THIS & THAT #16

THERE’S MORE BLAME, JUST

CHANGE THE PARTY'S NAME

PART TWO — THE DEMOCRATS

Former President Clinton was quoted in a weekly newspaper near to where he and Hillary live, that President-elect Donald Trump “doesn’t know much,” but “one thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him.”

Bill is now an angry white man, and probably laments the fact that he didn’t do quite enough to earn the title “First Man.” The same goes for the Democratic National Committee and Hillary’s inept advisors, but let’s start with the DNC — aka, “the Crooked DNC.”

DISTORTED VIEW FROM ABOVE 

The Democrats were in a “d” mode by being devious, deceptive, deceitful, duplicitous, and dishonest. Let’s look and try and determine who and or what were to blame for their election loss?

DEMOCRATS

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign in July, after WikiLeaks e-mails revealed that top DNC staff members had plotted to sabotage Bernie Sanders.

Using all of her years of accumulated political wisdom, Hillary immediately tried to placate Sanders’ people by first lauding Debbie for her contributions, and then appointing her as Hillary’s honorary campaign chair.

JEW AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO

The DNC’s CFO Brad Marshall suggested in a leaked email that Sanders’ Jewish ethnicity and his atheist beliefs could be exposed to Southern Democratic voters, who would then turn to Hillary in the primaries.

The DNC also briefly shut off Sanders’ access to the part’s key list of likely Democratic voters.

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

Longtime Democratic strategist Donna Brazile took over as interim chair, and keeping with the DNC’s policy of screwing up whenever possible, she was accused of feeding Hillary debate questions before her CNN-sponsored debate in Flint. Donna was later dropped as a CNN contributor.

Donald you were absolutely right, the election was rigged.

NOW THE FUND BEGINS

How did Hillary lose college-educated white women, and more importantly, how did she lose the non-college-educated white male vote? In the third quarter, Trump’s average campaign contribution was $50.46, so sayeth the campaign, with checks as small as $10.

MAKING AMERICA GREAT

ONE HUGE RALLY AT A TIME

From November 6 through the 8th, Donald J. rode a wave of enthusiasm at eleven rallies in ten states, from one in Sioux City, Iowa to a final one in New York City. His campaign events excited voters wherever they took place — in convention centers, college student unions, arenas, airport hangers, or fairgrounds.

YOU HAVE GOT TO

HAND IT TO HILLARY

Hillary held one public rally in August in Reno, Nevada, for that wasn’t where the rich Mother Lode existed. She held seven fund raising soirees in California in August in just three days, five more in affluent homes in Martha’s Vineyards, and nine in wealthy East Hampton. She did mine northern California once again in September, where donors paid up to $50,000 to schmooze with the first woman who wouldn’t be nominated once again to be President. At one such event, guests who purchased the priciest tickets or raised $100,000, could not only attend a reception, but also receive a “commemorative keepsake.”

THE SOUTH WILL RAISE AGAIN

One August night, she attended two fundraisers in Beverly Hills, California, with a limited, invited audience at each. One was at the home of NBA legend Magic Johnson, and the other at the home of billionaire Haim Saban, where each guests had to contribute or raise $27,000.

YOU CAN BANK ON HILLARY

While Donald held rallies where people were enthusiastically rooting for him, Hillary was giving speeches at financial firms such as Goldman Sachs and being paid $225,000 for each of them. Was Hillary trying to influence Goldman Sachs, or were they buying influence with her? As with the content of Donald’s income taxes, no one really knows what magical words were woven into Hillary’s talks.

COME ON, HILLARY

Her campaign didn’t seem to have a cohesive plan, and whoever was in charge decided that it was more important to stay isolated away from the common people.

Those were the ones in the red states that helped determine that the Clinton Dynasty is over, as is the Bush Dynasty, and you can’t blame those neglected voters for Hillary’s loss.

THIS & THAT # 15

PRELUDE

After being worn out about the thought that there’s too much to write about, I took a brief hiatus from writing and publishing. There’s still too much to write about, and yet it’s a long-overdue time to start. As Alexander Portnoy’s psychiatrist said after their last session, “So. Now vee may perhaps to begin. Yes?”

THE NAME OF THE GAME

IS WHOM DO YOU BLAME?

There always seems to be a myriad of people and groups who rush for recognition when something goes right, even when they didn’t contribute anything to the outcome. On the other hand, there’s a definite dearth of individuals around to admit to their inadequacies and speak up when anything goes woefully wrong.

This extends to most everything in our world from the outcome of elections, to other man-made disasters, to mistakes in the world of sports of gigantic proportions. At times, there seems to be equally attributable woman-made mistakes.

ELECTION TIME BLAME

Both the Republicans and the Democrats can stake claim to their share of the blame, as to what went wrong during the 2016 Presidential Election.

PART ONE — THE GOP

As you may have learned, Donald J. Trump won the Electoral College vote and is now the President-Elect of the entire country, including Guam. In all honesty, can you blame Donald J. for being an egomaniacal, narcissistic, self-promoting, bombastic, crude, and unrefined provocateur? Those characteristics and his bending of the truth are what helped get him elected.

Can you blame him for seeming to be off-script and out of control at his rallies, for that attribute made him an American idol to his fans. Those who did not vote for him are praying that during his term he doesn’t disrupt their lives and the country too much. They would be pleased to see him as an American idle.

When it comes to blame, Donald J. and his satraps have consistently pounded on their number one enemy — “the media.”

With Donald leading the attack, his campaign made sure that his voting bloc knew that “the media” were a major source of their personal woes. They, and Hillary, became the common enemies, and he said so wherever and whenever he spoke.

I was in Las Vegas in December 2015, and while strolling through my hotel, I noticed a large group of people waiting to enter one ballroom, which turned out to be where a Trump rally was being held. I entered and found an inconspicuous place in the back, behind what could be described as a holding pen — like a cattle pen in a stockyard. But this pen was filled with reporters. In front of the pen, was a ten-foot platform crowded with camera-laden media people from local and national television outlets.

When Trump came on stage to perform, he immediately told his followers to turn around and look toward the pen and the platform. He announced, “These are our enemies. Yet they are clamoring to cover our great movement.” If on cue, his people started to loudly boo the media, and that became part of his act on the road.

NO DOUBT ABOUT "THEM"

During his campaign rallies Trump has described “the media” in a myriad of derisive terms, such as “sleazy,” “unfair,” “not good people,” ”slime,” “dishonest slime,” “disgusting,” “weak,” “clueless,” “scum,” “ridiculous,” unfair,” and finally he truly and deeply hurt them and inflamed his loyal supporters by calling the media “bad.”

At his rallies, he always points to the media in the back as he labels then “the most dishonest people in the world. They are the worst.” He reiterates his point and retaliates against “them,” by telling his people that “I am not running against crooked Hillary.  I’m running against the crooked media.”

SAYING IS BELIEVING

Because Donald J. has elevated the media to the top of his hit list, eighty-seven percent of Trump’s supporters see the media as biased against him. Which translates into the media being against them, and therefore the media can’t be trusted.

Trump may become the most anti-media President since Richard Milhous Nixon unleashed his attack dog Spiro T. Agnew. Both men were forced to leave office because of their crooked dealings — we can only hope. Don’t forget Nixon’s two main men H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, who were both forced to take early retirements.

He plans no press conferences, much like Hillary, summoned top media executives to bow before his throne in the Trump Tower, and has hinted of plans to open up libel laws against his enemies.

PART TWO – COMING DISTRACTIONS

Stay tuned for more on the Democrats and their role in losing the election, and who should take the blame for their failure. It will appear in an upcoming blog, as well as whom to blame for the Oakland fire and the Warriors loss in the last NBA championship.

THIS & THAT #14

GRUMPY OBNOXIOUS POLITICIANS

AKA the GOP, The Republican Party

The GOP is now the “in-party” that will be attempting to save multinational American corporations millions in taxes, while preventing the billionaire class from becoming extinct,

We haven’t yet heard even a benign utterance from the previous groveling Mitch McConnell, on how he plans to derail whatever Donald J. will be proposing to make America great again.

One half of those who voted in 2016 will be constantly kvetching during the Trump years if they don’t get their way (and they won’t). They may be joined by some of the 95,899,115 who were eligible to vote (41.4 percent), who did not bother to do so.

That includes, among others, Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers quarterback, and social activist, who doesn’t fully realize his basic responsibility as a sell-proclaimed leader.

There were numerous California ballot measures on important issues to his people that   he could have voted on including healthcare, pricing standards for drug purchases, the death penalty, firearms sales, criminal sentences for juveniles, and marijuana legislation.

GROUCHY OBTREPEROUS POOPS

This GOP faction is lead by Mitch McConnell, who is still the Senate’s Majority Leader. He proclaimed in 2010, “The single most important thing we (the GOP) want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”

Mitch continued his willingness to listen to all points of view when he gave an August 2016 speech in Kentucky, in which he said, “One of my proudest moments was when I looked Barack Obama in the eye and I said. “Mr. President, you will not fill the Supreme Court vacancy.’”

Interestingly, when he was elected Senator in the 1984 race, he won by only 5,200 votes out of more the 1.8 million cast. Colin, who says that their vote doesn’t count?

Perhaps that’s why Mitch strongly opposes more enforcement on the right to vote, and with an estimated net worth of $22,841,026, he also strongly opposes higher taxes on the wealthy. He strongly favors never legalizing marijuana anywhere, especially in a state like Kentucky known for its production of alcoholic beverages.

MITCH AIN’T ALONE

The GOP seems united in doing whatever benefits themselves and their sponsors, which sounds like what the Democrats were doing when they were in power.

On December 16, an Oklahoma GOP lawmaker abandoned a measure that would have required public bathrooms display anti-abortion signs, but only after an outcry from business and health providers. They were concerned because of the estimated cost.

In North Carolina, the GOP legislature was upset that their sitting governor was beaten in a run-off with an opponent who was a “Democrat.”  So, in a last minute, year-end special session, lawmakers passed a bill on December 16, that will give the Republicans control of the State Board of Elections during election years. They also passed several other bills that will limit the new governor’s power.

Was there ever power to the people, or only to the people in power?

When you look at al of the changes in our once civil society, you must be aware that you should enjoy where we are, for this is the best it’s going to be.

THIS & THAT #13

THE IMPORTANCE OF YAHOO 
NEWS IN THE AGE OF TRUMP

Whenever I open my email account, I am immediately confronted by Yahoo News stories of great significance to my life, to the lives of countless others embedded in the Trump nation, and minions from around the globe, who are anxiously awaiting the important stories of our time.

Here is a small, selected sample of some of those fascinating stories and their headlines that I was fortunate enough to read about today.

“Zoa’s sheer gown relies on strategic patches.”

Ah ha, finally in this politically charged country, strategy is being employed. Wonder if Trump’s generals were consulted?

“Proof Ashley Graham loves see-through clothes.”

That’s what we need more of — transparency.

“Why Carey always chooses this side in photos.”

No reason was given, but it probably sent millions of people to find the accurate, factual answer on Google.

“School to build first on-campus firing range.”

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry was quoted as saying, “Give me liberty or give me death.” The school with the first on-campus firing range is Liberty University, founded by Jerry Falwell in 1967. He also organized the Moral Majority in 1979, and its most famous bumper sticker read, “The Moral Majority is neither.” A lead story in the November 1983 issue of Hustler magazine ran a parody advertisement, which claimed that Falwell had a drunken, incestuous relationship with his mother in an outhouse. The ad carried a disclaimer in small print at the bottom of the page that said, "ad parody—not to be taken seriously", and the magazine's table of contents also listed the ad as: "Fiction; Ad and Personality Parody.

Falwell sued Flynt and Hustler for damages for libel, invasion of privacy (vs. invasion of privy-see), and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The District Court jury awarded Falwell $150,000 in damages for emotional distress. Hustler appealed, and in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled, “First Amendment free speech guarantees protect parodies of public figures from being civilly liable for intentionally inflicted emotional distress.” Perhaps Trump will appoint Jerry Falwell Jr., the current president of Liberty U., to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court and help reverse that decision. It was alleged that Junior killed an anti-Trump story in the university’s newspaper.

Jerry Falwell Jr. recently said that he turned down Trump’s offer to become our country’s education secretary. Shoot, this is actually a meaningful story. Thank ewe, Yahoo.

“Stunning and simple — winter hair and makeup.”

Provides interested readers (and who isn’t intensely interested) in finding dynamic information on bombshell curls and red lips?

“Jennifer Lawrence Apologizes for Offending With Butt-Scratching Story”

While filming in Hawaii, Jenny had an annoying itch in her crotch, and used a sacred ancestral stone to relieve herself. The culturally-aware actress described the scene,  “It was this huge dramatic deal, and all the Hawaiians were like, ‘Oh, my God. It’s the curse!’ … and I’m over in the corner going, ‘I’m your curse. I wedged it loose with my ass.’” That appears to be quite a sincere apology for her.

Now that we have briefly covered Yahoo’s most important stories, let’s move on to real news on Yahoo. Readers discover important geo-political news headlines that will affect all of us, and two stories centered on the names of leaders of two of the most-powerful nations in the world.

FROM THE EAST

“Putin splurges on daughter’s favorite sport.”

Russia is building a $30 million complex for acrobatic rock 'n' roll, a niche sport in which President Vladimir Putin's youngest daughter is a leading dancer and has a senior role for development. Why not? Cheerleading will soon be introduced as an Olympic sport, followed by the three-point shot put event.

FROM THE WEST

“The KKK doesn’t like the term white supremacist.”

Standing on a muddy dirt road in the dead of night near the North Carolina-Virginia border, masked Ku Klux Klan members claimed Donald Trump's election as president proves whites are taking back America from blacks, immigrants, Jews and other groups they describe as criminals and freeloaders. America was founded by and for whites, they say, and only whites can run a peaceful, productive society.

The question now facing the nation, “Will Donald duck this connection?”