September 14, 2020

Donald Trump infamously said that he didn’t like war heroes, who were captured. Thank you, John McCain. He called soldiers who died for their country losers and suckers. He referred to generals as fucking pussies. So where does that leave Commanders-in-Chief, who died in the line of service? Trump constantly mentions himself in the same breath as Abraham Lincoln. He says that he has done more for African-Americans than any President since Lincoln. Yet, Lincoln got himself shot while in office. The Commander-in-Chief was assassinated. Using Trump’s calculus, a discipline he certainly doesn’t have, Lincoln was a fucking pussy, who got himself killed in the line of duty, making him a loser and a sucker. Trump likes Presidents, who didn’t get themselves killed.

John Kennedy served in WW II for no personal benefit and suffered great physical harm, which confuses Trump. “Why would someone do that?” he asks. And, just like Lincoln, Kennedy got himself killed. What a loser? He clearly was no Andrew Johnson. I could go on, but you hopefully get the point. Anyone who thinks the way Trump does has lost his mind, lost his way, and lost his soul. In reality show vernacular, which Trump might understand, he is the biggest loser.

December 23, 2020

Here is a compilation of Donald Trump’s quotes during the pandemic. They will surely find their way into the Trump Library at Mar-a-Lago.

1. “It wasn’t my fault.”

2. “I guess you could call me a war time President.”

3. “The federal government is not a shipping clerk.”

4. “You can get your own ventilators,” to the governors.

5. “We are hoping it (Defense Procurement Act) won’t be necessary.”

6. “We have 15 cases, and they are doing fine. Soon it will be zero.”

7. “It’s not my responsibility.”

8. “I knew it was a pandemic before everyone else.”

9. “ I have an innate ability about understanding these things.”

10. “It’s a hoax.”

11. “It’s Obama’s fault.

12. “The Democrats are using this to impeach me.”

13. “If you need a test, you can have a test.”

14. “Google has a website.”

15. “We have millions of masks.”

16. “I call it the China flu.”

17. “I don’t know anything about the dismantling of the pandemic office.”

18. “Rich people can get tested. That’s just the way it works.”

19. “When you say me, I didn’t do it.”

20. “Who knew it could be this bad?”

21. “Relax” to the American people

22. “I’m not hearing it,” when asked about a shortage of testing.

23. “We don’t want that boat to ruin our numbers.”

24. “That’s a mean question,” to NPR reporter Yamiche Alcindor

25. “I say that you are a terrible reporter,” to NBC reporter, Peter Alexander, who asked what the President would say to Americans who are afraid.

26. ” Gee, that’s too bad,” when hearing Mitt Romney was self-quarantined

27. “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself.”

28. Referring to the State Department as the “Deep State Department.”

29. Keeping deaths to 100,000 would be “a very good job.”

30. “Let me tell you something,” Mr. Trump said, after denying he made statements that he had, in fact, made. “Be nice. Don’t be threatening. Don’t be threatening. Be nice.”

31. “I haven’t heard anything about a lack of tests in weeks.”

32. “I know more about South Korea than anyone else,” before misstating the population of Seoul by 28 million.

33. “If we allowed voting by mail, Republicans would never win again.”

34. “It’s like the flu.”

35. “I’m number one on Facebook.”

36. “My hair is blowing, and it’s my hair.”

37. “My ratings and poll numbers have been terrific.”

38. “The notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile. It’s not supposed to be states’ stockpiles that they then use.” Jared Kushner

39. “The media should look into why masks are going out the back door of hospitals.”

40. “Doing nothing was an option.”

41. “I am choosing not to wear one.”

42. Regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine, “What do you have to lose?”

43. About the firing of the Inspector General, “He was a disgrace.”

44. “I am not familiar with the models, at least not those kind.”

45. “No one saw this coming.”

46. “I’m a cheerleader for the country.”

47. “Where are the metrics? The metrics are right here. These are my metrics.”

48. “When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total.”

49. “Liberate VIRGINIA and save your Second Amendment”

50. “They look like responsible people to me.”

51. ” … shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.”

52. “This could all go away in the Fall.”

53. “Inject disinfectant.” “Bring light and heat inside the body to kill the coronavirus.”

54. “The post office is a joke.”

55. “The young children have done very well in this disaster that we’ve all gone through, so a lot of people are thinking about the school openings,”

56. “I built the greatest economy in the history of the world.”

57. “The Democrats are enjoying their vacation.”

58. I don’t know who said we would have 5,000,000 tests per day.

59. “Nobody feels worse than I do about all of the death and destruction.”

60. “We have solved every problem.”

61. “I have been treated worse that Abraham Lincoln.”

62. “Where was George Bush when I was being impeached.”

63. “I am confident we will have a vaccine by December.”

64. “I didn’t know the task force was so popular.”

65. “Wearing a mask would send the wrong message.”

66. “Some people don’t want a recovery for political reasons.”

67. COVID-19 will go away without a vaccine.

68. “Don’t ask me. Ask China.”

69. “I learned a lot from Richard Nixon.”

70. “We have met the moment and we have prevailed.”

71. “He’s playing both sides of the equation.” Trump on Fauci.

72. “Testing may be overrated.”

73. “I have been taking hydroxychloroquine for two weeks.”

74. “I don’t want him washing dishes if his wife isn’t around.”

75. Leading the world in the number of coronavirus cases is a “badge of honor.”

76. Michigan named me “Man of the Year.”

77. “Should I been taking insulin? It sounds terrific.”

78. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.

79. “MAGA loves black people.”

80. The National Guard dispersed protesters like a knife cutting butter.

81. “If we stopped testing right now, we’d have very few cases.

82. Where did the “19” come from?

83. I think I look like the Lone Ranger in a mask.

84. 99% of COVID-19 cases are harmless.

85. You are going to have to learn to live with it.

86. When you test, you create cases.

87. Biden-Obama stopped testing.

88. Biden wants to end the suburbs and do away with windows.

89. I wish Ghislaine Maxwell well.

90. Person – Woman – Man – Camera – TV

91. The National Security Adviser…I haven’t seen him lately.

92. It’s not absentee voting I am concerned with, it’s mail in voting.

93. It is what it is.

94. John Lewis didn’t come to my inauguration.

95. It will go away the way things go away.

96. Shooting a black man in the back seven times is like choking a three foot putt.

97. I don’t know. It’s on the internet.

98. I just want to get along.

99. Bob Woodward is a whack job. “I wanted to see if he could write good.”

100. I think I am entitled to a third term.

101. I don’t think science knows. It will get cold again.

102. It will go away with herd mentality.

103. Anti-racism teachings are child abuse

104. I don’t believe RBG wrote her dying wishes.

105. Stand back, and stand by

106. Now I get it.

107. Don’t be afraid.

108. I have a protective glow.

109. I’ll kiss everybody.

110. We saved suburbia.

111. Will you please like me?

112. I wasn’t coming to Erie.

113. Go to the polls and watch

114. I won

115. …and maybe it will be me.

September 12, 2020

In 2008, the CEO of J.P. Morgan, Jamie Dimon, accused many in the financial services industry of committing financial malpractice. Unfortunately, financial malpractice was not a crime so no one went to jail. In my opinion, it was more than financial malpractice, but that is a separate conversation. Fast forward to today, and Joe Biden called out Trump’s coronavirus response or lack thereof as almost criminal. I think we can all agree that Trump is guilty of political malpractice, but is it worse than that? Is it criminal? Should we lock him up? I think it is outrageous that anyone would consider locking up a political opponent. Who would say such a thing, but I digress?

Negligence may be a better way to analyze the situation. The distinction between recklessness and criminal negligence lies in the presence or absence of foresight as to the prohibited consequences. Recklessness is usually described as a “malfeasance” where the defendant knowingly exposes another to the risk of injury. Criminal negligence is a “misfeasance” or “nonfeasance” where the fault lies in the failure to foresee and so allow otherwise avoidable dangers to manifest. In some cases this failure can rise to the level of willful blindness where the individual intentionally avoids admitting to the reality of a situation. Thank you, Wikipedia.

At best, in his handling of the pandemic, Donald Trump has been reckless. At worst, he is guilty of criminal negligence and willful blindness. If it were you or I, we would be in big trouble.

September 11, 2020

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein came to national prominence as dogged reporters for the Washington Post during Watergate. They were key figures in Richard Nixon’s resignation from office. “All the President’s Men” in book and movie forms made this period in our history famous or infamous. The people around Nixon, whether it be John Dean, Deep Throat, or others brought the President down. Now we have Bob Woodward’s blockbuster book, “Rage,” that may very well be the final straw to bring Trump down. Ironically, it is not all the President’s men that are bringing him down even though they have tried. It is Trump’s own words that may do him in. He is betting on the fact the he could tell the truth in the middle of Fifth Avenue, and no one would believe him. That is the benefit of lying all the time. I am tired of Trump and his apologists railing against unnamed sources, disgruntled former employees, members of the deep state, fake news, comments taken out of context, Obama/Biden/Harris/Clinton, and outright denials.

A better movie reference might be “12 Angry Men,” (and women), which refers to the raft of books that have come out and are coming out from former government officials, reporters, and Trump insiders. Brennan, Cohen, Strzok, Bolton, Trump, Toobin, Frum, Rucker/Leonnig, McCabe, Reilly, Nance, Sunstein, Nichols, Wolff, Levitzsky/Ziblatt, Haass, Taibbi, Mann/Ornstein, Schmidt, and now Woodward. The only difference is that in “12 Angry Men,” the accused was innocent. Where is our Henry Fonda?

September 10, 2020

Make America Great Again

“Make America Great Again” was Trump’s mantra until he revised it to “Keep America Great Again.” He may have had a point with MAGA, but he wildly misses the mark with KAGA. The United States is lagging many countries in the world on key metrics, but Trump’s focus is not on fixing the problems, but, rather, on ginning up his base to their detriment. He would call them “losers” and “suckers.” I would call them victims. According to the Social Progress Index, here is where we rank out of 163 countries on a number of issues.

Nutrition & Basic Medical Care – 34

Water & Sanitation – 24

Shelter – 17

Personal Safety – 57

Access to Basic Knowledge – 44

Access to Information – 11

Health & Wellness – 42

Environmental Quality – 119

Personal Rights – 36

Personal Freedom & Choice – 19

Inclusiveness – 35

Access to Advance Education – 1

Overall, we rank 37th. There is plenty of blame to go around, but I don’t see the Trump administration doing anything positive to move the needle on any of these issues. We are not #1, but, as long as we fail to grasp the reality of the situation, we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past and be paralyzed by inaction.

September 9, 2020

Predictions are a dime a dozen so proceed at your own caution. Here are some of my predictions for November 4th, the day after Trump loses, and beyond.

There will be a nationwide shortage of respirators as Trumpworld and its adherents find themselves on life support. Unfortunately, Trump totally botched the response to the coronavirus including the stockpiling of respirators. It gives new meaning to being hoist by your own petard.

People who voted for Trump the first time will deny that they voted for him, or that they actually had voted for a third party candidate. They will say that they certainly didn’t vote for him a second time. You know they voted for him both times, and, for that, they should do penance.

Gun sales will skyrocket because you can’t have too many guns, and Biden will try to take away your guns.

Trump will say that the election was rigged. He will not promote a smooth transition of power, and will not attend the inauguration.

Trump’s promise of a vaccine by November 1st will turn out to have been a giant hoax. We will find ourselves months away from anything being safe and effective.

Trump’s payroll tax waivers for millions of Americans will come due, leading to another national crisis.

Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, Trevor Noah et. al. will have nothing to talk about.

Golf will once again become a respected pastime.

Vladimir Putin will release the peepee tape.

Trump will be hounded by various parties regarding payments to porn stars, the skimming of inaugural funds, money laundering, tax fraud, and conflicts of interest. The Russians will call in their loans, forcing the Trump organization to declare bankruptcy… again.

The Trump family will be personae non gratis everywhere except the Midwest, forcing Trump to make good on a campaign promise to buy a farm in Iowa.

Mar-a-Lago will be forced to offer a no-initiation, fee plan for potential new members.

The Republican Party will cease to exist.

September 7, 2020

It is almost impossible to be original, and be on the internet.

September 7, 2020

The venerable Atlantic magazine published a blockbuster story by Jeffrey Goldberg asserting that people who served in the military were “losers” and “suckers.” He used four anonymous sources, which were verified by every news organization including Fox. This comes on the heels of Trump’s continuous debasing and misuse of the military for years. He told us that he knew more than all his generals. He avoided military service by faking a medical exam saying he had bone spurs. He said not getting a sexual disease was his Viet Nam, and he should receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. He denigrated a Gold Star family that dared to criticize him. He skipped visiting a WWI cemetary in Europe because the weather might affect his hair. He called John McCain a loser for being captured. He sent troops to the Mexican border to protect us from a fake invasion of immigrants. He used the military to break up peaceful protesters in Washington, DC. He has been denounced by all his former generals, Mattis, Kelly, and McMaster. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff criticized his politicization of the military. He asked General Kelly about his dead son, “What was in it for him?” He used military support to extract political favors from the Ukraine. His number of visits to military installations and hospitals pales versus his predecessors. He wanted tanks traveling down Pennsylvania Ave. in a July 4th military parade, but did not want maimed veterans included. He has fought against transgender rights in the military. And finally, he accused the military brass of willing to sacrifice the troops for war profits.

And yet, with all of this, many in the military still support their leader. There are certainly far fewer, but why do they keep standing by their man? Republicanism runs deep in the military because of the Republican Party’s support for having a strong military and having a tough stance against our political enemies. Trump has thrown that out the window with his embrace of authoritarian dictators around the world, especially Vladimir Putin. He walked away from our allies, the Kurds, in Syria.

They cite the use of unnamed sources as a reason not to believe the article, but never criticized the President for ousting Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman for telling the truth under oath. Who can blame sources for wanting to keep their jobs and their careers? They say his words were taken out of context, but how do you take “losers” and “suckers” out of context. They cite his ongoing support for the VA even though Trump takes credit for programs started under the Obama administration. They like his pay raises even though raises in his first three years lagged behind raises in Obama’s first three years, and the military pay gap has only gotten wider. Tammy Wynette sang “Stand by Your Man,” but I don’t think she had this in mind.