Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Trump's Going to Learn a Lesson From Al Capone's Downfall


                                         Good Day World!

While political pundits are reading the tea leaves to see if Trump will survive a Senate trial after he gets impeached by the House, there's actually a bigger threat facing Trump.

A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that two banks (Duetsche Bank and Capital One) must turn over Trump's financial records to the Democrat controlled House of Representatives.

Let's turn the clock back for a moment to the roaring twenties when Al Capone ruled Chicago's underworld. His corrupt connections always bailed him out when he was taken to court.

After a while it seemed like nothing, not the FBI or local law enforcement, were ever going to bring Big Al to justice. But, the IRS got a hold of Capone's financial dealings and locked up him in prison. It was the money trail that got Capone, and it's going to be the same for Trump.

All of the president's minions delaying tactics could not stop the banks from eventually turning over his information, as proven by this recent federal court decision. In desperation Trump's cronies will take it to the Supreme Court.

Two things: the Supreme's could kick it back to Congress (thus far they don't have the appetite to interfere in Congressional conflicts), in which case Trump is shit-out-of-luck.

But, let's say the Supreme Court does takes up the case. It would likely be heard next spring - around June - five months before the elections.

Not a good optic for Trump. The chance that the Supreme's will rule against Trump's argument that he can't be held to justice, is good. In the end, I suspect they will uphold our system of justice that says "No man is above the law."

Meanwhile, the Republicans who have decided to buy into Trump's fairy tale that everything is a hoax if Trump doesn't like it, are going to have egg on their faces when justice finally prevails. History will mock their antics.

Capone's men followed his orders without question, killing people and intimidating others with no qualms. The parallel of Trump, and the way he uses his minions, is obvious.

Trump has acted like a mob boss throughout his toxic tenure. Like Capone, he speaks underworld jargon and demands undying loyalty.

If indeed, taxes become Trump's Waterloo, he'll join the likes of Capone and other gangsters who finally payed the price for their vile deeds.

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

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

On a "Monster" Black Hole and the GOP Rabbit Hole


                                          Good Day World!

Scientists have recently discovered a "monster black hole" so massive, in theory, it shouldn't exist.

GOP lawmakers meanwhile, are pretending that Trump isn't taking them down a rabbit hole so deep, there's no end in sight. 

As scientists are scratching their heads about the sheer size of the new discovered black hole, GOP lawmakers are blithely following Trump down his bottomless rabbit hole of conspiracies and lies.

Despite be warned by every intelligence agency in our government that Putin has been spreading conspiracy theories about the Ukraine interfering with the 2016 election, Republicans in the House and Senate have ignored them.

Indeed, these GOP enablers of Trump's corruption, are doubling down on the lies he's spewing while ignoring facts and evidence to the contrary.

Scientists are busy pondering the monster black hole's existence and questioning the realities they assumed were right, forcing them to examine other possibilities.

Republicans following Trump down his rabbit hole no longer question truth, or what's right or wrong. They fear Trump more than doing what they were elected to do - to uphold the Constitution.

While scientists are gaining more knowledge about the universe and black holes, Republicans are getting dumber by the day as they spiral out of control down Trump's rabbit hole.

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

Monday, December 2, 2019

Will Trump's "Unswayables" Deliver an Electoral Victory?

Good Day World!

Republicans in the last seven presidential elections have only won the popular vote once, when George Bush pulled off the feat in 2004.

Since then, the Republican Party has relied on the Electoral College to get their candidates elected. By concentrating on swing states in the last decade the GOP has managed to build up a red firewall.

They accomplished that through voter suppression and gerrymandering. The combination has allowed Republicans to fill offices in the key states, effectively controlling the voting process in each one.

Trump is counting on his "unswayable" base to hold the red line in each of those states - Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

But this is not 2016. 

The 2020 election is going to be referendum on what's happened during the Trump regimes four years of chaos.

What about those "unswayable" supporters though? They'll still be there in 2020.

Let's drill down on that hard core base to see what their chances are of keeping Trump in office in the next election:

Let' warm up with an analysis of Trump supporters in a recent report from Psychology Today.

Next, a Nov. 3rd Fox News poll showed 41 percent of registered voters are against impeaching Trump. Of them, 57 percent say no new evidence could cause them to change their minds.

If that poll is accurate, it would put Trump's true base at 23 percent of registered voters. Not very impressive for a president trying to get re-elected.

It comes down to where the majority of Trump's unswayable base are in the five critical swing states. Can they duplicate 2016? 

Or, has the political landscape shifted the other way with the Democrats repeated electoral victories in 2018, and 2019?

There's a lot of variables to consider, especially with Trump's impending impeachment this month. It could motivate some people to vote for him, or against him. 

Another consideration that could sway the election against Trump is the numerous lawsuits he's fighting to conceal his taxes.

The chances of getting his taxes, and accounting firm records, have been improving with recent court victories for the House of Representatives. There's a very good chance that could happen next spring.

If they show that Trump was cheating the IRS, his captive Republican support in the Senate would melt like butter on a hot stove. Some facts are unassailable, even for partisan Republican senators.

Are there enough "unswayable" Trump minions to carry him to another victory? 

For the country's sake, I hope that the empowered minority of fanatics don't carry Trump across the finish line again.

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

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Just in Time for the Holidays: Millions of Americans Could Lose Food Stamps


                                           Good Day World!

The Trump regime is preparing to cripple the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to usher in the holidays.

The goal of the SNAP program is to mitigate hunger and its consequences in the United States. The program was never designed to be a work for food deal.

Trump minions held a three-day comment period last week in preparation for the three new rule changes that will see an estimated 3.7 million people a month no longer getting help, and another 2.2 million would see their average monthly benefit drop by $127 a month.

As if the above wasn't enough harm to hungry Americans, a study released by The Urban League last week showed that in addition to the above consequences, the changes would affect 982,000 students across the country who would lose access to free or reduced lunches.

All of this bad news is just in time for the holidays. It's a Trumpian way to say Merry Christmas to everyone... except the poor and hungry.

The clown in charge of this Grinch-like attempt to ruin people's already challenging lives, is Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who joyfully said it was going to save taxpayer's money.

How's that for justifying taking food out of hungry people's mouths?

What the Trump trolls don't get is SNAP was never intended to make money or to exclude anyone who was hungry. It was a program created on a bi-partisan basis meant to address food insecurity in the nation.

Simply put, food is not a luxury. No matter what Trump and his ilk think.

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

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Look on the Senate Floor! It's a Speeding Bullet... No! It's Stall Man!

Illustration Courtesy of MAD Magazine

Good Day World!

He's able to block democracy in a single bound...

He's bound by no loyalty but to himself...

He shoots down House bills with his Trump-Ray vision...

Some call him Moscow Mitch...

Other's like Mad Magazine, call him Stall Man for his ability to stop any legislation Trump doesn't like.

Call him what you will, Mitch McConnell has become the Grim Reaper where non-Trump bills go to die in a partisan graveyard.

Like all partisan hacks, especially the one's who drink a dose of Trump Kool Aid daily, McConnell has no scruples, no morals, no conscience, but the sucker is really connected.

With his wife's (Elaine Chao's) connection - she's Secretary of Transportation - the pair are both in bed with two of our worst foreign enemies.

Chao with her China connection which is currently being investigated by Congress, and Mitch with his Moscow connection to a Russian Oligarch, are just one example of current Washington DC power couples. (Think Jared and Ivanka.)

Both are blissfully corrupt in the Age of Trump where the swamp was supersized to envelope every branch of our government.

Even Mitch's fellow Republicans in the Senate are getting tired of not passing any legislation in favor of a parade of wannabee judges being confirmed (after an oath of loyalty to Trump) to infect our judiciary system - from top to bottom.

I would suggest to those GOP sleepwalkers in the Senate that they need to wake up fast, and stand up for their constituents... not Stall Man!

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

Friday, November 29, 2019

Defending the Indefensible: A Journey Through the GOP's FantasyLand


                                       Good Day World!

America is submerged in the dark era of Trump, where lies live daily, and the truth struggles to see light in an alternate universe of corruption that has become our new normal.

Republicans glibly walk down the path of Trump's fantasy world with reservation. Despite evidence to the contrary (the Ukraine didn't meddle in our presidential elections, Russia did), Trump's minions in the House and the Senate continue to deny that reality...

As for Trump's pathetic defense of his actions get peeled away like an onion in the emerging story, one thing is clear; Trump bribed the Ukrainian president to investigate his political opponent Joe Biden, and to look into a conspiracy theory.

As GOP lawmakers fumble around in Trump's fantasyland it gets harder to defend his outright lies. But they are. Even as his lies are exposed in prime time.

Related: Trump contradicts testimony-and himself-by claiming he never directed Giuliani on Ukraine

This sheep-like support is threatening our national security. 

Example: Tensions have been mounting between Trump and some the nation's top military officers after he intervened in the cases of three service members accused of war crimes.

There's a moral problem among senor Pentagon officials that are disturbed by Trump's behavior, and bad decisions - as in the betrayal of our ally the Kurds.

Trump has managed to sow divisiveness among the public, and now our military with his capricious actions based upon what he thinks his base wants.

As for those Republican lawmakers that are part of the ongoing impeachment process... it's not too late to come back to reality and serve YOUR constituents - the people who elected you believing you'd be honest and keep your oath of office.

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

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Seven Reasons Why I'm So Thankful This Thanksgiving Day

Good Day World!

Rather than writing about the history of Thanksgiving, I thought it would be more interesting if I listed the reasons why I'm thankful on this holiday.

It may even inspire you to take stock of your blessings.

1. I'm thankful for having made it to 69-years-old, and I still have my eyesight, hearing (albeit not perfect), and am able to walk unassisted.

2. I'm thankful that I've been married to the same beautiful woman/soul for 45 years.

3. I'm thankful for my wonderful, and close, family and friends.

4. I'm still amazed, and thankful, I survived combat in Vietnam, and Cambodia (1970).

5. Despite how ugly our society has become, I'm thankful there are still millions of good people helping out other people in need.

6. I'm thankful to be an American living in a land where freedom is still considered an inherent right for all.

7. I'm thankful that I can still write for an audience (this blog and my fiction blog), despite having retired from journalism two decades ago.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

How Politics and Trump Are Stealing the Holidays!

Good Day World!

Good grief! Charlie Brown!

What happened to Thanksgiving this year?

Instead of a time of family traditions and gathering to give thanks for various things in our lives, Americans are too angry to even be civil to one another in this era of Trump.

The division between family members who support Trump and those that hate him is a raw reminder of where we're at in this country.

Quick example: It's been a public tradition since Harry Truman made it a ritual in 1947, to pardon a turkey. It's always been a lighthearted event without political overtones.

Trump warped that tradition yesterday when he went off script and mocked Democrat Adam Schiff who is leading the impeachment inquiry against him.

Trump put everyone on notice as he pulled polarizing politics into the ceremony meant to provide holiday cheer, that there were going to be more political rants in the days and weeks ahead during the holiday season.

To emphasize that, he waddled off to a campaign rally in Florida, his newly adopted lair, claiming New York was mean to him. 

Don't be surprised if impeachment is all he babbles about while attending holiday events, between now, and Christmas.

The rest of the story on the turkey tradition...

It goes back before Truman took it public. Abraham Lincoln's son Tad was said to be so close to a turkey destined to be Christmas dinner that the president took pity on it and spared the turkey from suffering it's culinary fate by giving it a reprieve.

I hope Trump and politics don't ruin your holiday season - Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

America: It's a MAD World After All

Good Day World!

Growing up in the 50's and 60s, I was a devoted fan of MAD magazine.

There was one cartoon strip in particular I enjoyed; Spy vs Spy.

The strip was about two bumbling spies always trying to inflict injury upon each other in a constant war. That sounds an awful lot like the Democrats and the Republicans in our polarized world today.

When I look at what's happening in Washington DC the last three years with Trumps assault on truth and the Constitution, my conclusion is it's indeed a MAD world in the Age of Trump.

Republican lawmakers have entered Trump's alternate universe where truth withers on the alt-right vine that has engulfed our government.

After the public impeachment hearings in the last two weeks the Republicans are still in lock-step with Trump's conspiracy theories even though they've been proven to be false.

In our new reality the Ukraine attacked us in 2016, and Putin is our friend.

In this new MAD universe nothing is at it seems. Trump tells us not to believe what our eyes see and our ears hear, unless he's sanctioned it.

It's the reason I know we're living in a crazy world of contradictions where the Blue team and the Red team are locked in an eternal war of ideology and cult-think.

Chaos is the game and our Republic is fighting for everything our founders believed to be true.

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

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Winter of America's Discontent: Is Truth More Important Than Political Considerations?

"We can shoot rockets into space but we can't cure anger or discontent." 
-John Steinbeck

                                          Good Day World!

You, and I, and the rest of the American public, are faced with an historical decision.

Should Trump be impeached, and booted out of office?

If a person is basing their decision on factual evidence over conspiracy theories, it's apparent Trump bribed a foreign government to get dirt on his 2020 political foe, Joe Biden.

But...

it looks like at least one-third of the country is perfectly fine with Trump's breeches of the Constitution and the truth, if you accept what the polls are saying. 

What's especially dangerous is the GOP's reluctance to put politics aside and keep their oath of office promising to protect our laws.

Indeed, the Republicans in the House were attacking the proceedings and not the evidence put forth during the inquiry phase.

Worse yet, it's been revealed that ranking GOP member of the Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes, was in on the conspiracy to claim the Ukraine intervened with the 2016 election and the search for dirt on Biden and son.

Nunes met with ousted corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor, Victor Shokin in December of 2018. Although he's tried to deny it, travel logs show Nunes (and three other government officials) in Europe at the time of the contested meeting. 

It's also on the books that about $30,000 of taxpayer money was spent on that little rendezvous. 

Were House GOP members aware of this meeting? If they were, then there was a Congressional conspiracy of silence because they should have insisted Nunes recuse himself from the panel. 

If they weren't aware of this meeting, then that should be enough for them to think twice about backing Trump's lies.

Everyone on the committee was warned by our intelligence agencies that Russia's plot of spreading disinformation included blaming the Ukraine for hiding a mythical server that could exonerate Trump.

Knowing this, House Republicans then proceeded to ignore the advise, choosing instead to go down the rabbit hole with Trump throughout the public hearing phase.

What really troubles me is we're at a turning point in our great Republic. If we don't check Trump's campaign to seize complete power (and destroy our checks and balances) in America, we're going to be looking at a series of dictators in the foreseeable future.  

I've heard there are a lot of undecided voters right now who are watching the Impeachment drama with varying degrees of interest - from almost none, to following every twist and turn of the inquiry.

Sadly, at this point in time, we're watching to see if democracy has a chance against corrupt politics in the 21st century.

As winter's freezing cloak engulfs the country, Americans are huddling in separate political camps hoping for a resolution to the chaos swirling around them.

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

Blog Break Until Presidential Election is Over

I finally hit the wall today. I can't think of what to say about all of the madness going on in this country right now. I'm a writer...