Trump

Day 1162 – Suffer the Fool, Shelter in Place

Wednesday March 25, 2020

221 Days until the election on November 3rd

301 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

Yesterday I had a vision. Mr. T. The original Mr. T. Not that pretty-boy in the remake. The angry Mr. T. He was asking me, “Have you had enough of these fools?”

Then my daydream morphed into Jeff Foxworthy of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. You know the man who asked, “You might be a redneck if …” Except, this time he was saying, “You might be listening to fake news if …” This quickly morphed into, “You ARE listening to fake news if …”

Some of my right wing friends have gone back to their old targets. One is attacking George Soros. That man had the temerity to give money to political people and causes he believed in. 

There are new attacks on the Democrats in Congress because they wouldn’t pass a Republican bill, sight unseen that was giving the Foreclosure King of California 500 billion dollars to spend anyway he wanted and not tell anyone until months later. The Dems didn’t even get the Repugnagans’ bill from them but from lobbyists on K Street. In other words, the Republican lawmakers told their corporate cronies to write something up and they’d try to pass it. Essentially, the bill was 12 cents to the workers of America and the hospitals and 88 cents per dollar to corporations.

When the president was asked who was going to be providing oversight he said he would be the one. Yeah, right. Lemme see how this would work. “Hey Steve, you got $500 Billion right?” “Yes” “Give it to me – for my failing hotels.” “Okay, Mr. President, but can I keep a little for myself?” “Let’s negotiate that amount. Boy, am I a deal maker or what?” “Yes sir, you certainly are.”

Vlad would be so proud of you. Not even he has stolen money from his country in such a blatant way.

Meanwhile the Governor of New York is asking for supplies. These are supplies the Federal government has. What does Trump do? He belittles the governor. 

We have maybe two weeks before the bodies start piling up in New York.

Stay Home, Wash Your Hands.

We are in for something the likes of which the modern world has never seen.

221 Days until the election on November 3rd

301 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

PS Temple of The Seven Dolls, Dzibilchaltun, Mexico

Day 1161 – The Chickens Are Getting Ready to Come Home

Tuesday March 24, 2020

222 Days until the election on November 3rd

302 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

When I grew up Eisenhower was President. Talk about the Depression and World War II (WWII) were common. There was hope. There was optimism. We were the greatest nation on Earth (or so we told ourselves.)

Kennedy got shot and we said, “How can it get worse?”

Vietnam. Inflation,The Draft. Stagflation. Mass protests and we said, “How can it get worse?”

Then Reagan and there was optimism. Then the unions got busted and we’ve been on an economic downward spiral ever since.

Then Bush I

Then Clinton who tried to stem the tide.

Then Bush II

Then Obama and there was optimism.

Then Trump and we said, “How can it get worse?”

We are on a pace to loss four times as many people to the Corona Virus as we did in World War II. 

Will we make it to the next election?

“How can it get worse?”

PS Eclipse

PPS I’ll get back to my usual bithchin’ tomorrow.

WASH YOUR HANDS!

STAY HOME!

Day 1160 – Could Hillary Have Done a Better Job?

Monday March 23, 2020

223 Days until the election on November 3rd

303 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

Answer 1: YES.

Answer 2: Anyone could have*.

*Except those Republicans in the Senate, The Vice President or any of Trump’s cabinet officials**

** No, I take that back. Any of them could have done a better job.

Let’s examine the case for Answer 1. When I put a link to an article whose headline was “Hillary Could Have Done a Better Job.” I got two immediate responses:

Response 1: “I don’t like Hillary.”

Response 2: “Pure Speculation.”

Each response is telling. To the first I say, “So what?” and “That doesn’t answer the point.”

To the second I say, “Let’s compare.”

Hillary is, as a buddy of mine likes to say, “Whip smart.” She graduated from one of the top colleges in the country at the top of her class. She was so well thought of that she was asked to give a commencement speech. The first time anyone from the student body had been asked to do so.

Donald? He said he went to one of the top colleges in the country, which he did. What do we know about his time there? Nothing really. We’ve heard reports anecdotally that he was a lackadaisical student who never studied. We know he has gone to great lengths, including sending threatening letters to the college not to release his grades. This doesn’t sound like a stellar student. 

We also know that during this time he started to do real estate with his father. We now know that Donald lost a lot of money in real estate. For four consecutive years he lost close to a billion dollars, making him one of the highest losers in each year according to tax records. Of course, he has hidden his tax records as well. Anecdotally, we know that he liked to make deals, mostly bad deals, but once he acquired or bought whatever it was he had little interest in running those businesses.

We know that Hillary and Bill have been pursued by a ravenous right wing media trying to tear them down. This has gone on for four decades. There was an impeachment inquiry centered around it.  Anyone who read the first article about the impeachment could see it was a hit job and had no merit, but it hung around and the trolls had the power of the office of Special Prosecutor to go digging and digging. Finally, they hit pay dirt when after a Republican shutdown of government put a 21 year old intern near Bill and he got six blowjobs. 

But Hillary? Nothing.

I keep coming back to a comment that Hillary made during the opening of her second debate with Trump. She said, “I’ve been called a lot of things, but unprepared is not one of them.”

As Secretary of State she did historic things. She and Obama got the Chinese to negotiate on Iran. This led to the Iran Nuclear Deal. The most historic, best negotiated, best detailed nuclear deal in history. It could have been a treaty, but Republican senators wouldn’t give Obama or Hillary that, so it was a deal, one that could be undone by another president. 

What did Trump do with the Iran Nuclear Deal? He walked out on it. What did he replace it with? Nothing. Remember during the 2016 Republican debates how Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorna and others went on and on about what they would have done on a nuclear deal with Iran? Well, in Donald Trump they got their chance. What happened? As I said – nothing. Now, Iran is back to building a nuclear stockpile; instead of looking at doing it fifteen years from now. 

Climate change – Hillary and Obama participated in the Paris Peace Accords. What did Trump do? He pulled out of it. What did he do instead? He gave big breaks to gas and oil companies. He opened up Federal lands to gas and oil exploration. 

Health Care – Hillary was appointed by President Clinton, her husband, to do something on health care. She came up with a package. Yes, it was complicated, but as everyone said health care is complicated. The Republican Senators turned it down. What did she do then? SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) giving help to low income families to get food. Not even the Republicans in the Senate were heartless enough to stop that.

What has Trump done in health care and food assistance? Everything he can to dismantle the safety net for low income families. He has gone to court to try and get the whole Obama Care bill thrown out. He is currently trying to reduce the benefits on SNAP so three million people will no longer be able to get help. As to health care, John Boehner summed it up best, he said in his twenty five years in Congress he never saw a Republican health care bill. The last whiff of one was when Paul Ryan was Speaker. That consisted of a photo op of him sitting down with other Republican law makers showing they were ready to go to work and the Dems weren’t at the table to work with them. Of course, they hadn’t told the Dems about it and after the Klieg lights were shut off they went back to business as usual.

Hillary was pilloried in the right wing press over four people in the State Department being killed in Libya. The Republicans held eleven hearings on this subject (or ws it only nine? I forget.) Like the land deal the facts were well known before the first hearing. The problem was that those same Republicans had voted to cut the security budget the Sate Department had. Hillary sat for eleven hours one day while various Congress people took pot shots at her. Most notable was Jim Jordan, a man who has done nothing in his career of any benefit. He seemed to have watched too many Perry Mason shows and he badgered and attempted to belittle and put words in her mouth. He failed and looked foolish. She remained cool and answered questions. Most of the time the hearing was a place for Republicans to spout off, not ask questions. In fact, I don’t remember them asking any meaningful questions.

Let’s compare Hillary’s overall career to that of Donald’s shall we? While Hillary was doing things to help in government Donald was trying, and failing, to enrich himself. We didn’t know how big a failure he was, and we still don’t, but it was billions, He then became involved with the Russians who via Deutsch Bank funded his schemes. It’s called money laundering. 

While it is speculation as to how well Hillary would have done her background and proven abilities would lead me to believe that we would be in a far better off position than we are under the current people in power.

223 Days until the election on November 3rd

303 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

PS For some reason the Democrats in the Senate don’t want to give Steve Mnuchin half a billion dollars to do whatever he wants with it. Imagine that? I’d give it to him provided he had to account to Elizabeth Warren.

PPS A tree grows in Mexico City.

Day 1159 – When will THEY stop blaming HIM?

Sunday March 22, 2020

224 Days until the election on November 3rd

304 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

Some of my Trump supporting friends are asking this question.

The “HIM” being Trump; The “THEY” being, I guess, anyone who questions Trump.

Two people have recently been inducted into the pantheon of “Nasty question” and one into the high office of “Terrible Reporter.” 

This honor is bestowed upon individuals who have the temerity to ask straightforward questions that he, Trump, does not like.

Questions that ask “What do you mean?” or “How is that so?” or “What would you like to tell the American people?”

These are in Trump-Speak “Nasty Questions” asked by “Terrible Reporters.”

The answers to these questions in Trump-Land are:

A.”I don’t know. Maybe, someone else in my administration did it, but I did not. (Turn to one side and ask whomever happens to be standing there, “Did you do that?” [This is a riff on the Joe Tex song, ‘Who Wants the Woman with The Skinny Legs?” e.g. Ask “Do you want the woman with the skinny legs?” Reply “No I don’t want the woman with the skinny legs!” Ask “Hey [insert name here] Do you want the woman with the skinny legs?” Reply “No I don’t want the woman with the skinny legs!” etc.]

B. “We are doing a tremendous job. You know we inherited a mess, a real mess. But everyone is getting everything they need and a cure is on the way.

C. “That’s a nasty question and you are a terrible reporter.

Now in the rest of the world these are standard questions. They are designed to allow the president to explain himself because in the real world what he says makes no sense. But that is a different world to the world of Trump.

Governors and mayors are asking the president to act. They have stopped criticizing if they did and are asking him to do his presidential duty. They have told him specifically in phone calls and press conferences exactly what they want and need. He has reassured them that he has done whatever it is they have asked for.

Except, here’s the problem, none of it has happened. 

If you tell someone that masks are on the way, they expect to find masks.

If you tell them ventilators are on the way, they expect to see more ventilators.

None have showed up. The only thing that anyone can find is an order for millions of masks. That order will take a year and a half to fill.

Titans of industry are saying they can make masks and ventilators and whatever else is needed. “Give us the orders and we’ll do the job!” is their call.

No one has given them an order.

We are on pace for thousands, no millions, to get sick and die. When will they stop blaming the president? When they are dead. Okay, you have your answer.

In the meantime, get out of the way, put someone in charge who knows how to get things done. You don’t. Mike doesn’t. We need a real leader. Appoint someone, then sit on your hands and watch.

Want some names? Oh no, that would be nasty wouldn’t it?

224 Days until the election on November 3rd

304 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

PS Peacock!

Day 1158 – When the Wave Comes so will the Black Hand

Saturday March 21, 2020

225 Days until the election on November 3rd

305 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

I remember a buddy of mine who was living in the San Francisco area during the early days of the AIDS epidemic. He described it as a black hand that swept through the town. Remember at first people thought it only affected gay men? That’s what Reagan thought. So why bother? Big deal. Remember that thinking? Then others got it too. Then there were the horrible deaths, the anger, the frustration, the lack of response from government officials.

Yeah, well. Get ready for it to play out again. But this time only faster. Our federal government has already positioned itself to not care. That’s not quite accurate. They are not only uncaring but incompetent. Neither Trump nor Pence have any idea how to lead. Even when they are told what needs to be done, they seem unable. 

The most stunning example of this was when Peter Alexander tossed Trump a softball question. The question was designed as an opportunity for Trump to show compassion, leadership, and instill confidence. Alexander asked what would he, the president, say to the American people who are scared? What did Trump do? He attacked Alexander, called him a terrible reporter. Said he was nasty (or was it the question that was nasty? I forget.) That’s Trump’s leadership on display for all to see.

Meanwhile it turns out the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, sold a shit load of stock just before the Corona Virus scare caused the down turn in the stock market.  When did he do this? Immediately after hearing an intel briefing on the situation about the virus. This is akin to insider trading and there is a special law for people in Congress to prevent them from trading on such information. Burr made 33 separate trades, all sales. He rarely, if ever does anything with his stock accounts. All such things are reported btw and one reporter who looks at thousands of these reports said those trades really stood out to him. Burr claims he did the trades based on public information from CNN. David Jolly, former Republican and attorney now MSNBC commentator who has extensive knowledge of these kinds of cases said that this  “public information” claim was the classic defense by people who do this sort of thing. Jolly went on to say that by what he has seen and heard Burr should be in jail. I’m sure our AG will get right on it.

In other news – The Bunny is Back!

Yes, the bunny that munches on grass in the backyard has reappeared. I’d show you a photo but when I went to take a picture the camera battery was dead. Once I found another battery he was gone.

The point? What it the point? You ask?

There is hope.

225 Days until the election on November 3rd

305 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

PS Voladores. Five guys: One stands up on the top of the pole as the other four swing by their ankles from ropes as they untwist on the pole. They start at fifty or so feet in the air. In this photo they are getting ready to begin the ancient ritual.