Obama can still appoint Merrick Garland to Supreme Court

It is certain that Democrats will attempt to block any radically conservative nominee that Donald Trump comes up with to fill Antonin Scalia's seat. It will no doubt include a filibuster. The GOP, however, could initiate the "nuclear option" and overcome this but will they? The NO simply lets the Senate head call a vote to change the number of votes needed to stop the filibuster from 60 to a majority, which the Republicans have. Bingo, the Supremes have gone ultra conservative.

But hold on, Dahlia Lithwick of Slate says, it isn't Donald Trump's nomination to make and actually we already knew that. The Senate's token asshole, Mitch McConnell, stopped Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland. And has-been John McCain had also said that should Hillary Clinton become President, he would block all of her nominees. And he doesn't even know who they would be. This all confirms the stupidity of the current Republican Party.

The only answer now is for the Democrats to stand firm and do everything in their power to prevent Trump's Supreme Court nominations. Unless he comes to his senses and works with the Dems on a nominee, and we know that won't happen. But here's the kicker, the Advise and Consent clause of the Constitution gives the President the right to do many things, including nominate judges for the Supreme Court. The court then approves or disproves the nomination.

But what if the Senate doesn't act. The Supreme Court has said:

"No procedural principle is more familiar to this Court than that a constitutional right, or a right of any other sort, may be forfeited in criminal as well as civil cases by the failure to make timely assertion of the right before a tribunal having jurisdiction to determine it.”

The Washington Post has said:

"It is altogether proper to view a decision by the Senate not to act as a waiver of its right to provide advice and consent. A waiver is an intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege."

Although he is running out of time, Obama could "...advise the Senate that he will deem its failure to act by a specified reasonable date in the future (perhaps 30 days) to constitute a deliberate waiver of its right to give advice and consent. I know we're in the change of command but the GOP started the fight and it's the Democrats time to finish it. And that would be, if there is no action by the Senate, Obama appoints Garland to the Supreme Court. Case closed.

It happened in 1975 under Gerald R. Ford's presidency you can read here.

Steve Bannon scarier than ever with his statement : "darkness is good."

The term is in reference to keeping the liberals in the dark, but hits a familiar note when comparing Dick Cheney with darkness and in the same sentence, Satan. Bannon is "known for pushing nationalist policy positions, as well as conspiracy theories, and has been criticized as being racist, sexist and anti-Semitic." Speaking of Trump's potential ability to please the public, his comment is...

"...we'll get 60 percent of the white vote, and 40 percent of the black and Hispanic vote and we'll govern for 50 years."

 You'll notice the "we'll govern" in his rhetoric, indicating either Donald Trump has a twin or this presidency could be a doubleheader. If it is the latter, this is one of the points in Steve Bannon's agenda: Wants to replace Republican Party with "Trump's movement. I would have given anything to see the look on the faces of Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, even Mike Pence, when Bannon said that. He even mentions Andrew Jackson's populism to create a new political movement.

And here's a statement that is downright laughable, the fact that Bannon thinks Trump really gets it. Gets what? There is no substance to the President elect's issues and his thin skin keeps him attacking anyone who criticizes him indicating to me a vein of insecurity. What he gets is the fact that he hornswoggled enough of the public to be elected President, and now he is in the process of figuring out just how to convert this into the future of his businesses.

Donald Trump has reinvigorated racism and hate

I recently did a post on Donald Trump's use of racism to fuel the many racists out there looking for a new leader.They found him and, unfortunately, he will be leading the most powerful country in the world in less than two months. In that post, The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) reports that over "300 incidents of harassment or intimidation have been reported following Donald Trump's election Tuesday [Nov. 8] night."

Then on Saturday, The Southern Poverty Law Center counted more than 700 cases of hateful harassment or intimidation in the United States since Election Day on November 8. An additional 400 cases in less than two weeks. Many have accused Trump of fostering xenophobia and particularly Islamophobia, which stems from his earlier statements re. banning Muslims from the U.S., later establishing a "radical Islam commission."

Then, abruptly, the President-elect sobs he is "so saddened" to hear this is going on and tells the public on "60 Minutes" to stop it. I am not a physicist, but what Donald Trump has brought forth in hate and racism during his campaign now appears to have achieved the form of perpetual motion, perhaps unstoppable. Swastikas and the word "Go Trump" were painted on playground equipment at Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, according to the New York police

New York City Councilman Brad Lander, who represents that part of Brooklyn, wrote on Twitter: "Yet more hatred & anti-Semitism from Trump supporters." In Denver, a transgender woman's car was spray-painted early Wednesday morning with a swastika and the words 'Trump' and 'die,' among other derogatory terms." "Heil Trump," an anti-gay slur and a swastika was painted on the side of the church, Saint David's Episcopal, in Beanblossom, Indiana.

I think you get the idea. Just in case you don't, all you uneducated rednecks out there have elected someone to the highest office in the land that is capable of starting Charley Manson's Helter Skelter. Trump didn't take his followers to the mountains of California like Charley did, that would be too bizarre for even him--besides, Melania would never camp out--the presidential contender somehow got to them in the corn fields, cotton fields, cattle farms, etc. 

But you did it and we all have to live with it. I'll leave you with this:

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Trump puts all his "deplorable" cabinet picks in one basket

Donald Trump Cabinet

Hillary Clinton said it first during the election campaign, “You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?” Right, maybe more. Then John Dingell picked up on it Friday with this statement: "Forget the basket. The truly deplorable ones end up in the Cabinet." As the longest member to serve in Congress, Dingell has seen a few and has the credentials to comment on Trump's Cabinet.

Let's start with Jeff Sessions, the new Attorney General to be, the first sitting Senator to endorse Trump. Payback time again, a la Reince Priebus? Known and confirmed racist, he denounced the 1965 Voting Rights Act and labeled the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP "un-American." He thought the Ku Klux Klan was OK until he found out they smoked pot. Sessions was once turned down for a court appointment due to his racist comments.

And it doesn't get any better. Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn has been selected for national security adviser. First of all, he's an arrogant jerk, and we want him in charge of our intelligence? His ties with Russia, and especially Putin, are questionable. Especially since his visit to Russia where he attended dinners in relation to Russian propaganda, sitting with Putin at the head table. In interviews, he comes off as a loose cannon, but, then, cut in the mold of...

Mitt Romney for Sec. of State is reaching but Rudy Giuliani is ludicrous. The potential Sec. of State claimed no terror attacks happened "before Obama came along." Then, when reminded of 9/11, said he failed to remember the worst terror attack in U.S. history, because of the brevity he likes to use while on the campaign stump for Donald Trump. And then there were his famous five howlers topping even Katrina Pierson you have to see here.

The rest is a mish mosh of unknowns, has-beens, a smattering of losers with a few at least partially qualified. There's Bob Corker rep. from Tennessee, Nikki Haley, So. Carolina Gov., JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the wingnut that penned the underhanded letter to the leaders of Iran that sparked the trending hashtag #47Traitors. The latter is but one example of what Trump is capable of, but, unfortunately not all.
 

One more example of Donald Trump's ongoing deception

'Look at me world, I saved the Ford plant from going to Mexico,' was the war cry from a president-elect who continues to scam the public even after the election is over. Does it bring to mind the possibility that this narcissistic egomaniac is never satisfied with the status quo and must continue to heap adoration on himself? Will he ever be satisfied and get around to running this country? By the way, Ford never intended to move the plant to Mexico, confirmed by Ford.

Here's an example of blowhard Donald Trump's claim:

"Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky — no Mexico," he tweeted.

more...

"I worked hard with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky. I owed it to the great state of Kentucky for their confidence in me!" he tweeted.

Christin Baker of Ford confirmed that Bill Ford spoke with President-elect Trump on Thursday talking basically about Ford's commitment to America. Then we learn that the Ford/Mexico fiasco was really over the rumor they would move Lincoln MKC production to the company's plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico. So much for the American commitment. Yes, it's a two sided dragon: can't trust what our incoming president says and can't trust corporate "America."

This now becomes a Bernie Sanders issue where all the good jobs are moving out of the country to take advantage of cheap labor. Ford has already committed $1.6 billion to its Mexico operations and that figure could grow with future plans. Bottom of the barrel Republican Mitch McConnell, who also happens to be Senate head, voted at least three times for corporate tax breaks that send jobs overseas. Those workers that didn't vote for Bernie should take note.

What is "alt right" and what does it do?

Here is the definition of "alt-right":

The alt-right is a loose group of people with far right ideologies who reject mainstream conservatism in the United States.

Here is a recent headline by NBC News:

Analysis: Breitbart's Steve Bannon Leads the 'Alt Right' to the White House

Can't tell if that is a promise or a threat. Considering the incendiary and explosive politics of Steve Bannon at Breitbart, I would take it as a threat. To destroy this country in the next four years under Donald Trump. He is the President-elect's chief strategist and senior counselor, which indicates to me he is at the top of the decision-making process. Bloomberg News said:

"Steve Bannon is the most dangerous political operative in America."

Now can you see Reince Priebus locking horns with Bannon from the get-go?Steve Bannon was famous for his input to Trump for anti-immigration and especially anti-Muslim propaganda. He has also participated in an online-based counterculture movement associated with white nationalism. And now white nationalist leaders are praising Donald Trump's decision to name former Breitbart executive Steve Bannon as his chief strategist.

It also gets the approval of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke; he recently lost a bid for the U.S. Senate in Louisiana. White nationalist blogger Brad Griffin said :

"We're most excited though about the foreign policy implications of Bannon in the White House. We want to see our counterparts in Europe — starting in Austria and France — win their upcoming elections. We're hearing reports that Breitbart is expanding its operations in continental Europe and that is where our focus will be in 2017."

And with Putin as a good friend, do you think Donald Trump plans to conquer the world? 

Who the hell is Jared Kushner?

Of course we know he is Ivanka Trump's husband but what we don't know is what gives him all the qualifications to serve in the Trump administration, including a top security clearance. Reince Priebus has made the statement that Jared Kushner will be "very involved" in the White House. It is fairly certain that Kushner is responsible for the sacking of Chris Christie from the transition team because...

"then-U.S. Attorney Christie convicted Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, on a variety of charges including tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions."

One might agree that his heritage gives him the necessary credentials for the job. Kushner was reportedly also instrumental in getting Christie taken out of contention for Vice President. Sounds to me like he has at least one of Donald's ears, but it isn't yet clear just how far this man will go. If he's anything like his father-in-law, and there is more to come from the family, looks like a huge case of White House nepotism. Kennedy had substance. Trump doesn't.

Kushner played a key role in the campaign but his future in the WH could hinge on a lot of things, one of them being:

"In 1993, a federal appeals court looked at the issue as part of a lawsuit over Hillary Clinton's role in the health care task force. The court didn't decide the question but strongly suggested that the White House staff is not a federal agency."

CNN also speculates on Kushner working as an unpaid adviser for the President, which would avoid the anti-nepotism law, but anyone in the Trump family working for free? I don't think so. How the "family affair" will play out is not clear at this point, but what is clear is that President-elect plans to keep his administration close to the vest. Worse than perhaps George W. Bush, the transparency of the new White House will no doubt be close to zero.