Lordie... No matter if you're discussing the pandemic, John Bolton or election politics, it all comes back to the all too frustrating common denominator - Senate Republicans. This one group is the hold up, the enabler, the shameless, the feckless, the problem.
Among the many things John Bolton said that this column disagrees with is that the Republicans should keep control of the Senate whether Mr. Trump is reelected or not. Mr. Bolton reasoned that a political party shouldn't be driven by the individual but the philosophy and it's that conservative philosophy that needs to be in place as a check for a stable republic. However, Republicans in the Senate jettisoned their conservative philosophy for Trumpism, which isn't really even an 'ism.' Following the whims of an individual is not a political philosophy, it's the abdication of responsibility. What Mr. Bolton is saying is that if Joe Biden is president, they'll find their conservative footing again. Well, isn't that convenient? They all swore an oath to uphold the constitution and in these past 3 1/2 years, they've collectively broken that oath by not keeping a corrupt president from unlawful action.
In the case of John Bolton, he thought that Senate Republicans would want to know the truth from the guy who was in "the room where it happened" during the impeachment trial and subpoena him. Think again. Under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Republicans had no interest, calling no witnesses. The bottom line is that if Mr. Bolton wanted to come forward and testify, he could have in the House of Representatives. And now he's worried that the republic would not be able to survive a second term of Donald Trump? Many Americans are worried about the same thing, but Mr. Bolton was in a position to do something about it. Instead, he cut and ran in the moment with an eye on a payout once he reached the other side. Mr. Bolton said that he sticks to his conservative philosophy, but if this is it, it's thoroughly compromised and needs to go. In other words, a Senate Republican majority needs to be sent home.
As NBC's Kasie Hunt explained, it is in June when the political bedrock is set for the fall election and many Senate Republicans have hitched their wagons to Donald Trump's, and it's too late to jump off. However, because of the spikes in coronavirus cases in namely Texas, Arizona and Florida, Republican senators are starting to grumble in an attempt to get their own voices back a bit, and Ms. Hunt reported that Senate Republicans, behind the scenes, definitely want a stronger federal response from the administration. They all know that the Trump Administration has handled the pandemic horribly. Mitch McConnell is now encouraging people to wear a mask, which can reduce the chance of transmission by 25 percent, but people on his side of the aisle aren't listening because the president refuses to wear a mask in any circumstance and will not encourage people to do so. His vice president can not even say the word 'mask' during a coronavirus task force press conference.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar this is a county by county issue that the federal government will be there to support counties and states as they need help. In his interview, he basically conceded that there is no national strategy and that the administration is essentially ignoring the 'pan' in pandemic. Without a national strategy one of the worries that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo mentioned was that the progress made in his state will be negated because other states haven't taken the necessary steps. All the administration's talk of counties and states was rightly interpreted by Mr. Cuomo who summed it up by saying that the states are on their own.
And because states on are their own with no national strategy to combat the spread and mitigate death totals, the rosy picture that Hugh Hewitt painted for January isn't going to happen. It was refreshing that Kasie Hunt called him out on his depiction of how great it will be if Trump is reelected - in January will be back at 3.5 percent unemployment, for example - so that this column didn't have to on that. However, in reaction to the president giving a nonsensical answer to what his second term priorities would be, Mr. Hewitt said that the president gave a Klayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers ace pitcher) windup but didn't deliver the pitch. We guess he could have said something stupider, but this comment was impressive in that respect. It's like he was trying to pull the best smelling crap from a pile of crap. Why Mr. Hewitt still has a radio show or platform is anyone's guess with these types of ridiculous comments.
Mr. Hewitt should do what the Senate Republicans have been doing with regard to the president's lawlessness, offensiveness, and impotent response to the pandemic. He should just say that he didn't see the tweet, put his head down and scurry away.
Panel: Kasie Hunt, NBC; Eddie Glaude, Jr.; Princeton University; Hugh Hewitt, Salem Radio Network
One more thing...
According to U.S. intelligence officials, Russians are paying bounties to the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers. This story was reported in the New York Times, in which it also said that the president was briefed about it in March. The president said that he was not briefed on this, hence the administration has had no response. As much as we disagree with John Bolton, we're with him on this one thinking it's odd that a president would go out of his way to say that he was not briefed. Will Mr. Trump act? Maybe if he's pressured enough because he doesn't want to look anymore like he's in Putin's pocket than he already does.
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Sunday, June 21, 2020
6.21.20: It's Not Only the Supreme Court...
President Trump said via Twitter, "Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn't like me?"
This tweet came in response to the Court's ruling on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) which came after the Court also ruled earlier in the week that individuals could not be fired on the basis of their sexual orientation, which is a major victory of course for the LGBTQ community.
Along with the LGBT community, DACA recipients are mostly Latino so there are two other groups not in the 'like' column for Trump. Then there are those four former cabinet members - John Kelly, John Bolton, Rex Tillerson and James Mattis - that really aren't seeing it either. The African-American community... please.
Then there's 60 percent of the American public that disapprove of his job performance. Suburban moms are in the midst of a sickening kerfuffle, figuratively and literally, so they're keeping their distance as well.
Then there was the rally in Tulsa last night.
One million tickets requested, 19,000 Trump supporters indoors and another 40,000 expected outside. But only about 7,000 showed up, and the campaign cancelled the 'overflow' speech that the president was to give to the crowd outside because it would have been in front of only like 40 people. Concerns about coronavirus spread, given that masks were optional and were not worn, plus what Carol Lee reported on Trump's enthusiasm issue while he paints a doomsday scenario if he is not reelected.
So many have tuned out, even rally supporters who know they're going to get the same show, that Donald Trump is desperate. So much so that he sees the mountain coming and the plane is out of control. The president playing defense as Yamiche Alcindor described was an understatement and a half (understandable, Ms. Alcindor works for PBS), because the president has to do something to fire up his base. Ms. Lee said the rallies are the campaign's only play, but this time around that he is the incumbent they will not go over as well if Tulsa is any indication.
Also in desperation with more nefarious intent, Mr. Trump along with Attorney General Bill Barr, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin who all see the writing on the wall are covering for the president in multiple ways, namely this latest firing of Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, who was investigating Mr. Trump's associates. Steve Mnuchin, this week, refused to tell a congressional oversight committee who he gave $500 billion of tax payers' money to through the business relief program. And Mr. Pompeo is there to cover up and mitigate the damage of all these self-interested foreign deals Mr. Trump is making. Firing all the Inspectors General has only made their collective tasks easier.
However, John Bolton put his dislike into print and the Trump Administration couldn't do anything about it. Another malfunction for the Trump campaign because as Ms. Alcindor described from her reading is that the book's general thesis is that Donald Trump is unfit to be president. And even though long-time Republican strategist Alex Cardenas who has known Mr. Bolton for close to 40 years calls him a 'truth teller,' One can not disagree with Congressman Adam Schiff's assessment that Mr. Bolton indicted himself on cowardice and greed. The damning excerpts that have already been released, would have put Republican senators in an untenable position if Mr. Bolton would have testified during Mr. Trump's impeachment.
Point being to all this, it seems it's not only the Supreme Court that doesn't like Mr. Trump.
Panel: Yamiche Alcindor, PBS; Carol Lee, NBC News; Alex Cardenas, Republican Strategist
One more thing...
You have to love that Mr. Cardenas said that the Trump Campaign got 'punk'd' when it came to getting a million RSVPs to the rally. The campaign was indeed nervous and they over-hyped it.
This tweet came in response to the Court's ruling on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) which came after the Court also ruled earlier in the week that individuals could not be fired on the basis of their sexual orientation, which is a major victory of course for the LGBTQ community.
Along with the LGBT community, DACA recipients are mostly Latino so there are two other groups not in the 'like' column for Trump. Then there are those four former cabinet members - John Kelly, John Bolton, Rex Tillerson and James Mattis - that really aren't seeing it either. The African-American community... please.
Then there's 60 percent of the American public that disapprove of his job performance. Suburban moms are in the midst of a sickening kerfuffle, figuratively and literally, so they're keeping their distance as well.
Then there was the rally in Tulsa last night.
One million tickets requested, 19,000 Trump supporters indoors and another 40,000 expected outside. But only about 7,000 showed up, and the campaign cancelled the 'overflow' speech that the president was to give to the crowd outside because it would have been in front of only like 40 people. Concerns about coronavirus spread, given that masks were optional and were not worn, plus what Carol Lee reported on Trump's enthusiasm issue while he paints a doomsday scenario if he is not reelected.
So many have tuned out, even rally supporters who know they're going to get the same show, that Donald Trump is desperate. So much so that he sees the mountain coming and the plane is out of control. The president playing defense as Yamiche Alcindor described was an understatement and a half (understandable, Ms. Alcindor works for PBS), because the president has to do something to fire up his base. Ms. Lee said the rallies are the campaign's only play, but this time around that he is the incumbent they will not go over as well if Tulsa is any indication.
Also in desperation with more nefarious intent, Mr. Trump along with Attorney General Bill Barr, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin who all see the writing on the wall are covering for the president in multiple ways, namely this latest firing of Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, who was investigating Mr. Trump's associates. Steve Mnuchin, this week, refused to tell a congressional oversight committee who he gave $500 billion of tax payers' money to through the business relief program. And Mr. Pompeo is there to cover up and mitigate the damage of all these self-interested foreign deals Mr. Trump is making. Firing all the Inspectors General has only made their collective tasks easier.
However, John Bolton put his dislike into print and the Trump Administration couldn't do anything about it. Another malfunction for the Trump campaign because as Ms. Alcindor described from her reading is that the book's general thesis is that Donald Trump is unfit to be president. And even though long-time Republican strategist Alex Cardenas who has known Mr. Bolton for close to 40 years calls him a 'truth teller,' One can not disagree with Congressman Adam Schiff's assessment that Mr. Bolton indicted himself on cowardice and greed. The damning excerpts that have already been released, would have put Republican senators in an untenable position if Mr. Bolton would have testified during Mr. Trump's impeachment.
Point being to all this, it seems it's not only the Supreme Court that doesn't like Mr. Trump.
Panel: Yamiche Alcindor, PBS; Carol Lee, NBC News; Alex Cardenas, Republican Strategist
One more thing...
You have to love that Mr. Cardenas said that the Trump Campaign got 'punk'd' when it came to getting a million RSVPs to the rally. The campaign was indeed nervous and they over-hyped it.
Sunday, June 14, 2020
6.14.20: Mr. Trump Suffers Delusions that He Tortures the American People With
It's easy when writing a column to revert to just railing against individuals and their insights which you've deemed unacceptable. With a few notable exceptions (read: Hugh Hewitt and Pat McCrory), we like to also offer helpful suggestions so that maybe, just maybe, we can positively contribute to widening people's insights and perspectives.
With that in mind, here's one. If all goes well in November, what senate Republicans would be wise to do is make Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) their minority leader. Otherwise, the already shrinking relevance of Republican voices will rightly be disqualified from any national conversation on race or police reform. With more of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) leading the party the enabling of a president who wants to kill productive conversation by a thousand cuts with continue.
Hence this exchange two days ago (6.12.20) between President Trump and Harris Faulkner (cool name) on Fox News:
Trump: So I think I've done more for the Black community than any other president, and let's take a pass on Abraham Lincoln because he did good, although it's always questionable, you know, in other words, the end result —
Faulkner: Well, we are free, Mr. President, so I think he did pretty well.
Trump: We are free. You understand what I mean.
Faulkner: Yeah, I get it.
Never mind the complete falsehood at the top of Mr. Trump's statement, but how exactly is the end result of freeing a race of people from the bondage of slavery and winning a war against an army lead by men who were traitors to their country questionable?
We have to side with The New York Times' Helene Cooper on this one and say that it's 'preposterous' to think that Mr. Trump can contribute productively to the conversation. As astounding as the aforementioned exchange is, let's not focus on that, but instead some of the statements coming from Senator Scott representing Republicans on police reform. It's heartening to him proclaim matter-of-factly that the time for the choke hold has come and gone. Also sounded very positive on a national database for police complains and misconduct for individual officers, which is something that should exist on a federal level. This way, officers fired from one department can not just simply go to another place and commit the same misconduct. What it would also does is allow departments to review individuals and consider the specific actions; if the level of offensive is such that maybe with counseling, retraining and a change of scenery, an individual can re-enter.
Point being, it takes one's blood pressure down a bit when you hear a Republican senator comment that having Juneteenth become a national holiday (why isn't it already?) is a "brilliant idea." To be clear, whether you agree with that or not, it's a little encouraging to be open to the idea. As Kasie Hunt reported, it is only Tim Scott that can deliver anything from Republicans, as a cultural shift in the country threatens to leave them irredeemably out of touch, if they aren't already.
On top of all this, the fallout continues for Mr. Trump over his photo-op political stunt with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, making a video apology for appearing with the president and for the appearance of politicizing the military. With that as the backdrop, Chuck Todd interviewed the frustrating, but necessarily steady fmr. Secretary of Defense for both the Bush and Obama Administrations, Robert Gates.
Secretary Gates has had harsh words for both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump respectively, but gives Mr. Trump's foreign policy initiatives the nod over Mr. Biden's, with whom he said he disagreed with most all of his foreign policy positions going back 40 years. Conversely, Mr. Gates explained that "at least he hasn't gotten us in any more wars," something for which we're all grateful for but the fmr. secretary neglected to mention that Mr. Trump left a great steadfast ally, the Kurds, high and dry in Syria to be sandwiched by Turkey and Russia.
Additionally, Mr. Gates mentioned that he agreed with challenging China and engaging with North Korea qualifying both that nothing has become of either. But what good are the initiatives if there is no strategic plan, which Mr. Gates knows that Mr. Trump never has. The glaring omission from Secretary Gates's commentary was no mention of the alienation of our two most important European continental allies, France and Germany. Australia is relieved that they're on the other side of the globe from us right now and it seems like 100 percent of Canadians are wondering the same thing as 60 percent of Americans - when will the Trump exhaustion finally end? The diplomatic malpractice with these vital allies is enough of a disqualifier on foreign policy.
As frustrating as Mr. Gates's answers can be, he still mentioned what every other fmr. senior military official checked this week, character or the lack thereof. An illustration of this is Mr. Trump flat refusal on the idea of renaming military bases that are currently named after Confederate military figures. Ms. Cooper, senior Pentagon reporter, explained that the military was only in the beginning stages of suggesting a commission to look at the issue, and before it was even a thing, Mr. Trump slammed the door on it.
It's a bigoted bet that Mr. Trump makes against his political opponents on behalf of pleasing his base, feeding them the red dog-whistle as it were. The same can be said for the original scheduling for a Trump campaign event in Tulsa, which has malicious intent in triplicate. Given Mr. Trump's statements on race, having a rally on Juneteenth, the celebrated day of emancipation for African-Americans is uncalled for to say the least. On top of that, Mr. Trump is having the rally in Tulsa, the site of the worst post-Civil War racial massacre of African-Americans in U.S. history. And lastly, Oklahoma is one of the states where cases of Covid-19 are spiking and the Trump campaign thinks it's still a good idea to cram 15,000 people into an arena with poor ventilation.
Dr. Nahid Bhadelia explained that hospital beds in Arizona are at 84 percent capacity and South Carolina is at 70 percent, illustrating the spikes in the South and the West. Because Mr. Trump is continuing to gamble with American lives, 116,000+ deaths and counting, by not taking the vitally necessary federal initiative to combat the virus, it seems as though we are indeed at the point that NBC's Joseph Fair (a Covid-19 victim) described as not a matter of waves or spikes but a consistent flow of infections and deaths until we discover a vaccine. And of course, the totals will disproportionately affect the black community.
Yet with all this, Mr. Trump still has the gall to say that he's done more for the black community then any other president, outside of Abraham Lincoln. The saddest part of Mr. Trump suffering from delusions is that the American people are tortured by them.
Panel: Kasie Hunt, NBC; Helene Cooper, The New York Times; Tim Alberta, Politico
With that in mind, here's one. If all goes well in November, what senate Republicans would be wise to do is make Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) their minority leader. Otherwise, the already shrinking relevance of Republican voices will rightly be disqualified from any national conversation on race or police reform. With more of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) leading the party the enabling of a president who wants to kill productive conversation by a thousand cuts with continue.
Hence this exchange two days ago (6.12.20) between President Trump and Harris Faulkner (cool name) on Fox News:
Trump: So I think I've done more for the Black community than any other president, and let's take a pass on Abraham Lincoln because he did good, although it's always questionable, you know, in other words, the end result —
Faulkner: Well, we are free, Mr. President, so I think he did pretty well.
Trump: We are free. You understand what I mean.
Faulkner: Yeah, I get it.
Never mind the complete falsehood at the top of Mr. Trump's statement, but how exactly is the end result of freeing a race of people from the bondage of slavery and winning a war against an army lead by men who were traitors to their country questionable?
We have to side with The New York Times' Helene Cooper on this one and say that it's 'preposterous' to think that Mr. Trump can contribute productively to the conversation. As astounding as the aforementioned exchange is, let's not focus on that, but instead some of the statements coming from Senator Scott representing Republicans on police reform. It's heartening to him proclaim matter-of-factly that the time for the choke hold has come and gone. Also sounded very positive on a national database for police complains and misconduct for individual officers, which is something that should exist on a federal level. This way, officers fired from one department can not just simply go to another place and commit the same misconduct. What it would also does is allow departments to review individuals and consider the specific actions; if the level of offensive is such that maybe with counseling, retraining and a change of scenery, an individual can re-enter.
Point being, it takes one's blood pressure down a bit when you hear a Republican senator comment that having Juneteenth become a national holiday (why isn't it already?) is a "brilliant idea." To be clear, whether you agree with that or not, it's a little encouraging to be open to the idea. As Kasie Hunt reported, it is only Tim Scott that can deliver anything from Republicans, as a cultural shift in the country threatens to leave them irredeemably out of touch, if they aren't already.
On top of all this, the fallout continues for Mr. Trump over his photo-op political stunt with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, making a video apology for appearing with the president and for the appearance of politicizing the military. With that as the backdrop, Chuck Todd interviewed the frustrating, but necessarily steady fmr. Secretary of Defense for both the Bush and Obama Administrations, Robert Gates.
Secretary Gates has had harsh words for both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump respectively, but gives Mr. Trump's foreign policy initiatives the nod over Mr. Biden's, with whom he said he disagreed with most all of his foreign policy positions going back 40 years. Conversely, Mr. Gates explained that "at least he hasn't gotten us in any more wars," something for which we're all grateful for but the fmr. secretary neglected to mention that Mr. Trump left a great steadfast ally, the Kurds, high and dry in Syria to be sandwiched by Turkey and Russia.
Additionally, Mr. Gates mentioned that he agreed with challenging China and engaging with North Korea qualifying both that nothing has become of either. But what good are the initiatives if there is no strategic plan, which Mr. Gates knows that Mr. Trump never has. The glaring omission from Secretary Gates's commentary was no mention of the alienation of our two most important European continental allies, France and Germany. Australia is relieved that they're on the other side of the globe from us right now and it seems like 100 percent of Canadians are wondering the same thing as 60 percent of Americans - when will the Trump exhaustion finally end? The diplomatic malpractice with these vital allies is enough of a disqualifier on foreign policy.
As frustrating as Mr. Gates's answers can be, he still mentioned what every other fmr. senior military official checked this week, character or the lack thereof. An illustration of this is Mr. Trump flat refusal on the idea of renaming military bases that are currently named after Confederate military figures. Ms. Cooper, senior Pentagon reporter, explained that the military was only in the beginning stages of suggesting a commission to look at the issue, and before it was even a thing, Mr. Trump slammed the door on it.
It's a bigoted bet that Mr. Trump makes against his political opponents on behalf of pleasing his base, feeding them the red dog-whistle as it were. The same can be said for the original scheduling for a Trump campaign event in Tulsa, which has malicious intent in triplicate. Given Mr. Trump's statements on race, having a rally on Juneteenth, the celebrated day of emancipation for African-Americans is uncalled for to say the least. On top of that, Mr. Trump is having the rally in Tulsa, the site of the worst post-Civil War racial massacre of African-Americans in U.S. history. And lastly, Oklahoma is one of the states where cases of Covid-19 are spiking and the Trump campaign thinks it's still a good idea to cram 15,000 people into an arena with poor ventilation.
Dr. Nahid Bhadelia explained that hospital beds in Arizona are at 84 percent capacity and South Carolina is at 70 percent, illustrating the spikes in the South and the West. Because Mr. Trump is continuing to gamble with American lives, 116,000+ deaths and counting, by not taking the vitally necessary federal initiative to combat the virus, it seems as though we are indeed at the point that NBC's Joseph Fair (a Covid-19 victim) described as not a matter of waves or spikes but a consistent flow of infections and deaths until we discover a vaccine. And of course, the totals will disproportionately affect the black community.
Yet with all this, Mr. Trump still has the gall to say that he's done more for the black community then any other president, outside of Abraham Lincoln. The saddest part of Mr. Trump suffering from delusions is that the American people are tortured by them.
Panel: Kasie Hunt, NBC; Helene Cooper, The New York Times; Tim Alberta, Politico
Sunday, June 07, 2020
6.7.20: When The President is Spinning Out of Control, We All Are
How influential is the office of the presidency? So much influence that when the individual who occupies the office is spinning out of control it can literally spin the country out of control, which now a majority of Americans believe that is in fact what's happening.
The tragic events of 110,000-plus deaths from Covid-19, the subsequent economic collapse and the protests for racial injustice may have happened on another president's watch, but the chaos and division that Donald Trump has wrought on Americans and the world is fully manifesting itself.
The culmination came on Monday with the Trump Administration ordering the U.S. military to disperse a peaceful protest outside the "People's House" with tear gas so that we can all have this photo...
Sorry... This photo:
Offensive on so many levels, one doesn't even know where to begin: unconstitutional use of the military for a photo op? turning the U.S. military on American citizens? using the bible and religion as a prop? Ivanka Trump carrying the bible in her purse then handing it to the president? completely tone-deaf to what was going on around the entire country at that moment? desecrating a sacred church where every president since James Madison (4th) had come to pray?
After that new low even for this president, the expected residual ooze of misleading and inappropriate statements seeped from the White House. Meanwhile, in the real world, former military commanders such as Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen, fmr. Trump Administration Defense Secretary General James Mattis, fmr. Trump Chief of Staff General John Kelly, fmr. Secretary of State General Colin Powell, fmr. Seal Commander General William McCraven and fmr. NATO Supreme Commander Admiral James Stavridis all harshly condemned the president's actions and in essence explained that he is actively part of the problem when it comes to bringing the country together.
Yet while protests continue, the president remains a dividing force for racial justice and has yet to exclude invoking the Insurrection Act to fully employ the U.S. military to stop the protests. Appearing on today's program, Admiral Stavridis explained that if it comes to that point, current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Mark Milley will have a choice to make, either follow the order or hand in his four stars. The admiral also said that because Defense Secretary Mark Esper is a political appointee, he would have it easier on making the decision, but General Milley is a career soldier. And then there is abroad, in which Adm. Stavridis explained that because of Mr. Trump, America's moral authority (and thus its influence) and reputation are deteriorating rapidly. Even if Mr. Trump is indeed a one-term president, the damage he's already done to international relations and partnerships will take at least a decade to repair.
Who knows how long it will take this country to recover even somewhat from Mr. Trump's presidency, if ever. On multiple occasions, Kristen Welker described the press pool being shushed by the president when asked about the protests and what his plan would be for reform. Obviously, it's because the administration doesn't have a plan, but not only that. One is compelled to ask if the president even cares to have one.
Co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza explained it when Chuck Todd asked her about "Defund the Police." Ms. Garza said that what that meant was that instead of pouring tons money into militarizing the police, use the money for housing and education in black communities, not getting rid of the police force. Affordable housing and good public education are problems plague all demographics in the country but a Manhattan-type project should begin in communities of color.
Frankly, it won't happen under this "Law & Order" president, even if he is reelected. In terms of the election polls and the various crises that he has no aptitude or inclination to confront, Mr. Trump is like a wounded animal backed into a corner. In this case it means that invoking the Insurrection Act is not out of the question. The protests and the battle against white supremacy and our nation's original sin will continue. As The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson put it, "It will not be without conflict."
Panel: Kristen Welker, NBC; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; David French, The Dispatch
One more thing...
The NFL
"We admit we were wrong not to listen to players earlier."
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell
Again, Mr. Robinson had it correct. Until they say his name and publicly apologize to Colin Kapernick before he's rightly standing on the sideline for his new team, Mr. Goddell's statement while a step in the right direction, comes up short.
The tragic events of 110,000-plus deaths from Covid-19, the subsequent economic collapse and the protests for racial injustice may have happened on another president's watch, but the chaos and division that Donald Trump has wrought on Americans and the world is fully manifesting itself.
The culmination came on Monday with the Trump Administration ordering the U.S. military to disperse a peaceful protest outside the "People's House" with tear gas so that we can all have this photo...
 |
| Your Bible? A Bible. |
Sorry... This photo:
Offensive on so many levels, one doesn't even know where to begin: unconstitutional use of the military for a photo op? turning the U.S. military on American citizens? using the bible and religion as a prop? Ivanka Trump carrying the bible in her purse then handing it to the president? completely tone-deaf to what was going on around the entire country at that moment? desecrating a sacred church where every president since James Madison (4th) had come to pray?
After that new low even for this president, the expected residual ooze of misleading and inappropriate statements seeped from the White House. Meanwhile, in the real world, former military commanders such as Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen, fmr. Trump Administration Defense Secretary General James Mattis, fmr. Trump Chief of Staff General John Kelly, fmr. Secretary of State General Colin Powell, fmr. Seal Commander General William McCraven and fmr. NATO Supreme Commander Admiral James Stavridis all harshly condemned the president's actions and in essence explained that he is actively part of the problem when it comes to bringing the country together.
Yet while protests continue, the president remains a dividing force for racial justice and has yet to exclude invoking the Insurrection Act to fully employ the U.S. military to stop the protests. Appearing on today's program, Admiral Stavridis explained that if it comes to that point, current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Mark Milley will have a choice to make, either follow the order or hand in his four stars. The admiral also said that because Defense Secretary Mark Esper is a political appointee, he would have it easier on making the decision, but General Milley is a career soldier. And then there is abroad, in which Adm. Stavridis explained that because of Mr. Trump, America's moral authority (and thus its influence) and reputation are deteriorating rapidly. Even if Mr. Trump is indeed a one-term president, the damage he's already done to international relations and partnerships will take at least a decade to repair.
Who knows how long it will take this country to recover even somewhat from Mr. Trump's presidency, if ever. On multiple occasions, Kristen Welker described the press pool being shushed by the president when asked about the protests and what his plan would be for reform. Obviously, it's because the administration doesn't have a plan, but not only that. One is compelled to ask if the president even cares to have one.
Co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza explained it when Chuck Todd asked her about "Defund the Police." Ms. Garza said that what that meant was that instead of pouring tons money into militarizing the police, use the money for housing and education in black communities, not getting rid of the police force. Affordable housing and good public education are problems plague all demographics in the country but a Manhattan-type project should begin in communities of color.
Frankly, it won't happen under this "Law & Order" president, even if he is reelected. In terms of the election polls and the various crises that he has no aptitude or inclination to confront, Mr. Trump is like a wounded animal backed into a corner. In this case it means that invoking the Insurrection Act is not out of the question. The protests and the battle against white supremacy and our nation's original sin will continue. As The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson put it, "It will not be without conflict."
Panel: Kristen Welker, NBC; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; David French, The Dispatch
One more thing...
The NFL
"We admit we were wrong not to listen to players earlier."
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell
Again, Mr. Robinson had it correct. Until they say his name and publicly apologize to Colin Kapernick before he's rightly standing on the sideline for his new team, Mr. Goddell's statement while a step in the right direction, comes up short.
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