Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Bernie Sanders v. Elizabeth Warren


He said...She said...There is much to explain in Tuesday night's debate

Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders

Elizabeth Warren's campaign has accused Bernie Sanders' campaign of sending volunteers out door-to-door trashing her. Bernie, of course, said he had nothing to do with it and apparently the cause was some over-zealous volunteers. We are talking about in Des Moines, where the Iowa Caucuses will be held on February 3, and a Democratic debate was held last night. More on that later today. The script in question "described Warren's appeal as limited to the highly educated and financially well off."

Bernie's press aids never denied that the document existed and the candidate commented...
“We have hundreds of employees. Elizabeth Warren has hundreds of employees. And people sometimes say things that they shouldn’t.”
First of all, is the statement in the realm of being accurate. If there is any accuracy to it, Warren's campaign may be pushing the envelope. She has been dropping in national polls of late. One page actually "included attacks on the electability of Warren, as well as Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg." If Bernie is playing tough now against his own people, it will hopefully prepare him to deal with Donald Trump in the coming election.

And then, there is a meeting that occurred around a year ago when Warren accuses of Sanders saying a woman couldn't win the election in 2020. My immediate thought is why it is just now coming to light now. Bernie denies saying it but Warren says there were witnesses. Here's Bernie's actual statement...
"It is ludicrous to believe that at the same meeting where Elizabeth Warren told me she was going to run for president, I would tell her that a woman couldn't win.”
Tuesday night in Des Moines was probably very interesting.   READ MORE... 

Public Citizen files complaint against Moscow Mitch McConnell


Public Citizen thinks Senate head Mitch McConnell makes a mockery of impeachment trial

Moscow Mitch McConnell

Not that Moscow Mitch cares, simply because he has seen his reputation smeared about as much as Donald Trump, with him, as well, it doesn't sink in. He must know how reprehensible he is because it is necessary to come out from under his rock each day to go to the Senate. Well now Public Citizen has seen fit to recognize his exploits, filing a complaint...
"accusing the powerful Republican of betraying his oath of office by signaling overt bias in favor of President Donald Trump even before his looming impeachment trial begins."
The accusation is that, rather than "coordinating with the White House" in the trial, McConnell should exercise his oath of impartiality, as specified by the office he holds. Here is a statement by Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen...
“This is not about whether McConnell has views on Trump’s guilt or whether he has reached a conclusion based on the available evidence. It’s about whether he will design a process that aims to render impartial justice. He has made clear he has no intention of doing so.”
The corruption of the Republican Party, all the way to the top, has made it clear that the left will not be able to deal with the 2020 election as you would with an honorable opponent. Not to lower ourselves to the depths the GOP has stooped to, but most certainly to not give the other side one inch when it comes to trust. Republicans have solidly proved they are not capable of playing in anything but a fixed arena. We won't join them, we'll just watch every move they make and react accordingly.   READ MORE...

Speaker Nancy Pelosi in impeachment standoff


Pelosi shows Moscow Mitch for the lowlife he is



Speaker Pelosi - Moscow Mitch

It's hard to tell right now what the slimeball head of the U.S. Senate will do but you can bet that it will be a show of Republican power and as underhanded as McConnell can make it. The man is in a class with Donald Trump, no morals, no ethics, no decency. And that is what Pelosi accomplished by holding the Articles of Impeachment until this week. She made it perfectly clear that Moscow Mitch doesn't give a shit about this country, just himself and the Party.

RawStory reports that...
"By holding the articles and forcing McConnell to do what he was going to do — run the trial his way — Pelosi gives Democrats a scapegoat for their eventual failure to remove Trump. They can blame McConnell’s allegedly unfair and prejudicial rules for the debacle rather than their own failure to bring even a small portion of the non-Democratic electorate behind them."
Not the result that we would all like but just more proof that Republicans can never win without stacking the deck.   READ MORE...


Mike Bloomberg, real billionaire, could sink Trump


Mike Bloomberg wants Donald Trump out of the White House, willing to do something

Mike Bloomberg
I wasn't sure whether to take Mike Bloomberg's candidacy for president seriously, until now. But it is clear that he is hell-bent in removing Donald Trump from office and spend a good part of his fortune to maintain a platform on which to pursue his determination. Right now he is in fifth place behind Biden, Sanders, Warren and Buttigieg. With Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren at each others throats, Biden forever faltering and Buttigieg's lack of experience, who knows.

Here is RawStory's headline: "Mike Bloomberg’s plan is to bait Trump into self-destruction — even if he isn’t the nominee." T-rump has already given Bloomberg a nickname, “Mini Mike Bloomberg, ”which indicates to me the former New York Mayor makes him uncomfortable. Here's the current scenario...
"Bloomberg’s strategy of getting under Trump’s skin to strengthen Democrats was on full display this week, as he rolled out a massive ad buy attacking Trump for threatening protections for pre-existing conditions — a wedge issue that drove many conservative voters to support Democrats in 2018."
It was in Trump's reply following this that he used the new nickname. This was Bloomberg's response tweet...
"Glad to see you're watching our ads, @realDonaldTrump. I know management isn't your strong suit, so perhaps you don't know your Justice Department supports a suit that would undermine protections for pre-existing conditions. Now that you know, why not ask them to drop the suit?"
We're all waiting for Trump's answer.   READ MORE... 

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

This move shows how low Trump can stoop


Trump initiated Soleimani death as a buffet to impeachment trial


Now we know. It was obvious that T-rump had no good reason to assassinate Iranian Maj. General Qassem Soleimani, and in many cases the political pundits figured the devious maniac in the White House did have his reasons. Turns out he signed off on taking out Soleimani seven months ago but didn't give the go-ahead until the impeachment began to heat up. As a matter of fact, many believe this just adds up to more reason for impeachment.

And now the Oval Office lunatic and "Attorney General William Barr say that whether the threat was immediate or not, the president had the right to act." And there's more...
"Trump said in a tweet Monday that the question of whether or not the strike was imminent 'really didn't matter,'"
He said...they said...
"Critics on Capitol Hill, who have questioned the strategy behind the strike and the decision not to notify Congress, say whether or not Soleimani posed an imminent threat is crucial."
RawStory makes this chilling statement assessing the fact that Trump did wait seven months, then ordering Soleimani's assassination...
"It is reasonable, therefore, to suggest Trump ordered a man’s death for political reasons, not for national-security reasons (there aren’t any). I suggest he tried creating an image of himself as a war president too important to remove from office. I suggest Soleimani’s assassination is just one more way Trump has abused his power, and hence affirmed his indictment."
The Senate must indict Donald Trump and remove him from office.

READ MORE...

U.K. abandoning alliance with U.S. because of Trump


UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace looks for other international partners

Donald Trump
UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace appears to believe that Donald Trump is turning inward, taking the United States to an isolationist country. The U.K. did not condone the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani...
"Wallace said in an interview published Sunday that Trump's isolationist foreign-policy stance had prompted the UK to look for alternative allies."

The comments came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government distanced itself from the Soleimani assassination. Johnson's spokesman also said...
Trump's threats to target Iranian cultural sites, if carried out, as a breach of international law and possibly a war crime.
Sec. Ben Wallace believes that in Donald Trump's administration the United States has given up its "leadership around the world," necessitating for the U.K. to look elsewhere for the kind of relationship it has with this country for years. It would appear that T-rump is hell-bent on pushing away all the allies we have worked so hard to develop so the Oval Office lunatic can rule the U.S. like an island monarchy.

U.S. big pharma why Americans seek Canadian drugs


U.S. pharmaceutical companies a disgrace to the marketplace


The pharmaceutical industry lines politician's pockets to insure that it isn't easy for Americans to get Canadian drugs. That's because in Canada a generic prescription was an average of 38% less than in this country. Canadian drugs are cheaper because the government regulates the price of generic and brand-name medications. In the U.S., well, if a politician gets a hefty donation from large pharma, what's he or she to do but favor that industry over the American consumer.

You have to be careful since drugs from outside the U.S. are not controlled by the FDA, although in 2019 it was reported that this agency's actions had plummeted under Donald Trump. Meaning more favoritism of the pharmaceutical industry. Bernie Sanders recently went to Canada checking into cheap drugs for the U. S. but this has been tried before in a Democrat administration...
"In 2000, Congress passed a law to allow imported retail drugs, but the Clinton administration, heavily funded by the health care industry, killed it administratively."

READ MORE...

New York State questions Trump taxes


Did Trump lie on his taxes?



New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has alerted the Manhattan District Attorney to investigate a suspicious disparity in what Trump companies reported for tax purposes and what the figure actually was. The properties were reported were more profitable to lenders than to city tax authorities. One matter in the issue was turned over to the district attorney last November. de Blasio said...
he made the referral “because there is a possibility of a criminal act having been committed.” The referral related to Trump’s historic downtown skyscraper at 40 Wall Street.
The Mayor added...
Trump’s efforts to avoid taxes have gone beyond the measures taken by most wealthy Americans. He “consistently has believed he was above the law, even before he was president.”
Trump obviously denied everything, blaming de Blasio's accusations on those of a political opponent. The Mayor was in the running for 2020 but has since dropped out of the race.

2nd Amendment sanctuaries should be certified concentration camps


Gun nuts rampant on 2nd Amendment Sanctuaries across U.S.

Bob Klima stands near the entrance to a recent Nelson County Board of Supervisors meeting that addressed a resolution to make the Virginia county a Second Amendment “sanctuary,” which was approved. (Emily Elconin/Lynchburg News & Advance/AP)

The gun rights gang has swarmed the country setting up their 2nd Amendment Sanctuaries to deft gun control advocates to tread on their "sacred" ground. These people are crazy as a loon to begin with but now their misinterpretation of 2nd Amendment rights looks like they could never win in a court of law. There was District of Columbia v. Heller where SCOTUS (conservative) Justice Antonin Scalia said...
it is “not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.”
Gun nuts just don't seem to get it, gun control legislation will happen, and I believe we will see something significant right after a new administration and Congress in 2021. These people have been influenced by NRA head Wayne LaPierre to resist any kind of control over their firearms, no matter how helpful it might be to help curb gun violence. Something like universal background checks and banning assault weapons. This could be the year of realization by the American public. One can only hope.   READ MORE...

Monday, January 13, 2020

New book on Red State Christians is scary


Red States alone are creepy, but add Evangelicals...



I read this book for the purpose given by the author's sub-title, "Understanding the Voters Who Elected Donald Trump." I'm done and although I do have some inkling of what these people are all about, I cannot fathom why they believe it. The author, Angela Denker does a good job of remaining as objective as an Evangelical could (she isn't a Donald Trump supporter) but is definitely a conservative, yet not sure just how much the church should participate in politics.

There's a lot to be said for the separation of church and state, specifically to protect the rights of atheists, Jews, Muslims, Agnostics, and other people who hold beliefs different than Christianity. As an example, Donald Trump has recently expressed the idea of launching a school prayer crusade which has delighted Evangelicals. Denker's book would lead one to believe the Evangelical movement is here to stay. God help us if it gets more political. Without question, I would recommend every Progressive/liberal read this book.   SEE MORE...

Does 2-Year-Old need a gun? - Family thinks so


Family decides to buy 2-year-old gun for protection


It isn't everyday that you hear the announcement, 'I'm buying my 2-year-old kid a gun.' But this did happen recently and these people were very serious. Seems like she needs it to protect herself, but think about that. You give the kid a loaded gun and what does she do? She'd probably shoot herself or a family member, and, of course have no idea what she had just done. Arizona, where I live, has wide open gun laws; if your body is warm, you can buy one...
In Arizona, the state in which the nine-year-old girl inadvertently killed her shooting instructor with an Uzi, state law allows for the temporary transfer of firearms to minors by firearms safety instructors or by another adult accompanying a minor in hunting or target shooting activities -- so long as the child's parents give consent.
In 2013 in Kentucky, a 5-year-old brother shot his 2-year-old sister. I rest my case.   READ MORE...  

Your Monday News Buzz


4-year-old Iowa girl goes blind almost dies with flu: NO FLU SHOT


This is a tough one since these parents are not anti-vaxxers. Jade DeLucia, the 4-year-old, had a flu shot last March, but for some reason, didn't get one this flu season. The confusion of the DeLucia over these new flu shots cost their daughter her sight, almost her life. It isn't clear what happened, why a flu shot in March, then the reasoning another one isn't needed in the Fall of 2019. With all the media coverage of this issue, it's hard to believe any parent could make this decision. 

Jade has significant brain damage which is permanent with something called encephalopathy. The current flu season is predicted to be the worst in years. If you haven't yet had your flu shot you are an idiot, unless there are prevailing circumstances. If not, you should stay at home.   READ MORE...

Your Monday News Buzz


SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts can thwart Moscow Mitch in Senate impeachment trial


Well-known Cleveland attorney James Robenalt, "McConnell’s public pronouncements that he plans to obstruct justice and absolve the president before he has even been handed the articles of impeachment opens the door for judicial review." And, Robenalt exclaims, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, "has the right and duty to step in if he sees justice not being served." It's all in the Constitution, which Moscow Mitch has chosen to ignore in his attempts to exonerate Donald Trump from impeachment.   READMORE...

When conservatives turn against their own

 I have followed Wm. Kristol for years and it wasn’t very long ago that I considered him an ultra conservative that would never chastise the...