Month: July 2017

When Will Trump Supporters Finally Abandon Their “Hero”? When They Are Personally Affected By Trump And GOP Policies!

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As we reach the six month mark of the Trump Presidency, we see Trump’s public opinion ratings between 36 and 40 percent, depending on the poll, and mid to high 50s diaapproval.

And yet, the one third of Americans who still support Trump seem unwilling to abandon their “hero”, even though he is doing great damage to the Presidency, and to domestic and foreign policy.

Thankfully, there is no major crisis that has arisen so far, although there are problems, such as North Korea in particular, which could erupt at any time.

But Trump has not had to deal with an economic collapse, as Barack Obama inherited from George W. Bush; or a terrorist attack such as George W. Bush had with September 11 in the first year; or any other major crisis such as John F. Kennedy and the building of the Berlin Wall in his first year.

Of course, the first year is only half over, and one can expect that there will be a crisis that will test Donald Trump sometime soon, a totally terrifying thought.

But the question remains, and to when will Trump supporters finally turn against Donald Trump?

One has to believe only when they are personally affected by Trump and Republican policies, such as the knocking of millions off ObamaCare and Medicaid, with no alternative, will they react.

Many people seem not to be noticing either how Trump is out to fill the government with Wall Street types, the so called “swamp” he said he would drain, but is not doing, and maybe there will eventually be a reaction to that.

The arrogance of the Trump family may also, finally, change people’s minds, as with the Donald Trump Jr and Jared Kushner Russian connection scandal revealed in recent days.

One would like to believe that when Trump supporters realize what a crooked and uncaring man Donald Trump is, and how it affects them personally, that they will rise in outrage, but then again, who knows?

There is the possibility that the Trump voters will never realize how they have been exploited, a sad sign of the lack of knowledge and understanding of what American government is supposed to be all about.

If so, the “experiment” in American democracy may be in trouble, and we may be seeing millions of clueless voters willing to accept authoritarianism as normal!

“The Nineties” Series On CNN, Part 2, This Evening, Examines The Truth About The Bill Clinton Presidency, Warts And All!

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This evening, CNN’s “The Nineties” Series, Part 2, will examine the unvarnished truth about the Bill Clinton Presidency, warts and all.

It will NOT be a whitewash of the Clinton Presidency, arguably the most scandal ridden Democratic Presidency in American history.

Some of the Clinton “Scandals” were conjured up by the right wing hatemongers, no question about that.

But Bill Clinton caused a lot of his own damage, and he cannot be made blameless, and one could say that the Monica Lewinsky Scandal, and other scandals surrounding women, including Paula Jones, disgraced the Presidency.

I wish to point out that when the scandal became public news in January 1998, this author felt that it was a disgrace, and that Clinton should resign immediately, but he refused, and put the nation through hell for an entire year, until he was found not guilty of impeachment charges by the US Senate. It was not an issue of morality, but rather the fact that his behavior could have compromised the national security if any of the women had been connected to Russia or some other foreign enemy, who know how to utilize women spies to blackmail a President or other public figure.

I never believed that Clinton should be impeached, and the hypocrisy of Republican leaders who were cheating on their wives with women, and yet putting Clinton through a constitutional crisis, was infuriating.

But CNN is not glorifying the Clinton Presidency, as much more could have been done during his Presidency, if only the President had known how to behave!

So my suggestion is to watch and think about the damage Bill Clinton’s behavior did to harm the nation, and remember that the first or second paragraph of his eventual obituary will mention that he was the second President impeached by the House of Representatives and brought to trial before the US Senate, after Andrew Johnson.

And now, we face the eventual possibility of the impeachment of Donald Trump, at some point, if he does not resign!

The Donald Trump Jr. Email Explosive Revelations Hastens The End Of The Trump Presidency On Accelerated Pace

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The Donald Trump Jr email scandal keeps evolving, and now it is up to EIGHT participants in the meeting, despite the fact that Trump’s son wanted to be “transparent” and provide all of the facts, but instead we have new revelations daily about the Russian participation in the meeting in June 2016, designed to undermine Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign.

Trump Jr comes across as a deceitful and massive liar, just like his father, and Jared Kushner, Jr’s brother in law and son in law of Donald Trump, looks more and more like a sleazy character, who now has changed his security clearance forms three times, and revealed he had contact with more than 100 Russians, many of them connected to Vladimir Putin.

It is becoming evident that this is a far greater and more dangerous scandal than Watergate, and one can imagine that Richard Nixon, in the after life, is watching, shaking his head, and wondering how Trump gets away with it, when he was unable to do so.

But it is also clear that the Trump Presidency is on an accelerated pace to its demise, with the likelihood of a resignation sooner, rather than later.

Trump cannot be enjoying being President, as he is under constant attack and criticism, rightfully so, but something he is not accustomed to in his privileged life span.

Now that the scandal is directly affecting his family, and the possibility of future indictments as a result, one can assume that while Trump is willing to throw any of his staff or cabinet “under the bus”, that is not true of his family.

In theory, Trump could pardon his son or son in law if they were in legal danger, as Bill Clinton pardoned his half brother, Roger Clinton, of drug charges on his record, right before Clinton left office.

Trump’s mental and physical state is eroding, as he looks drained and older in appearance after just six months in the White House, and his erratic emotional behavior is truly alarming, as he undermines the reputation of the Presidency every single day.

So I can see a scenario where Trump decides he has had enough, that no one can take away the fact that he has been the 45th President of the United States, and that he will always have his followers who will believe in him.

He will wish to fight another day from the sidelines, dividing America for the rest of his life, continuing his obnoxious public persona, making him the most divisive President ever in American history.

And I can foresee that Trump would use his pardon power to protect his family and a few close associates from legal jeopardy, resign after that, and then Mike Pence, likely, despite controversy, would pardon Trump from any judicial or legal action, copying the Gerald Ford model with Richard Nixon.

Of course this would insure that Mike Pence would finish the term, much under a cloud of his own involvement in the Russian collusion, but he could be facing investigation for his own possible statements and actions, and would be challenged for the nomination within the Republican Party. The Democratic Party would be the odds on favorite to win both houses of Congress in 2020, as well as the White House, ending this “national nightmare”, as Ford declared it after Nixon’s resignation in 1974!

Mitch McConnell, Corrupt Senate Majority Leader, Who Has No Concern For His Kentucky Constituents

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is certainly a very skilled politician, but he is also extremely corrupt.

McConnell declared war on Barack Obama in 2009, making clear there would be no cooperation with the new President on anything, forcing the President to settle for ObamaCare, only accomplished by united Democratic support, rather than a public option or Medicare for all, which would have been far better a result.

McConnell refused to permit Obama to make a statement about Russian collusion being clearly a problem in 2016, and yet, McConnell knew it was going on, but was cooperating with Donald Trump, even though in many ways, he disliked the Trump behavior and tactics.

Then, his wife, Elaine Chao, former Labor Secretary under George W. Bush, was named Secretary of Transportation for President Trump.

Chao, as Labor Secretary, was very anti labor in policies, and now is working to undermine Amtrak, the only transportation system for many rural communities, the ones who voted for Donald Trump, but now are in danger of losing their link to the outside world by public transportation, helping to harm the rural economy even further.

And McConnell is trying to force through a complete end of ObamaCare, including Medicaid, which benefits so many of his rural white constituents in Kentucky. Fortunately, it seems likely his mission will fail, and he will have to deal with the Democrats on fixing ObamaCare.

McConnell has no principles, no morality, no ethics, and could not concern himself about the poor whites in his state, and this is outrageous and unconscionable.

He is just a power player with no heart, and is, therefore, clearly a very corrupt Majority Leader, who will go down in history in a very negative way, as having undermined the health and economic survival of those who stupidly voted for him six times for the US Senate!

Hardworking Presidents Vs. Lazy Presidents, And Then There Is Donald Trump!

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The Presidency is an all encompassing job, one that the occupant of the Oval Office, particularly in modern times, cannot escape, even when on so called “vacation”.

Some Presidents stand out as constantly on the job, very active, very committed and hard working.

These would include in modern times, since 1900, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Note only three of these Presidents–TR, Nixon and the first Bush–are Republicans.

Indications are that James K. Polk and Abraham Lincoln, Democrat and Republican respectively, were also hard workers, dedicated, and committed, among pre1900 Presidents.

On the other hand, the following Presidents come across as far less committed, and in many cases, too laid back, and in some cases, purely lazy:

William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush, all Republicans. All of these Presidents took many vacations, and had short work days much of the time, and it undermined America in domestic and foreign policy on a regular basis.

Pre1900 examples would include Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Ulysses S. Grant, the first two being Democrats and Grant being a Republican.

And then there is Donald Trump, whose work habits make clear that he is the LAZIEST President of the United States in all of American history, certainly since 1900 at the least!

He loves to sign executive orders, many which are symbolic, and to take a long time in signing in a flourishing manner at Presidential signing ceremonies, and then showing it to the gathered audience over and over, like a little child proud of his signature, absolutely unbelievable immaturity on the part of a President, who lowers the image of the Presidency every day.

He has taken no part in promoting Health Care legislation, and is simply ready to sign any bill that comes to his desk, as he told evangelist Pat Robertson in an interview before leaving for his trip to Paris, France for Bastille Day.

Trump knows no details on anything, and is not willing to do much reading or learning, and it is truly pitiful how he has degraded the Presidency daily!

Notice To My Followers: All Of My Interviews And Articles Are Found On Right Side Of The Blog!

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Having just come off two radio interviews this week, one about my Assassinations book, and one on the Trump Presidency, I wanted to make sure my readers and followers are aware that all of my interviews and published articles are on the right side of the blog.

The most recent interview today on the Trump Presidency will be up in the next few days, and I have been fortunate enough to have found a few media outlets that have given me the opportunity to be on their shows multiple times, which I greatly appreciate.

I will continue to have interviews, and plan over time to have more articles, with 66 on History News Network in the past 18 months, and reprints on Time and Newsweek of some of these articles.

I greatly appreciate those who follow me and pay attention to these great opportunities I am blessed with, to share my views, along with my work on the blog itself!

I am also on Facebook and Twitter–under my name and the blog name and Assassinations name on Facebook,and under polithist on Twitter, so feel free to follow me and become a “friend” on Facebook.

Thank you very much!

Chaos, Anarchy, Tumult, Disarray, Fury, And Sniping In The White House: Unseen In All Of American History

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The Trump White House is in crisis, with chaos, anarchy, tumult, disarray, fury, and sniping going on constantly, unseen in all of American history, not even in the darkest days of Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal!

The Trump White House is fortunate that no major domestic or foreign crisis has emerged, because if it did, the reaction would be hard to predict, as there is total distraction, as the survival of the Presidency is at stake, with fighting among staff members, and even family members quite evident.

The Cabinet and top staff know they will be contradicted by their boss’s tweets, as he is very willing to “throw anyone under the bus”, as his own ego and narcissism rule over loyalty to hard working, committed staff, who if they were smart enough and considered their own survival and happiness, would resign en masse, leaving him in the lurch.

Trump does not deserve the loyalty or commitment of his appointees, and the split between his son Donald Trump Jr. and his son in law Jared Kushner is testing family loyalties too.

Donald Jr has caused a total crisis in the White House, with his decision to meet in June 2016 with Russians, who supposedly had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, and brought along his brother in law with him, along with then campaign manager Paul Manafort.

The Russian “collusion” is clear, and could lead to charges of treason, along with other charges against the President, his son and son in law, and many others around the Trump circle.

Many are seeing the six month anniversary of the Trump Presidency a week from now, as a marker, and with a steady down hill descent in the next six months, if Trump even lasts that long.

And apparently, Vice President Mike Pence is trying cautiously to separate himself from the disaster, as he could be realizing that a Pence Presidency is more possible sooner, rather than later.

One scenario is that Trump would pardon his family members before resigning, and that Pence would then pardon him, a la Gerald Ford pardoning Richard Nixon in 1974.

How that would affect public opinion is hard to predict, including the Trump loyalists, who continue to live in a “parallel universe” of their own making, demonstrating how dangerous such ignorance and stupidity can undermine American democracy!

Time For Action By Congress On H. R. 19, Authorizing National Women’s History Museum On National Mall!

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The Congress has accomplished nearly nothing under Republican leadership in 2017, but one action they should unite on is the passage of H.R. 19, authorizing the construction of a National Women’s History Museum on the National Mall.

Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of New York introduced the legislation authorizing the building of the museum on March 30, 2017. It was referred to a Subcommittee On Federal Lands on April 7, 2007, and no further action has yet been taken. There were 127 cosponsors with Maloney, and now an additional 100, for a total of 227, have been added to that list.

Maloney has tried to lobby personally with President Donald Trump, his wife Melania, his daughter Ivanka, Vice President Mike Pence’s wife Karen Pence, and Kelly Anne Conway. to join in support of the museum project, but one wonders what the odds of endorsement are from a President who is a known misogynist.

Despite earlier moves to get this legislation accomplished under President Barack Obama, it failed to be dealt with before he left office. In 2014, the Congress voted to create a commission to study the creation of a national museum, and now the time for action has arrived in this 115th Congress.

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine introduced the Maloney bill in the Senate with 11 co-sponsors, but there is little enthusiasm evident to make such a museum part of the Smithsonian Institution, due to other priorities, and the issue of private funding being a long haul.

We are coming up to the centennial of women’s right to vote (19th Amendment) in 2020, and it would be appropriate that we were well on the way to the creation of such a building to honor the role of women, half of our population, which has been mostly ignored until now.

Ironically, though, the Republican Party has become so anti women’s rights, that they are likely to refuse to take action on this, as they work to undermine a woman’s right to an abortion; the right to equal pay; the right to be protected from sexual harassment; and the right to be treated as equals to men in all aspects of life.

Too often, the religious Right has worked against women’s equality, and the Republican Party, the party that many early women’s rights advocates supported in the 19th and 20th centuries, now has taken steps backward in their advocacy of equality.

Donald Trump: A Dangerous Leader Who Could Unleash A Nuclear War With His Unstable Emotional State!

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Donald Trump clearly is very unstable mentally, and therefore, a dangerous leader who could unleash a nuclear war due to his unpredictable emotional state!

We have a major problem with North Korea, no debate, but the answer is not to unleash a nuclear attack, which would cause the death of many people, not only in North Korea, but also in South Korea, Japan, and American military personnel in the area.

Many say that we should not worry, that Trump has James Mattis as Secretary of Defense, and H. R. McMaster as National Security Adviser, and that they would stop Trump from rash actions.

But really, when has Trump ever been stopped in his Twitter rants?

When has Trump ever been stopped in alienating the leaders of our allies and friends around the world?

When has Trump ever been convinced even by his own family in what he says and does?

The answer is NEVER, and to believe that Trump is not a threat with his weird behavior, including constant lying, bullying, demeaning, his intimidating personality, and his not living in the “real” world, is to be totally naive!

It seems highly unlikely that the cabinet and Vice President Mike Pence will ever invoke the 25th Amendment, Section 4, although early on, one might have thought that was possible.

But lately, watching Mike Pence in public beside Trump, one gets the feeling that he will be reluctant to step in, and therefore, the nation is at risk on a constant basis, as this psychologically damaged and mentally ill President continues to be a threat to peace and order!

The Undermining Of Civility In America Long Lasting Damage, Setting Us Back From Progress Which Had Been Made In The 1950s, 1960s And 1970s

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Civility is a lost art in America, with the two major political parties no longer able to work cooperatively for American advancement.

We now live in a society in which most people only read, watch, and listen to those who profess their religious and political beliefs.

A dialogue in which both sides respect their opponents is no longer conceivable, and one wonders what event will unite the American people and allow a return to reasonable discourse.

Will we ever have a President who is able to appeal across party lines and party beliefs?

In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, there was a lot more bipartisanship on many issues, and much more “crossing the aisle”, rather than straight party line votes.

Members of Congress used to spend weekends with “friends” and their families despite different party labels.

That sense of camaraderie and shared commitment to do what is good for the nation is totally gone in 2017.

“Bad Blood” is now the norm, with little interaction, and even basic courtesies and manners are no longer utilized.