Clinton popular vote surges again

No losing presidential candidate in history has received as many popular votes as did Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump, the president-elect. 2.9 million, up 400,000 since the last count. The election is history but the story is slowly changing from surprise Trump victory to why he won and what is wrong with the system. What's wrong with the system is the Electoral College that put Trump in the White House and how it transcends the power of the people. I railed on this in an earlier post, "Dump the Electoral Party...NOW" that shows the inadequacy of the College.

What bothers me from a CNN article is a statement by Trump, "...that he would have won the popular vote, too, if that had been his focus. Here's his actual comment...

"I would have done even better in the election, if that is possible, if the winner was based on popular vote -- but would campaign differently."

Is the implication here that Hillary Clinton campaigned strictly for the popular vote and let Donald Trump beat her in strategy?  If so, her years spent in politics were wasted. But I don't think that's all, nor is it the primary reason she lost. Clinton claims the Comey letter beat her but many think that was only minor to other faults. High on the list is message, or a real lack of, to reach the white working class, African Americans, young people and Hispanics. They needed more assurance from her and they didn't get it. Too much dependence on political data and not what the grassroots think.

Kellyanne Conway is a sharp political strategist and it is obvious that things started to turn Trump's way when she came on board. I remember her saying early on that her plan was just to let Trump be Trump. You can't argue with this now, and his continued diarrhea of the mouth collected enough uneducated rednecks to elect him. If I didn't know better, I would swear that the Trump campaign found that particular demographic in census data. I talk uneducated rednecks but to the other extreme, doctors respond to his promise to clean up insurance company paperwork.

We could look back some day and call this a "niche" election, and Donald Trump by running off at the mouth with his meandering, chaotic messages, was able to hit just enough people with slots they cared about to win the election. God help us!

T-rump stupid things

“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue, shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.”

Trump, speaking of the loyalty of his followers and some felt could be true.

To hack or not to hack

Russia covert cyberattacks

Apparently, the Russians decided to hack and there are many who think this had a negative effect on Hillary Clinton's campaign for the presidency. Taking it a step further, the U.S. has concluded that Vladimir Putin was personally involved in the hacking. I did an earlier post, "Why did Putin want Donald Trump in the White House?" that offered two options...

One, Putin feels Trump will look ridiculous to the rest of the world with his show business background and lack of experience, thus, make the U.S. more vulnerable in foreign affairs.
Two, the president-elect would undo all the sanctions placed on Russia by the United States putting Russia in a better financial position.

Any way you cut it, this country loses. Here's a statement by NBC News...

"The CIA has concluded that Russia mounted a covert intelligence operation to influence the U.S. election in an effort to help Donald Trump win, a congressional official knowledgeable on the matter told NBC News."

But the Senate's resident idiot, Mitch McConnell has rejected bipartisan pressure to create a select committee to investigate what has now been confirmed is Russian cyberattacks designed to tamper with the U.S. 2016 election. McConnell thinks his two Senate minions, Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), both on the Senate Intelligence Committee, can handle it. Outgoing Senate minority leader Harry Reid says...

"...that keeping the investigation limited to the committees could be an intentional effort by McConnell to limit the effectiveness of the probe."

Now you can understand why I have designated Mitch McConnell the resident Senate idiot. The GOP won the election, McConnell was reelected recently--six more years of idiocy--and this slime ball is afraid an investigation will uncover the fact that everything above is accurate. And that Trump could have colluded with Putin to win the election. Another known fact is that the president-elect has yearned to do business in Russia for years with no luck. His connections to the country span three decades and Time has shown... 

"...since the first hack of a Clinton-affiliated group took place in late May or early June, is that several of Trump’s businesses outside of Russia are entangled with Russian financiers inside Putin’s circle."

The election may be over, and the electors may have confirmed Donald Trump's presidency, but the mystery continues of just how did the 2016 election really conclude. 

Lions share of nation skeptical of Trump presidency

President Obama entered the White House with American optimism at 32%, 34% of the country satisfied with his election. Donald Trump will take office with 22% optimism, 23% satisfied with his election. But the kicker is 29% are pessimistic about the president-elect, with this figure only 9% under Obama. NBC reports, "That's a significantly worse outlook than Americans expressed after the elections of both Barack Obama and George W. Bush." I have no doubt that Donald Trump has several excuses to justify these numbers but an election after-market has spoken.

Democratic pollster Fred Yang of Hart Research Associates says...

"Usually elections settle arguments and the nation comes together, at least in the short term. Today, hard feelings persist on both sides of the partisan divide. It's as if the 2016 campaign has never ended."

It appears to me that all this skepticism is well justified by the people Trump has chosen to support him...

Steve Mnuchin, Sec. of Treasury who worked at Goldman Sachs for 17 years, a firm that had to be bailed out by the government due to risky investments. Jeff Sessions, Atty. Gen. who was denied a federal judgeship. Andrew Puzder, Sec. of Labor, a hardliner against any increase in minimum wage. Betsy Devos, Sec. Education, wants to get rid of public school system. Tom Price, Sec. Health and Human Services, wants to scuttle Obamacare. These are only a few and many are billionaires.

A statistic that cannot be ignored is the fact that 46% of the American public still gives him a poor rating, compared to 40% who are positive. And the confidence in Donald Trump's election all comes from his base voters, not those who didn't vote for him. There are 92% of Trump voters who believe the man can bring change to Washington--with Clinton only 20%--but have these people considered just what kind of change they want, and is this also what the president-elect wants. So far, Donald Trump has not convinced many of us he isn't in all of this just to promote his business.

T-rump stupid things

Gave Senator Lindsey Graham’s personal phone number to the entire world.

Lindsay Graham

Possibly because Graham said, “I have never been comfortable with Donald Trump as our Republican nominee.”

Thanks to BGR.com.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article106928442.html#storylink=cpy

Dump the Electoral Party...NOW

It's happened twice now, during the last three elections, the popular vote winner loses the election. It was made official yesterday by an antiquated system called the Electoral College. Donald Trump with 306 votes, Hillary Clinton with 232--hardly a landslide--Clinton ending up with more than 2.5 million popular votes than Trump. The nation did not elect Donald Trump, the college did. And that is what is wrong. NBC reports on efforts, post-election...

"A handful of Democrats and even a few Republican electors have embarked on an unusual effort to deny Trump the victory — or at the very least, raise the specter of changing the election."

And more...

"Electors in three states have gone to court seeking the chance to vote their mind; another resigned to avoid the vote altogether. One Republican elector in Texas has publicly said he will not vote for Trump, although his state voted overwhelmingly for the GOP candidate."

Here's a quote from The Nation, a leading Progressive publication...

"The Electoral College is an abomination: an antidemocratic relic of the unconscionable compromises made during America’s founding that should never have been allowed to linger into the 21st century." 

As an example of the inadequacy of the Electoral College, Donald Trump took Michigan with less than 11,000 votes out of a total of 4.8 million cast, .0023%. Supporters of the College claim it protects the smaller states from being overrun by the larger ones. When, in fact, five of the 10 smallest states, Vermont, Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine, as well as the District of Columbia had Clinton leading Trump. As I understand it, this is one of the major reasons the Founding Fathers concocted this nuisance. 

And here is something that is almost as frightening as Donald Trump being elected President. The Nation surmises "that GOP strategists will again try to implement schemes that would distribute electoral votes based on the popular vote in congressional districts, which would allow partisans to gerrymander both the US House and the Electoral College." Because of the incompetency of the Democratic Nat'l Committee, led by disgraced Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the GOP already leads in state legislatures and governor's offices.

The bipartisan National Popular Vote initiative is making some headway with a compact that says the state electors must cast their votes with the popular vote. Ten states have signed up totaling 165 votes, but the compact can only take effect when more than 270 is reached. Barbara Boxer introduced a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College, but with a Republican Congress, and the GOP already having won the election, its likelihood of getting anywhere is doubtful. In a final note, The Nation commented...

"...something must be done to address the structural absurdity of elections that allow losers to become presidents."

And that could not be more appropriate. 

What do Republicans have that Democrats don't?

PASSION. It's very simple, you can see it in all factions of the conservatives; when the vote is critical, they turn out. The Democrats, or at least most of them, put their tails between their legs and just stay home when the heat is on. it's pathetic and God knows how many elections we've lost in the last few years. On the bright side, Bernie Sanders brought out the Progressives, and think they did their part in the primaries but Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Democratic National Committee had the whole thing rigged from the start. Bernie should have won.

On the other hand, President Obama said on Monday that the reason for Democratic voters not showing up was the fault of the Clinton campaign for not hitting the Dems' strongholds. He cited an instance where, in his support of Clinton, he wanted to go to Iowa where he had won handily but the Clinton people felt he was better needed elsewhere. He also added, "...candidates in the future should ignore at their own peril the places Democrats haven't traditionally performed well." Further...

"...some Democrats have accused Clinton of maintaining a relaxed campaign schedule, bypassing states like Wisconsin and Iowa where Obama won in 2012."

The blame game is, of course, easy to play with hindsight, but the real question here is what brought out more Republican voters than Democrats? We know there was a huge wave of demand for change, to get rid of the Washington that has only performed for the politicians and given us the same crap year after year. Donald Trump seemed to fill that bill and was elected, but we still have a Congress that has an approval rating of 13% and can't seem to get rid of them. Much of this can be attributed to the GOP gerrymandering that Wasserman and the DNC saw fit to do nothing about over the years.

Reports are that the Republican turnout surged this year while Democrats were just dormant. With Obama the Dems' stronghold was the college educated, young and non-white. Bernie Sanders had two of these categories, could have possibly gotten the other, and one must wonder, if he had won the primary, would the election outcome have been different. There is one bit of difference in Democrats that is recently becoming obvious; the Progressive faction of the party...Bernie's people. I am a Progressive, passionate about those beliefs and a firm supporter of the Democratic Party.

I wouldn't even consider not voting and frankly don't understand those who stayed home from the polls on November 8, and let what happened come about. Donald Trump. Here's the kicker, Gallup reports that as of October 2014, polling found that 43% of Americans identified as Democrats and 39% as Republicans. There are 4% more of us than them and we still can't win an election. It's a disgrace and something that should make those slackers sit up and take notice. The big question is, can we expect them to turn out in 2018.

T-rump stupid things

“Donald J Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States, until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.” (2015)

Thanks to UK Independent

Why did Putin want Donald Trump in the White House?

Donald Trump is supposed to be such a savvy businessman, wouldn't you expect that to translate into at least a crafty politician? Vladimir Putin doesn't think so. Steve Benen of MSNBC says Putin feels with Trump in the White House the United States will look "...ridiculous, having an unprepared and unqualified television personality leading a global superpower." He thinks it will be easier for Russia to exploit America’s "self-inflicted wound." WOW! We knew we had a psychopathic clown going to Washington, but this observation, if true, is really frightening.

NBC News reported recently that "...17 U.S. intelligence agencies agree that Vladimir Putin’s government was responsible for the cyber-attacks." Apparently, this has been widely accepted to mean that Russia did interfere in the U.S. 2016 election, some even saying that Putin, himself, led the effort. In contrast, the Trump administration is blaming it on China or saying it didn't even happen, according to MSNBC. And even more conjecture in what Russia's Putin might be thinking...

“You obviously can’t count on the United States to be a credible global leader anymore; just look at who the Americans chose as their president.”

WOW again, but true in the sense that the deranged American public elected this lunatic.

And then Benen gets to the financial side of the argument. Barack Obama could be depended on to slap sanctions on Russia when they became overly hostile and aggressive. It is possible, maybe even likely, that Donald Trump will lift them for his old Russian buddy. White House chief of staff Reince Priebus refused to confirm one way or the other. Okay, we're talking about Russia, but what can other countries be thinking, especially any that have an ax to grind with the U.S. This country is on the precipice of disaster and Donald Trump is the one that can push it off.

Why do Republicans hate Social Security?

Because the man who launched it was a Democrat, Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Mitch McConnell type thinking. Because they can't stand giving anything away; actually the average couple will pay in about two-thirds of what they take out. So it isn't all welfare. Because most of the Republicans who are against Social Security are wealthy, therefore don't care what happens to the poor slobs like us? I think we've got it. Although I know several conservatives who are not affluent and are still of the Republican persuasion; all I can say is that I pity them.

But this post is about the people in Congress that are trying to gut Social Security by raising the retirement age and reducing benefits as much as a third. Now I cannot speak with authority on what the minimum age for benefits should be, but I can see that reducing benefits could wreak havoc on those households that depend entirely on this monthly check. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas), the chair for the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee, is the one responsible for the legislation. Now here's a shocker, his net worth is $48,501.

Fortunately, in his case, as a House representative, and only with one term, he will receive $174,000 a year for the rest of his life when he retires. Now why would he worry about Social Security? But you would think someone with that kind of net worth would sympathize with others in the same category. Unless...there are other assets hidden somewhere like the Caymans. Johnson's Act would keep Social Security going for 75 years, but would "...include a $2 trillion decrease in revenue into the program and a $13.9 trillion decrease in benefits."

Of course, there would be no increase in taxes, like maybe on the wealthy, and some other loopholes for the rich, with a GOP Congress and a Republican in the White House. Raising tax on the top 1% to 40% would yield $157 billion in one year; to 45%, $276 billion. This group is the one most able to afford it but greed on the part of the GOP has stifled any action for years. I honestly believe that with Bernie Sanders in the White House, even with a Republican Congress, he would have gotten this tax passed. He'd do it with you and me in an all-out grass roots effort.

T-rump stupid things

Does this sound like a mentally stable man?

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. They’re not sending you, they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bring crime. They’re rapists… And some, I assume, are good people.”

Donald Trump taking one of his first jabs at racism.

Thanks to Marie Claire.
 

North Carolina continues its racist mandate

After growing up in the South I left because I couldn't tolerate the segregation beliefs and policies. What was more perplexing than the act of unabated racism was the fact that these people were sure that they were right. And many of them still are, not just in the South, but all over this country. The state of Arizona has taken a different path in the last few years, their racism directed toward Hispanics. Former disgraced Arizona Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, tried his best to harass all of the Latino's out of the state but failed and now will hopefully go to jail for it.

They say the art of racism is not inherited, it is learned. It is not taught at any school in lower or higher education, as far as I know, but I have to qualify that. Not outwardly but inwardly, not the direct approach but the more covert approach. It is, however, definitely there, as far as the masses and as far as the education. To illustrate, here is a comment from one of my recent blogs, "Lowlife Donald Trump supporter replies to my blog:"

What a joke,the market is breaking records every day since we elected a real President, your buckwheat nigger "president" was and is the biggest failure of all time

This is just one result from the action of more lowlife like the out-going Governor of North Carolina, Pat MCrory, who brought his Republican caucus together to pass bills that severely restrict what the incoming Governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, can do. One thing is the "elevation of a distinguished African American jurist, Mike Morgan, to the state's Supreme Court." CNN says it is to, "reconfigure the state's court system to fend off challenges to legislators' power." In effect, take most of the control away from the executive branch before Cooper comes in.

Morgan's appointment would give the court a Democratic majority but this is all icing on the cake. This state government is exploding in a continued effort to deny the vote to African Americans. A "...federal court overturned the legislature's "racial gerrymander" in 28 districts, requiring new district lines and a special election in 2017; the US Supreme Court is reviewing that case now." There's more...

"This past July, the US Court of Appeals for the 4th District ruled in North Carolina NAACP v. McCrory that the extremists in the General Assembly had "targeted African Americans with almost surgical precision," and overturned the state's 2013 voter suppression bill."

Still think my earlier proposal should be considered: Put all racists in a concentration camp.

T-rump stupid things

“You know, it really doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young, and beautiful, piece of ass.”

More about women and proof that we have a classless horse's ass for incoming President.

T-rump stupid things

Famous video about women

“Ariana Huffington is unattractive, both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man – he made a good decision.”

Trump always has charming things to say about successful, prominent women – but he stooped particularly low with this comment about Huffington Post founder. The man is a complete schmuck when it comes to women.

T-rump stupid things

“An ‘extremely credible source has called my office and told me that Barack Obama’s birth certificate is a fraud”

Trump was determined to ‘expose’ President Obama’s birthplace back in 2012, and even claimed to have sent investigators to Hawaii in the hopes of proving Obama wasn’t born in the United States. Former, disgraced Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has since charged this is true based on his completed investigation.

Bernie's full-steam lost on Clinton

"Will Democrats and their friends and allies question their belief that the political professionals are best suited to decide who runs?" Not my question, it comes from Progressive Magazine and wonders what the future for our movement is. Bernie Sanders had the momentum and the message many voters were looking for, in a parallel with Donald Trump's appeal, although Bernie did it with class. But thanks to an underhanded Democratic National Committee, Clinton was favored.

Of course, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former disgraced head of the DNC, was the culprit that pulled the strings that prevented Sanders from getting the nomination. She's gone, thanks to Bernie, but the damage was done and we ended up with...Donald Trump. The latter's differences with Bernie was the fact that Trump added immigrant -bashing, tax cuts for the wealthy and a future for white male supremacy, along with racist and white nationalists' views.

Bernie Sanders did not get the nomination and Hillary Clinton was not able to capitalize on his support, particularly the millennials, so we lost the White House and a chance to reclaim the Senate. But there is still hope with Bernie Sanders Revolution in motion and Chuck Schumer as new minority leader in the Senate. And there are rumbles everywhere about progressive grass-roots movements being pursued. Even if Donald Trump lasts a term, it won't be easy for him or Republicans.

T-rump stupid things

“ONE O

THE KEY PROBLEMS TODAY IS THAT POLITICS IS SUCH A DISGRACE, GOOD PEOPLE DON’T GO INTO GOVERNMENT.”

Actually the disgrace today is the fact that the people in government are a disgrace, with exceptions.

Obamacare demand surging for 2017

Tom Priice

Donald Trump says he will repeal Obamacare and the Senate head idiot, Mitch McConnell, says that it is his priority in the new Congress. Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell warned Monday that a repeal of Obamacare without  a replacement in place first would cause chaos in the health care industry. In the face of all this rhetoric, over 4 million people signed up for the coverage, in effect, telling Trump and McConnell to put their repeal where the sun don't shine. This repeal crap is not for the good of the country, it s simply child-like retaliation against Barack Obama.

The 4 million includes 1.1 million new subscribers, with 2.9 million re-upping. Even states with their own exchanges are seeing an increase in interest. The Obama administration has created the hashtag #CoverageMatters to let enrollees share how health care reform has benefited them, to prove to the American public just how valued the program is. Although Tom Price, Trump's new HHS Sec. "hates" Obamacare, and Trump and Obama and McConnell have indicated their intentions...

"...it's expected that they will delay putting an actual end to the law for two or three years while they come up with a replacement plan."

Price is connected to the Tea Party and that always spells trouble when you are talking about social programs. He's a former chairman of the conservative Republican study committee, with his website describing him as “devoted to limited government and lower spending.” The new Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, claims that Tom Price is way out of the mainstream of what the American public wants. But, then, that describes whole Tea Party, an organization that has caused more damage to this country that all of its wars. Here's a quote from Scumer:

"Nominating Congressman Price to be the HHS secretary is akin to asking the fox to guard the hen house."

Old but very appropriate!

40 Electoral College members now unsure of Donald Trump

Donald Trump talking to Electors/How true

40  electors from the Electoral College are demanding an intel briefing on Russia and its roll in the 2016 election from National Intelligence Director James Clapper, 10 this last Monday, Dec. 12, twenty more on Tuesday. This is a bi-partisan effort and according to Politico, the "...first show of public support for efforts questioning the legitimacy of Donald Trump's victory..." They are asking for the information before Dec. 19, when their decisions are due. John Podesta, Clinton's former campaign chairman, talks about the security factors involved in the ruse.

Podesta comments on the Clinton campaign's earlier requests for an investigation on the issue, which apparently fell on deaf ears and adds, the fact that the CIA confirms this Russian interference was for the purpose of getting Donald Trump elected President. Now, of course, this raises the question of just what kind of ties does the President-elect have with Russia. I plan to do a full post on this in the future but for the sake of this one, Jeff Nesbit of Time says he has many, many, many, many ties to Russia. Nesbit reports this all happened in late May.

Here's what the original 10 electors wrote...

“The Electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations. We further require a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr. Trump is fit to serve as President of the United States.”

The first 10 electors include nine democrats and one Republican. The additional electors joining the original 10 were all Democrats. Today is Thursday and with one more business day available what's the likelihood of getting the intel? Law Newz says...

"Legal experts tell LawNewz.com it will be tough for the electors to get what they are seeking. However, there is a way that it could possibly happen, but it involves an often arduous process of receiving an interim security clearance. A process that President Obama could even help expedite, if he wanted to."

The next question is can you delay the electors' decisions? The Huff Post has a solution you can read here.

Startling gun violence statistics

As of December 23, a total of 12,942 people had been killed in the United States in 2015 in a gun homicide, unintentional shooting, or murder/suicide. Thanks to The Trace.

Michael Flynn shows the lowlife he is

Most of Donald Trump's incoming cabinet picks have some modicum of respect, but his choice for the incoming National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, must have left this trait at the Army officer's club. Now the President-elect has put out some pretty salty tweets, but this guy drags the bottom of the barrel in his treatment of Hillary Clinton. It's a fake news story about her involvement in sex crimes with minors, deleted sometime since Nov. 2...

"...Flynn linked to a story on TruePundit.com that falsely claimed the FBI investigation into Anthony Weiner had turned up evidence 'to put Hillary (Clinton) and her crew away for life.'"

Here's the tweet...

"U decide - NYPD Blows Whistle on New Hillary Emails: Money Laundering, Sex Crimes w Children, etc...MUST READ!" Flynn's tweet read.

CNN reports...

"The tweet received renewed scrutiny in recent weeks after a different fake news story about Clinton's connection to a underage sex ring at a DC pizzeria led a man to show up at the restaurant with a gun. Flynn's son, also named Michael Flynn, was dismissed from Donald Trump's transition team after peddling the pizzeria conspiracy on his Twitter account."

So we've got Flynn's son on the Trump transition team--couldn't get a job on his own?--who was fired because his taste is in the sewer like his father's. There is something that could be considered a plus, at least to Twitter, that the social media should pay Donald Trump for all the free promotion it is getting. The crux of the whole thing is really that a man with this kind of judgment should not be in the position of having access to top secret information, even though that was the case when he was Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

You would hope that a man who has achieved the rank of Lieutenant General in the army would have more brains than to post a tweet like the above, especially when he knows it was fake news. Since it was live some time around Nov. 2, it is obvious Flynn designed the tweet to damage Hillary's presidential campaign. There is no sign that Trump is doing anything about this heinous behavior, but, then, maybe he either thinks it is okay or just doesn't give a damn. Either way, it is classic Donald Trump.          

Vampires, Werewolves and a nymphomaniac

Nymphomaniac vampire Amy Rogers relieves Arizona politician of his blood through his…WHAT? Nymphomania Bloodlust

https://www.amazon.com/Nymphomania-Bloodlust-Jack-Dunning-ebook/dp/B01BQSSLMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481489593&sr=8-1&keywords=nymphomania+bloodlust

Great gift book idea

Great Holiday gift with frivolous cavorting, hilarious imbibing antics and with a message in WITHOUT THE LAMPSHADE

https://www.amazon.com/Without-Lampshade-Learned-Brown-Martini/dp/0692704744/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481404386&sr=8-1&keywords=without+the+lampshade

Lowlife Donald Trump supporter replies to my blog

They are really coming out from under the rocks since Donald Trump's win and they are doing it with the kind of vitriolic spume you would expect from the scum of the earth. I am, of course, talking about the supporters of the President-elect, Donald Trump, this particular one being a rabid racist. I must warn you because the language is not only heinous but it reflects the double-digit IQs of Trump followers. Read the following comment on my blog, if you dare...

What a joke,the market is breaking records every day since we elected a real President, your buckwheat nigger "president" was and is the biggest failure of all time

You can see the post this refers to: "Donald Trump becomes President-elect...Stocks take a dive" I have to admit that stocks in general have soared back--primarily because it looks like Trump will favor the business world over consumers--but my point in the diving stocks referred to in the above post, were those concerned with globalization, which isn't something Donald Trump favors. At least today.

But what really stands out here is the ignorant racist approach of a supposed human being, the latter of course in question. His or her ignorance is definitely akin to what Trump has spewed from the beginning, and attracted ignoramuses like this commenter.

Some background. He posts as "Ellis" and lists his home as Tucson, AZ. This is how he describes himself: "Right Wing Conservative American exceedingly tired of the liberal left and the damage they are doing to this country." "...the damage 'they' are doing to this country." The person is obviously mentally impaired and needs help so if anyone in Tucson knows this individual, helping them get to the nearest mental hospital would be nice.

Was Donald Trump elected because of FBI Dir. James Comey?

Sen. Harry Reid

There are many who believe this, especially retiring Senator Harry Reid who has led Democrats in the Senate for several years. There are two parts to his charge that "Democrats 'would have won the majority in the Senate and would have won the presidency but for Comey.'" First the letter James Comey sent to Congress just over a week before the November, 2016 election that there were additional emails that appeared relevant to the Hillary Clinton email case. Two, the FBI failed to investigate election hacking believed to be Russians in an attempt to get Donald Trump elected.

Apparently, Sen. Reid had been on Comey's back over the hacking trying to get something done, but he acknowledged nothing happened..."nothing." Reid accuses the FBI Director of "ignoring" the information. Reid said...

"It's obvious he was a partisan in all this. There's information out there. He had it, I'm confident. And he ignored it."

In referring to James Comey's letter to Congress, another attack on Hillary Clinton's emails less than two weeks from the election, Reid commented...

"In fact, to show how awful this situation is, this man ignored precedent that had been going on for decade after decade after decade. The FBI does not get involved in politics -- except Comey did."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, has now said he supports a Senate investigation into Russian hacking, which right away makes me think he has an ulterior motive. That's how much I trust him. Donald Trump has downplayed the accusations of Russian hacking and the fact that, if so, had nothing to do with his winning the election. The President-elect has said all along that Hillary Clinton has received favoritism during her campaign for president and commented just after the election, she is, "... being shielded by the 'totally rigged system.'”

We probably haven't heard the last of this and may never with Donald Trump in the White House. But this along with Clinton's success with the popular vote, leading Trump by over 2 million, which he claims is because of illegal votes will put this in the record books as "unfinished business." Trump is a psychopath to the end.

Congressional members with NRA blood on their hands

Rep. Joe Barton

Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) (1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!

Congressman: Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX)

Total amount received: $31,500

Tel. Number: (202) 225-2002

Why are Americans killing 51 times more people with guns than Canadians?

The short answer is loose gun laws in the United States where anyone can buy a gun as long as they are a warm body. From the National Observer...

"...you can buy them without a background check at gun shows or from neighbours in many American states. Background checks through the FBI’s database are only required for in-store purchases. Customers are asked if they’ve ever been committed to a mental institution and their criminal history before the store calls the FBI. Denials are rare, amounting to less than 1 per cent."

 We've all known that for years with past events like when an AR-15 was used in an Orlando, Florida gay nightclub to kill 50 people. Weapons like that are restricted in Canada. More on this...

Handguns are generally classified as restricted weapons, while rifles and shotguns are usually non-restricted. The AR-15 rifles used by the San Bernardino suspects is classified as restricted. Anyone wishing to buy a gun in Canada and/or ammunition must have a valid licence under the Firearms Act. Dec 4, 2015, which is only given after you’re trained on how to safely handle firearms, and must consent to criminal record and background checks before being given a license.

Most states in the U.S. do not require any training to get a gun, although I give the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) credit for holding regular classes, after the fact. And let's get this straight right now re. "Americans killing 51 times more people with guns than Canadians," and the differences between the two populations. The U.S. population is only nine times the size of Canada's. Associate professor of sociology at the University of Toronto Jooyoung Lee says, Canada has a more robust set of policies that make gun violence much less likely than in the U.S. Further...

"Canada creates an infrastructure that somewhat levels the playing field, trying to address poverty — the underlying driver of gun violence in communities. Canada has a more robust healthcare system, there’s more money being funneled into public education, there’s a much more progressive approach to ensuring that gun violence doesn’t happen here.”

The United States could learn a lot from Canada when it comes to guns. But it probably won't.

Congressional members with NRA blood on their hands

Rep. Tim Murphy

Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) (1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!

Congressman: Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA)

Total amount received: $33,500

Tel. Number: (202) 225-2301

Is it more dangerous with Putin as the enemy?

This is all hypothetical since none of us really know what's going on between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Russia in general. Putin appears to be Trump's friend and many in the U.S. believe Russia's President had a lot to do with getting Donald Trump in the White House. Hell, maybe all Putin wants is to spend a night in the Lincoln bedroom. CNN's Daniel Treisman has reminded us of the 1962 political thriller "The Manchurian Candidate." He explains it this way...

"...a hostile government uses covert measures and secret agents in an elaborate plot to get its favored candidate elected president of the United States. The scenario seemed fanciful even at the height of the Cold War."

But if you delve deeper into the plot of the movie, "The Manchurian Candidate concerns the brainwashing of the son of a prominent right-wing political family, who becomes an unwitting assassin in an international communist conspiracy," thanks to Wikipedia. The assassin, played by Frank Sinatra in the film, is supposed to kill the President-elect. And this is where the similarity to the current situation ends but still with some serious questions unanswered. Like did the hacking into the Clinton campaign and the DNC originate from Russia?

Even a Republican Congress now wants a bipartisan probe of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. And if there was interference from Russia in favor of Trump, we can be assured it was originated by Putin who is in complete control. But the question remains, just what does the President of Russia want from the U.S. President-elect, and that brings up the question of how far back the ties go between these men. Here's what CBS News said...

"While the Republican presidential nominee has denied any ties to Russia, his connections to the country and its president go back years. Trump has talked about Russia being a hot business climate, and he has been trying to bring his brand to Moscow for decades, reports CBS News correspondent Julianna Goldman."

Okay, we know that Donald Trump is in the White House for the purpose of promoting his businesses. He's already alienated the Chinese government and that could cause damaging repercussions to the U.S. in both trade and diplomacy, especially with China as one of our biggest trade partners. I see Vladimir Putin as a harmless old crony of Donald Trump who plans to use the President-elect like he has used so many people. What the watchdogs must do is make sure that Trump doesn't give away any state secrets, that is if he ever goes to a briefing.

Donald Trump becomes President-elect...Stocks take a dive

Yeah...sure

They all did well during Barack Obama's administration but put the skids on when Donald Trump was elected. These are Standard and Poor's stocks that excelled under Obama, some even soared like online retailer Amazon.com (AMZN), alcoholic beverage seller Constellation (STZ) and real-estate investment trust General Growth (GGP) all with 1,000% growth since 2008 when President Obama took office. They now trail the 3% regular rise in the S&P 500 since the Trump win. There is also a rapid decline in bond prices according to USA Today.

Investment experts expect a significant change in government policy under Donald Trump, particularly on globalization, which many of the down companies depend on. And as well they might, considering the new President-elect changes his mind daily, his word is worth very little, and shows fits of being unstable at times. Here's an example of why the concern...

Constellation bought U.S. distribution rights to Corona and other Mexican brews in June 2013. Mexican beers now account for 90% of Constellation's beer business, which is more than half the company's revenue, Ramey says.

Constellation is a top maker of wine and beer including brands like Robert Mondavi and Black Velvet. Here's another quote from USA Today...

"His tough talk on larger, unregulated companies (and) industries has many spooked that he’ll do something negative, or that he’ll be friendlier to competition," says Daniel Kurnos, analyst at Benchmark Capital.

Bernie Sanders had said if Donald Trump planned to fight the outsourcing of many U.S. companies, he was with him all the way. Then the Carrier Indiana plant situation arose with Trump demanding the company change its position on sending jobs to Mexico. As it turns out more than half of the Carrier jobs still went south. Just another Trump deception.

Congressional members with NRA blood on their hands

Rep. Ed Whitfield

 Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) (1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!

Congressman: Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY)

Total amount received: $34,850
Tel. Number: (202) 225-3115

Bernie Sanders,"unhappily," sorry we'll have pathological liar in White House

As I am sure the rest of us sane individuals are, but there is nothing we can do about Donald Trump getting there, but maybe something can be done about his staying there. The Bern made reference to Chuck Jones who challenged the President-elect's outright lie that he had saved all the Carrier jobs at the Indiana plant, when in fact more than half are still going to Mexico. Sen. Sanders concludes that Trump's message here to unions and their workers was that if you continue to stand up and fight, my administration will go after you. Just as he did with Chuck Jones on Twitter.

MSNBC's Chris Hayes questioned Bernie on the appointment of "Andrew Puzder, CEO of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, who supported Trump during his campaign, praising him as a 'pragmatic centrist' and 'negotiator.' The Senator took the opportunity to remind those who voted for the President-elect that all those promises of standing up to the establishment were all "crap," my word but still accurate. Pudzer, who is anti-worker, and who pays his workers as little as possible--many of whom have to get federal assistance--is adamantly against raising the minimum wage.

When Chris Hayes asked Bernie Sanders about the reality of all this, referencing how Barack Obama has established his legacy from his accomplishments, particularly, bringing the economy back from near disaster under George W. Bush--now that's reality. At this point we have another Republican in the White House, and Hayes wondered if reality would hit when under Trump wages decline, outsourcing continues, and the economic squeeze on the middle-class advances, will the public, particularly his supporters, blame it on the President-elect or Bernie, Hillary, the Democrats?

The Bern hopes to build a movement of grass roots supporters who do see the reality of what just happened in this election, plus what will be taking place under Donald Trump. I know I'm in!

Congressional members with NRA blood on their hands

Rep. David Vitter

Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) (1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!

Congressman: Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)                                                                                                   Total amount received: $35,250                                                                                                  

Tel. Number: (202) 224-4623

Cry baby Trump just can't take criticism, is Twitter deranged

If Donald Trump was going to start World War III, and his mouth does have the capability of doing that, he most likely would announce it to the world on Twitter. This mentally challenged psychopath jumps on social media the moment anyone questions his...whatever he thinks he is. Okay, he is the President-elect, a mistake this country must now live with. Robert Reich, former secretary of labor in the Clinton administration now a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, gets on Trump's case about the effects from his whining criticism.

When Chuck Jones, local Indiana union leader who is President of United Steelworkers 1999, criticized Donald Trump because he falsely claimed he had saved 1,000 Carrier jobs, a blubbering Trump replied on Twitter...

"Chuck Jones, who is President of United Steelworkers 1999, has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country!"

Following that, Jones received death threats.

You will remember the Boeing fiasco where Trump said out of the blue, "We want Boeing to make a lot of money but not that much money." That was a qualification to an earlier statement after the Boeing CEO lightly rebuked the President-elect for being against trade. After which Trump had tweeted...

"Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!"

The outset was that Boeing took an immediate hit, then we found out that Boeing did not even have this $4 billion order.

Donald Trump has used the power of his position and big mouth to intimidate people in the real estate industry, and now he has brought this same level of sleaze to the White House. And with the GOP control of Congress featuring some of the biggest morons in politics, we're in for a tough four years. Or, once again, maybe not?

Congressional members with NRA blood on their hands

Sen. Richard Burr

Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) (1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!

Congressman: Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)                                                                                                 Total amount received: $35,700                                                

Tel. Number: (202) 224-3154

Just another example Donald Trump not serious about his presidency

The new President-elect is skipping intelligence briefings, blowing them off as if the security of the United States is not a priority to him. And maybe it isn't, as he continues to plan new Trump hotels in Taiwan; Russia is probably next. I've said from the beginning of Donald Trump's rise in the polls that he was doing it for one thing...Donald Trump. President Obama has ordered his daily intelligence to be given to Trump and Mike Pence to keep them abreast of the current status of our security and what the global situation is. Trump has schluffed off most, attending at best one a week.

But, then, why not have an uninformed President; all of his supporters were uninformed. He's not required to attend these briefings but Presidents in the past have welcomed the opportunity to have a heads-up on where the nation and world stands before taking office. Not Donald Trump. And if he does have his mind on things other than the US, like where his next hotel will go, well, a lot of us told you so. This hasn’t gone unnoticed, according to MSNBC...

"Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the ranking members on the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committees, respectively, noted they find it 'particularly troubling' that the president-elect 'has mostly declined to take the daily intelligence briefing' – breaking with what other presidents-elect have done for decades."

Former CIA Director Leon Panetta is concerned with the situation and when you consider Donald Trump's lack of experience in governing--zilch/nada--it should send up warning signs to everyone, especially those in the Pentagon, that this president might be AOL when those important decisions need to be made. Of course, the man has never been presidential and never will. Here's another MSNBC statement worth quoting...

".. it’s hard not to feel uncomfortable with these circumstances. The least experienced, least knowledgeable presidential candidate in American history – prone to believe weird conspiracy theories and disregard facts he finds inconvenient – is preparing to take office soon, and at this point, he seems passively indifferent towards security information."

The whole thing is alarming but what is even more alarming is that these uneducated rednecks that elected him knew he was not presidential material before they voted. 

Drop the College and drop the 2nd Amendment

Never before have I seen a case made so eloquent for ridding ourselves of a "relic" bestowed on us by the Founding Fathers. We have a few but this is one that happens to be in the spotlight now as the bungled finish of the 2016 Presidential election becomes evident. For the second time in 16 years, the out-of-date Electoral College has given the White House to the person with the least popular vote. And this year it is significant: Hillary Clinton has scored over 2.2 million more votes than Donald Trump. John Nichols does an excellent job of making his case in The Nation...

"The Electoral College is an abomination: an antidemocratic relic of the unconscionable compromises made during America’s founding that should never have been allowed to linger into the 21st century."

Now I'll get to the Electoral College in a later post but this one is devoted to just how much Nichols' article applies to the 2nd Amendment. Read it again, but this time substitutiing the 2nd Amendment for Electoral College...

The 2nd Amendment is an abomination: an antidemocratic relic of the unconscionable compromises made during America’s founding that should never have been allowed to linger into the 21st century.

I hear the gun nuts coming out from under their rocks now but even the "antidemocratic" portion, above, can be defended. It is against my democracy to have to be in a public place with some guy or gal who feels it necessary to walk around with an assault rifle on their shoulder, a weapon that belongs only in law enforcement and the military. Yes, they have a right, but that should extend no further than their front door. But even the right to defend yourself in the home shouldn't include assault rifles. Individual rights go just so far and can be limited, as agreed by the Supreme Court.

The fight over guns will go on until enough of the "right" people are killed, and by that I mean those most verbal over gun rights that preclude any responsible  control at all. And by the lunacy of some of their rhetoric, I wonder if even then.

More on the Electoral College later.

How about concentration camps for racists?

Okay, too severe. Besides, you wouldn't want to collect that much lowlife together in one place, the smell would be horrendous. Think what it would do to insurance rates in nearby communities and the depreciation of homes.  Perhaps to harsh, or maybe not harsh enough for these mutants from humanity. It is impossible to describe these dregs of the earth without the use of words this bad. And it all stems from an organization originating from the South, where I was raised, the Ku Klux Klan.

This all comes from an article I read on CNN by Rob Crilly, who went to a KKK rally in Roxboro, NC, where the Klan was staging a rally that almost no one went to. They called it a kalvacade, organized by the group's Imperial Kommander, Amanda Barker, designed as a victory for the election of Donald Trump. Remember that basket of deplorables, apparently it overflows in North Carolina? Crilly commented that in Roxboro, he had seen "...the future of the alt-right."

And yes, come January 20, of 2017, the alt-right will reside in the Donald Trump White House in the form of Steve Bannon, former head of Breitbart News, a known racist, woman hater and anti-semitic. Bannon will be at the top of the totem pole in the Trump administration as the chief strategist, no doubt guiding policy in the alt-right direction which is to establish white nationalism in the United States. And Donald Trump regularly spewed during the election he would represent all people.

It is unimaginable to me how the American public made it possible for a man like Donald Trump to become President. I realize that concentration camps for these uneducated rednecks is a stretch, but I wonder how many out there today would relish the opportunity to get as far away from these lunatics

Congressional members with NRA blood on their hands

Rep. Paul Ryan

Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) (1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!

Congressman: Rep. Paul Ryan Speaker of the House (R-WI)

Total amount received: $36,800

Tel. Number: (202) 225-3031

Bernie sanders blasts Donald Trump's billionaire Cabinet

In an interview with Chris Hayes of MSNBC, Bernie Sanders was his usual self in describing President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks of billionaires and millionaires. Hayes showed a clip of Trump's rhetoric criticizing Wall Street, saying they wouldn't get away with anything. Well, they got away with the "golden goose" in the Cabinet choices he has made so far. See Matt Rocheleau's line up. Rocheleau comments:

"Collectively, the wealth of his Cabinet choices so far is roughly four times greater than President Obama’s Cabinet and nearly 30 times greater than the one George W. Bush led at the end of his presidency."

And this is just half of the Cabinet so far. Bernie points out that, not only is Trump not criticizing Wall Street, he is appointing its insiders to help him run the country. The Bern deemed it sheer hypocrisy and laughable in the following video...

Chris Hayes talks about how happy Wall Street must be with only billionaires and millionaires so far to determine the future of the middle class. I hope those uneducated redneck supporters of Donald Trump are looking at this and realize what a momentous mistake they have made. Something tells me these people may never realize just how bad they are being screwed. There are more Cabinet members to be chosen but there is no reason to think it will change.

As Bernie Sanders said, we have elected a fraud and a phony.

The new President-elect just can't keep his mouth shut

President -elect Donald Trump

Just coming off a major diplomatic faux pas by taking a call from Taiwan's President--a no-no since Beijing is recognized by the U.S. as China's head--Donald Trump has now "...accused China of keeping its currency artificially low and of military posturing in the South China Sea -- home to a tense territorial dispute." Here's Trump at his best...

"Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the US doesn't tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so!"

CNN reports there has been no reaction from Beijing yet on either issue as I reported earlier. But according "...to the People's Daily -- the Communist Party's official mouthpiece --"the call set a bad precedent." The spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lu Kang, says China is only interested in U.S. policy, not Donald Trump's style. The People's Daily also said, "China will not take it lightly.

This has to be the first time a President-elect has started a "war," with a foreign power before they even take office. I am, of course, speaking of a war of words. Chinese international relations expert, Victor Gao, said, "...that Trump could say what he liked as President-elect but his comments would have huge global consequences once in office." Sounds like a mandate to me from someone who is an expert on U.S.-China relations.

Congressional members with NRA blood on their hands

Rep. Sam Graves

Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) (1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!

Congressman: Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO)
Total amount received: $37,100                                                                               Tel. Number: )202) 225-7041