Saturday, March 24, 2018

Governing With Chaos: Don't Blink, Or You'll Miss Trump's Final Decision

Good Day World!

The scene unfolded Friday morning...

Trump watched his usual Fox and Friends early in the morning and when they said the new Omnibus Spending Bill was bad, he became concerned.

So concerned, he tweeted that he might Veto the bill when it comes to his desk just hours before he was supposed to sign it!

Understandably, that caused a panic with GOP lawmakers.

If not for General McMaster's advocacy for the military during lunch with Trump he might have vetoed the bill.

But because McMasters was the last person to speak to him, he decided to sign it.  

Trump really didn't like the bill. It was McMaster's argument that our military would be in jeopardy if he didn't, that eventually swayed him.

Or, so he said in a press conference.

There were a lot of bitter pills to swallow in the bill according to Trump's advisors at Fox and Friends. Trump was also uneasy about increasing the national debt by another 1.2 trillion dollars.

It's unknown if Trump even read part of the bill. Reading is not his thing. Most of the lawmakers in Congress didn't read the entire bill; a fact that nearly everyone involved admits.

It was hurried through because Congress wanted to take a vacation next week, and it didn't want a government shutdown.

The fact that the Democrats got any concessions infuriated Trump. He tried to frame the failure of not having DACA included in the bill on the Democrats.

By the time all of this sinks in, and people have read the entire bill, there's going to be a lot of finger pointing done by both sides.

Just wait until Trump's base find out that the bill included a raise for Congress!

That's not going to appear like he's draining the swamp...on the contrary, it's a real time case of him FEEDING the swamp!

Time for me to walk on down the road... 

Friday, March 23, 2018

GOP Fears 'Deep State,' a Monster of Trump's Own Making


                                       Good Day World!

About the time Trump slung into office, far right circles (encouraged by Trump) created a conspiracy about a cabal of longtime government officials out for Donny's ass.

Trump uses the "deep state" term every time some government official thwarts him. He's convinced his followers there is a conspiracy against him.

He's also got at least one lawmaker in Washington D.C., drinking the kool aid too:

Meet Rep. Claudia Tenney who claimed the so-called “deep state” was responsible for ordering an extravagantly priced dining set for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson’s office. 

“Ben Carson is so misunderstood,” the New York Republican said on a local Upstate New York radio show before blaming an unnamed person in the deep state for ordering the furniture.

This is the kind of chaos Trump thrives on, and when supporters in the government back his ridiculous conspiracy theories, like Tenney, it's easy to see how much damage can be done.

Tenney's accusation fell apart when Carson claimed in a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Tuesday that his wife was responsible for ordering the $31,000 dining set.

Chances are, Tenney was trying to get some points with Trump, by embracing his Deep State monster. 

As long as there are Republican trolls claiming an active conspiracy against Trump, it'll be a good smoke screen to use against collusion charges with Russia, and obstructing justice.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Pence's Passion: It's The Quiet Ones That You Have To Worry About


Good Day World!

With everyone focused on our Liar-In-Chief, Vice President Pence has managed to stay in the shadows, where he operates best.

White House photos of the West Wing staff always have Pence hovering behind Trump like a ghost.

He sometimes sports a puckish grin, but most of the time his face is frozen in grim concentration.

Pence is famous for his supposed piety. The cult church he belongs to says a man cannot be in the same room with a woman unless his wife is there too. 

I don't know what happens in the case that a man doesn't have a wife to sit with him. 

Pence is known for his homophobic rantings cloaked in religion. I'm not sure if Pence has ever talked one-on-one with a black or brown person. His usual associates are as white as his closely cropped hair.  



Comedian John Oliver just came out with a new book - “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, that was No. 1 on Amazon.com yesterday.

Retailers were out of stock by midday.

Oliver's book is a tribute to the Pence family's beloved rabbit. The vice president's daughter, Charlotte Pence, wrote, “Marlon Bundo’s Day in the Life of a Vice President” earlier this year. 

Oliver's story is the same...almost. His Marlon Bundo falls for another male bunny however! Americans apparently think it's damn funny!

But don't underestimate Pence. He's waiting quietly in the wings of the Oval Office for Trump to be impeached and frog-marched out of Washington D.C.

Meanwhile, he backs up Trump's stupid statements with as few words as possible. He's managed to avoid controversy thus far by being the guy in the background.

He makes sure to stay out of the limelight, only grudgingly coming out for some events like the one he agreed to speak at as a special guest of America First Policies (a fringe group run by Carl Higbie). It takes place in New Hampshire, in the near future.

Pence has been working with the extreme conservative base in the background. He's firming up his own racist and religious foundation in the event of a palace coup.

Meanwhile, he slinks around the White House and manages to stay out of most of the chaos there. 

He's patiently waiting with that puckish grin...

Time for me to walk on down the road....

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Trump's Bromance With Putin Angers Lawmakers On Both Sides of the Aisle

Good Day World!

Oh Donny boy!

You're really pissing some people off with your romance with that Russian dictator.

As hard as it was for me for me to believe, Mitch McConnell, the turtle look-alike who Americans have come to loath, stood up to Trump and said he was a bad boy for calling Putin to congratulate him on his rigged election.

Will wonders ever cease?

My favorite Republican senator, John McCain, called Putin a dictator who won a "sham" election. He's right, of course.

Democrats are calling for Donny's treasonous actions to be explained. They're dumbfounded that Trump made a call to a dictator who stole another election. 

Trump's infatuation with Putin has dark undertones. Why be so nice to a dictator whose country is trying to destroy America and our democracy?

It's no secret. Putin hates America. It's also no secret that Donny has a crush on the Russian strongman, who he was trying to do business with for over a decade.

Amazingly, with all the reports that have come from our intelligence community about how Russia disrupted the 2016 election, Trump is talking about meeting with him again.

I'm waiting to see what Trump is going to do about Robert Mueller. Former CIA Director Brennan suggested that Putin has something on Trump yesterday.

He's getting under Donny's skin. It's attack Mueller time again, and the legitimacy of the whole Russia investigation. Something his lawyers have pleaded with him not to do.

The question is will we ever find out why Donny is so enamored of Putin?

Does Putin have something he's blackmailing Donny with? Or, is Trump just in awe of someone who has such complete power over so many people?

I'm curious to see how long our lawmakers will put up with Trump's adoration of Putin before it becomes a real problem. Is there a red line drawn by anyone in Congress?

The sad thing is, I doubt it. We're going to find out the hard way why Putin and Trump have been in a relationship for years.

By then, it'll be too late.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Armageddon Around the Corner?

Good Day World!

When it comes to nuclear weapons, I get nervous.

Probably because of my Cold War upbringing. 

It's bad enough that countries like the US, Russia, North Korea, China, Pakistan, and India, all have the means of destroying the planet, but when other players come into the equation, it gets downright scary.

Recent Example:

Turkish authorities captured four men, all gang members, who were trying to sell a radioactive nuclear element for $70 million on the black market.

They had three pounds of synthetic nuclear element, Californium, which is commonly used to set off nuclear reactors.

Just think what a group like ISIS could do with a package like that! What surprises me the most is so far no extremist group has gotten possession of some kind of nuclear weapon and caused chaos with it.

Moving on to Iran

Despite warnings from the US and allies, the Iranians are working on nuclear submarines. Rumors are flying around Washington that Trump is going to nullify the current nuclear agreement supported by most of the countries in NATO.

Moving on to North Korea

So far, the North Koreans have been silent about the upcoming meeting between their leader, Kim Jong Un, and Trump.

Odds makers have it 50-50 that the two leaders will actually meet somewhere. There's negotiations going on behind the scenes, according to the Trump administration.

Call me silly, but I don't believe one word coming from the White House.

This meeting may (tentatively scheduled for May), or may not happen, and even if it does, the chances of arriving at a mutual agreement between the two countries is slim and next to none.

Imagine for a moment, those two egotists in the same room trying to one-up each other in rhetorical lies. The only substance to that meeting would be the byproduct...the bullshit. 

The chance of a Trump tweet tilting the precarious balance can't be dismissed.

One more thing; we know that they get hit the American mainland with nuclear missiles now. 

Moving on to China

The recently anointed dictator for life Xi, is poised to become an international player in the power game.

China's military has been quietly building up in the last decade. It's navy recently launched a new super aircraft carrier with nuclear armament.

There's no doubt that China could make a nuclear strike anywhere on the planet.

On Pakistan and India

These two countries are enemies. They both have nuclear bombs. They're both unpredictable. If it sounds like a recipe for disaster, it could be.

Is Armageddon around the corner?

The only thing I can say, is you better make the most of every day!

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Monday, March 19, 2018

Embracing Another Week of Chaos in the Trump Era

Good Day World!

Ready or not, this is the start of a new week of chaos in the Trump era.

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) said Sunday (on Meet The Press) the House Intelligence Committee was not tasked with investigating collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Really? Then what were they tasked with?

And, what about Conaway's committee report last week that said there was no evidence of collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign?

You can't have it both ways.

On one hand, Conaway claimed the committee was only probing to see if Russia interfered with the 2016 election, not whether the Trump camp was cozy with Putin.

Conaway's report totally ignored the Democrats take on what the committee did, and did not do. Like interview key witnesses.

Another, complete report is due out this week, and we'll have a chance to see both sides of the story.

Looking ahead...

Expect more Stormy Daniels news as her case against Trump grows legs.

Don't be surprised if someone in the White House gets fired. Donny is in full Apprentice mode, and has been gathering steam since last week.

Gina Haspel, Trump's nominee to replace Mike Pompeo as head of the CIA, is already being challenged by some Republican senators like Rand Paul - who is dead set against her getting the job.

Expect more new stories about this issue, and the issue of getting Trump nominees through the vetting process.

Even though Jeff Sessions was a good puppet and fired Andrew McCabe for Trump, he's going to be back on the grill again.

With the recent news that Sessions didn't oppose (under oath he claimed he opposed it) an idea to approach the Russians during a highly publicized meeting with Trump and his staff during the election.

Expect to see increased stories about another round of tax cuts by Republicans. They're still trying to sell the idea the whole tax scam law will benefit America's middle class. It's been a tough sell thus far.

The investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election has expanded to include President Trump’s family business, with the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, subpoenaing the Trump Organization for documents related to Russia.

Expect to hear more about this story as the week goes on. Last year, Trump said that Mueller would be "crossing a red line" if he got into his family business during the investigation.

Looks like that line has been crossed.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Slimey Sessions Always Eager To Do His Master's Bidding

Good Day World!

Even to a casual observer, AG Jeff Sessions is a mean little bastard.

He's shamelessly grovels at Trump's feet even when Trump is attacking his integrity.

But Sessions seems to think it's worth it, because he gets to pursue his racist agenda to new heights.

Just look at the timing of the firing of former FBI Director, Andrew McCabe. It was announced one day before his retirement (thus disqualifying him from full retirement). 

I know that Trump didn't like McCabe, but he let Sessions be the bearer of bad tidings because the little weasel was so good at it.

Always ready to serve his master, Sessions added a little flair to the firing by doing it at the 11th hour.

That's just mean. It's a way of making a point and sending out a warning. Don't dare stand up to Trump. No matter who you are.

Sessions enjoys the disruption he's causing with his racist agenda. It's a dream of a lifetime for the diminutive elf look-alike.

As slippery and underhanded as he is, Sessions knows that he's treading rough water with Trump's impulsiveness and lack of loyalty.

It's Sessions eagerness to please Trump, who treats him like a junkyard dog, that's saved him thus far. There's no law he wouldn't break for Donny.

I'm surprised the man can stand without a backbone. It's a trait most Trump's supporters seem to possess. 

Time for me to walk on down the road....

Universal Music Power

In a delightful description of the power of music William Congreve wrote "Music hath charms to sooth a savage beast..." in his 16...