Month: August 2017

Donald Trump Just Made the Best Friggin’ Argument for NOT Building the Border Wall

Posted by on August 31, 2017 at 1:54 pm. 2 Comments :

Donald Trump’s agenda so far has been a complete bust. The so-called master negotiator has failed to kill ObamaCare. He’s made no progress on tax reform. His budget has never advanced beyond the imaginary. He hasn’t even proposed a jobs bill or any infrastructure legislation. Hillary Clinton hasn’t been locked up. After seven months, everything he campaigned on is still in limbo, if that.

Donald Trump

That goes for his most recognizable campaign chant as well. Trump’s promise to “build the wall” along the border, that Mexico would pay for, is still an unrealized, unrealistic fantasy. Especially the part about Mexico paying for it. Even Trump is now conceding that American taxpayers would have to front for his vanity wall. And on top of the billions that we now have to devote to the victims of Hurricane Harvey, that becomes even more unlikely.

However, the best argument against building the wall may have come from Trump himself. During a recent press conference, Trump drifted off into campaign mode to brag about his achievements with immigration and border issues. Naturally he focused on the evils of our neighbor to the south as a crime-ridden haven for drug trafficking. All of which he used to justify going forward with the wall. But then he said this (video below):

“The wall is needed from the standpoint of security. The wall is needed from the standpoint of drugs. Tremendous, the drug scourge, what’s coming through the areas that we’re talking about. As you know, I have General Kelly here. We stopped traffic coming through, 78 percent. It’s going to be, I think, 81 percent this quarter, which is a record.

“In other administrations if they stopped it just a little bit, like 1 or 2 or 3 percent, they considered that a great thing. Well, we’re up to almost 80%, we’ll soon be over 80%.”

So Trump is asserting that without any new funds or personnel or legislation, he has already nearly eliminated illegal border crossings. That’s quite an success story. In fact, it makes the very notion of an expensive, questionably effective wall obsolete. Why spend billions of dollars on a problem that is already pretty much solved? The remaining percentage of the problem (in the teens) should be manageable with the same methods that produced these results.

If Trump’s boasting about these numbers is true, the wall would provide little benefit. Particularly since it was never a very good idea. Most undocumented residents did not scurry across the desert into the U.S. They came through border checkpoints with valid visas. And the major drug cartels ship their inventories primarily by sea and air. Neither of which would be impeded by a wall. So Trump has provided the best possible justification for ditching the wall project entirely.

By declaring victory and moving on, Trump could actually see a rise in his dismal approval ratings. The American people are staunchly opposed to the wall. And that opposition has only grown in recent years. According to a new poll by Fox News, the wall was supported by fifty percent in November of 2015. That went down to forty-one percent in September of 2016. And it now sits at only thirty-nine percent approval. The trend is crystal clear.

So the only conceivable reason to proceed with the wall would be to satisfy Trump’s gargantuan ego. Unfortunately, that’s generally the only reason he does anything. But in this case, the reasoning laid out above has a small problem. Trump’s contention that his inept and unproductive administration reduced border crossings by eighty percent is verifiably false. PolitiFact researched the claim and tried to run it through a variety of scenarios to get it to work. They all failed.

Trump has tried to peddle this falsehood on prior occasions, and it wasn’t true than either. So what we are left with is Trump’s lie about cutting illegal immigration. Which, ironically, serves to to make a lie of his insistence on the need for a border wall. It’s an usual three dimensional lie that only an accomplished liar like Trump could pull off.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Always the Victim, Trump Cries ‘All I Want to Do Is MAGA’ in Tweet Bashing the Media

Posted by on August 30, 2017 at 5:18 pm. 4 Comments :

Being president brings a lot of burdens that weigh heavily on the occupant of the White House. There are international relations, trade deals, economics, taxes, healthcare, and so many other pressing matters to attend to. And of course there are natural disasters. And all of this is happening in the boiling cauldron of politics. The hostilities that flow both between and within the parties are a constant irritation. Anyone who isn’t prepared for this conflict is too unfit to serve.

Trump Baby

And speaking of unfit . . . Donald Trump.

Wednesday morning Trump woke up and fumbled around for his phone to express himself on the Twitter machine. Included in his daily tantrum was a particularly self-absorbed whine. It started out as a typical attack on the media that he despises so much. But it concluded with a display of incoherent victimhood:

Oh, poor Donald. He’s the object of so much undeserved contempt when the only thing he’s ever want to do was MAGA. For those not initiated into his acronym club, that’s “Make America Great Again.” Nothing else has entered his mind since sacrificing his golden penthouse in Manhattan to serve his country. Never mind the bone spurs, he just wants to give something back.

Well, with everything else that the President has to deal with, perhaps his plaintive wail can be answered with a little help from his pals on Twitter. The first response he received literally spelled it out in the initials:

That’s a pretty complete explanation for why Trump is wondering. The nation has concluded that he is an incompetent blowhard. He has the worst approval ratings of any president in modern history. And it isn’t personal. It’s based on his words and deeds. He has compiled an agenda that the American people reject and has embarrassed the nation with his crude demeanor. From his efforts to kill ObamaCare, to his climate science denial, to his pandering to the elites of Wall Street. Donald Trump has alienated our allies and cozied up to our enemies.

Add to that his recent defense of neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. He doesn’t need to wonder why the alt-right, white supremacists are behind him a hundred percent. And as a five-time draft dodger, Trump earned more rebukes by casting aside transgender patriots who want to serve their country in uniform. His latest project to reform taxes is nothing but a give-away to the wealthy at the expense of everyone else.

Does he still wonder why he receives so much criticism in the press? That, after all, was what triggered this puzzling tirade. How about the manner in which he assaults the media and the constitutional protection of free speech. He has called them “the enemy of the American people.” Just this week an international organization warned that his hostile rhetoric could result in attacks on journalists.

However, for a more comprehensive view of why Trump is so reviled, let’s turn again to Twitter:

And that’s just for starters. If Trump still doesn’t know why he has so many critics it can only be because he prefers being uninformed. His son Eric gave a pretty good reason during an interview on a wingnut radio show. He told Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo that his father had to “tune out” the criticism or he might become depressed and commit suicide. Well, that’s comforting isn’t it? And proof positive that Trump isn’t the least bit mentally unhinged.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

LOL: Get Your Klan Hoods and Putin Merch at – the Trump Tower Gift Store?

Posted by on August 30, 2017 at 12:12 pm. 4 Comments :

Finally. A recent visit to the gift store at Trump Tower in Manhattan revealed a surprisingly intuitive effort to give the people what they really want. The selection of merchandise had expanded from the usual tacky shot glasses and t-shirts. For a limited time, customers were able to acquire something that truly defined Donald Trump’s brand.

Trump Tower Gift Store

While browsing the shelves at the Trump Store, shoppers from the Gothamist found a few fan items they could happily add to their collection. They included white “Klan” style hoods, postcards with Vladimir Putin as the 45th president, and urine-resistant rubber sheets. And my personal favorite, a TV remote control pre-set to Fox News.

Unfortunately, these specials were only available to the lucky early arrivals. That’s because after the Gothamists tried to purchase some, the employees evacuated the store and shut it down. After re-opening an hour later the merchandise was gone. However, it was on the shelves for nearly twenty-four hours. Here is the report of the retail discovery from the Gothamist:

“On Monday afternoon, two NYC-based artists secretly slipped some items inside the merchandising outpost of the Trump Tower’s lower lobby. Among them: A Trump-emblazoned KKK hood ‘for fine people,’ sealed packages of pee-proof rubber sheets, and a Russian flag. In the front of the store, a postcard display featured the 45th President of the United States, Vladimir Putin, along with cards paying tribute to First Lady Ivanka Trump, and the flap of flesh near the president’s throat area, known as a Wattle.”

In an interview with Gothamist, the artists described their motivation:

“We thought the tourists coming in to buy some stuff, especially people from other countries, should get the whole story of who the president is, because the items in the Trump store don’t accurately reflect the person,” one of the two artists, who asked that we not reveal his name, told Gothamist.

Indeed. This was an inspired attempt to put the true face of Trump before the public. So alongside MAGA merch and self-exalting apparel and books, the people could see the real Trump. And by exploiting the store in his ego-bound tower, they perfectly defined the crass commercialization he exudes. After all, this is the man who held a campaign press conference where he peddled his steaks and bottled water. He’s in constant violation of the Constitution due to his hotels hosting foreign leaders and diplomats.

Worst of all, Trump traveled to the Hurricane Harvey-ravaged state of Texas for a photo-op, but turned it into a commercial. The whole time he was wearing a brand new Trump-branded hat that just went on sale on his campaign website. So although he didn’t meet with a single victim, he modeled his $40.00 head gear for the assembled media. And that is just so Trump. The Trump that the artists captured so beautifully.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump is Soliciting Donations for His Campaign, But Hasn’t Asked for Hurricane Harvey Relief

Posted by on August 29, 2017 at 4:03 pm. 2 Comments :

Republicans already have a reputation for callousness and insensitivity toward Americans in need. Much of that is coming out in the manner in which they are responding to Hurricane Harvey. Of Texas’ twenty-six members of congress, twenty-five of them voted against aid for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. That includes their two GOP senators. Now they they are begging Trump for assistance from the federal government.

Donald Trump

As for Donald Trump, he’s begging for assistance as well. Not for the suffering people of Texas, but for himself. In the midst of an historic natural disaster, organizations like the American Red Cross and the Greater Houston Communities Association are in dire need of funding. [For a list of organizations taking donations, click here]. And the American people, as usual, are demonstrating their generosity and compassion.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, has yet to make an appeal to the nation to help out. He has tweeted about everything from his pardon for Joe Arpaio, to his imaginary border wall, to the size of his rally crowd. He even posted a pitch for a book by a corrupt crony. But he hasn’t posted a single link to the Red Cross or any other aid provider.

However, Trump is on the money trail. He just sent out another of his relentless appeals for donations for his reelection. That campaign is still three years away, if he manages to avoid impeachment. The campaign letter pleaded with supporters to cough up cash because:

“All I ever want is the support and love from the AMERICAN PEOPLE who’ve been betrayed by a weak and self-serving political class.” […]

“[T]he media will be waiting to see if the American people have walked away from our movement.” […]

“I didn’t run for president to be a puppet for the political class. I ran to be a champion for the people.”

If the only thing Trump wants is the love of the American people he must be sorely disappointed. He is still languishing at the bottom of the polls, and doing worse than any president before him. The majority of the people were never part of his movement. And as we all know, Vladimir Putin is the puppeteer who holds his strings.

The letter also hit on common Trumpisms like his bragging about economic gains that he had nothing to with with. And he seemed so proud of his alleged disassociation from lobbyists, corporations and politicians. Never mind that his cabinet is cram-packed with those very same swamp-dwellers. And what could be more political than soliciting campaign donations three years before an election?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

It’s amazing that no one on Trump’s staff has advised him to stop watching Fox and Friends long enough to tweet a link to hurricane relief. It’s a cost-free way to drive up donations to something that can actually help people. But the only thing Trump is concerned about is his own PR. That’s why when he showed up in Texas on Tuesday he marveled at his reception saying “What a crowd. What a turnout!” This was his way of acknowledging the citizens of a state in turmoil. You almost wonder if he knows that thousands of people didn’t turnout because they are stranded in raging flood waters.

Is America Next? Fox News Booted Off the Air in the U.K. for Lack of Viewers

Posted by on August 29, 2017 at 12:41 pm. 4 Comments :

We have good reason to celebrate the intelligence and common sense of our friends in Britain. They have been suffering from Donald Trump’s reign from afar and have not been especially pleased. London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, asked him not to visit. Massive protests were being organized to greet him should he come. And last June Trump himself told Prime Minister Theresa May that he wouldn’t come at all until she could promise a warm welcome. The fact that he still hasn’t been there should tell you something.

Fox NOT News

Now it’s being reported that the PR division of the Trump administration, Fox News, has been dumped in the U.K. The Guardian published the report Tuesday morning and Fox News confirmed it:

“[Fox] has decided to cease providing a feed of Fox News Channel in the UK,” said a spokeswoman for the company. “Fox News is focused on the US market and designed for a US audience and, accordingly, it averages only a few thousand viewers across the day in the UK. We have concluded that it is not in our commercial interest to continue providing Fox News in the UK.”

The failure of Fox News abroad is not as trivial a matter as they seek to make it. England is a nation that is closely aligned with the U.S. and deeply concerned about our policies and politics. The dearth of viewers has nothing to do with the “focus” of the network. The Brits are more likely repulsed by the obvious bias and propaganda. They have many other news sources, including several from the U.S., to find out what America is up to. CNN isn’t having any trouble attracting a British audience.

What’s more, Fox’s excuse that their programming is America-centric is an admission that it isn’t actually news. Honest journalism is the collection and reporting of facts that reflect reality. It is not impacted by geography. Reports on the war in Afghanistan, a hurricane in Texas, or trade relations with the EU, should be identical regardless of the place of publication. But Fox’s programs are littered with an extraneous spin that reeks of American superiority. How could anyone in Liverpool or Dublin listen to two minutes of Sean Hannity or Tucker Carlson without retching?

Fox News may have another reason for ditching their British flank. Fox’s chairman, Rupert Murdoch, has been trying to acquire the sixty percent of Sky Broadcasting that they don’t already own. But there are regulators in the UK that have to approve the deal. At present it is under investigation by Ofcom to ascertain whether they meet broadcasting standards. And there is some question as to how that will come out. The Guardian reports that:

“In the past decade, Fox has notched up 22 breaches of its licence and Ofcom’s codes and rules. Of those, seven were against Fox News, with four last year including against a programme which featured a guest who said that Birmingham was a city ‘where non-Muslims just simply don’t go’.”

Add to that the hacking scandal a few years back where Murdoch’s newspapers were found to have illegally accessed the emails and cell phones of politicians, celebrities, and even a murdered schoolgirl. It’s that sort of behavior that caused Murdoch to temporarily suspend his acquisition aspirations. But he is now actively pursuing the matter again.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Having a “news” network that is notorious for lying and disparaging foreign nations, while disseminating White House propaganda, cannot be particularly helpful when trying to persuade British regulators to give it even more power. In the meantime, the UK will enjoy the relief of not having Fox News polluting their airwaves and insulting their viewers. America awaits its opportunity to enjoy such relief.

Watch Fox News Try to Smear Democrats By Turning Antifa Into the ‘New’ New Black Panthers

Posted by on August 28, 2017 at 2:53 pm. 5 Comments :

The Fox News propagandists have been fiercely battling the flood of bad news for Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Lately there has been more than the usual onslaught of lies and ignorance. Consequently, they have escalated their use of a hollow tactic that has come to be known as “Whataboutism.” So anytime someone brings up something negative about Trump or the GOP, Fox News responds with “What about this other thing?” It’s a means of avoiding a coherent defense when you obviously don’t have one.

Fox News

That strategy was in full force Monday morning when Fox News hosted a couple of pundits to discuss violent protests. The premise put forth by Fox was that “leftists” were not being sufficiently condemned for their acts of violence. The main reason for that is that leftists have not been engaging in any organized violent activities. What Fox News tried to pin on Democrats was behavior by the shadowy and leaderless group of anti-fascists known as Antifa. (See video below).

But here’s the problem with that. Antifa is not a Democratic movement. They do not campaign for Democrats. They do not vote for Democrats. None of them run for office as Democrats. And actual Democrats do not appear at their events. On the other hand, the alt-right, white nationalist, KKK crowd are tightly bound to Republicans. They openly campaign for GOP candidates and celebrate their electoral victories. Particularly that of Donald Trump. They feature GOP representatives at their rallies. And they have even run for office as Republicans.

It is entirely appropriate to expect a group of pro-Republican extremists to be renounced by the Republican Party. And when Trump failed to do so after the Charlottesville tragedy, he was effectively welcoming their support. However, Democrats cannot be expected to distance themselves from a group that they are in no way affiliated with. They can renounce violence broadly, and they have done so repeatedly. But they aren’t responsible for a group that isn’t among their supporters.

The efforts by Fox News to falsely tie Antifa to Democrats is reminiscent of their prior attempts to do the same with the ludicrous New Black Panthers. That was a group that may have had no more than four members, but Fox News built them up into a national terrorist enterprise. It was largely Megyn Kelly who focused on this nonsense. But now many hosts, contributors, and guests on Fox are pounding the Antifa drums.

This morning’s segment was a perfect example. Anchor Sandra Smith began by alluding to “Violence breaking out as thousands of left and right protesters descending on Berkeley.” The alt-right protesters were referred to as peaceful, but their motives were exposed simply by where they chose to protest. They knew that Berkeley would not be an especially welcoming locale. They were inviting counter-protests. But Fox’s Republican pundit, Lisa Boothe, immediately went on the attack against Democrats.

Boothe: I think we’re just seeing a lot of violence and a lot of hate in this country, and we have for a number of years recently. We saw it with the violence in Fergusson and Baltimore, where people are getting way out of hand. And I think what we really need to see is people marginalizing some of these hate groups. […] Unfortunately, we’re not seeing that same rebuke of groups like Antifa. I’ve not seen one Democratic leader say that these groups should stop their ways, should stop what we saw in Berkeley. Where is Congresswoman Barbara Lee who represents the thirteenth district of California? Where is former Speaker Nancy Pelosi?

Boothe completely avoided the alt-right’s record of violence and murder to blame Democrats for not denouncing a tiny fringe group that they have nothing to do with. The group would already be marginalized were it not for the publicity they get on Fox News. And contrary to Boothe’s tunnel-blind assessment, Democrats have condemned all violence of the sort that Boothe is addressing. The Democrat on the segment, Christie Setzer, had some trouble getting in her comments.

Setzer: I was just as horrified as most people by what transpired in Charlottesville. And I was equally inspired by what happened in Boston. Which is to say that there was a small number of neo-Nazi, KKK, and other hate groups who were calling themselves a free speech rally, but in fact were organized by a lot of the same people who were in charlottesville. And they were surrounded by 40,000 peace-loving, good Bostonians saying ‘We will not accept hate in our city, in our town, in our country.’

Setzer attempted to continue her remarks to insist that “We don’t want violent protests anywhere.” But Smith interrupted her saying that she “wanted Lisa to have the last word.” Never mind that Boothe had the first word and much longer uninterrupted time. Boothe used her conclusion to say that “We’ve seen the media prop up groups like Antifa.” Then complained again that Democrats had not denounced them, even though Setzer just did.

Boothe’s last comment, however, was true. It is the media that has propped up Antifa. Primarily the conservative media. They need it to deploy their Whataboutism tactic whenever there is violence from the alt-right supporters of the GOP. Some members of Antifa may be well-meaning anti-fascists, and who can argue with that? But the faction within the group that advocates violence is counterproductive to their own goals. That said, they still have no affiliation with the Democratic Party and it is dishonest for Fox News to make that linkage. But being dishonest has never stopped Fox before from disseminating lies in support of the Republican agenda. So we can expect this promotion and hyperbole about Antifa to continue until Fox News finds some even newer fake movement to promote.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump Tweets Sleazy and Legally Shaky Book Promo While Houston is Drowning

Posted by on August 27, 2017 at 12:59 pm. 4 Comments :

Hurricane Harvey is continuing to hammer Texas and is causing catastrophic flooding in Houston. The nation is holding its breath and hoping for the safety and a quick recovery for their fellow citizens. But Donald Trump is not among them. He woke up on Sunday morning and the first tweet to hit the Internet was a crass promotion for a cheesy book.

Donald Trump David Clarke

Trump’s good friend and alt-right confederate, Sheriff David Clarke, has a new book. “Cop Under Fire” appears to be a chronicle of his victimhood as a conservative African-American and Trump supporter. The President thought that this would be a good time to help sell this brazenly biased pile of literary trash. Ironically, he’s also helping Amazon, a company he has vocally disparaged, to make more money. Trump wrote this to begin his morning Twitter Tantrum:

To be fair, Trump followed that up with some tweets about Harvey, but in in every instance he focused on praising the government response. He didn’t bother to address the concerns of those affected or provide information they would find useful. And it’s important to note that the people managing the response are mainly holdovers from the Obama administration. Trump still hasn’t appointed many of his own people to the relevant agencies.

But by elevating Clarke’s book promotion to the top of his list, Trump demonstrated what he regards as his priorities. He thinks that the nation should drop what they’re doing and buy his buddy’s book. The residents of Texas are not going to be able to comply. Which may be to their benefit. They won’t be wasting money on a political screed that contributes nothing to their current circumstances. And speaking of contributions, it might have been better if Trump had appealed for some to help Texans, rather than seeking to enrich Sheriff Clarke.

The spectacle of a president hawking books for his friends is more than just ethically smarmy. There are legal issues that need to be taken into consideration. The “Standards of Ethical Conduct for Executive Branch Employees” addresses this directly:

§2635.702 Use of public office for private gain.
An employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity, including nonprofit organizations of which the employee is an officer or member, and persons with whom the employee has or seeks employment or business relations.

That’s an explicit prohibition of improper conduct that anyone with common sense can grasp. It’s a policy that holds those in government to a standard of ethics that protects the American people from political crooks. There is just one problem. The regulation exempts the president and the vice-president:

§2635.102 Definitions.
For purposes other than subparts B and C of this part, it does not include the President or Vice President.

For some reason it is improper for a cabinet secretary or an assistant bookkeeper to do infomercials for diet pills, but the president can pitch whatever garbage he wants. However, the fact that there is such an exemption in the rules doesn’t make it any less ethically sleazy. And such behavior should be avoided whether or not there is an applicable rule. If our president had any morals he wouldn’t be acting as Clarke’s personal huckster. But then again, if Trump had any morals he would resign, confess his treasonous acts, and report to prison.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Here are 11+ Reasons Trump Should Never Have Pardoned Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Posted by on August 26, 2017 at 3:16 pm. 1 Comments :

On Friday night, Donald Trump used the weekend, as well as Hurricane Harvey’s tragedies, to bury his latest despicable act. In seeking to satiate his racist base, Trump awarded the notorious birther and disgraced former sheriff, Joe Arpaio, a pardon for his federal crimes. Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt for violating a federal court order to stop racially profiling Latinos. He was found to have deliberately breached the constitutional rights of American citizens.

Joe Arpaio Donald Trump

The fact that Trump thinks these are pardonable offenses is definitive proof of his bigotry and support for fellow bigots. The white supremacists who make up much of his support were elated at the whitewashing of Arpaio’s vile criminality. (With an emphasis on “white”) But Trump’s exacerbation of the racial division for which he is largely responsible has not gone over well with everyone. Patriotic Americans who value equality and justice will not forget this affront to the rule of law.

One critic, a professor at Harvard University, makes a credible case that Trump’s pardon could itself be an impeachable offense. Add it to the list: Russia, obstruction of justice, financial corruption, the Emoluments Clause, cover ups and perjury, sexual harassment and assault.

As for Arpaio, he also has a list offenses. And his acceptance of Trump’s pardon carries with it an implicit confession of guilt. That can be used in civil cases against him going forward. The Phoenix New Times has been on the front lines of the Arpaio assault on humanity for twenty years. They posted a series of tweets linking to the horrific record of Arpaio’s unlawful regime. Here is just a taste of what they have been reporting for years:

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

The Phoenix New Times has many more examples of this official misconduct and heinous brutality. And by pardoning a cretin like Arpaio, Trump is effectively making himself complicit with those crimes. He is intentionally aligning himself with Arpaio’s disdain for the rule of law. And it is very likely he is also setting the stage for future pardons of his family, his partners in crime, and perhaps himself. Based on on his behavior to date, you can’t put anything past him.

STILL CRAZY: Trump Is ‘Stone Cold Sane’ According To This Fox News ‘Psycho’ Analyst

Posted by on August 26, 2017 at 12:20 pm. 3 Comments :

This week Fox News thought it would be a good idea to repost a six month old article by their resident “psycho” analyst, Keith Ablow. In it he asserted some ludicrous reasons to dismiss critics of Donald Trump who questioned his mental health. Trump’s sanity has only become more suspect as time has gone by.

Fox News Keith Ablow

The decision by Fox News to rerun this pathetic Trump-fluffing is difficult to understand. It made no sense at the time, and is even more embarrassing now. Nevertheless, it does provide a good opportunity for News Corpse to reprise its response to Ablow’s original posting. So here it is in its entirety:

ABLOW SAY RELAX: Trump Is ‘Stone Cold Sane’ According To This Fox News ‘Psycho’ Analyst

In recent weeks there have been several reports characterizing the mental stability of President Donald Trump. Some of these have been partisan assessments by political opponents. Others have been more detailed warnings from mental health professionals about his “malignant narcissism”. There have even been bipartisan bills drafted to mandate a White House psychiatrist. However, “Doctor” Keith Ablow, a member of the Fox News Medical A-Team, has his own professional diagnosis that comes to a different conclusion. He believes that Trump is as sane as you and I. But the reasons he gives are – well – batshit crazy.

Ablow starts off with a disclaimer that he has never examined Trump. It is considered unethical for doctors to make diagnoses of people who have never personally been under their care. Funny, Ablow never bothered to offer that disclaimer when he was unethically (and absurdly) diagnosing President Obama. What follows is a rundown from his latest article for Fox News. In it Ablow says Trump is totally sane because:

He’s rich and famous:

“When a man acquires billions of dollars through complex real estate transactions, invests in many countries, goes on to phenomenal success in television and turns his name into a worldwide brand, it is very unlikely that he is mentally unstable.”

Of course. Everyone knows there aren’t any wealthy business people with mental illness. They can just buy some new sanity if they lose theirs. Rich people are always perfect in body, mind, and bank account. Take Howard Hughes for example.

He’s a good family man:

“When the same man obviously enjoys the love and respect of his children and his wife, who seem to rely on him for support and guidance, it is extraordinarily unlikely that he is mentally unstable.”

Indeed. And Trump is so stable that he’s currently on his third wife. And each of his marriages have been marred by flagrant and public infidelities. Plus, his current wife and their child rely on him so much for support that they declined to live with him in the White House.

He’s a political wrecking crew:

“When the same man walks into the political arena and deftly defeats 16 Republican opponents and then the Democratic heir-apparent to a two-term president’s administration, the odds of that man being mentally unstable become vanishingly thin.”

Because nothing says mental stability like viciously maligning your own party colleagues with childish nicknames and outlandish allegations. Just ask Lyin’ Ted Cruz whose father worked with JFK assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald.

He’s a bureaucrat magnet:

“And when that very same man attracts to his team the kind of intellect and gravitas represented (to name just a few) by Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general and commander of the U.S. Central Command, he cannot be mentally deranged. Period. It is a statistical impossibility.”

That’s right. After all, who ever heard of someone accepting a lucrative and powerful government job when offered one? That’s especially true of unqualified nominees like Carson, Rick Perry, and Betsy Devos. And the billionaire, Goldman Sachs, swamp dwellers have their own selfish reasons.

But perhaps the most profoundly absurd defense of Trump’s sanity was Ablow’s personal testimonial and endorsement of Trump branded products and services:

He’s a walking infomercial

“Anecdotally, by the way, I have never had one bad Trump experience. Not one. I own several of his ties — all of them of the highest quality. I have stayed in his hotels and never had a single complaint (and I am a born complainer). I have eaten in his New York restaurant — flawless service, excellent food. I own an apartment at Trump Place in Manhattan. Impeccable design, sturdy construction, fabulous amenities. A mentally unstable man would be unlikely to deliver superior products across multiple industries, don’t you think?”

Seriously? Ablow thinks that Trump is the picture of sanity because ties manufactured in China, but branded with his name, meet his standards as a consumer. Similarly, Ablow’s Trump Place condo is in a building that the Trump Organization developed but does not own. And does any sane person think that Trump is responsible for the food and service at a restaurant with his name plastered on the front?

Ablow went on to suggest that the performance of the stock market is another indication of Trump’s mental health. Sure, it’s up about 2,000 points since the election. It’s notable that none of Trump’s fiscal policies have been implemented in that time. Nor would it reflect on his sanity if they were. However, since he’s handing out credit, Obama must be super-sane, because the market rose 12,000 points during his presidency. Except that, as noted above, Ablow has already diagnosed Obama as mentally challenged. Nevertheless, it’s clear that the markets are still running on the economic policies of the Obama administration.

And if it weren’t enough for Ablow to construct a preposterous case for Trump’s mental health, he also had to portray his critics as mental deficients. He called anyone who questioned Trump’s psychological status “political opportunists, or fools, or both.” Then he singled out Sen. Al Franken as an example. Specifically, he called Franken’s sanity into question because Franken and Elizabeth Warren are allies and Warren once said she had Native American ancestry. First of all, she only said that because that’s what her parents told her. Having never bothered to fact-check her parents doesn’t make her nuts. But regardless, how would that reflect on Franken? Ablow’s psychological prognosis implies that anyone affiliated with Warren is crazy.

Ablow closes by saying “And they’re calling Trump’s sanity into question? Really, you can’t make this stuff up.” Wrong again. Ablow just proved that you can make up whatever the hell you want and Fox News will publish it. After all, this is the same guy who wrote that Donald Trump’s narcissism is exactly what America needs. And my personal favorite, his treatise praising the Unabomber. Now that certifies him as a perfectly sane psychiatrist, don’t you think?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

GOP Senators that Denied Aid For Prior Hurricane Victims Are Now Begging Trump For Relief

Posted by on August 25, 2017 at 4:36 pm. 3 Comments :

The residents of Texas’ Gulf Coast are bracing for what is predicted to be the most catastrophic natural disaster to hit the United States in twelve years. Hurricane Harvey has been officially designated a Category Three hurricane and it is still picking up speed. Evacuation orders have been issued to the affected areas, but time is running out.

Ted Cruz

Across the nation, citizens are praying for the safety of those in the path of Harvey. And the Federal government is gearing up to respond as needed. That effort may be hampered by Donald Trump’s failure to fully staff the agencies responsible for emergency operations. Time will tell if they are adequately prepared for what’s coming.

The aftermath of these disasters is generally attended to by a united nation caring for their fellow citizens. In times of need, Americans are admirably empathetic and generous. Among the first steps taken following a crisis like this is the declaration of a national emergency. That makes both funding and other resources available to the communities that require them.

Texas has two Republican senators who are already reaching out to the federal government for assistance. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn have written to Trump urging him to grant a request for the disaster declaration. They said in part:

“Given the potential catastrophic impact that the Hurricane may have on Texas communities, we strongly support this request and urge you to provide any and all emergency protective measures available by a major disaster declaration.”

That all sounds well and good. And it is precisely what is needed to protect the welfare of the people of Texas. However, it points out an especially heinous brand of hypocrisy exhibited by both men. In 2013 both senators voted against disaster relief for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. One hundred and fifty-seven people in nine states died directly or indirectly due to Sandy. It produced a total of seventy-one billion dollars in damage. That makes it second only to Katrina in devastation.

The people of Texas should not be punished for the heartless insensitivity of their representatives. They will require substantial assistance and, as Americans, they deserve it. But they should also remember this at election time. Cruz and Cornyn lack the compassion for their fellow citizens that they seek now for themselves. It’s typical of Republican selfishness and tendency to politicize even national tragedies. That’s something Trump has done repeatedly, even with respect to previous hurricanes:

Does that mean that Trump will not be handing out billions in aid for the victims of Harvey? Unlikely. But it is confirmation that he will use the tragedy for his own benefit and brag about it afterwards. Even if his administration fouls it up. Hopefully his narcissism won’t get in the way of the help that the good people of Texas really need.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.