Election

With a Global Pandemic Looming, Trump Becomes Putin’s Political Pundit

Posted by on March 2, 2020 at 2:01 pm. 5 Comments :

The reports of coronavirus infections continues to grow both in the United States and internationally. Six deaths have now been confirmed in the U.S. And most epidemiological experts are warning that it is impossible to know how many Americans are affected because tests have not been been conducted. Those tests number in the tens of thousands in China and South Korea, but only about 500 in the U.S.

Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump

So what is our Commander-in-Chief doing to mitigate the harm and protect the American people? He’s politicking, of course. That behavior is taking the form of bragging about himself and what he asserts is a perfect response to the crisis. He is also whining about criticism he has drawn from Democrats and public health professionals. Of course, none of that is helping to get the nation through this budding pandemic. But to Trump the only thing that matters is how it affects him personally.

For instance, on Monday morning Trump posted about three dozens tweets. Two dozen of those were promotions to elect Republican members of Congress. By contrast, he posted only two tweets wherein he directly addressed the coronavirus. In one he announced that he was meeting with pharmaceutical companies to discuss the development of a vaccine, which is something they were doing anyway without his interruption. The other complained that he was was criticized by Democrats for his ineffective response. Once again, none of that advanced the fight against the coronavirus.

Aside from hyping GOP candidates and whining about being a victim, Trump has also been tweeting up a storm about the Democratic presidential primary. And virtually every comment he has made has been taken straight out of the Vladimir Putin playbook to sow discord and create chaos. More than anything else, Trump has been pushing the conspiracy theory that the Democratic Party is trying to rig the election against Bernie Sanders. Does anyone really believe that Trump cares about Sanders and whether or not he is treated fairly by the party that Trump maligns as all “do nothing, radical socialists”? Of course not.

What’s interesting is that this is precisely the tactic that Putin is pursuing to get Democrats to fight among themselves. It could not be more obvious that Trump is acting on behalf of Russia to advance his own reelection prospects. It’s so conspicuous that when Trump was asked directly what his comment to Putin would be about interfering with the election, he replied completely off-topic that “They ought to investigate Adam Schiff,” and then he pretty much denied that any interference was taking place.

So what’s the point of Trump’s malicious and intellectually vacant attempts at punditry? Clearly no one is taking his analysis of the Democratic primary seriously. Why should they? He has only hostile intentions. It would be like asking a snake the best way to avoid getting eaten by it. Trump should be literally the last person whose opinions of the Democrats would be sought.

The only purpose for Trump is to try to stir up trouble and distrust in democracy. Which, not coincidentally, is Putin’s purpose. And the American people – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – must not allow them to succeed. We must all rise up in unity to renounce Trump’s cynical and un-American ploy. We must respect one another and remain loyal to the the principles that actually do make this country great. And we must come together to make sure that the traitor in the White House is evicted. That means vigorously supporting whoever the eventual Democratic nominee is and working for their victory.

We don’t have the luxury of holding out for whoever is your favorite candidate. If Biden is the nominee, then Bernie bros need to get behind him. If Bernie is the nominee, then those with irrational fears of “socialism” need to set that aside. Whatever one perceives as the negatives of one candidate or another, they are not nearly as destructive or catastrophic as another four years of Trump. So suck it up, America. We have one job to do now. And that’s the complete, unambiguous ouster and humiliation of Donald Trump. For America’s sake.

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

Trump is Whining (Again) About Fox News Poll Where He’s Losing to Every Top Democrat

Posted by on February 28, 2020 at 12:35 pm. 2 Comments :

There is one thing that can be reliably assumed about Donald Trump at any given moment in time. He is probably whining. That’s pretty much his resting state of mind. He is without a doubt the most cowardly crybaby ever to occupy the White House. He even admitted it on national TV in 2016, saying that “I am the most fabulous whiner. I do whine, because I want to win. I am a whiner and I keep whining and whining until I win.” Duh!

Donald Trump Pacifier Fox

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Trump is wailing about a new poll by Fox News that shows him losing to every top Democratic in the race. The poll has Biden beating Trump 49% to 41%. Sanders 49-42. Bloomberg 48-40. Warren 46-43. Buttigieg 45-42. And Klobuchar 44-43. Notice that Trump never scores higher than 43% in any of these match-ups. So an obviously rattled Trump pounded out this frantic tweet:

For the record, most of the 2016 polls, even those by Fox News, were pretty accurate. They showed Hillary Clinton beating Trump by about 3%, which is precisely what happened. Remember, these are polls of voters, not the electoral college, and Clinton won the popular vote by 3,000,000 votes. FiveThirtyEight rates Fox News pollsters (Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research) a respectable “A-“.

But none of that matters because Trump’s complaints aren’t rooted in reality to begin with. He has often criticized Fox News polling in the past when they delivered bad news. And he routinely complains that Fox has “always been terrible to me.” But he’s ignoring all the times he praised Fox for surveys that had more positive results.

RELATED: Are Trump’s Cult Rallies Breeding Grounds for the Coronavirus?

Trump’s perspective is always colored by whatever he views is in his best interest at the moment. It’s a bizarre psychosis that springs from his malignant narcissism. If someone compliments him, they are a rock solid ally. If someone criticizes him, they have always been a bitter enemy. He simply has no grasp of the nuances of fluid, human interactions. And he will use whatever data he finds most beneficial, even if he has to make it up. For instance, Trump also tweeted this Friday morning:

The problem with that is that it was a retweet that is several days old and does not reflect a “new” Rasmussen poll. In fact, the most recent Rasmussen poll has Trump at only 47%. What’s more, he has never had 95% GOP approval, no matter how many times he tweets it.

Despite Trump’s disappointment with Fox News, he just scheduled a town hall on the network for next Thursday. It will be one of the rare occasions where Trump will be interviewed on Fox by someone other than Sean Hannity or one of the other devoted Trump-fluffers. Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will host the affair. However, their previous interviews with Trump were dominated by softball questions and no substantive follow ups.

What’s peculiar is why Fox News is having this town hall at all. Trump is running virtually unopposed, so what’s the point in providing a platform when there isn’t a primary contest in progress? The only plausible reason is that Fox wants to make sure that Trump isn’t overshadowed by the Democrats who are engaged in a heated primary. In other words, it’s free advertising for Trump.

What Fox isn’t doing is offering the same thing to Bill Weld, the Republican former governor of Massachusetts who actually is running against Trump in the GOP primary. Both Fox News and Trump are pretending that Weld doesn’t exist. The party has canceled several primaries so that Trump doesn’t have to face an opposing candidate. And Fox has refused to to even book Weld for an interview.

If Trump is as confidant of his 2020 prospects as he keeps insisting, then why is he suppressing this primary opposition? For the same reason he is whining about the Fox News poll. He is scared. He recognizes the political risk that he faces if the economy falters. And his moaning notwithstanding, he does realize that polls reflect the tenor of public opinion, and that opinion now is decidedly – and appropriately – anti-Trump.

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

Are Trump’s Cult Rallies Breeding Grounds for the Coronavirus?

Posted by on February 27, 2020 at 12:55 pm. 6 Comments :

On Wednesday Donald Trump held a press conference wherein he typically underplayed the risks of the spreading coronavirus (Covid-19). He repeatedly portrayed it as being effectively under control, which is not remotely true. He even contradicted the officials he introduced as the team he was putting in charge of the matter. With the exception of Vice-President Mike Pence, they were decidedly more cautious and stressed aggressive actions to confront the impending dangers. See the video below where Rachel Maddow breaks down this contradiction.

Donald Trump Virus

Around the world there are preventive measures being taken to mitigate the risks. International conferences and festivals are canceling their events. Amusement parks, concert and sporting arenas, schools, and other locations that attract large gatherings are closing down to reduce the potential for exposure and infection. But despite these precautions being undertaken by concerned operators, there is a conspicuous enterprise that is thumbing its runny nose at the advancing virus: The Donald Trump Reelection Campaign!

That’s right. Trump is continuing to schedule and host the rallies that assemble thousands of his cult followers in sweaty, confined venues where they are tightly packed and subject to precisely the sort of transmission conditions within which the virus proliferates. None of these StormTrumpers are screened for symptoms, and their anonymity would make it impossible to trace infection origins should some of them later be diagnosed with the virus.

Ordinarily this might be regarded as an alarmist position considering the low (at this point) infection rate in the United States. And one could reasonably complain that the same concerns should be raised about Democratic political events. However, there is a profound difference that makes the prospective perils entirely dissimilar.

By belittling the scope of the coronavirus threat, Trump is actually increasing its potential for harm. And the Trump-fluffers in the press (especially Fox News) are making matters even worse by not just undercutting responsible warnings, but actually advancing conspiracy theories that assert there is no threat whatsoever. Rush Limbaugh told his listeners that the virus was nothing more than the common cold, and that it was being hyped by Democrats to hurt Trump.

This campaign of trivialization is insuring that it is Trump’s supporters who are the least informed about the reality of this budding pandemic. They are, therefore, the most likely to dismiss the risks and behave in ways that could escalate the incidence of infection. So while supporters of Democratic candidates may gather in public, they are likely to be heeding common sense advice to wash their hands, use sanitizers, cough or sneeze safely, and even stay home if not feeling well. But the Trump cultists who aren’t buying the seriousness of the outbreak, will be more likely to ignore such precautions. Consequently, they will be more likely to transmit and acquire the infection.

This is by no means a call for all Americans to cower in their basements like doomsday preppers awaiting Armageddon. But it is a warning that there are real concerns and that some simple measures can be taken to mitigate risk. But if any community of people are dismissive of the facts that are available, those communities should be avoided. Suffice to say that you are likely to be safer among a crowd of cautious Democrats who trust science, than a swarm of oblivious Republican Trumpsters in denial.

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

Trump Refuses to Pledge Not to Accept Foreign Assistance in His Campaign

Posted by on February 25, 2020 at 2:31 pm. 2 Comments :

For the second presidential election in a row, Donald Trump is thumbing his nose at the law and political morality. He is openly announcing his willingness to accept the help of hostile foreign nations in his quest to retain power at all costs. Never mind the Constitution or the welfare of american democracy. To Trump the only thing that matters is what Trump wants.

Donald Trump

In 2016 the Russians orchestrated an exhaustive scheme to benefit Trump’s candidacy for president. Trump even abetted that plan by inviting the Russians to hack the emails of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. After the election Trump conceded in an interview with George Stephanopoulos that he would do the same thing again. Recent reports indicate that the Russians are also anxious for another go round. And Trump is effectively greenlighting their renewed intentions.

The repeat of this partnership between Trump and Russia should worry every patriotic American. Unfortunately, Trump’s glassy-eyed cult followers, and his bootlicking sycophants in the Republican Party, are all to happy to embrace this evil cabal. Consequently, Trump is becoming evermore daring with regard to accepting such tainted assistance. And he proved that in an exchange on Tuesday with CNN reporter Jim Acosta (video below):

Acosta: Can you pledge to the American people that you will not accept any foreign assistance in the upcoming election?
Trump: First of all, I want no help from any country, and I haven’t been given help from any country. And if you see what CNN, your wonderful network, said, I guess they apologized in a way for – didn’t they apologize for the fact that they said certain things that weren’t true?

Notice that Trump’s response said only that he doesn’t “want” help and isn’t getting any. We know the second half of that comment is a lie because his own Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently briefed Congress on Russia’s ongoing election tampering on Trump’s behalf. Therefore, the first half of Trump’s comment can also be presumed to be a lie (which is the case with pretty much everything Trump says).

But it’s also notable that Trump did not directly answer the question by affirmatively pledging not to accept any such assistance, whether he wants it or not. By not making that pledge, Trump is effectively admitting that he will accept assistance from Russia, which he has done before. In addition to dodging the pledge, Trump also sought to attack the reporter and the question:

Trump: Tell me, what was their apology yesterday? What did they say?
Acosta: Mr. President, I think our record on delivering the truth is a lot better than yours sometimes, if you don’t mind me saying.
Trump: Let me tell you about your record. Your record is so bad you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You have the worst record in the history of broadcasting.
Acosta: I’m not ashamed of anything, and our organization is not ashamed.

Of course, the apology Trump is referring to exists only in his warped imagination. CNN’s reporting was accurate and corroborated by other news outlets. Trump is fond of inventing phony apologies to himself that never actually occurred. It’s how he satiates his narcissistic appetite for fawning worshipers. But Acosta’s response rattled Trump. It forced Trump to confront the reality that he is a pathological liar. So naturally Trump affirmed that observation by lying about CNN’s record with factual reporting. And if anyone should be ashamed, it’s Trump. That is, if Trump had the human capacity to feel shame.

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

Trump Chokes When Asked ‘What’s Your Message to Putin’ on Election Interference

Posted by on February 23, 2020 at 1:25 pm. 5 Comments :

Democrats are currently engaged in heated primary season with multiple candidates still jockeying for position. And the media attention on this is having a severe effect on Donald Trump. Narcissists don’t like it when they are not the center of attention. Consequently, Trump is ratcheting up his psychotic outbursts in order to seduce the press to stay focused on him.

Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin

Trump’s latest plea for attention is a desperate and bizarre appeal for what he portrays as fairness for Bernie Sanders in the primaries. Of course, Trump couldn’t care less about how the Democratic primaries are conducted, other than to slather them with mud and lies. His phony concern for Sanders is actually a play straight from the Russian playbook and intended to sow discord and chaos. And running his defense is Fox News who are making ludicrous assertions that the media and Democrats are the “Agents of Russia.”

Recent reports revealed that American intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia is, once again, interfering with the presidential election. The reports detailed Russia’s efforts to tip the scales in favor of Trump and Sanders. Trump’s own Office of the Director of National Intelligence, led by Joe Maguire, sent a deputy to brief Congress about this a couple of weeks ago. This news made Trump irate. Not the news that Russia was attacking our democracy, but the news that Congress was told about it. So Trump fired Maguire and replaced him with Rick Grennel, a Trump toady who has no experience whatsoever in intelligence.

So with an impending national crisis involving a hostile foreign enemy attempting to subvert our election, Trump was confronted by a reporter who asked a simple, but significant question:

“Have you been briefed that Russia is trying to help Bernie Sanders and, if so, what’s your message to Putin?”

Pay close attention to that question, and then consider Trump’s reply (video below):

“Nobody said it. I read where Russia’s helping Bernie Sanders. Nobody said it to me at all. Nobody briefed me about that at all […] They leaked it. Adam Schiff and his group, they leaked it to the papers. And, as usual, they ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that information. He should not be leaking information out of intelligence. They ought to investigate Adam Schiff.”

So Trump’s response to a question on what message he has for his pal Vladimir Putin, who is trying to foul our election is “They ought to investigate Adam Schiff.” Really? Trump had absolutely nothing to say to Putin. His only interest is in persecuting an elected member of Congress who is complying with his oath to protect and defend the Constitution. Putin, on the hand, is held harmless as he continues to attack this country. As long as Putin’s anti-American plots are designed to benefit Trump, Trump is content to allow them to proceed.

What’s more, Trump’s remarks are wholly unfounded and reckless. He has no evidence that Schiff leaked anything. It’s more likely that it was a Republican congressman (Devin Nunes?) who spilled to the press. And Trump doesn’t specify who he thinks should be investigating Schiff. Russia? Attorney Genuflect Bill Barr? Rudy Giuliani? Fox News? And if that’s not enough, Trump is also admitting his ignorance of Russian activity that everyone else already knows. Either his national security team is serving him poorly, or he’s lying (or both).

Trump followed up those remarks with a tweet that made things even worse:

Once again, Trump is baselessly accusing Schiff of leaking classified information. However, Trump also suggests that the “information” that Schiff allegedly leaked was made up. In which case, it wouldn’t be classified. But worst of all, Trump overtly threatens Schiff with being “caught” and suffering “a very unpleasant experience!” All without a hint of evidence that Schiff did anything wrong.

This is part and parcel of Trump’s psychopathy that drives him to seek vengeance and to persecute his perceived enemies. It’s a frightening descent into fascistic totalitarianism. And with each passing day Trump is less and less worried about exposing those tendencies and acting on them. This is precisely the behavior that many warned Trump would engage in if Senate Republicans didn’t have the guts to expel him from office. And as it worsens, the blame needs to be evenly spread around from Trump to the GOP to Fox News and the rest of the Reich-wing media.

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

PROOF: The Russian Plot to ‘Help’ Bernie Sanders is Being Led By Donald Trump

Posted by on February 22, 2020 at 1:43 pm. 4 Comments :

This week there were a couple of bombshell reports that revealed how alarmed the intelligence community is about Russia’s intentions to undermine this year’s presidential election. One report disclosed that the Acting Director of National Intelligence, Joe Maguire, a Donald Trump appointee, had briefed Congress on Russia’s campaign to repeat it’s 2016 mission to elect Trump. The other report disclosed that Russia has expanded their efforts in 2020 to include the promotion of Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary.

Donald Trump Vladimir Putin

These are perilous times for American democracy. Particularly since Trump has done nothing to protect the nation from Russia’s assault. To the contrary, he continues to deny that there was even any attack by Russia, and he supports the efforts of Senate Republican Leader, Mitch McConnell, to block bipartisan legislation to fortify our defenses. Nothing could be received with more gratitude by Vladimir Putin than Trump’s combination of calculated self-interest and willful negligence. And the differences between the responses to these news events by Trump and Sanders tell the whole story.

RELATED: Trump-Fluffers at Fox News Say the Media and Democrats are the ‘Agents of Russia’

Trump was very upset. Not because Russia was caught interfering in our election again, but because this information was given to the people’s representatives in Congress. He tweeted that “Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me … Hoax number 7!” Never mind that this wasn’t launched by Democrats, but by his own intelligence chief. And it is neither misinformation nor a hoax, but the fully considered research of intelligence professionals.

Sanders, on the other hand, more appropriately directed his anger at our enemies saying that “I don’t care, frankly, who Putin wants to be president. My message to Putin is clear: Stay out of American elections, and as president I will make sure that you do.” Trump has never made a such a declarative statement admonishing his pal Vlad to stop interfering.

To be clear, Russia doesn’t really care who the Democratic nominee is. They only care about manufacturing chaos and discord. They are exploiting divisions among Democrats by pretending to support Sanders. Perhaps they believe that he would be easier to beat, or they just think he’s a better source for stirring up division. But none of that really matters. Russia will adjust their cyber-attack campaign to focus on whoever the eventual nominee happens to be.

In the meantime, Trump is executing the Russian playbook without much of an effort to disguise it. Sanders told reporters that he was briefed on the Russian plans to favor him about a month ago. And it was right around that time (January 17) that Trump began tweeting his “support” for Sanders. For instance:


LATE ADDITIONS:

Does anyone believe that it’s just a coincidence that Trump began this Twitter campaign seeking “fairness” from the Democratic Party at precisely the same time that U.S. intelligence reached out to the candidate? Trump had not posted any tweets about the Democrats “rigging” the primary against Sanders for two years prior.

The very idea that Trump would care about the Democratic primary’s fairness is ludicrous. Since when has Trump been an advocate of election integrity? That certainly hasn’t been an issue in his own party. He and the GOP have been canceling Republican primaries across the country, despite (or because of) the fact that he has a credible challenger in former two-term Massachusetts governor, William Weld. Let that sink in. They haven’t been rigging their primaries. They have outright refused to conduct them.

Nevertheless, Trump has found the time and inclination to try to clean up the Democratic Party. But his efforts to do so have a distinct flavor that doesn’t really taste like concern for Democrats. In fact, his tweets look exactly like what you would expect from Russian agents tasked with creating a false promotion campaign for Sanders. If you didn’t know better (and even if you did), it would appear that Trump is the chief operative in Russia’s election corruption plot. Again!

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

Trump-Fluffers at Fox News Say the Media and Democrats are the ‘Agents of Russia’

Posted by on February 21, 2020 at 1:58 pm. 6 Comments :

A new report has revealed that Russia is, as expected, interfering in U.S. elections on behalf of Donald Trump. The report discloses that congressional intelligence committees were briefed on this threat within the past couple of weeks.

Fox News Friends

Upon learning about this, Trump became irate. Not because Russia was trying to subvert America’s democracy again, but because Democrats in congress were among those who were told about it. Obviously Trump is very concerned that Russia’s efforts on his behalf be concealed from the people and their representatives. And as a consequence of this “betrayal” of unflinching loyalty to Dear Leader, Trump fired Joe Maguire, the Director of National Intelligence, and installed a sycophantic bootlicker with zero experience, Rick Grenell, in his place as acting director. Then, of course, Trump took to Twitter to lie about the whole thing:

First of all, this wasn’t launched by Democrats. It was Trump’s own DNI chief who compiled the intelligence and informed Congress, as he was required to do by law. But more troubling is the fact that Trump is, once again, absolving Russia of any responsibility for their blatant acts of cyber-espionage. Just as he did after the 2016 election, Trump is taking Vladimir Putin’s side and declaring that the charges of election interference are a hoax. And on top of that, he falsely accuses Democrats of manufacturing the charges for political gain.

Naturally, Fox News was right there to prop up Trump’s anti-American babbling. On Friday morning’s episode of Fox and Friends, the “Curvy Couch” potatoes went even further than Trump to malign Democrats and the press as “Agents of Russia” (video below). “Alright let’s be clear about what this really all is,” co-host Pete Hegseth began. “This is all an attempt to discredit President Trump. That’s it. Delegitimize him all the way.” Then he elaborated saying that…

“Every single Democrat that parrots what they’re saying, they’re working together, they are the agents of Russia. This is what Russia wants! They want to sow discord and misinformation and delegitimize our republic, destabilize it because they’re not our friends and they know that when we’re strong they’re in a worse position – which they’ve done for years before President Trump. This is what they do.

“The Democrats, the media, fell for it. And the keep falling for it because they hate Trump so much they’re willing to parrot what the Kremlin is saying. They are the agents of Russia. Not Donald Trump, not this White House. It is the people that are spinning this.and continuing to drive this narrative.”

There’s a lot of derp to unpack in those two paragraphs. To begin with, Hegseth is asserting that talking about the Russian campaign to help Trump win reelection is “what Russia wants.” That’s clearly the opposite of reality. Russia’s intentions were to covertly disrupt the election, while benefiting Trump’s candidacy. What Russia wants is for people to talk about Russia’s innocence and how corrupt and dishonest American intelligence agencies are. Which is exactly what Trump and Fox News are so helpfully doing.

Hegseth also contends that Democrats and the media “fell for” Russia’s plot to get them to uncover the Russian plot. How insidious! And idiotic. It goes without saying that Russia did not intend to get caught and have their spying be broadcast around the world. That notion is almost as stupid as Hegseth’s next comment that Trump haters – Democrats and the media – are parroting “what the Kremlin is saying.” That could only be true if the Kremlin were saying that Russia is meddling in U.S. elections and that their actions are illegal and intolerable. That’s what Democrats are saying, but it is plainly not what the Kremlin is saying.

If anything, it is Trump and Fox News who are parroting the Kremlin. They are all saying that Russia isn’t doing anything wrong and any claim to the contrary is misinformation. Trump and his Reich-Wing confederates are unified in disputing what even his own intelligence agencies have proven to be true.

The purpose of this deceit is to pacify Trump’s ego. He thinks any validation of Russia’s attempts to steal the election, no matter how accurate, are personal attacks on him. Consequently, Trump will insult America’s intelligence professionals and he will take Putin’s side in denying the reality that Russia is aggressively trying to undermine U.S. democracy. And Fox News, as always, will obediently march along in lock-step with Trump’s reckless and treasonous lies.

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

Trump’s Phony Fits of Sympathy for Bernie Sanders Are Just What Putin Ordered

Posted by on February 15, 2020 at 9:25 am. 1 Comments :

The Democratic Party primary is beginning to roll out in earnest as the first states have completed their voting. And no one is more captivated by the process than the reality TV game show host currently occupying the White House. Donald Trump apparently fancies himself a political pundit now, and he has much to say about the electoral prospects of the party that he has literally and grossly disparaged “the true enemies of America.”

Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin

Since early January Trump has been spreading a baseless conspiracy theory that the Democratic Party is rigging the primaries against Bernie Sanders. If that were true it would be one of the least effective attempts at rigging an election considering the remarkable success that Sanders has enjoyed. That success was even acknowledged by Trump just a few days before he launched his conspiracy ranting.

For those who bothered to stayed tuned, Trump served up a barrage of tweets that flagrantly contradicted his original premise. For instance, Trump rage-tweeted that…

  • They are rigging the election again against Bernie Sanders, just like last time, only even more obviously.
  • They are taking the Democrat Nomination away from Crazy Bernie.
  • They are taking the nomination away from Bernie for a second time. Rigged!
  • Crazy Bernie takes the lead in the Democrat Primaries, but it is looking more and more like the Dems will never allow him to win! Will Sleepy Joe be able to stumble across the finish line?
  • Many of the ads you are watching were paid for by Mini Mike Bloomberg. He is going nowhere, just wasting his money, but he is getting the DNC to rig the election against Crazy Bernie, something they wouldn’t do for @CoryBooker and others. They are doing it to Bernie again, 2016.
  • The DNC on Bernie Sanders, “Looks like they’re going to do it to him again, doesn’t it?” @SteveDoocy @foxandfriends
  • It is happening again to Crazy Bernie, just like last time, only far more obvious. They are taking the Democrat Nomination away from him, and there’s very little he can do. A Rigged System!

There’s a lot of absurdity clogging up Trump’s Twitter feed there. First he asserts that the Democratic Party was deliberately disadvantaging Sanders by forcing him to attend the impeachment hearings so that he would not be able to campaign. But that was also true for Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, and Kirsten Gillibrand. So by Trump’s ignorant and perverse logic the Party was rigging the election against every Democratic senator in the race.

Following that, Trump first attributes the Party’s alleged bias to be for the benefit of Joe Biden. But that didn’t last long. He later claims that Mike Bloomberg was the intended beneficiary. As usual, Trump’s inane allegations are flailing out in every direction with his familiar brand of incoherence. Make no mistake. Trump doesn’t give a damn about any of the Democrats or the conduct of their primary. And if he was actually concerned about Sanders he wouldn’t be using the insulting and infantile nickname, “Crazy Bernie.”

None of this, of course, is Sanders’ fault. There are reasons for Trump’s asinine histrionics that go beyond his everyday indecency and immaturity. What is actually behind Trump’s Bernie fetish can be distilled into two rather obvious explanations: Fear and chaos!

EXPLANATION #1: FEAR: Trump sees that Sanders is leading a movement much like the one that Trump regards himself to be leading. Sanders has amassed the largest base of small donors in history. And his supporters have a profound loyalty to his candidacy that his based on common American principles and values. Unlike Trump’s cult following that is wholly comprised of glassy-eyed MAGA disciples who can’t articulate a policy that exceeds the four words of his slogan and who continue their support despite his lies, crimes, and hate mongering.

What’s more, there is a peculiar appeal that crosses over from Trump to Sanders that is linked to the theme of shaking up the establishment. But here there is also a profound difference. Sanders has been doing it with sincerity for decades, while Trump is a dishonest, exploitative newcomer whose credibility is worthless.

EXPLANATION #2: CHAOS: The other explanation for Trump’s obsession with Sanders is that it fulfills the agenda of Trump’s benefactor, Vladimir Putin. The primary Russian objective in interfering with U.S. elections has been to sow division and distrust. By stirring up animosity between the various Democratic candidates, Putin hopes to diminish them all and form opposing camps who work against their common goals and their eventual nominee, whoever it is. Additionally, he hopes to create chaos and an impression that the election is rampant with fraud and the results unreliable.

Trump is purposefully advancing these anti-democratic and anti-American objectives. And he doesn’t need to discuss it with Putin to know what they are or what’s expected of him. Just like he didn’t need to have explicit conversations with Putin to benefit from Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. As was affirmed by special counsel Robert Mueller, “Trump and his campaign welcomed and encouraged Russian interference,” in 2016 and “lied about it to cover it up.” All without (so far as we currently know) any explicit conversations between Trump and Putin.

Anyone who doesn’t think the same thing is happening now is either complicit or terminally naive. It is imperative that the American people be aware of these Russian-initiated tactics that Trump is obediently undertaking like the lapdog he is. We must not allow Putin and Trump to sow the discord they hope will return Trump to the White House. So feel free to vote your hearts in the primaries. But in November we must come together to support the Democratic candidate, whoever he or she is. Failing to do that is failing America.

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

GOOD CALL: Political Pundit Trump Predicts America is Getting More Anti-Trump

Posted by on February 10, 2020 at 1:41 pm. 5 Comments :

The daily schedule of alleged president Donald Trump is typically a short list of non-presidential activities such as as golfing, tweeting, watching Fox News, and headlining cult rallies filled with lies and hatred for his perceived political foes. And as of late Trump has taken a keen new interest in election punditry with his unique analyses littering his Twitter feed.

Donald Trump

In recent weeks Trump has posted repeated commentaries on the progress of the Democratic primary season. He is mostly expressing a bizarre and obviously disingenuous concern that Bernie Sanders is being treated poorly by a party that is rigging the primaries against him. In addition to that Trump frequently opines on how his recent tribulations with impeachment have actually benefited him and his Republican cohorts. But on Monday morning, Trump contributed what may be his most accurate prediction for the Democratic campaign yet:

To be clear, the accuracy of this tweet is not that either Sen. Chuck Schumer or Rep. Jerrold Nadler are at risk for being defeated. They are both expected to have overwhelming victories in both their primaries and in the general election. And every poll indicates that Nancy Pelosi will retain her position as House Speaker, and even pick up additional seats. The smart money is betting on Democrats assuming the majority in the Senate as well. So Schumer is well positioned to topple Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader.

However, what Trump may not have noticed about his prediction is that he is asserting that the nation is becoming even more progressive and, therefore, more anti-Trump. That’s the only plausible conclusion from his assertion that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could take Schumer’s Senate seat and win statewide. Likewise, Trump’s opinion that a candidate to Nadler’s left would enjoy a victory in New York’s 10th district suggests that being farther to the left is an asset. So Trump is essentially saying that the farther a candidate is from Trump, the better their prospects for victory. I can’t say that I disagree with that.

To validate that point, Quinnipiac University released a new poll that has decidedly terrible news for Trump. They report that his “favorability rating is underwater, as 42 percent of registered voters have a favorable opinion of him, while 55 percent have an unfavorable view of him.” This doesn’t exactly affirm his delusional belief that being impeached increased his popularity or his chances of being reelected. On the latter point, Trump is shown in this poll to be trailing every one of his top Democratic opponents. According to Quinnipiac:

  • Bloomberg tops Trump 51 – 42 percent;
  • Sanders defeats Trump 51 – 43 percent;
  • Biden beats Trump 50 – 43 percent;
  • Klobuchar defeats Trump 49 – 43 percent;
  • Warren wins narrowly over Trump 48 – 44 percent;
  • Buttigieg is also slightly ahead of Trump 47 – 43 percent.

In addition to his electoral woes, America is convinced that Trump is a criminal who got away with his crimes with the help of his Republican accomplices in the Senate. The poll shows that “Despite the acquittal, voters say 55 – 40 percent that the Senate voting to acquit President Trump does not clear him of any wrongdoing in the Ukraine matter.” What’s more, “Voters say 59 – 35 percent that the Senate impeachment trial was conducted unfairly.”

If this is what Trump means when he says that “My poll numbers look great,” he is as mentally unstable as ever. Perhaps more so. He recently exhibited a severe case of paranoia by lashing out at enemies that he sees everywhere, saying that “I View Everybody as a Threat.” And he has embarked on a totalitarian style purge of his administration, including his own appointees. So it isn’t just America that is more anti-Trump. In his diseased mind, it’s even his own White House.

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

The PURGE: Trump Never Learns Anything, Remains Unrepentant and Unrestrained

Posted by on February 8, 2020 at 11:44 am. 8 Comments :

In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s impeachment, a flurry of frantic Republicans scurried out to insist that their irresponsible votes to let Trump off the hook for flagrant abuse of power were justifiable because Trump had learned his lesson and would sin no more. That will resonate throughout history as one of the best example of terminal naivete.

Donald Trump Zombie

It didn’t take Trump forty-eight hours to prove that he has no conscience or decency. He lashed out at his critics in Congress and then proceeded to embark on a totalitarian style purge of members of his administration who dared to tell the truth about him. And as if his frightening mental infirmities weren’t apparent enough, he stood before the press for an episode of his “Chopper Talk” parade of lies and put his clinically severe case of paranoia on full display saying that “I view everybody as a threat.”

Indeed he does. That’s why he fired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, his brother Yevgeny, and his ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland (who secured that post after donating a million dollars to Trump’s inaugural committee). And by rushing to exact this vengeance on his perceived enemies, Trump put the nation’s security further at risk, because he has no one to fill those positions at a critical time.

Now Trump is (predictably) claiming that he didn’t know Vindman, and is maligning his service to the country by commenting on his personnel record at the National Security Agency. First of all, that could be illegal as those records are confidential. Not that Trump cares about the law. But true to form, Trump is lying. Vindman’s service record in the Army and the White House is exemplary and without blemish.

These initial purges are surely just the beginning of Trump’s wholesale clearance of patriots who value honesty, service, and the principles that make America great. There is even discussion in the White House to fire Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community. This would be one of the most egregious acts of power-grabbing authoritarianism in U.S. history. And by the way, Atkinson was appointed by Trump in 2017. So how has Trump followed up on that Friday Night Massacre? He is gloating and celebrating what he mistakenly believes will be a political plus for him the Republican Party.

As with everything Trumpian, it all boils down to how it reflects on him personally. He has no regard for the welfare of the country or the people he is purposefully slandering. He leads off with his infantile nicknaming of Nancy Pelosi, mocking her for once losing the speakership. But he fails to recognize that she got it back in the most recent election that was a powerful rebuke of Trump and the GOP. The fact that Trump is focusing on politics at this time is evidence of how he trivializes the catastrophe he just suffered. It is also an indication of how scared he is, so he needs to deflect from the more serious aspects of his having been impeached forever.

Furthermore, Trump’s electoral analysis couldn’t be more delusional. Every poll shows that the House of Representatives will remain firmly in the control of Democrats who are predicted to pick up more seats. And numerous Republican senators are gravely at risk for losing their seats, even more so since the impeachment began. Their votes will not help them either as the vast majority of the America people wanted the Senate to hear witnesses, not to mention they want Trump removed from office.

The tyrannical aspirations of Trump have never been more obvious. And the prospects for his future betrayals and violation of the law are increasing exponentially as he descends further into his delusion, panic, and desperation for survival and the worship of his cult followers in congress, the press, and the public. This will not end well for him – or them.

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