". . . Trump’s chronic inability to admit that anything on his watch is less than stupendously wonderful. This pathology is deeply ingrained in this presidency. It infects everything from his depictions of the economy to his insane demands of border officials, in addition to (as we’re now seeing) the government’s handling of a public health crisis. . . Highlighting this provides a way to integrate criticism of Trump’s management failures with an indictment of his hideous character flaws —his towering dishonesty and megalomania. In this telling, those failings are not just the latest ugly installment of the Daily Trump Show. They’re also shortcomings that threaten major real-world consequences. . ."
If someone wanted another to fail, he would encourage any and all of their bad decisions enthusiastically. The mere fact that lives (and possibly many) could be in danger, makes it all the more clear why a decision, which is perceived to be bad, would be criticized. It is far from 'un-American' to be concerned about the American population. And, obviously, "junior" is more than a little mixed-up.
-------------------
(from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/01/coronavirus-mike-pence-donald-trump-jr-democrats-millions-die)
". . . criticised by contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, the president said he had been referring to politicisation of coronavirus, not the outbreak itself. . . Rush Limbaugh, the conservative shock jock to whom Trump gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom, said: “The coronavirus is being weaponized, as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump.” . . . Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel said: “Democrats are using this for their political gain to try and stoke fear in the American people, which is shameful, wrong, and I think un-American.”. . . And Donald Trump Jr, appearing on Fox News, said: “For them to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump’s streak of winning is a new level of sickness.”. . ."
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". . . Trump did have some valid and important insights into America’s current problems and he had a chance to do something about them when he got elected. That opportunity has been wasted, however, and Trump’s flaws as a politician, strategist, and human being are the main reason why. . . Trump and Bernie Sanders were the only candidates to acknowledge that globalization was not delivering as promised, and his message resonated with lower- and middle-class Americans who were deeply worried about lost jobs, flat income growth, and lax immigration controls. . . Trump’s vanity, stubbornness, poor taste in advisors, and other deficiencies of character have led to repeated disappointments at home and abroad. . . " [Plus, unlike the boisterous incumbent, Sanders is a principled and articulate thinking man who can honestly respond to an inquiry about a position he held 35 years ago.]
(from A Warning by Anonymous)
". . . "If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition, and ignorance on the other" - Ulysses S. Grant . . .
. . . It comes as surprise to no one that political tribalism is surging in America. Our self-selected groups are becoming more partisan and less inclusive than ever before. Today we have a digital Mason-Dixon Line. It is splitting our country right down the middle, all the way to the household level. Donal Trump is not its sole cause. The line was drawn by the disruptive effects of technology and the fundamentals of human psychology, but the president's demagoguery has worsened the problem. His words are reshaping who we are . . . "
". . . In the 2016 presidential campaign, Mr. Trump promised to eliminate the deficit (and all existing U.S. debt) in eight years. Instead, the budget deficit is two-thirds larger than the deficit he inherited, and his latest spending plan expects the shortfall to linger into 2035. And that’s only because the budget is built on a mountain of falsity — from an expectation that the economy will grow by 3% (which it hasn’t in the Trump era) and that Democratically held U.S. House of Representatives will accept a slew of damaging social safety net reductions, including cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, while substantially increasing spending on the military and a border wall. . . "
". . . One of the biggest themes of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address — and one of the biggest themes of his reelection campaign — is that he inherited a weak economy from President Barack Obama and turned it into a strong economy by implementing his own policies. . . "The years of economic decay are over," he told the joint session of Congress on Feb. 4, 2020. "The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. Gone, too, are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power and prestige.". . . Trump added, "If we hadn’t reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this great economic success.". . . When we reached out to the Trump campaign, they offered several statistics showing Trump has notched greater gains than Obama did, such as manufacturing job creation, the unemployment rate, and economic growth. We found those statistics, and other specific facts Trump cited during the State of the Union, were accurate, or largely so. . .However, unlike Obama, who inherited the Great Recession, Trump inherited an economy that was already getting back on its feet. Overall, we found a continuation of the favorable trend lines Trump inherited from Obama. . . "
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(from https://apnews.com/3750c39f92c817a6790098be323142df?fbclid=IwAR0sqO393mF2za6Nl6i_QZil0BfSrrZJoExlC3Y19JV_xNBEQ0umMr18yAY)
TRUMP: “Before I came into office, if you showed up illegally on our southern border and were arrested, you were simply released and allowed into our country, never to be seen again. My administration has ended catch-and-release. If you come illegally, you will now be promptly removed.”
THE FACTS: Not true. Under previous administrations, Mexicans were quickly returned back over the U.S.-Mexico border, while others were held in detention until they were deported. . . there is (currently) a 1 million immigration court case backlog, which means many migrants wait up to three years before a court hearing before a judge who will determine whether someone is deported. . . fewer people are being held and fewer would need to be released. But an effort by immigration officials to detain children indefinitely was blocked by a judge, so children are still released into the country.
TRUMP: “Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the United States has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas, anywhere in the world, by far.”
THE FACTS: Trump is taking credit for a U.S. oil and gas production boom that started under Obama. . . (and is attributable) to a U.S. shale boom that has driven production up since 2011, not to deregulation or any other new effort by the Trump administration.
TRUMP: “In eight years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce. In just three years of my administration, 3.5 million working-age people have joined the workforce.”
THE FACTS: Trump is being misleading . . . During the eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency, the labor force rose by 5.06 million, according to the Labor Department. The improvement reflected a rebounding economy from the Great Recession and population growth. As the unemployment rate has fallen, more people are finding it attractive to work and joining the labor force. This has enabled the labor force to climb by an impressive 4.86 million in just three years under Trump.
TRUMP: “The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers and factory workers.”
THE FACTS: The president is exaggerating. . . . The U.S. International Trade Commission examined the deal with Canada and Mexico in an April report. The report estimated that the deal would add only 28,000 auto industry jobs six years after the deal is implemented. Separately, government officials are quoted in the report saying they believe the sector would add 76,000 jobs based on their methodology. . . . It’s still not the 100,000 jobs claimed by Trump.
TRUMP: “From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the U.S. economy — slashing a record number of job killing-regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements.
THE FACTS: The U.S. economy. . . ('s) gains have largely followed along the same lines of an expansion that started more than a decade ago under Obama. . . . Total economic growth last year was 2.3%. That is roughly in line with the average gains achieved after the Great Recession — and a far cry from growth of as much 3%, 4% or more that Trump told voters he could deliver. . . .The tax cuts did temporarily boost growth in 2018 as deficit spending increased. But the administration claimed its tax plan would increase business investment in ways that could fuel lasting growth. For the past three quarters, business investment has instead declined. . . Trump premised his economic policy on wiping out the trade gap. Instead, the trade deficit has worsened under Trump.
TRUMP: “For the first time in 51 years, the cost of prescription drugs actually went down.”
THE FACTS: Prices for prescription drugs have edged down, but that is driven by declines for generics. Prices for brand-name medications are still going up, although more moderately.
TRUMP: “We are restoring our nation’s manufacturing might, even though predictions were that this could never be done. After losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, America has now gained 12,000 new factories under my administration.”
THE FACTS: Not quite. Manufacturing has slumped in the past year, after having advanced in the prior two years. The president’s tariffs regime and slower growth worldwide hurt the sector in ways that suggest that Trump’s policies robbed it of some of its previous strength. Factory output fell 1.3% over the past 12 months, according to the Federal Reserve. Manufacturing job gains went from more than 260,000 at the end of 2018 to a paltry 46,000 for the 12 months ended in December, according to the Labor Department. Manufacturers lost jobs last year in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the older industrial states where Trump had promised revival.
TRUMP: “We will always protect patients with preexisting conditions.”
THE FACTS: That’s a promise, not a guarantee. The Trump administration is backing a lawsuit by conservative-led states that would overturn the entire Affordable Care Act, including its guarantees that people cannot be turned down or charged more for health insurance because of preexisting medical problems. Trump and congressional Republicans have vowed they will protect people with preexisting conditions, but they have not specified how they would do that.
TRUMP: “We will always protect your Medicare and your Social Security.”
THE FACTS: In a recent television interview, the president appeared to suggest that he’s willing to consider entitlement cuts in the future. During the CNBC interview, Trump was asked if tackling entitlements would ever be on his agenda. “At some point they will be,” he responded. As a candidate in 2016, Trump vowed not to cut benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare
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. . . from a long, distinguished career of ". . . especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors"
“Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.”
“The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.”
“They’re 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?”
[To an African American female caller]: “Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.”
“I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They’re interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. I think there’s a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn’t deserve.”
Limbaugh called Obama a ‘halfrican American’ has said that Obama was not Black but Arab because Kenya is an Arab region, even though Arabs are less than one percent of Kenya.
Limbaugh claimed that Joe the Plumber, who isn’t even a plumber is more important in this (a past) election than Colin Powell, a decorated military veteran who has served honorably in three administrations.
“We need segregated buses… This is Obama’s America.”
“Obama’s entire economic program is reparations.”
“Socks is the White House (Clinton administration) cat. But did you know there is also a White House dog?” Comments made while displaying a picture of Chelsea Clinton, then a 13-year-old, on his TV show in 1994. (Source: TIME)
”Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.”
“When a gay person turns his back on you, it is anything but an insult; it’s an invitation.”
“Mrs. Clinton’s testicle lockbox.”
Although Limbaugh has been implying since the 1990’s that Hillary Clinton metaphorically castrates men, keeping the spoils in a “testicle lockbox,” . . .
”Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.”
“I think it’s time to get rid of this whole National Basketball Association. Call it the TBA, the Thug Basketball Association, and stop calling them teams. Call ‘em gangs.”
“Women still live longer than men because their lives are easier.”
“He is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He’s moving all around and shaking and it’s purely an act. … This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn’t take his medication or he’s acting.”
“Obama’s America, white kids getting beat up on school buses now. I mean, you put your kids on a school bus, you expect safety. But in Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering “Yay! Right on, right on, right on, right on.”
. . . and quite a choice, mister president, for the Medal of Freedom! ("nice" work; both of you)
Dear National Democratic Party,
I just read https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/31/dnc-superdelegates-110083 and hope to (whatever I should hope to, since i don't believe in a theistic, invasive) god that the Democratic party does NOT make the same mistake it made in 2016. . . PLEASE let the people make their choice and DO NOT pit a candidate that is NOT fully supported by the general, Democratic population against trump. Please LEARN from history (circa 2016.) WE WILL end up with four more (unbearable) years of the orange imbecile if you do not learn this vital lesson from the last election. . . I beg you. . . PLEASE let the populace make the choice!!!
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". . . “Very impressive, Mike,” Trump said, jovially. “That reporter couldn’t have done too good a job on you yesterday. I think you did a good job on her, actually.” . . . Trump was referencing a confrontation Pompeo had with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly after an interview in which she asked him why he did not do more to defend Marie Yovanovitch, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, amid a smear campaign that resulted in her losing her posting. . . Pompeo cut off their interview and then proceeded to curse and yell at Kelly for asking about Ukraine, the reporter later said. She said he used profanity when he asked her angrily, “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” He then asked her to find Ukraine on a blank world map, which she says she did. . .Pompeo did not apologize for his treatment of Kelly, instead issuing a statement in which he continued to attack her credibility, insisting that she had lied to him about the interview being about Iran. He also said their conversation after the interview was off the record, which she says she never agreed to. . ."
". . . Three years after taking the oath of office (as of Jan. 20, 2020), President Trump has made more than 16,200 false or misleading claims — a milestone that would have been unthinkable when we first created the Fact Checker’s database that analyzes, categorizes and tracks every suspect statement he has uttered. . . The president apparently believes he can weather an impeachment trial (AND be re-elected) through sheer repetition of easily disproved falsehoods. . . "
". . . Nearly four years after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would eliminate the federal debt in eight years, the deficit has since risen by more than 16 percent under his presidency. . ."
". . . "In light of today's announcement from the defense department that 34 U.S. service members suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of Iran's retaliatory strike and President Trump's remarks which minimized these troops’ injuries, the Veterans of Foreign Wars cannot stand idle on this matter. . . TBI is a serious injury and one that cannot be taken lightly. TBI is known to cause depression, memory loss, severe headaches, dizziness and fatigue — all injuries that come with both short- and long-term effects. . ."
'. . . Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly berated a reporter for NPR with abusive language after an interview in which he was questioned about Ukraine and issues that are at the center of the impeachment trial against President Trump. . . NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly revealed during a segment on “All Things Considered” on Friday that Pompeo questioned whether Americans even care about Ukraine and if the veteran journalist — who had recently returned from reporting in Iran — could find the country on a map. . .'
'. . . people who hated Obama, who previously hated politics and politicians generally, or who just didn’t pay much attention, suddenly were in the electoral mix. They heard Trump say things — crude, nasty, politically incorrect things — that they had previously heard only on conservative talk radio or on FOX programming. They liked it. Trump spoke to them. His simple us-versus-them view of the country, his America First worldview — it all appealed to them. They took his lack of impulse control for candor, his attacks on Democrats (their fellow Americans) as patriotic. Perhaps that’s all emotional. I think it’s more primal than that. . . Republican senators, led by the tortoise-like Mitch McConnell, have never seen anything like this before, and I believe Trump has stirred up fear in all of them — fear of the people he’s pulled into politics, the MAGA crowd, the cheering, jeering men and women who have responded to Trump, stand by him and ignore his constant lies. So spineless senators, fearing backlash from zealous Trumpistas, eschew their responsibility to deliberate and consider the evidence. They’re all-in with the worst president in U.S. history. It’s not complicated. It’s self-preservation. It requires no thinking. It’s all lizard brain stuff. . ."
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Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)". . . is one of Trump’s biggest defenders, even though he ran for Lousiana attorney general, state Treasurer, and U.S. Senate as a Democrat, before switching parties. Kennedy acknowledged that Republican senators were not familiar with the case. “I’ve learned a lot. Everybody has. Senators didn’t know the case,” Kennedy admitted. “They really didn’t.”. . ."
". . . Pompeo told the Christian Broadcast Network last year that Trump might have been sent by God to help the Jewish people defeat Iran. . . "As a Christian, I certainly believe that’s possible," he said then. . .
[1] If this adult male, serving in a very high position of our U.S. government (Pompeo) still (he is 56 years of age) believes in an omniscient, invasive "god" and the things that he (Pompeo) imagines this "god" can/will do, then he is not qualified to service in this capacity. Oh, wait a minute, he works for trump . . .
Aside from selling arms to Iran to fund Nicaraguan contras, the Reagan administration provided massive aid to Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war in that decade, which followed the fall of the shah and the taking of American hostages in Iran during the Carter administration. . .
[2] Reagan, a republican, aided and abetted the hostile nation that took 52 hostages shortly before he took office. A man in possession of 'great' integrity (sarcasm mine).
John R. Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College in California, said . . . "I’m not sure that Trump’s calculations are super-sophisticated — I think his actions are driven by a desire to look tough, and that gives leverage to people like Pompeo who apparently has convinced him that this is a great way to look tough. . ." . . . "
[3] Mr. Pitney is quite perceptive regarding the personality of president trump.
. . . these are the actions of innocent parties who justify same actions by claiming that the process is unfair . . .
". . . The Trump administration disclosed on Friday that there were 20 emails between a top aide to President Donald Trump's acting chief of staff and a colleague at the White House's Office of Management and Budget discussing the freeze of a congressionally mandated military aid package for Ukraine. . . But in response to a court order that it swiftly process those pages in response to a Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, lawsuit filed by The New York Times, the Office of Management and Budget delivered a terse letter saying it would not turn over any of the 40 pages of emails — not even with redactions. . . "
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