Peddling former president paraphernalia

On a trip to the beach traveling through South Carolina, I saw two retail stores related to the former president. They each had “TRUMP STORE” in big letters complete with numerous American flags. 

It should be noted the sign on the second one said “Only Patriots Allowed” so I guess we should shout something pro-Trump so we can enter using their definition of patriot, whatever that means. We passed on the opportunity. To me, their patrons support a person who betrayed our country and divided (and still divides) us further. That does not sound much like a patriot to me. His niece Mary Trump said “he will burn it all down to avoid losing the election” while former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney called him a “coward” for lying to his fans.

It reminded me of the Mel Gibson movie “The Patriot” ironically based, in part, on the infamous American patriot Francis Marion of South Carolina who was known as “The Swamp Fox” as he battled the British. His namesake Marion, SC is only twenty miles from where we spotted the second store. Marion was fighting for our freedom from British rule, while Trump’s patriots are supporting an illicit acting and bullying person who acts like the king that George was. Like king George, some have questioned his mental acuity.

As we passed the first store, my wife said aloud “you have to be kidding me.” Then, we saw the second one and she lamented “there is another one.” To me, this is clear evidence that Trump is the barker for the traveling medicine show. You know the one selling mostly alcohol in a medicine bottle that will cure all of one’s ails.

To me, this shows Trump should not be taken seriously as he and his followers want to peddle his wares. Of course, I have often said what Trump spews is his sales schtick where truth and lies don’t matter – sales do. I even saw wife Melanie is peddling something. I guess someone has to pay his legal bills and fines. Buy a Trump bible, a Trump constitution, a Trump cap, etc.

I tell you what we should do. We should tell him we will all buy some Trump merchandise if “you will just go away.” Stop hurting our country. Stop lying and bullying people. Stop groping women without their permission. Stop treating our allied relationships as transactions. And, as former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney said above, stop being a “coward” and accept that you lost the election. And, Cheney added “Trump knows he lost and lost big.”

Trump – the black cloud that won’t go away even in Arizona

In a Politico article by Betsy Woodruff Swan and Kyle Cheney called “Arizona Grand Jury has indicted Trump Allies for 2020 Election Interference” the bad news for people who did the former president’s bidding continues. It is akin to a black cloud that just won’t go away. Here are the first two paragraphs:

“An Arizona grand jury has indicted 18 allies of Donald Trump for their efforts to subvert the 2020 election — including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Boris Epshteyn.

The indictment, which includes felony counts of conspiracy, fraud and forgery, also describes Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator.”

An unindicted co-conspirator? The chef stirring the pot is unindicted? Of course, his fans and sycophants will say, see he did nothing wrong. Yet, election interference would not occur nor would the January 6 insurrection which has over 300 settlements and convictions, if an accountable and responsible person was in the White House. Trump would not be accused of exhibiting either trait.

As for those plus 300 and other folks in Arizona, Michigan and Georgia, Trump’s black cloud still lingers over them. I am glad to see his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is included along with Rudy Giuliani as both have bastardized their reputations by cheating, lying and intimidating for the former president. Giuliani has already suffered greatly, but here comes some more rain from the black cloud.

I have no idea why a rational person would consider voting for Donald Trump. I find it embarrassing. If he lies and cheats about the election dividing our country, how hard is it to believe he us untruthful about many more things? Joe BIden is not perfect, but there is clear distinction between him and his illicit acting opponent.

My message to Republican incumbents and candidates is simple. As an independent and former member of both parties, mostly Republican, I will NOT vote for any candidate that supports Donald Trump for president. Full stop. I have this thing about our president should not be a traitor and adjudicated as a fraud and defamer.

What’s up Wednesday at end of January, 2024

We are now one month into the new year. I am sure the shimmer off the new pre-paid gym memberships have waned with fewer visits. But, the members had such good intentions. My advice is don’t quit at this point with the sunk cost. Find a sustainable routine.

I did find amusing that some sap has paid $1 million for Donald Trump’s legal fees. Many months ago, I postulated that Trump was running for two reasons – to pardon himself if he won and to get someone else to pay for his legal fees. One thing that people who work for him know is Trump is loathe to pay for things out of his own pocket. One attorney said Trump would often leave his building without his wallet so he could get others to pay for his lunch.

Although he will appeal the $83.3 million second defamation jury verdict, which is a tad high, he has no one else to blame but himself. To repeat the story, he was found liable in a defamation and sexual misconduct for $5 million. Rather than shut up, he goes on national TV to defame her again at a town hall. She sued him again and won. Trump also lost the appeal of the first verdict, but has just filed for appeal of the second one. It should be noted he sued her for defamation where she said he raped her, but the judge threw that out as well saying there was ample evidence of “digital rape” even though it did not meet the strict guideline of genital caused rape in the law.

The issue that is not being talked about enough is Trump does not have that much cash laying around. As a real estate investor, it is not uncommon to channel cash into new developments. His strategist Steve Bannon, when he was on the outs, said Trump probably has only $60 million in cash. Remember, Trump touts his wealth at $8 billion, although another court case says that is an over-embellished amount.

He is yet to receive the sentencing from his latest fraud trial, although the judge has already said he acted fraudulently. The numbers being bandied about are north of $100 million. It is becoming evident why Trump is such a nervous wreck these days. If that number is also big, he will appeal, but at some point the music will stop and he will have to pay the band.

It is possible the former president may have to declare bankruptcy for the seventh time, this time not just for a specific real estate investment failure.

One more Republican legislator speaks out against his party

In an article called “Trump Has ‘Hijacked’ GOP, Is ‘Unfit for Office,’ Says Republican Lawmaker” by Natalie Colarossi of Newsweek, yet one more Republican legislator feels emboldened to speak out against his party and the former president. As more elected Republican officials do this, it will create a groundswell at some point. But, now it is still a just trickle.

Here are a few excerpts from the article which can be linked to below:

“Republican Wyoming Rep. Landon Brown said Saturday that former President Donald Trump has “hijacked” the GOP and that he is “unfit” to serve in office for a second term.

Speaking on CNN, Brown added that the Republican Party is currently being run by a “fringe” group of far-right conservatives. He also issued his support for fellow Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who was recently censured for serving on a House committee tasked with investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol building.

‘I think what’s happened here at this point is we’ve seen a fringe group that is on the far right of our party, has taken over our party, and they are the ones that are pushing this narrative. They’ve been working behind the scenes to come out and come against Liz Cheney since day one with her support of this January 6th panel,’ Brown said.

‘The Republican Party had the opportunity to stand behind her and they left that, and unfortunately that shows too many people across this country that Trump has hijacked the Republican Party,’ he added.”

When I shared a related post to an email group, I was accused of being a RINO – I am not, I am an independent and former Republican (and Democrat). These are torn Republicans who are now feeling more empowered to speak out against the lack veritas in the GOP. They have likely known this for some time and tolerated the former president and his bent for untruthful, bullying and seditious behavior, but now it is too much to bear.

I have long felt the only group that can cure the current problems in the Republican party must come from Republicans. These folks need to be applauded, even if they are late to the game. The real RINOs are the Republicans who are vilifying the truth tellers and promoting the liars and bullies.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-has-hijacked-gop-is-unfit-for-office-says-republican-lawmaker/ar-AATM5jE?ocid=msedgntp

When people pull the Nazi card, they better have a good reason

Republican Congressman Peter King of New York has pulled the Nazi card. He said NFL football players who choose not to stand for the national anthem are being Nazis. The President said during one of his ramblings that maybe these NFL protesters don’t belong in our country.

Really? Exercising one’s 1st Amendment rights of free speech is being a Nazi and worthy of deporting? Do you guys know what the Bill of Rights says? I remember the country group The Dixie Chicks” being vilified for questioning the US invasion into Iraq. Not only did they have that right, but they were right to question it. Senator Jim Webb said on the floor of the Senate, if we invade Iraq, be prepared to stay for thirty years. And, Senator John McCain recently lamented invading Iraq was a mistake,

We have every right to civilly protest in our country, even against the actions and lies of our thin-skinned President or any of his predecessors. That is the way this Democracy works. That document it is attached to makes an important reference to “We the people.”

But, I have never been a fan of people pulling the Nazi card. It is a lazy argument meant to paint something they don’t like with an evil color. Unless you are talking about the genocide of millions of people, squelching dissension and invading other countries, pulling the Nazi card is an asinine label. In fact, Nazis were forced to salute allegiance to a murderous regime or be sent away with the intellectuals, Jews, gays, gypsies, etc. This makes King’s argument even more off base.

To be frank, both King and Trump owe these protesters an apology. They are exhibiting a courage that neither man seems to possess. These players are risking their jobs to say being Black should not deny people opportunity and safety in our country. Like The Dixie Chicks, these NFL players have every right to protest and are also right.

As for King and Trump, they may want reread that 1st amendment. It is the one that precedes the 2nd one, which they should read as well. By the way, there is a real life Nazi Party in the US, as permitted by our Constitution. It would be interesting to see who most of this party voted for in 2016?

Thoughts for Thursday

Here are a few random thoughts on a rainy Thursday, with more rain to come in the days ahead.

A retired ambassador said recently, the US strength is more than its military, it is its relationships with allies. What concerns me is we are devaluing our allied relationships. This is echoed by the European Union Chairman Dean Tusk. Tusk said the EU must be more united than ever before to deal with what he called Trump’s “capricious assertiveness”. My question is this how we want to be viewed by our friends?

Another retired ambassador to Israel said while he agreed with the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem, the US administration made two mistakes. It should have been announced in the context of moving toward a two state solution. In essence, the US placed little obligation on Israel for this move. Also, celebrating the opening on the anniversary of Israel is an insult to Palestinians. This date is not viewed favorably, so the celebration rubbed salt in a wound.

Assuming the role of ambassador for the disenfranchised in the US, a huge opportunity missed occurred during the rushed tax bill which hugely favored companies and the wealthy. I favored some relief on the corporate tax rate, but we went way too far and are negatively impacting our huge and growing debt. The additional opportunity missed I am referencing is not imposing a requirement on companies to provide raises. One way of doing this would have been a concurrent increase in the US minimum wage moving it from $7.25 to a living wage of above $10 per hour. Token one-time bonuses are actually the barest minimum of what could be done with an annual tax break – how about a raise instead? More income to people in need is accretive to the economy.

Finally, I have seen footage of conservative news sources highlighting Venezuela’s problems as an indictment of socialism. While I am a capitalist, I also recognize our country is a mixture of both. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, and bankruptcy laws are all forms of socialism. We also have other restrictions to prevent unfettered capitalism. Venezuela’s problems are due to corruption and mismanagement that can be traced even back to the popular Chavez. His successor, Maduro, has shown a level of incompetence that is quite visible to all.

That is all for this Thursday. Please share your thoughts.

This zero-sum discourse needs to stop

What does zero-sum discourse mean? It means framing topics in terms of who wins and who loses. I fault politicians, pundits and reporters for this mindset. This mindset preceded the current White House incumbent, but he views most everything through a very short-term transactional lens. Did I win?

The dilemma in discussing who wins and loses on actions, speeches or tweets is it takes the focus away from the issues. Does this decision help or hurt the people, environment or region?

I heard a news discussion on whether the US pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal helps or hurts Trump’s image? That is the wrong question among many better questions. Does it make the US safer? Does it make the world safer? Are we harming our relationships with our allies? Are we making a fact based decision as other leaders are questioning the veracity of this decision? And, so on.

Whether it is healthcare, debt, taxes, environment, financial protection, etc., I do not care who wins or loses politically. When people care too much about winning or losing, I can tell you who gets screwed – it is the people they represent.

Americans want Congress to address healthcare, with the majority saying to fix Obamacare. Instead, the President and leaders in Congress have sabotaged it over the past three years making premiums even higher. They want to see it politically fail while screwing American people.

I am tired of the lack of collaboration. I am tired of the abuse of factual information. And, I am tired of this zero-sum discourse. To be frank, our leaders need to stop trying to keep their job and start doing their job.

Monday, Monday again

Using a wonderful song from The Mamas and Papas, happy Monday everyone. Our friend Jill enjoys (and eventually laments) it when I place these songs in her head.

A few random thoughts for the start of the week are as follows:

Facebook is apologizing and saying they will do better at protecting your information. Yet, what they fail to tell you is sharing your information is their business model. Unless they are prepared to go to a subscription model, do not expect any major changes. Tailored ads based on your data and search history is revenue.

The biggest news from the Stormy Daniels’ revelations is not the tryst with Donald Trump. It is the illegal election contribution made by the attorney who has boxed himself in with his own revelations. By admitting he did not get reimbursed by Trump, he blocked a possible exit ramp that may have mitigated his guilt. I will say the creepiest thing about the Daniels’ revelation is when she said Trump told her she reminded him of his daughter. Ick.

Trump keeps saying articles about things he will be doing are fake news. Yet, when it happens anyway, does that make it fake? Mind you, he has delayed decisions mentioned in these articles, so as to punish the media with this fake brand. But, when he eventually fires the person or signs a wretched executive order, it verifies the earlier assertion does it not? He did fire Tillerson, McMaster, e.g. even though he said he would not do so after the press reported it.

With the passing of the US spending bill on top of the tax law change, it is apparent that Congress and the President do not care about resolving our deficit and debt issues. These laws make them worse rather than better. It should be pointed out that China is talking about buying fewer US Treasuries bills, notes and bonds. That is how we get cash and is a trade threat the US cannot reciprocate.

A final shout out to the teens who are advocating for better gun governance. You are an inspiration. The lawmakers need to pay attention as they may have awakened a sleeping giant.

 

New Year’s Resolution for the President

Dear Mr. President, please do all Americans a service and tell the truth more in 2018. With 103 measured lies in your first 10 months vs. only 18 in eight years by Obama per the New York Times, you have been the biggest purveyor of “fake news” in the country. Moreover, Politifacts has measured you as making “mostly false” and worse statements 69% of the time. Our global reputation and trustworthiness have declined under your tutelage and it is harder to solve problems as a result. Please begin the new year with a resolution to be more truthful. Quite frankly, you owe it to us. All politicians do.

Note to Readers: Please feel free to use this language in letters to the editor or others.

Threatening others is not a great sales strategy

The US President made an ill-advised move to declare Jerusalem Israel’s capitol saying the US would move its embassy there. The dilemma is it’s a lightning rod of a change, with Palestinians laying claim as well. Yet, after the UN Security Council voted 14 to 1 against this declaration with the US being outnumbered, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, extended the President’s threat to cut funding to the countries who voted against the US.

Well, in a show of defiance, the entire UN body voted 128 to 9 against the US decision. Some small African nations, who heavily rely on US funding, acquiesced to the threat. Several countries abstained since the did not want to unsettle the sensitive President, but the sizable vote count should serve as an embarrassment to him. In sports and politics that would be called a rout.

It is my guess the President will remain defiant as it is not in his nature to admit a mistake, but one thing the President absolutely detests is being made to look bad. We should not forget his recorded comment that asked Enrique Peña Nieto, the Mexican President, to say openly Mexico would pay for the wall as “it was making him look bad” if they did not.

We should remind the President that his decisions and comments are what are making him look bad. When he announced that the US would be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Change Accord on June 1, it was the day after Exxon-Mobil shareholders voted against a management recommendation to require management to disclose what they are doing to battle climate change, the third fossil fuel based company to be so required in May following shareholder votes at PPL and Occidental Petroleum. The shareholders did what the President would not, go against the wishes of a petroleum company’s management.

To further illustrate US isolation on this Paris withdrawal, we are the lone county not to participate once the withdrawal becomes effective. We are also one of the biggest polluters, which seems fairly un-neighborly to thumb our nose at the rest of the world. Our country was also not invited to a climate change planning conference earlier this month in France. The US did have representation from several states, cities and business leaders who have picked up the baton the President dropped, but our government was not represented nor wanted.

My biggest fear going in with the bullying President was his not supporting climate change action. But, the greater fear is making the US a pariah in the world, someone who threatens other countries. If a country has a choice to deal with the US President or not, unless avoiding pain or accomplishing gain is compelling, the answer may be “no, thank you” more than it would have been before this President took office. Threats will not help in this cause, as illustrated at the UN.

China is benefitting from our retrenching position in the world. Xi Jinping is a more rational and trusted leader than the US President. Even domestic US leaders know not to trust the President at his word, including Republicans who suffer in silence. Lying and bullying are not admirable traits. Fortunately, leaders like Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron are picking up the mantle as true leaders of the Western world.

In closing, if there is a visual metaphor of the bullying US President, it occurred during a meeting with fellow NATO leaders in Brussels earlier this year. President Trump appeared to shove Prime Minister Milo Dukanovic of Montenegro aside in order to position himself front and center for photographers. A bull in a china shop, so to speak.