The Judgment Free Trump Zone

A Gold Star father, Khizr Khan delivered what is considered to be the most effective and moving speech at the Democratic convention. With his grieving wife standing silently but resolutely at his side this Muslim gentlemen, Mr. Khan described the sacrifice his patriotic son Captain Humayun Khan made for this country. Mr. Khizr Khan went on to say that if Donald Trump had his way the Khan family would not be in America and Captain Khan would not have been in Iraq to give up his life to save the lives of his men. Mr. Khan said that Mr. Trump should “read the Constitution” and should go to “Arlington National Cemetery” to see the racial, ethnic, and religious diversity of the brave people who have sacrificed everything for this country. You, Mr. Trump “have sacrificed nothing,” Mr. Khan said.

I bring this up because today on the Joy Reid show Trump surrogate Steve Cortes was stupid enough to say that Trump had every right to defend himself against the attack Mr. Khan launched at him. All I can say is that while Mr. Trump has the right to do it, he obviously lacks the good judgment, decency, and common (and/or political) sense not to do it.

Mr. Trump simply could not resist responding to Mr. Khan's criticisms and further disparaging the Muslim faith and Mrs. Khan while doing so. "If you look at his wife,” Trump said. “she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me." Mr. Trump's not so subtle implication being that the Muslim faith severely suppresses women and that Mrs. Ghuzala Khan is like a potted plant. Trump also insisted that he has made plenty of sacrifices for this country. When George Stephanopoulos asked Trump to name some of those sacrifices Trump said he “worked very, very hard,” created “tens of thousands of jobs,” and “built great structures.”

In the Trumposphere, sitting somewhere above the earth like the Van Allen belt, whatever Trump does is greater than what anyone else does or can do; so it is only natural for Trump to think that his hard work was a greater sacrifice than a soldier can make by giving up his life for his country, and certainly greater than the sacrifice made by parents who suffer from the heart wrenching loss of a son or daughter who died for this country. As for Steve Cortes, let me say that I do not think he can help himself because the Trumposphere in which Mr. Cortes has chosen to live is a judgment free, fact free zone, separate and apart from any human rationality or the real world.

Here is a precious right for Mr. Steve Cortes. You have the right to hale Trump and (regardless of what the sanctimonious Mike Pence will tell you) we have the right to give Trump the finger. Which one people choose to do will depend on whether they want a country ruled by “we the people” or “he the people.” My advice to we the people is to give Mr. Trump the finger figuratively in the voting booth by casting your ballet for Hillary Clinton!

A Blast From The Past And Madam President

Hey guys1 If you're feeling pinched it's probably because your dressing on the wrong side. Why not a female President? Your momma led you into the future didn't she?

The Democratic convention was a blast from the past and the promise of a better future. It was an old fashion political circus of blatant, some would even say corny displays of patriotism, of musical acts, and of soaring oratory accompanied by loud cheers and at least a bit of booing. The roll call vote hearkened back to a time when the nominee was selected at the convention rather than during the primary elections and local caucuses. Each state, all of which are the “great state” of           , told me why I am missing out by not living there. This roll call boasting was a display of provincialism on a national stage. But it was boosterism rather than a closed or suspicious provincialism. Which is to say it was an invitation to join the good people living in those states or pay them a visit on what they believe to be God's own piece of earth.

That is the Norman Rockwell view of the convention. The other part is Political. The political part is always emotional, often issue driven, and far too messy from an establishment prospective. The Bernie of bust crowd added the edgy dissension the Democratic Party is so famous for having. Since the great depression the Democratic Party has had the larger tent, and since the civil rights act it has been the party that takes on the more difficult issues. There is always a lot of shouting at Democratic conventions, usually some farting which each side blames on the other side, and occasionally threats to walk out with a pox on your house curse as a parting shot. Usually there are compromises which please no one but cause everyone to rally round in opposition to the common foe. This time the Bernie and Hillary people came together to create a party platform that is more progressive than anyone expected. Hillary also agreed to procedures Bernie wanted, including the delightful roll call vote. Furthermore, in her acceptance speech, Hillary Clinton stated her commitment to the progressive planks in the Democratic Party Platform! I believe her because it is unlikely that she committed to those planks out of weakness. It took way too much grit and determination for her to become the first women nominated to be President by a major political party; this woman is anything but weak.

I know the precedent of nominating Hillary will overshadow everything else, but this ground breaking convention was also a celebration of our great country and its better political traditions. From this convention arose the promise of a Democratic Party that has reclaimed its New Dealer soul and renewed the commitment Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt made to the working people of this great nation. Hillary Clinton's message and appeal are uplifting and resolute. As Franklin Roosevelt said during a much tougher time: “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” On behalf of the Democratic Party Hillary invites everyone to work with us to build a better future! I am sure she will agree with me when I say that together we are greater than ever!

The only thing I can say about those other guys, the Greedy Old Plutocrats, is that there is no comparison! What the Republicans displayed at their convention is not something anyone who loves this country would wish on it!

The DNC Emails

The drama casters, the pants wetters, and the delusional right wingers have it all wrong. The leaked DNC emails did not reveal anything the supporters of Bernie Sanders did not already know! Believe me, the Bernie delegates at the convention were looking forward to booing Debbie Wasserman Schultz long before the contents of the emails became public. In fact the disclosure of the DNC bias against Bernie simply made the Hillary people acknowledge that the bias existed, and in doing so it gave them the leverage they needed to convince Wasserman Schultz to stay away from the convention! The self deluding reactionaries are welcome to their wet dreams about an unbridgeable divide in the Democratic Party, but that is not the reality of this election. The polls show that 90% of the people supporting Bernie Sanders will vote for Hillary Clinton, and that is the reality.

There is, however, a strong caveat for Hillary Clinton. As Sarah Silverman said the “Bernie or Bust” people are being ridiculous, but the fears they express are not unfounded. It is far too likely that Hillary Clinton will use some minor cosmetic change of the TPP agreement as an excuse to support it! There is also a likelihood that her loyalty to the financial interests that have been supporting her for decades will prevent her from fighting for the reforms set forth in the party platform. If Hillary Clinton goes back on her word and supports bad trade agreements such as TPP or she does not fight to implement the reforms set forth in the party platform the first female President of this country will also become the most divisive and unpopular President since LBJ! The political revolution is for real folks! The Berners will vote to vanquish the greater of two evils, but they will not passively settle for the lesser of two evils. They will fight for a congress that will advance their agenda even in the face of Hillary Clinton's objections if she is foolish enough to object.

From my experiences on Daily Kos I can tell you that Hillary's supporters (regardless of gender) now have their panties in a bunch over what I just wrote. My advice to them is to get real! The fact that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are so popular and Donald Trump is politically viable should tell Hillary and her supporters that the angry people in this county are rapidly becoming the majority. Being a moderate is not an option today. Moderation in the face of fanatical demagoguery is far too passive. The middle ground today is where our cities have been destroyed by bad trade agreements and trickle down economics. At the risk of being overly dramatic I should say that the middle ground has become the darkened earth where the dreams of the working class have been crushed under the jack boots of the oligarchy's thugs. A resurgent left comprised of old liberals and eager millennials has now emerged to defend the hopes and aspirations of people who still believe in the promise of this great country. What the left wants and this country desperately needs is another Franklin Roosevelt!

Hillary Clinton has the skill and the knowledge to be the leader we need. The question is whether she has the wisdom and the will to be that leader. We will vote for her warily but hopefully!

Just Asking

Under the heading of you asked for it is Ted Cruz' non endorsement, vote your conscience convention speech. This is just another example of the fact that Ted, the Canadian Texas Turd, Cruz does what turds do; he stinks and grows harmful bacteria. Even factually challenged Republicans know that. Hell, Trump even read the speech before Cruz was allowed to deliver it! So now comes the question all pundits and political pants wetters are asking:

“Why did Donald Trump and the RNC plop the Canadian Texas Turd on the stage last night knowing he would stink up what was supposed to be a coming out party for Mike Pence?”

Could it be because it was good theater?  I don't know, but thanks for the comic relief guys!  I just hope the voters realize that the greater joke will be on them if they vote for the clown prince Trump and/or his supporting cast of corporate lackeys. 

Day One: The Trumped-up Extraviganza

Cue the circus music, and gather the boys and girls. Trump's clown extravaganza promises chills and shills and eventually nostrums.

“So Start Da Music! Let the show begin!”

And so it began - almost. The first rule of planning is that nothing goes exactly according to plan. So the tent was raised and the audience had gathered, but there were a few procedural matters that had to be attended to before the show could begin. The procedural matters began with a scavenger hunt for the secretary of the convention or an appropriate surrogate who had the authority to accept on the secretary's behalf the petitions signed by the delegates of the nine states that were demanding a roll call vote on whether to adopt the proposed rules of the convention. As the hunt was being conducted what Ken Cuccinelli described as RNC brown shirts were browbeating, intimidating and otherwise coercing the signers of that petition into recanting their signatures.

Eventually the Chairman of the convention said that the petitions lacked the number of states required to compel a roll call vote. And with that the chairman held the voice vote. “The Ayes have it,” he ruled, “and without objection” the motion to adopt the rules is passed. He said this as hundreds of people were chanting “Roll Call Vote!” in protest and others were yelling into microphones that had been shut off so the chairman could ignore the “point of order” objections. Welcome to the new RNC world order of Trump. Just ignore what you saw and heard folks because the motion was passed and the rules were adopted without objection; the honorable chairman said so and so it was ruled!

And where was RNC Chairman Reince Priebus during this charade? He was off doing the political duck and cover he has developed into an art form since it became obvious that Trump was going to be the nominee. In the spirit of bipartisanship, however, he might teach his moves to Debbi Wasserman-Schultz if she asks him pretty please.

Anyhow, after the last vestiges of protest finally ended for the day, the substantive (aka Trumped up) part of the convention began. The program promised to show the boys and girls just how scary clowns can be, particularly fascist clowns who build their entire acts around stirring up the fear and loathing of their audiences. So the clowns set about blaming Hillary Clinton for all the evil in the world, except for the holocaust -- but only because even factually challenged Republicans have to admit that she is too young to have participated in the holocaust or the Russian Revolution. I know that is disappointing but the Republicans have an alternative. In spite of all the independent investigations and hearings that exonerate Hillary Clinton, the Republican fiction writers have developed a horror story about a real historical tragedy and they trotted out the mother of one of the victims of the attack at Benghazi to help ascribe blame for the tragedy to Hillary Clinton and infer what kind of evil Hillary is capable of committing.

Only an inference I say, but the Greedy Old Plutocrats beg to differ with me. It is evidence the Republicans say. And after exploiting the grief of this poor lady who lost her son at Benghazi, the Republicans put on more speakers who made the unsubstantiated charges against Hillary Clinton more explicit. Not the least disgruntled of those speakers was Rudy Giuliani who is still lashing out over the embarrassment he suffered in 2008 when he left his ass prints in Florida on the road to the white house. The rest of the speakers bearing false witness against Hillary Clinton are so dismal and insignificant that I did not watch them and will not write about them. Come on folks: Joni (cut off everything productive) Ernst and Tom (“Dear Ayatollah”) Cotton(mouth). It would take a microscope to find any brains in that brain trust!

The highlight and the only seemingly positive part of the program was the speech by Melonia Trump. This very attractive lady delivered it with poise and charm. Needless to say that the audience received her speech with the same enthusiasm that Democrats received it when Michelle Obama delivered it at their convention in 2008. Regardless of the fact that Melania told Lester Holt she had written the speech with very little help everyone seems willing to give her a pass on the plagiarism. Presidential candidates have professional speech writers and the speakers customarily take credit for the speeches those professionals write. Does that mean that Melonia is as much of a victim as the grieving lady who was used as a tool in the villainization of Hillary Clinton? I will leave it to you to answer that question, but stay tuned in.

Should Notorious RBG Apologize?

Donald Trump is demanding that Ruth Bader Ginsburg apologize to him and resign from the Supreme Court for making derogatory comments about him. I think she should apologize to Trump when former Supreme Court Injustice Antonin Scalia apologizes to President Obama. There is already a vacancy on the Supreme Court because the intransigent Republicans put the interests of their party ahead of the interests and traditions of this country. Could there be a better indication of what is at stake in this election? Now the fascist Trump wants to create two vacancies he can fill if the country is insane enough to elect him!

Picking The Bloody Nose

Please pardon the unappealing title, but it is indicative of the unappealing myopia (not optics) of the Republicans conducting the so called investigations and hearings in the House of Representatives. When the Republicans took over the House of Representatives Grand Inquisitor Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight And Government Reform Committee, promised myriad investigations of the Obama administration and promptly disgraced himself even to the point of admitting that his investigations were nothing more than political theater. His misconduct in regard to withholding exculpatory evidence and misrepresenting evidence was so apparent that the Republicans had to replace him as chairman of the Select Committee On Benghazi. His successor on that Select Committee, Mr. Gowdy then presided over an inept eleven hour grilling of Hillary Clinton regarding Benghazi and her private e-mail server. Hillary got much the better of that hearing and in doing so revealed that Congressman Gowdy, like Grand Inquisitor Issa, was engaged in a witch hunt.

The bloody nose the Republicans received from all the bogus investigations, including Benghazi, did not deter them. Their great hope shifted away from their own witch hunts to the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of her private email server. James Comey the Director of the FBI is a life long Republican with a sterling reputation for integrity and independence. This would seem to make Mr. Comey unassailable, but the Republicans tried to have it both ways by praising him while accusing the Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the Clintons, and President Obama of tainting the investigation. Those accusations became more shrill after a chance meeting between Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch on the tarmac of an airport. Ms. Lynch answered the Republican accusations about her tampering with the investigation by asserting the independent nature of the investigation and by saying that she would abide by whatever Mr. Comey recommends.

On July 6, FBI Director Comey took the unprecedented step of holding a press conference to reveal and explain his recommendations. In that conference Mr. Comey said Hillary Clinton was extremely careless in regard to handling confidential material, but that she did not intentionally violate of any laws. He added that without any criminal intent on her part no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges against her. Mr. Comey's scathing criticism of Hillary Clinton's use of her private email server would have given the Republicans more than enough ammunition to use against her, but as usual they wanted much more than a good campaign issue. What the Republicans wanted and still want is a criminal indictment that will destroy Hillary Clinton politically! So on July 7, they hastily held a hearing in which to grill FBI Director Comey, who they were now castigating for not recommending that charges be brought against Hillary Clinton. When it comes to bad political theater one would have to go back to the eleven hour grilling of Hillary Clinton to find anything as bad as this grilling of Director Comey. It was as gross as picking the bloody nose.

Most of the Republicans seemed intent on arguing about what they think the law is or should be rather than what the law actually is, and they were so unprepared that they repeated ad nauseam questions already asked and answered. The Republicans that are attorneys turned their attention to the Espionage Act which does not require a willful or intentional violation in order to establish criminal negligence. The problem for those Republicans wanting to charge Hillary for gross negligence, however, is that there is no recent precedent for bringing that charge and there are some legitimate questions about the constitutionality of the negligence provisions of the act.

None of that mattered to Jason Chaffetz (R. Utah) who saw another way to get Hillary Clinton. Mr. Comey said that out of the 30,000 plus emails reviewed by the FBI around 100 of them contained classified material. So Congressman Chaffetz concluded that Hillary Clinton lied to the public and to congress when she said the emails did not contain classified material. Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha! Mr. Chaffetz could hardly contain his glee. Perjury charges are better than negligence charges, and they do not require the Republicans to explain why they were not upset when it was revealed that Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice also used their personal email accounts for official business. Mr Chaffetz cheerfully said he will request that the FBI investigate whether Hillary Clinton committed perjury when she testified at the Congressional hearing on Benghazi. But I am sure it did not occur to Mr. Chaffetz that perjury also requires intent, merely showing that testimony is inaccurate is not enough!

Proving that Hillary intentionally lied will not be an easy thing to do. As Representative Cummings pointed out: of the 30,000 plus emails only 100 or so contained any confidential material, and of those one hundred emails only 3 had any marking or designation that would indicate they contained classified material. Furthermore none of the documents had a conspicuous Classified header as required by the manual; instead those 3 emails had “[c]” to designate paragraphs that contained classified material, and it has been determined that even those classified designations were unwarranted. The question therefore will revolve around whether Hillary knowingly made references in her emails to documents she knew were classified or subjects she knew were classified.

At any rate this determination to prosecute Hillary Clinton for something, anything is a certain indication of an inquisition in the most pejorative sense of the term. It is the desperate gasp of a political party that gave us the crash of 2008 and has failed utterly to govern this country even when that party had control of both houses of congress. It is the fear mongering of a party that has to depend on fear and loathing because it is knowingly nominating a Presidential candidate who is even more flawed than Herbert Hoover and George W. Bush! In short, the allegations against Hillary Clinton carry with them the unmistakable odor of desperation and moral decay!

GOP Veep Takes

Here is my take on the names that supposedly appear on the Trumpster's list of prospective Vice Presidential candidates:

Chris Christie – may fawn his way to the nomination, but getting to the office will require him to cross one congested bridge too far. Seriously, Christie is a bastard file that only adds to Trump's abrasive image, and I don't think we can expect an attractive portrait of Christie to be drawn at the bridgegate trials set to begin in September!

Mike Pence – From his anti-choice views to guy rights, Mike Pence could not be more reactionary or wrong about every social issue, and his economic record is dismal. Religious fanatics will love him for what they think are his God given (inflicted) values, but everyone else will view him as Corporate crap or just another piece of dinosaur coprolite.

Newt Gingrich – Seriously? I think my brother, Randy Smiley said it best in 2012 when he wrote:

“Gingrich? Isn't this the guy that said; 'Anyone who quotes me or shows that clip of what I said is a liar.' I have to admit that sometime[s] Gingrich is as quotable as Dan Quail. But [do] you really want the DISGRACED RESIGNED SPEAKER as PRESIDENT?”

There is also something about the impeachment of Bill Clinton and shutting down the government that makes the baggage Newt Gingrich carries smell like a colostomy bag.