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.

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"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.

Trump(s) use White House to peddle jewelry, clothing, golf courses, etc.

There is already concern over the fact that rather than put his business holdings into a blind trust, Donald Trump is turning them over to his family. Only a phone call away, or, perhaps, a bedroom away in the White House. It shouldn't be a surprise, however, since they are hawking everything from $10,000 bracelets to the Trump Tower and have been for the last eighteen months. Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington University, says:

"...public office is a public trust, that people are given the opportunity to serve in the government, not in order to line their pockets." In contrast, "...what may be developing is a president who sees this an opportunity to further his private brand and to permit his business to take very advantage of the opportunities given to him."

Although Congress could pass laws to establish guidelines for this --and we know that would take years and probably result in no decision --it is already being addressed in social media, like this blog, plus Twitter, Google+ and Facebook, to discourage the public from shopping at stores carrying Trump lines like Macy's and Nordstrom. The political pundits sort of anticipated this when, before the election, they predicted Trump was doing it just to further his brand.

What they weren't forecasting at the time was the fact that Trump would, in fact, win the election and extend the promotion of his brand in a four-year long campaign from the Rose Garden of the White House. Unless...

Trump "hate" message carries on after election

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) reports that over "300 incidents of harassment or intimidation have been reported following Donald Trump's election Tuesday night." And, according to NBC, the reports continue to come in mostly from K-12 schools and on university campuses. In many cases the Trump campaign was featured in the incident. It's bad enough that Trump's uneducated redneck adults do this but K-12 through college? Pathetic!

Messages like, "Trump Nation, Whites Only." Another, a white male threatens to set a female Muslim on fire. Again a message, along with a swastika, "Heil Trump" and "F-- Church" were spray painted on the walls of an Episcopal church. Back to the segregated South, "Colored" and "Whites Only" signs were placed above drinking fountains at First Coast High School in Jacksonville, Florida. "Make America White Again" message shortly after Trump victory.

The Huff Post reports on 13 incidents during the election when Donald Trump was an out-and-out racist. Among them:

• He attacked Muslim Gold Star parents
• In fact, discrimination against black people has been a pattern in his career
• He refused to condemn the white supremacists who are campaigning for him
• He condoned the beating of a Black Lives Matter protester
• He stereotyped Jews and shared an anti-Semitic meme created by white supremacists

There are more you can read on the Huff Post and I feel certain that over the years and during the election there were more. The American public has to come to grips with the fact that they have elected a man to the presidency of the most powerful county in the world that is a confirmed lowlife. And, he's proud of it. Bernie Sanders says he will hold Trump accountable as I am sure the millions of Progressives will across the country. 

Bring on the impeachment.

Electoral College on trial-Verdict?

Electoral College Votes

Barbara Boxer, one of the feistiest Democratic Senators in Congress, will do her best to get rid of the Electoral College. She introduced a bill Tuesday to put an end to this institution that dates back to the Founding Fathers. One of the myths out there is that the whole concept came into being because the group couldn't make a decision around the idea of the popular vote decision so they settled on the Electoral College. If so, it's time for a change.

Boxer said, "The Electoral College is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately. Every American should be guaranteed that their vote counts." CNN also quoted Donald Trump tweeting this in 2012, "The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy." Now he's all for keeping it. It has already chalked up two recent disasters: Gore-Bush in 2070, now Clinton-Trump in 2016.

The problem with the California Senator's bill is that two-thirds of each house of Congress must pass it plus approval in three quarters of states. Finding the states to make the change might not be so hard but convincing an overwhelming conservative Congress is another thing. All 435 House seats are up for reelection in 2018, 33 Senate seats. Hate to say it again,but look forward to 2018. 

Trump honed incendiary style from National Rifle Assn.

For years the National Rifle Assn., led by Wayne LaPierre, has railed against a government that suppresses its people and denies them their constitutional rights. Of course, the opposition has always been designed to protect their precious 2nd Amendment, a part of the Constitution that should have been done away with or at least modified significantly. Something that obviously could never happen under a Donald Trump presidency or Republican controlled Congress.

A recent post on this subject pointed out how the emphasis on state elections will probably increase in the next four years, while pointing out the high amount of gun violence the U.S. suffers annually from too many guns. At one point Trump said, “I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun.” The Trace article also said that during the election, "...Trump adopted an incendiary message that matched the NRA’s own."

When the NRA heard Trump's repeated rhetoric that the 2nd Amendment was sacred, something that must be protected at all costs, the decision was made to pump $30- million into ads that supported Trump. It started with 5-million NRA members, then picked a rural population the NRA has been appealing to for years, all ramrodded by the huge ad campaign both for Donald Trump and against Hillary Clinton. It worked. Trump was elected but can the NRA really depend on his fickle nature?




The fact is that almost all of the Republican hierarchy shunned Trump in the early stages, as well as further into the campaign. Special interest groups ignored him; do the Koch brothers come to mind? Even the conservative press was caught off guard by his zany antics. Sociologist Scott Melzer, author of the 2012 book "Gun Crusaders: The NRA’s Culture War," told The Trace:

"The gun group and its candidate speak to 'this white rural conservative population that feels left behind by economic shifts and cultural shifts. These changes pose a threat to their identity.'”

Wayne Lapierre wasn't able to beat Barack Obama but he was successful defeating Hillary Clinton. I continue to wonder how long a gullible American public will buy the NRA's bullshit. Meanwhile, it accepts 12,000+ gun deaths a
year, over 3,000 of them children. Thank you America.