Lots of readers of this blog don’t like to hear what conservatives, Republicans, or pundits like Thomas Friedman have to say. I disagree. The only way that Trump will ever be reined in is by the leaders of the GOP. No matter how many progressives are elected to Congress, the fact remains that Trump has two years left in his term, and Republicans control the Senate. He won’t be impeached unless 19 Republican Senators join with the Senate Democrats and tell him the country can’t afford to keep him in the presidency as Tweeter-in-Chief, listening to no one but him gut, destroying the western alliance and the economy. Are there 19 Republican Senators willing to face the wrath of Trump and his angry base?
Thomas Friedman wrote that the time has come for the leaders of the GOP to step in and stop the damage to our country and the…
America is not and never has been the land of freedom and equality. That is a myth, a lie that many people think is true. Putin in Russia knows this truth and he took advantage of it to get malignant narcissist and psychopath Donald Trump, a fraud, a con-man and a serial liar, elected President of the United States.
Racism and segregation are our nation’s greatest sin, written into our founding and our history. We live with their consequences every day in the misery and blighted lives that stand in sharp contrast to the ideals of our founding documents. We think of ourselves as a just people, but we tolerate injustice. We think of our nation as one that is dedicated to equality, yet we live with inequality and ignore it. Now, as Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, writes in the Washington Post.
Two newly released reports from the Senate Intelligence Committee about Russian interference in the 2016 election have been nothing short of revelatory. Both studies — one produced by researchers at Oxford University, the other by the cybersecurity firm New Knowledge — describe in granular detail how the Russian government tried to sow discord and confusion among American voters…
Russian government operatives used social media in 2016 to help the Trump campaign.
A sophisticated effort targeted African Americans to suppress their enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton.
From the New York Times:
“The Russian influence campaign on social media in the 2016 election made an extraordinary effort to target African-Americans, used an array of tactics to try to suppress turnout among Democratic voters and unleashed a blizzard of activity on Instagram that rivaled or exceeded its posts on Facebook, according to a report produced for the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“The report adds new details to the portrait that has emerged over the last two years of the energy and imagination of the Russian effort to sway American opinion and divide the country, which the authors said continues to this day.
“Active and ongoing interference operations remain on several platforms,” says the report, produced by New Knowledge, a cybersecurity company based in…
When Trump opens his mouth, he lies. When Trump tweets, he lies. When Trump sleeps, his dreams are filled with lies. Read this post and discover more about Trump’s endless lies.
Daniel Dale is a reporter for the Toronto Star. This article appeared in the New Zealand Herald. He is obsessed with fact-checking Trump. During the 2016 campaign, Trump said, “No one respects women more than me.” Recently he said, “No one is less racist than me.” He is a master at projecting his own faults on others. The classic example occcurred during one of the presidential debates when Hillary said, We don’t need a president who is a puppet of Putin,” and he immediately said, “you are the puppet,” and then they both again said, “you are the puppet,” like children in a schoolyard. Recently in Paris, at a meeting of European leaders, a photographer snapped a photograph of Putin approaching Trump, and Trump was uncharacteristically beaming. He usually scowls. For Putin, an unusual big smile.
Dale writes:
I’ve made it my mission to fact-check every word Donald Trump…
The last few weeks have been pretty amazing, particularly with the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that The Bloke and I have participated in for his birthday. I’ve also had quite a buzz from blogging every day over the last week, rediscovering my enjoyment of simply writing things down and interacting with the community. I spent hours putting together a large and detailed post yesterday, sent it out across my social media, replied to my comments and then settled in for the evening. I always get a huge sense of satisfaction when I’ve done large post – those are the ones that are often evergreen and bring in the most amount of views over a long period of time.
Martin Niemöller’s quotation revised to fit our times:
First, the far-right extremist Trump Loyalists came to kill the minorities with bullets and bombs, and I did nothing—because I was not a minority.
Then the far-right extremist Trump Loyalists came to kill registered Democrats with bullets and bombs, and I did not speak out— because I was not a member of the Democratic Party.
Then the far right extremist Trump Loyalists came to kill and blow up the Jews, and I did nothing—because I was not a Jew.
Then the far-right extremist Trump Loyalists came to exterminate the children born in the United States of illegal immigrant parents, and I did nothing—because I was born a citizen and my parents had been citizens too.
Then the far right extremist Trump Loyalists arrived outside my house with their bullets and bombs—and there was no one left to fight for me and my family.
After my house was in ruin and my family and I were dead, Trump tweeted that there were many good people among the Americans that were loyal to him.
And who is the Donald Trump that encourages his loyalists to bully, shoot, and even bomb reporters and innocent people who are not loyal to him?
Simply stated in his own words in 2016 as reported by Leslie Sthal, a “60 Minutes” correspondent: when she asked then-presidential candidate Donald Trump why he incessantly attacks the press. His response, she said, was: “‘I do it to discredit you all and demean you all, so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you.’”
What does it mean to be an American patriot vs a Trump loyalist?
A patriot is a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it (“it” refers to the US Constitution) against enemies or detractors.
A Trump loyalist is a person who remains loyal to the established ruler, Trump, especially in the face of a revolt.
Politico Magazine reports, “All leaders want loyalty. All politicians. All presidents. But in the 241-year history of the United States of America, there’s never been a commander in chief who has thought about loyalty and attempted to use it and enforce it quite like Trump. ‘I value loyalty above everything else—more than brains, more than drive and more than energy,’ Trump once said.” …
According to people who know him well, Trump’s definition of loyalty is blunt. “Support Donald Trump in anything he says and does,” Roger Stone, the president’s longest-running political adviser said.
Tomorrow on November 6, 2018, if you vote, your vote will determine if you are an American Patriot or a Trump loyalist.
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Lloyd Lofthouse is a former U.S. Marine and Vietnam combat veteran with a BA in journalism and an MFA in writing, who taught in the public schools for thirty years (1975 – 2005).
Marshall Tuck is an extremist Republican pretending to be a Democrat. Tuck has been endorsed by the Republican Party. Tuck’s campaign funds and support come from conservative billionaires in and out of the state. Tuck has been endorsed by the GOP candidate for governor of California. Tuck’s and his campaign supporters are spreading lies to tarnish the real Democrat who is Tony Thurmond. A vote for Tuck is a vote for extremist, conservative autocratic billionaires and their nightmare agenda for the United States.
The race for State Superintendent of Instruction in California is the most expensive in history for a top state education
job. California-based Capital & Main predicts the spending will top $50 million, with Marshall Tuck outspending Tony Thurmond by 2-1.
All the usual billionaires have clustered behind Tuck—the Waltons, Eli Broad, Michael Bloomberg, Reed Hastings, etc.
The Republican Party has embraced Tuck. Its gubernatorial candidate John H. Cox endorsed Tuck on Saturday on Twitter.
The billionaires want this job, and they want it bad. Tuck is their man. He is also the Republican party’s man.
Capitol & Main writes:
One problem with having the Walmart Waltons foot a candidate’s bills is the presumptive link to the far-right agenda of Trump education secretary Betsy DeVos. Carrie Walton Penner’s support for DeVos included a board seat on her pet pro-voucher organization, Alliance for School Choice. Tuck’s moneyed…
