Donald Trump has said that he would have won the popular vote by a landslide if the millions of people who voted illegally had not voted.
Let's be clear. Mr. Trump won the election of the president of the United States of America fair and square.
That said, it is also true that some two and a half million more Americans voted for his major opponent than voted for him. That is hardly a landslide. It certainly is not a mandate.
It is, in fact, something that should give Mr. Trump and his fellow travelers some pause. At least two and half million more Americans preferred Mr. Trump's opponent than preferred Mr. Trump.
As far as the claim that Mr. Trump would have won by a landslide if only those who voted illegally had not voted, that claim is just bogus.
First of all, there is no - zero, nada, zip - evidence to support the claim that any substantial number of people voted illegally. Mr. Trump and his "transition" team have been asked for any evidence to support the claim and they have not produced any. None. The claim is just bogus.
Second, for it to have been true, it must be true that over two and a half million votes were cast illegally - a claim for which there is no evidence - and then those over two and a half million votes had to all be cast for Mr. Trump's opponent - something which no one, including Mr. Trump, could possibly know.
The claim that Mr. Trump makes that he would have won the popular vote by a landslide if the millions of illegal votes had not been cast is ... just bogus. One more thing about which we can be certain Mr. Trump is lying.
America, you have been conned.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
A Grumpy Old Man
Donald Trump's tweets remind me of an old man with a pot belly and a three day growth of beard, sitting in his darkened living room in his recliner in his pajama pants and t-shirt, watching the television news all day, drinking beer, and shouting at the tv.
Monday, December 12, 2016
It's not a Game
At times after the election, Mr. Trump has sounded more "presidential" than he often did before the election.
When asked about this apparent difference in Mr. Trump's behavior, one of his advisors said that he knew how to play the game.
That's one of the big problems.
Neither campaigning for the presidency of the United States of America, nor being the president of the United States of America has ever been, is not now, and never will be a game. That Mr. Trump and/or any of his advisors think(s) that it is a game and/or that Mr. Trump knows how to play it is very troubling.
America, you have been conned.
When asked about this apparent difference in Mr. Trump's behavior, one of his advisors said that he knew how to play the game.
That's one of the big problems.
Neither campaigning for the presidency of the United States of America, nor being the president of the United States of America has ever been, is not now, and never will be a game. That Mr. Trump and/or any of his advisors think(s) that it is a game and/or that Mr. Trump knows how to play it is very troubling.
America, you have been conned.
Monday, December 5, 2016
The Trail of Broken Promises
The list of promises made by President-elect Trump during his campaign to become president of the United States that he now says he will or might break is growing so fast that it seems impossible to keep up with it. However, here are a few.
Now, keep in mind, we don't know if President-elect Trump will actually break these promises. The only thing we know for sure about President-elect Trump's thinking is that he lies. Whether he was lying at the time he made the promises and never intended to keep them, or whether he is lying now when he says he will or might break them one cannot tell. But, here's a partial list of the campaign promises we know he made that we know he says he will or might break.
He'll build a wall. President-elect Trump began his presidential campaign by promising that, if elected, he would build a wall along the border between Mexico and the United States. I don't know if he ever said exactly this, but it was clear that he promised to build a wall that would completely wall off Mexico from the United States. Now, he says, he won't build a wall, because some of it will be a fence. The promise was to build a wall, not a fence. Almost all of my readers will have seen both walls and fences, and they will recognize the difference. A fence is not a wall.
I have said this before, but, once again for the record, it breaks my hear to think of either a wall or a fence closing off the view and/or the access to the Rio Grande River through Big Bend National Park. For those of you who have been there, you know that the view of and the access to the Rio Grande is one of the most magnificent aspects of Big Bend. My President-elect has promised he will end that. It breaks my heart.
Also, this isn't a promise he's broken, but it's a promise that President-elect almost surely cannot keep and almost surely knew he would be very unlike to keep the promise when he made it: Mexico will pay for that wall. After Mr. Trump met with the president of Mexico, the president of Mexico said that Mexico would never pay for the promised wall.
We'll keep out the Muslims. During the campaign, Mr. Trump called for a complete and total ban on all Muslims entering the United States. One cannot be sure that this was a promise, but it seemed like one at the time.
If it was a promise, then it was broken even before the election. When asked about Muslims who were United States citizens trying to enter the country and elected officials of other countries who were Muslims trying to enter the country, Mr. Trump admitted that there would have to be exceptions to his blanket promise (ban?). Later, when it was pointed out that a ban on someone entering the country based on their religion would probably be unconstitutional, Mr. Trump changed his promises (ban?) to one that would keep out people entering the United States from countries that had problems with terrorism. (Would that include France?) Then, when problems with that promises (ban?) were pointed out, Mr. Trump changed his promise (ban?) to "just" a registry of all immigrants to the United States of the Muslim faith.
He'll repeal Obamacare. Many times during the campaign, Mr. Trump promised that if he were elected he would repeal Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act). He even said on at least one occasion that he would do it as soon as he took office, on the very day, to be precise. He said he would call a "special session" of congress to repeal Obamacare, even though the congress (according to the Supreme Court of the United States) has been in session continuously for many years and despite the fact that presidents don't call "special sessions" of congress. That's something that governors do with or to state legislatures.
After meeting with President Obama for about 90 minutes, President-elect Trump said he might not repeal Obamacare, but, instead, might amend it. By the way, that's exactly what Secretary Clinton said over and over during the campaign: Don't repeal it. Keep what's working and fix what's not.
He'll lock her up. During the campaign, Mr. Trump promised many times that if he were elected president of the United States, he would lock up Secretary Clinton. He often led or encouraged chants by his supporters to "lock her up." He promised specifically that, if he were elected president, he would instruct his attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to pursue the case(s) against Secretary Clinton.
When asked during a post-election interview whether he still intended to seek prosecution against Secretary Clinton, he said that he didn't want to hurt the Clintons. They were good people.
He'll drain that swamp. Many times during the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump promised that, if elected, he would go to Washington and drain the swamp. It's not clear exactly what he meant by "drain the swamp." It is, obviously a metaphor for something, but one cannot be sure exactly what. Nevertheless, his supporters almost surely took it to mean that if he went to Washington as the president of the United States, that President Trump would appoint political outsiders to the federal government and end both the "revolving door" that lets government officials become lobbyists and then lets lobbyists become government officials and the influence of money in federal politics.
Despite his promise to drain the swamp, most of President-elect's transition team are political insiders and lobbyists. The man he has appointed as his chief-of-staff is a political operative. Most of the people he has appointed to be members of his cabinet are politicians and generals.
When asked by a reporter why his transition team was so thick with lobbyists, he told the reporter that there was nothing else he could do, that it was the lobbyists who knew how the system worked and he had to rely on them. Which is, of course, what many of the political insiders before President-elect Trump have used as their excuse for including so many lobbyists in their transition teams and governments.
So much for draining the swamp.
America, you have been conned.
Now, keep in mind, we don't know if President-elect Trump will actually break these promises. The only thing we know for sure about President-elect Trump's thinking is that he lies. Whether he was lying at the time he made the promises and never intended to keep them, or whether he is lying now when he says he will or might break them one cannot tell. But, here's a partial list of the campaign promises we know he made that we know he says he will or might break.
He'll build a wall. President-elect Trump began his presidential campaign by promising that, if elected, he would build a wall along the border between Mexico and the United States. I don't know if he ever said exactly this, but it was clear that he promised to build a wall that would completely wall off Mexico from the United States. Now, he says, he won't build a wall, because some of it will be a fence. The promise was to build a wall, not a fence. Almost all of my readers will have seen both walls and fences, and they will recognize the difference. A fence is not a wall.
I have said this before, but, once again for the record, it breaks my hear to think of either a wall or a fence closing off the view and/or the access to the Rio Grande River through Big Bend National Park. For those of you who have been there, you know that the view of and the access to the Rio Grande is one of the most magnificent aspects of Big Bend. My President-elect has promised he will end that. It breaks my heart.
Also, this isn't a promise he's broken, but it's a promise that President-elect almost surely cannot keep and almost surely knew he would be very unlike to keep the promise when he made it: Mexico will pay for that wall. After Mr. Trump met with the president of Mexico, the president of Mexico said that Mexico would never pay for the promised wall.
We'll keep out the Muslims. During the campaign, Mr. Trump called for a complete and total ban on all Muslims entering the United States. One cannot be sure that this was a promise, but it seemed like one at the time.
If it was a promise, then it was broken even before the election. When asked about Muslims who were United States citizens trying to enter the country and elected officials of other countries who were Muslims trying to enter the country, Mr. Trump admitted that there would have to be exceptions to his blanket promise (ban?). Later, when it was pointed out that a ban on someone entering the country based on their religion would probably be unconstitutional, Mr. Trump changed his promises (ban?) to one that would keep out people entering the United States from countries that had problems with terrorism. (Would that include France?) Then, when problems with that promises (ban?) were pointed out, Mr. Trump changed his promise (ban?) to "just" a registry of all immigrants to the United States of the Muslim faith.
He'll repeal Obamacare. Many times during the campaign, Mr. Trump promised that if he were elected he would repeal Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act). He even said on at least one occasion that he would do it as soon as he took office, on the very day, to be precise. He said he would call a "special session" of congress to repeal Obamacare, even though the congress (according to the Supreme Court of the United States) has been in session continuously for many years and despite the fact that presidents don't call "special sessions" of congress. That's something that governors do with or to state legislatures.
After meeting with President Obama for about 90 minutes, President-elect Trump said he might not repeal Obamacare, but, instead, might amend it. By the way, that's exactly what Secretary Clinton said over and over during the campaign: Don't repeal it. Keep what's working and fix what's not.
He'll lock her up. During the campaign, Mr. Trump promised many times that if he were elected president of the United States, he would lock up Secretary Clinton. He often led or encouraged chants by his supporters to "lock her up." He promised specifically that, if he were elected president, he would instruct his attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to pursue the case(s) against Secretary Clinton.
When asked during a post-election interview whether he still intended to seek prosecution against Secretary Clinton, he said that he didn't want to hurt the Clintons. They were good people.
He'll drain that swamp. Many times during the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump promised that, if elected, he would go to Washington and drain the swamp. It's not clear exactly what he meant by "drain the swamp." It is, obviously a metaphor for something, but one cannot be sure exactly what. Nevertheless, his supporters almost surely took it to mean that if he went to Washington as the president of the United States, that President Trump would appoint political outsiders to the federal government and end both the "revolving door" that lets government officials become lobbyists and then lets lobbyists become government officials and the influence of money in federal politics.
Despite his promise to drain the swamp, most of President-elect's transition team are political insiders and lobbyists. The man he has appointed as his chief-of-staff is a political operative. Most of the people he has appointed to be members of his cabinet are politicians and generals.
When asked by a reporter why his transition team was so thick with lobbyists, he told the reporter that there was nothing else he could do, that it was the lobbyists who knew how the system worked and he had to rely on them. Which is, of course, what many of the political insiders before President-elect Trump have used as their excuse for including so many lobbyists in their transition teams and governments.
So much for draining the swamp.
America, you have been conned.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
A Fence Is Not A Wall
During his campaign to become the president of the United States, Mr. Trump repeatedly and emphatically said he would "build a wall" along the entire border between the United States and Mexico.
He now says that part of his "wall" may actually be a fence.
Mr. Trump, a fence is not a wall. You promised a wall.
Second broken promise?
For the record, my heart just breaks at the thought of either a wall or a fence closing off the view of and the access to the Rio Grande from Big Bend National Park. I am so glad that I got to see it and to splash in the waters of the Rio Grande in Big Bend before Mr. Trump's wall or fence or whatever it turns out to be.
He now says that part of his "wall" may actually be a fence.
Mr. Trump, a fence is not a wall. You promised a wall.
Second broken promise?
For the record, my heart just breaks at the thought of either a wall or a fence closing off the view of and the access to the Rio Grande from Big Bend National Park. I am so glad that I got to see it and to splash in the waters of the Rio Grande in Big Bend before Mr. Trump's wall or fence or whatever it turns out to be.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
The First Broken Promise
During the campaign, Mr. Trump said that he would "repeal and replace" Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act). He said it very emphatically. He said it many times.
After meeting with President Obama for about 90 minutes, he said he was amenable to "amending" Obamacare.
Wait! Isn't that exactly what Secretary Clinton said? Didn't she say that we ought to keep what's working with Obamacare and improve what isn't?
And it only took meeting with the President for 90 minutes for Mr. Trump to change his mind?
Things have been moving so fast since the election that this almost seems untimely to say, but I will say it anyway: the first broken promise.
Or, is it? Just because he said it, doesn't mean he'll do it. We don't know much about Mr. Trump, but we do know he lies.
America, you have been conned.
After meeting with President Obama for about 90 minutes, he said he was amenable to "amending" Obamacare.
Wait! Isn't that exactly what Secretary Clinton said? Didn't she say that we ought to keep what's working with Obamacare and improve what isn't?
And it only took meeting with the President for 90 minutes for Mr. Trump to change his mind?
Things have been moving so fast since the election that this almost seems untimely to say, but I will say it anyway: the first broken promise.
Or, is it? Just because he said it, doesn't mean he'll do it. We don't know much about Mr. Trump, but we do know he lies.
America, you have been conned.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Donald Trump is an evil man
I hope - and please remember that I said this - I hope that none of the things I'm worried about with Donald Trump as president of the United States comes to pass. I want to be wrong. Nevertheless, I must prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.
When it first became apparent to me that Donald Trump was going to be the president of the United States, my first instinct was to hide. I told all of my children whom I could reach to be very careful what they said and to who they said it and to not put anything in writing that could remotely be considered as negative to Donald Trump. That would definitely be the safest course of conduct for me and my family.
But, then, I heard about the people who were protesting in the streets. "No Trump, no Pence, no wall, no fence," they were shouting. And I read that Greg Casar, an Austin City Council member said he would keep resisting and he would try to get the City of Austin to resist.
And I was inspired. I was a little bit ashamed of my first instinct. I decided I had to resist, no matter what the personal danger to me or to my family.
I'm not by nature a marcher. I don't generally join protests. Maybe I should, but I don't.
My resistance comes through my words. So, here they are: my words.
Hillary Clinton got it right when she said that Donald Trump was going to be our president and he deserved an open mind and a chance to lead. I believe that. However, an open mind does not mean closed eyes. Here is what I think with my eyes open.
Donald Trump is an evil man. Either he believes the racist, misogynist, bigoted things he said during the campaign or he doesn't believe them and said them anyway. Either way, he's evil.
Evil men are dangerous.
Hillary Clinton was wrong to say that fifty percent of the supporters of Mr. Trump were deplorable. No one can know whether it's fifty percent or more or less. But, I am convinced she was right that some portion of Mr. Trump's supporters are deplorable. Not irredeemable, but deplorable. They actually agree with the things Mr. Trump said during the campaign and that's deplorable and it makes them deplorable.
But, I know people who I consider to be good, honest, hardworking, intelligent people who supported Mr. Trump. I still consider them to be good, honest, hardworking, intelligent people. The only way I can understand this is to remember that many apparently intelligent people were fooled into spending a lot of their hard-earned money on Trump U. They were conned by a master con-man. So, I have to conclude that the apparently good, honest, hardworking, intelligent people who supported Mr. Trump were conned by a master. Or else, I have been conned by all these people who I consider to be good, honest, hardworking, and intelligent.
All that said, what bothers me the most is that, after the election, the press - and I include the television and the newspaper press - has tried to analyze this election as if it were just another election. And they've treated Donald Trump as if he were just another man who has been elected president.
Neither of those is true. This was not just another election. And Mr. Trump is not just another man who has been elected president. There is not just a difference of opinion on his policies, or even on whether he should become president or someone else should.
Donald Trump is dangerous. The press should be treating him as dangerous.
Many of the things he has promised to do are illegal. They violate either international law or U.S. law. Many of the things he has promised to do are immoral. And, potentially, he will have no check on his efforts to do them.
Three of his primary advisors have been among the meanest men I know: Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, and Newt Gingrich. Any one or all of them could be in his cabinet.
He has a Republican congress and he will get to appoint at least one, and probably three or more, Supreme Court justices. Potentially, he will control both of the other branches of government. It is entirely possible that neither of those branches will be willing to stand up to him when he begins to try to do the illegal and immoral things he has promised to do.
When I pointed this out to a friend of mine, his response was "Yeah, but only until 2018 [the next election]." My response to him was, "What makes you think there will be a next election? Under the Bush Doctrine, the Constitution does not apply to the President when he is acting in his role as Commander in Chief. If one part of the Constitution doesn't apply, then why not another part of the Constitution? Federal elections are Constitutional. What makes you think that President Trump won't 'suspend' the next election?" He didn't have an answer.
So, this is why I have to resist. All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Please, don't do nothing.
When it first became apparent to me that Donald Trump was going to be the president of the United States, my first instinct was to hide. I told all of my children whom I could reach to be very careful what they said and to who they said it and to not put anything in writing that could remotely be considered as negative to Donald Trump. That would definitely be the safest course of conduct for me and my family.
But, then, I heard about the people who were protesting in the streets. "No Trump, no Pence, no wall, no fence," they were shouting. And I read that Greg Casar, an Austin City Council member said he would keep resisting and he would try to get the City of Austin to resist.
And I was inspired. I was a little bit ashamed of my first instinct. I decided I had to resist, no matter what the personal danger to me or to my family.
I'm not by nature a marcher. I don't generally join protests. Maybe I should, but I don't.
My resistance comes through my words. So, here they are: my words.
Hillary Clinton got it right when she said that Donald Trump was going to be our president and he deserved an open mind and a chance to lead. I believe that. However, an open mind does not mean closed eyes. Here is what I think with my eyes open.
Donald Trump is an evil man. Either he believes the racist, misogynist, bigoted things he said during the campaign or he doesn't believe them and said them anyway. Either way, he's evil.
Evil men are dangerous.
Hillary Clinton was wrong to say that fifty percent of the supporters of Mr. Trump were deplorable. No one can know whether it's fifty percent or more or less. But, I am convinced she was right that some portion of Mr. Trump's supporters are deplorable. Not irredeemable, but deplorable. They actually agree with the things Mr. Trump said during the campaign and that's deplorable and it makes them deplorable.
But, I know people who I consider to be good, honest, hardworking, intelligent people who supported Mr. Trump. I still consider them to be good, honest, hardworking, intelligent people. The only way I can understand this is to remember that many apparently intelligent people were fooled into spending a lot of their hard-earned money on Trump U. They were conned by a master con-man. So, I have to conclude that the apparently good, honest, hardworking, intelligent people who supported Mr. Trump were conned by a master. Or else, I have been conned by all these people who I consider to be good, honest, hardworking, and intelligent.
All that said, what bothers me the most is that, after the election, the press - and I include the television and the newspaper press - has tried to analyze this election as if it were just another election. And they've treated Donald Trump as if he were just another man who has been elected president.
Neither of those is true. This was not just another election. And Mr. Trump is not just another man who has been elected president. There is not just a difference of opinion on his policies, or even on whether he should become president or someone else should.
Donald Trump is dangerous. The press should be treating him as dangerous.
Many of the things he has promised to do are illegal. They violate either international law or U.S. law. Many of the things he has promised to do are immoral. And, potentially, he will have no check on his efforts to do them.
Three of his primary advisors have been among the meanest men I know: Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, and Newt Gingrich. Any one or all of them could be in his cabinet.
He has a Republican congress and he will get to appoint at least one, and probably three or more, Supreme Court justices. Potentially, he will control both of the other branches of government. It is entirely possible that neither of those branches will be willing to stand up to him when he begins to try to do the illegal and immoral things he has promised to do.
When I pointed this out to a friend of mine, his response was "Yeah, but only until 2018 [the next election]." My response to him was, "What makes you think there will be a next election? Under the Bush Doctrine, the Constitution does not apply to the President when he is acting in his role as Commander in Chief. If one part of the Constitution doesn't apply, then why not another part of the Constitution? Federal elections are Constitutional. What makes you think that President Trump won't 'suspend' the next election?" He didn't have an answer.
So, this is why I have to resist. All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Please, don't do nothing.
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