Three times this week, old friends have told me that despite all the facts presented by the Mueller Report they still favor Trump because, n their view, he has never been given a fair chance. One friend said, “The Democrats attacked him from the first moment he stepped into the White House.” Yes, I still have many friends who, despite their bizarre political proclivities, have managed to remain pretty nice people.
The response to the accusations of attacks on Trump is, yes that did happen. The question is why? So let’s start with the fact that the first thing Trump did after taking the oath of office was lie. It wasn’t about anything important. It wasn’t about something he needed to lie about. It was about the size of the crowd that came to watch him take that oath. It was insignificant but it became very significant when he lied about it. So he was not only a liar, but also a dumb liar.
Of course starting his presidency with a lie wasn’t the only thing that made Trump’s opponents come at him. His whole life before the White House was a history of criminal activity, social deviation, cheating and bullying. Add that his election was achieved by a combination of Clinton’s inept campaigning, Bernie’s followers abandoning the Democratic ticket and voting for some idiotic independent and the inclusion in the electoral process of the antique Electoral College, which allowed the candidate with the most votes to lose the election and you have a very angry constituency.
This is supposed to be a one man, one vote democracy, not a one acre one vote republic. The only reason the Electoral College exists is to give some power to those states in which no one lives. That’s only a couple of small reasons why almost everyone in the country who isn’t related to Trump or too blind to see what a scumbag he is, have attacked him from day one of his Presidency. He is a disgrace to the office and a dead weight dragging down the honor of our country. So for my old friends who still think Donald has any redeeming values, get a life!
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Franklin Graham, son of the man who was quite possibly the greatest con man in the history of organized religion emerged this weekend from the cover of his “long con” to attack Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for his homosexuality.
This cynical attempt to create a political advantage in the evolving presidential election war only shows what a complete dreg Graham really is. When asked, earlier, about Donald Trump’s adulterous affair with a porn star and his admissions about grabbing women inappropriately, Graham felt it was okay to defend the Fat Liar in the White House, but now when a different political angle emerged he decided that he must attack Butigieg’s choice of partner.
Of course one must understand that this is a slick con man that has used religion and the concept of God to fleece hundreds of thousands of innocent believers over decades of their lives.
True faith, the belief of a greater good and even a supreme being are the basis of many fruitful lives in this world but it is also, unfortunately, the occasion of despicable fakery used by many if not most evangelical preachers to sheer their lambs. The Graham family of con men has been foremost among them and for Franklin to be denigrating anyone’s choice of who to love is among the most egregious violations of the basic concepts of Christianity.
Yes, Graham is a con man, but now he has also become a political hack and in his support of Trump he has chosen that political figure farthest from any legitimate presumption of the Christian life.
If you believe in the New Testament then you must understand that Graham’s cynical attack on Buttigieg is the antithesis of “love thy neighbor” and almost everything else that Christ demanded Christians aspire to.
Trump and Graham have always enriched themselves by taking from those true believers who are not astute enough to read the con. All you have to do is scan the history of both men and their fathers and you will see this writ large in letters that even the blind can see.
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On Monday night CNN sponsored what was probably the best political debate show in memory when they gave one hour each to five of the leading Democratic presidential candidates. Sure it was a lot to watch but it gave us an in-depth look at what these five candidates were really about and it gave this writer insights into how I feel about each, which may not have been available in any other format.
The big debates with 16 candidates on stage, each getting one of two questions with limited time to answer has long been the established format, but the Town Hall Meetings were really illuminating and are something that should be repeated as often as possible.
This is not to say it ends the debate on the five included but it certainly gave us what is probably the best look at them of any format previously tried. Did it supply me with any great insights? Maybe. Did it change my mind on which I might support in the end game? Possibly. Did it change the way I now regarded any of the candidates? Definitely.
Unfortunately the recap set up by CNN didn’t have the snap that the interviews did. CNN made the mistake of having a panel of Democratic strategists, each of whom had seemingly already picked their candidate, so they spent their critical comments on that support rather than on objective commentary. The most egregious of the group was Nia-Malika Henderson who has obviously already chosen Kamala Harris. It was especially obvious when she praised Harris’ energy, which while evident, paled before that exhibited by Elizabeth Warren who is just a bundle of dynamism and information.
So, if you thought you could get out of this blog without getting my take on the candidates, you obviously don’t know whom you’ve been reading. I must, however, preface it by stating that I have not as yet solidified my opinion on which I think will ultimately make the best President. I do think that any number of Democratic candidates can beat Trump as long as the Party in general doesn’t screw up and go off the deep end.
I thought Elizabeth Warren had the most energy and the most clearly thought out programs. I have always liked Elizabeth Warren for her intensity and her dedication but never thought much of her as a possible president. Now, I’m not so sure.
As I have before, I thought Pete Buttigieg gave the most intelligent answers to the questions asked. This is a very smart guy, carrying his homosexuality as a big weight. I just don’t know of the country is evolved enough to get past that no matter how good a candidate he appears to be. Like no other politician I have ever seen he answers straight with no bullshit, usually an unheard of yes or no and then explains his answers. He is pretty strong.
Kamala Harris was intelligent as always. I had thought of her a quite possibly the strongest candidate but I was disappointed by the way she slid off too many questions by saying: “We should look into that.” She’s a candidate. She should already have looked into whatever it was and have an answer.
Bernie was what he always is, great speaker and a very smart guy but a one trick pony. Everything he is asked somehow goes back to the same place. But many of the questions are about different things and I feel that’s a serious weakness.
Amy Klobuchar is a good, articulate speaker who leaves little doubt as to where she stands but unfortunately for me, she stands for too many things that I don’t really agree with, especially when compared to her opponents.
But there’s still a long way to go and much could and will change. I’m looking forward to seeing many of the other candidates in this same format. Let’s hope it happens.