Month: July 2019

Trump’s Militaristic Exploitation of Independence Day Reflects His Insecurity and Impotence

Posted by on July 4, 2019 at 11:21 am. 2 Comments :

In this highly charged era of partisan division, Donald Trump has succeeded in altering the meaning of Independence Day for many Americans. Among his Deplorables it has become a tribute to Trump as savior of the white nationalist principles he espouses. The rest of the nation is hoping to celebrate what the holiday has traditionally represented, in spite of the dark shadow cast by Trump’s self-aggrandizing bombast.

Donald Trump, Independence Day, Fourth of July, Flag

The degradation of the Fourth of July into what most resembles the autocratic parades of the brutal, warmongering dictators that Trump admires (Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping, etc.) is a depressing development. But it’s also a fallacy that attempts to portray Trump as a patriot. His own words and deeds are proof that he and his promoters are lying. After all, Trump displays his alleged appreciation for the troops by maligning POWs for having been captured, insulting Gold Star families who are not Trump sycophants, terminating healthcare and other services for vets, and deporting veterans who served in combat despite not being citizens.

Trump is shamelessly politicizing the Fourth by offering preferred seating for Republican bigwigs and donors. Meanwhile, he is forcing the military to abandon plans to be with their families in order to participate in Soviet-style parades of weaponry. He even declined to invite the service chiefs for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Trump, on the other hand, is forcing his staff to spend the day trying to come up with ways to get around the Supreme Court’s rejection of his racist Census question on citizenship. Meanwhile, he’s golfing and, later, presenting himself as the star attraction of yet another one of his partisan campaign cult rallies.

What makes all of this even worse is that Trump’s affinity for the pageantry of war is really just over-compensation for his own inadequacies. His behavior is consistent with that of malignant narcissists who must have everything their way, no matter who suffers. It’s a cowardly display that defines his whole presidency – and life. And it reveals his pitiful insecurity and obsession with magnifying his own perception of his paltry and phony machismo.

The bastardization of patriotism by Cadet Bone Spurs has been an obvious facade from the start. And Trump always aims his wrath at the most vulnerable. His most recent targets are actual babies that he is incarcerating in cages simply because they were brought to the “land of the free” by parents desperate to escape starvation and violence. His callous response to critics was expressed in a tweet saying that…

Sure. Just remain in the dangerous environments that they fled and all problems will be solved. The question is “Whose problems?” Surely not the children, their parents, or even those still suffering in countries that Trump just cut off all foreign aid to. His ignorant vengeance will only result in more people seeking refugee status in the U.S.

And speaking of redistribution of funds, Trump’s DC party is taking money from the Park Service to pay for his ego-stroking extravaganza. Which means he is literally stealing money that otherwise would have supported national monuments honoring the nation and the troops. Instead, it will be wasted on a political sham intended to further inflate Trump’s ego and boost his reelection prospects.

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

Whatever benefit Trump thought he would receive from this vain exploitation, he may be bitterly disappointed. All of the broadcast television networks have declined to air the blatant campaign event live. Likewise CNN and MSNBC will not be showing it. Which leaves only State TV (aka Fox News) with the exclusive rights to Trump’s Reality TV presentation. Which is only fair (and balanced?) considering that Fox News previously said that that Trump “owns” the Fourth of July and therefore cannot be hijacking it for his own selfish purposes. How’s that for an inspiring holiday sentiment?

Fox News on Trump Hijacking the 4th of July: ‘You Can’t Hijack Something You Already Own’

Posted by on July 3, 2019 at 1:25 pm. 3 Comments :

The fact that millions of Americans are disgusted by Donald Trump’s brazen exploitation of Independence Day is reason enough for him to cancel his plans to turn the celebration into a tribute to himself. But then that wouldn’t be the Trump that America has come to know and despise. Instead, he is moving forward with the “Trump Day” affair and ignoring how offensive and divisive it is.

Donald Trump, Immigrant, Child

So naturally, Fox News is coming to Trump’s defense as they always do. The State TV network is speaking in glowing terms about the perverse brand of patriotism that Trump is peddling. They aren’t the least bit bothered by this being the first time that the Fourth of July has been exploited for purely political purposes. In fact, they are portraying it as even more patriotic than ever because to them Trump represents the true meaning of America. That sentiment was expressed clearly by Fox News host, and cranky court jester, Jesse Watters (video below):

“You can’t hijack something you already own. The last time I checked, the president is an American, and he’s an American president. But the left falls into this trap all the time. […] They’re against whatever he does, and now they just look unpatriotic.”

So according to Watters, Trump “already owns” the Fourth of July. Therefore, any criticism of him or his actions is deemed “unpatriotic” by Watters and the rest of the Fox Newsies who didn’t object to this abhorrent commentary. And if you own the holiday you are allowed to stain it with partisanship, self-exaltations, and military parades that recall the brutal, war mongering dictatorships that Trump is so fond of.

Watters went on to say that Trump “adores the military” and is “very into the pomp and the pageantry.” Of course. And Trump displays that adoration by maligning POWs for having been captured, insulting Gold Star families who are not Trump sycophants, terminating healthcare and other services for vets, lying to soldiers about wages and other benefits that Trump falsely claimed to have provided, and deporting veterans who served in combat despite not being citizens.

For this Independence Day Trump is unashamedly politicizing the event by offering preferred seating for Republican supporters and donors. He is forcing the military to participate in Soviet-style parades of weaponry. And he even declined to invite the service chiefs for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

But this is what Fox News considers patriotic behavior. They embrace emulating the militarism of our enemies. They praise the viciously partisan current occupant of the White House and his Republican Nationalist Party. They exclude the majority of Americans who are repulsed by Trump and his Doctrine of Hate. And they declare that a hostile, ignorant, bigoted, infantile, five-time draft dodger “owns” the holiday commemorating independence, freedom, and the sacrifices of those who secured and preserve it. Nice work Fox.

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

Awww: Fox News Worries that Democrats Might Be ‘Blowing Their Chance to Beat Trump’

Posted by on July 2, 2019 at 11:11 pm. 1 Comments :

There’s nothing like an election to get conservative blowhards to shed some crocodile tears over what they see as the declining fortunes of the Democratic Party. Never mind that the last election in 2018 saw a “blue wave” that swept Democrats into the majority in the House of Representatives and made Nancy Pelosi Speaker. Republicans are never more sympathetic to the threat of Democrats losing voters than when the Democrats are actively and effectively beating up on the GOP. So naturally, right-wing politicos and pundits need to come out with their heartfelt advice to stop the Democrats from hurting themselves. How thoughtful.

Fox News, Donkey

On Tuesday morning, Fox News media analyst, Howard Kurtz, was interviewed by anchor Bill Hemmer about how dreadfully naive Democrats are for appealing to their own constituents, rather than kowtowing to Donald Trump and his cadre of Deplorables. The segment featured a chyron that read “2020 Dems Taking Extreme Positions on Key Issues.” And their examples of how the party is “lurching left” and “blowing their chance to defeat Trump,” were positions in favor of humanitarian treatment of refugees and support of Medicare for All – two issues that resonate with progressives and are wildly popular among Democrats and even many Republicans and independents.

This is a bold demonstration of political altruism on the part of Kurtz and company. Because who would know more about what’s best for Democrats than the staunchly Republican partisans on Fox News who spend most of their time viciously maligning and lying about the party? They nevertheless believe that they are perfectly positioned to give counsel to Democrats who might otherwise destroy their own electoral prospects by advocating for higher wages for workers, higher taxes for corporations and the wealthy, greater access to education, and addressing the imminent risks of the climate crisis. You know, the very issues that define the positive values of the Democratic Party, as well as the majority of Americans. But Kurtz is concerned because…

“What we can say is that some of these positions, way out on the left wing, things that nobody in the party would have said even in 2016, could be a vulnerability next year.”

Really? It’s funny that Kurtz is worried about what are actually mainstream positions that he ridiculously tags as “left wing.” But he doesn’t have a word to say about the radical right positions being taken by Trump and his Republican Nationalist Party. Doesn’t he think that incarcerating children in cages will blow Trump’s chances of being reelected? And what about Trump’s bizarre affinity for murderous dictators like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un? And his hostility toward agreements that made America safer by curtailing the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea?

Isn’t the GOP lurching to the right by repeatedly cutting taxes for the rich? Aren’t they pandering to GOP fanatics by rejecting the Paris accords on climate change? Won’t Trump’s sabotage of ObamaCare and determination to end popular protections for preexisting conditions drive voters away? And then there’s his relentless pursuit of a useless, idiotic, vanity wall along the southern border that most Americans oppose.

Why is it that wingnuts like Kurtz always pretend to be concerned about where Democrats are on the ideological spectrum? They would never countenance Democrats offering such advice to Republicans. You’ll never see Kurtz, or anyone on Fox News asking if Trump is blowing it by pandering so obsessively to his dwindling, cultist base.

If anyone should be worried about blowing 2020, it’s Donald Trump. His approval ratings are in the basement. He is the first president in history who has never cracked 50 percent. His positions are unpopular. He is regarded as a lying loudmouth who doesn’t know what he’s talking about on any subject. Meanwhile, the motivation of Democrats to vote next year forecasts a historically high turnout. That isn’t exactly good news for Trump and his paid shills at Fox News. But not to worry. They will never see those danger signals as warnings to moderate their regressive fanaticism.

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

Holy Shih Tzu! Trump Attacks NY Corruption Probe with Bizarre Reference to Sexual Abuse

Posted by on July 1, 2019 at 1:38 pm. 1 Comments :

One might think that if there is a single subject that Donald Trump would be smart enough to stay away from, it would be the subject of sexual harassment and abuse. And one would be utterly wrong. As is often the case, it is impossible to underestimate the audacity and cretinism of Trump. That’s particularly true when he is backed into a corner igniting his feral anger and fear.

Donald Trump

Case in point: On Monday morning Trump unleashed another of his rabid tweetstorms. This one appears to have come out of nowhere, but was likely stirred by something he just saw on Fox News, or perhaps he received a legal summons of some sort. The topic of this outburst centered on the ongoing investigation into his criminal activities by the state of New York. And naturally, he led it off with an impotent countercharge aimed at his perceived persecutors:

Contrary to Trump’s paranoid ranting, the New York Attorney General’s office doesn’t “sue on everything.” However, if they are “in search of a crime” it’s only because that’s their job. Trump is whining about this in the same way that a bank robber would whine about those darn cops always sticking their noses into bank robberies.

So Trump tries to exonerate himself from the documented criminal activity that resulted in his phony foundation being shut down. Former New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood (not Eric Schneiderman), found that the Foundation was a criminal enterprise devoted to enriching himself with other people’s donations (Here’s a quick primer on Trump’s scam foundation). Underwood’s report outlined “a shocking pattern of illegality involving the Trump Foundation.” The ruling went on to declare that Trump’s sham included…

“…unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing, and much more. This amounted to the Trump Foundation functioning as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump’s business and political interests.”

The current NY AG, Letitia James, tweeted a message to Trump warning that “No one is above the law, not even the President.” What’s more, the lawsuit Trump faces continues to seek millions in restitution and prohibits Trump and his evil spawn from serving on the boards of other New York charities. Imagine that: Trump is barred from running a charitable foundation, but not from serving as president. There’s something horribly wrong with that picture.

As for Trump’s flailing assault on the Bill and Hillary Clinton Foundation, it is wildly off base. There have been investigations into the Clinton Foundation and there was never any hint of wrongdoing. In fact, the major organizations that assess the credibility of charitable groups have given the Clinton Foundation their highest ratings.

What makes this even more dumbfounding is Trump’s vicious sideswipe at the former NY Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman. To be sure, Schneiderman had his problems for which he paid dearly. He voluntarily resigned from office, abandoned an almost guaranteed path to New York’s governorship, and has since receded from public life. And for the record, Schneiderman was never Clinton’s campaign chairman. That was John Podesta, whose emails were hacked by Trump’s Russian pals. Also, it’s ironic that Trump would go after anyone’s campaign chairman while his own, Paul Manafort, is currently sitting in prison for crimes against America.

It’s rather startling that Trump would venture into the area of sex crimes considering his own history of repulsiveness. Trump has been accused of harassing and/or assaulting dozens of women. He even admitted to sexual abuse on the infamous Access Hollywood recording. But he remains in the White House while even more credible accusations are coming out. If Trump wants to make this a contest of who is the most vile abuser of women, he’s a shoo-in for the big trophy. And perhaps it’s that confidence of victory that made him foolishly bring up the subject. After all, we know how much he likes to win.

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