“Treason And Sedition”

Passing Of Russian Critic Alexei Navalny Should Lead To Widespread Condemnation Of Trump And Maga Republican Support Of Putin, And Expanded Aid To Ukraine!

The tragic death of Russian critic Alexei Navalny in a Russian penal colony, another indication of the brutality of the Russian government under Vladimir Putin, is a clarion call for Putin supporters in the Republican Party (Donald Trump and most Republicans in Congress, and hangers on who are MAGA supporters) to be held accountable in speeches and debates over the next nine months!

The idea that Donald Trump and his crazy minions, who bow to him, can back and support such a monster as Putin, needs to be a top issue constantly over the coming months!

ANY decent person should be outraged, and ready to hold Trump and his seditionists and traitors accountable in every way and means possible!

Notice that neither Donald Trump nor any of his seditionist, treasonous Republicans have condemned the death of Navalny, and in particular, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama is a disgrace to his state! This moron football coach defeated the best Alabama Senator in Doug Jones in 2020, a crime against common decency!

But where is Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, and all of those who in the past believed in a hard line against Putin and Russia, including the now two year old war against Ukraine?

Now than ever before, more military aid to Ukraine is urgent, as they are the first line of defense for NATO!

Donald Trump “A Clear And Present Danger” To American National Security And World Stability!

Donald Trump has gone off the deep end more than ever, now stating that if a NATO nation has not paid its portion of defense, that he would welcome Russian invasion and war against such nation.

When first hearing this, one has to say, let me hear that again, as it is beyond belief!

And yet, most Republicans in Congress are either supporting what Trump said, or are remaining silent. To see that Senators Roger Marshall of Kansas and Marco Rubio of Florida have no issue with Trump’s statement is shocking!

This is the revival of the ugly isolationist movement in the 1930s that made us not ready when Pearl Harbor occurred in 1941, and a long World War II to overcome the threat of not just Imperial Japan, but Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy!

If America goes into isolationism, it will have no allies or friends, and the national security of the nation would be at stake!

There is no way that this nation can allow this maniac Donald Trump, a truly evil man, to regain power, as he is clearly an unadulterated evil force we have never seen in the nearly 250 years of the American Republic!

Being supportive of Russia is being a traitor, a seditionist, a evil force that must be held accountable, and the Republican Party must be reorganized, as it is now a cancer on the body politic!

Republicans In Total Breakdown In Speakership Struggle: Time For Bipartisanship!

There is pure insanity in the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, as newly nominated Congressman Tom Emmer of Minnesota has withdrawn his candidacy for Speaker of the House of Representatives, as about 26 Republican hardliners refuse to support him.

It is time for a bipartisan agreement, with Democrats helping to elect Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, with the assistance of the more moderate Republicans, from the Problems Solvers Caucus, including those from Long Island, New York joining Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzgerald of Pennsylvania and other rational Republicans, of which there are not many!

The Republican Party in the House of Representatives has been hijacked by seditionists and traitors who do not care if they cause damage to our country, and instead, only care about remaining loyal to Donald Trump!

We are now in the fourth week of paralysis in the lower house of Congress, and this cannot continue, without major disaster for the nation and the world!

CNN Major Blunder: Giving Donald Trump Legitimacy By Hosting Town Hall!

CNN was begun in 1980 by Ted Turner, and became the leading Cable News Channel, in competition with the print media, particularly the NY Times and Washington Post.

It gained a reputation of being a reliable news source in the eyes of many observers and viewers.

But now, with new leadership, it has declined rapidly in image and judgment.

Tonight, CNN is giving Donald Trump, twice impeached, indicted in New York, and now convicted in a civil trial of sexual abuse and defamation, and facing more legal issues in Georgia, and on improper possession of government documents at Mar a Lago, and inciting the January 6 Insurrection, the opportunity to be at a Town Hall gathering in New Hampshire to be televised nationally!

What is the purpose of this CNN decision? To give Trump legitimacy and ignore his call for destroying the Constitution and rule of law? To have his sedition and treason that incited January 6, 2021 rewarded by promoting him to be elected President again?

This is pure insanity, and blood will be on the hands of CNN and its lunatic leadership for what develops out of this outrageous decision that no reasonable news source would be engaged in, with the false concept of “equal time” to all those seeking the Presidency!

Republicans, Guns, And The Culture Wars

After the latest of tragedy after tragedy involving gun massacres in schools, shopping malls, churches, synagogues, supermarkets, movie theaters, holiday parades, and innumerable other locations, causing a mounting death toll and scarring the lives of survivors, including children who cannot feel safe, what do Republicans say?

They claim there is nothing that they can do, while accepting massive donations from the gun industry and the evil National Rifle Association!

Repbulicans are more concerned about:

limiting school curriculums and libraries;

on barring drag shows and drag queens;

on use of “proper” pronouns being used for those who are transgender individuals;

censoring art, such as the Statue of David by Michelangelo;

encouraging antisemitism;

promoting racism;

taking away rights of women over their own bodies;

and claiming to promote “freedom” while endorsing the violence of January 6 Insurrectionists who are in Washington DC Jails!

Individuals in Congress, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, James Comer, Jim Jordan, and a multitude of others who refused to support the results of the Presidential Election of 2020, and continue to support Donald Trump and his hateful promotion of continued bloodshed and violence, now, will not support any action against the scourge of gun violence.

Law enforcement supports such legislation, as it affects their daily safety!

Such members of Congress should be prosecuted and expelled as seditionists and traitors!

Seditionists In Republican Caucus In Charge In The House Of Representatives In The 118th Congress!

A sad, tragic, and threatening circumstance now is reality!

The Republican controlled House of Representatives in the 118th Congress has become the property of seditionists and traitors, those who promoted “Election Denial” and the US Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021!

Extremists, led by Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Matt Gaetz of Florida; Paul Gosar of Arizona; Scott Perry of Pennsylvania; Jim Jordan of Ohio; James Comer of Kentucky; and others has been given power and membership on committees that will now be out to wipe out the truth and the investigation completed by the January 6 House Committee!

And any one of them could call for a vote at any time to dislodge Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, who has sold his soul, ethics, morals, and principles in order to accomplish his lifelong goal to be Speaker!

Chaos and anarchy are ahead of us, and sham investigations and supposed scandals will be the center of attention, without any real conclusions that are truthful, only designed to divide America further, without regard as to the effect on average Americans!

And the likelihood of a financial crisis over the debt limit will cause great turmoil and suffering, totally reckless and unnecessary!

The Kevin McCarthy Speakership Will Be, Sadly, A Disaster For The Nation!

Finally, on the 15th ballot in the wee hours of the morning of January 7, Kevin McCarthy became the 55th person to be elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, but with a bare margin and opposition by six extremist right wing members of the Republican Party, who voted present, to resolve the issue.

This was the fifth most contentious election in the history of the House of Representatives, and it does not bode well for the future, as McCarthy has “sold his soul” to the extremist, seditionist, treasonous MAGA Republican criminals who backed the challenge to the results of the Presidential Election of 2020 even after the US Capitol Insurrection of two years ago!

Ironically, the Congress came back in session early on January 7, 2021, to finish what had been delayed the day before by the Insurrection, and now early on January 7, 2023, Kevin McCarthy caved in on demands at almost precisely the same hour, weakening the position of Speakership, and guaranteeing that he might be one of the shortest duration Speakers!

The comparison to his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, will make it clear that his Speakership, however long it lasts, will pale by comparison.

Hearing Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who kept the support of his 212 member Caucus for all 15 ballots, speak in an oratorical fashion that will be seen as memorable for the ages, was so inspiring and made all decent people feel pride!

One can only hope that a small number of moderate Republicans will support him to replace McCarthy when a political crisis arises, and the extremist element wants McCarthy’s head.

The alternative certainly would be to gain a Democratic majority in 2024, so that Jeffries is the 56th Speaker of the House in 2025!

One thing is clear: Kevin McCarthy will never be able to overcome the weakness, and lack of principle and ethics, that he demonstrated by going to Mar A Lago, less than two weeks after condemning the criminality of Donald Trump in inciting the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection! It will be one of the first statements about his life and poor reputation in his eventual obituary!

Two Years Since The January 6 US Capitol Insurrection, But Congress Still In Crisis!

Precisely two years ago, the US Capitol in Washington, DC, was subjected to a massive Insurrection, a mass terrorist attack by MAGA loyalists to Donald Trump who were following through on his attempt to change the results of the Presidential Election of 2020.

But, these seditionists and traitors were also threatening the lives of Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and all members of Congress, as well as their staffs and law enforcement personnel.

A full investigation was conducted by the House January 6 Committee, which included two courageous, principled Republicans, Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, both of whom no longer will serve in the new 118th Congress.

But Congress is still in crisis, with the battle over whether Kevin McCarthy will be Speaker of the House continuing, and protection of the US Capitol being cut back by orders of the Republican House majority.

And it seems certain that McCarthy, if approved as Speaker, will be beholden to extremists on the right wing of his caucus, and that chaos and disarray will become a norm, and undermine the business of government for the next two years.

However,it is likely that the Democrats will gain for the 2024 national elections, with the growing extremism and incompetence of the Republican Party over the next two years!

21 House Republicans Are Effectively “Terrorists” Preventing House Of Representatives From Governing!

After three days and ten ballots and counting as I write this entry, the House of Representatives is still not able to move ahead and begin its responsibilities to the nation!

As things now stand, it seems likely that this chaos and disaster will be at least the 5th longest Speaker battle, only surpassed in 1819 (22 ballots); 1859 (44 ballots); 1849 (63 ballots); and 1855 (133 ballots)!

This is due to 21 Republicans refusing to support their Caucus leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, who “sold his soul” to Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection!

These 21 Republicans are, effectively, “terrorists” who want to have the power to cripple the House of Representatives on a daily basis, with the idea that if even one member objects to anything McCarthy might do as Speaker, that a vote could be taken to oust him from the leadership of the chamber!

This is pure insanity, and it is time for Kevin McCarthy to refuse to do so, and ultimately, to withdraw from the possibility of being Speaker, in order to move the House of Representatives forward!

But, whoever else might wish to be Speaker, must NOT give in, either, to these seditionists and traitors!

So it is time for the more reasonable, more moderate, and more rational small band of House Republicans to agree to one of the following alternatives:

As this author and blogger suggested yesterday, back a former member of the chamber, such as Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Justin Amash of Michigan, Fred Upton of Michigan, or John Kasich of Ohio, to be the Speaker, with the support of the Democratic minority, and refuse to agree to any demands that limit the Speaker’s ability to lead the chamber!

OR have a small band of these moderate Republicans agree to support Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic Minority Leader, in this crisis and arrange for a truly bipartisan House of Representatives!

These are the only choices now, and national security and stability are at stake, and these 21 members should be denied any committee memberships, and possible action to expel them from the House of Representatives should be under consideration!

No more MR NICE GUY, but rather tough action against members who have no interest in anything but their own egos!

With the second anniversary of the January 6 attacks coming tomorrow, one has to worry about a sudden attack by domestic terrorists as two years ago, or a foreign attack, with our international reputation as a functioning democracy in tatters right now!

The Ten Greatest Political Villains Of 2022! And An Addendum!

Yesterday, I published a post on the ten greatest Political Heroes of 2022.

So now, it is time to indicate who I believe are the ten greatest Political Villains of 2022!

In no special order, I would list the following:

Republican House Minority Leader, possibly Speaker of the House (hopefully not), Kevin McCarthy of California, who time again and again showed he had no spine, being a supplicant to Donald Trump, and demonstrating no principle or ethics in his crazed desire to be Speaker, two heartbeats away from the Presidency. The thought of him being that close in the line of succession is horrifying, not that there are very good alternatives!

Election Denier, and symbol with clenched fist, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who promoted sedition and treason! He faces reelection in 2024 and should be soundly defeated!

Election Denier and most obnoxious Senator (with other competitors), Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who this author and blogger thought in 2016 was the most dangerous Republican running for President, even more than Donald Trump! He faces reelection in 2024 and should be soundly defeated!

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a man who once had some intelligence, but after Arizona Senator John McCain died, has become a total Donald Trump sycophant!

Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, a very unstable and unpricipled excuse for a human being, who, somehow, was able to defeat one of the best US Senators of modern times, Russ Feingold, in 2010 and 2016, and then a very talented Lieutenant Governor, African American Mandela Barnes in 2022. Johnson is one of the worst figures in Senate history!

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, an obnoxious and unprincipled man who, sadly, is likely to become House Judiciary Committee Chairman in the 118th Congress in 2023!

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who won his third term as Governor in 2022, despite his horrendous policies and lack of compassion, and is likely to pursue a Presidential candidacy for 2024!

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who won a vast reelection victory in 2022, and is seen as the front runner for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024, despite his intolerant and authoritarian bent, and his high level of arrogance and cockiness, on a multitude of issues. These include the COVID 19 Pandemic; Gay and Transgender Rights; Racial and Religious Minorities; interference in the teaching of History and Literature, and Manipulating School Boards and Libraries; and extreme Gerrymandering of Congressional Districts, which took away two African American seats, and gave the Republicans the control of the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress!

Arizona Republican Gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, who used the same tactic as Donald Trump, promoting the “Big Lie” about her defeat in the recent elections in her state. She has just been repudiated in court in her attempt to reverse a clearcut victory by her opponent, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Good riddance to the most obnoxious woman imaginable!

Finally, on this list, former President Donald Trump, the most dangerous and worst US President in American history, twice impeached, and a close ally of totalitarian dictators around the world, willing to overthrow the US Constitution, rule of law, and American democracy. He needs to be prevented from running again for President, and indictment and conviction on the four charges brought against him by the January 6 House Committee is essential, to prevent any future tyrant from taking the kind of actions that this most evil man took! He harmed so many Americans during his term, as well as having the responsibility for the deaths, destruction and violence, in the worst attack on the US Capitol since the War of 1812!

And now an Addendum:

The Supreme Court has become a disgraceful, power hungry, extremist right wing organization!

Chief Justice John Roberts has lost his desired reputation as the leader of his Court, and in particular, Clarence Thomas (appointed by George H. W. Bush) and Samuel Alito (appointed by George W. Bush) have been totally out of control, and both will go down as two of the very worst Supreme Court Justices in American history! The names and reputations of both Bush Presidencies are permanently besmirched as a result!