in America. The Fox “brainwashing” has become so severe that it has permeated well beyond the audiences who’ve “bought into” the “fair and balanced” baloney. When I can stomach watching (or listening) to “news” I keep telling myself that MSNBC is supposed to be the “counter effect” of the Fox propaganda “machine.” From the days of Keith Olberman I thought, while there’s obviously bias, at least it’s “tilted” a bit to the left. Of course, Olberman was FIRED shortly after (I believe it was) Comcast (that) usurped NBC and since then the “tilt” on that source of “news” has started leaning back toward the “right.” With the exception of Rachel Maddow (most of the time), and to a certain degree Chris Hayes and Laurence O’Donnell, the voices on MSNBC seem more concerned with “ratings” than anything resembling “investigative reporting.”

For weeks I couldn’t turn on that channel without a constant barrage of Trump this, Trump that, Trump Trump Trump. Why? well evidently because Trump was a great source of ratings. Now, it appears that Mr. Trump is soon to get his “what for” and they (MSNBC) will apparently find another right wing “wing nut” to promote – and I MEAN THAT – they appear to be promoting these people – I think because they’re more concerned with viewership than “telling it like it is.” (For example, I have to find information about the blatant LIES coming from the republican presidential wannabees elsewhere – you would think that if MSNBC is truly “leaning left” they would be set on exposing at least some of the LIES. I’ve listened to Chuck Todd, Chris Matthews, and others interviewing republicans and FAILING to even question comments that are absurd or border on the absurd. I guess we’ve gotten to the point in America where it’s just an accepted part of the process that politicians LIE and we simply allow it. Seriously, think about that!

For example, the other day I (had to force myself to) listen(ed) to Chris Matthews commenting, in a manner that seemed complimentary, that Donald Trump had “struck a chord” with a significant number of Americans! To me, if he’s doing the job of an actual “reporter,” he should be HAMMERING the point that Trump’s comments, over and over, confirm that Trump is a racist, misogynist, and (among other things) almost a pathological LIAR. Additionally, he should be pointing out that this “significant number of Americans” amounts to maybe something in the range of 8 – 10 percent (which, if you’ve been paying attention, that’s a pretty conservative number of the Americans who’ve shown their racist tendencies since the inauguration of our first Black President – and, when they all say “we’re going to ‘take our country back'” are you starting to understand the “code?”). So, I guess what I’m saying is that I consider the (apparent) FACT that MSNBC is falling all over itself trying to be “fair and balanced” at the expense of TELLING IT LIKE IT IS alarming! How can I best say this? We don’t need no more Fox “news’s” guarding the “hen house” – ie – the information “highway” in America. MSNBC is giving “credibility” to these republican wack jobs who, with the help of the republican Congress, want to return America to the days of the “robber barons.” Evidently, when they say, “we’re going to take our country back” (aside from the racial code) they mean this literally – like to the 19th century!?

I keep wondering if the “pundits” or “reporters” or whatever their titles – of the people on the stage of MSNBC (and, the other “news” outlets on the 24/7 Cable “empires”) read books, or do any research whatever. Sometimes I think they’re actually watching Fox! For example, I’d like to know how many of these candidates are receiving money from the above mentioned “Koch Brothers.” For the second time, I’m reading “Sons of Wichita,” a book about the Koch family beginning with the patriarch Fred Koch and then about his four sons – Charles and David being the two commonly referred to as “The Koch Brothers.” I don’t understand why people like Matthews, Todd, and even Maddow aren’t HAMMERING it into the American public that Fred Koch (and, afterward his son Charles joined in) was one of the FOUNDERS of the JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY. If you don’t know about them I would suggest you do a little research on your own. But let me give you a short summary. The group (to me a cult) was founded during the McCarthy era of anti-communism hysteria and was in the forefront of that movement. Additionally, the “Birchers” were well known White Supremacists and anti-government advocates who were on the fringe in the 60’s, but are at the heart of the “Tea Party” and the right wing republicans today. I guess you could say (unfortunately) that “we’ve come a long way, baby.”

For whatever reason, our “4th Estate” has been timid in calling out the racism that “exploded” in America (obviously, it was “simmering” under the “surface”) upon the election of Barack Obama to be our 44th President. The name calling from “everyday Americans” has only been encouraged by the “code words” being spewed out by our “leaders” – mostly, but not entirely, on the republican “side of the isle,” and enabled by a “liberal media” willing to “look the other way.” Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Bush, and “fill in the blank” of the republicans have been pandering to the racists in America to the point where some people (me probably included) feel that this is their “base.” Evidently, they feel they can’t win without encouraging this issue which is, in my opinion, at the heart of the divisiveness in America. I’m guessing this is the only way republicans feel they can get middle class Americans (who their platform is designed to “SCREW”) to vote for them. I mean, I heard Rubio the other day (I could only stomach about one or two minutes of listening to him) say – I know, if you’ve been around a while this won’t surprise you – “I’m going to cut taxes and balance the budget.” (And, of course, he’s going to “take our country back” just like all the others)

Well, if you’re like me and fortunate enough to have a decent income and you’re thinking he might be talking about “me” (I believe I’ll be paying around $15,000 in federal taxes this year) think again. He’s not talking about a “middle class” tax cut – he’s talking about eliminating the inheritance tax, reducing capital gains taxes (for people who make their income collecting dividends or selling stocks), and reducing the tax rate on the upper 1% of Americans (those making in excess of around $250,000 – many in the hundreds of MILLIONS) – that is, on the people who are corrupting our political process. Those people can’t get enough and politicians like Rubio can’t get enough (of their money). The bottom line is that, just as when Reagan first proposed this STUPID idea in 1980, it’s a STUPID idea now. If you look at recent American history – say, dating back to 1968 when I started voting, EVERY TIME a republican wins the White House the DEFICIT shoots UP! Every republican candidate CLAIMS he/she can “reduce taxes and balance the budget,” and EVERY time a Democrat wins the White House the Republicans do everything they can to OBSTRUCT the democratic philosophy and then COMPLAIN about the DEFICIT and how the “spend, spend, spend” democrats gave it to us. (all the while as the “liberal media” turns a blind eye to the truth) This scenario happens OVER and OVER and our “investigative reporters” don’t seem to want to educate us Americans to this FACT! Even MSNBC (supposedly “liberal”) rarely if EVER (I can’t remember them pointing this out) talks about how ABSURD this scenario is. (And, by the way, I’m not complaining about how much I pay in taxes – in fact, I’m thankful I’m able to do it. I’m in favor of actually BALANCING the budget and repaying the national debt – which we could EASILY do)

My point here is that if the so-called “liberal media” in America continues to give this blind eye to what is going on in today’s political arena, we’re all going to LOSE! Every one of these present day republican candidates would fit right in with the JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY of the 1950’s and 1960’s. (I’m sure it still exists to this day, evidently in a much more surreptitious manner than when I was young – and, people like Fred Koch were publishing anti-communist pamphlets by the millions) Believe it or not, the John Birch Society accused (republican) President Dwight Eisenhower – the general who orchestrated the allied victory in World War II and then became president in 1952 as being a “communist sympathizer.” If people like Matthews, Todd, Maddow, and the others who have a place in front of the cameras that are SUPPOSED to provide “we the people” with information would read books like “Sons of Wichita,” “The Family,” “The Shock Doctrine,” “Blackwater,” “Who Stole the American Dream,” and others with actual information that exposes the motivation behind the right wing push to control the government so many of them profess to hate “We the people” would have a much better chance for knowledgeably electing a more representative government. These republicans wouldn’t even be under consideration!

One reason people like the “Koch Brothers” hate our government is because it is a representative democracy. The John Birch Society along with those behind “The Family” (Fred Koch, Robert Welch, Doug Coe, and others in the covert part of this right wing “revolution” – to steal a phrase from Bernie Sanders) have openly expressed disdain for democracy and admiration for fascism. And, that is what lies on the horizon if our “4th estate” allows, somehow, one of these right wing “clowns” (to use a part of a phrase bandied about at the beginning of the process) to gain the White House. Republicans already control the Supreme Court, both houses of Congress, and too many state legislatures (just look at what is happening in Michigan if you think I’m nuts). If they gain the White House in 2016 “all bets are off.” There will no longer be a check on the damage they can do. To a lessor degree this is what happened in 2000 when we got Bush/Cheney et al. Look at the damage they were able to do in 8 short years. I believe if “we the people” are STUPID enough (using the words of Donald Trump himself) to allow this to happen again, the damage will be much greater.

And, I’ll leave off with this: To all you WHITE “baby boomers” in my generation who’ve been reaping the benefits of what our fathers and grandfathers FOUGHT for in the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s who are lining up behind these “Tea Party” candidates who are willing to destroy the gains made during the “New Deal” and “Great Society” that we’ve benefited from ALL our lives: SHAME ON YOU! Eisenhower made sure we had a strong infrastructure as a foundation for a thriving economy. Are we going to allow it to crumble for our children and grandchildren? Things like Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment insurance, work place safety regulations, Environmental protection (Nixon signed the law creating the EPA), Food Safety, Water safety, Voting rights, Civil Rights all happened because of “liberal” activists and I could go on and on with more. We’ve ALL benefited from this – the Kochs and their benefactors (Who’ve benefited the MOST) want to tear it all down. In fact, they’ve already succeeded in the beginning of the process. And, I feel I can say this with certainty, if the republicans succeed in 2016 (with their “permanent republican ‘majority'”) outlets like MSNBC will have their share of the blame ALONG with “we the people.” Seriously, are we going to allow this to happen?

I keep getting reminded (in my head): “Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it.” Bush/Cheney (and those who supported their military extravagance) ignored the history of Viet Nam. We got Iraq. (I responded to a politician who was soliciting money from me by referencing Dick Cheney as a man “who never saw a war he didn’t like” and I responded by pointing out he was wrong. Dick Cheney apparently didn’t like Viet Nam – based on his refusal to serve in it – he only likes to shoot ducks [and his “friends”]) Americans ignored the history of Ronald Reagan in electing Bush/Cheney (ie – cut taxes and balance the budget) and now, with the help of our “4th estate” it appears we’re on the verge of possibly doing this again. Does America have such a short memory that we can’t remember what Bush/Cheney did to our nation? My prayer is that people who have the “stage” – ie Matthews, Todd, Maddow, O’Donnell, Hayes on MSNBC – and others – would focus on actually educating “we the people” about the real motivation of the candidates. Dig beneath their “stump speeches” because, as pointed out above, we’ve evidently got to the stage where the LYING is acceptable. (the information is available – in books and elsewhere!)

(If you’re thinking, “What about the Democrats?” I’m with you – give them the same treatment – it’s just that as things are presently constituted, they are less dangerous than the republicans – personally, I’m sick of the endless wars and that the country I love has people who condone TORTURE and believe that we are entitled to control the world because we have the strongest military in history ie “turn the sand in Syria into a glowing red” – Do people like Cruz, Trump, and the others even wonder how their words are construed internationally? Or do the people who vote for them?)

There’s so much “stuff” going on I can’t seem to focus on what I want to write about. That being said, the reality is that most of what is crossing my mind has to do with the “state of affairs” in America as we continue in what has become an endless political cycle. Honestly, my inbox is so lopsided with requests for contributions from people whom I have no idea how they got my address that I spend most of my time deleting emails when I have the time to check. Despite all that, I’ve been kind of thinking along the same lines for the past week or two and I’m going to attempt to get it “off my chest” today. And, that is – why all the fuss over Iowa?

How on earth did we get to the point where people are saying the results of the Iowa caucuses could determine the nominees for President in 2016? I mean, isn’t that the state that just elected Joni Ernst to the U.S. Senate? I think her “claim to fame” was castrating pigs! Iowa might represent the “Tea Party” (ie Donald Trump and Ted Cruz seem to be leading the republican side) but this hysterically intense media frenzy over these caucuses is simply MORE of the media trying to manufacture the “news” from where I’m sitting. They’re ginning up “excitement” that evidently gets viewers, but is it any wonder that many Americans are falling into the “who cares” camp as this kind of circus atmosphere continues?

As I’m watching (as much of) this (as I can) it’s becoming clearer and clearer to me that the brainwashing “we the people” have been subjected to over the past 40 or so years is getting to the REALLY dangerous stage. It’s the media that has created the political environment that is the driving force behind this election and I’m thinking it will be left to the historians “down the road” to effectively analyze what’s really happening. The “Big Lie Theory” that the Fox “news” people operate from says: “If you repeat a LIE often enough, people will eventually believe it’s true.” The problem I’m now seeing with that is the people who are spewing the LIES also start believing they’re telling the truth after they’ve spouted out enough of them. This would almost seem comical except that so many people’s lives are being ruined by what has amounted to a right wing TILT in American politics over the past 40 years that so many Americans feel helpless to stop. And, no one (in the “news”) is talking about it.

There’s “populist” rage running rampant “out there” – but the information providers are so disingenuous and so focused on their “bottom line” at the expense of actual “investigative journalism” that media outlets continue to distort the reality of what is actually causing what I call the “race to the bottom” in today’s America. I’m actually of the belief that many of the “tea partiers,” if they could just stop and take a “non Fox ‘news'” look at what America’s underlying problems are would be falling in line behind Bernie Sanders. And, for someone who thinks like me (and supports Bernie) the FACT that Republicans have been busy ATTACKING Hillary Clinton for the past several years – including the bogus “Benghazi Hearings” – makes me think I need to take a second look at what she’s proposing. What I have noticed – Sanders and Clinton (and O’Malley for that matter) are actually PROPOSING stuff – kind of an interesting phenomenon in this atmosphere.

Here’s one thing that is continually BUGGING me as I listen to (as much as I can stand of) the pundits covering the election. They talk about the “outsiders” versus the “establishment” for each party in the process. They also talk about how people are “fed up” with the lack of accomplishment in Washington and how it’s due to both parties inability to work with each other. I’m going to try to DISSECT both of those “claims.” (This is all not to mention the curious importance they place on Iowa – they must be making a boatload of money)

First: It’s simply absurd to me when pundits promote the idea, for example, that Donald Trump or Ted Cruz are “outsiders.” Trump comes right from the heart of Wall Street, he’s undoubtedly connected at the “spine” with numerous of the Wall Street banks that the “Tea Party” supporters of his actually can’t stand. It reminds me of a post I wrote a couple years ago wondering why the “Tea Party” is railing against the national debt and then voting with Republicans (who virtually gave it to us). I mean, here’s another curious observation of the “Trump phenomenon” – He holds up a Bible and says “I’m religious” and, almost instantaneously, his polling in Iowa goes up due to the support of “evangelicals.” Trump has referred to the voters as being “stupid” and I almost think that’s the focus of his candidacy – to prove that he’s right!

Then there’s Ted Cruz. Yikes! The only reason you could call him “anti-establishment” is because NO ONE who’s been around him in Washington DC can stand the guy. Even his roommate from college, who was interviewed a while back, said he would prefer to pick a random name from the phone book for president than to have Cruz. Who, by the way – and this is a comical irony, due to his “birther” queries regarding President Obama – DOES have a birther issue. He WAS born in Canada, his father is Cuban, and there’s a SERIOUS question as to whether he is a NATURAL born American. I’ve heard more than one constitutional scholar say as a “matter of fact” that Cruz is ineligible to run for the office of President. I also know of at least one Democrat who will file a legal challenge the moment he gets the nomination (which I can’t even imagine is a possibility). But, as Trump has said, maybe the voters are “stupid.” All of that is besides Cruz was a $1 MILLION per year LAWYER prior to gaining his Senate seat (thanks to, of all people, Sarah Palin – which causes me to ask: are the voters in Texas stupid?), his wife works for Goldman Sachs, and Cruz’s campaigns have been funded largely through “deals” with Goldman Sachs and Citibank – two of the “biggest” of the “too big to fail” Wall Street banks that Cruz’s supporters seem to hate. Does anyone besides me see the irony here?

Secondly: The media (and, I’m talking about MSNBC as well as Fox and the other “cable 24/7 ‘news’ outlet6”) keep saying over and over that “both parties” are equally responsible for the divisiveness in Washington DC. That, to me, is the result of the Fox “news” brainwashing scheme about how they’re “fair and balanced.” Anyone with half a brain knows they aren’t “fair and balanced” – but, it seems that every other “news” outlet is trying to follow suit. This, at the expense of recent FACTUAL history and ACTUAL recorded comments from various political figures. Let’s start with the “FACTUAL history.” Sometime in the 1970’s to early 1980’s Newt Gingrich began the push of republican obstructionism that exists to this day. There are many who give Gingrich credit for the low standing in today’s Congress – which, he apparently relishes – much to the chagrin of a nation which has millions of people needlessly suffering. That’s not a “fair and balanced” philosophy – in fact, the news pundits who are claiming the dysfunction in Washington is “bipartisan” are ignoring history.

Additionally, before President Obama took the oath of office republicans were publicly claiming their “number one goal” was that President Obama “FAIL.” I heard this from the mouths of Mitch McConnell (who instigated over 700 filibusters in the six years of President Obama’s administration when republicans were in the minority – rumor has it that if they win the White House McConnell is going to get rid of the filibuster) and, America’s voice ALL republicans fear, Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh stated, “I want President Obama to FAIL!”

These people could care less if America “succeeds.” They’ve got theirs and there’s nothing “we the people” can do about that (at one time I heard Limbaugh’s income was in the hundreds of MILLIONS per year) and, it’s all about the power to them and their “fat cat” benefactors. Everyone knows America’s government – mainly the Congress – is corrupted to the core and our “news” pundits would have us believe it’s “bipartisan.” However, the REALITY is that the “money changers” are far more connected to republicans than to democrats, the republicans are the experts at obstruction, and their “supporters” (like the Koch brothers and their money empire) will pay whatever it takes to gain the power necessary for them to continue their plundering of America’s taxpayers (we the people). I’ve got my issues with the Democrats, but I look forward to the day when there is a media outlet that is not focused on ratings but actually “telling it like it is.”

One reason democrats appear weak to republicans is their willingness to compromise – to get things done. Many people believe Bernie Sanders’ ideas are too idealistic and will never get through Congress. As presently constituted, I would agree. However, with a REAL fair and balanced reporting, the American people could understand why NOTHING is happening in Congress and maybe would “vote the bums out. (even when they have the majority the republicans refuse to compromise on almost every issue. The recent budget “deal” showed “Speaker Ryan” what lies in store for him [Boehner Deja Vu] if he agrees to another compromise in the future.)

So I’ll end by saying this again, regarding the Iowa caucuses and the upcoming nominations for president. Iowa voters chose Joni Ernst for the Senate. Why would anyone care who they choose for the republican nomination for president? I have to wonder if Trump, Cruz, or any of the others, for that matter, demonstrated they could castrate a pig. Maybe that would be what would make the difference for the Iowa voters. I’m looking forward to finding out if Trump’s assessment of them is correct!

OK, if you’ve been around my rants in cyberspace much, you knew this was coming – kind of an “I told you so” moment.  And, yes, I’m talking about the “Christian terrorist” who MURDERED three people at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs the day after Thanksgiving.  He killed a police officer (who, ironically, was also an assistant pastor at a local church from what I’ve read), an Iraq war vet, and a mother of two who was there supporting a friend.  I’m not sure what we will hear from the right wing “crazies” regarding this Murderer, I’m guessing most of the “hate mongers” will be declaring their own innocence regarding the DISTINCT possibility that their hate rhetoric motivated this MURDERER to kill these people while thinking he was some kind of “pro life” hero.  Honestly, as a Christian myself, I TOTALLY fail to understand the thinking of people like this and the ones “ginning up” the hate.

However, I have to point out that just a few days before this happened I wrote about the right wing – I believe I referred to them as “fear mongers” – who’ve been out in force since the terrorist attacks in Paris a couple of weeks ago.  I pointed out the hypocrisy of people like (most of) the candidates for the republican presidential nomination who are “broad brushing” Muslims because of the extreme antics of ISIL and attempting to block THOUSANDS of Syrian refugees from entering the United States – presumably because there’s a slight chance ISIL will manage to smuggle a terrorist past our border despite the18 month to 2 year vetting process each refugee must endure prior to being admitted (legally) to the the U.S.  Keep in mind, these refugees are fleeing unrest that is, to a large extent, the result of the Bush/Cheney invasion of Iraq in 2003.  Republicans have found creative ways to avoid that part of the discussion and our “liberal media” is very accommodating for them.

Jeb Bush had the gall to say that “If they are Christians, we should let them in.”  I’m guessing (and, I guessed in that previous post) that Mr. Bush was suggesting that only Muslims could be considered “terrorists.”  I’m wondering, REALLY I am, how Jeb would categorize the man who shot up the Planned Parenthood facility, killing the aforementioned three INNOCENT people, while holding scores of people hostage.  From the accounts I heard, there was random gunfire repeatedly at different times during the day.  Witnesses reported the man shooting at just about anything that moved.  He was apparently shooting through walls, doors, windows, and who knows what else – at this point.  I’m guessing his motive was to create TERROR!

I haven’t been much for watching the republican “debates” but I do recall one of the earlier ones focusing on Planned Parenthood and referencing a video, that has since been proven to be a hoax, to support the claim that Planned Parenthood is somehow selling “baby parts” after abortions.  Now, I have to say here that I’m not “pro abortion.”  My heart goes out to anyone who’s in the position to feel they need one.  And, in my mind, there is no question that once an egg and a sperm unite and you have an embryo that requires only food and oxygen to grow, it is a human life.  To me that is not even debatable, it’s just reality.  However, that being said, I have to add that I’m thankful to never have been in the position to have to make that choice.  Personally, except in rare incidences I’d choose “life.”  The reality though, to me, is that it’s not my decision, it’s legal, and it’s not my place to “judge” either the patient or the doctor in the case of abortion.  I could write another long post about this subject, but I’ll leave it for another day.  My point here though, is that crazy people like the guy who committed these MURDERS are affected by the rhetoric of “leaders” who profess to be Christians and who are constantly attacking – usually with “doctored” evidence – abortion providers. (and, ironically – here’s that word again – most of the people in the “pro life” movement – at least that I’ve observed – oppose early child education, government funded children’s health care, Medicaid, food stamps, maternity and paternity leave, raising the minimum wage, etc. – all areas of “debate” that affect people in poverty – and, the number’s growing not receding – I’m guessing financial considerations would be a leading motivator for women seeking abortions)

I strayed from my point, but I wanted to be clear that I’m not “pro abortion.”  (honestly, I don’t think many people are – there are, in my view, a plethora of reasons why unwanted pregnancies would be significant in our nation)  My point is that the guy who MURDERED the three people at the Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs has to be called a “home grown” Christian terrorist.  (And, none of the people he murdered were having abortions! – not that that would have made it OK, I’m just sayin….) Unfortunately, I see lots of similarities between the right wing Christians and the right wing Muslims.  The core beliefs might be different, but the “my way or the highway” philosophy seems to have a lot of similarities to me.  As a “liberal” Christian, that’s certainly not how I read the Bible.  One of the main things that drew me to believing in Jesus was “free will.”  The idea that we, as a nation (or government) can “legislate morality” to me is as absurd today as it was in my mind back in my formative years – the 60’s and 70’s.

As time rolls on while I’m often pondering why I’ve been motivated to read so many books and be, seemingly, constantly ranting in cyberspace, about the damage being done to the America I love by the republican party, it’s becoming more clear to me that what bugs me the most is that it’s the Christian community which is generally considered to be the “base” of that party.  Someone like Donald Trump, who is eerily reminding me of a certain person we’re not supposed to mention who arose to prominence back in the early thirties in Germany, says: “I’m religious.”  And, the republican brethren believe him and then cheer when he denigrates Mexicans and says he will locate millions of them and somehow deport them (and, believe it or NOT, Trump’s going to build a wall – I guess something along the lines of the Great Wall of China, between Mexico and the United States and Mexico will pay for it), or proposes rounding up Muslims and “registering them,” or, the last one I heard was when he suggested 80% of whites murdered in America are killed by Blacks!

Is it any wonder why America’s young people are fleeing from Christianity?  My understanding of the Gospels is that it’s a message of love.  That’s NOT what’s coming across from the right wing of the republican party – which is relying on Christians as their “base.”  Please people, wake up!  And, I’m not a big fan of the democrats – in fact, I heard today that a significant plurality of America’s voting public is now “independent.” (I’m in that category)  Makes me think Bernie Sanders actually does have a chance to succeed in the 2016 presidential election.

To me, there was great thought put forth by our founding fathers when they CLEARLY put forth a constitution calling for a SEPARATION of church and state.   However, since the days of Reagan (there’s that “bugaboo” again) republicans have “sucked in” Christians who are opposed to abortion (Read “Crazy For God” by Frank Schaeffer) as a way to push some very “Non-Christian” initiatives, with the end result being damage to both the government and to the church.  Now, more and more, we’re ending up with “Christians” committing murder and the people who “egg them on” in the media, after the fact, are nowhere to be found.  In Colorado we have THREE people, TOTALLY innocent people, DEAD – and, within a matter of days our “liberal media” was on to the next story.  In fact, the next story was another shooting, but this time it was perpetrated by Muslim MURDERERS – so it will likely be in the news for months and “we the people” will be encouraged by our media outlets along with the GOP candidates for president in 2016 to “be afraid.”  (And, the republicans will use it to blame President Obama for more of our ills!  Yikes!)

Note: I started this post a couple weeks ago and never got it finished or published.  In the meantime I met with a friend that I often have breakfast with on Saturday mornings.  After that meeting I started another post – kind of along the lines of this one – and, I thought I’d just add it here.  It’s pretty much self- explanatory. (and, for once, it’s short :o):

Often times, on Saturday mornings, I meet with a “conservative” friend of mine for breakfast and we do something our politicians seem to be immune from, we discuss issues that we see from almost completely different viewpoints in a way that encourages honesty and transparency.  I call it a dialogue.  We’re both Christians, I’m a “liberal” Christian and he comes from the “conservative” bent.  But we talk, and we respect each other’s viewpoint, and – in my view – we each grow a bit every time we meet.  Neither of us appreciates the level of division in our country and the FACT that we’ve stuck our children with politicians who can’t seem to perform even the basic functions of government.

Today, as I arrived, my friend was reading an article on his phone (we’re both old enough to be continually amazed that our phones are more powerful than the first computers we used) that referenced the president of Egypt making a pledge to rebuild structures of Christians in Egypt that have been destroyed by Muslim radicals in the previous couple of years.  We both thought, “That’s the kind of leadership we’d like to see from statesmen around the world.”  He suggested I post this article on this blog and I decided he was correct.  So, if you’d like to read a very interesting article that encourages peace and understanding (and tolerance), click HERE.

I’m finishing the book “The Power Game” by Hedrick Smith and towards the end of the book he brings up an interesting point in regards to the political power “scene” in Washington DC back in the 80’s which is, in my view, even more profound today.  He points out that beginning with JFK the American presidential elections are pretty much determined by candidates who are able to “sell” themselves on TV.  That is: The makeup on your face is more important than the makeup of your political positions. (this is my analogy)  What was transpiring then (the book was written during the last year of the Reagan administration) has become more acute in today’s world – especially, in my view, in congressional elections – and that is:  many of the people elected to office in today’s political “climate” do not understand how to govern.

The first example that came to my mind while I was reading this part of the book (other than the republican candidates which I’ll get to later) was what I witnessed during the last “episode” of the Benghazi hearings where the right wing republicans in the House were attempting to destroy Hillary Clinton.  I listened to about an hour and a half of the proceedings and was totally amazed that virtually EVERY one of the republicans on the committee demonstrated almost a COMPLETE lack of knowledge regarding how our government – and, in this instance, the State Department – works.  The reason for my interest in this inquisition was my support for Bernie Sanders for the democratic nomination for president in 2016 and how this hearing would affect Mrs. Clinton, who is obviously the main opposition to Mr. Sanders.  Well, “to make a long story short,” the next day I told one of my friends I think the Benghazi committee just elected Mrs. Clinton as president.  The republicans were embarrassingly ill-prepared and Mrs. Clinton was given the opportunity to demonstrate an incredible grasp of the workings of our government – well beyond just the State Department.  In a “nutshell,”  the republican “attack squad” was no match for Mrs. Clinton.  In essence they gave her free advertising!

As I’m reading Smith’s book I keep thinking back to these republican representatives on that committee and reminding myself of how our present Congress is making the “Do Nothing” Congress that Harry Truman vilified back in the late 40’s look like workaholics.  Not only are they continually exposing their lack of knowledge regarding the workings of our government (and, I’m not just talking about those on the Benghazi committee now), but they (republicans) seem to spend more time either blocking legislation initiated by those in Congress who do know how it’s “supposed” to work or actually NOT WORKING at all!  I saw a chart a while back on the number of days Congress has been in session since the republicans took over and it’s almost as if they work the number of days most people spend on vacation (OK, it’s not quite that bad – in 2014 I believe the House was in session something like 100 WHOLE days!)  Each year the republicans control the House they set a new record for the fewest pieces of legislation passed IN HISTORY!  Honestly, I think they repeal “Obamacare” (The Affordable Care Act – the legislation one of my good friends, a republican, has shared with me he’d be bankrupt without) more often each year than they pass legislation.

So, one has to wonder (at least I do) how did we get ourselves into such a MESS?  Well, there seem to be multiple explanations, but I have to believe Smith’s contention that the TV has totally turned our democracy upside down (again, my characterization) ranks right at the top.  First of all, it’s those behind the scenes of the political parties – and, as I’ve said many times on this site, that’s where the republicans put the democrats to shame –  the operatives who we never see along with the financiers with the bottomless pockets – who determine the candidates who actually run for office.  In the republican party, if you stray from the “pledge” by even one or two “votes” (in the case of an incumbent) you will get “primaried.”  This is no secret – although I’m amazed that more people in our “liberal media” don’t discuss the ramifications of what that (voting in “lock step”) does to our “democracy.”  Compromise, which is the backbone of a functioning democracy, is a “dirty word” to those behind our present day right wing republican party (which is why my main focus for the past few years is to encourage people to vote republicans out of office – en masse)

So this invisible “cabal” of the republican party has to find people who will be “acceptable” via the TV advertising which is necessary to win in today’s political climate AND they have to be willing to vote how they’re told to vote.  The idea that any of them are actually “voting their conscience” is laughable.  The representative in my own district (she’s a republican) was threatened with censure by the local republican party because she voted 5 times out of over 500 votes via her conscience.  It’s do what you’re instructed or the funds will be cut off and you’ll be “primaried.”  I’ve been using the F word (fascism) to describe the direction of the republican party for years.  Now, with people like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz leading in the polls for the republican nomination for president you’re hearing that term in more and more places.  When you have a group who openly profess “The end justifies the means” it’s time to “wake up” – that would be my message to “we the people.”

I’ve watched (as much as I can stomach of) the republican debates for the 2016 nomination for president and I haven’t heard much that relates to actual issues and how to solve America’s mounting problems.  What I’ve heard is “I’ll get rid of Obamacare.”  “When I’m elected we’ll get the Keystone XL pipeline.” “Planned Parenthood sells body parts.” “Obama is weak.”  “Issues” like that along with a plethora of comments that compete for the number of “Pinocchio’s on the fact checking websites.  I think I did hear Donald Trump claim that the minimum wage is too high and others say we should repeal the minimum wage.  I watched part of one democratic debate and felt that each of the candidates was speaking to specific issues.  While there were many generalities there as well (I guess that’s how it has to be) the candidates spent most of their time speaking toward issues and not blasting each other or their republican counterparts.  What stuck out to me was how the democratic candidates demonstrated an infinitely higher grasp on the functionality of government – and, I have to add, I’ve never understood the rationale behind electing people who HATE government to run it.  That, to me, makes no sense.

Back to my original point – our “system” has evolved to the point where the ability to attract voters via your TV personality far outweighs your knowledge of and ability to run government.  To me, that is a dangerous misnomer – and, it’s time that reality becomes part of the national dialogue.  Ronald Reagan was an actor who was completely at ease in front of the camera’s and he won one solid victory (over Carter and Anderson) and one landslide victory – despite the FACT that a majority of Americans (especially by his second term in office) disagreed with his political philosophy.  Reagan had no expertise on how the government functioned and mainly delegated responsibility to others – leading to some lasting damage to the foundation of our nation.  It was Reagan who claimed government to be the problem and not the solution.  It was Reagan who put the national debt on its course toward financial disaster – a course that got a substantial assist from GW Bush/Dick Cheney in 2002.  Reagan is the best example (I can think of) of a politician who’s expertise at winning elections via the TV allowed for his incompetence at governing to rule the day.

In today’s political “arena” you’ve got people like Charles and David Koch who are willing to spend HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars to support candidates willing to take the “pledge” (the pledge is to vote lock step according to the directions of the party “leaders”) and they (the Koch’s and their brethren) are the masters at how to use the media for their advantage.  For years the republicans have been brainwashing America’s unsuspecting public as they’ve had a slow steady push toward what Karl Rove calls the “permanent republican ‘majority'” – quote marks are mine.  They’ve had people like Rush Limbaugh brainwashing his listeners – what’s really interesting to me about him is that Limbaugh actually refers to his listening audience as “ditto heads” – and, the listeners willingly adopt that slam, they’ve got Fox “news” which is the brainchild of Roger Ailes – a “dirty trickster” republican operative sans Richard Nixon – that openly follows the “Big Lie Theory” of Joseph Goebbels, the German Nazi propagandist, with little to no actual blow-back from the “liberal media,” and they’ve got a small “army” of right wing pundits that will flood the various cable “news” outlets – all, of course focused on being “fair and balanced,” – with, what I call, the “word of the day” – as they spread the right wing’s propaganda message to all who will listen.  Honestly, you can’t get away from this barrage of propaganda.  For example, they’ve even convinced liberals that our media is “liberal.”  And, as the commercials you see on TV regarding professional golfers state – “These guys are good.”

From the standpoint of those “pulling the strings,” I’m sure the FACT that so many of those going to congress as “Tea Party” “conservatives,” or simply “conservative” republicans have no idea how the government functions or how to create legislation is  TOTALLY irrelevant.  The only thing that matters is that they vote as they’re directed.  I’m sure over the course of time, many of these people actually start to believe they are competent at what they’re supposed to be doing, but all you have to do is watch something like the Benghazi hearings to realize – “Oh my gosh” these republicans are outlandishly bad!  I’m sure this is why, during the election cycles, the campaign managers attempt to keep their candidates away from impromptu sessions with anyone associated with the media in case they might say something off of the script.  If you remember GW Bush – he had difficulty putting one comprehend-able sentence together, let alone a whole paragraph!

All of this is why I’m starting to see Donald Trump as playing a very important part in the next few years of America’s unfolding history.  One thing you can say about Trump is that he’s not one of those candidates who’s going to say what he’s told by the republican insiders.  In fact, what I’m hearing is that the republican “establishment” is staying up late at night trying to figure out how to get rid of  Mr. Trump without encouraging him to run a third party campaign.  He’s not taking orders from them – in fact, I’m sure his plan is to give the orders!  These republican insiders loved the “Tea Party” while it was working to their advantage, but Trump is more than likely giving them second thoughts.  The latest “reporting” I’ve heard is that the republican “establishment” is planning a “brokered convention” in case Trump manages to stay viable all the way until the convention begins.  Their “Tea Party” strategy seems to be backfiring!  But, make no mistake, Trump is an expert at using the TV to further his ends – and he is a classic “The end justifies the means” type of person.  He’s referred to America’s voters as being “stupid” and, in my view, the ultimate success (or failure) of his campaign will go a long way in determining to what degree he’s accurate.

And, let’s look at the alternative to Trump.  At the present time it’s looking like Ted Cruz.  I’m sure it wasn’t too long ago that there was NO ONE in the republican party who thought any candidate would make Cruz look “inviting.”  The reality:  Cruz is not much different than Trump.  We’re still looking at Fascist comparisons should the republicans end up nominating Cruz.  He’s had enough “wacky” moments in his short Senate career to fill a large roll of film for the PAC’s that will be lining up to prevent him from winning the White House.  As I predicted about 5 years ago, the logical republican nominee – from what I could foresee – was Jeb Bush!  Yikes!!!  Right now, Bush is at around 3% in the polls – so, the “establishment” is going to need a “Houdini” trick to prop him up to a level where he’s got a shot at the nomination.  I wonder what they’re thinking – that the preferred alternative to Trump is another Bush?!  Is it any wonder that the republican party finds itself in disarray?  In truth, the republicans are all about POWER.  The so-called 1% has become almost unfathomably rich since the day Reagan was elected.  There seems to be no way to satisfy their GREED!  I find it ironic that “one of their own,” Donald Trump, could be their undoing.  Trump has the TV part of politics “down,” we’ll all have to wait and see if America’s voters are as stupid as he thinks they are.

The biggest irony in all of this, to me, is that it’s people like Trump who these “Tea Party” fanatics should be angry at.  It’s the Wall Street members of the so-called “1%” who’ve been ripping them (and America) off for the past 30 years – but, they (the Tea Party) have been convinced it’s the democrats (and, “liberals”) and the “government” that is the problem.  Bernie Sanders is correct when he asserts that a significant portion of the “angry” Trump supporters would have a much better chance of seeing change that positively would affect their lives by supporting him.  Reminds me of the saying, “Can’t see the forest because of the trees.”