The Sad, Sad Truth About the Rise of Trump

What is happening today in the Republican Party has its roots in 1968, the year George Corley Wallace, the former governor of Alabama, broke from the Democratic Party and ran for President as the nominee of the American Independent Party. Wallace ran as an avowed segregationist and collected 9,901,118 popular votes and 46 votes in the Electoral College. Based on Wallace's success with "blue collar whites" the Republican Party starting with Richard Nixon developed the "Southern strategy" that involved attracting these same voters with coded racial messages. Two historical examples of this strategy are worth noting. The first was Ronald Reagan's reference to "welfare queens" in 1976. The second was George Bush's use of the Willie Horton campaign commercials against Michael Dukakais in 1988. Regardless, the Republican Party has stoked racial fear and anxiety for almost 50 years although never as overtly as Wallace did.

Now we have Donald Trump. For the longest time I couldn't understand the rise of Trump. For years, I have been snowed, as many other political observers have, as the Republican Party has claimed that their core message is small government, lower taxes, anti-abortion, "traditional" marriage, etc., and for many Republicans that is true. I have listened as Republican after Republican has complained that their candidates are not "conservative enough." Then along came Trump. While there are many factors in his rise, being "conservative enough" is definitely not one of them. Trump has a history of supporting many of the things that "real conservatives" would never support. He has certainly supported enough of these positions to never, ever meet the standard of being "conservative enough."

So what is the real reason Trump is so popular with so many Republicans? The answer has two parts: the existence of the first black President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, coupled with Trump's overt racist message. The timing of President Obama's election to the highest office in the land in this analysis is no coincidence. The fact that so many Republicans are willing to enthusiastically support a man who actually speaks to none of the Republican Party's core issues, but a man who does overtly slam blacks, Hispanics and Muslims, even mocks the disabled, tells me that these folks were never "conservative enough" in the first place. I read an interview with an older white woman who says she supports Trump. The reason? She said that when she walked into a store before Obama was President, the store clerks looked at her with respect. Now, she says, those same store clerks, presumably black, look at her like they hate her. She blames Obama for changing their "attitude" toward her.

This is the sad, sad truth about the rise of Trump.

Just Because You Are A Liberal Doesn't Mean You Have To Be Stupid

I was opposed to the Keystone Pipeline when it was routed through the environmentally sensitive Sand Hills region of the Ogallala Aquifer, but once the route was changed to protect the Aquifer, I supported the Keystone Pipeline.

I support local businesses and protecting the environment, but when Bass Pro Shops planned to build a store in my area and bring 250 admittedly minimum wage jobs and tax revenue of $1.5 million per year...or they would build a store in the next county and take their jobs and tax revenue with them, I supported the development in my area.

I support the constitution, but when the President of either political party says they may need to take action to save hundreds of thousands of Americans from a catastrophic terrorist act, I support my President.

I believe that when 97% of scientists tell me that climate change is a problem, that climate change is a problem. But I also believe that, until we develop alternatives to fossil fuels, we need to use as little Middle Eastern oil as possible.

I know people who are opposed to anything to do with oil or gas or coal, who are opposed to almost all business or development, and who are opposed to rational national security...but being a liberal doesn't mean you have to be stupid in your beliefs.

There is such a person as a rational liberal. I know, because I am one.

My next post should be titled: "Just Because You Are A Conservative Doesn't Mean You Have to Be Stupid." I may write this post when I meet a rational conservative who is not dogmatic. It could be a while.

Open Letter from the President of the NRA

We face a critical time in the history of our nation. President Obama and his jackbooted thugs want to confiscate your only means of ensuring that our nation remain free. Without your handguns, rifles, shotguns and so-called assault weapons, there would be little chance of repelling the US military with their tanks, drones and nuclear weapons from installing a dictatorship in America.

We are only a handgun away from the shredding of the Constitution and imposition of tyranny. All we need do is look at the United Kingdom, France and Australia to see how quickly tyranny follows gun control. Okay, maybe it hasn't actually happened in those countries, but any century now it could.

What part of the 2nd Amendment is not clear? As long as we completely ignore the first half of the Amendment, then literally apply each and every word of the second half, the 2nd Amendment means exactly what we believe it does, in spite of the words in it. The 2nd Amendment clearly says, when read completely out of context, that the right of the people to keep and bear arms "shall not be infringed." That obviously means, for example, that the right of prisoners to have guns in prison SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED, the right of mental patients to have guns in mental hospitals SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED and the rights of terrorists to have guns on airplanes SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. I used all capital letters so that those of you who do not understand plain English would be able to better understand what SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED means.

Universal background checks? Clearly such tyrannical policy might prevent a felon, mentally ill person, or terrorist from obtaining a gun, but would not prevent a law-abiding citizen from obtaining a gun. So we must ensure that the rights of felons, mental patients and terrorists to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED by stopping universal background checks. That is just how important the 2nd Amendment is. It is more important than life itself!

We are proud of our record. Did you know that a study 20 years ago found that 1% of gun dealers sold 57% of the guns used in crimes? When we saw this study, we immediately gave Congress a whole bunch of money to make sure that such information could never be collected again. We have to protect those that protect us, that is, the gun dealers who sell guns to criminals. That is how your donations have been put to good use. Keep the money coming!

Did you know that 2,000 guns may have crossed the border in 5 years in what has been called "Operation Fast and Furious" but more than 64,000 other guns seized in Mexico in the same 5 years were purchased in the US and we had no idea that was happening until those guns were seized by Mexican police at the scenes of 50,000 murders? We stopped all efforts to track the 64,000 guns, but have made every effort to destroy President Obama regarding the 2,000 guns. Why? Because President Obama wants to strip away your god-given guns, while those Mexican drug lords who have murdered 50,000 innocent people in Mexican border towns have a 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. Well, maybe they don't actually have a 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, but if they were citizens of the United States, they would have, and that is good enough for us.

Actually, not a single piece of gun legislation or regulation makes sense, because bad guys will just violate any gun laws that are passed. In fact, we support repealing all laws in America because bad guys will just break them anyway. Makes perfect sense, right?

Finally, and most evidently, everyone knows that when you are overweight, if you eat more food, you will lose weight. So obviously, if you have a problem with gun violence, more guns is the solution. Maybe that does not actually make sense, but it sure makes money for the gun manufacturers that we have absolutely positively no connection whatsoever to who made $12 billion last year.

Happy New Year! If you survive...

Recently, there was quite a reaction by some to the following post, allegedly by an emergency room physician...

Dear Mr. President:

During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive Brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone. While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based on the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.

Respectfully, STARNER JONES, MD

I wish people would get just as excited about billionaires on Wall Street, oil companies and hedge funds ripping off the American people to the tune of hundreds of billion of dollars in fraud and corrupt manipulation of the financial system every year instead of getting upset because someone buys popcorn with their EBT card. That is not to say that there is no fraud in public assistance...there is and it should be dealt with. However, there are many many people who are down on their luck in America, most of them for short periods of time who need a helping hand from their neighbors who have been a bit more fortunate. For every case of a person who takes advantage of the system, there are many many others who do not choose to be poor, who do not choose to lose their jobs, who do not choose to have a physical or mental healthcare crisis in their lives. Some day you or someone close to you may need assistance to get back on their feet. We should be concerned about the right things, even though fraudulent collateralized debt obligations are much more difficult to understand than a gold tooth.

Benghazi...Another Republican Effort to Damage President Obama

A terrible tragedy occurred in Benghazi on September 11, of that there is no doubt. But why is John McCain and other Republicans fixating on this event as if something like this has never happened before, certainly not under a Republican administration...or has it??? The following attacks occurred on our embassies and consulates during the presidency of George W. Bush. How many hearings were held by Congress...none.

June 14, 2002, U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan Suicide bomber kills 12 and injures 51.

February 20, 2003, international diplomatic compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Truck bomb kills 17.

February 28, 2003, U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan Gunmen on motorcycles killed two consulate guards.

July 30, 2004, U.S. embassy in Taskkent, Uzbekistan Suicide bomber kills two.

December 6, 2004, U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Militants stormed and occupied perimeter wall. Five killed, 10 wounded.

March 2, 2006, U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan Suicide car bomber killed four, including a U.S. diplomat directly targeted by the assailants.

September 12, 2006, U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria Gunmen attacked embassy with grenades, automatic weapons, and a car bomb (though second truck bomb failed to detonate). One killed and 13 wounded.

January 12, 2007, U.S. embassy in Athens, Greece A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the embassy building. No one was injured.

July 9, 2008, U.S. consulate in Istanbul, Turkey Armed men attacked consulate with pistols and shotguns. Three policemen killed.

March 18, 2008, U.S. embassy in Sana'a, Yemen Mortar attack misses embassy, hits nearby girls' school instead.

September 17, 2008, U.S. embassy in Sana'a, Yemen Militants dressed as policemen attacked the embassy with RPGs, rifles, grenades and car bombs. Six Yemeni soldiers and seven civilians were killed. Sixteen more were injured.

The Truth About Heathcare Reform

What is going on? Why are so many Republican governors still resisting every part of the Affordable Care Act they can? The reason is simple...they are scared to death the ACA will succeed and when it does...they will fail as a political party in America, forever.

There are two major points of resistance that Republicans are still insanely fighting to the death on: 1) refusal to accept the new Medicaid funding; and 2) refusal to establish state-run healthcare exchanges.

The second point is the easiest to discuss. The exchanges will be established, they are inevitable. The only question is how much input the states will have. Many Republican-led states have announced they are not establishing exchanges. All that means is that the Federal government will establish exchanges in their state without their input. Pretty stupid sounding, isn't it?

The first point is a bit more complicated to discuss, but it is just as simple to understand. Currently, Medicaid is a deal where the Federal government provides around 55% of the funds and the states match it with around 45%. Studies have shown that even at this level of matching funding, Medicaid is a net-positive for the states. That means that the influx of Federal funds not only does good for the poorest residents of a state, but it also creates stimulus with the result being jobs and people with those jobs paying taxes to the state. The new Medicaid funding is a no-brainer. The deal is that the Federal government will provide 100% of the funding, that's right, all of it, for the first 3 years. The states will provide no money whatsoever from 2014-2016. Then, after 2016, the state contribution will rise from 0% to 10% over the next several years. So, by 2020, the Federal share will be 90% and the state share will be 10%. You would have to be stupid...or evil...not to accept this money. Let me suggest that very few governors are stupid.

Not only does the new Medicaid funding provide health insurance to tens of millions of the poor in our country, but a major affect of this funding will be to provide reimbursement, billions of dollars of reimbursement, to hospitals for the care they currently provide to the poor that the poor do not pay for. Many people mistakenly think that hospitals "write off" care they provide to the poor...nothing could be further from the truth. What hospitals do is to "cost shift" to those of us who have insurance or pay our bills. I have studied the affect of the new Medicaid money in Florida and can tell you that the cost shifting that would be eliminated should reduce the hospital bills for the "taxpayers" in Florida by almost twice the state contribution to the program anticipated through the year 2020.

One other affect that will likely arise from the Republican governors refusal to accept the new Medicaid funding is another kind of "shifting." I expect that the poor in states like Florida and Oklahoma will "shift" to states like Massachusetts in order to get Medicaid insurance coverage.

I repeat, Republicans are still trying to destroy a program that their very own "thinkers" designed many aspects of. I had hoped that they would have finally accepted that they lost the election, President Obama cannot run again, and they would finally do at least one thing that is good for the country. But, it seems, they are still dedicated to inflicting extreme damage on America in the hope that they will be able to take power some day so they can inflict their extreme right-wing ideology on this great country.

How unpatriotic!

The Day Romney Lost the Race...Again

TIMELINE OF A CRISIS

First of all, my heartfelt sympathies are offered to the families of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith, two other as-yet unidentified American embassy officers, and ten Libyan security personnel who lost their lives in the attack by terrorists in Benghazi. The contributions of these fine men, and their ultimate sacrifice for duty and the cause they believe in, is to be unequivocably honored.

The following facts and information are offered to better understand the political response related to this tragedy.

Shortly prior to Noon EDT, 9/11/2012, more than 6 hours before the US Embassy compound perimeter was breached, the US Embassy in Cairo issued the following statement:

The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.

Around 6 PM EDT, 9/11/2012, the US Embassy in Cairo tweeted the following:

This morning's condemnation (issued before the protest began) still stands. As does our condemnation of the breach of the Embassy.

10:09 PM EDT, 9/11/2012, Romney issued the following statement which was released at 10:25 PM EDT:

I'm outraged by the attacks on American diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and by the death of an American consulate worker in Benghazi. It's disgraceful that the Obama Administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.

10:10 PM EDT, 9/11/2012, an Obama administration official stated:

The statement by Embassy Cairo was not cleared by Washington and does not reflect the views of the United States government.

10:14 PM EDT, 9/11/2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued the following statement:

I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on our mission in Benghazi today. As we work to secure our personnel and facilities, we have confirmed that one of our State Department officers was killed. We are heartbroken by this terrible loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and those who have suffered in this attack. This evening, I called Libyan President Magariaf to coordinate additional support to protect Americans in Libya. President Magariaf expressed his condemnation and condolences and pledged his government's full cooperation. Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind. In light of the events of today, the United States government is working with partner countries around the world to protect our personnel, our missions, and American citizens worldwide.

12:01 AM EDT, 9/12/2012, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus tweeted:

Obama sympathizes with attackers in Egypt. Sad and pathetic.

12:09 AM EDT, 9/12/2012, Obama campaign press secretary Ben LaBolt stated:

We are shocked that, at a time when the United States of America is confronting the tragic death of one of our diplomatic officers in Libya, Governor Romney would choose to launch a political attack.

6:06 AM EDT, 9/12/2012, The Associated Press reported:

Libyan officials say U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other embassy staffers were killed at the Benghazi (Libya) consulate, which was under attack by a mob with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

10:20 AM EDT, 9/12/2012, Romney said, in part, the following at a televised press conference:

It's their administration (referring to the embassy in Cairo), their administration spoke. The president takes responsibility not just for the words that come from his mouth but also from the words of his ambassadors, from his administration, from his embassies, from his State Department. They clearly sent mixed messages to the world. The statement that came from the administration -- and the embassy is the administration -- the statement that came from the administration (referring to the original Cairo Embassy statement issued before the attacks occurred)was a statement which is akin to apology. And I think was a severe miscalculation.I think it’s a terrible course for America to stand in apology for our values.

At the press conference Romney was asked whether his criticism of the administration was "too soon." Romney responded:

I don't think that we ever hesitate when we see something which is a violation of our principles.

10:35 AM EDT, 9/12/2012, President Obama held a televised press conference during which:

He offered sympathy and praise for the slain foreign services officers, and did not refer to anything Romney, or anyone else, previously said on the issue.

6:07 PM EDT, 9/12/2012, during an interview at the White House with correspondent Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes, President Obama said:

There's a broader lesson to be learned here. And I -- you know, Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later. And as president, one of the things I've learned is you can't do that. That, you know, it's important for you to make sure that the statements that you make are backed up by the facts. And that you've thought through the ramifications before you make 'em.>

Asked if Romney's attacks were irresponsible, the president replied, "I'll let the American people judge that."



These are the facts...you may decide who reacted to these events in a Presidential manner.