A report card on the Trump administration

Trump made a complete fool of himself by submitting to Woodward's interview on audio. Yesterday, he made a complete fool of himself on the Sean Hannity Show (Fox) trying to explain why he acted like an idiot. He failed miserably, only making matters worse.

Hannity asked Trump directly why he decided to participate in the Woodward book. To which Trump said this.

"Well, first of all, on the Woodward book, on the book itself, he called. He -- I didn't participate in his last one.

"And he does hit you, obviously, with everybody. He even did it on Obama, but constant hit jobs.

"On Bush, I guess they did three books. They were all terrible. So, I figured, you know, let's just give it a little shot. I'll speak to him. It wasn't a big deal. I speak to him, and let's see.

"I don't know if the book is good or bad. I have no idea. Probably, almost definitely won't read it, because I don't have time to read it."

Huh? Double huh? That does not make any sense. It's gibberish.

Source: Analysis: Donald Trump's ridiculous attempt to downplay Bob Woodward's book

 

Trump put Republicans running for office in November in a tough spot. Some ignore what he said. Others pretend they know nothing about the audio conversation that has been on every major network. Not even Fox could ignore what Trump said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ignored what Trump said. He said he hadn’t looked at the book yet, so he couldn’t answer any questions about it, and told reporters to direct their questions to the White House.

GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa also buried her head in the sand. She declined to answer any questions about Trump's remarks. On Thursday, she told CNN, "I haven't read it, I haven't seen it, so give me a chance to take a look."

Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana says he is not interested in any "gotcha" books. Pam Brown of CNN fame told Kennedy Trump was on the record. Kennedy said again: "These gotcha books don't really interest me that much. There will be a new one out tomorrow."

Kennedy never has been very original, and, of course, Trump put him between a rock and hard spot, much like McConnell, Ernst and the others.

In addition, CNN reported, "Arizona Sen. Martha McSally said on Wednesday that she also hadn't reviewed the remarks, and her office didn't respond to a request for comment.

"Maine Sen. Susan Collins wouldn't take questions on Trump's comments as she left the Senate floor.

"Texas Sen. John Cornyn said on Thursday that he wouldn't comment since he did not have "personal knowledge" of the President's remarks and that he didn't "have any confidence in the reporting," even though Trump has not disputed its accuracy and the remarks are on tape."

Once again, I am seriously wondering what GOP lawmakers are saying in the privacy of their home or in closed meetings with colleagues. We can all assume it would not be complimentary toward the foolish President.

 

As incredible as this may seem, Trump told reporters and the nation today that Woodward should have warned Americans about what he, the President, said. His statements have to be read to be believed. Good Lord, this man is really stupid.

"If Bob Woodward thought what I said was bad, then he should have immediately, right after I said it, gone out to the authorities so they could prepare and let them know," Trump said at a White House press conference.

Earlier in the day he tweeted: "Bob Woodward had my quotes for many months. If he thought they were so bad or dangerous, why didn’t he immediately report them in an effort to save lives? Didn’t he have an obligation to do so? No, because he knew they were good and proper answers."

I saw and heard all this today, and I still have a hard time believing it.

What do Trump's followers think about all this? We have no idea. When it comes to Trump, they have nothing to say. What a strange phenomenon. We are told that 90% of Republicans support Trump and everyone of them on this forum avoid Trump.

 

The headline in The Hill read:

Trump disclosed secret weapons system to Woodward

The Hill reports, "I have built a nuclear — a weapons system that nobody’s ever had in this country before. We have stuff that you haven’t even seen or heard about We have stuff that Putin and Xi have never heard about before,” Trump added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “There’s nobody — what we have is incredible."

"I have?" There is no doubt about it. Our President goes out of his way to make himself look stupid. Perhaps this is his idea of humor. Unfortunately, considering his extreme narcissistic personality, it rings too truthful to be humor.

In any case we know why Trump is so misinformed. Our intell agencies will not tell him about the latest intelligence. Why? Because he will blab it out to anyone listening. He is that stupid.

Once again, I am wondering why his followers support this guy. They want a fool for President? We will never know. Trump's followers do not talk about Trump, and, of course, they are unable to defend him.

They have plenty of time to talk about Democrats, though. They talk more about the Democrats then do the Democrats.

 

I know part of the reason why Trump's followers are unable to confront criticism of Trump, why they don't support their hero. The reason: they have nothing to work with.

Obviously, I pay a great deal of attention to what Trump says, although I pay very little attention to the lies he tells his adoring admirers at political rallies.

I watch news segments of Fox News every single day. On weekdays I watch Bret Baier. On weekends it is "America's News Headquarters" with Arthel Neville and Eric Shawn. Vittert is a Trump clone.

In either case, Trump or Fox, if Trump's supporters used that material, they would be laughed at. They sometimes try with material they have gotten from Fox, but they are smart enough not to use anything from Trump. Often times, when Trump is defending himself, he digs his hole deeper. Trump's worst enemy is Trump.

On the other hand, to be fair, Fox has a tough job. Because of Fox's conservative leanings, they are forced support a fool for President. Some of Fox's correspondents refuse to do it.

On the other hand, to be fair, Trump's followers have a tough job.

 

Fox News reports, " President Trump on Friday announced that Bahrain has agreed to normalize relations with Israel, another diplomatic win for the president coming after a similar agreement with the United Arab Emirates just last month."

“This is really something special, very, very special," Trump said in the Oval Office, predicting that the region "will become more secure and prosperous" as a result of the diplomatic moves.

First, the exaggeration and bragging, then the usual melodrama you would expect from a reality show host.

"The sand was loaded up with blood, and now you’ll see a lot of that sand will be loaded up with peace," Trump said.

The pathetic little man is trying to make something from nothing. He is trying to solve a 70-year old major conflict with rhetoric. The pathetic little man is trying to look important.

Trump is dealing with an accommodating ally in the Middle East and secondary players.

First, it was UAE, now Bahrain, hardly major players in the Middle East. Who is next? Qatar?

Why? Because Trump has gotten the U.S. thrown out of the Middle East, in some respects replaced by Russia. Trump's unilateral decisions (Jerusalem, etc.) benefited only Israel. No Middle East deal counts unless it involves the major Arab republics -- Egypt, Jordon, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian government.

But those Arab republics do not trust the U.S. as long as Trump is President, and neither does Great Britain, France, and Germany because he gave away the ranch with nothing to show for it. Those are the genuine brokers in the Middle East.

And possibly Russia, in the case of Syria.

Not the U.S.

Trump's attempts to make a big deal out agreements between a compliant ally and minor Arab powers is both laughable and tragic. It is the story of a little man trying desperately make himself look important and failing miserably.

There are times I almost feel sorry for Trump.

Almost!

I would have to forgive him for thousands of American lives lost because he would not act while lying to the American people. That I can't do.

 

Question: Why would a senior Trump supporter vote for Trump?

As usual, the answer is because he/she does not know what Trump is doing and saying, and doesn't want to know. They prefer fantasy to reality. Trump is famous for his fantasies. "The coronavirus will be over in April with warmer temps."

One way U.S. voters are being played during this presidential election campaign is the deceitful manner in which key issues are being framed for their consumption. Arguably the biggest and most important of these concerns the so-called “third rail” of American politics: Social Security.

President Donald Trump has vowed to kill funding for this critical, gargantuan program that nearly 70 million Americans depend on.

What? You haven’t heard Trump say he wants to kill Social Security’s funding? Actually, you have. Trump says he wants to kill the payroll tax — which is how Social Security is funded.

Perhaps like many Americans, you’re unaware of how Social Security is financed. It comes from payroll taxes that are paid by you and your employer. The past four years have convinced me that there are many other things that Trump’s supporters don’t seem to understand either (trade/tariffs, regulations, the stock market, etc.) but I digress.

“If victorious on November 3rd,” the president said on Aug. 8th, “I plan to forgive these taxes and make permanent cuts to the payroll tax.” He then added: “I’m going to make them all permanent.”

So when Trump talks of a “payroll tax cut,” you might think that sounds great. A tax cut! But this is deceptive election year politics, designed to take advantage of voter ignorance. Anyone going along with Trump’s framing of this as a mere tax cut is also being played.

Why you might not know that Trump is threatening your Social Security - MarketWatch

Well, now you know.

On the other hand, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

Why in the world would anyone vote against their own best interests?

 

It does not matter to Trump how many of his followers get sick, become hospitalized, or even die from the highly contagious virus. He is well protected from the virus, but not his followers. It is important to Trump to hold this rally. Nothing else matters.

Trump is holding an indoor rally for the first time in three months. The event will be held at Xtreme Manufacturing’s warehouse in Henderson, Nevada. The previous indoor rally was held in Tulsa, Okla.

More on that later.

Trump is breaking state law. His rally will be in direct violation of Nevada’s restrictions on gatherings of over 50 people. The City of Henderson issued a verbal warning to the event organizer that the event as planned would be in direct violation of the governor's COVID-19 emergency directives.

Attendees will have their temperatures checked before entering but will not be required to social distance or wear masks.

The Trump White issued this incomprehensible statement that only could have been written by Trump.

“If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States,”

No one person controls the protests. Trump decided to hold this rally. Casinos are open with heavy restrictions. Doing something stupid doesn't justify doing something else stupid. No one person controls riots. Trump is totally responsible for this rally.

Yes, one definitely has the right under the First Amendment to endanger yourself, members of your family, and close friends by attending this indoor rally.

The statement is totally ludicrous.

 

Trump’s last indoor rally was held in June in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The rally had modest attendance. Local officials reported an immediate spike in COVID-19 cases after the indoor rally. Since the June rally, Trump’s events have been held outdoors.

Not this one.

The Post reports, " Herman Cain, the former pizza chain executive who ran in the Republican presidential primary in 2012, has been hospitalized with covid-19 less than two weeks after attending President Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa."

The Tulsa World leter reported, "Soon after it was announced that former presidential candidate Herman Cain had died Thursday of COVID-19-related complications, many theorized that he was exposed to the virus during an appearance at President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa.

"Cain, 74, who had been hospitalized since July 2 before his death, was one of the Trump campaign surrogates at the June 20 rally in the BOK Center."

 

Our Comedian-in-Chief is worth a laugh a minute. Trump knows people are laughing at him -- how could he miss it? -- so he plays a long. Recently he compared himself to FDR and Churchill, FDR dealing with the Great Depression and Churchill dealing with the disaster called Wprld War Two and Hitler's Nazi Germany.

Trump compared himself to Winston Churchill as he defended his decision to lie to the American people about the dangers posed by the novel coronavirus in the early weeks of the outbreak.

"As the British government advised the British people in the face of World War II, keep calm and carry on," Trump told a Michigan rally on Thursday. "That's what I did."

Beyond being ridiculously presumptuous, Trump lacked the awareness of the fallacy of the comparison. Trump lied to the American people about the danger while while Churchill sought to build the country's morale amid attacks from Nazi Germany. The prime minister was bluntly honest about the dangers and hardship Britain faced.

Then Trump invoked the memory of one of America's greatest Presidents.

"America will prevail over the China virus," Trump said, using a racist nickname for the coronavirus. "As Franklin Delano Roosevelt said: 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.' We do it very well."

The pure irony of that outrageous statement escaped Trump.

"We do it very well." Trump didn't want to give the American people the chance to "do it very well." He lied to us.

Trump's extreme narcissism requires that he be the center of attention at all times. If that means making a fool of himself, so be it. The more outrageous the statement the better.

The American people gave up trusting anything this President says a long time ago.

By their silence, even his followers tacitly agree.

 

No doubt about it. Trump is doing his best to kill off his followers. Nearly 199,000 Americans have died from the contagious virus. Far more have been seriously ill and been hospitalized. United States Coronavirus: 6,748,381 Cases and 198,957 Deaths - Worldometer

Trump is holding still another indoor political rally, this time in Phoenix, AZ. It is being billed as "Latinos for Trump." This begs a question.

The Latino community if Arizona has been devastated by the pandemic. A pandemic during which Trump was slow to react. I wonder how many Latinos will attend the "Latinos for Trump" rally. Or was it misnamed for political benefit?

Trump headlined two large rallies in Nevada over the weekend, including one indoors at Xtreme Manufacturing in Henderson. He said he is not concerned about getting coronavirus at indoor campaign rallies because he speaks from a stage “very far away” from attendees.

“I’m on a stage that’s very far away, and so I’m not at all concerned.”

Trump did not respond to a question posed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal on whether he's concerned about risking the health of people who attend his rallies.

On August 14, the coronavirus pandemic was raging in the US. More than 168,000 Americans had died. More than 1,300 deaths on that day alone. On that day Trump called journalist Bob Woodward to find out one thing. Trump wanted to find out how he'd be portrayed in Woodword's book. With respect to the pandemic Trump told Woodward,

"Nothing more could have been done!"
Later they began talking about the economy, and Woodward told Trump there were 30 million unemployed Americans.

Trump responded, "But the economy is doing ... look, we're close to a new stock market record."

Later, Trump added,"You know the market's coming back very strong, you do know that."

"Yes, of course," Woodward said.

"Did you cover that in the book?" Trump asked.

Can you say sociopath?

Trump says he's not worried about contracting coronavirus at rallies and 'Nothing more could have been done': Trump's final phone call to Woodward aided me in the writing of this report.

 

Why are college students going to large parties on and off campus across the United States? Why are thousands, going to the beaches again, particularly on summer holidays? Why are bars filling up again with business as usual along with indoor restaurants?

That's easy.

Our President is doing it.

 

This is really strange, but, then, everything about the Trump administration is strange. His followers agree.

They don't talk about the Trump administration.

The top communications official at the powerful cabinet department in charge of combating the coronavirus stated that career government scientists were engaging in “sedition” in their handling of the pandemic and that left-wing hit squads were preparing for armed insurrection after the election.

The Times reports, "Michael R. Caputo, the assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, accused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of harboring a “resistance unit” determined to undermine President Trump, even if that opposition bolsters the Covid-19 death toll.

"Mr. Caputo, who has faced intense criticism for leading efforts to warp C.D.C. weekly bulletins to fit Mr. Trump’s pandemic narrative, suggested that he personally could be in danger from opponents of the administration. “If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because it’s going to be hard to get,” he urged his followers.

"He went further, saying his physical health was in question, and his “mental health has definitely failed.'"

The Times added, '“Mr. Caputo is a critical, integral part of the president’s coronavirus response, leading on public messaging as Americans need public health information to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement."

Trump Health Aide Pushes Bizarre Conspiracies and Warns of Armed Revolt - The New York Times

Caputo has no background in health care. Where does Trump get these people?

Why does our President get these people?
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Did I say the Trump administration was strange?

Politico reports, "A digital ad released by a fundraising arm of the Trump campaign on Sept. 11 calling on people to “support our troops” uses a stock photo of Russian-made fighter jets and Russian models dressed as soldiers.

"The ad, which was made by the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, features silhouettes of three soldiers walking as a fighter jet flies over them.

" After this story was published, the creator of the image, Arthur Zakirov, confirmed in a Facebook message that it shows a 3D model of a MiG-29, and that the soldiers were Russian models. He said it was a composite photo created five years ago and taken in three different countries showing the Russian sky."

Trump ad asks people to support the troops. But it uses a picture of Russian jets. - POLITICO

 

WTO says U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods violated international trade rules
NEW YORK — The World Trade Organization ruled on Tuesday that additional tariffs imposed in 2018 by the United States on Chinese goods violated international trading rules, a blow to the Trump administration’s trade war against the world’s second largest economy.

A three-person panel of WTO trade experts said Washington broke with global regulations in 2018 when it slapped more than $200 billion in levies on a slew of Chinese goods. Since March 2018, the United States has imposed tariffs on $400 billion in Chinese exports.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/15/wto...goods-violated-international-trade-rules.html

 

I wrote in an earlier post, "Trump's extreme narcissism requires that he be the center of attention at all times. If that means making a fool of himself, so be it. The more outrageous the statement the better."

"I'm not doing it for political reasons, I want the vaccine fast. You wouldn't have a vaccine for years ... I speeded up the process with the FDA... We're going to have a vaccine in a matter of weeks, it could be four weeks, it could be eight weeks ... we have a lot of great companies," Trump in an interview on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday

"When we win, we will have a deal with Iran within four weeks,"The Hill.

Our President lies to us so easily now.

 

CNN reports, "Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday joined the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at the White House to mark historic normalization agreements between Israel and the two Arab countries."

Trump is a pathetic little man is trying to make something from nothing. He is trying to solve a 70-year old major conflict with rhetoric. The pathetic little man is trying desperately to look important.

Trump is dealing with an accommodating ally in the Middle East and secondary players.

First, it was UAE, now Bahrain, hardly major players in the Middle East. Who is next? Oman?

Why? Because Trump has gotten the U.S. thrown out of the Middle East, in some respects replaced by Russia. Trump's unilateral decisions (Jerusalem, etc.) benefited only Israel. No Middle East deal counts unless it involves the major Arab republics -- Egypt, Jordon, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian government.

But those Arab republics do not trust the U.S. as long as Trump is President, and neither does Great Britain, France, and Germany because he gave away the ranch with nothing to show for it. Those are the genuine brokers in the Middle East.

And possibly Russia, in the case of Syria.

Not the U.S.

Trump's attempts to make a big deal out agreements between a compliant ally and minor Arab powers is both laughable and tragic. It is the story of a little man trying desperately make himself look important and failing miserably.

There are times I almost feel sorry for Trump.

Almost!

I would have to forgive him for thousands of American lives lost because he would not act while lying to the American people. That I can't do.

 

Trump has gotten the U.S. thrown out of the Middle East, in some respects replaced by Russia. Trump's unilateral decisions (Jerusalem, etc.) benefited only Israel. No Middle East deal counts unless it involves the major Arab republics -- Egypt, Jordon, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian government.

This is an agreement, not a treaty and not a signed alliance between Israel and the two gulf nations. How was this made possible? To begin with, a common enemy, Iran.

" For years, Israel has had covert relations with many of the Sunni Gulf states, driven in recent years by a mutual de facto alliance against Iran. The UAE and Bahrain are close allies of the US, with each country hosting a significant US military presence. The US Air Force has deployed F-35 fighter jets to an air base in Abu Dhabi, while the Navy's Fifth Fleet and Central Command are based in Bahrain.

"Chief among these behind-the-scenes relations was the United Arab Emirates, with numerous public examples of the growing ties between the two states becoming more common. In late-2015, Israel opened a diplomatic-level mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi. In 2018, then-culture minister Miri Regev made a state visit to the Grand Mosque on the heels of an Israeli gold medal at a judo tournament in the Emirates. Israel was also invited to Expo 2020 Dubai, a world expo that has since been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Like the UAE, Bahrain also had covert ties with Israel stretching back years. In addition, Bahrain has a small but sustained Jewish community, with one of its members serving as the country's ambassador to the United States from 2008-2013. The small Gulf kingdom also hosted the unveiling of the economic portion of the White House's plan for Middle East peace, signaling a willingness to engage with the US -- and subsequently Israel -- on the issue, even at a time when no progress on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appears possible."

Bahrain and UAE recognized Israel at the White House. Here's what's in it for all sides - CNNPolitics

It is safe to say it is not in anyone's interest for the three signatories to piss off the President of the United States. Essentially, there are three U.S. allies getting together to make an agreement.

Can you say photo op? Just in time for the November elections, too.

 

I would say Yes

 

Trump hails ‘manufacturing miracle’ as factories bleed jobs
Four years after he won the Midwest by vowing to revitalize the U.S. manufacturing workforce, President Donald Trump is campaigning for reelection on a job well done. The numbers tell a different story.

Trump's anti-trade agenda and a pandemic-induced recession have combined to shutter factories and accelerate decades-old trends toward automation, eliminating hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs, many for good, including in the Rust Belt states he needs to win in November.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/16/trump-manufacturing-jobs-record-415588

 

CNN reports, "President Donald Trump faced life outside his own political bubble on Tuesday, where his self-congratulation, buck passing and audacious falsehoods conspicuously failed to meet the moment when he was confronted by undecided voters.

"Trump appeared at an ABC News town hall in Philadelphia, and peppered a socially distanced audience with the rhetoric and talking points that delight his loyal base. But if his goal was to satisfy relatively small groups of voters who haven't yet made up their mind, he fell short and rarely addressed the substance of questions.

"It was an unusual moment of exposure for a leader who demands constant public praise from his subordinates. On Tuesday night, audience members granted him the respect due to his office but none of the adulation he craves."

It is positively amazing that Trump submits himself to events and interviews like this. The reason is, he has extremely high confidence in himself borne of his excessive narcissism, when, in reality, all he does is make a fool of himself as he did last night.

One example among many is when he was asked why he downplayed the pandemic, essentially lying to the American people.

"Yeah, well, I didn't downplay it. I, actually, in many ways, I up-played it, in terms of action," Trump said.

Trump is captured on tape made by Woodward, heard by millions, admitting to downplaying the pandemic and that he was still doing it.

Our President no longer knows the difference between a lie and the truth.

When will this man learn to keep his mouth shut?

Answer: Never.

 

Yesterday I heavily criticized the agreement, not treaty, between Israel, UAE, and Bahrain. Somehow, according to Trump and Fox News, this became a great achievement that will bring peace to the Mideast and soon solve the Palestinian question.

I said that was total B.S., a mere photo op. I explained in detail why that was true.

Not a peep from Trump's followers. They didn't even cut and paste Trump friendly articles on the subject. Either they know this all a bunch of B.S., or ...

The issues were way over their heads.

We will never know which.

 

Why does Trump want to kill Americans? Did Putin get more than he bargain for when he chose to support the Trump Presidency?

Those two questions deserve a detailed explanation.

Over 201,000 Americans have lost their lives to the coronavirus, and there are over 6.8 million cases in the U.S. Due to Trump's admitted lying to Americans and his subsequent slow reaction to the threat, that is quarter of the world's cases and 20% of the world's deaths. Compared to other industrialized nations, Trump's efforts were pathetic. United States Coronavirus: 6,825,967 Cases and 201,278 Deaths - Worldometer

Trump continues to hold political rallies, some indoors. Thousands are gathered in close quarters and few are wearing face-masks because Trump discourages them. Trump loves the adulation he receives, and his adoring admirers do as they told.

Trump is killing some of them, and others will land in a hospital, seriously ill.

Last night, Trump told an ABC audience, "People don't want to wear masks. There are a lot of people [who] think the masks are not good."

This, despite the CDC's repeated calls for Americans to wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,

While we are on the subject, in a Senate hearing today, Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified that mask wearing may be a more effective protection against coronavirus than a potential vaccine.

"I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine, because the immunogenicity may be 70%. And if I don't get an immune response, the vaccine is not going to protect me. This face mask will," Redfield said.

You are not going to believe what Trump said at his press conference today. I heard him, and I still can't believe what our President said about the CDC director.

“I think he made a mistake when he said that. It’s just incorrect information,” Trump told reporters. “That is incorrect information.” This from a guy who recommended injecting Lysol into veins to kill the virus.

"I believe if you asked him he would probably say that he didn't understand the question,” Trump added.

Trump is truly amazing. He has gotten used to lying now. It is a tactic. Trump openly lies to the American people at his press conferences.

Trump wants to kill Americans. Someone tell me what other conclusion is there.

 

According to A.M. Rosenthal, outspoken former editor of the New York Times, “When something important is going on, silence is a lie.” This upcoming election certainly is a time for true patriots to speak up. We have a President seeking re-election whose ongoing agenda is and always has been to undermine our faith in government in order to legitimize his bid for our complete trust, clearing the path for maximum expansion of his executive powers. His base is composed of those who believe that traditional altruistic values are impediments to their own personal financial security.

Pres. Trump, along with the majority of Republicans, want Americans to believe that patriotism refers to allegiance to the stock exchange rather than to defense of the Constitution and the lives and welfare of our citizens. In light of his intent and subsequent actions, he committed perjury on his first day on the job as soon as he took the oath of office. In truth, he will do whatever it takes to win the upcoming election, including lying concerning the risks associated with the deadly COVID-19 virus, risking the lives of thousands in order to avert a stock market crash, which would lower his status in the polls.

We have been led to believe that the government’s primary responsibility is protection of wealth, not to “promote the general welfare”, and definitely not the correction of economic deficiencies; therefore, many Americans have long considered so many of our own citizens to be liabilities rather than assets that need to be protected. However, the “status quo” can never be morally justifiable unless it serves all and is not prejudicial towards any group or even any individual; universal empathy and consideration for the needs of ALL others are essential requirements needed to sustain our democracy. After all, the criterion by which a society rates itself should be whether acceptable minimum standards for all are being met, not whether maximum expectations for some are being exceeded.

I wrote “FREEDOM DOESN’T TRICKLE DOWN: REFLECTIONS ON THE CHANGING FACE OF OUR DEMOCRACY” in order to tell the story of the continuing evolution of a once confident, freedom-loving nation into a fearful society dependent on a “trickle-down” economy. Although it is considered by others to be a nation of abundance, America is defined by its people, not by its borders or resources. It was our spirit, our values, and our unity that made us great, not the fact that we are the world’s richest country. Our wealth is the by-product of coordinated efforts made possible by our unity, and our present economic woes are the result of our increasing division.

Trump is not concerned with Russia’s interference, since it will be in his favor, but he is very concerned about the mail-in voting, which he says will lead to corruption. Since polls show that 50% of Democrats, but only 18% of Republicans plan to vote by mail, he has taken not-too-subtle steps to disable the US Postal Service, causing major disruptions in a time of crisis.

Rigid rules have been set in place to ensure fairness in campaigns and elections, but it is left up to the press and voters to publicly call candidates out on uncalled-for mudslinging and outright lies. The media do not universally share Republicans’ commitment to blind loyalty to their exalted leader, but their divided partisanship and conflicting perspectives leave viewers and readers confused. Trump followers are defending his countless misdeeds and flawed character in order to rationalize overlooking values for the sake of the economy. This process of rationalization I find very confusing. If we lie to others and they believe us, we say that they are gullible, but if we lie to ourselves and WE believe, what is the explanation? Besides, Trump has presided over record deficits in a recovering economy, and Wall Street figures mainly illustrate how well corporations are exploiting workers and consumers, so his personal contributions to the economy are questionable. . . . And a “law and order” Commander-in-Chief who has clearly shown contempt for both the law and the military??? If re-elected, the validation will further embolden him.

Concerning domestic terrorism, the White House has been warned by Homeland Security numerous times since Trump’s inauguration that his rhetoric, policies, and actions have contributed to civil unrest, but their warnings were ignored. It was more convenient to blame the problem on left wing radicals.

Polls consistently show that on the average, Trump’s popularity varies inversely with prospective voters’ level of education. . . . Anyway, I have come to realize that diehard members of the Trump cult are impervious to logic. However, a special interest group that appears to be vulnerable to conversion is the “Christian Coalition”. Traditionally, they have voted Republican due to their pro-life platform, but Trump expresses so few Christian values that it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to endorse him.

From a religious standpoint, God’s chosen people were periodically subjected to many hardships when they abandoned God’s principles. By allowing ourselves to be led by an immoral and deceitful leader, are we not doing the same? We are now plagued with Covid-19, rampant wildfires, frequent hurricanes, and an economic crisis, all at the same time. . . . Or tying this in with racial inequality and the accompanying restricted freedoms, could this not be God again, figuratively speaking, saying “Let my people go”, the message Moses relayed to Pharaoh? Blacks were enslaved for over 300 years in America, but even now they continue to be exploited and discriminated against, making their emancipation incomplete.

Daniel 8:25

By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.

 

The GOP may be unable to survive Trump. Many will go down with him because they are siding with Trump's worst tendencies, lying to support Trump, or simply ignoring what Trump is doing.

Allow me to illustrate.

Public health experts reacted with alarm after Trump held indoor rallies with thousands of maskless supporters at packed arenas in Nevada and Arizona amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

But some Republicans rejected the health experts, a common trait within the GOP led by Trump.

"No, it doesn't," said Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, when asked if the rallies troubled him at all.

Trump urged his North Carolina supporters to commit a felony by going to the polls even after voting absentee to see if the system works.

"I'm fine with the fact that they check up on whether their vote counted," said Sen. Richard Burr, North Carolina's senior Republican senator.

After Trump's own admission to Bob Woodward that he lied to the American people about the threat posed by the coronavirus, GOP senators had no qualms.

"No," Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler said when asked if it's a concern that Trump lied about the virus. "It's fake news."

"You guys are awful," added Arizona Sen. Martha McSally when asked if Trump made a mistake when he misled the public.

Most declined to respond, making clear they did not want to address the controversy at all.

"Not right now," said Sen. Joni Ernst, a vulnerable Iowa Republican who refused to comment three times over the past week when asked about Trump's comments to Woodward.

GOP growing more indifferent to Trump controversies as election nears aided me in this report.

I suspect that the majority of Republicans can't wait until they rid themselves of Trump. That will happen in a little over 50 days. A number of Republicans will join Trump on the sidelines.

Polls show Trump commands the support of an overwhelming number of Republican voters. This begs a question.

Where the freak are they? Trump's followers certainly are a quiet bunch and they pretty much avoid Trump and what he is doing. Why?