The election of Donald Trump has elevated hypocrisy to an art form.
Rightwing pundits criticized everything Obama did or said. (Of course, he was black…) Not only do they overlook appalling behavior, embarrassing (and frequently misspelled) tweets and uncivil, ignorant rants from Trump–they praise him when he engages in the exact behavior for which they excoriated Obama.
Case in point: Hannity. A post from Dispatches from the Culture Wars provides a recent–illustrative–example.
It has been announced that Trump will meet with Kim Jong-un of North Korea sometime soon, something no American president has ever done with a North Korean dictator. And Sean Hannity, not even pretending to be anything but a pathetic, hypocritical hack, is praising Trump for this great victory.
After quoting Hannity’s laudatory remarks, the post continues with a bit of history:
As always, the Wayback Machine shows a totally different story when Obama said in an interview that he would be open to meeting with him under the right circumstances if he thought it would help avoid a nuclear North Korea and preserve the peace.
During the May 15, 2008, edition of his Fox News show, Hannity referenced Obama’s answer and asked former House Speaker Newt Gingrich: “After Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, before we were at war with Nazi Germany, do you think it would be wise — would have it been wise for us to engage in talks with him?” Later during the same show, Hannity asked former Republican Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) the same thing: “After the Nazis invaded Poland, before we were at war with them, is it fair to ask the question, ‘Would you have met with Hitler in 1939?’
Then there’s Trump’s loyal base among self-proclaimed, “bible-believing” Evangelicals. Their continued support has been the subject of much (horrified) analysis from Evangelicals and others. A recent article in the Atlantic by Michael Gerson–formerly, George W. Bush’s speechwriter and an Evangelical himself– noted the jarring nature of that support:
One of the most extraordinary things about our current politics—really, one of the most extraordinary developments of recent political history—is the loyal adherence of religious conservatives to Donald Trump. The president won
four-fifths of the votes of white evangelical Christians. This was a higher level of support than either Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, an outspoken evangelical himself, ever received.
Trump’s background and beliefs could hardly be more incompatible with traditional Christian models of life and leadership. Trump’s past political stances (he once supported the right to partial-birth abortion), his character (he has bragged about sexually assaulting women), and even his language (he introduced the words pussy and shithole into presidential discourse) would more naturally lead religious conservatives toward exorcism than alliance. This is a man who has cruelly publicized his infidelities, made disturbing sexual comments about his elder daughter, and boasted about the size of his penis on the debate stage. His lawyer reportedly arranged a $130,000 payment to a porn star to dissuade her from disclosing an alleged affair. Yet religious conservatives who once blanched at PG-13 public standards now yawn at such NC-17 maneuvers. We are a long way from The Book of Virtues.
Evidently, the promise of power trumps (sorry!) Christian behavior. That Jesus fellow was what our crass President would call a loser…
Despicable (and transparent) as these examples are, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and the Congressional GOP are the clear winners of the hypocrisy sweepstakes. These “fiscal conservatives” spent years whining about the national debt–and the minute they were in power, cheerfully added over a trillion dollars to that debt, in a rushed-through tax “reform” that gave away the store to the already-rich.
Adding insult to injury, the ink was barely dry on that policy abomination when Ryan announced that Republicans will target welfare, Medicare, Medicaid spending in 2018–in order to control the national debt that they just increased!
That unashamed display of Robin Hood in reverse takes real
chutzpah.Even reading about these people makes me want to take a shower.
On a brighter note, I read that the radio corporation that runs these right wing radio shows is going down – YAY.
“One of the most extraordinary things about our current politics—really, one of the most extraordinary developments of recent political history—is the loyal adherence of religious conservatives to Donald Trump. The president won four-fifths of the votes of white evangelical Christians. This was a higher level of support than either Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, an outspoken evangelical himself, ever received.”
Don’t forget Walter Cronkite’s explanation of the Religious Right when he was the spokesperson for the Interfaith Alliance: “It’s WHITE SUPREMACY masked in Christianity.”
Why wouldn’t Donald Trump be successful in garnering 4/5ths of their vote? They are a natural fit.
The entire world is watching as our country implodes. China is maneuvering to become the world leader as we speed up our free fall.
Trump and Obama have both done things that effect me financially. Trump wants to cut title 2 funds which with a backlash everyone tightened their belts and my wife is unemployed. Obama increased my taxes thru Obamacare and my healthcare plan changed, my tax deductions changed and I’m out $12k in ten years now and $3000 per year when I retire. I can’t stand to hear political pundits speak either on “news” channels. It’s all about the spin. Instead of just Trump going over.
It would be even better if Obama offered to join Trump in negotiations. Then we’d have 2 narcissist presidents to overwhelm this little godlike dictator. Watching Fox News can be mind numbing, but watching CNN is like watching WWIII where several political sorties are run all day long with stories that don’t much meet journalistic standards. Again I’m begging both sides to talk about public policy, have talking heads from both sides. Keeping your best friends close and your enemies closer means you have to watch both sides to catch them at their game.
Fox News isn’t the original #FakeNews, but it’s the first media outlet to turn against other media interests. “Fair and balanced”.
I wonder why it’s so wildly successful with evangelicals?
It’s vintage target marketing. Who else sends money to a used car salesmen thinking it will get them into an imaginary Heaven?
There is certainly a spectrum for gullibility which Mike Pence has tapped into. His main man is accused of all kinds of crimes against women, yet Mike rallies the closed-minded ones to pray for Trump as the “awful liberal media, run by the Devil, rages war against believers.”
The question is, “How many gullible people still believe the Democratic Party has their best interests at heart?”
Liberals are supposed to be “open-minded” by definition. A never-ending pursuit of Truth.
How many stops at the word of MSNBC or Rachel Maddow? How many ignore all the warning signs and Chomsky’s, “Propaganda Model for the Media”?
When faced with a decision about what the people want versus the status quo, how many times has the DNC puppets sided with their Donors?
Our current government, somewhere between a Kleptocracy and Kakistocracy requires two useful idiot parties playing “bad cop, good cop” with the American people. Meanwhile, our country slides further and further to the right along the political spectrum.
You either see it, or you’re still sleepwalking. 😉
Your phrase, “hypocrisy sweepstakes,” works perfectly. The almost complete absence of christian principles among the so-called religious right demonstrates that after decades of charlatans and histrionic performers (Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, et al.) whose main purpose is the most ostentatious self-enrichment, evangelicals will believe just about anything, as long as it comes from someone of enormous wealth. The path to *truth* for them, it seems, has nothing to do with demonstrable proof or evidence, but is paved with the privilege that comes with the power generated by the millions and billions that can purchase truth at almost any cost.
There appears to be a sea-change shift from seeking salvation in the next world, to creating a millionaire’s paradise here on earth. Money has replaced spiritual integrity, and with preachers hammering the point —decade after decade— that wealth is the sign of divine grace, it makes perfect sense that Trump represents the anointed one to these so-called “christians.”
“Don’t forget Walter Cronkite’s explanation of the Religious Right when he was the spokesperson for the Interfaith Alliance: “It’s WHITE SUPREMACY masked in Christianity.”
Marv; many thanks for the above reminder which speaks the truth as true Christians know it. I doubt the Democratic party is strong enough to make this fact part of their campaign foundation on any level, sans Cronkite’s quote and using blatant examples in the news daily. It will be up to us; Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist and Atheist to put this before the public. Trump is the best example of that fact and he can’t keep his mouth shut – or his stubby fingers from Tweeting – so maybe he will do much of that job for us.
What is fiscally conservative (or Christian in nature) about any action the Trump administration has taken since January 20, 2017?
Nancy; we must keep reminding the public that we ARE imploding and that the entire world IS watching as it happens.
John Smith; we should have been prepared for health care costs to increase somewhat due to the health care providers being required BY LAW to provide more and better medical care. I am one who was denied medical care due to my disability; I have also seen my Medicare monthly deduction and all supplemental co-pays increase, under Trump some Medicare coverage has been dropped.
President Obama’s hugest financial mistake; which is still haunting us and has escalated under Trump, was NOT to let Bush’s tax cuts to the wealthy END on the date Bush set, January 1, 2010. In his attempt to promote bipartisan “compromise”; his “Audacity Of Hope” worked against him and this country and played into the Koch brother’s privately owned Republican party base. It gave the Republican voters the boost to begin their total take over of Congress on January 1, 2010, and has escalated to where we are today. I would still vote for President Obama if it were allowed by the Constitution and, God and the Democratic party willing, will vote for Joe Bidden for President and Barack Obama as his Vice President in 2020!!!
Herbert,
“money has replaced spiritual integrity…” Oh, how right this is!
In this twenty-first century society, money has replaced all other measures of worth: honesty, decency, faithfulness, kindness, charitableness as examples. Public service is not WORTH it unless one can make a lot of money out of it. Government is seen as nothing but another branch of capitalism to be mined. And worst of all, people are nothing but “units” to be manipulated for the oligarchy’s gain.
Professor, What do you think of the recent Democratic win in western Pensylvania? Is this a sign that the future face of Congress will change? (Suggested topic for one of your blogs, perhaps?)
Religious “truths” are not truths. That why religion requires faith. The frightening thing about the white evangelicals is that they insist that their version of morality must be everyone’s version of morality. Only those of us who don’t belong to that tribe are not to be granted the indugence of hypocrisy, to which they alone are entitled.
Trump’s demonstrated leadership is exactly the way governments fall into the government cruption cycle, never to be rescued from it again.
Once started it becomes self propagating thru new laws, regulations and removing some laws and replacing them with ones that suit their supporters “R&R Dedd/Frank”, and it spreads down thru the ranks where even the doormen have a price.
It’s all about control. So-called evangelical Christians MUST exert control over their flock, hence the guilt trips and punishment themes of their sermonizing.
“Trump’s background and beliefs could hardly be more incompatible with traditional Christian models of life and leadership. Trump’s past political stances (he once supported the right to partial-birth abortion), his character (he has bragged about sexually assaulting women), and even his language (he introduced the words pussy and shithole into presidential discourse) would more naturally lead religious conservatives toward exorcism than alliance.”
These hypocrites despise women and Muslims in kind. The Republican strategy painted Clinton as a continuation of Obama, the evangelicals racist heartache. When Trump started sowing the seeds of hate toward Muslims, the evangelicals were all in. It didn’t matter that Trump is a scoundrel. All that mattered was that he and the Republicans fed the evangelical maw of hate, control, prejudice and bigotry. Some of these hypocrites think Trump will indeed foment nuclear war, thus bringing on their misguided ideas of a rapture.
Religion is an invention of humans as a device for some humans to control other humans. During the Inquisition, fear of torture was used to keep people “in the fold”. Now, it’s about money. This applies to all religions.
We have a friend who is a retired minister who says that there’s nothing like a church to screw up a perfectly wonderful religion. Guess what? Churches are run by bureaucrats. One has to listen to no one else but Franklin Graham to hear how far down the garbage chute evangelical Christianity has slid.
Todd at 7:02a
“I wonder why Fox News is so wildly successful with evangelicals?”
My view: Fox news is certain of its rectitude. So are evangelicals certain of their rectitude. It’s simply a perfect marriage of gullible minds.
Advice: Not so certain of yours? Use your remote to toggle from one to the other whenever you want to check on enemy propaganda; then return to reason and logic, if possible.
Peggy @ 8:21am-
WOW! Perfect!
Peggy,
All true believers have the same malady you describe. The thing with the evangelicals is that now that they’ve committed to Trump, they have nowhere else to go. They will ride that ship to the bottom of the ocean.
What’s so upsetting is that there are so MANY of these damned fools.
Relying upon faith to foster a religious belief isn’t at all different from having a blind allegiance to a political party. It’s my belief that’s why most reasonable people have stayed away from becoming cheerleaders for either of the commercial organizations known as the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. This blog is permeated with “religious” fervor. And, blind allegiance at that! The bloviating amongst the blogs wrt the danger of the Trump administration is in itself,a sort of warning against Armageddon. This blog is a bit like a church sermon given daily. Hell,if I didn’t know better,I’d say the professor learned the art of marketing at Bob Jones University!
If one is relying upon charlatans such as Maddow,Mathews and Hannity…..Welp, your mind has already turned into oatmeal. There’s nothing that can be done for you. Just an FYI,Roger Ailes was Rachel Maddow’s mentor. Small world,eh?
Pass the soap, please
I have been reading a book – The Fall of the Roman Empire A Reappraisal by Michael Grant. Grant mentions in his book the gulf between the classes. This gulf not only resulted in a class war among the rich, middle class and poor but also a war against the state itself.
One part that is eye catching was the rise of Christianity. The Edict of Toleration by the Emperor Galerius in 313 AD. – Galerius Edict ended persecutions of Christians and granted forgiveness, in part it said – Wherefore, for this our indulgence, they ought to pray to their God for our safety, for that of the republic, and for their own, that the republic may continue uninjured on every side, and that they may be able to live securely in their homes.
A new edict, the Edict of Thessalonica was issued on 27 February 380. Christianity had been fragmented into sects and power centers almost since it’s beginnings. The Edict of Thessalonica made it clear the idea of toleration was gone in part the Edict said —
“We authorize the followers of this law to assume the title of Catholic Christians; but as for the others, since, in our judgment they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics, and shall not presume to give to their conventicles the name of churches. They will suffer in the first place the chastisement of the divine condemnation and in the second the punishment of our authority which in accordance with the will of Heaven we shall decide to inflict”.
>>> The secular power of the state could and would be used against not only christian heretics, but pagans as well. The idea of turning the other cheek or toleration was shelved. <<
So the evangelicals lack of toleration has a historical basis. One card hyped up by the evangelicals – Family Values Card- has been taken off the table by The Trumpet (aka Agent Orange).
I’m pretty sure that Sheila introduced us to the concept months ago that the two “sides” battling for America are liberals and authoritarians. I like that particularly well because the various factions that make up Trump’s base seem to have only that in common. They want power to impose what they believe in on everyone.
That leads to the old saw that liberals and authoritarians want the same things, liberals for everyone.
Trump campaigned on power for everyone except other races, other countries, other religions, other economic classes, intellectuals, liberals, those who rank children’s lives above the gun hobby, those who believe women can decide their own fate, public education supporters, scientists, environmentalists, etc. Authoritarians loved it because they feel that the world is better if they are in charge of it.
Yes, that’s tyranny.
The campaign lies have already started and predictably authoritarians are doing what they always do and that is unite behind power and divide those who resist. It’s not like the world hasn’t been here before.
We have gone from elections to choose the most effective governance to elections to determine if America will exist.
The days are over for now when liberals can afford nuance and subtlety and analysis of shades of gray. We are fighting to exist.
We have no alternative but to resist the liberal temptation for perfection and keep absolutely focused on the job at hand, unity.
It appears that Pence and his chosen Chief of Staff are being looked into. Maybe we will get lucky and reporters will bring down pence before they even bring down trump.
Here is a link to an article on Huffington Post this morning. A long read, but contains a lot of valuable insight into pence and his desire and devious plan to become 46.
http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/nick-ayers-mike-pence/
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or Democrat. Americans are authoritative and hypocrisy within our society abounds. This attitude is the impetus for everything we do, from our foreign policies today to how badly we have treated the American Indians (and how we still do). There’s just too much to list.
Afterall,we are exceptional!
[[[[Group Hug]]]]
William,
Rachel Maddow is a Rhodes Scholar and NOT a charlatan. YOU’RE thinking of Dana Loesch.
William – Could you please respectfully refer to them as Native Americans? You know, the real and true natives of this land that was savagely stolen by white men.
One attribute of the authoritarian Trump/GOP base is their messianic worship of him to the point where despite massive lying and breathtaking incompetence in virtually all aspects of government he can do no wrong in their eyes. He can break every tenant of their “code” without loosing any of their loyalty.
Some worshipers claim that is his magnetic personality but the force is not from him but defines their authoritarian hunger for power. They worship his lies.
So expect an onslaught this year of any and every lie that unites authoritatarians and divides liberals.
If we can resist the divisive lies we can rid the country of our toady Congress and limit further damages requiring expensive recovery when he’s gone.
This is only step 1 but it’s the only path to step 2.
Mueller will continue to do a masterful job of revealing all of the curruption but until Congress represents we the people again nothing sufficient will be done to the perpetrators.
Absolutely Nancy.
By the way Nancy,why are we still acting like power hungry thieves to this very day? And why are we still supporting such actions (except now we conquer in faraway lands)? We know what is good for you people,we are the smart people!
Why do we support military incursions into Syria? Why would we spend billions in Iraq and then scream for austerity back home? Why do we support actions in Libya? Why do we support the politicians that develop such actions?
Why do we continue to impose our power upon others? And mostly upon the weaker nations?
Why do we give such support to those in positions of power to such things without any opposition? Nancy,are we that exceptional?
The same type of thinking that destroyed the communities of Native Americans has now gone global. What are your thoughts on our exceptionalism and our continuance of such actions? And why would you give your support to such politicians?
I don’t agree that it makes no difference whether one labels him/herself a Democrat or a Republican. Of course neither is perfect, but the history of the Democratic Party since Wilson in terms of looking out after “the mostest” is far superior to what the Republicans have had to offer, and now there is no Republican Party as we have come to know it since Wilson – it’s a totally-owned subsidiary of Wall Street and the Koch and Mercer crowd, who have their own self-interests at heart rather than that of “the mostest.”
It’s easy to pick on shortcomings of one party or the other but, contrary to the advice of Washington, we have chosen to have political parties in charge of our affairs and are now stuck with our decision. In my view, what we need now is a platform with teeth, one that we live up to after the bloviating of our nominating conventions are in our wake, and then adopt a new New Deal altered to meet today’s realities but retaining the interests of “the mostest” (or all the people) as key to policy formation and implementation.
Perhaps we should save our time and energy to improve our party’s position on the issues of the day and leave the nitpicking and whining to our opponents since it’s not enough that our opponents have nothing to offer to “the mostest” – we have to have a positive agenda of our own to improve the lot of all the people, even our opponents.
Sorry Pete,putting your faith into Mueller is no different than putting your faith into the Sky-Daddy.
Trump will get a second term because the Democrats will screw it up…Again.
Besides,there will be no impeachment because the donor-class does not want an impeachment. The donor/executive class rule. End of story. To think otherwise is just stupid. The giveaway was when the Democrats gave the Trump administration expanded spying powers. Actions speak louder than words. Pelosi is aware it would be bad for the country to impeach. Their view-not mine. That’s the way it is. Unfortunately,Mueller is just a shiny object to distract and keep the restless placated. To place your faith upon him shows how naive it is to place “faith” above reality.
Of course,Maddow will play up the Russian angle because it causes ratings to go up. Roger Ailes was her mentor(you can Google it). Maddow earns $30,000 a day. Keep in mind,MSNBC is the network that fired Phil Donahue for his opposition of the Iraq War. She is a Rhodes Scholar but she’s a corporate shill. Crossing the rubicon? We did it a long time ago,where have some of you been?
In my mind, who ever hacked into the DNC and RNC could have easily changed the results of the primary in every state. What that means to me is that Bernie would have won big had he been given the chance. Maybe Wikilinks, who hated Clinton, wanted to have Trump and Clinton paired up knowing that she would lose because they could hack the vote. (We’ve all seen the reports of how easy it was for hackers to hack into a voting machines). I know it’s sounds like a conspiracy but as time evolves and more information is released, I believe that the Nov 2016 election was not valid. The truth is right before our eyes and we don’t see it. And the freaking evangelicals know it, that’s why they are screaming so loudly. They have faith that their way is the “right way” because they had to cheat in order to win.
Ironically, the meeting was brokered by the President of South Korea, you know, the one whose country will be wiped out if tensions escalate. He appears to be the adult in the room. He made nice with Kim Jong Un and allowed N. Korean women to join their S. Korean sisters on the womens’ hockey team and other athletes to participate as well in the Winter Olympics. Of the 3 leaders, he’s the most impressive.
William – regarding your questions:
If I could legally refuse to pay taxes that support all of the awful things that those in power in our country choose to do, I would. I imagine there are many millions of citizens who would love to stop being forced to financially support programs/efforts/crimes that we are against. However, as mere citizens we would be thrown in prison.
So, we speak up and speak out whenever and however we can. As you know, it is seeming more and more impossible on a daily basis to fight for what is right because we don’t have access to the millions and billions of dollars it takes to buy members of Congress or even members of our state legislatures.
I believe that the large majority of us are completely against exerting our military power to take over other countries. It is the power hungry corporate executives that spend very little in comparison to the huge financial rewards that they receive when their demands are met by Congress.
The speed of our demise has increased with the election of 45. His election will create the revolution(s) that are in their infant or juvenile stage. Those revolutions will eventually force massive change in our country. It will be today’s youth that will take over and demand that we behave better. We are already seeing their momentum as they fight for gun control. The pendulum is swinging.
I ‘m late to the party as usual but I find both this post itself and most of the comments very troubling – they constitute a perfect example of the kind of tribalism that has painfully affected our body politic.
Even after quoting Gerson in a limited way to make a specific point, the author made no mention of the SIGNIFICANT fact that Gerson as well as ONE-FIFTH of his evangelical Christian brothers and sisters DID NOT vote for Trump, would likely NEVER vote for someone like Trump, and PROBABLY didn’t vote for George W. Bush either. My heart ACHES for this one-fifth, who likely number in the millions. For many of them their brethren, families and entire church congregations have been co-opted by charlatans, hustlers and hucksters, all of whom are guilty of many of the transgressions enumerated above as well as the unholy alliances they’ve made with right-wing political organizations, such as Fox “News”. (Yes they are a political organization. That’s why they’ve never been approved to broadcast in Canada – because it would constitute a violation of their election laws. Neither would MSNBC).
Come to Elharkt and Goshen up North and you’ll find good numbers of evangelical Christians – even entire congregations – who are repulsed by what has been done in the name of their faith over the past decades leading up to the current debacle in the White House. Did some, many, most vote for Trump? Maybe. Probably. Would they again? Some for sure, maybe many, certainly not most.
But does it help change any minds among this community to describe ALL of them as one homogeneous, well-organized, and most of all EVIL political demographic? Nope. Quite the the opposite. What value is made by criticizing someone or an entire group for their religious beliefs? Don’t tell me they ALL want me to conform to their belief system because that’s not true. I know it for a fact from my own experience – not what I’ve read on the internet.
In the meantime the tribes hunker down, consolidate, grow their numbers and influence at the expense of other tribes and on and on and on. Are you just a part of one of many of these tribes? Or are you a free-thinker?
Anyway, go ahead and curl up among yourselves and expound on complexity until it conforms to simplistic and, frankly, sometimes racist and intolerant world views.
AgingLGrl; I believe it was the trifecta of Koch brother’s money, Russian interference and the continued actions by the FBI against Clinton(s) which lost Bernie the nomination. Remembering President Obama’s presidency, I believe he backed Hillary against the three rather than against Bernie. I am still proud that Bernie put his support and his vote behind Hillary but at the Convention he did NOT turn over his 46% of the votes to her. He maintained his history making campaign support and the history making fact that all donations came from the voters – NOT corporations. Had the Bernie-bots done as he asked repeatedly and publicly when the tide turned against him; I believe he could have won the presidency. They split the party support and the Bernie supporters who turned to Stein and/or Johnson rather than vote for Hillary – there simply was no reaching them. They are still out there and still pushing for him to run; he appears to be going about his Senatorial business to accomplish what can be done, just as Robert Mueller is going about his investigation to accomplish what we hope can and will be done.
Nancy; you asked “what will it take” to get action against Trump. If you have watched the idiocy this week alone I think you can see that it doesn’t matter what he does, doesn’t do or what he says or Tweets…nothing is going to be done. The Koch brothers have probably threatened to pull all of their money – which is where almost all of the Republican campaign donations are from – if they do anything to stop Trump. He has now started to admit he lied (as we have repeatedly claimed throughout this past 14 months); that he had no idea of any facts regarding information he gave Prime Minister Trudeau yesterday. What is he telling the President of Ireland today? Further alienating Prime Minister May after firing Tillerson after both spoke against his beloved Russia again proved his connections and his support of and by Putin. They are a major factor in the current lack of government action, destruction of democracy and the stranglehold Trump has on all of us; but I believe if Koch brother’s money was removed from the situation, the Russians could not continue their interference successfully in this government and the elections. It isn’t that Trump CAN’T be stopped it is simply that he WON’T be stopped; that bill is stamped “Paid In Full”.
Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King’s Last speech.
50 Years. Has much changed? If not why not? Whose fault is that?
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2018/03/50th-anniversary-martin-luther-kings-last-speech-left-haunted-house.html
No, Trump will not get re-elected. The Blue Wave will get his sorry ass impeached for any number of reasons. He’ll be gone by June, 2019.
OK; I’m a little slow on the upchuck today, easy to happen ‘midst all the chaos. A question just occurred to me…why didn’t Prime Minister Trudeau confront Trump directly and immediately yesterday with the facts that there is NOT an overall deficit but a surplus. He is a national leader – is he and are others as afraid of Trump as the Republican party appears to be? There are nations who have made public their disdain for Trump and all he stands for but they do not confront him, they do not “un-invite” him for state visits…are they all waiting for one of the others to be first in line? Yesterday presented the perfect occasion to trump Trump!
I’m not counting on Mueller although I’m absolutely confident he will do a first class job.
I’m counting on liberal voters who won’t get fooled this time around by either Republicans or Russians.
JoAnn,
He is a national leader – is he and are others as afraid of Trump as the Republican party appears to be?
Yes. Most of them rely on us for military protection via N.A.T.O. and other treaty obligations.
A Facebook post from THENATION.COM; “Koch brothers get their own private Secretary of State” Just sayin’
JoAnn, the following Democrats voted for Mike Pompeo as CIA Director:
The Democrats who voted to confirm Pompeo were:
Joe Donnelly of Indiana
Dianne Feinstein of California
Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota
Tim Kaine of Virginia
Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Joe Manchin of West Virginia
Claire McCaskill of Missouri
Jack Reed of Rhode Island
Brian Schatz of Hawaii
Chuck Schumer of New York
Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
Mark Warner of Virginia
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island
Mr Pompeo also defended the CIA after the 2014 release of a Senate report on torture, which detailed such practices as waterboarding.
Pompeo should be applauding Trump’s choice to head the CIA Gina Haspel. Washington Breaks Out the “Just Following Orders” Nazi Defense for CIA Director-Designate Gina Haspel. Specifically, they say Gina Haspel, a top CIA officer whom President Donald Trump has designated to be the agency’s next director, bears no responsibility for the torture she supervised during George W. Bush’s administration.
Haspel oversaw a secret “black site” in Thailand, at which prisoners were waterboarded and subjected to other severe forms of abuse. https://theintercept.com/2018/03/15/washington-breaks-out-the-just-following-orders-nazi-defense-for-cia-director-designate-gina-haspel/
Torture is a crime. It is difficult to believe we have two people nominated for high positions that believe torture is legitimate means of interrogation.
Monotonous; hmm, I thought The Nation was still a trusted publication. This is an interesting list; especially after seeing no surprise of Donnelly’s name at the top of the list. Still wonder if the Koch brothers, who appear to own the current Republican Congress have an interest in Pompeo. Hard to keep the players straight with no score card.
Good blog Shelia, it seems you have lured several trolls out from under their dark bridge underside to spread their moans of fears and loathing to those of us living in the light of truth. Please send them back they can’t handle the light of truth preferring the darkness of fear and obscurity of the internet.