Monthly Archives: September 2019

Point of View Columns

To Impeach or Not to Impeach

When it comes to Donald Trump there is little to admire. Indeed there is little to respect and there is nothing honorable about the man who will go (way) down in American history as the worst President. But he does have this extraordinary capacity to shock, disgust, horrify and appall just when we think that we have seen all that Trump has to offer.

We have seen him insult world leaders, indeed he shoved the prime minister of Montenegro out of the way for a photo op. We have seen him denigrate women in the most outrageous manner and we have heard racist and sexist and xenophobic rhetoric unleashed upon us in colossal torrents. We know that he has no respect for the rule of law and regularly tests the limits of the law (for which he cares little) or the Constitution (of which he clearly knows nothing). And he uses threats that could bring this nation to the brink of war like some people change their lunch order. So what could be left in the Trump Bag of Tricks?

Well, as it turns out, there is actually more in that Bag. Specifically, a federal Whistleblower Report indicates that Trump pressured the incoming president of the Ukraine to investigate possibly wrongdoing by Joe Biden, his potential opponent in the next presidential election. And this pressure was not benign, at the time of this shakedown Trump was holding up a quarter billion dollars of military aid for the Ukraine that had been authorized by Congress (so much for Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances).

We literally do not know if the Ukrainian government took any steps to mollify Trump. What we do know is that days after Congress became aware of this Whistleblower report Trump relented and released the $250 million dollars that he had been using a bludgeon to get a foreign government to assist his campaign against a possible political opponent.

That Trump’s actions are wrong goes without saying – except for his Republican enablers and minions who are doing a terrific imitation of being deaf, dumb and blind to any and all of Trump’s offenses as long as they get their anti-abortion/anti-gun control judge’s from this man. Their silence is the price they pay for demeaning and denigrating this Republic one disgrace at a time.

So the impeachment question arises. And it is important to note that many who believe that Trump has committed countless impeachable offenses should not be impeached because impeachment proceedings in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives would mobilize the Trump “base”.

That seemed to make sense for a while. But now, with this latest outrage, it might be safe to say that dragging Trump to the town square to at least reveal all of his sins and transgressions would also mobilize the base of Americans who simply cannot abide by his disgraceful, illegal and likely treasonous behavior for one more orange-hued minute.

Maybe it is time to impeach and not worry about the Trump Base and to start worrying about the American Base.

 

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Point of View Columns

What Biden Should Have Said

During last week’s continuation of the Democratic Debatepalooza in Houston, Joaquin Castro and Corey Booker executed a classic high/low tackle of Joe Biden on the issue of his age. In a not very subtle fashion they both tried to make the case that Biden was simply too old to be a successful candidate for president.

There are many aspects of the Biden candidacy that are subject to legitimate criticism and concern. The question of his age is a different story however, since there is nothing that Biden can say about his age. In other words, he is what he is.

But given the fact that Baby Boomers continue to occupy a major space in the American demographic and they aren’t getting any younger either, Secretary Castro and Senator Booker might want to be careful about the age of the toes upon which they tread.

In the meantime, here is what Joe Biden should have said:

  • I was elected to the New Castle (Delaware) City Council at the age of 28 and many people said that I was too young to serve effectively.
  • I was elected to the United States Senate when I was 30, become the sixth youngest person elected U.S. Senator in American history and many people said that I was too young to serve.
  • I was re-elected to the Senate six times and someplace along the line people stopped saying that I was too young to serve.
  • When I was elected Vice President in 2008 I was 66 years old and people said that I was a “mature” balance to the more youthful Barack Obama.
  • Now that I am in my 70’s, it seems that some of my younger competitors for the Democratic nomination want to make an issue of my age. The irony of this situation does not escape me.
  • Age did not make a difference when I was first elected. Age has not made a difference during the years that I have served this country. And age will not make a difference should I be fortunate enough to be elected President of the United States.
  • And I will tell Secretary Castro and Senator Booker that I will not make an issue of their youth and am hopeful that they will not make an issue of my age.
  • And in any event, I learned a lesson when I was 28 and was told that I was too young to be elected – if all an opponent can talk about is my age, instead of my record and my accomplishments and my qualifications, then my record and my accomplishments and my qualifications must be pretty damn good and they should just bring it on.

That’s what Biden should have said.

One can only hope that going forward the Democratic Candidate Carousel can offer up some more substantive subjects for discussion and true debate – this country is in crisis, as is the world – and leadership does not wear an age number.

 

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Point of View Columns

No Time For a Debate When the House is on Fire

A recent article in the The Atlantic by Peter Wehner deals with Trump’s mental health in a manner that is neither medically based nor partisan. Indeed, Wehner simply asks what our reaction/response would be if we had a friend, colleague or family member who behaved in the manner of the 45th President of the United States.

One can always begin with the lies. Trump lies because he needs to lie. He lies when attacking, he lies when he is deflecting and he lies even when he has no reason to lie. In fact, he lies even when he must know that everyone knows that he is lying. And yet he still lies. And if we had a friend, colleague or family member who behaved in this fashion we would be very concerned for the state of their mental health would hope that they would seek health.

But with Trump, that is only the beginning. In savage jungle that is Trump’s mind there is racism and misogyny lurking in broad daylight. Megalomania illuminates the dark recesses of his imagination and in that heart of darkness the only person who truly matters to Trump is Trump…………..and yet, if the presidential election were to be held tomorrow, he has more than a puncher’s chance of being elected.

Which brings us to the continuing saga of the Democratic cattle call/presidential candidate selection process. If only because Trump may be certifiably insane and is certainly a clear and present danger to this country and to all who are in his presence, the selection of a candidate who will remove this curse from the Oval Office takes on almost mythical importance. That is because it is clear that if Trump remains President for 5 ½ more years this country will be hard pressed to ever recover from the structural damage to American institutions that will be his true and only legacy.

One would think that in this dire scenario someone in the Democratic National Committee would realize that this is no time for a traditional nominee selection process. The United States is being held hostage by a mentally unstable megalomaniac who wreaks havoc with preternatural ease. And so, one would think that someone in the DNC might realize that having more than 20 candidates traipsing across the country, raising money for their individual crusades for self-validation and exhausting the attention span of the Democratic base is simply not a good thing.

The week the DNC is sponsoring a debate with ten (10) candidates and one can reasonably ask what could possibly be a useful outcome of this political equivalent of speed dating for two hours. The real outcome will be the continued exhaustion of the attention span of the American/Democratic electorate thereby paving the way for a true American Tragedy – which is what a Trump second term would be called by historians of the future.

It is beyond frustrating, it is terrifying to watch the 21 current candidates soliciting support and money for their cause, in the process diminishing the amount of resources that will be available for the general election while also anesthetizing a significant part of the American electorate with an overdose of rhetoric, policy proposals and “hey look at me” appeals.

In traditional times it would be refreshing to see so many talented men and women looking to define themselves while redefining what or who a presidential candidate might be. But right now there are 21 men and women running which means that by the time of the Democratic convention in Milwaukee in 2020 there will be 20 separate and distinct set of constituencies who will be disappointed and dispirited – and therefore members of these 20 losing teams might not be inclined to support the Democratic nominee with the vigor and enthusiasm that it will take to defeat a sociopathic serial liar who will literally say or do anything to win.

And consider the fact that defeating Trump in November of 2020 will not be enough. Even if he loses he will not easily give up his position in the center of the American media universe and he will continue to sow seeds of distraction, destruction and disharmony throughout this country and throughout the world.

With all that will be facing a successful Democratic candidate when he/she wins, it is important that the nominee be selected soon and that this person will begin solidifying their base and preparing to attack Trump and be attacked by Trump – continuously.

It has been said – There is no time for a debate when the house is on fire.

Someone please tell Tom Perez and the leadership of the DNC that the American house is officially on fire.

 

 

 

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Point of View Columns

A Brief Tour of Trump World

This past weekend provided a shockingly bizarre visit to the world in which Donald Trump resides. He is clearly a citizen of an alternative universe where no sense makes sense, and his minions and sycophants and enablers continue to allow him to unleash his special brand of madness all over the world.

Consider that in an unusual display of his recognizing his duties as President of the United States Trump seemed to wisely decide to forego attending the observance of the 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland and attend to what appeared to be impending disaster and emergency management concerns related to the approach of Hurricane Dorian. And then he spent this past weekend golfing at one his private clubs while posting ridiculous and insane weather tweets and ad hominem attacks directed at his target du jour, or sometimes target of the minute.

And so, when London Mayor Sadiq Khan noted Trump’s absence in Poland while being a ubiquitous denizen of the golf course, Trump lost it. Butchering the spelling of Mayor Khan’s name – i.e. Sadique Kahn – he insulted the mayor, claimed that there was a knife crime wave in London and that the first Muslim mayor of London should “stay out of our business”. And, of course, the fact that he was being criticized by a Muslim was just more than the bigot in Trump could stand.

And it should be recalled that when the female Prime Minister of Denmark called his proposal to purchase Greenland “ridiculous”, Trump lost it again, calling her “nasty” in his inimitable low grade schoolyard fashion. Clearly criticism from anybody that he views as the “other”, or any female for that matter, is enough to cause the so-called leader of the free world into a raging, raving bull, with no pretense of self-control.

And it is noteworthy that in the midst of yet another Trump golfing controversy, news sources reported that in his two and one half years as president, Trump has spent 227 days at Trump-owned golf clubs. The cost of this indulgence to taxpayers is estimated to be $100 million.

And it should also be noted that when Trump stays at one of his properties, Secret Service and presidential staff personnel also have to stay at the facility. The cost of this accompaniment is part of the previously stated $100 million figure and that money is paid to the Trump Organization which is owned by…………Donald J. Trump.

So not only is Trump’s extensive and indulgent lounging and lurching around his golf clubs a pretty obvious dereliction of his presumed presidential duties, his is also getting the American taxpayer to pay for it and…………the money to pay for these costs goes into Trump’s pockets. This is known as stealing in broad daylight.

Of course, the World According to Trump this all makes perfect sense given the “sacrifices”, both monetary and personal, that he is making by gracing the American presidency with his awesome presence. So, in Trump World, we should be glad to be getting such a bargain.

The worst part about all of this is that Trump is doing all of this in plain sight, without the slightest concern for propriety or decency. He should be ashamed, but he is not. The American people should be ashamed that this is just another Trump story, and we all know that by the end of this week there will be more.

And that is truly the worst part of all of this.

 

 

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