Month: August 2020

Donald Trump Is A Traitor To America, And Promoting Terrorism By White Nationalists And White Supremacists!

Ronald 12 Comments

It is not a pleasure for this blogger and author to write that President Donald Trump is a traitor to America, having worked with the Russians in 2016 to defeat Hillary Clinton, as made clear in the Mueller Report in 2019, and the Republican controlled Senate Intelligence Committee Report a month ago! So he is as much of a traitor, if not more, than Benedict Arnold during the American Revolution, and some are already calling him “Benedict Donald”!

But also, Donald Trump is a terrorist, inciting and promoting attacks by white nationalists and white supremacists, with such despicable followers of those philosophies murdering people in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon just in the past few days, and Trump today defending the young man who came across state lines, driven by his mother, and killing two and wounding one in Kenosha!

Trump is attempting to promote a racial war, and caravans of white power people, young toughs who see Trump as their leader, have been looking for trouble and violence, ironically, recently, in mostly white cities (Portland, Seattle, Kenosha) where most demonstrators for Black Lives Matter are WHITES, with some now becoming victims!

Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Joe Biden is promoting reconciliation, and blaming Trump rightfully for claiming that only he, Trump, can overcome so called racial violence and crime, when it has been incited by his supporters going after those who protest police brutality, with most victims being whites!

Black Lives Matter protesters do not bring firearms to their demonstrations, only white supremacists and white vigilantes, encouraged by Trump.

Crime in America had reached a 50 year low before Trump took office, and much of that crime that has occurred now is due to these right wing hatemongers, as well as the human suffering going on in the midst of the Second Great Depression and CoronaVirus Pandemic, along with the growing level of police misconduct against African Americans.

It is amazing that the young man who murdered in Kenosha was not stopped by police for having a firearm being wielded by him, and try to imagine an African American man in the same circumstance!

Trump is sowing chaos in order to try to gain white suburbia and women by fear, but it will not succeed. He even tried to defend today the young man who killed two in Kenosha!

The time of George Wallace in 1968 is back, but it seems clear that Joe Biden will overcome the hate and the chaos, and is still far ahead in public opinion polls, even after the Republican National Convention.

Donald Trump will have to be held to account once he leaves office, as he is the most lawbreaking President in American history by far, much more than Richard Nixon, who looks by comparison to be a “choir boy”!

Fascism Is On The Horizon If Donald Trump Is Reelected: Warning Of Author Sinclair Lewis In His Work “It Can’t Happen Here” In 1935

Ronald 18 Comments

In 1935, Novelist Sinclair Lewis wrote a prophetic novel, “It Can’t Happen Here”, stating that what was happening in Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini and Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, could happen in the United States. Lewis wrote that it would be “clothed in a flag and carrying a Bible!”

This was way before the horrors of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany reached their peaks over the next decade, but already enough evidence of the dangers of the manipulation of minds with emotional rhetoric dividing groups in a society, based upon race, ethnicity, religion, and national origins.

Lewis was warning about the potential dangers represented by Huey Long of Louisiana, who was assassinated months later in 1935, with the story of his assassination covered in my book “Assassinations, Threats, and the American Presidency: From Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama” (Rowman Littlefield Publishers 2015, Paperback Edition 2017).

It could also be applied later, in the 1950s, to Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin; to third party Presidential candidate George Wallace of Alabama in 1968; and to President Donald Trump.

Only Trump, with his Fascist appeal, backed up by military, police and evangelical support, and rallies to appeal to those who are racist oriented, and also nativists, white supremacists at Charlottesville, antisemitic, Islamophobic, and misogynistic, is a clear and present danger, as he is the President of the United States.

He has stoked Fascist appeals as a manipulative method for the past five years since he announced his candidacy in 2015, and has set out to destroy all traditions and norms!

A lot of intelligent people, including those I know or knew, and also a lot of not so bright people who have emotional attachment to Donald Trump, since they are ignorant and share his horrific beliefs, have rallied around him.

And yet, many conservatives and Republicans who really care about our Constitution and rule of law, and the perpetuation of our democracy, are alarmed by Trump’s constant attack on “Fake Media”.

Trump calls everyone and everything which opposes his authoritarian bent as unAmerican. He waves the American flag as if he owns patriotism, when it is his critics who are truly patriotic, and care about human rights and freedom.

Donald Trump incites in a crazy manner on Twitter daily, and in the midst of the greatest crises since the Great Depression and World War II, he ignores and refuses to take responsibility for the Second Great Depression and the CoronaVirus Pandemic!

He stokes bloodshed and violence in attacking those who are promoting the need for racial healing, and encourages right wing hoodlums in the streets of Portland, Seattle, Kenosha and elsewhere,

This presents the danger of greater violence in the two months left to the Presidential Election of 2020, and the interim to the next inauguration, and his stated refusal to accept defeat if the election goes against him, an absolutely terrifying scenario!

It would seem that his opponents, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, face constant threats of assassination, and this author of a book on assassinations is truly alarmed that someone who is a Trumpite will attempt to do that!

If Trump is reelected, this nation will be threatened in its basic values in a way never having come to power with Huey Long, Joseph McCarthy, or George Wallace, despite these earlier threats in the 1930s, 1950s, and 1960s. It will be an authoritarian dictatorship without any control, a nightmare that will mirror the horrors of Fascist Italy and even Nazi Germany!

As Sinclair Lewis wrote in “It Can’t Happen Here”, it actually “Can Happen Here”!

Toughest Democratic Race To Take Sides: Ed Markey Vs. Joe Kennedy III In Massachusetts

Ronald 1 Comment

The toughest Democratic race for Congress is coming to a conclusion on Tuesday, September 1, when Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts faces Congressman Joe Kennedy III for the nomination for the US Senate.

Both are clearly progressives, but Markey is seen as more Left than Kennedy.

Markey has been endorsed by Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, former Vice President Al Gore, former Democratic Presidential nominee (1988) Michael Dukakis, documentary creator Ken Burns, Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Carole King, Tom Steyer, many environmental groups, and the Boston Globe Editorial Board, as well as most Massachusetts mayors and many Democrats in the state legislature. and half the Congressional delegation.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Kennedy, and the Kennedy Family is, of course, behind Kennedy, and also many Congressmen, including the late John Lewis and Joaquin Castro, but he has alienated many who think he should have waited until Markey retired, or Warren ended up in a potential Joe Biden cabinet.

The seat is guaranteed to whoever wins the primary on Tuesday, as Republicans have not won state wide except with the first African American Senator since Reconstruction (Edward Brooke) decades ago, and Scott Brown, who succeeded Ted Kennedy and then was defeated by Elizabeth Warren.

Markey has served since 1976, 44 years in Congress, starting when he was 30 years old, with 37 in the US House of Representatives, and then he took over John Kerry’s Senate seat when Kerry became Secretary of State under Barack Obama in 2013. In so doing, Markey set a record as the longest serving Congressman, who then ended up in the US Senate at age 67.

Markey is just about the most liberal Democratic Senator, while Kennedy in eight years in the House, and now nearing 40, is also liberal, but it could be argued not as much, whatever that means!

So two men, who started off at 30 and 32 in Congress, now face each other, as the old guy with the long record, and the young guy, who is a Kennedy, but seems likely to lose the primary, based on recent polls, which show Markey 12 points ahead of Kennedy!

This might mean the end of all Kennedys in Massachusetts always winning, and it could be that Joe Kennedy III might not get another chance to go to the Senate, and might not be able to run again for the House of Representatives.

This is quite a gamble by a Kennedy, and it seems likely to be a lost cause!

The inclination of this blogger and author is that if I lived in Massachusetts, I would vote for Markey, but not be happy about rejecting a talented Joe Kennedy III!

This race should not have happened, as Joe III should have waited for either Markey or Warren to leave the Senate, without this pitched battle now coming to its end on Tuesday!

Last Night Of Republican National Convention: Reckless And Illegal Gathering On White House Lawn, And Lies And Lack Of Responsibility Displayed By Donald Trump

Ronald 7 Comments

The last night of the Republican National Convention demonstrated how disgraceful a shape the Republican Party is in during the Age of Trump.

The key moment of the evening was the acceptance speech of President Donald Trump, lasting mercilessly for 70 minutes, only surpassed in length by the acceptance speech of Trump at the RNC in 2016.

The Hatch Act was violated, as no political event is allowed to take place on government property, including the White House lawn, but Donald Trump has no concern about laws and legality.

So he held the rally there, and had about 1,500 guests, with no social distancing, no masks, no sanitizer, a reckless and disgraceful example to the nation, as Trump has never taken the CoronaVirus Pandemic seriously.

So do not be surprised if a good number of the attendees, including all of the major personalities in the Trump Republican Party, end up being exposed and possibly infected by the CoronaVirus Pandemic.

It could even affect the Trump and Pence Families, which would be an example of divine justice, as Donald Trump is a major sinner in so many ways, and runs the most corrupt administration in American history!

Since Trump cannot have compassion or empathy for anyone, and has displayed unwillingness to deal with the pandemic, and has said he thinks the pandemic will go away by a “miracle”, maybe karma will visit him and his corrupt colleagues.

One looks at many of the speakers on the last night of the convention, and sees evil eyes and faces, including such people as Rudy Giuliani and Tom Cotton, joining other such evil eyes and faces from the other nights of the convention.

What is it about the eyes and faces of so many Trumpites, both the famous ones, but also those of many ordinary citizens who support Trump, that they come across as evil, and in league with the devil?

How can a political party in the hands of such evil people possibly survive and keep power, as one has to believe that virtue wins out over evil, but certainly faith in the power of good and virtue is being tested in this Presidential Election of 2020.

As Trump said in his speech, with no new ideas or platform proposed by him or his party, this election IS the most important election in American history, as the fate of American democracy and freedom is hanging in the balance!
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Third Night Of Republican Convention: Mike Pence Strikes Out As Potential President!

Ronald 10 Comments

The third night of the Republican National Convention continued the massive dip in TV audience, as compared to the Democratic National Convention last week.

There were more speakers who were absolutely horrible in their messages, and lots of lies and distortions by so many speakers.

But the most important speech was by Vice President Mike Pence, officially accepting the nomination for a second term in office.

Hopefully, that will not happen, as Mike Pence has been a disgrace in office, not in the same way as his boss, Donald Trump, such as not using Twitter as an attack dog.

But he demonstrated no guts, courage, or ability to challenge Trump on his horrific policies and decisions, keeping his mouth shut because the thought of succeeding Trump as President is all encompassing, and to hell with what harm and damage has been done to the American people!

Last night, Mike Pence lied, lied, lied, and distorted the reality of events, and acted as if the CoronaVIrus Pandemic is over.

For a person who claims to be a “good Christian” to lie and sin as much as Mike Pence, only adds to the hypocrisy of anyone who claims to be “religious”, while having no concern about the effect of the damage Donald Trump has perpetrated on America!

Alternate Reality, Improper Use Of Government Sites, And Violation Of Hatch Act: Highlights Of Second Night Of Republican National Convention

Ronald 7 Comments

The second night of the Republican National Convention was a time of alternate reality;

acting as if the CoronaVirus Pandemic is over when it is not (as expressed by Larry Kudlow);

having First Lady Melania Trump condemn hate and division on social media, while her husband has done so non stop on Twitter for his entire Presidency;

having Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General, use the Ukraine scandal that led to the impeachment of Donald Trump as a gimmick to attack Joe Biden and his family with conspiracy theories about Hunter Biden, when the Trump children have been involved in corrupt activities all along;

and libertarian Rand Paul forgetting his condemnation of Donald Trump in 2016, and suddenly seeing Trump as someone to admire in 2020.

We also saw Donald Trump holding a citizenship ceremony for five immigrants at the White House, an improper use of a government building to try to convince Americans that he is open minded on immigration, while his record is the most horrific in American history, bar none!

He is trying to make the nation forget his separation of children from their parents at the border, and putting them in cages, which will harm them psychologically for the rest of their lives, and with some never reunited with their parents!

We also saw Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem giving a speech to attract evangelical Christians and Jews, violating the Hatch Act, which bans government officials from making political speeches in foreign nations for purposes of political manipulation.

There is no such thing as a utterance or action of Donald Trump and his minions that will not lower the standard of decency, that will not undermine respect for the Constitution and the rule of law!

It is all designed just to win enough support to have a second term, where the President will be unleashed to wreak yet further havoc on America. The thought that it might occur is enough to cause one to wonder how the nation will ever revive from the establishment of a Fascist authoritarian government!

Donald Trump is a threat to American values and history, and we have to hope that the American people will repudiate this threat, as otherwise, the destruction of the America that has survived 231 years under the Constitution, and 244 years since the Declaration of Independence, is in dire peril!

Republican National Convention a Total Failure On First Evening, Led By Donald Trump Jr. And Kimberly Guilfoyle, Amid Promotion Of Fear And Hysteria!

Ronald 36 Comments

To be a Republican today and NOT be embarrassed by the disastrous Republican National Convention on Day One, would mean that you are literally insane yourself!

The speeches by a group of truly disgraceful people promoted fear and hysteria, and tried to convince us that Joe Biden is a left wing terrorist out to destroy suburbia and the American way of life!

Anyone who follows politics KNOWS that Joe Biden is a decent human being, a man of compassion and empathy, certainly not perfect, but much more a man of character and integrity than we have seen in the past four years.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle were particularly off the wall, crazy and looney, and both seemed to be high on cocaine, when one looked in their evil eyes and saw them both screaming, and they were both overly loud and unhinged!

This is a couple, with Donald Trump Jr. divorced, and Guilfoyle being his girlfriend, but also, in the past, she was the wife for five years, ironically, of California Governor Gavin Newsom, 15 years ago.

It is now clear why Newsom removed himself from this marriage, and in a sense, this couple of Trump Jr and Guilfoyle are “meant” for each other, as two disgusting, despicable, excuses for human beings!

She used to be on Fox News Channel, so one gets the drift of how this crazy woman has disgraced herself yet again last night. And she insulted Puerto Rico, seemingly unaware that it is part of the United States!

It Is Official: The Republican Party Has Become A Cult Around A Strong Arm Authoritarian Out To Destroy American Democracy!

Ronald 8 Comments

The Republican National Convention began today during the daytime hours, and Donald Trump and Mike Pence were renominated for President and Vice President of the United States.

Donald Trump avoided tradition and spoke for an hour, ranting and raving against his “enemies”, reminding those who know history of Adolf Hitler at his Nuremberg rallies.

We are witnessing the Republican Party officeholders swearing their loyalty to a man who has lied 20,000 times in office; has promoted racism, nativism, misogyny, white supremacy; has become a friend of authoritarians and alienated democratic nations; has undermined the judiciary, intelligence agencies, the foreign policy apparatus, and attacked the news media as “the enemy of the people”; has bullied and attacked all of his critics incessantly; has undermined our environment and civil liberties; has refused to take strong action against the CoronaVirus Pandemic; has shown no sense of compassion, empathy, decency or dignity in any form; and a legion of others sins and shortcomings that has never been matched by any previous President in more than two centuries of American history!

The party of such Presidential luminaries as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush has been shamed by Donald Trump!

The party of such Congressional luminaries as Charles Sumner, Robert LaFollette, Sr., George Norris, Arthur Vandenberg, and Everett Dirksen has been embarrassed by the weak kneed refusal of today’s Republican members of Congress to show some backbone to Donald Trump!

Face the facts: the Republican Party has become a cult, and is unlikely to come back into respectability, even after Donald Trump leaves the scene, as he has done so much damage and harm, that the Republican Party name may very well go into oblivion!

Republican National Convention Speakers List Pitiful When Compared To Democratic National Convention List

Ronald 24 Comments

The Democratic National Convention had an amazing list of speakers, besides Joe Biden and his wife The list includes Kamala Harris, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, many of Biden’s Democratic rivals for the nomination, several Republicans (John Kasich, Colin Powell, Christie Todd Whitman among others), and a number of public figures from the world of sports and entertainment.

The best that Donald Trump can do is have his four older children, his wife, those connected to his children (son in law Jared Kushner and wife and girlfriend of sons), and Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump has to be in the center of each night’s presentation, which insures he will say stupid comments will hurt him.

And who outside of family connections will speak for Donald Trump? Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

This is not exactly an inspiring list, and means such individuals as the following are not speaking or participating in the Republican National Convention:

George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, John Boehner, Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney, Cindy McCain, Jeff Flake, Bob Corker, and apparently most Republicans in the House and Senate presently, although a few might make an appearance.

One can assume most members of the present Trump Cabinet might appear, but they have already lost all credibility as the most corrupt group of cabinet officers in American history.

And one can probably expect the criminal Stephen Miller, responsible for the despicable separation of children, including babies and toddlers, from their parents at the Mexico border, for the simple act of applying for asylum, which is perfectly legal.

This is a human rights crime, and should lead to Miller and the Trump cabinet which voted for it in 2018, facing indictment and prison for this violation of human rights of innocent victims!

It will be an infuriating four days of lies upon lies upon lies, and hard to focus on, as the sight of Trump and his despicable followers in government are enough to make one ill!

Republican Party And Its Convention Will Reflect Truth: Republicans Are Totally Lacking In Diversity

Ronald 1 Comment

The Republican National Convention this coming week will glorify the horrific record of Donald Trump and Mike Pence, and imagine how many lies they will utter!

They will display the most obnoxious and disgusting examples of horrible human behavior, and will tout their mistreatment of immigrants and their children at the Mexico Border.

They will overlook or deny the reality of Russian influence on Donald Trump, including assistance to make him President by corruption.

It will be one glorious glamorizing of a President who is a nativist, racist, misogynist, and is supported by antisemites and Islamophobes, although he has cordial relations with Israel and many Arab nations.

And what will stick out glaringly is that the party and its “front faces” will have very little diversity, as there are a very small number of women in Congress (9 in the Senate and 13 in the House of Representatives) who are Republicans.

There are only two Jews in the House of Representatives (Lee Zeldin of New York and David Kustoff of Tennessee) and none in the US Senate who are Republicans. And those two Jews are the only non Christian members in the GOP, with no representation by other religions or ethnicities, other than Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is African American.

So a white Christian party in a nation in which that group is in rapid decline is a party failing in so many ways, and if it does not diversify soon, it will be a party that is irrelevant in the future!