A report card on the Trump administration

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

There is no doubt about it. Trump is losing it. He isn't a well man to begin with.

Yesterday, Trump, who considered the injection of bleach to kill off the virus, said that the CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield, was wrong and confused about the scientific approach to combating the virus.

Today, using the National Archives as his stage, Trump threatened our school system because it teaches that slavery existed in America. Next, he will urge the schools to avoid any mention of the Civil War because the Southern states (Trump country) fought to protect slavery.

His lawyer, the Attorney General of the United States, Bill Barr, joined Trump in going off the deep end.

According to the Times, Barr asked prosecutors to explore whether they could bring criminal charges against Mayor Jenny Durkan of Seattle, a Democrat, for allowing some residents to establish a police-free protest zone near the city’s downtown.

The Times added, " He told a Chicago Tribune columnist that the nation could find itself “irrevocably committed to the socialist path” if Mr. Trump lost and that the country faced “a clear fork in the road.'"

Like Trump, Barr, too, strongly opposed the lockdowns recommended by health experts world-wide and that saved millions of lives.

CNN reports, "You know, putting a national lockdown, stay at home orders, is like house arrest. Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history," Barr said as a round of applause came from the crowd of college students.

College students who are duplicating what our President is doing, gathering in large maskless crowds.

 

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

"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

"College students who are duplicating what our President is doing, gathering in large maskless crowds."

It would appear that we are beginning to feel the effects of the Labor Day weekend.

Again we are averaging a thousand American lives lost. The number of coronavirus cases is increasing in 23 states, and the positive rating is increasing.

 

Politico reports, "FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday described “very active efforts” by Russia to interfere in the 2020 election, primarily by working to damage former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

"Wray’s assessment affirms the findings of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which last month described Russia’s efforts to damage Biden and specifically identified Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker who has met with President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, as an agent of Russia’s influence operations.

"Wray’s testimony to the House Homeland Security Committee affirmed that Russia is continuing to take an active role in the 2020 campaign with less than 50 days until Election Day."

President Trump was asked if he believed his own intelligence agencies or the Russian president when it came to the allegations of meddling in the elections.

"President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be," he replied.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44852812

 

Another Republican group has been formed in opposition to Trump and endorsing Joe Biden. More than two dozen Republican officials are a part of a new group calling for “leadership change in the White House.”

Josh Venable, who served as chief of staff for Betsy DeVos, the secretary of education, has joined the group, known as REPAIR (Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform). John Mitnick, a former top lawyer at Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, is an adviser to the group.

REPAIR has the goal of restoring integrity to the Republican Party.

The Times reports, "REPAIR joins other groups of Republicans who oppose Mr. Trump’s bid for a second term, including Republican Voters Against Trump and The Lincoln Project, a political action committee formed by current and former Republicans."

The effort is being spearheaded by Miles Taylor, who served as the chief of staff to Kirstjen Nielsen, the former secretary of homeland security. Taylor has endorsed Biden. He wrote in The Washington Post that Trump was “dangerous” and had governed the country by whim, excessive narcissism, profound ignorance, and self-interest.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/us/elections/republicans-former-trump-officials-biden.html

 

Business Insider reports, "Pew Research Center polled more than a dozen US allies' public attitudes and the results show a further decline in Trump's favorability since he became president.

"A handful of them, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia, gave their lowest favorable views of the US on record since Pew started polling nearly two decades ago.

"In Canada, one in five people expressed confidence in Trump, a drastic drop from 51 percent who held that view a year ago. (Canada, for crying out loud)

"Similarly, Germans gave the US some of "its worst ratings," the authors note, with only 10% who said they have confidence in Trump, compared with 13% in 2019 and 86% in 2016 while Barack Obama was president."

What will Trump's followers say to all this. "Good riddance, we don't need any allies."

Business Insider continued, "Most people across the 13 countries surveyed said they have less trust in Trump to "do the right thing" than they do in Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"Only an average of 16% said they have confidence in Trump as a leader, versus 19% who said the same for Xi and 23% for Putin."

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-less-trusted-than-russia-china-leaders-poll-us-image-2020-9

Our [former] allies know Putin and Xi are evil, but they know what they are getting. On the other hand, Trump is erratic, self-centered, profoundly ignorant, and extremely unpredictable. Our [former] allies know Trump cannot be trusted. There are countless examples of the lack of trust.

 

A controversial guideline saying people without Covid-19 symptoms didn’t need to get tested for the virus came from the Trump White House.

The Times reports, " A heavily criticized recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month about who should be tested for the coronavirus was not written by C.D.C. scientists and was posted to the agency’s website despite their serious objections.

"The guidance said it was not necessary to test people without symptoms of Covid-19 even if they had been exposed to the virus. It came at a time when public health experts were pushing for more testing rather than less, and administration officials told The Times that the document was a C.D.C. product and had been revised with input from the agency’s director, Dr. Robert Redfield."

The Trump White House lied.

The Times continued, "But officials told The Times this week that the Department of Health and Human Services did the rewriting and then “dropped” it into the C.D.C.’s public website, flouting the agency’s strict scientific review process."

Fortunately, the error has been corrected. The CDC has reversed the controversial coronavirus testing guidance. It now reads as it should, “Please consult with your healthcare provider or public health official. Testing is recommended for all close contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection.”

In an interview with Fox & Friends, Trump said he believes the U.S. will have a vaccine in “a matter of weeks,” before laying out a more specific timeline, predicting a vaccine could come in as little as “four to eight” weeks.

"Hundreds of millions of doses will be available every month, and we expect to have enough vaccines for every American by April," Trump told reporters at the White House today.

No vaccine has been approved.

According to Pew Research, 51% of Americans will take the coronavirus vaccine when approved. That is down from 21% from May.

Gee, I wonder why that is.

 

The coronavirus is on the increase in 30 states. Over 203,000 Americans have died from the virus, and we are averaging 800 to 1,000 Americans dying each day. United States Coronavirus: 6,925,534 Cases and 203,139 Deaths - Worldometer

Trump has sidelined Dr. Fauci, part of the White House coronavirus task force.

Trump has sidelined Dr. Hahn, director of the Food and Drug Administration.

Trump has sidelined Dr. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We should be hearing from one or more of these epidemiology experts every day. We don't hear from them at all, and Dr. Birx, also on White House coronavirus task force, has been silenced as well. The other day it took a Senate hearing for Americans to get some input from Dr. Redfield. Unfortunately, our President told us the good doctor didn't know what he was talking about.

Instead, we hear from Dr. Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist, not an epidemiologist. His specialty is herd immunity, a strategy that could lead to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lost American lives.

And, of course we hear from Dr. Trump on a daily basis, who is attempting to lie his way to reelection. His specialty is recommending the injection of bleach to kill the dreaded virus, or telling Americans we will have a vaccine before November's election.

Yesterday, Trump said Dr. Redfield, while testifying during a Senate hearing, didn't understand the question and was confused.

Question: Do we want a President who thinks he knows more than the experts, or do we want a President who will listen to and work with the experts? Biden is proven commodity as a part of the Obama administration during the Ebola outbreak (2014-2016) and the Swine Flu (2009-2010).

You decide. It's your life. It's your family.

 

A furious battle over a Supreme Court vacancy is arguably the last thing the United States needed right now.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died today.

The Atlantic writes, "But her passing less than two months before the presidential election also tosses one more lit match into the tinderbox of national politics in 2020: It will surely inflame a deeply polarized country already riven by a deadly pandemic, a steep economic downturn, and civil unrest in its major cities.

"In Washington, the vacancy fight could ratchet up tensions to a level unseen even in the tumultuous Trump era. President Donald Trump will be eager to fill Ginsburg’s seat immediately, seizing an opportunity to rally his base before the election and to cement his legacy in the event that he is defeated in November. He could also become the first president since Richard Nixon to install three justices on the high court in a single four-year term. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already indicated that he’s ready for another confirmation battle, either before or immediately after the election. Republicans might be hard-pressed to consider and approve a Trump nominee in the eight weeks before November, but even a victory by Vice President Joe Biden and a Democratic takeover of the Senate might not prevent Trump from successfully appointing another justice. Republicans would still control both the White House and the Senate until a new Congress takes office in early January."

 

Assuming that a replacement for Ginsburg has not been confirmed by November 3, and further assuming that Trump loses the election, should a defeated President be allowed to appoint a judge to the Supreme Court?

It should be pointed out, both assumptions are extremely likely. Trump is the least popular President in modern American history.

There is a corollary to the question. Should the defeated party in the Senate be allowed to confirm a Supreme Court judge?

Based on limited researched, I have been unable to find those questions addressed. However, allow me to answer my own questions.

There is absolutely nothing in the past four years to suggest that Trump and Trump Republicans in the Senate will put the will of the American people first.

If Trump is defeated, if the GOP loses control of the Senate -- both likely, why else are Republicans in such a hurry -- and Trump Republicans confirm Ginsburg's replacement, the GOP is likely to lose power for at least a generation.

 

CNN reports, "Republican Sen. Susan Collins on Saturday weighed in on the US Supreme Court vacancy, saying that she believes waiting until after the election is the right decision."

"Given the proximity of the presidential election, however, I do not believe that the Senate should vote on the nominee prior to the election," the Maine senator said in a Saturday statement.

Like all politicians, Collins is transparent. She gives token resistance to the Trump Republicans in the Senate to attract the liberal and independent vote.

Then she votes right along beside them.

The same is true of Sen. Murkowski of Alaska.

 

Fox News reports, "President Trump on Monday claimed he would win the presidential election if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi actually attempted to use impeachment as an option to block his eventual Supreme Court nominee from being confirmed to the seat vacated by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"Over the weekend, after it was announced that Ginsburg had passed away on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., vowed that a Trump nominee to the Supreme Court to fill her vacancy “will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.”

"In response, Pelosi, D-Calif., in an interview, would not rule out impeachment as an option to stop a Trump nominee from being confirmed to the bench of the high court by the Senate.

"The president, though, during an exclusive interview on "Fox & Friends" Monday morning, said nominating a justice to the high court is part of his constitutional duty."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-dems-impeachment-supreme-court

 

Trump reacted slowly to the impending pandemic in January and February despite warnings from intelligence and his own National Security Advisor. By his own admission to Woodward, Trump admitted lying to the American people about the threat. We got his fantasies instead. Currently, over 204,000 Americans have died from the virus, and the U.S. has 20% of the world's virus cases and 20% of the world's deaths from the virus. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

Our once great economy is in shambles.

By way of a solution to the problem, Trump suggested the injection of bleach to kill off the virus.

"We're rounding the corner, with or without a vaccine," Trump claimed Monday. "We've done a phenomenal job, not just a good job, a phenomenal job, other than public relations, but that's because I have fake news."

"On public relations I give myself a 'D.' On the job itself, we take an 'A+," Trump added.

Hovering mostly between 38% to 42% approval, Trump is the least popular President in modern American history. He is a minority President. "Hillary Clinton, based on the latest estimates, got a little more than 27 percent of the voting-eligible population’s vote, while Trump got just 27 percent."
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/10/13587462/trump-election-2016-voter-turnout

Trump lost the popular vote by nearly three million. Despite Trump's rhetoric, he does not speak for the American people.

That is simply another lie.

"@gop We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

If Trump and the Trump Republicans ram Ginsburg's replacement through before the November 3 election, the rage within the Democratic Party and Independents will be historic. We are told that Mitch McConnell cherishes a conservative court. He cherishes his leadership in the Senate far more. McConnell is risking the distinct possibility that the GOP will not see the inside of the Oval Office and no GOP Senator will see the inside of the senate majority leader's office for a generation.

The real power in this country is in the executive branch and the Senate, not the Supreme Court, and McConnell knows it.

The GOP is the minority party in America. In 2016, the Democrats nominated the worst possible candidate -- lots of baggage and under an FBI investigation during a Democratic administration -- and yet Trump won by less than 80,000 votes in three states and lost the popular vote. This while millions of Democratic voters stayed home thinking Clinton was a shoe-in.

If Trump and Trump Republicans ram Ginsburg's replacement down American throats, that won't happen this time.

Now picture Trump losing, quite likely, and the GOP losing control of the Senate, also quite likely as they stood by while Trump mishandled the pandemic response and his administration lost control of our economy, saying and doing nothing.

Make that two generations!

 

“Because our Senate majority committed to confirming President Trump’s excellent judicial nominees — and particularly because we committed to supporting his Supreme Court nominees — the American people expanded the Republican majority in 2018,” Mr. Graham wrote on Monday. “We should honor that mandate.”

The Republicans gained two seats. Up for grabs were 24 Democratic seats, and 11 Republican seats. The GOP won 13 seats. The Democrats won 22 seats. Graham failed to mention that. It was virtually a Democratic victory, and was in line with the rest of the 2018 results. The GOP got creamed, and lost control of the House. 2018 United States elections - Wikipedia

Things are different in 2020. In November, 21 GOP seats are up for grabs, and only 12 for the Democrats.

McConnell should think long and hard about what he is doing. Going against the will of the American people is not a wise career choice.

 

I wrote, "The GOP is the minority party in America. In 2016, the Democrats nominated the worst possible candidate -- lots of baggage and under an FBI investigation during a Democratic administration -- and yet Trump won by less than 80,000 votes in three states and lost the popular vote. This while millions of Democratic voters stayed home thinking Clinton was a shoe-in.

"If Trump and Trump Republicans ram Ginsburg's replacement down American throats, that won't happen this time."

The Post reports, " Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) announced Tuesday that he believes President Trump should get to choose a replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg regardless of whether he wins in November. The move clears the way for a vote this year by the GOP-led Senate on a nominee that Trump is expected to name Saturday."

As mentioned earlier, Sens. Collins and Murkowski, despite their meaningless rhetoric, will follow along and do as their told if a lame duck Senate tries to confirm Trump's appointee.

Trust me, if Trump loses in November (very likely) and the GOP loses control of the Senate (also very likely), and Trump's choice is confirmed, there will be hell to pay.

If the GOP wins in November, then it's a push, but that is not likely.

 

We are beginning to feel the effects of Labor Day weekend. 205,379 Americans have died from the virus, and deaths from the virus has increased in 20 states. The number of cases of the virus is increasing in 24 states. United States Coronavirus: 7,095,623 Cases and 205,393 Deaths - Worldometer

What does our President say about all this? “By the way, we’re rounding the corner. We’re rounding the corner on the virus,” Trump told reporters and the American people during a recent news conference.

Yesterday, our President told a crowd of his devoted followers in Swanton, Ohio, that the coronavirus "affects virtually nobody" except "elderly people."

It is readily apparent Trump is living in an alternate universe. It is difficult to understand how he could make statements like that. They go way beyond political convenience and border on senility, lack of intelligence as well as lack of awareness.

In the meantime, Trump is endeavoring to kill off his supporters. He is holding still another political rally today -- this time in Moon Township, PA -- in front of a mask-less, close-knit crowd of adoring admirers. He is holding similar rallies in front mask-less crowds nearly every day now.

I guess he doesn't care how many of his followers become sick and/or hospitalized.

Is he endangering the health and well-being of his supporters to prove a point? Before answering, study the source provided at the beginning of this post.

 

Much like he did in 2016, the Russian president supports Trump’s re-election, and he is doing so personally.

The Times reports, "President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is most likely continuing to approve and direct interference operations aimed at raising President Trump’s re-election chances, a recent C.I.A. analysis concluded, a signal that intelligence agencies continue to back their assessment of Russian activities despite the president’s attacks.

"The assessment was disseminated in support of sanctions imposed this month on Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker who has spread information critical of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. It is consistent with intelligence officials’ warning to lawmakers in January that Russia was interfering on Mr. Trump’s behalf, a briefing that outraged Republicans and eventually helped oust Joseph Maguire from his post as acting director of national intelligence."

The Times was being kind. Put a different way, Trump fired him."

Trump doesn't like bad news, particularly if it involves Russia.

Or Putin.

Despite repeated warnings from intelligence officials and his own FBI director that Russia is carrying out a blatant attack on American democracy, Trump summed up his views at a rally yesterday in very simple terms, "I like Putin, he likes me."

Trump wasn't through with his adulation of the Russian dictator. "I like Putin. He likes me. We get along. Wouldn't you say it's smart to get along? OK? It's smart," he told supporters in Ohio.

Again, this might be a question of intelligence.

Considering the fact that Putin is no friend of the United States, considering the fact that Putin will do whatever he can to weaken our country, considering the fact that is why Putin approved of Trump in the first place, isn't that akin to President Roosevelt saying, "I like Adolf Hitler."

 

Trump's followers will have nothing to say.

As this thread shows, they don't want to know.

These are the people who chose our President the last time.

 

I wrote, "We are beginning to feel the effects of Labor Day weekend. 205,379 Americans have died from the virus, and deaths from the virus has increased in 20 states. The number of cases of the virus is increasing in 24 states. United States Coronavirus: 7,095,623 Cases and 205,393 Deaths - Worldometer"

Trump looks really stupid doing it, but he has this nasty habit of creating fantasies, then basing his opinions on the fantasies he created. It is a sign of intellectual disparity and sheer desperation. He can't use reality or what his opponents say. He must invent a different reality or his opponent's dialogue.

Politico writes, "Don’t focus on the 200,000 people the coronavirus might kill in the U.S., think about the 2 million people President Donald Trump is saving."

“What would have happened if we did nothing?” Trump asked.

“Think of the number — potentially 2.2 million people if we did nothing, if we didn’t do the distancing, if we didn’t do all of the things that we’re doing,” Trump added.

I told you Trump looked stupid and desperate.

“If you give power to Joe Biden, the radical left will defund police departments . . . no one will be safe,” Trump told a Republican audience, adding that Democrats would support “anarchists, agitators, rioters, looters, and flag-burners."

“Biden is a Trojan horse for socialism,” Trump said, adding that his Democratic rival did not have “the strength to stand up to wild-eye Marxists.”

Biden has been in Washington politics for 47 years as a United States Senator and a vice-president for eight years. He is no wide-eyed newbie, and, if anything, as the author of the 1994 Crime Bill, he is a right of center moderate.

The idea that Biden would support defunding police departments as well as “anarchists, agitators, rioters, looters, and flag-burners" is pure fantasy that borders on the ludicrous.

Yet this is what our President says about his political opponent. Trump once again relies on fantasy.

By the way, the death toll now is 206,500 Americans. Because of Trump's continued mishandling of the pandemic and fantasies regarding same, we may actually reach 2.2 million before this is over. We are averaging between 35,000 and 40,000 new cases per day -- that's greater than the dreaded March/April period -- and more than 1,000 deaths/day again.

 

Trump said today in a press conference that he could overrule the Food and Drug Administration on a vaccine. He said that FDA's determination to ensure the efficacy and safety of any vaccine was political.

“We are looking at that, but I think that was a political move more than anything else,” Trump said today.

In other words, according to Trump, it will be Trump who decides when a vaccine will be ready for distribution, hopefully before that "very important date," as he put it.

Is this another one of Trump's fantasies?

Americans sure hope so.

Vote early!

 

Today in his press conference, Trump would not commit to providing a peaceful transition of power after Election Day.

"Well, we're going to have to see what happens," Trump said.

The basis for Trump's opinion was his fantasy, his baseless false assertion that widespread mail-in voting is rife with fraud.

"You know that I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster," Trump said.

Trump has never supported that assertion. He just says it.

In other words, it is his fantasy.

The very opposite is true. Trump proved it.

The now-disbanded voting integrity commission launched by the Trump administration uncovered no evidence to support claims of widespread voter fraud, according to an analysis of administration documents released Friday.

Report: Trump commission did not find widespread voter fraud
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The now-disbanded voting integrity commission launched by the Trump administration uncovered no evidence to support claims of widespread voter fraud, according to an analysis of administration documents released Friday. In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas...
apnews.com

Vote early!

 

I wrote yesterday, "Today in his press conference, Trump would not commit to providing a peaceful transition of power after Election Day.

"Well, we're going to have to see what happens," Trump said.

"The basis for Trump's opinion was his fantasy, his baseless false assertion that widespread mail-in voting is rife with fraud."

The Times reports, "President Trump’s refusal to commit to accepting the results of November’s election — something no other modern president has put in doubt — led several prominent Republicans, including Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, to insist Thursday that there would be a peaceful transfer of power come January. But they stopped short of directly criticizing the president."

“The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th,” Mr. McConnell wrote on Twitter. “There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792.”

"Mr. McConnell did not mention Mr. Trump in his comments, and he refused to elaborate on them. But his tweet was in response to the president’s comment on Wednesday, when a reporter asked if he would commit to a peaceful transition, that “We’re going to have to see what happens.'"

 

As stated earlier, Trump has this nasty habit of creating fantasies, then basing his opinions on the fantasies he created.

Trump has another major issue. He believes all of life's major problems can be solved with rhetoric. He proved that point again today with his "vision" of a health care plan.

For over three years Trump has been promising Americans a health plan. In an interview with Fox News in July, Trump said he would be signing a "full and complete health care plan" within two weeks. In an August 3 press briefing, Trump said his health care plan would most likely be released before the end of the month. Trump promised a health care plan before the end of August. It never came.

We are still waiting.

Today, he gave us his "vision" of a health plan, And somehow he thinks he can create a new health plan with an executive order. Of course, that was meant for his base. They believe anything ... as long as it comes from Trump.

If Trump gets his way, within months, SCOTUS is likely to strike down what is left of Obamacare, the most important provision being, coverage for preexisting conditions.

If/when Obamacare is struck down, it will require legislation to replace it. Replacing a health care law with an E.O. is Trump fantasy. There are two huge problems in that regard.

One, Republican lawmakers can't agree on a health plan. They have been trying for ten years.

Therefore, two, there is no health care legislation in Congress to consider. The bill has not been written.

Welcome to Trump's vision of health care for millions of Americans.

The problem can be solved rather easily. Boot Trump and Trump Republicans out of Washington. Many Americans are disgusted with an administration that relies on fantasy and rhetoric.

Vote early!

 

I wrote earlier, "Several prominent Republicans, including Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, to insist Thursday that there would be a peaceful transfer of power come January. But they stopped short of directly criticizing the president."

“The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th,” Mr. McConnell wrote on Twitter. “There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792.'"

The Times reports, "The F.B.I. has not seen evidence of a “coordinated national voter fraud effort,” its director, Christopher A. Wray, told lawmakers on Thursday, undercutting President Trump’s efforts to stoke fears about mail-in ballots by claiming without evidence that they are an election threat.

"Any fraud effort would have to be widespread and well coordinated to change the election outcome, and carrying out that kind of fraud would be a “major challenge for an adversary,” Mr. Wray said."

National elections are conducted by hundreds of counties throughout the U.S., each having their own ballots and their own voting procedures.

Sadly, in the era of Trump, the Senate felt compelled to okay a resolution on the peaceful transition of power. According to The Hill, "The Senate passed a resolution on Thursday reaffirming its support for a peaceful transition of power, one day after President Trump refused to commit to such a transition next year if he loses in the November election.

"The resolution, offered by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), passed by unanimous consent, meaning no senator objected to it."

In addition to relying on fantasies and rhetoric, Trump has another major problem borne by his lack of intellectual acuity. His extreme narcissism requires that he be the center of attention at all times even if it means making a complete fool of himself.

Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the election, and he bases this incredulous and singularly unpopular position on a fantasy called voter fraud that his own commission could not find (see post 345).

Trump is the least popular President in modern American history. As this thread shows, not even his supporters stand by him. Trump's supporters largely avoid Trump. If they say anything at all, they focus on the writer, not the issues, and certainly not Trump.

Put a different way, Trump lacks the power and the mandate to refuse to accept the results of the election should he be defeated, an extremely likely possibility.

In other words, the stand alone President is simply making a fool of himself.

Vote early!

 

Trump reacted slowly to the impending pandemic in January and February despite warnings from intelligence and his own National Security Advisor. By his own admission to Woodward, Trump admitted lying to the American people about the threat. We got his fantasies instead. Currently, over 204,000 Americans have died from the virus, and the U.S. has 20% of the world's virus cases and 20% of the world's deaths from the virus. United States Coronavirus: 7,185,005 Cases and 207,515 Deaths - Worldometer


Trump looks really stupid doing it, but he has this nasty habit of creating fantasies, then basing his opinions on the fantasies he created. It is a sign of intellectual disparity and sheer desperation. He can't use reality or what his opponents say. He must invent a different reality or his opponent's dialogue.

Trump said today in a press conference that he could overrule the Food and Drug Administration on a vaccine. He said that FDA's determination to ensure the efficacy and safety of any vaccine was political.

Today in his press conference, Trump would not commit to providing a peaceful transition of power after Election Day.

Trump has another major issue. He believes all of life's major problems can be solved with rhetoric. He proved that point again today with his "vision" of a health care plan.

Sadly, in the era of Trump, the Senate felt compelled to okay a resolution on the peaceful transition of power.

Putin has chosen well.

He is trying duplicate the success he had in 2016.

The Times reports, "President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is most likely continuing to approve and direct interference operations aimed at raising President Trump’s re-election chances, a recent C.I.A. analysis concluded, a signal that intelligence agencies continue to back their assessment of Russian activities despite the president’s attacks.

 

....tell the real truth.....most of the deaths are black people that are obese and have underlying ailments....