Trump Is the Least of Our Problems: Let's Ditch Moscow Mitch!

Donald Trump is a rude, stupid person who is NOT a stable genius. He insults people of all types and he has even accused a TV personality of murder. He has absolutely no understanding of the Constitution. But he is not the real danger to our Republic. It is the top Republican, #MoscowMitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader since 2015.

Before he even became Senate Majority Leader, McConnell obstructed Democratic efforts at healthcare and bipartisan banking reform. It was less than a year after he took that position that he blocked President Obama from naming Merrit Garland to the Supreme Court. He claimed this was based on the so-called "Biden Rule," blaming it on Democrats, but in fact the scenario he painted based on some past remarks that Biden had made was false. He has laughed when asked if he would support Trump picking a third Supreme Court Justice during this election year and said, "In a minute." And during President Obama's tenure, Mitch made sure that Obama was filibustered by Republicans more times than all the other presidents of the preceding 100 years added together.

Mitch would not even listen to evidence gathered by the predominantly Democratic Congress about why Trump should be impeached. He announced before the trial that he would coordinate with Trump's lawyers. To #MoscowMitch, it was just fine with him if Trump tried to blackmail the president of the Ukraine. Keep in mind, Trump was not trying to blackmail his Ukrainian counterpart for any reason other than his own personal gain, for his reelection to the presidency. But Mitch turned a blind eye to it.

In 2019 he whispered in Trump's ear to lift some of the Russian sanctions--which led to Russian investments totaling $200 million in a metal production plant located in Kentucky, Mitch's home state. He has retained his good standing with the NRA, encouraging Trump to wrongly accuse Democrats of wanting to overturn the Second Amendment, and has received $1.2 million from the NRA.

Since McConnell became SML and stands behind Trump's right elbow, the most conservative justices ever have been appointed - about 200 across the land. Tax cuts in 2018 largely benefited the wealthy and make no mistake about it, McConnell is worth about $22.5 million. He takes great pride in being called the Grim Reaper since he has vowed that no Democratic-supported legislation will reach Trump's desk. This in itself is a travesty of justice since his job as SML is to pass the legislation on to the president; it is then up to the president to either sign it or veto it. It is NOT Mitch's job to keep it from his desk.

So when we vote in November, besides supporting Smokin' Joe Biden, we must also support Amy McGrath, who is running against McConnell in Kentucky. It's time to send the Grim Reaper to his political graveyard.

Yes, it's true that Trump may be Putin's puppet; but don't overlook the fact that #MoscowMitch is the one right in the middle of the USA who has his hands firmly on the strings of Trump's decisions.

The Flag: Long May It Wave

The president cannot tell people they must stand when the national anthem is played. He claims that kneeling disrespects the flag.

There was a 1989 Supreme Court decision resulting from a Texan man who burned a flag. The Court decided that burning the flag brought harm to nobody and it allowed him to express his opinion, his First Amendment rights.One of the justices wrote, the burned flag becomes no less symbolic of our nation, because its tatters and burns show that the greatness it represents has not been destroyed. (Let me say that I personally would not burn a flag.)

I remembered this several years ago when Colin Kaepernick's kneeling during the anthem became publicized. It is his right to protest peacefully. In fact what he has protested is not our sovereign independent country but the racism flagrantly demonstrated by our various police forces.

In reviewing its stance regarding the flag, the Supreme Court justices have stated "A principal function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute". And also, "A state may not criminally punish a person for uttering words critical of the flag"

In fact, Conservative Reagan-appointed Justice Antonin Scalia in 2012 stated on CNN, "By punishing a person for disrespecting the flag, we dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents.." He explained that a person cannot be convicted for burning a flag or for uttering words against it: “If I were king, I would not allow …burning the American flag. However, …[our] First Amendment says that the right of free speech shall not be abridged.”

Last I'll say don't let the president's twisting of the situation carry your emotions. He says that failing to stand at the anthem is disrespect of our military, which has nothing to do with Kaepernick's identified purpose to spotlight the previously stated racism of the police forces.

The Running Man: Why Donald Shouldn't Run

Here's something I wrote four years ago about why I supporte Hillary--and why I didn't want Trump for President:

I grew up with parents who often canceled out each other’s votes at the polls on election day. One would vote one way, one the other. Dad was an Italian Catholic, and Mummy was a WASP. Their respective parents fervently opposed the other family's cultural differences, and my dad’s mother hated the fact that my mother did not seem very submissive to her. My grandmother actually chased my mother down Forbes Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh waving an umbrella.

But their differences afforded me the knowledge as I grew up that it was okay to hold an opinion different than those held by other family members. So why does this Trump-Clinton contest bother me so much?

My opinion rides alongside the remarks by Khizr Khan on the last night of the Democratic Convention, followed up by an interview on MSNBC on the subsequent night. As I grew to adulthood, it was accepted that after the election, the winner became everyone’s president, even when he was a Republican. As an adult, I became less reluctant to support Conservatives, but I threw my personal best wishes and support behind those who were elected such as Ronald Reagan (Ronny Ray-Gun as I loved to call him), George H.W. Bush, and, later, George W. Bush. Of course I was much happier when Clinton or Obama won, but I always respected the office of the presidency.

In recent years, I have hated the divisiveness of people like Rush Limbaugh, who openly wished that Bill Clinton would fail as a president and perpetuated the myth that Obama was not an American-born president.

Then Khizr Khan talked about the death of his son, who grew up in America, joined the Army, served beyond his discharge date, and was killed by a suicide bomber while he was protecting others. Khan gave a very emotional speech at the Democratic convention, speaking out against Donald Trump, and asking Trump if he has read the American Constitution, and holding out his copy for Trump to borrow if not. Khan’s grief-stricken wife stood stoically alongside him.

On MSNBC the following night, Khan said he had given only half of his speech. The other half of his speech was aimed at Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, the respective Republican House and Senate leaders, and I got the impression that Khan’s real loyalties lie with the Republican party. However, Khan said, McConnell and Ryan have failed to repudiate Trump as the leader of the Republican party and so for this reason he will vote for Hillary Clinton.

I respect Khan for verbalizing his position. Trump must not be elected. I would feel much better about the current political contest if we had someone qualified to oppose Hillary Clinton such as Jeb Bush or John Kasich. Trump’s candidacy rings with discord for someone who has no experience whatsoever in the rendering of public service and who assigns brutal nicknames to all his opponents. He makes fun of women, persons with disabilities, foreign-born Americans, Jews, Muslims, war prisoners, and others.

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is accused by her Republican opponents of killing people in Benghazi—but she was cleared after eight interviews in front of the Republican Congress. She was accused of illegally handling her emails while she was secretary of state—but the totally nonpartisan FBI director refused to indict her after investigating. Although he stated she had been extremely careless, that carelessness did not amount to an indictable offense. And Hillary Clinton also has forty years of experience rendering services to the public.

And so as the Republican party has disassembled slowly but surely over the last four years, split by the Tea Partiers opposing the traditional conservatives, their turmoil has given rise to the candidacy of Donald Trump, reality TV show star. It’s like watching Richard Dawson persecuting Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 movie, The Running Man. It’s antithetical to everything I know about what’s right and what’s wrong.

If Donald Trump is elected, I just don’t think I can accept him as the president who governs us all. I worry about someone who can be baited with a Tweet, as Clinton said, being in charge of the nuclear codes. So, even if you don’t care for Hillary Clinton, or if you don’t remember that her husband Bill Clinton brought more income into American middle-class households and presented Congress with a balanced budget—and left office with a surplus—at least consider the fact that Trump is not the best choice to lead our country over the next four years.

This is not a contest between a valid Democratic candidate and a valid Republican candidate. Trump’s candidacy is a symptom of the unease underlying a large segment of our national culture. His point of view chiefly represents the hopes of the largely uneducated white males who feel that everyone else has been put ahead of them. Those people do not bother to read about trade, domestic and foreign policy, and other issues. They do not care that Trump proposes no workable ideas for foreign policy, the environment, education, the budget, or other chief areas. Please read more about both candidates and give the issues much thought before you cast your vote for this comical reality TV star in November.   

Beware - Conservative Judges Will Render Decisions for Years

Besides canceling legislation enacted by Democrats, such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts plus other EPA stuff, the Big Orange Cheetoh has been appointing a steady stream of conservative judges--today was the 199th. So even though we'll sweep the White House and the Senate in November, we'll still be fighting conservative justices for many years to come. That's why Moscow Mitch has buried all the House-passed legislation. He's too busy processing a steady stream of judicial candidates all handpicked by the right-wing Federalist Society.

In the meantime while #45 ignores the potential spread of virus at his rallies and keeps the CDC silenced, we have to keep working together to keep virus levels down. We have to do it!