Saturday, June 23, 2018

Why Trump Must Go

A friend of mine just posted something that i felt needed a response. So i wrote something as objectively as i could explaining why Trump is a huge problem. I want to share it because i think this is something worth sharing with any conservative friends or whenever you need to present a rational explanation for, well, why the bastard should be impeached.
This is why people like George Will and Steve Schmidt have left their party.
It is about the current policies. You say Trump is doing what his voters wanted - sometimes true, sometimes not. Some Trump voters absolutely voted for keeping Mexicans out of this country. Some voters wanted the whole range of America-first actions, like tariffs. Some voters wanted conservative judges. The problem is that Trump is doing these thing totally incompetently.
Many judicial appointments have proven to be not just conservative, but totally incompetent, having no relevant experience for the particular judgeship that they were selected for. And frequently, the conservative selections were based on personal relationships with members of the Trump team.
The tariff on soy beans is going to bring about the demise of many family farms as China develops connections to buy and expand soy bean growth in Brazil. We are heading to a full blown trade war that could destabilize relationships in the developed world.
Immigration law can be changed in many ways but suddenly separating families at the border with no plan and then moving children and babies around the country is simply incompetent in multiple obvious ways. But I will only point out that the cost of this insane inhumane policy is astronomical. This is simply total incompetence. Much like the Muslim ban was implemented incompetently - so suddenly and in such a haphazard fashion that travelers, whether the ban applied to them or not, were left literally in limbo round the world. The courts have addressed at least three variations of the ban. Why? Because it was created without a reasonable foundation in law. Think about the cost of the confusion of implementing this mess plus the court costs.
Now for health care. Trump said, after he took office, “who knew health care could be so complicated?”. Everyone but him knew that. So, while he continues to dismantle the ACA, he has done nothing to replace it.
Tax reform provides massive relief for wealthy people, little for the average person and will bring massive deficits, requiring borrowing that will cost hundreds of millions in interest payments alone. Already, we are hearing the proposed solution for this problem that they created: reduce Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Yes, this is giving to the rich and taking from the middle class and poor.
How about the Environmental Protection Agency? Plenty of regulations have changed supposedly making it easier on manufacturers and corporations in this country. Many are being challenged in the courts and have not been implemented. Why not work across the aisle and come up with some compromise rule changes that would not have met judicial challenges? But no. This administration and Congress has totally shut out the opposition party. My personal belief is that Obama’s most significant failing was that he included the opposition endlessly in designing the ACA, leading to massive levels of complexity that would not have happened had he gone with some plan for universal coverage. Don’t get me started on the Supreme Court vacancy that McConnell stole from Obama. No, the GOP does not follow norms that have held this country together since its founding.
But I digress. Back to Scott Pruitt who is now the subject of dozens of investigations for ethics violations by his own party. Then there is incompetent Betsy DeVos – not her policies but her ability to even understand the public educational system that she wants to change. Wilbur Ross is not under investigation for insider stock trading. And Treasury secretary Mnuchin has used many governemnt “percs” for personal benefit.
Now for Trump. His violations of the emoluments clause of the Constitution are massive. The amount of tax payer dollars paid to MarLago for his visits alone. Then there’s Trump Hotel in DC. Then there is Russian interference in the 2016 election. He has done nothing to implement protections for future elections. Even his own National Security Team testified that they have done all they can but the additional stuff necessary because the president has not authorized it. Ain, total incompetence.
His behavior is unacceptable in a leader on the international stage. One eample tht I have read from multiple sources is that at this embarrassing show at the recent G7 Summit, Trm=ump threw candy at Angela Merkel. He took two pieces of starbursts from his pocket, tossed them across a table and said, “Angela, don’t say I never gave you anything”. His disrespect for his fellow leaders is evident. He doesn’t know history so maybe he does not know the extent of the links that brought us through World War II together and the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe. Maybe he forgot that Canada saved our hostages that were held by the Iran regime so many years ago. Anyway, my guess is that he is unable to accept that they are his equals because he is so accustomed to being the head of a private business where he answers to no one and was never challenged. As he filed for bankruptcy five times and paid $25 million in damages for his so-called university. But, on the international stage, the damage he could do is terrifying.
He came home from Singapore and declared the North Korean nuclear threat ended. That’s too stupid to even warrant a response. But I just read that he sent a letter to Congress saying that the North Korean threat had not ended. Maybe that’s good.
Finally, Robert Mueller has been legally appointed to conduct an investigation into Russian meddling in 2016 election. Trump has called it a “witch hunt” for months and recently added his declaration that the investigation is rigged. Like he said the 2016 election was rigged. These comments undermine the very foundation of our trust and belief in government, as well as not true, in the global cast that he places upon “rigged”. No one has a higher ethical standard than Robert Mueller. But the President of the United States is setting up the nation to not believe the results of Mueller’s investigation. Why?

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Get Him Out of There

It doesn't matter why he did it. He shared intelligence with Russian officials. What he did is wrong and displays unbelievable lack of judgment. This business of being the de-classifier-in-chief is just so much crap. The United States of America is a country run by laws of a stable government. He damaged the country's security now and in the future by dismissing a belief that the USA treats intelligence securely. End of discussion. Next topic - how to get him out of the Presidency. For now, getting him out of office is up to the Republican leadership by either beginning impeachment proceedings, implementing the 25th Amendment or getting him to resign. Time for the Republican leadership to step up. I'm waiting.

Trump + Intelligence

Actually, using the word intelligence in the same sentence as Trump is oxymoronic.
That said, recent reveals boggle the mind.  Apparently the door to the Oval is open and any staff can slip fake news reports among Trump's reading materials.  This method of providing him with fake news apparently is how he got the bug up his butt about Obama wiring Trump Tower.  Tht says all about the potential damage from this practice.
At the same time, he has directed that his written intelligence briefings get briefer.  Instead of three pages of paragraphs, he has directed that he wants one page of bullet points. Obviously, details and any subtleties will be lost.
There are multiple investigations into Trump and Russian collusion.  The Trump investigations are looking at his empire's finances.  There have been rumblings about Trump's use of his Atlantic City casinos for money laundering in the past.  There is Eric Trump's claim a few years ago that the Trump enterprises get all the money they need from Russia.
We hear accounts of Trump screaming at television sets and his emphasis on finding leakers, usually at the expense of the distressing content that those leaks have revealed.
Finally, there is the obvious chronology of events: Yates tells White House lawyer McGahn about the risk that Flynn could be blackmailed by Russia.  A couple days later she is fired.  Flynn continues to participate in top secret intelligence and is fired 18 days later for a lie to the Vice President.  Then FBI Director Comey revealed the criminal investigation into the Russian issues and the Congressman Nunes' contratemp ensued.  Then Yates testified as to what she told McGahn and Comey was fired a day later.  And a day later, the Russian foreign minister and ambassador were in the Oval.
The Russian Oval meeting was joined by Russian Press photographer but no American media.  It turns out that Trump revealed such highly classified info that intelligence staff literally left the meeting to immediately call the CIA and NSA, which is how these facts made their way into the American press. 
Trump'sfailing fall into two categories.  First is the general chaos, lack of knowledge and skill in Presidential management and respect for historical precedents plus his outright lies.  But  the worst is his inability to maintain the secrecy of intelligence.
This is a picture of total incompetence and risk to this country.  The Republican Party controls both houses of Congress.  Trump is their President.  It's all up to the Republican leadership.  The country does not need to spend two years of investigations which will goad Trump.   into ever greater levels of chaos. Simultaneously, the impeachment process will drag out as the country's government grinds to a halt or worse. 
The Republican leadership needs to step up and get Trump to resign.  Or to initiate proceedings under the 25th Amendment.
The time is now.

Monday, May 15, 2017

End of Presidency - Secrets Revealed

Trump did a terrible thing, revealing highly classified info to an adversary. Either Trump is a stupid blabbermouth or he is in collusion with Russia. He shared info with Russia the day after he fired the FBI Director. And before that, Yates testified about the Flynn Russia connection. Simple facts. Before the classified info was revealed, the investigation of Russian hacking and collusion marched along at a normal pace. Now that highly classified info was revealed by the President of the US to an adversary, this event needs immediate response. We cannot have a President who can reveal top secret information. The Republican Party controls Congress - it is up to their leadership to take immediate action. Or time to implement the 25th Amendment. The world moves quickly in 2017. No time for a year long investigation or impeachment process. While the President has the proven ability to reveal highly classified info.  Action needed now.
 

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Comey

Trump must have a lot to fear.  He isn't that stupid.  Comey's firing is a huge step motivated in an instant as diversion from the Yates and Clapper testimony.  Trump's letter is evidence of the long term motivation - Trump's claim that Comey told Trump three times that Trump was not investigated for a Russia connection. 
But Trump is ignorant of US Constitutional government.  His self-interest directs his actions, not Constitutional law. 
Now is not the time to muddle over whether there should be an independent investigation.
There are many questions of Presidential adherence to the US Constitution - Trump's taxes, the emoluments issues, the family involvement - that are in plain sight. 
The Republican Party has made a deal with the devil - the GOP accomplishes their conservative goals while the ethical Republicans hold their collective noses s they watch Trump trample on their conservative Constitutional values.  Time for the Republican Party to quit the deal and put the Constitution first.