#105 - Romancing the Vlad

Donald J. Trump: "I could stand In the middle of Fifth Avenue and French Kiss Vladimir Putin and I wouldn't lose any votersl”

 

OK , you got me, he didn't say that, but it certainly sounds like he did, right?  Admit it though,  for a second there, I had you.   And we all know….he was thinking it. 

Following the end of the Trump/Putin summit in Helsinki which every clear thinking American appreciated was an unmitigated disaster for numerous reasons which don’t need repeating here, even a large number of Republicans came out and condemned Trump’s performance.  Some of the responses were direct and honest (manipulated by Putin...the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory) while others were more muted (not well prepared... misguided).

Still, the weekend poles came in, and to no one’s surprise, 66% of Republicans approved of the president’s handling of the Helsinki Summit, and 88% of Republicans still support this President

Please someone, explain this to me.  Who are these people?  

It seems like a reasonable thing to ask.  Any independent thinker would look at all of his statements, his tweets and his actions regarding both the NATO meetings and the Helsinki Summit and just be completely bewildered.  In Helsinki specifically, he had an opportunity to turn this into something positive for the country and more importantly (in his eyes anyway), for himself.  The stage was set and the curtain drawn, but instead of showing strength against Vladimir Putin, which would have been a slam dunk win, he self-destructed and wilted like a dying weed, and the worst part was, he didn’t even know it.

So, who are these 80+% of Republicans? And what are they thinking?  Don’t they realize the harm he is causing to our allies and the aid he is providing our enemy?  Understanding his base, his supporters, is something I have struggled with for some time. And in the absence of clarity from reputable sources, I am left with more questions.   

1)     Do they just not watch the news at all? This does not make them dumb or deplorable, but it would mean they are uninformed and clearly apathetic. 

2)     Do they simply focus on domestic policy, but ignore geo-political issues?  

3)     Is their only source of news, Fox News? And specifically the Fox News of Sean Hannity?  Do they essentially only hear, what they want to hear?

4)     Do they believe that the summit actually was a complete disaster, but won’t admit it?  For them, is it just better to double down and ignore the President's words and actions… because, he is better than Hillary Clinton?  

5)     Are they so fixated on their personnel single agenda items (pro-life, guns, immigration, taxes, deregulation, trade) that these issues are so paramount to them that nothing else, including treason-like (note, I did not say treasonous) behavior matter

6)     Do they perhaps believe that we should make nice with Russia to avoid a possible nuclear confrontation?

7)     Are they all just descendants of Russian spies sent to live here a couple of generations back by Nikita Khrushchev and they are just now coming out of the closet to root for the Motherland?

OK, #7 is a bit of stretch, but if you've ever watched The Americans, the thought would hit you too . 

It’s just mind boggling that we have a President who can embarrass our country the way he did, and his base will still remain set in their ways, blindlessly convinced that their guy can do wrong.   When black football players kneel at the national anthem (not sit or moon or flip the bird, but kneel) as a form of protest, they should be fired, but when Donald Trump acts like he has been compromised by Vladimir Putin, we should stand by our man.

When our country was the victim of surprise attacks at Pearl Harbor and on 9/11 our leaders rallied the country together to fight back.  In those defining moments, partisanship was left at the border and we moved forward together.  When Russia, according to everyone in our intelligence community, meddled in the 2016 Presidential election, Trump, for his own self-serving purposes that we can’t comprehend, has actually used this attack to divide us.  And while the scale of Russia’s attack pales in comparison to those horrific events for there was no loss of life, the disruption it caused was incalculable.  

For when Trump was elected President, Russia had to conclude that for its small investment in time and technology, they had hit the mother load.

#104 - The Propaganda of Sean Hannity

I realize now why Trump Supporters seem so myopic, why they appear to ignore reality, why they believe their guy is the second coming of Christ, and why they have been blind to the fact that President Trump is a pathological liar.

These are questions I have considered for some time, and now it seems there is a simple explanation to all of them after all. 

You see, I watched Shawn Hannity last night.  And now, everything is crystal clear

I watched all 60 minutes of Hannity and believe me, it was painful.  I felt like I needed a shower 20 minutes in.  The rest of the news world was exploding over the critical take-away from the despicable Helsinki summit, that Trump chose to side with Vladimir Putin over the evidence presented by his own intelligence agencies on the topic of Russian election interference, because as Trump said, Putin denied it strongly and forcefully. 

And Hannity, Sean Hannity the king of conservative Fox News Channel….simply ignored it.  It never came up once.   Not once.   Not even a passing reference, no mention.  Zilch.  You see, in Hannity’s world, it ….just never happened.   Like magic…poof, it was gone.

This was so stunning to me, I thought maybe I was wrong, maybe I missed it or fell asleep, or passed out from the extreme nauseousness of Hannity’s Garbage In, Garbage Out style of journalism.  So to be sure of my facts, I got up at 4:30 this morning and watched the same 60 minutes over again a second time.  I am not lying, I did.  I had to be 100% sure that I was right, and it turns out, I was. I hadn’t missed a thing, because in Hannity World, it simply never happened. 

I have to admit it was brilliant.  I knew that Hannity was a shrewd manipulator, but he outdid himself last night.  He used the protest by democrats about Trump’s embarrassing, shameful, unpatriotic, possibly treasonous comments to paint the Left and the Liberal media as crazy, half wits, without ever disclosing to his audience the reason for those comments.  He positioned it that the Left had no reason to react this way and said they had planned a predetermined over reaction to Trump's masterful summit, even before the summit began.  It was brilliant.  It was smoke and mirrors on steroids.  That he had the audacity to pull this off should surprise no one.  That he was comfortable in grotesquely misrepresenting reality to his audience, knowing that they would never catch on, is the scary part.

In addition to ignoring the most important fact in the miserable history of the Trump administration, Hannity took the “best defense is a good offense” approach to politics and went on to cherry pick a litany of historical Trump talking points .  He was all over the map offering a rehash of the best Fox inspired propaganda with an occasional reference to the summit itself, just to make it all seem current and on topic, when it was anything but.

Hannity’s rant points include the following:

• The Left is peddling new conspiracy theories.  They act like the sky is falling
• A New York Times cartoon showing Trump and Putin as lovers was atrocious.
• Former CIA director John Brennan is a communist
• Where is the location of the Clinton server? Where are the 33,000 emails?
• And this was a new one that I hadn’t heard before….that Barack Obama tried to oust the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu using election interference
• There is important diplomacy here, there is a new sheriff in town. He is not weak like Obama.
• Liberals on the Left couldn’t keep up with the speed of everything, they couldn’t keep up with the speed of Trump.  The Left is in total freak out mode. 
• Every major country in the world engages in election interference.
• It was a predetermined outcome, based on their blind hatred, apocalyptic and pathological position.
• The Left is acting like the sky is falling
• The President has never been afraid to call out other leaders
• The mainstream media is corrupt.
• Trump is not giving $150 billion to Iran
• Peter Strzok and Lisa Page are a disgrace to our country
• The economy is doing great, there is great progress on North Korea
• Donald Trump’s success is something the Left just can't stand

While Republicans all over the country were hanging their heads in shame, having witnessed first hand the epoch shit show of all Presidential summits, and despite a title wave of condemnation from the US and all corners of the free world (or what's left of it) Hannity never ever once addressed the elephant in the room.  He never once referenced Trump’s shameless commentary.

In a follow up interview with Trump after the conclusion of the summit.  Hannity served up the greatest softball question of all time, it was so soft mind you, that he turned it into a statement so that Trump couldn’t possibly flub one more thing on this already horrific day

He  told the President “And Putin confirmed they have nothing on you!”

Shawn Hannity was offering up Vladimir Putin as the definitive proof statement that Trump had no motivation to suck up to this miserable dictator and that no collusion had occurred.  And he did it with a straight face.

I feel so much better now, don’t you?

Many avid Trump supporters only get their news from a few Fox News talking heads, so they have no real idea what is happening in the world.  Between Trump's Twitter feed and Hanity's disregard of the truth, they are stuck in limbo, lost in a make believe world.  They are not all bad people, and they are not all deplorable, it’s just that some are weak and they have have been swayed by style and form of propaganda that would make Joseph Goebbels smile.  We need to convince them that the Fox News / Trump twitter feed combo is the greatest threat to the future of our country (after Russian election interference that is)

Looking ahead, we should all  do our part to try and expand their horizons and get them to think outside the FOX box, so to speak.   Doing this is the most productive thing we can do, in the Age of Trump.

I started to watch Laura Ingraham at the 10:00 hour, but by then I was sick and vomiting profusely and just had to go to bed.   I recorded her show however, and I will report on Ingram’s take, after I get my strength back. 

#103 - The Patriotism of Donald Trump

So now Donald Trump is blaming Barack Obama for failure to stop the Russian election interference, that same Russian election interference that he enthusiastically egged on during his own Presidential campaign.  

Can someone please explain to me, how anyone can believe this knucklehead...on anything?

Let's not forget that Obama reached out to Mitch McConnell, America's Chief Obstruction Officer, about Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential Election the month before the election, but McConnell refused to sign on to a bipartisan statement of condemnation.  You're not surprised are you?  I have written several times about McConnell's obstructionist, party over country, swamp-like behavior, and this was just one of many disgusting acts, but it does stand out.  When a Democratic president asked the Republican Senate Majority Leader to put party politics aside, to be a true patriot and send a message to our country's biggest enemy, the Senate Majority Leader didn't think twice about doing the right thing.  He did the right thing ...for his party that is, and kept his silence.   

Of course, Trump conveniently ignores this fact in his attempt to blame Obama for his own failure to take Russian election interference seriously.  

I have written sparingly about the topic of Russian election interference, in part because as of the date of this posting anyway, no Americans have been indited and convicted of collusion or obstruction of justice, but also because there is so much stupidity, incompetence and hatred on display within the Trump administration, that there is more than enough material for someone who still has a day job to write about.   But the indictments against another dozen Russian military members announced by Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and the detailed accounts showcase the reality of the attacks on our democracy by the Putin led government and should insult all Americans.  All patriotic Americans anyway.

Donald Trump does not see it this way.  Regarding his upcoming meeting/summit with Putin in Helsinki tomorrow, he says he will ask Putin about Russian involvement in our election.  Ask?  He will ask? What is there to ask?  Sorry, Mr. President, as the so-called leader of the Free World, it is your duty and responsibility to show strength against our enemy and tell our enemy  that we know what they did, that we know he was behind it, and that we won't tolerate it. This is a position maintained by key members of your own administration up and down the line and all you are going to do is ask?   What is wrong with you?   How weak can you be?  This is no longer a debate.  Please Mr. President, show a little backbone when it really matters, not just when its politically convenient.

In an interview in Scotland with CBS Evening News on Saturday Trump continued to criticize the special counsel's Russia investigation, saying it is having an impact on America's standing in the world. "I think we're greatly hampered by this whole witch hunt that's going on in the United States," the president said. "I think it hurts our relationship with Russia. I actually think it hurts our relationship with a lot of countries. I think it's a disgrace what's going on."

Let me get this straight?  Our investigation of Russian election interference hurts our relationship with Russia?  And its a disgrace?!  But....aren't we concerned about Russia?  Just a little bit even?

Trump supporters will deny this, but Donald Trump has a perverse view of patriotism, and he pulls it out only to serves his own selfish purpose.  When NFL players knelt during the national anthem to protest oppression of people of color, he purposely took a small issue and made it bigger.  His divisive commentary was another vile attempt to belittle and denigrate those who disagree with him, by questioning their patriotism in order to use it to fit his own minuscule political purpose.  This made him appear strong to his base, and they ate it up.  But when a really big issue should be made bigger, when real patriotism is required, when Vladimir Putin and Russia attack us, instead of walking tall and carrying a big stick, he calls much of the news media the enemy of the people,  declares the European Union our foe and blames it all on his predecessor.

Welcome to the Patriotism of Donald Trump.

Its hard to comprehend and makes no rational sense. Maybe he is just confused, Maybe he is just trying to buy time.  Maybe he is just waiting for his next orders from the Kremlin.

As I type these words, as unbelievable as I admit this notion is, it is the only logical explanation which fits all the facts.

#102 - Mitch McConnell, the Second Most Dispicable Man in American Politics

President Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanough to the Supreme Court was a disturbing reminder to many Democrats that sometimes life is not fair, that sometimes rich, powerful and selfish men will abuse power simply because, they can.

On February 13, 2016, Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead at the Cibolo Creek Ranch in Shafter, Texas  Ten days later, the 11 Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee signed a letter to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell stating their intention to withhold consent on any nominee made by President Obama, and that no hearings would occur until after January 20, 2017, when the next president takes office.

With this action, a new political battle line was literally invented overnight. The battle to restrict a sitting President’s constitutional authority had begun. 

On March 16, 2016, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, a moderate by almost everyone's definition, but it didn’t matter.  Immediately thereafter, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to block President Obama's Supreme Court nomination, saying the American people should have a "voice" in the process.  McConnell said that the "the decision the Senate made weeks ago remains about a principle, not a person."

It’s not clear to what principle McConnell was referring, for over the course of American history, there have been 24 instances in which presidents in the last year of a term have nominated individuals for the Supreme Court and the Senate confirmed 21 of these nominees.  In no cases were the nominations simply...stalled.  

Perhaps it was the principal employed by all self-serving, despicable, arrogant, outrageous men throughout the course of history that the end justifies the means.   It’s the only possible explanation, for Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution states that the President 'shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ... judges of the Supreme Court'.   Though the Senate may ultimately choose not to consent to the president's nominee, under its constitutional responsibility, refusing to perform its ‘advice and consent’ role, was unprecedented   And yet that is exactly what Mitch McConnell did.

So Garland’s nomination never saw the light of day, and McConnell eventually completed his criminal fait accompli shortly after President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court when he eliminated the filibuster rule in the senate, which would have required 60 votes to confirm.  Gorsuch was subsequently approved along purely partisan lines by a vote of 54-45.

In an August 2016 speech in Kentucky, Senator McConnell said, "One of my proudest moments was when I looked Barack Obama in the eye and I said, 'Mr. President, you will not fill the Supreme Court vacancy. 

One of Mitch’s proudest moment was his proactive and clear dereliction of duty.  If he had been in the military, his actions would have led to a court martial, but within the confines of the sick and twisted minds of many Republicans, his actions were celebrated.

I am old enough to remember a time when Republicans, real members of the Grand Ol’ Party used to hold real principals dear.  I remember when they used to stand for something. I remember when Republicans in Congress had….integrity. 

Hell...I even used to vote Republican.

But this is not your father’s GOP.  And in the shadow of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, it’s a reminder to those who believe in honesty, integrity and in justice, that even before there was a Donald Trump, there was a Mitch McConnell.