NY Times

Donald Trump’s Interference With Elections A Major Crisis!

Ronald 25 Comments

President Donald Trump has promoted interference with elections, creating a major crisis for American democracy.

If this interference is not stopped, the nation is moving toward autocracy and dictatorship.

Already, Trump provoked the US Capitol Insurrection on January 6, 2021, trying to prevent the House and Senate from confirming Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the Presidential Election Of 2020.

This has led to many Republicans refusing to accept that Biden legitimately won the Presidency, and “Election Deniers” abound in Congress and in state elections ever since, undermining the concept of peaceful transfer of government.

Therefore, Trump has promoted gerrymandering of Congressional seats in an attempt to keep the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, and has claimed massive voter fraud. He has also attempted, so far unsuccessfully, to promote legislation that would prevent many eligible voters from their right to vote in elections.

The NY Times has published 12 factors that are alarm bells, including:

Manipulating the Law to Stay in Power
Stifling Speech and Dissent
Persecuting Political Opponents
Bypassing the Legislature
Using the Military At Home
Defying the Courts
Declaring False Emergencies
Vilifying Marginalized Groups
Controlling Information
Trying to Take Over Universities
Creating a Cult Of Personality
Using Power For Personal Profit

On a scale of 1-10, the most advanced threats are:

Using Power For Personal Profit
Vilifying Marginalized Groups
Creating A Cult of Personality
Persecuting Political Opponents
Bypassing the Legislature
Declaring False Emergencies
Stifling Speech And Dissent

These seven categories are 5-7 on the scale of 10.

The other five categories range from 2-4 on the scale of 10, and are rapidly being escalated.

It is urgent and essential that all actions be pursued to stop the threat to American Democracy that is rapidly escalating.

Donald Trump’s Devastating Effects On The Economy

Ronald 5 Comments

President Donald Trump’s economic policies have had a devastating effect in a multitude of ways, as outlined in a NY Times article.

The economy is growing at under a 2 percent rate.

The deficit for the present fiscal year is going up by more than $2 Trillion, and the total national debt level is reaching $40 Trillion.

Tariffs are causing great disarray, and much of the amount collected has been ordered returned to corporations, but meanwhile alienating America’s allies and friends.

Manufacturing employment is declining, despite claims otherwise by the Trump Administration.

Inflation is eating away at the average wages of tens of millions of workers.

Gasoline prices are still above $4 a gallon.

Housing costs are rising, making it impossible for millions of younger Americans to consider purchasing a home, and the interest rates are high.

Health care costs are causing massive harm to tens of millions of Americans, as many who had been on “ObamaCare” no longer can afford it, and Medicaid cuts of massive amounts are on the horizon in 2027.

Donald Trump ran his campaign in 2024 promising a better economy, but the exact opposite has occurred.

New York 12th Congressional District: Can Jack Schlossberg Revive The Kennedy Family History?

Ronald 14 Comments

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 23, the 12th Congressional District of New York State, covering Midtown Manhattan, the Upper West Side, and the upper East Side, and the smallest and most population dense Congressional District in America by area in the United States, will elect a new Democratic member of the House of Representatives. It is among the wealthiest and oldest districts in the nation, and has the most college graduates, and a very large percentage of Jewish voters. All the major television and cable news networks, along with the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal are based there.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler is retiring after serving since 1992, and the fight for the seat, guaranteed to the Democrats, involves four major contenders, with the most attention being paid to Jack Schlossberg, the son of Caroline Kennedy, and the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy.

However, it seems likely that Micah Lasher, endorsed by Nadler, or Alex Bores, who is promoting AI regulation, will win the primary, as polls show the main battle between them, with Schlossberg, with little work or government experience, way behind.

There is also former Republican George Conway, who divorced his wife KellyAnne Conway, over her involvement with Donald Trump after the first year of the first Trump term, who is running as a Democrat, wanting to work to remove Donald Trump, a basically lost cause, but Conway is adding publicity to the race.

In the present circumstances, the Kennedy “Mystique” seems unlikely to be revived, as two Kennedys lost elections in recent years:

Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III (2013-2021) lost US Senate primary to Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts in 2020.

Christopher G. Kennedy lost the 2018 Illinois Democratic Primary for Governor to JD Pritzker.

But when it comes to the Kennedy name, one cannot be sure what the results of the upcoming primary will be.

So Tuesday’s New York State primaries will be fascinating to watch.

Attacks On First Amendment Escalating As Donald Trump Seeks Retribution

Ronald 13 Comments

The Donald Trump attacks on the First Amendment are escalating as retribution is sought against all critics.

Two weeks ago, the day that King Charles reminded America about checks and balances, and need for restriction of executive power, the Trump Administration proceeded to indict for the second time the former head of the FBI, James Comey, claiming wrongfully that Comey had threatened the life of President Trump.

Also, ABC was faced with a federal lawsuit due to the humor and comedy of Jimmy Kimmel, once before literally fired for his commentary on Donald Trump, but restored a week later.

The First Lady, Melania Trump, also condemned Jimmy Kimmel as promoting violence, pure hypocrisy, as it is her husband who is provoking terror and violence through his rhetoric and actions as President.

The growing threat against all in the federal and state governments across America are due to the provocative and divisive language and actions of the President, who cannot tolerate humor or criticism.

And the Trump Administration is pursuing legal action against news media, including even the conservative Wall Street Journal, owned by conservative Rupert Murdoch, as well as the NY Times, and undermining CNN which soon will likely be owned by David Ellison, of Paramount Skydance Media, which already has undermined CBS News since they gained control of that once great media institution.

Additionally, Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, has done great damage to that newspaper, turning it editorially into a right wing direction, while the regular news coverage is still considered reliable.

Trump Threatens Any Republicans Who Support NPR And PBS: Time For Courage, Conscience, And Principle To Resist!

Ronald 13 Comments

Donald Trump is on a rampage to eliminate all media reporting of the horrible truths of his first six months in office.

He is trying to eliminate the free media and press through lawsuits of privately owned media, including most notably CBS and ABC; and to wipe out financial support of two institutions that have been crucial in public information and truth—National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), created during the Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson six decades ago.

Both NPR and PBS are great treasures, who have always had citizens contribute to their well-being, including this author and blogger. But there has also, always, been public tax support of the massive positive impact of both agencies, which is a pittance, when one considers federal expenditures.

Trump’s attempt to destroy NPR and PBS, and to promote censorship of major television and cable news, as well as the best newspapers that keep America free (specifically the NY Times and Washington Post, along with the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal), along with other major print media, needs to be resisted at all costs, as the one way to insure American democracy survives the nightmare of Trump authoritarianism!

It is urgent that Republicans in Congress show some courage, conscience, and principle, and resist threats from Trump to oppose any party member who resists his desire to destroy public media that has done so much good for 60 years!

If they do not, on such a small investment as this, then it is time for the Republican Party of history to be declared dead, and admit we have a Fascist party, with elements of Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco, Juan Peron, and even Adolf Hitler!

Preemptive Pardons Essential To Protect Courageous Leaders!

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There is growing discussion of the concept of “preemptive” pardons being given by President Joe Biden, to a whole group of political figures who helped investigate and bring Donald Trump and others around him to legal accountability, particularly for the January 6 US Capitol Insurrection, but also other illegal activities.

The list could include all members of the January 6 House Committee that investigated the Insurrection, but also others who have been openly critical of Donald Trump over the years, which is legion in numbers.

The fear is that Donald Trump and his FBI nominee Kash Patel want revenge and retribution against political “enemies”, and even those in journalism and the media, which makes for a list that could be massive.

Clearly, not everyone who might be endangered by civil or criminal charges that might be brought by the FBI can be calculated, as to the risk of prosecution.

But beyond the list this author and blogger presented two days ago, there is real concern about such politically courageous figures as:

Liz Cheney
Adam Kinzinger
Adam Schiff
Jamie Raskin
General Mark Milley
Prosecutor Jack Smith

and innumerable Trump Administration employees who broke with Trump.

Even Dr Anthony Fauci, who had such a sterling career since Ronald Reagan onward, has become the target of those lunatics who think that the Pandemic and response to it was mishandled, a disgraceful lie!

And there is danger to the free press, including the NY Times, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, and PBS, among others.

We are entering dark times, brought about by the stupidity, ignorance, and self-centeredness of so many Americans, including people I know personally, who only care about “Me, Myself and I”, and not the nation at large.

At this rate, our American democracy, rule of law, and enforcement of the Constitution is in dire straits!

Donald Trump’s Insane Tariff Policy: An Economic Disaster If Ever Enacted!

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Donald Trump is proposing massive tariffs on foreign nations and their goods, particularly China, without realizing such a policy is a true economic disaster!

History tells us high protective tariffs, as for instance under President Herbert Hoover nearly a century ago, with the Smoot Hawley Tariff of 1930, helped make an economic downturn escalate into a full scale Great Depression!

Back then, hundreds of economists took out an ad in the NY TIMES, pleading with Hoover to veto such action, but he paid no attention, and it caused his demise to Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Presidential Election Of 1932.

What Trump clearly does not understand is that it is middle class and working class Americans who will suffer the most, as prices of all kinds of imported goods will rise 20 percent or more, adding massively to the cost of living.

Trump is ignorant on economics, along with many other areas of knowledge and policy, and were he elected and able to accomplish his crazy economic ideas, it could lead to another Great Depression!

So the Presidential Election of 2024 is crucial on economic policy, as it is on so many other issues!

Pulitzer Prize Board Upholds Awards Of 2018 To NY Times, Washington Post, On Trump-Russian Collusion In 2016 Presidential Election!

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The NY Times and Washington Post, the two “national” newspapers, have received the most Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism in American history–with the NY Times winning 132 and the Washington Post 65.

In 2018, both newspapers won the Pulitzer Prize once again, for their reporting of the Donald Trump Presidential campaign in 2016 colluding with the Russians and Vladimir Putin to help defeat Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump was and remains outraged by such accusations, although a Senate Republican committee in 2019 reaffirmed the truth about that election, that Trump’s narrow victory in three states was fixed!

But now, the Pulitzer Prize Foundation has upheld the correctness of the awards given four years ago, a reaffirmation of freedom of the press and promotion of the truth!

Principled Conservatives Who Oppose Trump: Ben Sasse, Evan McMullin, Bill Kristol, Peggy Noonan, David Frum, George Will, David Brooks

Ronald 8 Comments

Only two weeks and three days into the Trump Presidency, and many principled conservatives are clearly opposing Donald Trump, and speaking out against him.

This includes Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska; independent 2016 Presidential candidate Evan McMullin; Weekly Standard Publisher and Editor Bill Kristol; former Reagan speechwriter and columnist Peggy Noonan; former Bush II speechwriter and columnist David Frum; conservative columnist George Will; and NY Times columnist David Brooks.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, as these and others in the conservative movement and in the Republican Party in and out of Congress are horrified by his unconstitutional actions and rhetoric, and signs of a growing Fascism directed by White House aides Stephen Bannon, Stephen Miller, and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

There are hints that people working in the White House and in the Cabinet agencies are uneasy and disturbed, and it is possible we might have some prominent figures announce their split with their boss and his dangerous extremists who are taking charge and putting the nation in danger as a result, both in domestic and foreign policy.

With the immigration travel ban being contested now in the federal courts, we may be on the way to a quick movement to force Trump out of office for violating his Constitutional oath of office.

The nation and the world are standing by in trepidation as to how much damage Trump has wrought and will continue to do so.

40th Anniversary Of Pentagon Papers!

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Yesterday marked the 40th Anniversary of the release of the Pentagon Papers, secret documents stolen by Daniel Ellsberg, and released to the NY Times and Washington Post.

The administration of Richard Nixon tried to stop the release, but lost in the Supreme Court, and this enraged Nixon, and started him down the road of illegality, leading to the Watergate scandal a year later.

Ellsberg, still alive and kicking, remains a symbol for those who believe that Vietnam was an illegal war, wrongly prosecuted, and it started to turn the country against the war on a larger scale than ever before.

The revelation of government manipulation and deceit under various administrations also had the deleterious effect of undermining faith in our government, a cynicism which remains prevalent today!