A most undemocratic action

In an Associated Press article called “Mitt Romney on Trump: ‘It is difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic action by a sitting American President’” please note the following paragraphs:

“Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics, tweeted Thursday, ‘It is difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic action by a sitting American President.’

Romney accused Trump on resorting to ‘overt pressure on state and local officials to subvert the will of the people and overturn the election.’

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., went after Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who held a press conference Thursday presenting a list of far-fetched, thoroughly debunked claims on the 2020 election.

In a statement, Sasse said:’Rudy and his buddies should not pressure electors to ignore their certification obligations under the statute. We are a nation of laws, not tweets.'”

Other than Republican Senator Lamar Alexander and a few GOP Congress people and governors, most Republican incumbents have been silent or offer some cautious support of the outgoing president. Former Republican Senators Jeff Flake and Bob Corker have been outspoken in their criticism holding no punches. Yet, per Mark Shields on PBS Newshour, it is interesting that the news show “Meet the Press” could not get any sitting Republican Senators to come on the show last Sunday.

This is telling, but is also sad. We have a petulant outgoing president who continues to claim wide-spread voter fraud without evidence, legal success, or sense of right and wrong. We need to thank Senators and others who speak out. We also need to remind the silent ones to what they swore an oath to – the US constitution.

The following is a letter I posted on the websites of three GOP Senators who are stating their concerns.

“Senator, too few Senators from my former party are publicly stating what they know privately. Thank you for your courage to speak up and be critical of the claims of wide-spread fraud by the outgoing president. Unfortunately, he has sown seeds of doubt and his followers do not know he has lost about two dozen court cases winning only a small one that tossed a few votes, that Republican officials have stated on the record there is no wide-spread fraud, that he fired Chris Krebs because he said the election was secure and what he is doing was predicted and unsurprising as he has orchestrated this over the last six months. He is endangering a peaceful transition of power and per his niece, she said her uncle will burn it all down to avoid losing. I appreciate your efforts to not let him burn down our democracy.”

Please feel free to use and adapt this note. The full article can be linked to below.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mitt-romney-on-trump-it-is-difficult-to-imagine-a-worse-more-undemocratic-action-by-a-sitting-american-president/ar-BB1bbGPm?ocid=msedgdhp

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Not a witch hunt

The following is an updated brief letter I sent to the editor of my newspaper. It has a 150 word limit. Please feel free to adapt and use.
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This independent and former GOP voter is troubled by members of my former party ignoring an obvious national security risk who resides in the White House. I watched a parade of honorable, dutiful and courageous public servants testify under oath at great risk. We must be concerned by a president seeking personal gain at the expense of national security.

We are already less trusted because our president is untrustworthy, but looking for personal gain with shadow diplomacy is wrong on so many levels. I support the impeachment hearings. So, should Republicans.
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If someone tells you the impeachment is a witch hunt, a funny response is if it is, then then president needs to get off his broom.

Oh, what a week after many before

It seems to be a consistent pattern. Pundits reflect on the week that was for the President saying it was a horrible week for him. They have said these same words week after week.

More than a few people are simply fatigued by this man and his actions. I know I am. The relentless lying, bullying, cheating and even criminal activity wear me out. Other than a few timing issues, former Trump fixer Michael Cohen did not offer up anything surprising. Americans need to heed his words that defined his former boss as a racist, con man and cheat.

Just last night a report that said Trump ordered that Jared Kushner be given a security clearance over the written objections of the intelligence community and Chief of Staff. Unsurprisingly, the President denies this. It should be noted after getting this clearance, months later, money came from a Saudi source to pay off a $1.2 billion loan balloon payment that was of concern to Kushner. Why?

The President is in a death spiral and it is starting to get faster. The spiral slowly started when he fired James Comey. But, the resignation of James Mattis and Trump’s reneging on a deal with the Senate which led to the shutdown sped it up some more. More farmers going bankrupt due to tariffs and the economy showing signs of age will hasten it further.

Plus, the President’s inability to pay attention to detail, listen to experts, or be more patient has cost him and our country yet again. He should not have gone to Vietnam without all the ducks in a row. This follows numerous other examples – the disastrous initial travel ban, the transgender military ban, the ill-devised tariffs, announcing pulling out of Syria etc. – that were done against the advice of experts, without proper vetting and without communicating with interested parties.

As I type this I am watching a rerun of “The American President,” with Michael Douglas and Annette Bening, that I caught by channel-surfing. Everything this movie highlights as an ideal President, seems at odds with our current real one.

It is time for our Republican legislators to find their backbone. The ones who attended the Cohen testimony did exactly what Cohen had done for ten years, defend a man who is not worth defending. As he added, it will not end well for them. The GOP will deserve every bit of criticism they get, as none of this is news. They can help the country and party if they change their ways.

A good sign is Senator Lamar Alexander pushing back on Trump’s emergency declaration. He has the backing of others. This is a trend that has started. What I don’t understand is many GOP legislators know Trump is everything Cohen said he was, yet they don’t fear more that the past lies will come out and future ones will cause problems.

Folks, it is not going to get better. This President is a cornered animal and he will bite anyone to save himself. And, I mean anyone.