Charlie Black, Chairman of the Prime Policy Group (a conservative think tank), said unequivocally that Donald Trump would not be the nominee of the Republican party for the presidency. He and Alex Castellanos described him as a 'more likable Pat Buchanan' and a 'strongman,' meaning that his appeal has a ceiling that is only so high, many people thinking he has reached it already. As Amy Walter pointed out, it's August over a year before the election, and those descriptors above are all Mr. Trump has to be because substance at this point isn't important.
And honestly, there wasn't much substance to today's program. It was simply more 'Hillary e-mail' and 'Donald upsetting the Republican field,' dull presidential political fodder (no offense to the panel guests). There was nothing of the faltering stock market, China devaluing its currency, or the Iranian Nuclear Deal.
Any substance of the program was pushed online, so Mr. Todd said explaining that more of the Carly Fiorina interview was online. However, there it's all chopped up into clips, no full interview at the ready. All the video clips skip around making for a very frustrating experience. And what are we talking about in politics? Birthright citizenship... Unbelievable. At least we got to hear Ms. Fiorina bring a common sense answer to the table. This political summer has been what Peter Hart, Hart Research Association, accurately described as one part anger and two parts anxiety. What gets our anger up that gives us a touch of anxiety is when you're frustrated in trying to come up with something original to say when the program you're commenting on has been talking about the same two things for an entire summer.
Sure it's August and no one's paying attention, but we are. And you know, we're hot, we're bothered and today "Meet The Press," frankly, doesn't deserve that much of our time.
Panel: Jon Ralston, "Ralston Live;" Susan Page, USA Today; Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report; Alfonso Aguilar - Former Bush Administration Advisor.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Sunday, August 16, 2015
8.16.14: More Trump for Breakfast, with a Side of Sanders
"Meet The Press" is milking the interest in Donald Trump for all it's worth these summer Sunday mornings, there is no doubt. We would advise journalist Jeff Greenfield's analogy, drink some decaf and take it easy on the Trump show.
Frankly, we're tired of commenting on Donald Trump content on "Meet The Press," but we do have a few fresh thoughts given that his interview was followed by an interview with the Democratic Party 'outsider' candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT).
Mr. Trump's campaign slogan is 'Make America Great Again,' and Chuck Todd asked him when he thought the last time was when America was 'great.' Mr. Trump's response was when Ronald Reagan was president. He talked about other subjects like immigration, for which he would end automatic birthright citizens and deport families who have American-born kids, but undocumented foreign-born parents even if they've been here for decades. He stated that the Iranian Nuclear Deal would lead to a nuclear Holocaust and said the President Obama really let Israel down. And he commented that our national debt is so high that we're going to become Greece on steroids. Maybe we do need to make America 'Reagan' great again.
However, in thinking about it for a moment, during President Reagan's two terms, the United States became a debtor nation when his administration drastically lowered taxes ushering in the go-go '80s for many, but a new kind of financial pain for many many more. The Reagan Administration, as is well-documented, also traded arms with an embargoed Iran through Central American militia groups (the Contras) to free American hostages. On immigration, President Reagan brought 11 million people in from the shadows; or taken from the reverse perspective, he granted amnesty to them.
But Mr. Trump who has said that we "don't have time for tone," must certainly focused on it in citing the mood and tone of the Reagan era, because we don't thinking he's referring to the policies.
Conversely, what Senator Sanders, not a big fan of the Reagan Administration, proposes is to take the United States back to a reflection of pre-Reagan tax policies where the wealthiest pay the most, percentage-wise, to bring down the yearly deficits that grow the debt.
Where it looks like the two polar-opposite candidates agree is on campaign financing. Mr. Trump states that he's not influenced by lobbyists, special interests and big-money donors because he doesn't need the money. "I can't be bought," he said. People understandably like this because they see the rest of the Republican field beholden to a small cast of lesser known billionaires (Marco Rubio, for example, gets most of his campaign money from Norman Braman, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.). Senator Sanders, for his part, gets his campaign money from 350,000 donors who have contributed an average of $31.20, not being beholden to the terrible consequences of a money-flooded campaign system created by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
Both are adamant about not being influenced by big money donors, but where they are drastically different is that one is saying that we need to change the system where the other is saying you have to beat it.
Panel: Kimberley Strassel, The Wall Street Journal; Molly Ball, The Atlantic; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; Jeff Greenfield, Politico and The Daily Beast
Frankly, we're tired of commenting on Donald Trump content on "Meet The Press," but we do have a few fresh thoughts given that his interview was followed by an interview with the Democratic Party 'outsider' candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT).
Mr. Trump's campaign slogan is 'Make America Great Again,' and Chuck Todd asked him when he thought the last time was when America was 'great.' Mr. Trump's response was when Ronald Reagan was president. He talked about other subjects like immigration, for which he would end automatic birthright citizens and deport families who have American-born kids, but undocumented foreign-born parents even if they've been here for decades. He stated that the Iranian Nuclear Deal would lead to a nuclear Holocaust and said the President Obama really let Israel down. And he commented that our national debt is so high that we're going to become Greece on steroids. Maybe we do need to make America 'Reagan' great again.
However, in thinking about it for a moment, during President Reagan's two terms, the United States became a debtor nation when his administration drastically lowered taxes ushering in the go-go '80s for many, but a new kind of financial pain for many many more. The Reagan Administration, as is well-documented, also traded arms with an embargoed Iran through Central American militia groups (the Contras) to free American hostages. On immigration, President Reagan brought 11 million people in from the shadows; or taken from the reverse perspective, he granted amnesty to them.
But Mr. Trump who has said that we "don't have time for tone," must certainly focused on it in citing the mood and tone of the Reagan era, because we don't thinking he's referring to the policies.
Conversely, what Senator Sanders, not a big fan of the Reagan Administration, proposes is to take the United States back to a reflection of pre-Reagan tax policies where the wealthiest pay the most, percentage-wise, to bring down the yearly deficits that grow the debt.
Where it looks like the two polar-opposite candidates agree is on campaign financing. Mr. Trump states that he's not influenced by lobbyists, special interests and big-money donors because he doesn't need the money. "I can't be bought," he said. People understandably like this because they see the rest of the Republican field beholden to a small cast of lesser known billionaires (Marco Rubio, for example, gets most of his campaign money from Norman Braman, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.). Senator Sanders, for his part, gets his campaign money from 350,000 donors who have contributed an average of $31.20, not being beholden to the terrible consequences of a money-flooded campaign system created by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
Both are adamant about not being influenced by big money donors, but where they are drastically different is that one is saying that we need to change the system where the other is saying you have to beat it.
Panel: Kimberley Strassel, The Wall Street Journal; Molly Ball, The Atlantic; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; Jeff Greenfield, Politico and The Daily Beast
Sunday, August 09, 2015
8.9.15: Keeping It Real and the Iranian Nuclear Deal
Once again, "Meet The Press," hence we have to start with Donald Trump and the post-debate fallout. Mr. Trump lashed out post debate against Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly saying that her questions were unfair and that she was obviously angry commenting, "...blood coming out of her whatever..." By the end of today's interview, even Mr. Trump was asking to talk about the real issues. Funny thing is, if Mr. Trump were to answer questions about actual issues, his answers would really get him in trouble.
Conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, who will be moderating the next Republican primary debate, said that Mr. Trump obviously doesn't have the temperament to be president because of the off-color statements that he continues to make. However, we would more importantly add, and this is a warning to his supporters, is this huge oversight. Donald Trump is a greatly successful businessman with billions of dollars to show for it, but he's never had to consider others in those decisions. They've all been made ultimately for his benefit. What we're saying is that to get anything done as president you have to consider the strong, most of the time inflexible, opinions of 535 other people, otherwise known as Congress. And the way in which Congress operates these days, if you alienate members on one issue, you lose them on others as well - a package deal or no deal at all.
In terms of the debate performances, we agree with the consensus opinion that Carly Fiorina did very well as did Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). We differ in our assessment of Dr. Ben Carson's performance because our take is that his answers do not come off as thought as much as it seems like he's searching for one,which doesn't inspire any confidence. Not to mention the fact that by his own admission he is still learning about foreign policy. If this column knows more than a candidate on foreign policy, you're disqualified.
And speaking on that, Hugh Hewitt said that the GOP really lost on debate night because the candidates weren't asked about the Iran deal and where they stood. That may be true but it was most probably for the best because we would speculate that at least 6 out of the 10 candidates would have said something that Democrats would be able to use in an attack ad. It's better to get these types of answers, or really non-answer in Senator Rubio's case, in an interview setting.
Senator Rubio is obviously against the Iranian Nuclear Deal, but his reflections on Russia and China worry us. He said that Russia and China have never acted in the interests of America, which isn't entire true, but by walking away from the deal, the United States' Congress must understand that those relationships will become even more adversarial, and Iran would then have the freedom and the money to achieve nuclear statehood. The Republican candidate in his answer doesn't seem to consider the repercussions internationally to walking away; the very reason why former Defense Security, Robert Gates says it should go through while being rightly very critical of the deal. Reflected in Mr. Rubio's answer, is the general attitude Republicans have to such complicated matters and that is, "We're going to do this. You do what ever you want then, but don't do this, this, and this, or else..."
Conversely, you would hope that more Senators were taking Senator Claire McCaskill's (D-MO) lead and finding out what the repercussions are. Our thinking is that the answers that she gets are going to prompt her to be in favor of the deal because the money is going to start flowing regardless of what Congress decides. You have to surmise that the responsibility for being in this situation falls squarely on the Obama Administration, like it or not.
But given the current situation, we are very uncomfortable with the effect this deal has on the relationship with Israel and the United States, and what it means for the safety or our closest ally in the region, but without the deal, Iran will become more dangerous to all U.S. interests. We sympathize with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as the deal puts him in a very tight position, making it understandable that he is opting against it. However, if we can get 15 years of a nuclear free Iran, with the possibility of more time, then what choice is there? Senator McCaskill asked the question: If the United States walks away from the deal, what does the world look like? Answer: A much more dangerous place.
Panel: Hugh Hewitt, Conservative Talk Host; Heather McGhee, President Demos & Demos Action; Andrea Mitchell; NBC News; David Brooks, The New York Times
One more thing...
Eric Erickson is having his annual Red State Gathering and Mr. Trump is not invited. The clip shown on the program was of Mr. Erickson explaining that his kids would be there so Mr. Trump isn't going to be in attendance. Mr. Trump's unsurprising retort was to call Mr. Erickson a loser. Mr. Erickson, point taken.
However, John Kasich is also not invited because Mr. Erickson said that the governor of Ohio would be a terrible nominee for the party. This assessment stems from Governor Kasich accepting the Affordable Care Act's Medicare funding for his state.
Here's the problem with both scenarios. Mr. Erickson and other so called party influencers only want to see the Republican Party that they want to, and not how it actually is. Republicans have to face the demographic and electoral reality of the United States. Keeping themselves in the 'gentle' bubbles the likes of ones Mr. Erickson creates is done at one's supreme disappointment. It reminds of us how Republicans were shocked because they couldn't believe Mr. Romney lost the election. That's because a handful of people didn't tell Republican supporters the truth, just what they wanted to hear, and it wasn't real.
It's a private event and Mr. Erickson can invite whomever he would like, but just because you don't like a particular candidate in your own party, doesn't mean he or she doesn't exist.
Conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, who will be moderating the next Republican primary debate, said that Mr. Trump obviously doesn't have the temperament to be president because of the off-color statements that he continues to make. However, we would more importantly add, and this is a warning to his supporters, is this huge oversight. Donald Trump is a greatly successful businessman with billions of dollars to show for it, but he's never had to consider others in those decisions. They've all been made ultimately for his benefit. What we're saying is that to get anything done as president you have to consider the strong, most of the time inflexible, opinions of 535 other people, otherwise known as Congress. And the way in which Congress operates these days, if you alienate members on one issue, you lose them on others as well - a package deal or no deal at all.
In terms of the debate performances, we agree with the consensus opinion that Carly Fiorina did very well as did Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). We differ in our assessment of Dr. Ben Carson's performance because our take is that his answers do not come off as thought as much as it seems like he's searching for one,which doesn't inspire any confidence. Not to mention the fact that by his own admission he is still learning about foreign policy. If this column knows more than a candidate on foreign policy, you're disqualified.
And speaking on that, Hugh Hewitt said that the GOP really lost on debate night because the candidates weren't asked about the Iran deal and where they stood. That may be true but it was most probably for the best because we would speculate that at least 6 out of the 10 candidates would have said something that Democrats would be able to use in an attack ad. It's better to get these types of answers, or really non-answer in Senator Rubio's case, in an interview setting.
Senator Rubio is obviously against the Iranian Nuclear Deal, but his reflections on Russia and China worry us. He said that Russia and China have never acted in the interests of America, which isn't entire true, but by walking away from the deal, the United States' Congress must understand that those relationships will become even more adversarial, and Iran would then have the freedom and the money to achieve nuclear statehood. The Republican candidate in his answer doesn't seem to consider the repercussions internationally to walking away; the very reason why former Defense Security, Robert Gates says it should go through while being rightly very critical of the deal. Reflected in Mr. Rubio's answer, is the general attitude Republicans have to such complicated matters and that is, "We're going to do this. You do what ever you want then, but don't do this, this, and this, or else..."
Conversely, you would hope that more Senators were taking Senator Claire McCaskill's (D-MO) lead and finding out what the repercussions are. Our thinking is that the answers that she gets are going to prompt her to be in favor of the deal because the money is going to start flowing regardless of what Congress decides. You have to surmise that the responsibility for being in this situation falls squarely on the Obama Administration, like it or not.
But given the current situation, we are very uncomfortable with the effect this deal has on the relationship with Israel and the United States, and what it means for the safety or our closest ally in the region, but without the deal, Iran will become more dangerous to all U.S. interests. We sympathize with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as the deal puts him in a very tight position, making it understandable that he is opting against it. However, if we can get 15 years of a nuclear free Iran, with the possibility of more time, then what choice is there? Senator McCaskill asked the question: If the United States walks away from the deal, what does the world look like? Answer: A much more dangerous place.
Panel: Hugh Hewitt, Conservative Talk Host; Heather McGhee, President Demos & Demos Action; Andrea Mitchell; NBC News; David Brooks, The New York Times
One more thing...
Eric Erickson is having his annual Red State Gathering and Mr. Trump is not invited. The clip shown on the program was of Mr. Erickson explaining that his kids would be there so Mr. Trump isn't going to be in attendance. Mr. Trump's unsurprising retort was to call Mr. Erickson a loser. Mr. Erickson, point taken.
However, John Kasich is also not invited because Mr. Erickson said that the governor of Ohio would be a terrible nominee for the party. This assessment stems from Governor Kasich accepting the Affordable Care Act's Medicare funding for his state.
Here's the problem with both scenarios. Mr. Erickson and other so called party influencers only want to see the Republican Party that they want to, and not how it actually is. Republicans have to face the demographic and electoral reality of the United States. Keeping themselves in the 'gentle' bubbles the likes of ones Mr. Erickson creates is done at one's supreme disappointment. It reminds of us how Republicans were shocked because they couldn't believe Mr. Romney lost the election. That's because a handful of people didn't tell Republican supporters the truth, just what they wanted to hear, and it wasn't real.
It's a private event and Mr. Erickson can invite whomever he would like, but just because you don't like a particular candidate in your own party, doesn't mean he or she doesn't exist.
Sunday, August 02, 2015
8.2.15: "Meet The Press," the Donald Trump Edition
Welcome to "Meet The Press," the Donald Trump Edition. After Chuck Todd spoke to the man himself, Mr. Trump was the ensuing basis of all the presidential conversations moving forward on today's program. (Yes, there were a few moments of exception, one important point which we'll get to - noted in the postscript below.)
With regard to the upcoming debate on Thursday, Mr. Trump downplayed expectations of his performance, saying that he wasn't a debate and he didn't know how it was going to go. Today's panel offered up predictions, which all depended upon which Donald Trump either the one of audacious ego or the man lowering expectations. Chris Matthews thinks that Trump may surprise and offer some sort of policy prescription perhaps on taxes. Two points particularly stick out to us from the panel discussion on Mr. Trump and the upcoming debate, one of which was The Wall Street Journal's Gerald Seib's point that Mr. Trump has to be able to answer that 'commander-in-chief' question.' There is no question that Mr. Trump possesses a presidential size personality, but can he show the temperament of a president - be presidential? Mr. Seib's and our question speak to how Mr. Trump would represent the United States abroad and how he would be in an international crisis.
Chris Matthews opined that the biggest challenge for Mr. Trump could be Fox News moderator, Megyn Kelly, who would be supremely qualified to challenge a Republican candidate like Mr. Trump on this point of acting presidential. As Mr. Matthews warned, Mr. Trump would verbally joust with Ms. Kelly at his political peril.
On the question of whether Mr. Trump is hurting the Republican party, the answer is unequivocally 'yes...' Unless, he wins the nomination. Our reasoning for this stems from the fact that Mr. Trump has been called (as cited on the program) a rattlesnake, a drunken NASCAR driver and a cancer on the party to name a few, which just makes voters think negatively of the whole enterprise. For Mr. Trump's part, he said that Wisconsin is a mess (in reference to Walker), that John Kasich when working for Lehman Bros. helped sink the world's economy, and that Rick Perry wears glasses only to look smarter, et al.
Make no mistake, you'll be seeing all of these statements regurgitated in Democratic attack ads against who ever the nominee for the Republicans is come September. It's like 'pick a card, any card...' because Mr. Trump has hit all of his opponents in a like manner. And by the way, if people give all of those criticisms more than a second's thought, they'll realize that he is right. Under Republican governor Scott Walker, Wisconsin has a huge amount of debt. John Kasich was in fact on the board of Lehman Bros., the firm that triggered the 2008 economic meltdown. And on the question of Texas governor Rick Perry's intellectual readiness to be president, we'll let you be the judge.
What is also clear from today's interview with RNC Chair Reince Priebus is that he has no control over these candidates to any degree at all by saying that none of them speak for the Republican Party, something Mr. Priebus curiously referred to as a 'private' organization. We don't know what that's about. He seemed to imply that there are owners, hmmm... However, isn't the idea that all the candidates speak for the party offering something positive to the race? Or maybe not.
With all this Donald Trump bashing, there is one thing he said, to which we have to give unquestioned props. Mr. Trump said that he needed to be himself and he couldn't do that if he were beholden to special interests or pollsters or big money donors, the latter of which he said were in fact not nice people. Two important things here - he really is putting his money where his mouth is, like what comes out of it or not he's spending his own money so he isn't swayed any which way, which is why you will see an article in The Washington Post entitled "Because I Said So." (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-trump-platform-because-i-said-so/2015/08/01/4684802c-36f7-11e5-9739-170df8af8eb9_story.html). It reflects that dynamic. Also, there is his willingness to take on that machine of political industry which will be what sinks him in the end. What was that statistic that Mr. Todd put on the screen?
The above statistic is just sad. It illustrates, among other things, how our political leaders are in the tank for a chosen few, and for the rest, you get what we give you.
Panel: Helene Cooper, The New York Times; Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post; Gerald Seib, The Wall Street Journal; Chris Matthews, MSNBC.
A couple more things...
First, Chris Matthews provided us all with a concise explanation on how to differentiate between being a Democrat and being a Socialist. A socialist, Mr. Matthews said, is someone who believes that the government controls the entire economy whereas a Democrat believes in large government but also believes that the market should be the determining factor. In more practical terms, Democrats believe that certain things should be taken off the table that could inhibit economic success - like being beholden to an insurance company's determination on how much you pay for health insurance.
Lastly, one can not help but think that police in this country are out of control, and the brutality first strategy when interacting with the public will not stand any longer. This notion occurred to us - it all comes back to our irresponsible gun laws in this country. We've said it before, we are now at a point where the 'well-regulated' part of the Second Amendment needs to kick in hard. We as a society have failed when it comes to preventing gun violence. The statistical fact cited today is that the most likely way for a black male to die in the U.S. is by homicide, from the use of a gun. This is not meant as an indictment of black males in any way. This fact is the product of a deeply ingrained racially-biased system that we made ourselves. But cops know this fact, and coupled with the apparent lack of proper training they approach every situation wrongly assuming the person has a gun. Taking that approach only leads to fear that provokes confrontation that then ends in tragedy.
With regard to the upcoming debate on Thursday, Mr. Trump downplayed expectations of his performance, saying that he wasn't a debate and he didn't know how it was going to go. Today's panel offered up predictions, which all depended upon which Donald Trump either the one of audacious ego or the man lowering expectations. Chris Matthews thinks that Trump may surprise and offer some sort of policy prescription perhaps on taxes. Two points particularly stick out to us from the panel discussion on Mr. Trump and the upcoming debate, one of which was The Wall Street Journal's Gerald Seib's point that Mr. Trump has to be able to answer that 'commander-in-chief' question.' There is no question that Mr. Trump possesses a presidential size personality, but can he show the temperament of a president - be presidential? Mr. Seib's and our question speak to how Mr. Trump would represent the United States abroad and how he would be in an international crisis.
Chris Matthews opined that the biggest challenge for Mr. Trump could be Fox News moderator, Megyn Kelly, who would be supremely qualified to challenge a Republican candidate like Mr. Trump on this point of acting presidential. As Mr. Matthews warned, Mr. Trump would verbally joust with Ms. Kelly at his political peril.
On the question of whether Mr. Trump is hurting the Republican party, the answer is unequivocally 'yes...' Unless, he wins the nomination. Our reasoning for this stems from the fact that Mr. Trump has been called (as cited on the program) a rattlesnake, a drunken NASCAR driver and a cancer on the party to name a few, which just makes voters think negatively of the whole enterprise. For Mr. Trump's part, he said that Wisconsin is a mess (in reference to Walker), that John Kasich when working for Lehman Bros. helped sink the world's economy, and that Rick Perry wears glasses only to look smarter, et al.
Make no mistake, you'll be seeing all of these statements regurgitated in Democratic attack ads against who ever the nominee for the Republicans is come September. It's like 'pick a card, any card...' because Mr. Trump has hit all of his opponents in a like manner. And by the way, if people give all of those criticisms more than a second's thought, they'll realize that he is right. Under Republican governor Scott Walker, Wisconsin has a huge amount of debt. John Kasich was in fact on the board of Lehman Bros., the firm that triggered the 2008 economic meltdown. And on the question of Texas governor Rick Perry's intellectual readiness to be president, we'll let you be the judge.
What is also clear from today's interview with RNC Chair Reince Priebus is that he has no control over these candidates to any degree at all by saying that none of them speak for the Republican Party, something Mr. Priebus curiously referred to as a 'private' organization. We don't know what that's about. He seemed to imply that there are owners, hmmm... However, isn't the idea that all the candidates speak for the party offering something positive to the race? Or maybe not.
With all this Donald Trump bashing, there is one thing he said, to which we have to give unquestioned props. Mr. Trump said that he needed to be himself and he couldn't do that if he were beholden to special interests or pollsters or big money donors, the latter of which he said were in fact not nice people. Two important things here - he really is putting his money where his mouth is, like what comes out of it or not he's spending his own money so he isn't swayed any which way, which is why you will see an article in The Washington Post entitled "Because I Said So." (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-trump-platform-because-i-said-so/2015/08/01/4684802c-36f7-11e5-9739-170df8af8eb9_story.html). It reflects that dynamic. Also, there is his willingness to take on that machine of political industry which will be what sinks him in the end. What was that statistic that Mr. Todd put on the screen?
The above statistic is just sad. It illustrates, among other things, how our political leaders are in the tank for a chosen few, and for the rest, you get what we give you.
Panel: Helene Cooper, The New York Times; Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post; Gerald Seib, The Wall Street Journal; Chris Matthews, MSNBC.
A couple more things...
First, Chris Matthews provided us all with a concise explanation on how to differentiate between being a Democrat and being a Socialist. A socialist, Mr. Matthews said, is someone who believes that the government controls the entire economy whereas a Democrat believes in large government but also believes that the market should be the determining factor. In more practical terms, Democrats believe that certain things should be taken off the table that could inhibit economic success - like being beholden to an insurance company's determination on how much you pay for health insurance.
Lastly, one can not help but think that police in this country are out of control, and the brutality first strategy when interacting with the public will not stand any longer. This notion occurred to us - it all comes back to our irresponsible gun laws in this country. We've said it before, we are now at a point where the 'well-regulated' part of the Second Amendment needs to kick in hard. We as a society have failed when it comes to preventing gun violence. The statistical fact cited today is that the most likely way for a black male to die in the U.S. is by homicide, from the use of a gun. This is not meant as an indictment of black males in any way. This fact is the product of a deeply ingrained racially-biased system that we made ourselves. But cops know this fact, and coupled with the apparent lack of proper training they approach every situation wrongly assuming the person has a gun. Taking that approach only leads to fear that provokes confrontation that then ends in tragedy.
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