Just wait - Trump Will Skate

You just wait;
He’s gonna skate.

And there’s the extent of my poetic skills. Twenty four hours ago, at this writing, I hoped that there would be justice, poetic or otherwise, but I knew in my mind, my heart, my soul that this would blow over. Twenty four hours ago the ruckus over Trump’s Helsinki press conference was universal. Even some Republicans were holding Trump up as a cross between Aaron Burr, Benedict Arnold and John Walker. All except in Russia where they were probably having free caviar and vodka day in celebration of an American president giving Vladimir Putin a public blow job.

There were cries of treason, incompetence, impeachment and the 25th Amendment. Trump certainly couldn’t survive that inglorious press conference in which a sitting American President looked for all the world, and to all the world, like a bootlicking little sissy compared to the domineering KGB officer.

It started with John McCain, “Today’s press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory, The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake.”

Ryan Costello, R-Pa. “I haven’t seen anything that was so weak and so pathetic as that press conference.”

Even Paul Ryan, seemed to temporarily locate one of his longtime missing balls, “Vladimir Putin does not share our interests. Vladimir Putin does not share our values.They did interfere in our elections. It’s really clear. There should be no doubt about that.” He made this statement at his weekly presser which could more accurately described as his weakly presser.

Social media was blowing up with outrage. This was surely the end of the Trump presidency. The deafening sound of crickets was coming out of Air Force One and later the White House. Would Trump even dare to show his face ever again? I suggested to my wife that this was so bad that Mike Pompeo should just leave a loaded revolver on Trump’s desk and let him do the honorable thing and go out like those disgraced Russian officers in the movies.  How could he possibly survive this? How could he survive Arnold the “governator” calling Trump a “wet noodle.” Oh, how indeed.

First of all the condemnation wasn’t at all universal. Some Republicans seemed to have been watching something completely different from what the rest of the world was watching with mouths agape.

Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.), “I thought he did a good job.”

Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), “The good news is there was a summit.”

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), called it “perfect.”

Second and most importantly, I’ve seen this movie before. It’s like those Westerns in which the bad guys terrorize (choose one), a sodbuster, a sheep rancher, the weakling who struck a vein of gold, a rich widow or a town full of cowardly men. It’s the same basic plot with slightly different characters and circumstances but these movies all come out the same. So, yeah I’ve seen this plot before, in the form of, “they’re (Mexicans) bringing drugs,” “blood coming out of her (Megyn Kelly) whatever,” “grab em by the pussy,” and Charleston’s “very fine” Nazis. Outrage, demonstrations, he’s plumbed the absolute depths and he can’t last after this.  And yet – he does; last that is. Why should this potboiler end any differently?

I went to bed hoping that everyone but the die hard sycophants and snake oil addicts would say we’ve reached bottom and figure there’s only one way to go but up. That’s what Chris Cuomo said. “We’ve reached bottom.” But I knew in a gut that was boiling with anger and outrage that this probably isn’t the bottom and even if it is bedrock bottom, Trump will somehow escape demise to wreak havoc and terror again, just like that guy with the hockey mask in that series of slasher movies.

And so Trump said with a grin;

Wiping Putin’s cum from his chin,

“Let’s do damage control.”

I guess after a few suggestions were floated around someone came up with the “my dog ate my homework,” countermeasure. Hell if it’s good enough for a 10 year old kid it must be good enough for the President of the United States. Right?

And so 28 hours after the train wreck, Trump came out of hiding and explained it all away saying that he misspoke in one of his answers.

The question?

“Just now President Putin denied having anything to do with the election interference in 2016. Every US intelligence agency has concluded that Russia did. My first question for you, sir, is who do you believe? My second question is would you now with the whole world watching tell President Putin — would you denounce what happened in 2016 and would you warn him to never do it again?”

And then came the answer that had Republicans from sea to shining sea putting their heads between their knees to stave off those panic attacks. “I have President Putin. He just said it’s not Russia. I will say this. I don’t see any reason why it would be.”

So Trump claimed that he just missed the contraction wouldn’t and said would instead. He didn’t mention all the other instances in which he tossed America under the bus. To add insult to injury he read his statement and looked so strained and unconvincing that a commentator likened it to a hostage’s forced statement. CNN’s Erin Burnett asked what should be a reasonable question, “How stupid does he think we are?”  But these aren’t reasonable times.

Erin, he was elected President of the United States so let me turn the question to you, “How fucking stupid do you think we are?”  And we’re not getting much smarter. When I heard Trump’s lame excuse I had no doubt that the GOP was reveling in that immense sense of relief that you feel after you’ve dropped off your date and you can finally let out that massive fart that’s been percolating in your belly for 2 hours. Yeah, Trump farted and it’s all good now.

And so the Republicans got a hall pass. They’ve been spared that bothersome scavenger hunt for their backbones.

One of the first up was that annoying little poodle dog Marco Rubio who yipped, “I’m just glad he clarified it. I can’t read his intentions or what he meant to say at the time. suffice it to say that for me as a policy maker, what really matters is what we do moving forward.”

Bob Portman of Ohio, “I take him at his word if he said he misspoke, absolutely.” How stupid are we Erin Burnett? Well this clown takes Donald J. Trump at his word!.

I listened to a Trump sycophant named Michael Caputo on CNN swallow Trump’s would/wouldn’t bait, hook, line and sinker, while swiping at the media for hitting the President with a “gotcha” question. Yeah it was a real brain twister, even for a stable genius.

Today there were calls for Congressional investigations, a bill to force Trump to release his tax returns and a push to question the translator who was in the meeting with Trump and Putin. And I’m sure all of that’s going to happen – on the 35th of Octember. Shit’s not going to happen. The Republicans are going to say that we need to put this misstep behind us and come together as a nation. Hey Erin, “How stupid?”

Over 80% of Republicans think Trump is doing just fine thank you and so the Republicans in the House and Senate continue to shake in their oxfords, keep their morals and their love of country in deep freeze and do the bidding of Donald J. Trump even with the full knowledge that when the history of this era is written they will be among the damned.

Yesterday as the drama was unfolding and America was being sold down the river by a charlatan, I hinted on Facebook that this would blow over. A friend responded, “I do not think it will, my friend. Many Repubs. are calling him out. And who will believe him when he blames Obama for mess he created?”

I would love for this to be the beginning of Trump’s end, but while I wish for a good ending I don’t get my hopes up anymore. I’m like the Cleveland Browns fan who yearns for a Super Bowl and watches with hope all the while knowing that each season is the same recurring tragedy starting with his team drafting a bust in the making at quarterback who will lead his team to another league worst finish so that they can draft another bust in the making at quarterback.

This thing is going to have the shelf life of an avocado. In a couple of weeks most Americans won’t know Helsinki from Moscow. How do I know this? Well, have you heard anything about those immigrant children lately?

A Short Honeymoon

It was a historic fling; albeit short. I showed up as the appetizers were being trotted out. John King’s CNN big board tracking Alabama’s senatorial election was all knotted up; 0 - 0.  That wasn’t stopping the exit poll analyses by a multitude of pundits. It looked great at the beginning with Doug Jones jumping out in front of Roy Moore. There was the small detail that only a couple thousand votes had been counted but I was screaming at the T.V., “Call the fucking thing now.”

And then Moore took a lead that grew into the mid-twenty thousands; “Ugh.”  And then the urban votes started coming in and Moore’s lead shrank - and shrank - and shrank. Dead even. And by God there was Jones; he’d rounded the final turn and heading into the homestretch he was in the lead - and pulling away. Finally Wolf Blitzer called it for Jones. “Yes, yes, yes!!!,” I screamed at the TV. The only reason I wasn’t jumping was the cast on my leg. It’s three days later and I have a post-election hangover. Back to reality.

Pontius McConnell (or pin it on the people)

“I am innocent of the blood of this just person. See ye to it.”

                                                                                                                        ~ Pontius Pilate

The Republicans want to have their cake and eat it too. It was about a month ago that accusations started surfacing that Judge Roy Moore, the GOP candidate for an open Senate seat in Alabama, had a hankerin’ sometime back for teenage girls. I suppose that’s alright if you’re a teenage boy. Problem was he was allegedly trolling for youngsters when he was in his thirties. Dirty business.

Pilate - The original McConnell

When the allegations surfaced some prominent Republicans howled in outrage that Moore "should remove himself from the race and the RNC pulled it’s support. As for Trump, he kept mum on the whole thing. After all you can’t condemn sexual predation when you’ve been caught bragging about your own predatory behavior.  As for Moore, he not only stood his ground but has been downright defiant about the whole affair.

Now we’re four days from the election and the tone has been changing.  Some prominent Republicans and the RNC are falling in line behind Moore because it’s apparently better to keep your majority than to take the moral high ground.  Gotta keep that agenda alive no matter what it says about your integrity. When it’s all done the Republicans will keep trumpeting themselves as the Christian, family values party because they figure that a few months down the road the electorate will have forgotten all of this and they’ll have moved on to other issues of the day - “but, but her emails.”

What I find particularly onerous (and there’s plenty of indecency all around) is Mitch McConnell’s tactic of setting up a scenario whereby the GOP absolves itself of any dishonor.  Last Sunday on ABC News’ This Week McConnell said, “I’m going to let the people of Alabama make the call.”

What else can you say about this other than it’s a perfect example of the Republican Party’s self-proclaimed association with the teachings of The Bible.  McConnell essentially went to the Pontius Pilate playbook and washed his hands of the issue.

Latter day Pilate?

So now if Moore loses McConnell has an opening to lament that the GOP lost a Senate seat while blathering some hollow bullshit about the prestige of the Senate being kept intact. And if Moore wins then it’s all on the people of Alabama.  

Party On!!

I’d like to say that I’m stunned; but I’m not.  There is no shame anymore and once again I find myself drowning in the disappointment that’s become America. I expected it but hoped against hope that it wouldn’t come to pass. Ethics in this country have been sacrificed to the tribal gods. Morality is now a matter of convenience. Take a moral stance unless morality becomes a liability.

There was actually some measure of initial surprise when the Republican National Committee endorsed and decided to fund Judge Roy Moore’s candidacy. This would be the Roy Moore who has been accused by several women of sexual harassment when they were teens and he was a grown man. The accusations were corroborated by accounts of Moore cruising malls and bothering young women. But I don’t need to go on. If you’re into politics you know what’s what and if you’re not then you’ve already left this blog for a food blog. And about those who’ve left; well if they don’t start paying attention they’re going to wonder what happened to America while they were watching Game of Thrones and worrying about Steph Curry’s ankle.

My surprise over the endorsement comes from the fact that now every Republican candidate has been emblazoned with Roy Moore’s brand. Every candidate from Hawaii to Alaska to Florida is now in some way touched by Moore. I imagine that the hierarchy gathered in their smoke filled room and over a couple of Scotches decided it was a calculated risk.  I suspect that the gamble can be found in the words of Will Rogers, “The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.” Nine months from now Roy Moore will be as forgotten as last week’s leftover meatloaf.

There was no surprise when Trump endorsed Moore. He does whatever the fuck he wants to and lets the chips fall where they may. Trump’s tactics (and I use that word loosely) are scorched Earth and he will bulldoze anyone who gets in his way. Just ask his very own daughter, Ivanka who, as Moore’s pot came to a boil, said "There's a special place in hell for people who prey on children. I've yet to see a valid explanation and I have no reason to doubt the victims' accounts." And then daddy stepped in and endorsed the predator. I wonder if the Spray and Wash managed to get those bus tracks off her dress.

In the end his backers, the GOP Congress the business interests, the science deniers, the religious right will all fall in line - and he knows it - and they know it.  Oh there will be a few like Jeff Flake and Mitt Romney who won’t toe the party line because they can’t stand to wear the Trump stench. But their political careers are dead. The rest are fighting for their political lives and the favor of their donors.  

The questions to ask of Trump’s congressional and political groupies; his donors and his base are now, “Just how heinous an act does Donald J. Trump have to commit for the GOP Congress to say ‘enough’?” What will constitute rock bottom? Collusion? Treason? Murder? Or nothing at all? Is anything fair now as long as the party in power stays in power?  Do the ends justify the means no matter what those means are?  But haven’t those been the questions for a couple of years now?

Roy Moore might very well win Alabama’s Senate seat. My prediction is that when he does there will be howls of outrage and Mitch McConnell will prattle something about the Ethics Committee and they’ll talk about parliamentary procedure and equivocate for weeks or months or how ever long it takes for something else in the news cycle to make everyone forget about Moore. And then he’ll just be another Republican crackpot in the Senate politicking for the Ten Commandments to be emblazoned on the Supreme Court or for prayer in school or for Merry Christmas to be the official government greeting every December.

Every day brings more of a hopelessness and with it a greater recognition that the tribe has superseded country and basic morality. The whole notion of Republican party over country was made crystal clear the moment the GOP lined up behind Trump, back when the joke of his candidacy started to become the imminence of his election. But let’s not fool ourselves that Republican party over country is a recent phenomenon that was made manifest with the ascendance of a scam artist to the White House.

That the GOP puts party over country is nothing new. It has a sinister and perfidious lineage that goes back to the 1960’s with the John Birch Society, Barry Goldwater and a particularly malignant creep by the name of Paul Weyrich, a conservative activist who helped found the Heritage Society and the Moral Majority. It’s a filthy plague that has been passed forward from crackpot to knave to scoundrel leading to the present day disease that’s infecting America.

Moore will win and the Democrats, who’ve jettisoned Conyers and Franken in order to claim the high ground will say that the Republican Party will have forever forfeited any claim to being the moral party, the family values party and the party of God. It’s something of a political gamble for the Dems.

because it’s highly likely that the Republicans won’t give a good goddamn. Then what?  Well they’ll continue to call themselves the moral party, the family values party and the party of God while they do the bidding of Wall Street, big business, and the wealthy. And America will just party on.

Until the party comes to an end. And with it...America.

~ Posted by Paulie

Taxation Without Representation

In the wee morning hours of Saturday December 2nd, 2017 the nation reenacted Colonial America. We did it without setting aside any of our 21st Century comforts. We did it without putting on tri-cornered hats or waistcoats or powdered wigs. The ladies didn’t need to don stays or petticoats. We didn’t talk in faux British accents and mimic the king’s subjects. We the people weren’t invited to participate. We were dragged there forcibly in the dead of night by a body of 51 individuals who took America back to the days of King George when it was the government’s prerogative to impose taxation without representation.

Mike, Don and Dick

Yesterday was a work at home day and I put CNN on in the background. I had to look up occasionally to make certain I hadn’t accidentally turned on an episode of House of Cards. The big news was that retired general Michael Flynn had pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to the FBI. This was the kickoff of the “who is he going to drop a dime on” game. I saw a lot of glee on social media; “Maybe it’s going to be an early Christmas.”

The House Divided

It’s been one year and 18 days since the presidential election of 2016.  It’s been over 11 months since the inauguration and it’s been more than 7 months since I abandoned this blog. And now I’m going to take a deep breath and try to blow some life back into this thing..