Moscow Mitch and his Republican Senate received big donations from Trump defense team

We know Republicans are corrupt from the top down and there is no reason to believe this isn't true for the impeachment trial. Members of Trump's legal team made several contributions to key Senate Republicans last year just before joining the president's legal team. Here's the scenario...

"Former independent counsels Ken Starr and Robert Ray, who both investigated former President Bill Clinton ahead of his impeachment, contributed thousands of dollars to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last year before they joined the president’s team, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics (CFPR)."

This reflects on McConnell's statement he would be in, “total coordination with the White House counsel’s office and the people who are representing the president in the well of the Senate.” Moscow Mitch followed this with...

“Everything I do during this, I’m coordinating with the White House counsel. There will be no difference between the president’s position and our position as to how to handle this.”

If that isn't a payoff, I don't know what is. Starr's $2,700 contribution to Lindsey Graham in 2017, apparently cinched up the fact...

"Graham has been one of the most ardent Trump defenders in the Senate and previously pushed for Republicans to dismiss the impeachment charges against Trump without a trial."

Conversely, "Sekulow, White House counsel Pat Cipollone and deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin all also gave thousands to Sen. Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign," while Romney is one of the most outspoken Republicans to voice support for witnesses. Go figure. And Trump did do some fundraising for suck-up Republicans, but he did snub Susan Collins, R-Maine, who has said she may be open to witnesses.

The whole thing does come down to what I said in the beginning, 'We know Republicans are corrupt from the top down and there is no reason to believe this isn't true for the impeachment trial.' I know many are asking this same question, will this country ever be free of this kind of sordid GOP politics? At this point, I would question the possibilities.   READ MORE...

Lobbyist to government job aids NRA agenda

Benjamin Cassidy left the National Rifle Assn. for a job at the US interior department in the Donald Trump administration in 2017. It wasn't long before he called NRA head, Wayne LaPierre, and his minions to open the gates of the Interior to this organization. The Guardian has previously unreleased communications proving what...

"potent influence that industry lobbyists and conservative organizations enjoy at a government agency where many key leaders are former lobbyists and conservative activists themselves."

It's bad enough when it is just a Republican in Congress supporting the NRA, but when it is a government employee, from an agency like Interior, and who is a former NRA employee, there is no end to the damage that can be done. The Guardian reports...

"The NRA has made the most of this dynamic during the Trump presidency, leveraging its connections to shape policy outcomes and personnel decisions at the interior department."

And here is an excellent example...

"In 2017, for instance, Susan LaPierre, a prominent NRA member and the wife of NRA leader Wayne LaPierre, was appointed by the head of the interior department to the board of the National Parks Foundation, a congressionally chartered organization that supports park programs."

And the  interior secretary, David Bernhardt commented recently...

“Respecting our second amendment is fundamental to our constitutional republic. We’re expanding opportunities to enjoy hunting and recreational shooting on our wonderful public lands.”

There is nothing wrong with the Hunting and recreational shooting on public lands, but the narrative just illustrates how Bernhardt and the interior agency are dominated by the NRA. Like all government agencies under Donald Trump's administration. And here's something I have first-hand knowledge of...

"Target shooting in the Sonoran Desert national monument in Arizona is controversial – it has damaged archeological artifacts, destroyed saguaro cacti, and harmed other natural and cultural resources."

I cannot tell you how many once-beautiful, age-old saguaro cacti I have seen on the side of the road that are dying because some dim-witted gun nut used it for target practice. Pathetic!   READ MORE...

Can the group Fix Our Senate dump Moscow Mitch

Moscow Mitch McConnell has done everything possible to thwart the Democratic agenda, starting with Barack Obama's administration to the impeachment of Donald Trump. He is running against Amy McGrath in Kentucky for his Senate seat and so far it is a close race with McGrath closing in on McConnell in rankings and fundraising. Now she is getting some help from a new group named, Fix Our Senate, which aims to unseat Moscow Mitch.

The organization provides facts on McConnell...

"McConnell is both extremely powerful and highly unpopular, with a favorability rating of 29.8% in the latest average of polls tracked by Real Clear Politics." He has an unfavorable rank of 48.

"McConnell is already the least popular politician in America — now, we’re going to shine a light on McConnell and every ally who supports him," the group's director, Joshua Karp, a Democratic strategist and communications consultant, tells us.

FOS says it will contend that Moscow Mitch...

"is disproportionately responsible for wealth inequality, rising drug prices, conservative judicial confirmations, hyper-partisanship, legislative gridlock and the likely acquittal of President Trump in the Senate trial."

Fix Our Senate is connected to SEIU, Demand Justice, Indivisible, Protect Our Care and For Our Future.

But here's what McConnell adviser Josh Holmes told Axios...

the group is "welcome to take a number and get in line" in order "to fleece donors into underwriting yet another expedition in search the left’s white whale."

Obviously, the blatant arrogance does not stop with Moscow Mitch. The FOS attack promises to expose...

"McConnell and his record and leadership strategies to share with activists and surrogates and shape opinion."

Bon Voyage and the best of luck!   READ MORE...

Will the White House blind-siding Republicans over Bolton's book change votes?

Trump nothing but a bluff who folds when adversaries fight back

The White House had a copy of the John Bolton book draft but told no one about it. This obviously left Republican Senators hanging as well as the Democrats. But the Dems already know their goal, which is to convict Donald Trump in the impeachment trial. The question is, will the Bolton incident, plus other recent events, convince those GOPers on the edge to vote for a conviction? In a Salon commentary Bob Cesca poses the mystery of...

"why so many Republicans who are willing to bet their reputations on relentlessly defending Donald Trump, especially now."

One reason might be that the Republican machine is in the process of imploding and for some insane reason they believe T-rump is holding it together. Another, many of these Republicans owe the Oval Office lunatic for the gold mine he gave them when they were among the wealthy who shared generously in his tax cuts. It might fly if Trump was all the things of George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan in their election popularity, but as Cesca put it...

"Trump is a flop-sweating mess, and more of us should be asking why they don’t just cut bait and try their luck with conserva-droid Mike Pence."

But, please no, not Mike Pence because we will just have to go through impeachment proceedings all over again. And with great eloquence, although lengthy, Bob Cesca nails Donald Trump for the idiot he is...

"Among thousands of liabilities, Trump is busily faking his way through his presidency with such lumbering, self-satirical awkwardness that he has the very real potential of exploding the entire party through his viral obnoxiousness, his treachery, his proud dumbness and his 16,241 lies to date. Every national Republican has been repeatedly forced to pooper-scooper Trump’s tweets and his chopper-talk hollering, turning the phrase “the president tweets a lot of things” into the new party slogan. And unlike Bush or Reagan before him, Trump’s approval is permanently capped at an anemic 45 percent at best, and he clearly believes he’s only capable of winning re-election by extorting foreign governments into helping him cheat."

This article is really worth reading in it entirety.  

Republican Senate are collaborators and complicit

In the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, a sworn Senate of Republicans, who gave an oath to uphold objectivity in their decision making, have become mired in their own complicity and collaborative efforts to ignore the hard facts against the Oval Office lunatic. Charles Pierce nails it in this piece, long but so comprehensive...

"In this, no Republican was different from any other Republican. Lisa Murkowski and Tom Cotton were the same. Thom Tillis and Ted Cruz were the same. Cory Gardner and Jim Inhofe were the same. Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse were the same as Mike Rounds and Mike Enzi. And they were all the same as Mitch McConnell. There were no moderate Republicans in the Senate on Tuesday. There were no Never Trumpers. There were only collaborators. There was no independence in the Senate on Tuesday, only complicity. And it was a deadening, sad thing to watch."

The AlterNet headline of the article this was taken from says it all: "Why we are witnessing the death of reason among Republicans." The fact is that this actually poses a question that must be on the mind of millions of Americans which is simply terrifying since there doesn't seem to be an answer. Why would Donald Trump do what he is doing to this country? Why would Moscow Mitch McConnell do what he is doing to this country. The quick answer is greed and corruption.

The article cites "Fox News and the rest of the right-wing propaganda network" as supplying the filter through which all this right side of the political bullshit is delivered to those double digits that listen to this network. Pierce observes the House Managers on the Democratic side "providing facts and evidence," while on the other side...

"all the latter had to do was show up and count on their propaganda network to gin up fear and loathing for anyone who dares to challenge the president."

And then the piece concludes...

"That is why we are witnessing the death of reason on the Republican side."

What more is there to say?   READ MORE...

Donald Trump followers adore him for weird reasons

Dave Eggers is a combination screenwriter/nonfiction writer and his latest is a book, “The Captain and the Glory," which has the following passage in the opening pages...

 “Any imbecile might decide on a certain Monday to become a captain, and by Tuesday, with no qualifications whatsoever, that imbecile could take charge of a 300,000-ton vessel and the thousands of lives contained within.”

This tome is a satirical novel that captures the personality of the Donald Trump supporter...

"He writes of a petulant Captain — a man who is quick to toss his opposition overboard, makes nonsensical morning announcements about spiders that typically slip into observations about his penis, and steers the ship and its passengers further and further out to sea."

Eggers spent time on the T-rump 2016 campaign trail talking to followers about "people and families who have been struggling mightily due to his policies on immigration, asylum, and other related issues." Eggers conclusion...

"they don’t always get at the comical absurdity and the horror on a grand scale that I feel we’ve been going through."

The author looked for an even "larger story." What he came up with was...

"the cartoonish madness and the loss of all moral compass and sanity. I think plenty of essays and columnists and late-night TV hosts have been doing a good job of reflecting on that every day but I thought that there might be a spot for an allegory or some sort of parable that kind of put it in stark relief."

This line from the book begins to describe the typical Trump booster...

“Because he was unscripted when he told lies — he was the most honest captain they’d ever known.”

The sense here is that no matter how many lies the Oval Office lunatic tells his chosen people, they will not only believe them, they will also love him for it. There is more and I suggest you read this entire AlterNet article written by Ashlie D. Stevens for Salon.

Cult expert describes Donald Trump supporters

The Donald Trump cult

Steven Hassan, a former cult member and expert on cults says Trump uses a “very sophisticated mind-control techniques” through various media, he said, to push a “black-and-white, all-or-nothing, good-versus-evil, authoritarian view of reality that is mostly fear-based.” Hassan has just written a book, “The Cult of Trump,” described by Amazon as an...

"eye-opening analysis of Trump and the indoctrination tactics he uses to build a fanatical devotion in his supporters."

Hassan continues...

“[What] really made me think of Trump as a cult was the way the groups who supported him were behaving, especially religious groups who believed that God had chosen Trump or was using Trump."

Hassan believes that not all Trump followers are of the cult ilk, but my experience with those I know provides the fact that they certainly seem completely brain-washed to the extent that they cannot see that Donald Trump does any harm whatsoever. Like the religious folk above, T-rump is some kind of God and that he can do no wrong. And the fact is, I have known these people on Facebook since the Oval Office lunatic's inauguration and they have not changed.

Hassan uses Trump stooge, Lindsey Graham as an example of those who refuse to hear the Truth. After it has become perfectly clear that Trump did hold back aid to Ukraine for the Joe Biden dirt issue, Graham can only counter with yelling at Democrats about “exposing” their “hatred.” Other Republicans are ridiculed in the media over their ridiculous excuses for the White House maniac and a long line of lies that simply mirror T-rump. It is beyond pathetic!   READ MORE...

Mike Bloomberg intent on seeing Donald Trump defeated

Michael Bloomberg-Donald Trump

Michael Bloomberg is running for President and my headline is meant to emphasize the fact that he seems to be more concerned with how bad Donald Trump is than how good he is. Bloomberg's "long-standing policy of bankrolling his political ambitions puts him in conflict with the Democratic National Committee’s requirements for participating in presidential primary debates." Bloomberg is spending heavily in several key swing states...

"Since jumping in the race in November, Bloomberg has spent $24 million in Florida, and nearly $11 million in Pennsylvania. He's also about $8 million in Ohio and North Carolina, $7 million in Michigan, and more than $4 million each in Arizona and Wisconsin, all of which are states Mr. Trump won in 2016 and will likely need to win again in 2020."

The former New York Mayor's 1,000+ campaign team Axios describes as well-oiled and financed, is looking at Trump's 2016 drive, and concentrating its advertising on...

"Facebook which was a major factor in the 2016 election and getting Bloomberg’s face on TV in much the same way Trump built his brand as a reality TV show host."

Bloomberg may be missing the debates, but he does have a strategy that is designed to point out corruption while illustrating his acumen in governing and business expertise...

“Like Trump, Bloomberg promises ad nauseam to replicate his professional success in governance. Many of Bloomberg’s ads follow the rough arc of: 1) Hit Trump … 2) Why the problem matters … 3) What Mike did as New York mayor … 4) What Mike would do as president."

According to RealClearPolitics, Michael Bloomberg beats Donald Trump in November 46.5% to 43.3% and counting with the impeachment Senate trial bound to have more effect on those figures. 

Did Trump have to bribe Senate for their impeachment votes?

Moscow Mitch McConnell

That smirk on Moscow Mitch's face is there for a reason. He has profited financially from this whole Ukraine/impeachment affair. In an article from October of 2019, Salon exposes the fact that...

"Political action committees for Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham reportedly accepted $7.35 million in contributions from a Ukrainian-born oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 2016 election. McConnell and Graham are co-sponsors of a new resolution condemning the House impeachment inquiry."

 Aside from the fact that Donald Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts were a dismal failure for the average American, and were confirmed to have only benefited only the wealthy, now there is another hidden factor reported by RawStory...

"A new report reveals that the 2017 GOP tax law was rife with monumental self-dealing by rich GOP lawmakers who have since benefited bigly. According to a Center for Public Integrity analysis, several Republican members of Congress directly cashed in on the multibillion-dollar windfall from the corporate tax cuts the GOP pushed through on a party-line vote."

There's more...

"At least seven Republican senators owned stocks in companies that spent billions on buybacks, resulting in great personal profit, according to the Center for Public Integrity. The report came on the same day that former New York Rep. Chris Collins, who was the first sitting GOP congressman to support Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, was sentenced to 26 months in prison for insider trading."

In hindsight, the Republican Congress obviously knew what they were doing when they fast-tracked Trump's Tax Cuts, knowing full well the rewards they would eventually reap. And these Senators won't forget...

"Republican senators in purple states, like Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and David Perdue of Georgia, have personally reaped hundreds of millions from the tax law and are repaying the president by serving as his impeachment propaganda machine rather than impartial jurors..."

Fortunately, John Bolton release of his book manuscript condemning Donald Trump could very well change the whole outlook of the Senate trial. 

It's in the book: Trump told John Bolton Ukraine aid conditioned on Biden investigation

John Bolton

John Bolton is, of course, writing a book, and from the manuscript draft it is learned that, "Trump told him US security assistance to Ukraine was conditioned on investigations into Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden." It apparently brought the Senate trial to a screeching halt, momentarily, not to mention the tremendous publicity for Bolton's tome. Mitt Romney exclaimed that Bolton would probably have to testify.

Romney's comment is pretty cavalier over an issue that seems so obvious to Democrats, even the American public; a Reuters/Ipsos poll provided that about...

"72% agreed that the trial “should allow witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the impeachment charges to testify,” including 84% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans."

Yet both Donald Trump and Moscow Mitch McConnell still say no; Trump because he knows he's guilty and wants to cover up, and McConnell to protect Trump and himself and the power he wields over the Senate. Republican Senators are pissed since the White House has had a copy of Bolton's MS since the end of December and said nothing. Democrats are obviously demanding the former national security adviser testimony and now it looks inevitable. 
READ MORE...

Is Donald Trump mental state more dangerous now?

Donald Trump talking about Elon Musk, Tesla inventor, comparing him with Thomas Edison, as if he were alive...

“He’s one of our great geniuses, and we have to protect our genius,” Trump said. “You know, we have to protect Thomas Edison, and we have to protect all of these people that came up with originally the light bulb, and the wheel and all of these things. And he’s one of our very smart people, and we want to cherish those people.”

Maya Wiley, a former attorney for the ACLU and NAACP, recently talking to Brian Williams said that "she found Trump “both sad and disturbing.”  She added...

“I had a mother who had Alzheimer’s and passed away, and it’s not funny. We should be very concerned about his health.”

“To speak about Thomas Edison as if he is still alive is simply something that is scary,” Wiley said. Yale psychiatry professor Bandy X. Lee, the founder of the World Mental Health Coalition, commented...

“We must consider Donald Trump’s mental compromise as being threefold: emotional, cognitive and neurological — including potential substance misuse,” Lee said. “While it is not possible to come to a diagnosis from a distance, it is very possible to distinguish many things, such as abnormal symptoms and signs — whether these are patterns of strategic presentation or stereotypical disease over time, trends of decline and dangerousness.”

The man in question sits in the Oval Office, readily accessible to the button for the bomb, which makes his "dangerousness" even more critical. If the Republican Senate jurors can't see this, they also deserve to be removed from office. We must impeachment Donald Trump!   READ MORE...

Democrats can turn 2016 Electoral College loss around

A recent RawStory report shows "Not only has the president lost support among women, he’s lost support among his own loyalists, who admit that Trump is guilty." As Trump boasts of his approval rating, it turns out that "51 percent of Americans support removing Trump from office, a new CNN poll showed. In Trump's impeachment trial, while Moscow Mitch McConnell continues to throw up barriers protecting T-rump, 70% of the public want to see witnesses.

That would indicate to me that Americans are tired of the way Senate Republicans are handling the trial and would like to try the truth for a change. Here's the scenario...

“In both the CNN and Monmouth polls, we end up with a seemingly remarkable result,” wrote Phillip Bump for the Post. “There is more support for throwing Trump out of office than there is support for his administration. In what might seem alarming to the Trump reelection campaign, that holds both in battleground states (according to CNN) and in swing counties where the 2016 margin was 10 points or smaller (according to Monmouth).”

This should get Democrats off their butts and proceed to November with a strategy to lock up the states necessary to beat the Oval Office lunatic. 

READ MORE... 

Trump's leading impeachment lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, incompetent?

Alan Dershowitz has a big problem with the law and history

Alan Dershowitz

CNN's John Berman makes a solid case against Donald Trump's leading counsel in the impeachment proceedings that tends to question the competence of Alan Dershowitz. Berman, a Harvard graduate and Dershowitz a former Harvard law professor disagree about the law and about history. Here's the scenario...

“Professor Dershowitz is wrong about the law and wrong about the history here. Presidents have been impeached and tried for things that are not crimes. Judges have been impeached and tried for things that are not crimes, including drunkenness, by the way, which is not a crime.”

“And not only does Alan Dershowitz — and we played that [clip] — disagree with Alan Dershowitz, but so does Alexander Hamilton.” Here's the video...

Berman quotes John Hamilton on the issue...

"‘Those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men or in other words the abuse or violation of some public trust.'”

But Berman also believes this won't deter Dershowitz in the least in the proceedings.   READ MORE...

Michael Cohen warned us about Donald Trump-He was so right

Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen was Donald Trump's personal lawyer for twelve years, a vice president of the Trump organization, dubbed by many as Trump's "fixer." Perhaps few people knew T-rump better. AlterNet reported Adam Schiff's closing remarks in the Senate impeachment trial...

"stating the obvious: the facts prove that Donald Trump is guilty as charged. We all know it. But the question remains as to whether he should be removed from office. Schiff makes the case that Trump should be removed because he has demonstrated that he will choose his own personal interests over protecting our national interests—which makes him dangerous."

And then he spoke of Michael Cohen's warning...

“the more people that follow Mr. Trump as I did blindly are going to suffer the same consequences that I’m suffering.”

He was in jail, a convicted felon for fraud and perjury. Others followed as he had cautioned. Even though Adam Schiff had done a momentous job of making his impeachment case against the Oval Office lunatic, it was obvious sitting Senate Republicans would do anything possible to protect Trump. AlterNet describes the close...

"Schiff ended on Thursday night by composing “a love letter to democracy and truth” that will go down in history as proof that we refused to become collaborators in the assault against what is right and true."

It is worth your time to read this article and listen to the nine-minute video of Schiff. 

Trump lies again big time, about former Ukraine Ambassador 

Parnas, Fruman, Trump

Donald Trump's lies are, well, historic, momentous, something that will go down in history as perhaps the largest source of double-dealing falsification we have ever experienced. Now, apparently a Giuliani/Parmas pal by the name of Igor Fruman taped Trump calling for the firing of Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. T-rump disclaimed even knowing Parnas, although...

"ABC News reported Friday morning that it reviewed audio of a dinner attended by Trump, Parnas, Fruman, and others. A voice that appears to be the president’s tells the group that he wanted to “get rid of” Yovanovitch, per ABC, an apparent contradiction to Trump’s claim that he does not know Parnas."

As of December of 2019, the Oval Office lunatic had delivered 15,413 lies to the American people, all of which have apparently been absorbed by Trump supporters as the truth, which speaks to the level of their mental state. There's more re. the Fruman, Parnas, Giuliani meeting with Trump...

"Parnas has previously described a dinner at Trump Hotel with supporters of the president in April 2018 that he and Fruman attended. He said that he raised concerns about Yovanovitch to Trump, and that the president then turned to an aide and told him she should be fired. At the time, Yovanovitch was the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Giuliani, Fruman, and Parnas were trying to have her fired."

Good God, can there be any doubt left that Donald Trump deserves impeachment?   READ MORE...

Chief Justice John Roberts so far a "potted plant"

Apparently Chief Justice John Roberts, who is supposed to be the referee in Donald Trump's impeachment trial, has decided to side with his Republican colleagues in overseeing the proceedings. AlterNet reports...

"He is presiding over this trial, which is supposed to mean enforcing the rules, not acting like a potted plant and doing whatever it is he’s been doing—catching up on reading? Crossword puzzles? We don’t know that either, because Mitch McConnell didn’t let any cameras in besides the ones controlled by him."

This all looks good now but how will it play in November when those 50% of the American public who want Trump impeached go to the polls? Democrats overwhelmingly support his ouster, "as of January 20, 84 percent of Democrats want Trump removed from office." The Vox article, above, also provides a look into the total fairness of the trial...

"On the issue of fairness, 53 percent of respondents said Republicans will hold a fair trial, and 50 percent said Democrats are advocating for the inclusion of witnesses and additional evidence only because doing so will make the trial more fair. Similarly, 54 percent said they disapprove of how Republicans are handling the trial, and 50 percent said they disapprove of the Democrats’ approach."

So far, the major unfairness of the Senate impeachment trial appears to be Moscow Mitch McConnell. 

Trump can be beat in November on the economy

If you think Donald Trump can just breeze on back to the White House in November, think again. Here's a recent headline: "Trump boasts the US economy is the best it's ever been under his watch." This article continues with several charts proving this isn't true. But Columbia University economist Joseph Eugene Stiglitz, also a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, comments in Common Dreams...

"It is becoming conventional wisdom that US President Donald Trump will be tough to beat in November, because, whatever reservations about him voters may have, he has been good for the American economy. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Although corporate America raves about Trump's tax cuts that primarily benefited the rich and the current high stock prices, this no barometer of  "ordinary citizens’ living standards or anything about sustainability." Stiglitz continues...

"In fact, US economic performance over the past four years is Exhibit A in the indictment against relying on these indicators. The lion’s share of the increase in GDP is also going to those at the top."

The economist adds...

"Trump may be a good president for the top 1%—and especially for the top 0.1%—but he has not been good for everyone else. If fully implemented, the 2017 tax cut will result in tax increases for most households in the second, third, and fourth income quintiles."

It is all beginning to unravel as it becomes obvious that everything the White House does, and the Republicans behind Donald Trump, is to heap the rewards on wealthy Americans and corporate America. Read this article through to the end and you will learn how us average Americans have lost out to the upper elite.

Why Parnas and Bolton must testify

Lev Parnas and associate

Rudy Giuliani's henchman Lev Parnas has been lurking in the background of Donald Trump's impeachment for several weeks, willing to testify, but nothing happening. First the White House blocked testimony, and now Moscow Mitch is fighting against any Democrat's witnesses in the Senate trial. They know what Parnas knows as well as John Bolton and that is is why Republicans are doing everything possible to keep them away.

Parnas has also implicated Mike Pence after the vice president said he didn't even know Pence. Parnas then produced a photo of him and Mike Pence together. And the lies keep coming. AlterNet reports...

"Parnas is the reason Republicans are so scared of opening the Senate trial of Trump to witness testimony. According to Parnas, everyone was in on the Ukraine scheme. Trump himself, of course, but also Vice President Mike Pence was in on it. So was Attorney General William Barr, so was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and so were Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and national security adviser John Bolton."

So, what we are saying here is that all these political hacks had something to do with the charges that have been verified to impeach T-rump, which would lead one to the conclusion they should give sworn testimony to their involvement. Here's more reason for Parnas' testimony...

"Parnas has letters, text messages, contemporaneous notes, travel documents and more to back up his recollections of what happened as Trump tried to muscle Ukraine into aiding his re-election campaign by announcing an investigation of Biden. Trump was obviously getting ready to pound Biden with Ukraine conspiracy allegations the same way he pounded Hillary Clinton about her emails in 2016."

There is a clear path of obstruction by Republicans of these witnesses, above, supported by Senate head, Moscow Mitch. There have been recent whimpers of softening on the issue by some in the GOP, particularly moderates. It's time to do the right thing or go down in flames with the Oval Office lunatic. 
READ MORE... 

80% of Black America labels Trump a racist

It is disconcerting enough when the bubbas out there use the N word, but when it is the President of the United States, well, it hurts a little more. And that is the understatement of the year. But were we ever at the point where racism was actually subsiding, or have these niceties over the year just been a facade for a deep seated nationwide racism? I think the latter, and although not an expert on the issue, I grew up in the deep South and can recognize signals.

The RawStory reports the optimism among blacks when Barack Obama was elected President in 2008 , rejoicing again when he was reelected in 2012. I felt the same about Obama's election as I did when John F. Kennedy went to the White House. Kennedy was stopped by an assassin's bullet, Obama by a political assassin by the name of Moscow Mitch McConnell. Moscow Mitch is as much of a racist as is Donald Trump and both need to go.  READ MORE...

Who says nobody likes Bernie Sanders?

Hillary Clinton statement "Nobody likes Bernie Sanders" backfires

Here is Newsweek's headline: "#ILIKEBERNIE TRENDS AFTER HILLARY CLINTON SAYS 'NOBODY LIKES' BERNIE SANDERS." This sent Bernie's supporters to the Internet in the thousands to show just how much they do like Bernie Sanders. And you would think someone as disliked as Clinton was in 2016, when she and Debbie Wasserman Schultz colluded to secretly give the Democratic nomination to Hillary, would keep her mouth shut. But she didn't, and now it is clear who the most liked of the two is.

Clinton even indicated the possibility that she might not support Sanders if he receives the nomination for this November's election. This at a time when Bernie is surging in the polls...

"Overall, 27% of registered voters who are Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents back Sanders, while 24% favor Biden."

It is clear moderate Democrats are hell-bound to knock Bernie Sanders out of the race simply because he is both Progressive and an Independent. It isn't working because there are 57.7 million Progressives out there and of the 137.4 million Independents, 52% are Progressive, Get used to it old line Democrats.   READ MORE...

Trump stoops low...again

Donald Trump is just...unconscionable

Once again the Oval Office lunatic takes his misinformation abroad and spews it on the folks at Davos, Switzerland. He was asked...

"about the clear discrepancy between his initial claim that no Americans had been harmed in Iran's retaliatory strikes against a US base in Iraq and reports of 11 military personnel diagnosed with concussions and an unnamed number of others also being treated in the wake of the attack."

Trump replied...

"No, I heard that they had headaches, and a couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it's not very serious."

He dismisses the injuries of American soldiers as if it is nothing, as much as calling anyone who complains a crybaby. This idiot is beyond comparison with any human being in my lifetime. CNN's Barbara Starr comments...

"the military has made a significant push in recent years to identify and treat traumatic brain injury associated with combat roles, making Trump's downplaying of the injuries suffered by the troops all the more problematic."

CNN reminds us that Trump was draft age for the Vietnam War but received five deferments that kept him at home; one for being a student and four more for medical reasons, the latter of which have become doutbful upon investigation. Afraid to fight but willing to question those who do. It doesn't get any worse. Or...will it?

.Richmond pro-gun rally on Martin Luther King Day

MLK was killed with a gun and gun nuts are celebrating their toys today in Richmond

Richmond at its worst

NPR reports...

"The city of Richmond, Va., is under a state of emergency Monday morning as thousands of gun ownership enthusiasts and armed militia members gather at the Virginia State Capitol for a large rally aimed at quashing new gun laws."

This is in retaliation to Virginia's Gov. Ralph Northam temporarily banning firearms from Capitol grounds and a number of gun control laws passed recently in the state. This all coincides with the fact that today is Martin Luther King's birthday and he died from gun violence, which rings alarm bells with locals it could turn into a white supremacist incident like Charlottesville. It was here anti-racism protesters left protester Heather Heyer dead and 19 others injured.

Racism and guns definitely don't mix and it is those two issues that are the number one problems in this country today,  especially fostered by the maniac in the White House.   READ MORE...

Moscow Mitch perjurer before impeachment trial starts

McConnell perjured himself taking impeachment oath

The miserable Moscow Mitch

Former President George W. Bush's ethics chief branded Moscow Mitch a perjurer after the Senator took the impeachment ethics vote knowing full well he would not be impartial in the trial. Moscow Mitch has no ethics, never has, except to himself and the Republican Party. Power is his middle name and he will do anything to achieve his goals. He is ruthless but smart after years in the upper House and with the impeachment hearings starting, many think he will be at his miserable best.

Here's the take from Aila Slisco of Newsweek...

"McConnell has explicitly indicated he has no intention of being impartial, vowing to work closely with White House counsel and Trump as the trial approached. Richard Painter, Bush's chief ethics lawyer from 2005 to 2007, denounced the senator on Twitter for contradicting himself by taking the oath."

Painter tweeted...

"This man just swore an oath saying the exact opposite. This man is a perjurer."

 As further proof, there was this NPR headline...

McConnell: 'I'm Not Impartial' About Impeachment

It is perfectly clear where Moscow Mitch is going with the Senate impeachment trial, and, of course, he has his nimrod assistant, Lindsey Graham. And folks, these are the imbeciles running our government.   READ MORE...

Donald Trump's corruption, sexism, cruelty and bigotry for 2020

That's how to beat Donald Trump in November says noted conservative strategist Rick Wilson

Rick Wilson

He has advised successful Republican candidates for years, but recently has made it his life's work to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election. He even takes credit for some of the undesirables in the GOP today. Wilson describes it that he has "contributed to the hyper-partisan, zero-sum political world that we live in today." He has a new book out,  “Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump — and Democrats from Themselves.”

The book isn't about ideology, according to Wilson "it’s about how to defeat the racist, sexist, grifter who threatens the future of our nation. It’s truly that simple." Knowing the ins and outs of the GOP, my hunch is we will glean some excellent strategy from his book, Here's his approach...

"To beat Trump, make the entire election about his corruption, sexism, cruelty and bigotry. Wilson believes that if the 2020 election is framed as a choice between four more years of toxic Trump or another person — virtually any person — Americans will pick the non-Trump on the ballot."

Here's the clincher, forget national polls and focus on winning the Electoral College. That's what Hillary didn't do and what the soon to be nominated Democratic candidate must do. 

How high can Trump lies soar?

How do you explain 81 Donald Trump lies in one week to your children? You can't.

By the CNN count last week's Donald Trump lies "tied for the fifth-highest total in the 27 weeks we have counted at CNN. He lied 81 times with the usual arrogance of someone who is completely comfortable as a narcissist buffoon. No one can blame Trudeau and company plus Putin and Assad for making fun of him behind his back. Trump's idiocy is universal and could be sold for a brand as equal to Holiday Inns or Proctor & Gamble. The whole world recognizes it.

CNN commented...

"It was an eclectic batch of dishonesty. Among other things, Trump took unearned credit for both the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace agreement and for the drop in the US cancer death rate, absurdly claimed that NATO "had no money" before his presidency, wrongly denied that his golf excursions cost taxpayers any money, and repeated his usual varied inaccuracies about impeachment, immigration and the nuclear agreement with Iran."

After the 81 record false claims last week, his average was around 61 per week, and shows no signs of slowing down. Trump is dying for a Nobel, something that would lower this award to something less than imaginable. At a recent rally, "he claimed that he was a more deserving recipient than Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed." Ahmed received the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his part making a peace deal with neighboring Eritrea.

It was for settling a border dispute with this neighboring country, something Donald Trump could learn from rather than criticizing Ahmed's award. Pathetic!
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