Sorry, There's No Good Choices for President in 2020

                                     Good Day World!

I'll get right to the point this morning, Americans are going to get screwed again when it comes to leadership!

The 2020 presidential election is just going to sink our government even deeper into the swamp. Get this:

Super mouth, Mark Cuban, thinks he'd make a good president. I'll give you a moment to vomit, and ponder that thought.

Using Trump as the bar, anyone could be president nowadays...as long as they're a billionaire using the politics of fear, and hate. Serial lying seems to work too. 

Maybe, I'm being skeptical here.

Someone could probably qualify even if their a millionaire with good computer hackers on their team!

I had to chuckle when Cuban told reporters he's thinking about running as a Republican against Trump. Can you imagine the shit these two will throw at each other?

There's no doubt about it, watching two rich boys fight for the prize will make for good theatre. It would be Romper Room on steroids!

Here comes the part that really shakes me up; the Democrats don't even have a hint of a candidate in the wings for 2020.

I've heard Elizabeth Warren's name tossed about among progressives. But frankly, I don't think this country is ready to crack the glass ceiling and to elect a woman.

Not just because Hillary didn't get elected, but because of the rising tide of misogynistic foul mouthed racists in politics! You have to be blind not to see it.

Oh yeah. Then there's Bernie Sanders. He's announced he's going to run as an Independent. The chances of him winning (assuming you like him) are about as distant as landing the first man on Venus. 

At this time, I don't see any hope of a savior to rescue our country. Two years, and counting...

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

Our Dying Democracy: Not Dead Yet, But on Life Support

Good Day World!

We're watching democracy die a slow and painful death.

Some political pundits go back to Richard Nixon's appointment of Lewis Powell to the Supreme Court, as the beginning of the end of democracy as we once knew it.

Powell, in 1971, authored the infamous Powell Memo to the US Chamber of Commerce, strongly suggesting that corporate leaders needed to get politically involved and, essentially, take over everything from academia to our court system to our political system.

But Powell's crowning achievement came in 1976, in the Buckley vs Valeo case, where he declared that when rich people or corporations donate to politicians, all that money that got transferred to the them wasn't considered bribery.

Instead, incredibly Powell said the donations to politicians were Constitutionally-protected by the First Amendment-defined "Free Speech."

The right-leaning Supreme Court radically expanded that decision in 2010, with the "Citizens United" ruling.

The results of these rulings crippled our democratic process and opened the door for an oligarchy with unlimited political bribery.

That bribery opens the door to nominating a president, or in electing a president. It doesn't stop there, however. Governors and U.S. senators and congressional members also benefit from these horrible rulings.

Straight up; our current political system is based on paying off major contributors, who want and expect, to get favors for themselves.

Republican politicians and the billionaires who own the corporations are now dropping any pretense at all of caring about the fate and future of our country’s fiscal health, so long as they get their tax cuts Trump promised them.

Our time-honored system of voting is being attacked by foreign powers, and greedy Republicans who are perfectly willing to cheat the system in their quest for more power.

Still, there's hope for America. 

Thus far, the foundations of our democracy are slowing down the attacks from Trump, and his billionaire buddies.

The courts are doing their best to uphold the laws of the land, and the Constitution's guarantee of freedom and justice for all.

It's up to voters next year to reverse this takeover of our democracy. I suspect the majority of Americans don't like what their seeing.

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

High Stakes: The U.S. Court System vs Trump

Good Day World!

There was one thing I counting on when Trump got elected; it was our court system.

Despite numerous attempts to bypass the Constitution, Trump has been stumped by our court system numerous times.

The federal courts just shut down Trump's latest attempt to keep Muslims from entering the country by striking down his latest version of a travel ban.

The reason the judges keep turning Trump down is his own words on the subject of keeping Muslims out of America during the presidential campaign.

Trump enjoyed the campaign rallies where he was able to whip up racism and say whatever came into his small brain with abandon. With no adults watching his every move.

Reality has harshed Trump's high with repercussions in the real world. He's failed to ban Muslims.

Once again, on Thursday, a Federal judge overturned something Trump tried to get away with. Pardoning Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

US District Judge Susan Bolton said in her ruling that a presidential pardon may have granted Arpaio mercy, but not the power of "judicial record-keeping."

"The pardon undoubtedly spared defendant from any punishment that might otherwise have been imposed," Bolton wrote. "It did not, however, 'revise the historical facts' of this case."

Here's the deal; a presidential pardon does not remove a criminal conviction.

In her ruling, Bolton wrote that the purpose of a pardon was not to wipe a defendant's record clean or "blot out guilt," but to prevent further punishment for the crime and restore the his or her civil rights.

Trump ignored the normal protocol by granting Arpaio, who hadn't even been sentenced yet, a pardon.

In the real world you can't just ignore the typical Justice Department process. 

Pardons are suppose to be requested through formal applications submitted to the Office of the Pardon Attorney at least five years after the applicant is sentenced.

There is one thing that concerns me, Trump has been appointing judges to our system. This doesn't bode well for the future of justice for everyone in America.

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

The Day I Realized John Kelly Wasn't The Only Adult In The White House

Good Day World!

That does it!

I thought there was at least one adult in the West Wing.

Looks like I was wrong.

You know I'm not talking about Trump. Everyone on the planet knows he's just a mean man-child by now.

I'm talking about the WH Chief of Staff, John Kelly.

As a Vietnam veteran, I listened to him when he gave that emotional speech about our military dead and he really had me going after hearing that part of him walking through Arlington Cemetery to be with "his friends."

When he made the accusation about Representative Frederica S. Wilson making a speech where she glorified herself and not the two FBI agents the dedication ceremony was about...I hesitated.

Somehow that story, injected between the patriotic platitudes, didn't sound quite right. Why would he even bring it up, I wondered?

 The answer came later that day, and the next. The story was bullshit. Certified grade A cow paddy!

A video emerged of her 9-minute speech and proved he made the story up. But why? 

That's when I realized there were no adults in the West Wing. He lied to cover up for Trump's bumbling phone call. He tried to turn the story into a partisan attack. To deflect the truth.

I have to admit I was disappointed. I wasn't surprised when Sarah Huckabee Sanders continued the farce and even got a cheap jab in herself.

This whole event stems from Trump's stupidity. As usual. The guy can't sound sincere for the life of him. He should of taken Kelly's advise and not even called.

But Trump doesn't like to take advise. So he called and upset the fallen soldier's widow. When confronted about his call he impulsively lied...it's second nature to the ex-reality star.

Trump kept up the spat this morning like the spiteful man-child he is. 

As long as everyone around Trump lies to please him we're going to have endless controversies. Like the last nine months.

Sad.

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

Strange Days: Dubya Dishes on Trump's Presidency

Good Day World!

It's one of those cold mornings where hot coffee seems like a gift from the gods.

I'm feeling reflective this morning.

I've been thinking back to when George W. Bush was president, and how much I loathed him and his war-mongering cronies.

Like cartoonist, and pundits, throughout his two-term debacle, I viewed the man as an idiot. He did little to dissuade me of that opinion during his time in the Oval Office.

But a strange thing happened.

Bush doesn't look that bad in retrospect, especially when compared to the psychopath we now have as president. At least he was able to use words with more than four-letters in them, unlike Trump.

Even stranger. Bush came out of wherever he's been hiding and made a rare speech. And what he said made sense!

“Bigotry seems emboldened,” Bush said in his opening remarks at the Bush Institute’s Spirit of Liberty event in New York City.

“Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication,” the former president told his audience.

But that's not all:

“We’ve seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty,” he continued.

“At times, it could seem like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity. Disagreement escalates into dehumanization.”

Good grief! What's got into Georgie? I had to pinch myself to see if I was awake when I saw the video of him speaking.

Things are so chaotic in our society today that a once reviled former president sounds like Mahatma Gandhi. Imagine, Bush promoting peace and love?

Some pundits may point to this moment and say it's another sign the world is coming to an end.

I'm not sure about that. I can think of a lot of other signs that point to an impending collapse of our country, but not necessarily the world.

When that horrible final day does arrive, I doubt we'll get a warning.

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

Addiction To Technology: Just The Way Designers Wanted It

Good Day World!

Here's a disturbing thought this morning; Americans are addicted to social media platforms and smartphones.

Addicted. That's a powerful word, but an accurate description of what's happened in America today.

Most of the tech insiders questioning today's attention economy/tech addiction are part of the last generation that can remember a world in which telephones were plugged into walls.

Nir Eyal, the author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, has spent several years consulting for the tech industry, teaching techniques he developed by closely studying how the Silicon Valley giants operate.

"The technologies we use have turned into compulsions, if not full-on addictions," Eyal wrote.

“It’s the impulse to check a message notification. It’s the pull to visit YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter for just a few minutes, only to find yourself still tapping and scrolling an hour later.”

None of this is an accident, he writes. It is all “just as their designers intended.”

What concerns me is there's no apparent way to reverse this dangerous trend.

People are so addicted - and their attention is so distracted - in many cases that they get ran over by cars, fall into manholes, or walk off piers.

Driving a vehicle has taken on a new challenge in the 21st century; avoiding drivers that talk and text on hand-held devices while driving.

I read that many of those youngish designers are coming up with apps to help them stay off social platforms - especially Facebook. It's that bad.

We have turned into a nation of zombies, helplessly addicted to fake news, "Likes" on Facebook, and instant images of ourselves doing stupid things.

It's too late. There's no signs these addictive trends will let up as long as we fail to embrace what's happened in America. 

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

Trump's House of Lies Will Collapse When The Truth is Out

Good Day World!

I still can't figure out how Trump gets away with lying every day?

It's certainly no secret.

The whole world, not just the American people, knows he lies, and that he's in love with himself. Facts, for him, are like garlic to vampires, not enough to kill if one stays on the move.

Here's the latest roundup of lies from the AP Fact Check website. None of these lies, or the ones that preceded them, bother what Trump calls "his people."

Isn't that what Jim Jones called his followers?

There's never been a president of the United States who was a serial liar. None of Trump's predecessors were caught in blatant lies almost daily, refuting reality when confronted.

This is our 21st century reality; people are confused when confronted with fake news and facts. Many doubt the origin of facts, just to support a partisan worldview.

Trump's White House is a mockery of democracy. A shrine for right-wingers, neo-Nazis, KKK members, and ethically-challenged wack-a-loons.

The White House has transformed into The House of Lies. The Liar-in-Chief's agenda is crippling Americans health care, and numerous other programs designed to help the poor and middle class.

I'm waiting for truth to emerge triumphant over all of Trump's lies since he snuck into office with Russia's help. 

And, I'm waiting for the results of special prosecutor Mueller's investigation on Trump cronies colluding with Russia in the 2016 presidential elections, and Trump's attempts at obstructing justice.

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

McConnell Makes All-Time Creepiest Dummy List While Performing With Trump

Good Day World!

I'm adding Mitch McConnell to the list of the Top 10 Creepiest Ventriloquist Dummies of all time.

After watching Trump and Mitch hold a duel press conference yesterday to prove they can still work together, I was surprised that Mitch just didn't sit on Donny's lap.

At first he just parroted what Donny said and swiveled his thin neck around like a turtle trying to escape it's shell. Try to imagine how creepy that looked. 

You could tell it was uncomfortable for Mitch who never stopped blinking his eyes like a startled owl at high noon.

When Trump couldn't answer a question he turned to Mitch who gave short passionate responses that he thought Donny would like to hear.

I have to hand it to Donny, for a moron he does a pretty good imitation of a ventriloquist. Then again when you have a natural dummy like Mitch, it isn't all that hard.

Unlike in the movie "The Ventriloquist's Dummy (1945)" where Hugo the dummy watched his handler get carted away to the booby hatch in the end, Mitch hasn't gotten the pleasure of seeing his handler trotted off to an insane asylum...yet.

That doesn't mean we can't hope.

As for future performances by these two dummies it's just too hard to say.

Donny's moods change like a pregnant woman's craving for sardines on ice cream one day, and Buffalo Burgers with soy sauce, the next.

Let me also add that it wouldn't hurt the argument they both needed to be locked up if they would perform wearing the same outfit, and Mitch got a hair implant just like Donny's! 

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

Trump's Revenge Against Obama and the Middle Class

                                                       Good Day World!

When you have an ego as big as Trump's, the better part of your life is spent getting revenge against anyone who has opposed, or mocked you.

Trump never got over being the butt of jokes by President Obama during a White House dinner. It permanently scared his already sensitive ego which has to be stroked daily by his minions.

Then there's Trump's billionaire buddies. We now see them scattered throughout the administration. They needed a voice in the White House. 

They are Trump's peers. He can't identify with the middle class and poor because he's been brought up to believe he's special. A one percenter.

I think it's obvious these two factors are what motivated him to run for president. Just look at what he's done to erase all evidence of the Obama administration.

Despite failing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with a Republican majority in Congress, he's plowed ahead and violated the Constitution again.

By signing an executive order that allows a backdoor attempt at selling private insurance he's sabotaged the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is the law of the land.

When Trump was sworn in he gave an oath to uphold the Constitution, whose Article Two demands that the president “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”  

When Trump signed his executive order on the ACA it directly collided with the “Take Care” clause in the Oath of Office.

I think that's pretty clear. 

By rolling a grenade into the ACA system he's going to undermine millions of Americans health care.

Instead of helping the majority of Americans get health care by continuing the subsidies to ACA, he's stopping them.

Just like that, in total defiance of the law. Trump desperately wanted some kind of victory because he's been unable to get any serious legislation passed in his 10 months of office.

It's a victory for Donny, and his mindless minions. Not the American people.

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

The Religious Right's Hypocrisy is Nothing New

Good Day World!

I've heard a lot of people ask how Christians could possible back a misogynist, racist, narcissist, liar like Donald Trump?

First off, it helps to understand that the religious right was once referred to as the Moral Majority, despite being anywhere near honest (or with morals) about what they really stood for.

Discrimination. 

The first clue is that the majority of the religious right's members are white. Always have been. Resistance to racial integration helped unite conservative evangelicals in the 1960s.

They developed their own political agenda after losing a landmark court case - Green vs Kennedy. It ended the tax-exempt status for private Christian schools known as "Segregation Academies."

A myth then arose among the evangelicals that they were so morally outraged by the Roe vs Wade decision (which came after Green vs Kennedy) they resolved to organize and overthrow it. 

History refutes that myth. 

The fact is they organized to protect segregated schools, but it's leaders tweaked the evangelical movement's real purpose and seized upon abortion as it's main mission.

Back to Trump.

Hypocrisy meets hypocrisy, and there's a marriage made in hell between Trump and the white evangelical cult.

As long as Trump furthers their hypocritical aims he's going to get a pass on anything stupid, or mean, that he does to millions of Americans.

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