Sunday, July 2, 2017

States Resist Trump's Demand To Turn Over Private Information on Voters

Good Day World!

Resistance.

It's the key word for coping in the Trump era. 

Thus far, nearly everything Trump has tried to ram through Congress and elsewhere, has been met with strong resistance.

In pursuit of Trump's fabled 3 to 5 million illegal voters in the 2016 election, he's created a sham commission to back up his false claims.

The so-called, Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (I Iove the irony) has asked the 50 states to send them detailed information about their voters, including birth dates, parts of social security numbers and voting histories.

Remember what I said about resistance to Trump's regime?

The states have, in most part, resisted the commission's requests. 

Some comments from state officials:

*** Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, said the state would require the commission to file a formal request and will not release personal information about voters.

*** The office of Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, a Republican, said lawyers are reviewing the letter to determine how the state will respond.

"Our priority, as we've demonstrated in the past, will always be to protect voter's protected, personal information, said Meg Casper Sunstrom, a spokeswoman for Schedler, former head of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

*** Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, also a Republican, said he hasn't received the letter yet, but he's not giving up voter information. 

My favorite response:

"My reply would be: They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi is a great state to launch from," he said. "Mississippi residents should celebrate Independence Day and our state’s right to protect the privacy of our citizens by conducting our own electoral processes.”
  
*** Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said Friday that his state will not provide the commission with the last four digits of Ohioans' Social Security numbers or their state driver's license IDs.

*** Connecticut Secretary of Denise Merrill, a Democrat, said Thursday that “in the spirit of transparency” the state will only provide publicly available information about voters, but not any information that is protected.

Here's her great response:

“In the same spirit of transparency, we will request that the commission share any memos, meeting minutes or additional information as state officials have not been told precisely what the commission is looking for,” she said in a statement.

State officials aren't stupid. They know the vice chairman of the commission is Kris Koback - a man with a long history of promoting allegations of voter fraud and for tighter restrictions on voting.

Maybe Trump didn't think the state officials would notice. The other thing Trump didn't count on was this unified resistance against his draconian demands.

Resistance for democracy. There's always hope.

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

Saturday, July 1, 2017

No,This is Not a Fake News Headline: President Tries Blackmail, Then Tweets Trash About TV Host

Good Day World!

Liar-In-Chief, Trump, is back to his old blackmailing tricks.

Throughout his career Trump has used the media, and an army of lawyers, to intimidate people he doesn't like. His connections to the National Enquirer is the latest example.

 "Morning Joe" TV host Joe Scarborough asserted Friday that three top White House staffers had told him that President Trump could arrange to "spike" a negative story about him in the National Enquirer if Scarborough would call the president and apologize for his negative coverage of Trump.

This is essentially blackmail.

Trump has often spoken of his long-standing personal relationship with David Pecker, the owner of the National Enquirer. 

During the 2016 campaign, Trump several times referred to negative stories in the tabloid aimed at his rivals, such as Ben Carson and Ted Cruz.

Related:
'Please Just Stop:' Republicans Plead With Trump Over Mika Brezesinski Tweets

Lawmakers denounced the tweet. House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters, "Obviously I don't see that as an appropriate comment... What we're trying to do around here is improve the tone, the civility of the debate. And this obviously doesn't help do that."

Trump continues to use his bullying tactics whenever he feels slighted by someone. The irony of his wife, Melania, dedicating herself to stopping cyber-bullying is thick as a brick.

It hasn't taken Trump long to drag the office of the presidency into his personal swamp. No wonder the world is laughing at our man-baby's nasty twitter habit.

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

Friday, June 30, 2017

We Need To Go 'Old School' With A Paper Trail In Every State


                                       Good Day World!

Lawmakers need to make a quick, but thorough, change in the nation's electoral process before 2018.

That mean's taking some immediate action. While Trump and cronies drag their feet in making improvements to safeguard our system, Putin's pals are working on improving their successful cyber attacks in 2016 for the next round in 2018.

Meanwhile, Trump has appointed some sketchy minions to a so-called Presidential Commission on Election Integrity. This is the only thing he's done to address the threat to our voting system.

How credible do you think this commission is going to be?

It's vice-chair, Kris Kobachwas sanctioned by a federal judge last week for his “deceptive conduct and lack of candor” in a voting rights case brought against him.

Don't expect this commission to even mention Russia.

Rest assured, it will have no credible facts to back up it's claims.

The safest, and best way to protect our nation's voting process is to go with a paper trail system. It's time to go old school.

Facts:

There's 29 states that use a paper ballot election system according to BallotPedia

In some cases states have a paper ballot combined with voting machines.

That means just 21 more states have to convert to paper before the next elections. Not an impossible task. 

But, Congress needs to act swiftly, in a bi-partisan fashion to assist the states that need a voting system involving paper.

Experts all agree paper is a lot safer than letting some 400-pound hacker in a Russian basement screw with our computerized voting system.

The solution is simple. I'm waiting....

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

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Mr. President: 'Take Down That Magazine...'

Good Day World!

Most people would be embarrassed if they were caught photo-shopping their image on a national magazine cover to look important.

(Trump's fake Time Magazine cover is shown here)

Our president (it really hurts to say that) could care less and is currently displaying a fake (fake news?!) Time Magazine cover with his smiling mug on it, looking smug with arms crossed, in the lobbies of five of his golf course lobbies.

Apparently Time Magazine didn't appreciate the gag (if that was what it was) and asked the Trump Organization to take down the phony magazine covers featuring a pre-presidential Trump.

The newsweekly made the request after The Washington Post reported Tuesday that at least five Trump properties had hanging a Time Magazine cover showing Trump.

But the magazine covers, dated March 1, 2009, were fake. The magazine did not publish on that date; its March 2, 2009 issue featured actress Kate Winslet. 


Either Time Magazine has no sense of humor, or a desire to repent for the actual issues they did run featuring The Donald. In any event, the request was considered newsworthy by a lot of publications.

The whole affair is sad. 

That America has a full-blown narcissist and serial liar for a leader is the stuff of a Greek tragedy where the crazy king attacks his allies, and mistreats his people and the environment, in the name of money.

President Ronald Reagan was famous for telling the Russian leader, Gorbachev, to take down the Berlin wall dividing the East and West of Germany.

In a humorous, and nearly parallel way, Time Magazine has made history with their call to a sitting president to take down those fake covers with his bloated mug on it.

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

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Memo To Democrats: Until You Get A Charismatic Leader Expect To Keep Losing

Good Day World!

No amount of money will win elections for the Democrats until they shake up the party with some new blood.

The special election in Georgia was one example why the Democrats are losing ground. A record $26 million was raised to support the Democratic nominee Jon Ossoff ...and he still lost.

The specter of Trump's unpopularity loomed over that election, but did not derail the Republican candidate Karen Handel.

Love him, or hate him, Trump is charismatic when it comes to gaining followers. They love him so much that they show up at his rallies (he had another one in Iowa recently) days and hours before "showtime."

His hold on his fans borders on a cult following. He simply can do no wrong in their eyes. It's this kind of devotion that has kept Trump in office thus far.

The Republican party is afraid of Trump because of his core followers in key states.

There's no one even close in the Democratic party with a big following. Democrats are disorganized and demoralized. Instead of doing something about it, they continue to support the failed leadership of Nancy Pelosi and her cronies.

The excuse for staying with a sinking ship? Pelosi can raise a lot of money. Talk about a weak excuse. A charismatic leader with a central message could also bring in a lot of money and voters.

Democrats desperately need an anti-Trump. A charismatic leader who emerges with a powerful message to unite the fractured party.

Pelosi is poison, as is Hilllary Clinton. It's time for the old guard to step down and to get fresh new faces and ideas on how to further a progressive agenda that will entice the majority of Americans to follow.

A leader and a universal message. Sounds simple. But old politicians do not go quietly into the night. They need encouragement...

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

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Trump Appointee Guilty of 'Deceptive Conduct and Lack of Candor'

Good Day World!

It's just another day in TrumpLand.

Meet Kris Kobach. Trumpie of the Month for June:

The last we heard from Kris he was busy working as the vice chair for the dubious voter fraud commission Trump created, without proof, claiming that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election.

Kobach has also announced he's going to run for governor of Kansas. 

But let's hold on for a moment. Here's what's currently happening with Kobach...

The Republican state official tapped by President Trump to lead his sketchy voter fraud commission was sanctioned by a federal judge Friday for his “deceptive conduct and lack of candor” in a voting rights case brought against him.

Voting rights advocates are concerned that the so-called "Presidential Commission on Election Integrity (oxymoron alert!)" will be used as a cover to push restrictive voter laws like the one Kobach is currently battling in court to defend.

Putting a wolf in the hen house never ends well for the chickens. Trump found his "wolf" in Kobach who is willing to cull the voter population to favor Republicans.

We haven't seen the last of him despite this set-back. It certainly isn't going to bother Trump - or cause him to replace Kobach.

Expect to see him as the Trumpie of the Month again in the near future.

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

Monday, June 26, 2017

All In The Family Reality Show - Episode Two - Ivanka Goes To Court For Ripping Off Another Shoe Companies Design

Good Day World!

Welcome back viewers! 

To refresh your memory, 
Episode One, of my "All In The Family" reality show described how Eric Trump funneled funds into daddy Trump's foundation.

See my June 18 post .


Episode Two

Ivanka Trump continues to follow in daddy's corrupt foot steps. This heart-warming episode describes how Ivanka has been accused of ripping off another companies shoe design.

The apple doesn't fall from the tree as Ivanka described herself as the "Assistant to the President of the United States" and noted that she had an office in the White House.

It was her hope that she would be immune from anything because her daddy needed her help, and she should be free from any lawsuits because of her position in the White House.

Sound familiar?

Ivanka has really been busy these days, making deals with the Chinese to produce her shoes - and other assorted items - with sweat shop labor.

People investigating how badly the workers were treated ended up in a Chinese prison, likely to never be heard from again.

As in all the accusations, she simply lies about what's really happening with her fashion line, defying governments and courts that try to stop her.

Stay Tuned for Episode Three: Things Start To Get Real Ugly in the Trump Clan

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

Sunday, June 25, 2017

The Ghost of Trump U Has Come Back to Haunt 'The Donald'

Good Day World!

The ghost of Trump University has recently been sighted.

Thought to have been put to rest with a $25 million settlement, The Trump U scandal has re-emerged after a new suit was filed Friday.

Background:
In November, days after he won the presidency, Trump settled three class action fraud lawsuits over Trump University, for $25m

More than 6,000 people were listed in the suits, claiming they were lured into paying up to $35,000 to learn the secrets of Trump’s business success.

Update:
Now, one member of the class action lawsuits, Sherri Simpson, has filed an appeal against the settlement, claiming she was not allowed to exercise her right to “opt out” of the multi-million-dollar deal.
The ninth circuit court has agreed to expedite Simpson's appeal, with a verdict expected in late summer or early fall.
If the court rules that Simpson should not have been included in the settlement, she will be free to pursue her own lawsuit against Trump. 
Here's the good part; she said she will not settle out of court.
That means Simpson will be able to sue Trump independently for fraud, which she hopes could see Trump having to testify before a jury.
As the ninth district court ponders Trump's fate I see some irony unfolding. 
In May 2016 a Ninth District Hispanic judge, Gonzalo Curiel, made public more than 400 “playbooks”, which showed how the Trump University staff were instructed to get people to accrue credit card debt to pay for tuition fees, and ordered to target financial weaknesses in a bid to sell further courses.
Trump, who launched his campaign by accusing Mexico of sending “rapists” to the US, attacked Curiel over the release.
That didn't get him anywhere. As a matter of fact it was the Ninth District court that has repeatedly stopped Trump's travel ban against Muslims.
It seems to me the Ninth District Circuit court knows Trump all too well. Just guessing, but I think Simpson's chance for getting Trump into a court trial look pretty good.
One reminder; Trump U was before Trump was president, and as such, he can be tried as a civilian.
Time for me to walk on down the court...

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Mitch McConnell Allowed The Russians To Interfere With Presidential Election

Good Day World!

Partisan turtle look-alike, Mitch McConnell, was instrumental in talking then- president Obama out of notifying the public about Russian cyber inference during the election. 

How? It was simple. McConnell's skepticism about the Russian's trying to hack our election, forced Obama to make a no-win choice.

If he told the American people - during the election - that Russia was out to discredit Clinton and to help Trump win, the partisan battle that would erupt could disrupt the whole election process.

Key Democrats were stunned by McConnell's (and the rest of the Republicans) response and exasperated that the White House seemed willing to let Republican opposition block any pre-election move.

Trump recently asked why the Obama administration didn't do more about Russia's ongoing inference during the election.

Perhaps Trump ought to have a talk with McConnell about what happened. Or...very possibly, the two were already colluding with Russia.

Why else would McConnell object to telling Americans what was happening at the time? It was a treasonous partisan choice to protect Trump and the Republican party.

Obama didn't want to interfere with the electoral process and have a partisan war on his hands. Maybe he should have said, "The hell with it, here's what's happening, when it was happening."

But Obama remained mum, hoping everything would work out somehow. Before leaving office however, he set the wheels in motion for a full investigation of Russia's efforts to disrupt the election. 

That investigation has expanded to involve Trump for obstruction of justice. It also involves many of his campaign staff and even current White House appointees - such as Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

All of these scandals could have been avoided if McConnell wasn't such a corrupt partisan puppet, and supporter of Trump. That other Republicans, meekly went along with him, only shows the depth of the corruption involved in the party.

All McConnell cares about is maintaining his position of power. By kissing Trump's ass, he's became a surrogate willing to say anything to keep a Republican in the White House.

The damage isn't over yet. Now McConnell is shepherding a deal to take health care coverage from the poor and to give the wealthy a massive tax break.

What we need now is someone with enough balls to expose McConnell's efforts to tamp down an investigation into an all-out cyber assault on our democracy during the election.

I'm waiting for someone to connect the dots, and to do something about it. But, I'm not holding my breath.

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

Friday, June 23, 2017

Beastly Bill: TrumpCare 2.0 Dresses Up House Bill In An Attempt to Disguise It's impact On The Poor

Good Day World!

The secret is out.

The revised Senate health care bill is just as ugly as the House's legislation, which hurt the poor and helped the wealthy.

Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, made an attempt to dress up the Beast the House released, but it was a half-hearted one at best.

The new Beast is bringing even more draconian cuts to the table. It's ravenous appetite extends to Medicaid which would see a drastic drop in funding.

Some Republican senators are concerned they're not going to have enough time to really study what the Beast is bringing in this bill.

It's likely many nasty details will come to light as interest groups, health policy experts, Senate Democrats and their staff parse the legislative language.

According to Senate rules, the Senate can vote on this bill only after it is scored by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

McConnell suggested that an analysis could be completed today, or Monday. The plan is to vote on the Beast next week.

Stay tuned.

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

Thursday, June 22, 2017

The World Is Laughing At Trump...and America

Good Day World!

Demagogue Don told his supporters last year that he would make the world stop laughing at America.

(Photo: Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull mocking Trump)

During his raucous 2016 rallies, Trump assured the crowd that America would stop being a joke, and that Obama was a clown, and he would get our credibility back.

Yeah, right.

The world's laughing at Trump today. Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull recently mocked Trump for his brags about poll numbers and winning while pointing out that Putin is the reason why Trump won the election.

Other world leaders are also mocking Trump for his obsessive need to brag about the polls, at least the polls that he believes are real, and the fact that Putin got him elected president.

Laugh. Laugh. I thought I'd die:

"I hate to say it but I told you so, don't mind my preachin' to you
I said "don't trust him, baby" now you know
You don't learn ev'rything there is to know in school."

Beau Brummels - Laugh Laugh Lyrics | MetroLyrics 



America is doing the opposite of winning under Trump. He's has transformed the only super power in the world into a punchline for other world leaders. 

The most powerful leader in the world has turned America into a joke in a mere 153 days.

It seems like everyone, outside of the Republican Party, knows that Trump is a flawed man and president. Not only is he a joke, he's a threat to democracy.

Trump has greatly diminished America’s standing and prestige among the nations of the world. He is literally willing to let the planet burn and flood because his fragile childlike ego and insecure manhood were slighted and diminished.

What is Trump capable of doing when he does not get his way? To what extremes will he go for validation or revenge when his needs for attention and hero worship is not satisfied?

The potential answers should frighten all sane and intelligent people.

Trump promised that he would make America great, but the only thing he has accomplished is turning our once proud country into a joke for others countries to mock.

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

It's Time to Pay Up Donnie!

It's looks like there will be some prime real estate going on the market soon in New York City. Convicted rapist and former president ...