Saturday, August 06, 2016
Friday, August 05, 2016
Thursday, August 04, 2016
Does Trump's Draft Dodging Disqualify Him?
As Donald Trump continues his insane tirades against the parents of a soldier who was killed in Iraq, the question of Trump's draft dodging has come up again. It surfaced a while back, when Trump criticized John McCain for having been a POW in Vietnam.
Trump received five deferments to avoid the draft in the 1960s. Four were for college, and one was for "bone spurs" in his heels. This was clearly bogus, but Trump was not alone in buying his way out of the draft. A lot of politicians of Trump's age took advantage of their social station to avoid serving in war: Dan Quayle, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Should avoiding the draft disqualify you from serving as president? It depends: people like Bush, Cheney and Rove were all gung-ho for the war, but weaseled their way out of Vietnam.
War is hell, the old saying goes. But some wars are "better" than others. US involvement in the two world wars was inescapable. The Korean and Persian Gulf Wars were waged to assist allies against aggressors. The Afghan war, while justified, was completely screwed up: it should have been a police action targeted specifically to destroy bin Laden and Al Qaeda, but Bush turned it into a unwinnable war against an entire country.
The Vietnam and Iraq wars were wrong from the get-go. Both were ginned up to gain political advantage. Opposition to both these wars was justified, and draft evasion during the Vietnam War for moral and political reasons was justified to "starve the beast." It is completely moral to avoid participating in the killing in an elective war of aggression like those in Vietnam and Iraq, waged to bolster the reelection chances of a sitting president.
But avoiding service in Vietnam while clamoring for other Americans to be sent off to die in the jungle was the height of hypocrisy. Dozens of Republican chickenhawks in Congress and the Bush administration (I'm looking at you, Dick Cheney) were guilty of this when they invaded Iraq on false pretenses. At the same time they demonized Democrats like John Kerry who actually served in Vietnam.
Some people think that military service should be a prerequisite to be commander in chief. These people are wrong. Some people in the military (I'm looking at you, John McCain) think of military action as the answer to every problem. McCain has called for war against more than a dozen different countries, and had he been president it's completely possible we would be at war with Russia at this moment over the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and Crimea.
What is required to serve as commander in chief, however, is the ability to understand what the consequences of your actions will be, and what the effects of those actions will be on the people who serve, their families, and the country as a whole. That requires knowledge, foresight and empathy.
Donald Trump has none of these. He has no idea what's going on the world: last week he didn't know that Russia had invaded Ukraine in 2014. He doesn't know the difference between Iran's Quds force and the Kurds in Iraq.
Trump's lack of foresight is even worse: he has said that the United States should let South Korea and Japan should go hang, and develop their own nuclear weapons. He has said that the US should stand by and do nothing if Russia invades NATO allies that don't spend enough on their military.
It's no wonder that North Korea, Russia and China are all rooting for Trump to be president.
Trump's total lack of empathy has been amply displayed time and again, most recently in his attacks on the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan. And lest we forget, his snarky demand that a crying baby be ejected from his rally.
Besides, Trump's bone spurs prevent him from being commander in chief.
Trump received five deferments to avoid the draft in the 1960s. Four were for college, and one was for "bone spurs" in his heels. This was clearly bogus, but Trump was not alone in buying his way out of the draft. A lot of politicians of Trump's age took advantage of their social station to avoid serving in war: Dan Quayle, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Should avoiding the draft disqualify you from serving as president? It depends: people like Bush, Cheney and Rove were all gung-ho for the war, but weaseled their way out of Vietnam.
War is hell, the old saying goes. But some wars are "better" than others. US involvement in the two world wars was inescapable. The Korean and Persian Gulf Wars were waged to assist allies against aggressors. The Afghan war, while justified, was completely screwed up: it should have been a police action targeted specifically to destroy bin Laden and Al Qaeda, but Bush turned it into a unwinnable war against an entire country.
The Vietnam and Iraq wars were wrong from the get-go. Both were ginned up to gain political advantage. Opposition to both these wars was justified, and draft evasion during the Vietnam War for moral and political reasons was justified to "starve the beast." It is completely moral to avoid participating in the killing in an elective war of aggression like those in Vietnam and Iraq, waged to bolster the reelection chances of a sitting president.
But avoiding service in Vietnam while clamoring for other Americans to be sent off to die in the jungle was the height of hypocrisy. Dozens of Republican chickenhawks in Congress and the Bush administration (I'm looking at you, Dick Cheney) were guilty of this when they invaded Iraq on false pretenses. At the same time they demonized Democrats like John Kerry who actually served in Vietnam.
Some people think that military service should be a prerequisite to be commander in chief. These people are wrong. Some people in the military (I'm looking at you, John McCain) think of military action as the answer to every problem. McCain has called for war against more than a dozen different countries, and had he been president it's completely possible we would be at war with Russia at this moment over the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and Crimea.
What is required to serve as commander in chief, however, is the ability to understand what the consequences of your actions will be, and what the effects of those actions will be on the people who serve, their families, and the country as a whole. That requires knowledge, foresight and empathy.
Donald Trump has none of these. He has no idea what's going on the world: last week he didn't know that Russia had invaded Ukraine in 2014. He doesn't know the difference between Iran's Quds force and the Kurds in Iraq.
Trump's lack of foresight is even worse: he has said that the United States should let South Korea and Japan should go hang, and develop their own nuclear weapons. He has said that the US should stand by and do nothing if Russia invades NATO allies that don't spend enough on their military.
It's no wonder that North Korea, Russia and China are all rooting for Trump to be president.
Trump's total lack of empathy has been amply displayed time and again, most recently in his attacks on the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan. And lest we forget, his snarky demand that a crying baby be ejected from his rally.
Besides, Trump's bone spurs prevent him from being commander in chief.
 |
| What he's saying and what he's thinking... |
Wednesday, August 03, 2016
Good Words
As an editor I’ve launched investigations into her business dealings, her fundraising, her foundation and her marriage. As a reporter my stories stretch back to Whitewater. I’m not a favorite in Hillaryland. That makes what I want to say next surprising. Hillary Clinton is fundamentally honest and trustworthy.
---Jill Abramson, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.
And here's another piece which explains why the Hillary pile on continues to happen.
---Jill Abramson, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.
And here's another piece which explains why the Hillary pile on continues to happen.
Tuesday, August 02, 2016
The Continued Adolescent Tantrum
Over the last few months of this campaign, I've note how Donald Trump is exactly the candidate that conservatives deserve. They have gone from the party of Reagan and his shining city on the hill to the party of anger, hate, fear, and darkness. As clearly reflected by their politicians, pundits and supporters (especially the right wing bloggers/commenters), their behavior is that of an adolescent having a temper tantrum, stomping down the hall, slamming the door, and shouting, "You can't make me!!! I don't wanna!!!!"
Witness this latest tantrum from their candidate.
And this wasn't the first time he's called those fat headed fire marshals with all their poopey headed rules and stuff...
So, now we can add fire marshals to the list of people who are against Donald Trump...this on top of Gold Star families.
All of this ranting, raving, and lunacy sure does remind me of many a blog discussion...:)
Witness this latest tantrum from their candidate.
And this wasn't the first time he's called those fat headed fire marshals with all their poopey headed rules and stuff...
So, now we can add fire marshals to the list of people who are against Donald Trump...this on top of Gold Star families.
All of this ranting, raving, and lunacy sure does remind me of many a blog discussion...:)
Monday, August 01, 2016
The Real Email Scandal
Hillary Clinton gave an interview on Fox News on Sunday in which she once again apologized and admitted fault for using a personal email server during her tenure as Secretary of State. The media went ballistic today (natch) over her "lying" about classified material being sent on this server. It's been explained so many times now that I really don't get why everyone is still talking about her emails.
What they should be talking about is the real scandal. Hillary Clinton doesn't understand basic technology and clearly has trouble on the line with the computer machine. Sure, it's not as sexy as her lying and going to jail (nothing gives a conservative a boner like imagining a Clinton in jail), but it is a fact. She set up the private server because she didn't have the multi-tasking capability to toggle between two different emails on her Blackberry. When she was asked about her hard drive being scrubbed, she said, "What do you mean, with a cloth?" She seemed to not understand reading the code on three emails that had a "c" classification.
All of this tells me that she doesn't understand something the leader of the free world should get. I have several emails accounts on my phone along with a variety of apps that I use all the time. Granted, I may be a bit ahead of the game in terms of tech but the president should have basic level knowledge of this stuff.
I highly doubt the media, particularly the conservative media, will go after on this but they should. It's a valid criticism and it should be concerning to voters.
What they should be talking about is the real scandal. Hillary Clinton doesn't understand basic technology and clearly has trouble on the line with the computer machine. Sure, it's not as sexy as her lying and going to jail (nothing gives a conservative a boner like imagining a Clinton in jail), but it is a fact. She set up the private server because she didn't have the multi-tasking capability to toggle between two different emails on her Blackberry. When she was asked about her hard drive being scrubbed, she said, "What do you mean, with a cloth?" She seemed to not understand reading the code on three emails that had a "c" classification.
All of this tells me that she doesn't understand something the leader of the free world should get. I have several emails accounts on my phone along with a variety of apps that I use all the time. Granted, I may be a bit ahead of the game in terms of tech but the president should have basic level knowledge of this stuff.
I highly doubt the media, particularly the conservative media, will go after on this but they should. It's a valid criticism and it should be concerning to voters.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Leave Them Behind
The presidential election of 2016 can really be summed up in one way: it's the last stand of the white non college educated male voter.
Consider that in less than four years, white people in this country will be in the minority. For the white non college educated male voter, this is the fucking apocalypse. And it really explains the appeal of Donald Trump. His talk of walls and bans are a direct appeal to the fear that white males feel when they see the world changing around them. His anti-trade rhetoric and stated reluctance to help other countries fits perfectly into the mindset of this demographic. After all, these are the people who have lost jobs and are being left behind in the age of globalization.
In this election cycle, pundits have declared that the Democrats have to reach out to this voter and connect with them. They have to show the non college educated white male that Trump is a charlatan who would actually be worse for them. They've been hammering Trump on his failure to pay contractors and his fraud with outfits like Trump University. Hillary herself implored an audience just yesterday to talk to their friends and relatives about just how bad Trump would be for the middle class.
None of this will help. Why?
The Trump voter is a lost fucking cause. Consider that they are supporting a man who by all rational thought in reality is a total disaster of a person. Is there anything even redeeming about him at all? The simple fact that they are supporting him says to me that there is no hope of changing their minds. They are lost to all that anger, hate and fear.
So, leave them behind. History is filled with demographic groups that the march of time waved buh-bye too. I haven't seen any significant numbers in the Egyptian Gods demographic of late. Nor have I seen the Roman emperor followers clamoring for a return to that empire. In our own country, the Whigs and their supporters never made it out of the 19th century. Progress and new ways of thinking left all of these groups and their ultimate failures behind.
The attention should be focused on getting out the vote from all other demographic groups. This is where the election is going to be ultimately won or lost for the Democrats. White college educated voters (male and female) and minority voters need to make a statement this election.
It's their country now and we're not going back.
Consider that in less than four years, white people in this country will be in the minority. For the white non college educated male voter, this is the fucking apocalypse. And it really explains the appeal of Donald Trump. His talk of walls and bans are a direct appeal to the fear that white males feel when they see the world changing around them. His anti-trade rhetoric and stated reluctance to help other countries fits perfectly into the mindset of this demographic. After all, these are the people who have lost jobs and are being left behind in the age of globalization.
In this election cycle, pundits have declared that the Democrats have to reach out to this voter and connect with them. They have to show the non college educated white male that Trump is a charlatan who would actually be worse for them. They've been hammering Trump on his failure to pay contractors and his fraud with outfits like Trump University. Hillary herself implored an audience just yesterday to talk to their friends and relatives about just how bad Trump would be for the middle class.
None of this will help. Why?
The Trump voter is a lost fucking cause. Consider that they are supporting a man who by all rational thought in reality is a total disaster of a person. Is there anything even redeeming about him at all? The simple fact that they are supporting him says to me that there is no hope of changing their minds. They are lost to all that anger, hate and fear.
So, leave them behind. History is filled with demographic groups that the march of time waved buh-bye too. I haven't seen any significant numbers in the Egyptian Gods demographic of late. Nor have I seen the Roman emperor followers clamoring for a return to that empire. In our own country, the Whigs and their supporters never made it out of the 19th century. Progress and new ways of thinking left all of these groups and their ultimate failures behind.
The attention should be focused on getting out the vote from all other demographic groups. This is where the election is going to be ultimately won or lost for the Democrats. White college educated voters (male and female) and minority voters need to make a statement this election.
It's their country now and we're not going back.
If Trump Can't Run an Elevator, How Can He Run a Country?
Donald Trump just got himself trapped in an elevator:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had to be rescued from an elevator that was stuck between the first and second floors of a resort Friday, the Colorado Springs Fire Department said.I'm impressed that Trump was able to waddle up a ladder and fit through the trap door of an elevator.
In a statement released Saturday, the department says that it was called at 1:30 p.m. Friday to rescue about 10 people, including Trump, trapped inside the elevator at The Mining Exchange, A Wyndham Grand Hotel & Spa resort.
The department says the firefighters opened the top elevator hatch and lowered a ladder into the elevator. Trump and the others used the ladder to climb out of the elevator to the second floor. The department says no injuries were reported.
How did this happen?
“The parties that lease the hotel also wanted to control of the elevators and I assume that happens when you get to a certain level of security, and so they were given a key to actually control the elevators and the elevator apparently in the course of being controlled by somebody other than in the course of the normal operations, the elevator stopped and consequently Mr. Trump was, I understand rescued by the fire department from that within a matter of five minutes or less,” Sanders said.Trump insisted that the hotel give him the key to the elevator, and he somehow managed to screw up pressing a button to go to another floor. After the fire department rescued Trump, the Republican cry baby blasted the fire marshal for trying to enforce crowd capacity limits at his rally. Because nothing could possibly go wrong at a Trump event, right?
And some people think Trump can be trusted with the codes to America's nuclear arsenal?
Saturday, July 30, 2016
The Hilz Brings It Home
The speech that Hillary Clinton gave on Thursday night was the finest one of her career. Let's remember that she's not a natural orator like Barack Obama or her husband. This is tough for her and the television audience sure noticed it in the first few minutes of the speech. She was a little overly cautious.
But then she got into the groove and never looked back. She outlined her plan and vision for our country in the next four years and it was magnificent...that is, of course, if you are someone who lives in the real world, not the made up one. Offering a stark contrast to the darkness dispatched a week ago at the GOP convention, the Hilz reminded us all that there isn't one person that can solve all of our nation's problems. This is especially true if that one person is a mentally deranged psychopath suffering from narcissistic personality disorder.
The systematic take down of Donald Trump was truly a beautiful thing to behold all week and Hillary put an exclamation point on all of it. Her best line was this...
A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man you can trust with nuclear weapons.
No shit. We're not electing a right wing blogger to run our country. We're electing a president.
Here is her full speech.
But then she got into the groove and never looked back. She outlined her plan and vision for our country in the next four years and it was magnificent...that is, of course, if you are someone who lives in the real world, not the made up one. Offering a stark contrast to the darkness dispatched a week ago at the GOP convention, the Hilz reminded us all that there isn't one person that can solve all of our nation's problems. This is especially true if that one person is a mentally deranged psychopath suffering from narcissistic personality disorder.
The systematic take down of Donald Trump was truly a beautiful thing to behold all week and Hillary put an exclamation point on all of it. Her best line was this...
A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man you can trust with nuclear weapons.
No shit. We're not electing a right wing blogger to run our country. We're electing a president.
Here is her full speech.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Do You Understand The Constitution?
Before I get to Hillary, I want to turn the spotlight on this guy. Mr. Khan represents what our country is all about. This was the ultimate mic drop moment to the people who are now running the GOP. Their hatred looks more ugly now than it ever has...
Thursday, July 28, 2016
DNC Stars Shine Brightly
The first two days of the Democratic National Convention were pretty darn good. Michelle Obama was extraordinary. Bill Clinton was uncharacteristically humble. There also wasn't much mentioned about Donald Trump and his various problems. Clearly, they were saving that for last night.
Beginning with Joe Biden, then Michael Bloomberg, then Tim Kaine, and finally the president, the Democratic stars shined brilliantly last night. Joe Biden's speech spoke directly to white working class, non college educated voter and, man oh man, was he brilliant.
This was the beginning of the evisceration of Donald Trump. "He doesn't have a clue about anything." was most certainly the best line of Biden's speech. He went on detailing just how poorly qualified Donald Trump is to be president.
Michael Bloomberg spoke to the independent voter and described how Donald Trump was a fraud.
Unlike Donald Trump, Michael Bloomberg is an actual billionaire.
Next up was Tim Kaine, who was more or less ripped on Twitter for being that awkward dad that no one wants around. Being an awkward dad, I thought Kaine was fantastic and you can bet Hillary and her people did as well. They can use that boring and awkward whiteness to resonate with a voting demographic they need. And, yeah, his Trump impression was kinda bad but he completed the trifecta on the Trump take down. Trump is a liar.
The president the arrived for his prime time spot and reminded everyone just how fucking awesome he is and what a great job he has done as president.
I am really going to miss this guy.
Tonight, the attention turns to Hillary. It seems damn near impossible to top all of the speakers before her. This is especially true considering that she isn't as talented of an orator as all that have gone before her, self admittedly. But does it really matter? I think the USA needs to finally see President Grandma come out and talk about her life that has been dedicated to helping people. We've had far too much of the "made up" Hillary in the news these last few weeks. It's time to see the real one.
Beginning with Joe Biden, then Michael Bloomberg, then Tim Kaine, and finally the president, the Democratic stars shined brilliantly last night. Joe Biden's speech spoke directly to white working class, non college educated voter and, man oh man, was he brilliant.
This was the beginning of the evisceration of Donald Trump. "He doesn't have a clue about anything." was most certainly the best line of Biden's speech. He went on detailing just how poorly qualified Donald Trump is to be president.
Michael Bloomberg spoke to the independent voter and described how Donald Trump was a fraud.
Unlike Donald Trump, Michael Bloomberg is an actual billionaire.
Next up was Tim Kaine, who was more or less ripped on Twitter for being that awkward dad that no one wants around. Being an awkward dad, I thought Kaine was fantastic and you can bet Hillary and her people did as well. They can use that boring and awkward whiteness to resonate with a voting demographic they need. And, yeah, his Trump impression was kinda bad but he completed the trifecta on the Trump take down. Trump is a liar.
The president the arrived for his prime time spot and reminded everyone just how fucking awesome he is and what a great job he has done as president.
I am really going to miss this guy.
Tonight, the attention turns to Hillary. It seems damn near impossible to top all of the speakers before her. This is especially true considering that she isn't as talented of an orator as all that have gone before her, self admittedly. But does it really matter? I think the USA needs to finally see President Grandma come out and talk about her life that has been dedicated to helping people. We've had far too much of the "made up" Hillary in the news these last few weeks. It's time to see the real one.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Trump Wants Russia's Help
Donald Trump just called on Russia to help out with Hillary's missing emails.
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Mr. Trump said, staring directly into the cameras. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”
Wow...
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Mr. Trump said, staring directly into the cameras. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”
Wow...
Big Dog Nails It
Bill Clinton could have talked a lot about himself last night but he didn't. Pundits complained that he didn't mention any of the various #Clintonscandals in a sort of mea culpa. But that would have been the same thing as making the speech about himself.
Instead, he spent 42 minutes talking about why the Hilz is the right person for the job. He focused quite a bit on her early career which not many people know about. And he had the line of the convention in which he stated that there are two Hillary Clintons. "One is real, the other is made up."
Brilliant. Here is the full speech.
Instead, he spent 42 minutes talking about why the Hilz is the right person for the job. He focused quite a bit on her early career which not many people know about. And he had the line of the convention in which he stated that there are two Hillary Clintons. "One is real, the other is made up."
Brilliant. Here is the full speech.
My United States of America
Compare this speech and its theme and content with what conservatives have said over the last couple of decades. What country do you want to live in?
Good Words
From Frank Foer at Slate....
The DNC dump may not have revealed a conspiracy that could end a candidacy, but it succeeded in casting a pall of anxiety over this election. We know that the Russians have a further stash of documents from the DNC and another set of document purloined from the Clinton Foundation.
In other words, Vladimir Putin is now treating American democracy with the same respect he accords his own. The best retaliation isn’t a military one, or to respond in kind. It’s to defeat his pet candidate and to force him to watch the inauguration of the woman he so abhors.
The DNC dump may not have revealed a conspiracy that could end a candidacy, but it succeeded in casting a pall of anxiety over this election. We know that the Russians have a further stash of documents from the DNC and another set of document purloined from the Clinton Foundation.
In other words, Vladimir Putin is now treating American democracy with the same respect he accords his own. The best retaliation isn’t a military one, or to respond in kind. It’s to defeat his pet candidate and to force him to watch the inauguration of the woman he so abhors.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Conservatives Heart Russia
Conservatives like to foam at the mouth when it comes to big government and how we are becoming like Russia. Right wing bloggers, especially the gun bloggers, are constantly referring to the liberals leading us into a Soviet style autocracy, still seeing that commie boogieman just around the corner. Remember this?
Given all this, their rush to support Trump, even as a hold your nose candidate, deeply perplexes me. Because it's becoming quite clear that Vladimir Putin wants Donald Trump to be president.
Franklin Foer has been writing about their relationship for several months now. Trump's continued call to not necessarily back NATO allies seems very suspicious indeed given this information. More interesting is the recent evidence that the release of DNC emails was perpetrated by Russian intelligence.
Given all of this, we can now develop a working theory and must proceed in gathering more evidence. Donald Trump is basically in league with Vladimir Putin, likely through various business dealings (hence the reason why he won't release his tax returns), and would like to model his presidency on the Russian leader's reign. He has continually praised Putin in various interviews, calling him "very bright" and a "strong leader."
In short, he wants to be the US Putin and conservatives are helping him achieve this goal. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that we see how incredibly hypocritical these dickehads are but this seems far more d baggy. They continually caterwaul and fear monger about our country becoming Russia and they are mindlessly flocking to the guy who is going to do just that.
Wow...
Given all this, their rush to support Trump, even as a hold your nose candidate, deeply perplexes me. Because it's becoming quite clear that Vladimir Putin wants Donald Trump to be president.
Franklin Foer has been writing about their relationship for several months now. Trump's continued call to not necessarily back NATO allies seems very suspicious indeed given this information. More interesting is the recent evidence that the release of DNC emails was perpetrated by Russian intelligence.
Given all of this, we can now develop a working theory and must proceed in gathering more evidence. Donald Trump is basically in league with Vladimir Putin, likely through various business dealings (hence the reason why he won't release his tax returns), and would like to model his presidency on the Russian leader's reign. He has continually praised Putin in various interviews, calling him "very bright" and a "strong leader."
In short, he wants to be the US Putin and conservatives are helping him achieve this goal. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that we see how incredibly hypocritical these dickehads are but this seems far more d baggy. They continually caterwaul and fear monger about our country becoming Russia and they are mindlessly flocking to the guy who is going to do just that.
Wow...
Sunday, July 24, 2016
The Most Powerful VP in History
Over the course of the last week or so there have been some seriously disturbing reports that Trump's vetting process for VP essentially boiled down to one question.
How would you like to be the most powerful VP in history?
Essentially, Mike Pence took the job knowing that he would run all foreign and domestic affairs while Trump's job would be to make America great again (see below for the meaning of this). This gibes with the larger story that has been gaining a great deal of traction in which Trump doesn't really want to be president. He just wants to win and then let someone else do all the work. He gets to be the authoritarian figure and spew edicts but not actually do any work.
Of course this raises another issue that has been bothering me for the last few weeks. Donald Trump has managed to become the candidate that has captured the dark heart of American nationalism. The people that support him want an authoritarian leader who is going to bring us back to the time when the blacks knew their place, the gays were in jail, and women had dinner ready on time. That's what "Make America Great Again" really means and it's surprising to me that the same people who fret over Nazi like takeovers of the government are cheering for this one to happen.
That's what I saw on display all last week at the GOP convention and this latest story about who will actually run the country pretty much nails what Trump is all about.
How would you like to be the most powerful VP in history?
Essentially, Mike Pence took the job knowing that he would run all foreign and domestic affairs while Trump's job would be to make America great again (see below for the meaning of this). This gibes with the larger story that has been gaining a great deal of traction in which Trump doesn't really want to be president. He just wants to win and then let someone else do all the work. He gets to be the authoritarian figure and spew edicts but not actually do any work.
Of course this raises another issue that has been bothering me for the last few weeks. Donald Trump has managed to become the candidate that has captured the dark heart of American nationalism. The people that support him want an authoritarian leader who is going to bring us back to the time when the blacks knew their place, the gays were in jail, and women had dinner ready on time. That's what "Make America Great Again" really means and it's surprising to me that the same people who fret over Nazi like takeovers of the government are cheering for this one to happen.
That's what I saw on display all last week at the GOP convention and this latest story about who will actually run the country pretty much nails what Trump is all about.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
The National Enquirer?
Less than one day after delivering a fairly normal for Donald Trump speech accepting the GOP nomination, Trump reverted to his old ways with renewed comments about how Ted Cruz's dad was involved in the JFK assassination.
“I don't know his father. I met him once. I think he's a lovely guy,” Trump said at a morning-after rally in Cleveland. “All I did is point out the fact that on the cover of the National Enquirer there was a picture of him and crazy Lee Harvey Oswald having breakfast.”
But here's the kicker...
“This was a magazine that, in many respects, should be well respected,” Trump said. “I mean if that was The New York Times, they would have gotten Pulitzer Prizes for their reporting.”
This explains so much, doesn't it? Think about the demographic that reads the National Enquirer and fucking believes it. That's the Trump voter to a tee! Zero facts, anger-hate-fear, innuendo, gossip, childish tittering, and bizarre conspiracies heard from "somebody."
In fact, now that I think about it, isn't that the right wing blogger to a tee as well? :)
“I don't know his father. I met him once. I think he's a lovely guy,” Trump said at a morning-after rally in Cleveland. “All I did is point out the fact that on the cover of the National Enquirer there was a picture of him and crazy Lee Harvey Oswald having breakfast.”
But here's the kicker...
“This was a magazine that, in many respects, should be well respected,” Trump said. “I mean if that was The New York Times, they would have gotten Pulitzer Prizes for their reporting.”
This explains so much, doesn't it? Think about the demographic that reads the National Enquirer and fucking believes it. That's the Trump voter to a tee! Zero facts, anger-hate-fear, innuendo, gossip, childish tittering, and bizarre conspiracies heard from "somebody."
In fact, now that I think about it, isn't that the right wing blogger to a tee as well? :)
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