December 13, 2019

Boris Johnson won a big election in Great Britain so Brexit will continue apace. Comparisons are being made between Johnson’s Brexit and Trump’s nationalism. They both reflect a deep discontent with the ways things are, but, in both cases, the solutions are wrong.

Technology, financialization, and globalism have led to massive relocations, and anger. Workers need new skill sets to compete. Workers are forced to move and disrupt their support systems to find work as jobs migrate to the coasts. The answer to the angst, however, is not withdrawing from the world, slapping tariffs on goods, cutting taxes for the wealthy, blaming scapegoats, and pitting groups against each other.

What we need is a comprehensive approach that focuses on investing in the future. Workers today and tomorrow need training and education to compete. Free tuition and job training for those who need it should be discussed. We need a credible plan to address climate change. This is the number one issue for young people today. We need a massive infrastructure program that puts people to work on projects we need to be competitive globally. We need a federal government committed to basic R&D. Finally, we need a healthy work force. Medicare needs to be a public option.

We need taxes to pay for all of this. Taxes to pay for these programs will not be a drag on the economy. They will be pay for investments that will provide positive returns for all. The real question, then, is do we have the will to address the future, or are we going to continue to make America 1950 again?

December 11, 2019

Democrat’s keep asking themselves where the red line is for their Republican colleagues to finally acquiesce on impeachment. Obstruction of Congress, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice are not enough. I can only think of one scenario that would get the GOP excited enough to impeach a President.

Zelensky: “Mr. President, the Ukrainian people need the funds allocated by Congress to defend ourselves from Russian aggression.

Trump: “I am not concerned about the Russians. Putin strongly assures me that he will not invade the Ukraine unless the Ukrainian people ask for it.

Zelensky: “ I assure you the Russians have designs on Ukraine. We need your help.”

Trump: “Whatever. I need you to do me a favor, though.”

Zelensky: “What is that, Mr. President? I would do almost anything to help my people.”

Trump: “I know you really want to visit me in the White House. All you need to do is come to the Oval,Office, get on your knees, and blow me…a kiss. Do you think you could that? It’s not a quid pro quo.

December 12, 2019

It was just reported that the Russian flag has been banned from the next two Olympics. Putin said he had nothing to do with falsifying drug tests, and Trump concurred. Trump tweeted that this whole Olympic Russia thing is a hoax perpetrated by the failing Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and the rest of the biased sports media. At a joint press conference, both Trump and Putin cast doubt on the impartiality of the International Olympic Committee, claiming it was filled with never-Putiners. They implied that it was Ukraine that tampered with the urine samples, and that the IOC needed to investigate. The FBI said there was no proof Ukraine was involved, but Trump said that was just typical of the deep state. Attorney General Barr announced an investigation of the FBI.

The IOC wanted to award the next Olympic Games to the United States, but Trump said “I need a favor, though.” Trump wanted Russian athletes to participate in the 2020 Olympics. He said, “There are good athletes on both sides. Do you think we don’t cheat?” There have been unsubstantiated rumors that Trump has been negotiating with Putin to build luxurious housing for the Russian athletes, which will be converted into condominiums for Russian oligarchs. It will bear the Trump name, and have five golden rings as its logo.

December 9, 2019

As was Nancy Pelosi, I was raised a Catholic. And, as was Nancy Pelosi, I was taught not to hate anyone because hating someone meant that you wished that person to spend all of eternity damned to the fires of hell. Unlike Trump, I take the Speaker of the House at her word that she does not hate anyone, and that she actually prays for the President to be a better, more compassionate person. Only Trump would lie about something like that. Unlike Pelosi, I am not a practicing Catholic, and have not been for decades. However, even as a non-practicing Catholic, I don’t hate Trump. I do hate, though, everything he says, does, and believes in. I hate his cotton candy hair, his pumpkin face, his raccoon eyes, and his obesity. I hate his syntax, his bullying, his ignorance, his stupidity, his laziness, his racism, his misogyny, his cheating, his deficits, his trips to Mar-a-Lago, his authoritarianism, his faux patriotism, his lying, his amorality, his opportunism, and his disloyalty. I hate his narcissism, his rallies, his diet, his yelling, his red ties, and his red hats. I hate his tweets. I hate all of these things and more, but I don’t hate Trump.

December 9, 2019

Trump will be impeached for abuse of power and obstruction. As we enjoy the holidays and get ready to welcome in the new year, let’s count the many actions that Donald Trump is not being impeached for…in abbreviated fashion.

Crowd size, wiretapping, Muslim ban, Gold Star families, Mexican rapists, birtherism, Charlottesville, “lock her up,” enemy of the people, Pocahontas, Paris Accords, troops to the border, tax cut for the wealthy, Stormy Daniels, Jerusalem, Colin Kaepernick, tariffs, attacking FBI, CIA, Federal Reserve, NATO, TPP, etc., Mueller obstruction, tax returns, emoluments, jail time for associates, excessive golfing, annual physical, McCain, Roy Moore, Comey, Yates et. al., Khashoggi, paper towels, Jeffrey Epstein, charitable foundation, Trump U., inauguration funds, the wall, shutdowns, Kurds, bone spurs, Putin, Trump Tower – Moscow, executive time, pardons, food stamps, Arthur Laffer, ACA, separation of families, Iran Agreement, Hatch Act violations, Fourth of July, military parades, “send them back,” shit hole countries, El Paso, Greenland, disloyal Jews, nuking hurricanes, toilets, Hurricane Dorian, ISIS, military trials, fake orgasm, personnel turnover, and more.

Please remember, Mr. President, to turn out the lights, and don’t let the door hit you on your way out.

December 9, 2019

“Perfection takes way too much time.”

December 6, 2019

Jim Nantz of CBS Sports once famously said of Jack Nicklaus at the 1986 Masters, “The bear has come out of hibernation.” Jack Nicklaus won The Masters at the advanced age of 46. Now, two advanced Democrats, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden, have coincidentally come out of hibernation on the same day, and, like bears roused from their long slumber, are surly and fighting back. Nancy Pelosi took issue with a reporter, who wanted to know why she hated Donald Trump. Joe Biden took issue with a voter, who accused him of things he did not do in Ukraine. In both cases, it was the emotion and not the actual words that caught everyone’s attention.

We can debate the words, but what is not debatable is that Democrats are not going to take this anymore. If reporters, voters, or anyone else make unfounded, unproven, or “hateful” comments based on presidential tweets, they can expect a vigorous response. Mike Dukakis was criticized for not showing any emotion when confronted with a hypothetical rape case involving his wife. These Democrats will be criticized for being too emotional. Bring it on. We are just getting started.

December 4, 2019

Amongst the blizzard of headlines about the impeachment hearings, the following story caught my eye.

“The Trump administration is set to tighten work requirements for recipients of federal food aid, potentially rendering hundreds of thousands of people ineligible for the program by mid-2020.”

This comes from the administration that gave the top 1% and corporations a massive tax cut. This comes when one of the most serious issues of our time is income inequality. This comes at a time when we have record employment.

Corporations use the safety net to keep wages at subsistence levels for people who choose to work, knowing the federal government will make up the difference. Even with the government’s help, many people are still malnourished. Without the government’s help, starvation becomes a possibility. Why do we want to send children to school without enough to eat? How much of an advantage do the privileged need to stay ahead? Trump says he brought back Christmas. Bah! Humbug!

As Winston Churchill said, “In both parties there are fools at one end and crackpots at the other, but the great body in the middle is sound and wise.” Let’s be sound, wise, and charitable in this holiday season.

December 4, 2019

After making a glib comment about ISIS fighters in a tete-a-tete with French President Emmanuel Macron, Macron said to Donald Trump what we have all been saying for three years, “Let’s be serious.” Mon dieu! Macron commented that he thought NATO was brain dead. NATO is led by the United States and its leader with the “great brain” so you can draw your own inference. Videos from the summit show other world leaders openly mocking the leader of the free world. However, in Trump’s world, nothing is free as he keeps belaboring the issue of payments to NATO. This from a developer known for stiffing suppliers, illegally using his now shuttered charity, abusing the emoluments clause, paying off porn stars, and, the coup de grace, withholding payments to an ally in order to extort a personal, political favor. Sacre blue!