Month: February 2019

37 Indictments And Plea Deals And Counting: And No Corruption And Trump Is Not Connected To Any Of This?

Ronald Leave a comment

Donald Trump supporters, and I know some of them, claim that the corruption around Donald Trump has nothing to do with him, and that he has not broken the law in any fashion.

The Trump Presidency has so far seen 37 indictments and plea deals, including his National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, his first campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, campaign aide Rick Gates, foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, and Trump adviser Roger Stone. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as many of his cabinet members or past figures in the White House have engaged in corruption, and many will likely face legal consequences in an investigation still being pursued by Robert Mueller and the Southern District of New York.

To claim that Trump has nothing to do with all this is totally preposterous, and Trump supporters forget that anyone is judged by the company they keep, and already, there is more corruption around Donald Trump, than around Richard Nixon, Warren G. Harding, or Ulysses S. Grant. And with the exception of Nixon, the other Presidents were not personally involved in corruption, and Trump is much more corrupt by comparison to Nixon.

And Nixon had some real accomplishments, while Trump has none, other than his Supreme Court Justice appointments.

Michael Cohen To Testify That Donald Trump Is A Liar, A Cheater, A Racist, And A Con Man: So What Else Is New?

Ronald 3 Comments

Former Donald Trump lawyer and loyalist Michael Cohen, who faces three years in prison for lying to Congressional committees, is testifying today before the House Oversight Committee on his former boss.

In his opening statement, revealed before his testimony later today, Cohen informs us that Donald Trump is a liar, a cheater, a racist, and a con man.

Trump has lied more than 8,000 times in his Presidency of two years, more by far than any President, including Richard Nixon.

Trump has cheated with multitudes of women, and has lied to all three of his wives on his extramarital affairs.

Trump is a clear racist against African Americans, Latino and Hispanic Americans, and consorts with and endorses white supremacy, which includes antisemitism, even though he has had Jewish advisers and Jewish cabinet members, who are a disgrace to their faith for their support of him, all based on their wealth and greed.

Trump is a con man, who has manipulated an ignorant 30-35 percent base who struggle every day, but are told that their failure to succeed is due to racial minorities, rather than the outrageous massive tax cuts to the wealthy elite of Donald Trump’s supporters who love associating with him at Mar a Lago, and at White House gatherings.

He tells this clueless base that coal is good and has a future; that tariffs will help their Midwest and Great Plains base; that harming the environment is good for the economy; that women need to be controlled in their lives; that religious extremism is good as part of American culture; that separating children from their parents at the Southern border is legitimate for protection of national security; and that his embrace of authoritarian dictators is better than close friendship with democratic nations in Europe and Asia.

What Cohen is telling us really is not new, for any intelligent human being who has paid attention, and now realizes that the election, with clearcut Russian interference and promotion of anti Hillary Clinton propaganda, was steered toward a close popular vote count in Midwestern states, that undermined the popular vote margin of Clinton, far greater than eight Presidents of the United States had in their victories.

Meanwhile, the Republicans, led by Oversight Committee member Jim Jordan of Ohio, will attack Cohen as a liar, but it will fall flat as there is no purpose for Cohen to lie at this point, as his prison term is set. Jordan has his own scandal, involving the wrestling program at Ohio State University, when he was an assistant coach, and sexual abuse was occurring. People engaged in scandals should not defend a massive liar, cheater, racist, and con man as Donald Trump clearly is, and has been all of his life!

Military Invasion Of Venezuela The Wrong Thing For America To Promote

Ronald 2 Comments

The situation in the South American nation of Venezuela is horrendous, with massive starvation and suffering, under a horrible dictator, Nicolas Maduro, and his refusal to allow food and medical aid to come in from next door Colombia.

There is no question but that Maduro must be removed from office, but that is not through US military intervention directly.

The United States has used military force in Central America and the Caribbean on a irregular basis since the time of Theodore Roosevelt, and helped to overthrow the South American Chilean government of Salvador Allende in 1973 during the Richard Nixon Presidency, although in that situation, no US troops were sent in, simply collaboration with military generals.

But the changes in government promoted by the US invariably led to more harsh right wing dictatorships, and have undermined the relationship of the United States with its neighbors in Latin America.

Many foreign nations have withdrawn recognition from the Venezuelan government, and Juan Guaido, the leader of the National Assembly, has been declared the de facto interim President by that body.

Economic pressure and attempts to win over the military are appropriate by all nations which love freedom, but the worst possible action would be to send in military forces, which would incite civil war, and likely make America the villain, and cause a long intervention and the loss of many lives, both Venezuelan and American.

But it seems as if Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, and John Bolton are bent on military action, just as they seem to be moving in that direction regarding Iran.

So we could have two massive wars as the 2020 Presidential and Congressional elections come upon us next year, just as with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and unwise, and unsuccessful military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, which have undermined America, and cost a great amount of treasure, both human and capital.

A Joe Biden-Beto O’Rourke Ticket Might Be The Trick For The Democrats

Ronald 23 Comments

One of the scenarios that is being discussed, regarding the Democratic Party and the Presidential Election of 2020, is that former Vice President Joe Biden and former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke might be the ticket to victory.

Biden remains in the lead in many public opinion polls, and has long been admired and loved by many Americans, including this blogger. Of course, in a career of 44 years in government, some of his initiatives, including a tough crime bill, making it more difficult to declare bankruptcy, and his conduct of the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill Supreme Court hearings, undermine his appeal to many. Also, his tendency to talk too much, and in an embarrassing manner, also is not appealing to many.

On the other hand, his 36 years in the Senate, including chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee has made highly respected by many legal authorities and foreign policy specialists, as well as the leadership of many foreign nations.

Beto O’Rourke ran a very close race in Texas against Senator Ted Cruz, and has a very appealing personality, and has the added edge of looking as if he is related to the former Attorney General and US Senator Robert F. Kennedy, with whom he shares the same first and middle name. Even though he is not a Kennedy, he reminds many of the former Presidential contender who was assassinated in 1968.

However, O’Rourke has some youthful arrests that could dog him, and is seen by many as too moderate a Democrat, although one must realize he is from El Paso, Texas, not exactly a site of overly progressive heritage. Many might say he is a “Blue Dog” Democrat in his six years career in the House of Representatives, now ended.

So for Progressives who like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke seem too moderate and centrist, and it all comes down to whether a Sanders or a Warren could actually carry the nation, and make up for the shortcomings of Hillary Clinton in the Midwest and among white working class voters.

Biden being 78 at the time of the next inauguration is definitely a problem, but O’Rourke would be 48. It all comes down to selection of a running mate who Joe Biden would be compatible with, which in Joe’s case is not a big problem, because he gets along well with most people he has associated with, and has a record of “crossing the aisle” and working with Republicans, many of whom admire and praise him, even if they disagree on the issues.

Two Votes Putting Members Of Congress On Record For Future: The National Emergency Declaration, And The “Green” New Deal

Ronald 7 Comments

In the next two weeks, we will see two votes in Congress, putting Democrats and Republicans on the record for the future on two major issues—The National Emergency Declaration by President Donald Trump regarding the need for a Border Wall with Mexico for national security reasons; and the promotion of a “Green New Deal” to deal with the emergent crisis of climate change.

Both houses of Congress will have to take stand on these issues, and both will have an effect on the 2020 Presidential and Congressional elections coming up in a little more than 20 months.

In a sense, the nation’s long term future will be dependent on these issues, and whether America will slide into a Presidential dictatorship, with unwillingness to confront not only that crisis, but the crisis of environmental disaster in coming decades.

The Beginning Of A Challenge To Donald Trump For Renomination: William Weld And Larry Hogan

Ronald 19 Comments

It seems as if the beginning of a challenge to Donald Trump for renomination by the Republican Party has arrived.

Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld (1991-1997) , also the Libertarian nominee for Vice President in 2016 with Presidential nominee Gary Johnson, has indicated he is planning to challenge Trump. He would be 75 at the time of the inauguration in 2021.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who just won reelection last year by a 12 point margin, has also indicated he plans to compete for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2020. He would be 64 at the time of the next election.

Both are moderate Republicans, seen as centrist and pragmatic, and both won office in heavily Democratic states.

Weld has a distinguished aristocratic background starting with ancestors coming over on the Mayflower with the Pilgrims in 1620. He was a counsel with the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate Impeachment inquiry, and with one of his colleagues being Hillary Rodham, before she married Bill Clinton.

Hogan has the heritage of being the son of a Congressman, with the same name, who, as a member of the House Judiciary Committee in 1974, voted to bring impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon.

Can either of them seriously overcome the advantages of being an incumbent President?

History tells us when incumbent Presidents are challenged for renomination, invariably, the President defeats his opponent, but then loses the election.

So even if Weld or Hogan cannot defeat Trump, hopefully, they can weaken him enough that he will follow in the tradition of William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush, who overcame, respectively, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Ted Kennedy, and Pat Buchanan, and yet lost the second term as President.

Three Democratic Presidents In Past Half Century Promoting Peace And Diplomacy In Foreign Policy

Ronald 11 Comments

The three Democratic President in the past half century—Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama–all promoted peace and diplomacy in foreign policy.

Hopefully, the next Democratic President elected in 2020 will do the same.

Carter promoted the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel; brought about the Panama Canal Treaty; and opened up diplomatic relations with mainland China.

Clinton promoted the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, although later the progress made was reversed with the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Clinton also opened up diplomatic relations with Vietnam. And he also was able to bring about the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, between Catholics and Protestants.

Obama ended involvement in Iraq in 2011, although later sending some troops back to deal with the rise of ISIS (ISIL). He also opened up diplomatic ties with Raul Castro’s Cuba, although lately, the progress made has been derailed by Donald Trump and by incidents involving attack on the hearing of diplomats in Cuba, not only the US, but also Canada. Additionally, the Iran Nuclear Agreement was arranged, with the backing of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, and Russia. Sadly, Donald Trump has backed away from the agreement, and the future is uncertain, including the possibility of war with Iran at some point.

Each of these Presidents had to use military force, as Carter did to try to rescue the hostages in Iran in 1980; Clinton bombing Serbia and Kosovo over murder of Muslims by Christians in the former Yugoslavia; and Obama continuing US intervention in Afghanistan.

But all three Presidents are seen as having the right intention, and did what they could to promote reconciliation and negotiation, rather than military confrontation.

Whoever is the next President needs to revive this tradition.

A further elaboration of this article will be published on HistoryNewsNetwork.org this Sunday, and all of my more than 100 published articles on HNN are listed on the right side of this blog.

Mounting Threat Of Bloodshed And Violence Encouraged By Donald Trump’s Utterances That Critics Are “Enemies Of The People”

Ronald 1 Comment

Donald Trump is clearly encouraging right wing extremists, who are white supremacists, racists, nativists, and antisemites in many cases, to threaten opposition Democratic politicians and the news media.

The news that a Coast Guard employee, who calls himself a skinhead, and has gathered massive arms and ammunition to begin an assault against Democratic politicians and cable news anchors, is shocking. Fortunately, he was arrested in the last few days.

The thought that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and other members of Congress, and cable news anchors including Joe Scarborough and Chris Hayes of MSNBC, and Van Jones and Don Lemon of CNN, were targeted, shows that mentally ill people are capable, with the encouragement of Donald Trump that critics are “enemies of the people”, to commit bloodshed and violence.

For encouragement of such mayhem, alone, Donald Trump should be drummed out of office, as he is demonstrating that he is a dictator with no moral or ethical qualms about grabbing power on the backs of dangerous, unstable people.

Can Bernie Sanders Win The Nomination Of The Democratic Party This Time?

Ronald 41 Comments

With Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders having announced his candidacy for President for the second time, the question arises whether he can win the Democratic nomination and go on to residence in the Oval Office in 2021.

It is clear that this eventuality could indeed happen, but there are many obstacles to success.

Sanders is not a Democrat, but instead an Independent Socialist who allies with the Democrats in the Senate, while going back and forth from the party to Independent status, although now he is again leagued with the party for this upcoming election battle.

Sanders, being Jewish, although not at all devout, might face antisemitic attacks from white supremacists.

The Republican Party is already on the attack against Sanders, and the Democrats, as being the dirty word–“Socialist”–but hopefully it will have little to no effect on the people of America, as so much of what we have in the nation today is related to Socialist programs.

Also, Sanders will be 79 and four months old at the time of the next Presidential inauguration, and is the oldest potential nominee, more than a year older than former Vice President Joe Biden, who is more centrist than Sanders.

Also, Sanders has competition from others seen as being on the far left of the Democratic Party, particularly the case with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is about eight years younger than Sanders, and also from New England.

The New Hampshire primary, which Sanders won in 2016, will be tougher to win with Warren competing, along with many others.

However, in the first 12 hours after his announcement, Sanders raised $4 million, more than twice what California Senator Kamala Harris was able to raise.

Sanders, with his platform of $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and free public college tuition, along with support for aggressive climate change action, will certainly enliven the campaign of 2020, no matter what happens.

Can A Team Of Joe Biden And Sherrod Brown Bring A Democratic Presidential Victory In 2020?

Ronald 17 Comments

We have five women running for President on the Democratic side, along with two African Americans, a gay Mayor, a few Congressmen, and some Governors, a vast mine of talent.

But at the end, it could be that two older men, who have an appeal to working class whites, and the Midwest portion of the nation, might very well be the best combination to win the Presidency and Vice Presidency for the Democrats in 2020.

This author and blogger is not saying others cannot, potentially, win the White House, but there is an argument that picking mainstream progressives, rather than those farther left, are more likely to win over independents, moderates, and some Republicans to the Democratic campaign.

So former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware and Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio might just be the winning ticket.

Both have a record of winning white working class voters, and both have had exceptional political careers, with Joe Biden having 44 years in government, and Brown having 42 years in both state and national office.

Both Biden, who would be 78, and Brown, who would be 68 at the time of the next Presidential inauguration, have winning personalities, and wives who would add their own accomplishments to those of their husbands, as indicated a few days ago in my article on Dr. Jill Biden and Connie Schultz.