Trump’s Impotent Response to Impeachment Vote is Flagrantly Delusional and Dishonest

On Thursday morning the House of Representatives did what Donald Trump and his Republican Nationalist Party has been asking for. They voted to proceed with the impeachment inquiry in an open, accessible manner that permits the GOP to review all documents and transcripts, issue subpoenas, and cross-examine witnesses. So naturally Trump and Republicans are still whining.

Donald Trump, Impeach

The spectacle of a president whining like a petulant child seems unthinkable, but for Trump it is business as usual. During his campaign he actually bragged that he is the most fabulous whiner.” And he has spent his presidency proving it. Now, with the walls closing in around him, Trump is lashing out incoherently in a panicked effort to escape accountability for his treasonous misconduct. In an official statement from the White House, Trump laid out an impotent case for his acquittal. Let’s take a closer look at the full statement with some explanatory annotations:

“The President has done nothing wrong, and the Democrats know it.”

The President has done a great many things wrong and, unfortunately for him, the Democrats and a majority of Americans know it. Among his criminal and impeachable offenses are extortion, campaign finance violations, witness intimidation, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy against the United States.

“Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats’ unhinged obsession with this illegitimate impeachment proceeding does not hurt President Trump; it hurts the American people.”

The right calls everything Democrats do unhinged and partisan, so those labels have lost any meaning or relevance. As for the impeachment hurting the American people, that’s impossible considering that fact that a majority of them are in favor of it.

“Instead of focusing on pressing issues that impact real families, like reducing gun violence, passing the USMCA, improving healthcare, lowering prescription drug costs, securing our southern border, and modernizing our aging infrastructure, the Democrats are choosing every day to waste time on a sham impeachment—a blatantly partisan attempt to destroy the President.”

Democrats in the House of Representatives have passed bills addressing nearly all of those issues, plus more than 300 others. It’s the GOP Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, who is refusing to let them come to a vote in the Senate.

“With today’s vote, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats have done nothing more than enshrine unacceptable violations of due process into House rules. Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Schiff, and the Democrats conducted secret, behind-closed-door meetings, blocked the Administration from participating, and have now voted to authorize a second round of hearings that still fails to provide any due process whatsoever to the Administration.”

Actually, the rules being followed by the Democrats were written and codified in 2015 by a Republican House majority led by Speaker John Boehner. This was notably pointed out by Judge Andrew Napolitano, the Senior Legal Analyst at Fox News. What’s more, Republicans were participants in every hearing and witness interview that the White House is now falsely portraying as “secret.”

“The Democrats want to render a verdict without giving the Administration a chance to mount a defense. That is unfair, unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American.”

First of all, there is nothing unconstitutional about a process that is actually in the Constitution. But more to the point, Democrats are conducting an inquiry. In no legal proceeding is the “defendant” permitted to participate in that investigation. When it is concluded it will either be dropped for lack of evidence, or an indictment and trial will take place. And that’s when Trump’s side will have ample opportunity to present their defense. The White House is deliberately trying to deceive the public as to how these matters are conducted.

Of course, the Deceiver-in-Chief is Donald Trump himself. He is mounting a disinformation campaign to attack the process, and by extension, the Constitution. And he’s getting plenty of help from State TV (aka Fox News), which is having problems of its own.

Trump posted a four-tweet quote by Fox’s Laura Ingraham that is nothing more than a GOP pep talk to pressure the right to obediently follow Dear Leader and abandon integrity, honesty, and morality, and to place Trump’s interests above those of the country. And most of the Fox roster is doing the same thing. So once again, it needs to be pointed out that this network is an arm of the Trump regime and should be designated as such for campaign finance purposes.

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

Thanks Trump! The Pumpkinhead President Scares Fox News Ratings Into an Abyss

The month of October has been a frightening experience for Donald Trump. His Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, admitted on national TV that there was a quid pro quo with Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. His personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, had a nervous breakdown on Fox News. He was forced to reverse an idiotic plan to host the 2020 G7 summit at his Doral golf resort in Miami. And his one bit of good news – the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – produced a paltry two point bounce in a poll by his favorite, ultra-biased pollster, Rasmussen. Scary, huh?

Donald Trump, Fox News, Halloween

Trump was so terrified throughout the month that he fear-posted 104 panic-tweets attacking the fearsome chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff. And as if the Offender-in-Chief doesn’t already have enough reasons to soil his trousers, the Trump-fluffing “news” network that he relies on to prop him up with worshipful propaganda, Fox News, fell on some hard times as well. The ratings for October reveal that impeachment has been good news for both America and Fox’s chief competitor, MSNBC.

The total day ratings for Fox News declined by a whopping 27 percent in the all-important 25-54 demographic, compared to October of 2018. In the same period MSNBC rose 12 percent. MSNBC also increased total prime time viewers 25 percent, and prime time demo viewers 16 percent.

This growth was driven by impressive gains by The Rachel Maddow Show, which was the #1 cable news program for the month among adults 25-54. Her show was up 13 percent, while Fox News’ Hannity declined 21 percent in that time slot. In total viewers Maddow was up 22 percent, compared to Fox’s 2 percent drop. She beat her direct competition, Sean Hannity, as well as Fox’s other prime time stars, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham.

These gains were also present in other MSNBC programs. The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell was up 20 percent (Fox News dropped 22 percent). The 11th Hour with Brian Williams finished #1 in the 11 p.m. hour, up 25 percent (Fox News declined 31 percent). The Beat with Ari Melber delivered the network’s most-watched month ever in the 6 p.m. time period, up 34 percent (Fox News down 12 percent). Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace was #1 in total viewers, up 13 percent (Fox News dropped 27 percent). All In with Chris Hayes was up 24 percent (Fox News was down 19 percent). Even the weekend had great news with total day gains of 10 percent (Fox News dips of 32 percent).

There could be several explanations for this powerful performance by MSNBC and the simultaneous collapse of Fox News. Trump’s impeachment might have stirred more interest by progressive news consumers to tune in more. At the same time, it might have discouraged conservatives from watching the news at all. But there’s another possible factor that drove Fox’s viewers away: Donald Trump. He spent a fair amount of time bashing his own own best media outlet and even telling his followers to turn off Fox.

For instance, after a Fox poll showed him losing to Biden, Trump tweeted that “I have NEVER had a good @FoxNews Poll. Whoever their Pollster is, they suck.” And then there was the time he tweeted that “@FoxNews doesn’t deliver for US anymore. It is so different than it used to be.” And not mincing words, Trump told his Deplorables that “We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn’t working for us anymore!”

It’s hard to determine whether Trump’s Fox bashing had any real impact on their ratings. But it isn’t hard to see that he is a fickle and vengeful narcissist who demands 100 percent adoration at all times, lest you be cast into the corn fields, aka TrumpScorn. However, it is more likely that television audiences were simply more interested in getting honest presentations of the news by real journalists instead of slobbering, glassy-eyed sycophants. And since a majority of Americans favor Trump being impeached and removed from office (even in that Fox News poll), even the opinion side of MSNBC would figure to be more popular.

If Trump has anything going for him at this time, it’s the “bloody highway crash” appeal that might cause viewers to tune to Fox in order to see exactly how his mental breakdown will unfold in real time. Sure, it’s morbid and gruesome, but hell, it’s Halloween. Everybody may just be in a weird mood.

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

Terrified of Impeachment, Trump Fired Off 104 Tweets About Adam Schiff in October

On Tuesday morning the congressional inquiry into Donald Trump’s impeachment continued with an official from his National Security team providing new and damning testimony. The fear this and other late breaking news triggered in Trump resulted in an avalanche of fevered tweets that exposed both his desperation and the pitiful impotence of his response to this crisis.

Donald Trump, Adam Schiff

Trump is apparently unaware that his Twitter tantrums only serve to make him look more guilty. They reflect the terror of a quivering rabbit as it faces certain doom in the jaws of hungry wolf. And the narrow focus of his gushing panic reveals how distressed he is about the inquiry being conducted by House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Adam Schiff.

In a tsunami of hysterical tweets, Trump has singled out Schiff for his harshest criticism. Trump has repeatedly asserted, without evidence, that Schiff is corrupt. He’s said that Schiff is a liar, a lowlife, a disgrace, and a fraud. Trump has called Schiff a traitor who should resign or be impeached. And he has tagged the congressman with another of his infantile nicknames – Shifty Schiff – that drips with anti-Semitic undertones. This is not the behavior of a calm or confidently innocent man.

In the month of October Trump has tweeted about Schiff 104 times. That’s an average of about 3 1/2 times per day. Those Schiff-focused tweets included references to many of Trump’s other familiar obsessions such as the whistleblower (22 times), Nancy Pelosi (18), the Ukraine phone call transcript (14), and impeachment in general (24). On Tuesday the 29th alone Trump posted 44 unhinged tweets, of which 10 (23%) were about Schiff. For contrast, Trump posted only a single tweet about the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and that was only to complain that Democrats were trying to make people forget about it. But considering the volume and content of Trump’s tweets, you have to ask who is really trying to make people forget.

A few common themes keep popping up in Trump’s Schiff tweets. One is that Trump is deeply concerned about the whereabouts of the Intelligence Community whistleblower. Who cares? The whistleblower’s complaint was fully corroborated by Trump himself on national TV. This is Trump’ss way of trying to belittle the complaint and to intimidate others from coming forward with the truth. But the parade of witnesses coming to Congress prove that this tactic isn’t working.

Another theme concerns Trump’s insistence that people read the transcript of his phone call with Ukraine President Zelensky. Of course, people have already read it and concluded that it validates the whistleblower’s account and incriminates Trump.

And then there’s Trump’s frequent whining about a brief segment of Schiff’s opening remarks in a hearing where Schiff paraphrased part of Trump’s phone call with Zelensky. Trump keeps lying that Schiff presented that as Trump’s own words. However, Schiff prefaced those remarks by saying explicitly that it was just “the essence” of what Trump said to Zelensky.

None of Trump’s demented tirades contain any substance that is based in reality. It’s all the ravings of a madman consumed by fear who will do anything to avoid accountability for his crimes. And the tighter the walls close in around him, the more bizarre and numerous his outbursts become. It’s a pathetic display of victimhood that is especially absurd coming from someone whose office has been called the most powerful on Earth. But that’s just another symbol of American pride that Trump has unraveled as he stumbles toward prosecution, humiliation and irrelevance.

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

Uh-Oh: Trump’s Favorite Pollster Shows a Baghdadi Bounce of 2 Measly Points

On Sunday Donald Trump made what he surely thought was the most consequential public address of his ignoble presidency. He announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at the conclusion of a raid by U.S. forces. Despite some flagrant lies and admissions of improper conduct, Trump must have imagined that this news would provide some relief from the avalanche of evidence and testimony against him at the congressional impeachment hearings. Instead, he was greeted by boos when he attended the fifth game of the World Series later the same day.

Donald Trump

Trump, as usual, has been paying tribute to himself. In the past twenty-hours hours he has posted seven videos of his Sunday address. He has also lauded reporting by correspondents who praised the military mission and his decision to greenlight it. Nevermind that inside experts have revealed that Trump was actually an impediment to the mission’s success.

Perhaps the best indication of how little Trump will benefit from the Baghdadi episode is his approval rating as reported by his favorite pollster, the ultra-rightist Rasmussen Reports. In recent days Rasmussen has had Trump’s approval at a low (43%) that matches his worst polling in nearly two years. And now, after the death of Baghdadi, Trump’s approval creeped up a mere two points to 45 percent. That’s still uncharacteristically low for Trump on a Rasmussen survey. But it also reflects the tiniest of bounces from what should have been highly positive news.

Trump is fond of bragging about his approval rating from Rasmussen. He has tweeted fourteen times this year when the number exceeded 50 percent. The most recent was just two weeks ago, after which it quickly declined to 43. What he apparently has failed to learn is that after he posts a relatively good approval rating, it routinely drops back down in a matter of days. Then when it goes back up to 50, he pounds out another repetitive robo-tweet. And the wheel spins round and round.

If Trump has been hoping to ride a rocket to popularity in the post-Baghdadi world, he is going to be bitterly disappointed, a state of being that he is probably familiar with. If his approval rating rises only two points on Rasmussen after an event like this, it is unlikely to shoot up to a majority any other poll. Trump has actually never had a 50 percent approval rating from a credible pollster during his entire presidency. And as the afterglow of the Baghdadi news fades, the red-hot radiance of impeachment will reignite. And, once again, Trump will wallow in an abyss of victimhood, disapproval and desperation.

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

Wannabe Dictator Trump Improperly Withheld the Baghdadi Mission From Congress

The demise of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is something that ought to bring relief to all Americans, and others around the world, who abhor the hatred and terrorism that he represented. This news should have been an opportunity for Donald Trump to unite the nation in appreciation of the courageous work of our military and intelligence personnel. But Trump being Trump makes all acts of decency dirty.

Donald Trump Tyrant Dictator

On Saturday night Trump posted a cryptic tweet that said only that “Something very big has just happened!” It wasn’t long before the meaning of his tweet was all over the media. But the cheesy manner in which he tried to create some kind of cliffhanger plot device is reminiscent of his years as a Reality TV game show host.

In his press conference on Sunday morning Trump announced what everyone already knew. Baghdadi died during a raid by U.S. forces on his compound in Syria. He detonated a suicide vest as American soldiers were closing in on him. This could have been a story of success and courage for the nation, but Trump’s announcement was littered with revelations that were disturbing and self-serving. Especially his admission that he withheld the details of the mission from the congressional “Gang of Eight” who are traditionally informed of these affairs.

Reporter: Did you notify the congressional leaders about this, Pelosi, McConnell…
Trump: We notified some. Others are being notified now as I speak. We were going to notify them last night, but we decided not to do that because Washington leaks like I’ve never seen before. There’s no country in the world that leaks like we do. And Washington is a leaking machine.

I told my people that we will not notify them until our great people are out. Not just in, but out. I don’t want have them greeted with fire power like you wouldn’t believe. So we were able to get in. It was top secret. It was kept. There were no leaks. Nothing. The only people that knew were the few people that I dealt with.

Make no mistake, what Trump is saying with this statement is that he doesn’t trust House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (who is second in line for the presidency), and the leaders of the congressional committees with jurisdiction, to respect the confidentiality of military operations that put our troops and others in harm’s way. Trump made a unilateral decision to shut out the people’s representatives and appoint himself the de facto King of America.

This is a stunning abuse of power that improperly conceals information from people who require it to fulfill their constitutional duties. It also displays flagrant contempt for Congress and democracy. And while Trump felt he could not trust his American co-equal partners in leadership, he did reveal these secrets to people in Russia, Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. This tells you something about where Trump’s loyalties lie.

But Trump wasn’t through embarrassing himself and America in this press conference. He went on to lie about the oil in Syria, which does not exist in “massive amounts” as he said. And his stated intention to take that oil is not only unlawful, it reduces the United States military to mercenaries in pursuit of the wealth of other nations’ natural resources.

Trump also managed to slip in a promotion for his ghostwritten books. He singled out one in particular that he said predicted the emergence of Osama bin Laden. Trump said that no one ever heard of bin Laden at the time, which is as ignorant a lie as he has ever told. Not only was he well known to intelligence and terrorism professionals, he had already struck in the U.S., and was the target of operations aimed at terminating him and his organization.

Finally, Trump is apparently incapable of speaking for more than three minutes without maligning his perceived enemies and critics. So naturally he took a swipe a President Obama, saying that…

“When we use our intelligence correctly, what we can do is incredible. When we waste our time with intelligence that hurts our country, because we had poor leadership at the top, that’s not good.”

In that noxious commentary, Trump not only insulted another American president, but also the entire intelligence community. He was exploiting the Baghdadi news conference to attack the investigations of his own unsavory connections to Russia and malign the probe into foreign interference in the 2016 election. He was unambiguously punching back at the impeachment inquiry currently in progress. And for him to choose this moment to pursue that wholly personal obsession poisons whatever unity and pride the nation might otherwise have enjoyed.

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

All Foxed Up: Trump is Relying on Ludicrous Legal Gibberish to Fight His Impeachment

It often seems like Donald Trump is his own worst enemy. He confesses to impeachable crimes on national TV. He actually commits new crimes the same way. He attacks his GOP Senate colleagues who will be deciding his fate. And he rambles endlessly in a manner that only provides more evidence of his guilt and unfitness for office.

Donald Trump, Constitution

So it wouldn’t be off base If you thought that Trump is digging his own political grave. And in the process he seems to be getting the worst possible legal advice. That shouldn’t surprise anyone who has followed the antics of Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who, when he isn’t flipping out on Fox News, he’s butt dialing reporters. And his Attorney Genuflect, Bill Barr, isn’t any better. However, Trump’s most trusted legal advisors appear to be an even worse source for someone in such desperate legal jeopardy. He seems to be leaning heavily on the bootlicking sycophants of Fox News. Gee, what could go wrong?

The muttonheads at Fox are the source for some of Trump’s most preposterous ideas. They include suing Nancy Pelosi for conducting the impeachment inquiry. He has also proposed his own impeachment of Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff (which can’t be done). And he’s also threatening to sue CNN for – get this – false advertising. Now, the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends are offering their interpretation of the Constitution’s impeachment language. And it’s just as ridiculous as you would think. Here is the bizarre advice Trump is getting from Fox contributor Dan Bongino, who is not a lawyer (video below):

“First off, this isn’t a real impeachment, okay? President Trump should ignore the proceeds. I don’t mean politically ignore it. He has to respond. I mean he should treat it as what it is, which is a non-impeachment impeachment.”

Huh? Where Bongino gets the idea that there is such a thing as a “non-impeachment impeachment,” or that Trump has the ability to legally ignore it, is a mystery. But Bongino continues by insulting the constitutional knowledge and reading comprehension of Democrats in Congress – who ARE lawyers and have studied constitutional law. Bongino correctly points out that the Constitution grants the House of Representatives “the sole power to impeach,” but then adds this Olympic-grade nonsense:

[The Constitution] doesn’t say the House of Representative. Again, for the liberals who have a tough time with that, that’s plural. That means the House of Representatives, meaning they would take a vote, which they haven’t. So this is not an impeachment. It’s a political stunt. It should be politically responded to, but tactically speaking it is a fake non-impeachment. And the Republicans should treat it as such.”

First off, a “fake non-impeachment” would be a real impeachment. But setting that blunder aside, Bongino’s logic is hopelessly warped. The fact that the Constitution uses “House of Representatives” in the plural doesn’t mean that there is a requirement for a vote, and it certainly doesn’t say anything of of the sort. That is a wholly manufactured conclusion by Bongino. It just means that the House proceeds under its own authority and rules. Those rules, by the way, were written by the House when it was controlled by a Republican majority.

What’s more, Bongino’s absurd notion that representatives (plural) means a vote by the full House is required doesn’t make any sense at all. He seems to think that there is only one Democrat in Congress who is conducting the inquiry and, therefore, it’s illegitimate. Of course, there are dozens of representatives, including Republicans, who are actively involved. So that would meet Bongino’s crackpot criteria for plurality. It’s also notable that his dimwitted views were offered the day after a federal judge ruled that the House impeachment inquiry is legal and valid. Nice timing.

With legal guidance like this it’s no wonder that Trump is floundering and fearful. And his mental state continues to decline as the future looks ever more grim for him and his cohorts. It’s so bad that even his lawyers are having to get lawyers. But the Fox News Legal Aide Society will undoubtedly continue to serve up their terrible advice. Which is great news for Democrats – and all Americans – who will ultimately be the beneficiaries of Trump’s impeachment and removal from office thanks to his own ignorance and that of of his boneheaded legal advisors.

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

GOP Hypocrites Silent on Trump’s Attorney Genuflect Bill Barr Conducting Russia Probe in Secret

The march of the Donald Trump regime to a fully dysfunctional totalitarian state is picking up steam as the Crybaby-in-Chief plots to take down his perceived enemies. The latest warning that Trump is whittling away at America’s principles and freedom came in a news report that his plant at the Justice Department, Attorney General William Barr, is expanding his already bogus “review” of the FBI’s probe of Trump’s unsavory connections to Russia during the 2016 election. This is how Banana Republican dictatorships operate.

William Barr, Donald Trump

Barr agreed to conduct his Russia review because a desperate and fearful Trump demanded it. He is convinced that he needs a way to discredit the Mueller investigation and the congressional inquiry into his impeachment. But now, according to reports, Barr has upgraded the review to a criminal inquiry:

“The US justice department has reportedly opened a criminal inquiry into the origins of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, a move that would raise concerns that Donald Trump and his allies may be using the powers of the government to go after their opponents.”

This escalation of Trump’s war on democracy is emblematic of his aspirations to emulate his heroes Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Xi Jinping. He believes that he holds omnipotent power as president and any opposition to him is tantamount to treason. He has literally accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff of such betrayal and called for them to be prosecuted and removed from office.

The investigation that Barr’s Justice Department is conducting is being run by John Durham, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. It’s operations are shrouded in secrecy as he accumulates potential evidence and interviews witnesses. And that’s exactly as it should be. Investigations are always done behind closed doors to avoid premature disclosures that might impede the investigation or tip off suspects, and to prevent witnesses from coordinating their testimony. So even in an investigation like this one, that has no legal predicate to justify it – other than Internet rumors and conspiracy theories – Durham is following the proper procedures. Consequently, Republicans ought not be too confident that Durham will find any wrongdoing. In the meantime, the rights granted by due process that include equal access to evidence and witnesses will come into play during a trial, if there is one.

These are legal concepts that many Republicans are seemingly unable to grasp. They are clamoring for access and transparency that is never permitted during an investigation. And they are outraged that their inane demands are not being met. Their yammering is a constant and irritating reminder that they couldn’t care less about the law. For example…

  • Rep. Steve Scalise: Why are they trying to impeach a president of the United States behind closed doors in secret where the public can’t see it, the press can’t see it?
  • Rep. Doug Collins: Conducting an impeachment investigation behind closed doors isn’t just unprecedented—it’s un-American.
  • Rep. Matt Gaetz: Adam Schiff’s impeachment inquiry has been marked by secret interviews.
  • Sen. John Cornyn: The do it in secret, cherry pick and leak whatever furthers their narrative. Put it out there for all to see.
  • Rep. Andy Biggs: No more secret proceedings. No more Soviet-style proceedings.
  • John Ratcliffe: Adam Schiff is running an impeachment inquiry secretly, behind closed doors.
  • Rep. Jim Jordan: These proceedings should be public…they’re doing it all in a closed-door process.
  • RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel: What are Schiff and House Democrats hiding from the American people with their secret hearings?

And let’s not forget folks like these…

  • Sean Hannity: Adam Schiff — he is holding secret hearings, secret meetings, that result in secret transcripts all hidden from the American people.
  • Maria Bartiromo: We know that it’s all behind closed doors. […] Why are they doing this, this way?
  • Lou Dobbs: The radical Dems who are holding secret hearings in their attempts to unseat the president.
  • And of course, Trump himself: Democrats are allowing no transparency at the Witch Hunt hearings.

What’s interesting is that all of those GOP and right-wing media hacks are not the least bit disturbed by the secrecy of Barr’s investigation. If they were consistent they would be just as upset and would be demanding that everything Barr and Durham are doing be immediately disclosed to the public. Of course, they aren’t even pretending to be consistent. They are dedicated hypocrites who only want to shield their Dear Leader from criticism, malign Democrats, and most importantly, deceive the American people. And, fortunately for the nation, they are astonishingly inept in the pursuit of those sinister goals.

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

In Fox News Meltdown, Trump Press Secretary Comes Out as ‘Deep State’ Conspiracy Kook

As the walls are crumbling all around him, Donald Trump is frantically trying to reinforce the White House bunker that is rapidly becoming his prison. His rants are becoming more incoherent. His tweets are getting more bizarre. And he is generally slumping into a haze of paranoia and victimhood.

Donald Trump, Deep State

Naturally, the Trump Bootlickers Brigade is marching obediently behind Dear Leader as he concocts ever more absurd tales of clandestine conspirators determined to destroy him. The latest soldier in this Battle of the Half-Wits is White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. Her job title is a bit misleading since she has never held a press conference since assuming the position. But she does regularly submit herself to the brutal interrogations of Fox News Trump-fluffers.

On Thursday morning Grisham held court on Fox News to address a couple of critical matters of national security (video below). They began with a probing inquiry into Trump calling Republicans who occasionally dare to disagree with him human scum.” that’s a bold position to take against some of the GOP senators, and their colleagues, who will eventually sit in judgment of him at his impeachment. But it does reflect Trump’s shallow thought processes that ignore the fact that these are the same people who are supporting 95 percent of his agenda. So Grisham faced this issue head on in the following exchange with Fox’s Brian Kilmeade:

Kilmeade: The President yesterday called the “Never Trumpers” scum. Does he regret that?
Grisham: No. No he shouldn’t. The people who are against him and have been against him and have been working against him since the day they took office are just that. It is horrible that people are working against a president who is delivering results for this country.

So in Trump World, anyone who has different opinions than the “Stable Genius” are not merely political opponents, they are scum. Even if they are members of the President’s own Republican Nationalist Party. That’s because in aspiring totalitarian regimes like his, dissent is not tolerated in any form. Moving on, Kilmeade asked Grisham if the Intelligence Community that Trump has bitterly and falsely maligned for years, is “paying him back” saying that “It looks like the ‘Deep State’ has turned on the President.” Taking the bait in that loaded question, Grisham replied that…

Grisham: [Trump] has made no secret since the day he took office that this has been a “witch hunt” against him and there some really terrible people in the “Deep State” working against him and working against this country. This is dangerous for the country. […] The President has people working actively against him in his own government. And I just want to talk to the people of this country and let them know that that’s dangerous for them.

What we have here is the official spokesperson for the President of the United States telling a national television audience of glassy-eyed Deplorables that Trump believes that the government he is responsible for leading is harboring a cabal of subversives who are plotting to undermine him. It’s a de facto declaration of war against his own subordinates, most of whom are non-political career professionals. And Grisham is employing the familiar “Deep State” rhetoric of Fox’s primetime propagandists and the Internet’s conspiracy crackpot underground.

In the light of these ludicrous delusions, the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends went on to grill Grisham about Wednesday’s “Storming of the Impeachment Inquiry,” wherein Republican members of the House sought to illegally gain access to private hearings and breach national security while they were at it. In her response to this criminal and childish behavior, Grisham gushed that “I’m glad they did it. Again, the Democrats have been doing everything behind closed doors and in secret.”

Setting aside her dismissal of the flagrant lawbreaking, Grisham is completely wrong in her assessment of the hearings. The hearings are actually attended by members of both parties, who have equal rights to access the evidence and question witnesses. In fact, on the very same episode of this program, the Senior Legal Analyst at Fox News, Andrew Napolitano, schooled the Foxies on the matter:

“I read the House rules. And as frustrating as it may be to have these hearings going on behind close doors – the hearings over which Congressman Schiff is presiding – they are consistent with the rules. And when were the rules written last? In January of 2015. And who signed them? John Boehner. And who enacted them? A Republican majority.”

Napolitano also pointed out that the current hearings are analogous to a grand jury that is never done in public. The public stage comes after a vote on Articles of Impeachment and a trial is held in the Senate. The Republican Bitch Mob, as well as Trump and his press secretary, is purposefully lying about these matters of process that the Democrats are executing properly and lawfully.

The abject fear that is radiating from the White House is staggering. Trump is a severely paranoid individual who is utterly incapable of dealing with his psychoses. The nation has never had a chief executive who suspected his own intelligence agencies of plotting against him. And now it’s clear that other senior officials in his administration are taking up the mantle of his madness. Which makes impeachment all the more imperative. Because if neglected it is clear that this will not end well for America.

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

Victim-in-Chief: Trump is the most Cowardly, Whining, Crybaby to Ever Be President

The national embarrassment that Americans are suffering due to the illegitimate occupant of the White House is excruciating. Donald Trump has managed to instill a sense of shame in so many citizens that they now overwhelmingly support his impeachment and removal from office. Of course, it isn’t just embarrassment that drives that desire. It’s also his rampant lawlessness and disrespect for the Constitution and it’s principles.

Donald Trump Pacifier Fox

The United States is enduring perhaps its most divisive era since the Civil War. Trump has his glassy-eyed base of Deplorables who will stand by him even if, as he said, he shoots someone on 5th Avenue. But the rest of the country is experiencing severe nausea and anxiety. Even Trump’s favorite pollster, Rasmussen, currently has his approval rating near his low for the year (44%).

Throughout this turmoil, Trump himself has remained steadfast and courageous. Um, just kidding. Actually, Trump has displayed his utter lack of character and notorious absence of maturity and morality. The one constant in Trump’s noxious persona is his narcissistic arrogance. And when the chips are down – as they are now – that manifests itself as fear and a desperate embrace of martyrdom.

There has never been a president of the United States – the most powerful office on the planet – who has exhibited greater cowardice and suffering. It is astonishing how a person who holds these reins of power can regard himself as being a victim. Trump has, from birth, lived a life of privilege and luxury. And now he also has immeasurable political clout. But still he whines. Although we should not be surprised since in 2016 he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo (video below) 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.”

That strategy has proven to be a huge failure. Trump has failed to achieve anything of significance in the past three years. No deals with China, North, Korea, Iran, or Mexico. Likewise no domestic deals on healthcare, infrastructure, deficit reduction, immigration, trade, or climate change.

And yet, Trump continues to wail about being a victim. He recently compared his political tribulations to being lynched. That grossly insensitive remark caused an uproar even within his own party. He also has been whining about what he calls a “witch hunt.” While he originally applied that phrase to investigations of his unsavory connections to Russia, he has now adapted it to his more recent unsavory connections to Ukraine. Which witch hunt is which? He considers any and all criticism of him to be a hoax and manufactured by the “fake news””

Trump tries to deflect from his problems by whining about Democrats in Congress. He now refers to them routinely as the “Do Nothing Democrats,” despite the fact that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic majority have passed more than 300 bills that GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to allow the upper body to vote on. Trump has employed the “do nothing” label 32 times just in the past month.

Along with his infantile sloganeering, Trump has also complained that he is a victim of allegedly anti-American representatives who he says have committed treason and must resign just for conducting investigations that are in compliance with their duties. He has been especially focused on Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who Trump has called “Adam Schitt.”

Previous presidents have not had this problem. President Obama was attacked by nutcases who claimed he wasn’t even a citizen. Bill Clinton was himself impeached for a consensual, albeit improper, sexual relationship. But neither of them spent every day whining about how horribly they were being treated. They did their jobs and dealt with their critics in the background.

But not Trump. He is far too self-centered and fragile. Having a crybaby like Trump in the highest office in the land is a stain that will take a long time to rub off. There is simply no excuse for someone with so much power to be such a pitiable snowflake. It diminishes the office of the presidency. And worse, it depreciates the strength that generations of American leaders have infused into our international reputation. Trump’s puerile whimpering makes us look weak in the eyes of our allies and foes alike. For the sake of the country Trump needs to stiffen his spine and STFU! Unfortunately, he just doesn’t have the will, the guts, or the ability to do that.

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

HAH! Trump Retweets ‘DJTrumpsButt’ in Lustful Haste to Censure Adam Schiff

Donald Trump is in full meltdown mode as he ineffectually tries to deal with his impending impeachment. He’s panicking because he knows what he’s done and that the truth is going to come out no matter how many obstacles and lies he puts in its path. He has no control over this process that he’s now disgustingly calling a “lynching,” even though it’s actually a constitutional remedy for the political poison Trump is leaching into the American system. Has a president of the United States ever whined more about being a victim?

Donald Trump, Toilet, Bathrobe

On Monday Trump was so frantic with fear that he embarked on a twenty-two (22!) tweet tirade attacking Adam Schiff, the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. This onslaught was mainly aimed at the news of a pathetic and useless attempt by Republicans in the House to censure Schiff. That effort went down in a party line vote, as anyone not in coma would have expected. But to Trump it was a lifeline that merited a tweetstorm including seven posts from Fox News sycophants supporting His Lameness.

In the midst of these harangues, Trump must not have been paying close attention to his demented self-defense duties. Sure, he included a couple of allegedly humorous tweets from Fox’s Greg Gutfeld (which reminded us of why there aren’t any conservative comics), and he posted a clip from slobbering Trump-fluffer Lou Dobbs interviewing wingnut Rep. Jim Jordan, and he even dropped one featuring Newt Gingrich, who led the impeachment against Bill Clinton for having an extramarital affair with a young staffer while he was having an extramarital affair with a young staffer. But nothing comes close to the fantabulousness of this:

DJTrumpsButt

That’s right. Trump retweeted DJTrump’s Butt! The profile for that account notes that “I am @realDonaldTrump’s butt. Whatever he says, it’s really me that’s saying it. Follow me, or I will nuke you! #PutinPower #MAGA.” So now we know where the President has been getting all of his blitheringly ignorant ideas from, and why he continually embarrasses himself with idiotic comments that demonstrate how little he knows about virtually everything. This is the reason he’s been stinking up America.

Trump’s obsession with Schiff stems from a brief portion of remarks made in a congressional hearing that Trump utterly failed to understand. Apparently Trump doesn’t grasp the concept of paraphrasing with emphasis to make a point. That’s what Schiff was doing when Trump whined, falsely, that Schiff was quoting him verbatim. Schiff actually prefaced his remarks by saying that Trump’s phone call with the president of Ukraine “reads like a classic organized crime shakedown. Shorn of its rambling character, and in not so many words, this is the essence of what the President communicates.” So contrary to Trump’s brazen lie, Schiff was not quoting him and had no intention of misleading anyone.

Nevertheless, Trump has been ranting about Schiff ever since. He’s even accused Schiff and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of treason and “demanded” that they resign, as if he has the authority to issue such impotent demands. The fact that he thinks he has that power obviously comes from the same place the rest of his puerile nonsense comes from: DJTrumpsButt. Mystery solved.

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