Category: Politics

Donald Trump Is Not Going Away

The Trump campaign announced in early December that the president’s fundraising operation raised $207.5 million since Election Day.

The majority of that money is likely not going to any sort of legal account. Trump’s fundraising operation is instead sending it to a new political organization created by the president: a leadership PAC called Save America PAC, a type of vehicle popular with both parties on Capitol Hill but long derided by watchdogs as essentially a type of slush fund, with few restrictions on how the money they raise can be spent.

Trump’s Save America PAC started 2021 with more than $31M, filings show.

“The more money [Trump] stacks up in his committee, the greater his grip will remain on many elected Republicans who will fear those resources could be turned against them,” Rob Stutzman, a Republican consultant, told Politico.

Save America is on Facebook.

Trump is motivated by his popularity among the Republican party membership and the devotion of so many GOP members of congress.

As recently as January 6 Texas Senator Ted Cruz said “39% of Americans … 31% of independents … 17% of Democrats believe the election was rigged.”

Would Republicans in Washington stand by Donald Trump’s “big lie” if they knew it could cost the party a fifth of its voters?

A nationally representative Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the days following the Capitol insurrection confirmed the large number of Republicans who believe Trump’s false assertion that the 2020 election was the result of illegal voting or rigging: 62% of the GOP, plus 17% who are “not sure” about the election’s legitimacy. However, the poll also shows how the remaining 21% of Republicans who believe the results were accurate and legitimate may be poised to vote for Democrats in the future.

We will be seeing Trump running for office in 2024. Even if he doesn’t win the nomination it will be an entertaining four years.   The media, like a moth attracted to light, will not stay away.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me

‘Played’ by GOP in the Obama era, Biden and the Democrats are getting ready to move on their Own

As of Jan. 29, his 15th day in office, Biden has signed a total of 22 executive orders. The president is unlikely to wait more than a few days for Republican Party participation in his plans.

As told in the Los Angeles Times
In the months-long struggle through 2009 to pass the Affordable Care Act, some Senate Democrats were so determined to give President Obama’s chief domestic initiative a bipartisan cast that they spent much time courting a few Republicans, especially senior Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa.

Endless rounds of negotiations produced nothing, and Democrats began to feel as if they were being played. Obama finally sought closure. He asked Grassley: What if Democrats agreed to all his proposed changes — then would he support the bill? “I guess not, Mr. President,” Grassley replied, according to Obama’s memoir, “A Promised Land.”

Grassley is still in the senate and the likelihood that he will be more amenable to Biden’s plans than he was to Obama’s Affordable Care Act is some where near a zero. Biden learned a lesson from the GOP opposition to the ACA that delayed its implementation by more than a year after the inauguration of Obama.

So as the saying goes, “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”

Joe Biden will not accept the waiting game in implementing his plans. The Democratic Party majority is thin and the possibility that it could be lost at any time will motivate him to push for those plans without GOP participation.

The Tragic Destruction of the American Democracy

Capitol is barricaded out of fear of its citizens

The situation in Washington D.C. today is all Donald Trump’s fault. He has convinced his followers that election results can’t be trusted.

The basis of the American democracy has been elections that identify the winners and the losers. None of the those who have lost an election are happy. The loss means that their ideas were not compatible with the voters wishes.

This isn’t the first time that the losers have challenged the results, but no loser has still denied the results after re-counts have been completed.

Donald Trump believes he did not lose the November 3 election despite the recounts. His ability to convince his supporters that he won the election is what makes the current situation so frightening.

Trump has convinced many of his followers that the election he lost was rigged. Almost half of his supporter refuse to accept the election results according to reliable polling.

With his supporters so furious, we are about to see an inauguration conducted behind barbed wire fencing. The wire is installed on the top of a security fence surrounding the Capitol. Trump followers appear to be ready to more than protest. Reports, if accurate, indicate there could be armed confrontations.

How can we have a democracy when large numbers of people do not trust election results? Joe Biden will have the job of restoring confidence in our elections. If he can’t accomplish that objective you can kiss the American democracy good-bye.

Ten GOP Congress Members Who Chose Principle over Party

All of these representatives have honored their sworn allegiance to the Constitution of The United States of America.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.)

“The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing,” Cheney said in statement. “There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”

Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio)

“The President of the United States helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties as prescribed by the Constitution,” Gonzalez said in a statement.

Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.)

Katko issued a statement that said, “To allow the President of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy. For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this President.”

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.)

“The President’s offenses, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have,” she said.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)

In a statement issued Tuesday, Kinzinger said, “There is no doubt in my mind that the President of the United States broke his oath of office and incited this insurrection.”

Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.)

“President Trump> betrayed his oath of office by seeking to undermine our constitutional process, and he bears responsibility for inciting the insurrection we suffered last week,” Meijer said in a statement.

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.)

“I am disappointed, disgusted, and horrified by yesterday’s attacks on our U.S. Capitol. This is not the United States of America,” Newhouse said after the Capitol riot last week. “Violence of any kind is absolutely unacceptable. I can’t say that strongly enough.”

Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.)

After the president’s supporters stormed the Capitol last week, Rice tweeted, “To all my friends back home, I am fine. Capitol Police evacuated us from the Capitol Building. DC is in chaos. This will accomplish nothing. Where is the President!? He must ask people to disperse and restore calm now.”

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.)

“The Congress must hold President Trump to account and send a clear message that our country cannot and will not tolerate any effort by any President to impede the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next.”

Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.)

“Based on the facts before me, I have to go with my gut and vote my conscience. I voted to impeach President Trump. His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. It’s time to put country over politics,” Valadao wrote on Twitter after he voted.

On the Brink of a Civil War We Will have a New President

A piece of history seems appropriate.
Near dawn February 23, 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived secretly by train in Washington, D.C. at 6 a.m. because of a rumored plot to assassinate him as he passed through Baltimore. Lincoln was criticized for and later regretted the furtive manner of his arrival, but his advisors believed the danger was genuine. By the time of Lincoln’s inauguration on March 4, 1861, seven states had seceded, and the Confederate States of America had been formally established.

Reported on Politico Nightly
Top lawmakers say they are increasingly alarmed by a rash of new threats that could once again endanger their lives.  Senators received a briefing today from representatives of the Secret Service, and the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and a key group of House Democratic chairs separately met with the FBI.

“Based on today’s briefing, we have grave concerns about ongoing and violent threats to our democracy,” that group of Democratic chairs said in a cryptic statement after the meeting today. The briefing included the chairs and other top members of the House Oversight, Judiciary, Homeland Security, Armed Services and Intelligence panels. “It is clear that more must be done to preempt, penetrate, and prevent deadly and seditious assaults by domestic violent extremists in the days ahead,” the statement said.

The lawmakers voiced their concerns moments after a public FBI and Justice Department briefing revealed their belief that the Jan. 6 violence could be part of a much graver, well-organized “seditious conspiracy.” A Justice Department “strike force” is seeking to assemble a sedition case against some of those involved in last week’s riot at the Capitol.

As I posted on January 10 “Trump is not done.”  I heard one rioter say he would die if need be to to ensure Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20.  January 17 and January 20 are the two days that are anticipated to be the next assaults on the Capitol.

An inauguration inside a secured building viewed by the public on television seems like a likely scenario on January 20 to ensure the safety of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Democrats Take Control of Congress and the Presidency

Hello unified government! Good-bye Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

It was a dream that few thought would come true.  The Democrats won both senate seats from the state of Georgia.

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock’s victories delivered a crushing defeat to Republicans, stripping them of their main bastion of power in the post-Trump capitol.  Ossoff won by 35,615 votes. Warnock won by 73,404 votes.

The wins means that Joe Biden’s cabinet selections will likely have much smoother approval by the Senate.  With the Senate split and Vice President Kamala Harris providing the tie breaking vote the Biden agenda will have a better chance of success.  Senator Chuck Schumer will now be the Senate Leader.  The $2,000 relief checks for Americans are significantly more likely to become a reality.

Joe Biden has more than 1,200 jobs to fill that require Senate confirmation. And he’s going to do that much more quickly thanks to Democrats’ victories in Georgia.

A Joe Biden agenda will be easier to accomplish. Mr. Biden wants to rebuild roads and bridges and address climate change.  Not long after taking the oath of office he is likely to issue orders to rejoin the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization, and to reinstate the program that allows young immigrants known as “Dreamers” to remain in the United States.

There are many other things that need addressing including health care, liveable wages, and criminal justice reform.

I’m rooting for you Mr. Biden.  Please don’t disappoint me!

A Chilling Attack on American Democracy

Thanks to Donald Trump’s attack on the election system of the United States, that each state operates independently, millions of Americans now believe the entire system is fraudulent.

President Trump speaking on Wednesday at a rally on the Ellipse near the White House. He urged supporters to march to the Capitol

The Republican effort to contest the presidential election results on the Senate floor this week is raising questions about how media outlets should cover the moment, and whether the Trump-supported action should be called an attempted “coup” writes Alexis Benveniste for CNN Business.

Both conservative news media and many conservative members of congress are appalled by what transpired on Capitol Hill on January 6.

Fearing what Trump might do next House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her House colleagues today that she had spoken to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, about keeping an “unstable president” from accessing the nuclear codes.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board has joined the chorus of those in the media demanding Donald Trump resign as president.  “This goes beyond merely refusing to concede defeat. In our view it crosses a constitutional line that Mr. Trump hasn’t previously crossed. It is impeachable,” the Journal wrote. “If Mr. Trump wants to avoid a second impeachment, his best path would be to take personal responsibility and resign.”

Time will tell whether the takeover of Capitol was a riot, a last gasp of a renegade president or an early skirmish in a civil war. But it already is clear that Jan. 6, 2021, will go down as one of the ugliest days in U.S. history.

What more could happen in the remaining days of the Donald Trump presidency? Trump hinted at his preferred answer at the end of his Thursday address, saying, “Our incredible journey is only just beginning.”

Constitutional Coup d’état

The president refuses to acknowledge Joe Biden’s win, but experts say there is no constitutional path forward for him to remain in the White House. Tomorrow, a group of Republican lawmakers plan to challenge the electoral votes won by President-elect Joe Biden (citing fraud that did not occur), while President Donald Trump is pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to help them (with power he does not have). Noah Feldman writes in Bloomberg Opinion that the 134-year-old law that allows this to happen needs an overhaul. While Biden’s inauguration is almost a foregone conclusion since Democrats control the House, Feldman says that “if the Republicans controlled both houses of Congress, they would be in the position to carry out a constitutional coup d’état.” Trump is planning to address supporters who are gathering in Washington to protest his defeat. Biden bested Trump 306 to 232 in the Electoral College, and by more than 7 million in the popular vote. Despite all the assurances that Donald Trump cannot overthrow the will of the people I am very concerned.  He has a legion of supporters who are determined to see him inaugurated for a second term on January 20.  He has even considered the use of the military to retain his office.  It may not be a Constitutional Coup d’état but a Coup d’état by any means is good enough for Donald Trump.

All 10 living former defense secretaries oppose military use by Trump to retain his office

This Time magazine cover was meant to be a joke.  Donald Trump is serious about retaining power forever.

All 10 living former US defense secretaries — both Republicans and Democrats — wrote a Washington Post op-ed article urging President Donald Trump to refrain from using the military to interfere in the 2020 election.

The signatories stressed that involving the military in election disputes could result in criminal charges.

Trump has repeatedly suggested there may not be a peaceful transfer of power and is said to have entertained suggestions that the military step in to help him dispute the election.

The article, titled “Involving the military in election disputes would cross into dangerous territory,” was signed by all 10 living former US defense secretaries, including two — Mark Esper and James Mattis — who served under President Donald Trump.

The other signees were Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, and Ashton Carter, who served under Barack Obama; Robert Gates, who served under Obama and George W. Bush; William Cohen and William Perry, who served under Bill Clinton; Dick Cheney, who served under George H.W. Bush; and Donald Rumsfeld, who served first under Gerald Ford in 1975 and was later tapped for the role under George W. Bush.

“American elections and the peaceful transfers of power that result are hallmarks of our democracy,” they wrote in The Post, adding that the administration should “refrain from any political actions that undermine the results of the election or hinder the success of the new team.”

“The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived,” the letter continued.

General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked by Congress what, if any, role the military should have in the election. “I believe deeply in the principle of an apolitical US military,” Milley said. “In the event of a dispute over some aspect of the elections, by law, US courts and the US Congress are required to resolve any disputes, not the US military. I foresee no role for the US armed forces in this process.”

It appears Donald Trump will not accept that advice. He is more likely to refuse to physically resist leaving the White House. Who will escort him out?