HISPANIC (P)

Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in the Senate starts tomorrow. The prevailing sentiment is that the Republican senators will vote to acquit Trump because of what the vindictive man-who-once-occupied-the-White-House might do to their political careers if they go against him.

I’m thinking it’s much more basic than that. What Republican senators are most afraid of is for their own personal safety. They do not want to stir up that hornet’s nest otherwise known as the MAGA mob.

Trump’s supporters, many of whom have said they would defend Trump to the death, are not shy about threatening the safety of any Republican who turns on their hero or doesn’t acquiesce to his wishes.

If you remember, many in the Trump-inspired horde that stormed the Capitol on January 6 were looking for Mike Pence. More specifically, they were looking to hang Mike Pence! And what was the otherwise bootlicking VP’s offense? He refused Trump’s request to break the law by trying to stop the Electoral College vote count.

Speaking about his Republican colleagues the day of the impeachment vote in the House, Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) said, “The majority of them are paralyzed with fear. I had a lot of conversations with my Republican colleagues last night, and a couple of them broke down in tears — saying that they are afraid for their lives if they vote for this impeachment.”

So, because of Trump’s goon squad, we are no longer a nation regulated by laws, and the Constitution, but one governed by mob rule?

Some have suggested the Senate should take its vote through a secret ballot.

Robert Reich tweeted recently, “February vote in Senate on whether to convict Trump should be a secret ballot in order to (1) protect safety of senators, and (2) allow them to vote their consciences. Same protections as jurors in most trials. Senate Dems could do this with 51 votes.”

Yes, that might work, Bob, but it’s not going to happen.

While Senate rules provide for a secret ballot, if 20 Republicans vote against such a move, it’s a no-go. In other words, if only one-fifth of the chamber wants the vote to be public, it will be public. End of story.

Also, what are the chances that such a vote would remain private? Slim is the first word that comes to mind.

As Philip Bump writes in the Washington Post, “But it is also almost certain that a number of senators who think Trump deserves to be found guilty will instead vote to acquit out of fear of political — or physical — repercussions. There’s no secret ballot that can change that.”

I agree with Mr. Bump, but I’m betting the physical overshadows the political.

Photo | cnn.com

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Reprint from moronmajority.com

With little more than one week before the start of his impeachment trial in the Senate, Donald Trump’s entire legal team has quit.

But, with the kind of swift action Trump has come to be known for, the Washington D.C. law firm of Dewey, Cheatem & Howe has been hired to take up his defense.

It is believed the firm’s senior partner, Mr. Cheatem, will personally head Mr. Trump’s legal efforts.

When asked how he plans to defend the former, now twice-impeached president, Mr. Cheatem offered a very basic, elemental strategy.

“We are going to impress upon the Republican Senators who will control Mr. Trump’s fate, ‘If you wish to remain in office, you must not f**k us’.”

With such a brilliant, yet simple, legal strategy, is there any wonder why Dewey, Cheatem & Howe is D.C.’s premier law firm?

Photo | britannica.com

*moronmajority.com is a satirical site … seriously!

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I have to admit, it was a challenge writing satirical pieces about Trump and his administration over the last four years. What started out as an attempt at light-hearted humor often ended up as Trumpian reality.

The highlight of my efforts to make fun of the-man-who-no-longer-occupies-the-White-House was a story I wrote about Trump’s deranged pardons. The article was titled, “Trump Pardons Charles Manson.” 

What made that story memorable was that it was picked up by then-presidential candidate Marianne Williamson who did not realize it was “fake news.” She tweeted to her 2.8 million followers, “There is something deeply sinister about Trump pardoning Charles Manson, even posthumously. Dog whistles of the very worst possible kind …”

The brouhaha that arose over Williamson’s faux pas made its way into many media outlets. The story even found its way into Jimmy Fallon’s monologue on the Tonight Show! Williamson withdrew her candidacy weeks later. Coincidence? Ha!

So, when I read an article today in the very conservative townhall.com, titled, “Key Advisor Reveals Trump’s Post-Presidency Plans,” I was shocked to learn just what those plans were! In any other publication the linking of Trump with election integrity would, no doubt, be parody.

Here is part of the very real piece written by Beth Baumann:

Now that President Donald Trump has left the White House, many Americans are wondering what he plans to do next. There have been rumors about him starting a new political party, known as the Patriot Party. But, according to one of his key advisors, Jason Miller, Trump plans to focus on something bigger and far more important: election integrity.

Just one day after boarding Air Force One with the Trump family on their venture from Washington, D.C. to Mar-a-Lago, Miller told “Just the News AM” that the former president has a couple of goals over the next few years, including “winning back the House and the Senate for Republicans in 2022 to make sure that we can stop the Democratic craziness.”

“You’re also going to see him emerge as the nation’s leader on ballot and voting integrity,” he said.

According to Miller, Trump wants to focus on voter integrity but that work will never take place in Washington, D.C. because Democrats don’t believe there is a threat to America’s elections. Instead, Trump is likely to work with individual states and state legislatures to create reforms. 

If you have the time, read the comments of some of Trump’s more ardent supporters. The belief that Trump had the election stolen from him, and that he is right to fight for “fair elections,” is all too real to those wackadoodles.

Sorry, President Biden, but there can never be normalcy again in our great country until a writer’s attempt at political satire is no longer at his peril.

Photo | Forbes.com

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Article courtesy of guest contributor, Alden Loveshade

By vote totals alone, Donald Trump is considered the most supported conservative Republican president in American history. But he still lost the 2020 presidential election. So to prepare for the future, it’s time to ask, what is a conservative Republican?

A Republican is, of course, a member of the Republican Party. As for conservative, Merriam-Webster defines it as “one who adheres to traditional methods or views.” So let’s get traditional, and view the methods and background of the American presidency of 50 years ago.

The American president of half a century ago wasn’t born rich; he was born into a poor family. He married one, and only one, woman; they honeymooned in Mexico, and remained married until parted by death.

As a young man, he was exempt from the draft due to his religious affiliation, and possibly qualified for deferment because he worked in government service. But in spite of his exemption, he applied for and joined the United States Navy, and was awarded for his service. Later, he became a leader against Soviet Communism.

In spite of his active military duty, he worked for peace. He believed that America should encourage Israel to make peace with its Arab neighbors, and worked to restart the Middle East Peace Negotiations.

The president of 50 years ago ended America’s involvement in a major war. He worked to build diplomatic relations with China, and supported détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. He called for a higher percentage of immigrant visas for professionals, needed workers and even refugees, with additional visas for people from Mexico.

To support fighting diseases scientifically, he pushed for more spending on sickle-cell disease research, and signed the National Cancer Act, beginning the War on Cancer.

He signed into law the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a regulatory agency to insure that corporations had to follow guidelines for the safety of their workers.

In favor of conservation, he established the Environmental Protection Agency. And he signed into law the Endangered Species Act. And the National Environmental Policy Act. 

He opposed violent protest. He personally stood up to anti-American demonstrators, impressing even his enemies. Before becoming president, during a time when civil rights were controversial, he pushed for African American civil rights and economic equity. As president, he helped shepherd the Civil Rights Act.

Before running for president, he had 14 years experience as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and as Vice President of the United States. In his first presidential bid, he very narrowly lost. In spite of suspicion of voter fraud in highly populated states, he did not challenge his loss. He said he believed challenging the election results would be bad for America and for its image in the eyes of other nations.

When he won the presidency several years later, he promised his administration would work to bring the divided nation together. He said, “the greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker.”

His inaugural address received almost uniformly positive reviews, It spoke of a new age of unity, and said:

“In these difficult years, America has suffered from a fever of words; from inflated rhetoric that promises more than it can deliver; from angry rhetoric that fans discontents into hatreds; from bombastic rhetoric that postures instead of persuading. We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another, until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.”

That president 50 years ago was not a liberal Democrat. He was the conservative Republican Richard M. Nixon.

Has Donald Trump adhered to those traditional, conservative, Republican methods and views? If not, then the 74+ million people who voted for him in 2020, and the even more millions who didn’t, might want to ask themselves this question: What happened to the Republican Party in the last 50 years, and whose views and methods has it gone back to?

The author is well aware of controversy over Nixon’s presidency. He freely admits the facts presented were primarily chosen to show contrast between Richard M. Nixon and Donald J. Trump.

Photo |whca.press

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Reprint from moronmajority.com

After having been rejected by nearly every court in the land, including what he thought was his “sure thing,” the Supreme Court, , Donald Trump has made it known he is not a quitter.

“It’s not over. We keep going,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News that aired today but was taped yesterday at the Army-Navy football game. “And we’re going to continue to go forward.”

Channeling the words of the indomitable John Blutarsky, Trump is reported to have said, “Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!”

The same sources report that while Trump is prepared to fully engage in battle, he has shunned the military option as it “could take years and cost millions of lives.”

“No,” Trump said, “this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture on our part… and I’m just the guy to do it.”

It is believed Trump will be making his final, and desperate, legal appeal to TV’s Judge Judy.

Photo | Danny Wild/USA Today Sports/thedailybeast.com

*moronmajority.com is a satirical site … seriously!

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While some said it would never happen, the President today congratulated Joe Biden on his election victory, six weeks after the vote and a day after the Electoral College officially affirmed Biden’s win.

The President had said he had been waiting for the many court challenges to end before making his announcement. Both he and his close associates had earlier criticized the election process, describing it as flawed and not representative of the will of the people. 

But there was no “hidden motive” for not recognizing Biden’s victory sooner, said the President.

Yes, President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, today sent a telegram to Biden to congratulate him and wish him well.

“Putin wished every success to the president-elect and expressed confidence that Russia and the U.S., who bear special responsibility for global security and stability, can facilitate resolution of many problems and challenges faced by the world now despite disagreements,” the Kremlin said.

If only the current president of the United States would follow his hero’s lead.

Photo | businessinsider.com

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The Trump After Christmas by Paul Lewis

‘Twas the night after Christmas and in the White House
One creature was stirring, an orange-faced louse.
With only four weeks left before he would leave
He still had a thousand mean tweets up his sleeve.

So he took out his cell and all through the night,
Alone in his office, spewed malice and spite.
“They cheated,” “they cheated,” “they cheated,” “they cheated,”
Over and over he tweeted “they cheated…”

But somewhere deep down in his shriveled, cold heart
The Donald’s self-image was coming apart.
 “How could they reject me?” he asked with a sigh,
There’s no one who’s more presidential than I!
 “How could they reject me?” again with a sigh,
As his days with immunity ticked slowly by.

“They say I’m a liar, but that can’t be true.
They say I serve Putin, well what if I do?
They say that I think I know more than the rest
Of the world’s other leaders, well, then I’m the best!
They say that I’m angry, those losers and wussies,
They say that I meant it when I said I grope pussies,
And when I said that some fascists are good,
That’s not what I meant, I’m just misunderstood! 
But wait, who are ‘they,’ these fake network hosts,
How could I forget I’m in charge, I can boast,
And, Diet Cokes guzzling, make this final toast:

 “To trolling the Dems and their socialist backers,
 To Russia and Wikileaks, the best of the hackers.
 To pardoning everyone who knows what I’ve done,
 And to keep tweeting twaddle till Biden’s undone.”

Dawn was just breaking when Trump fell asleep,
His sore twitter finger in need of relief.
Alone in his nightmare, reflections appeared
Of the post-POTUS life he most cravenly feared.
In a time-shifting mirror, he saw his fat face
Turn from orange to gray and then float off in space.
His hair, now in ruins, was stringy and white,
And waved in the wind till it faded from sight.
In the swirl of dark dreaming a vision he glanced
Of debts and indictments, L. James and Cy Vance.
So he woke in a sweat and, trembling in fear,
Knew what life would be like in the dawning new year.

Photo | theweek.com

Paul Lewis is the author of A Is for Asteroids, Z Is for Zombies: A Bedtime Book about the Coming Apocalypse (illustrated by Ken Lamug).

http://www.asteroidszombies.com/

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Reprint from moronmajority.com

With less than one month remaining in office, Donald Trump’s White House has established a “pardon hotline” to expedite the granting of presidential pardons to crooks.

“Over the last few months, we’ve been flooded with pardon requests from felons across the country,” said a White House spokesperson. “The old method of filing your request with the Justice Department is just too long and cumbersome.” 

Lawbreakers of all stripes can simply call 1 800 P-A-R-D-O-N-M-E or 1 800 727-3665. 

The spokesperson said special consideration will be given to those criminals who have made a “decent” contribution to Trump’s “Election Defense Fund.”

Asked if Trump isn’t just pulling a Blagojevich (soliciting a bribe for a favor), the White House spokesperson said, “No, there is a big difference. What Blagojevich did was a crime. You can’t sell a senate seat. What Trump is doing is 100% legally within his Constitutional power.”

“The beauty of the hotline,” added the spokesperson, “is that when you call, you’ll get your answer right away. You’ll be speaking directly to the Pardoner-in-Chief, President Trump. And, yes, this will result in some very long hold times, estimated to be up to 5 hours, but we have some great music on hold.”

Currently the Village People’s Y.M.C.A. is playing on a continuous loop.

While Democrats have accused Trump of abusing his pardon power to reward allies and undermine the rule of law, House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Adam Schiff, inadvertently advertised the hotline when he said:

 “If you lie to cover up for the President, you get a pardon. If you are a corrupt politician who endorsed Trump, you get a pardon. If you murder civilians while at war, you get a pardon.”

Some political pundits have cynically said that while the phone call is free, the get-out-of-jail-free-card certainly is not.

Photo | theatlantic.com/REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

*moronmajority.com is a satirical site … seriously!

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A New Year's Poem And Prayer

2O2O, the year we came to see
How divided a nation we’ve come to be
Is this the end of a once great nation
Or was the year an aberration?
 
2O2O, the year we came to realize
How many of our neighbors believe in lies
Or is it just a different reality they see
After twenty-five years of Hannity?
 
2O2O, the year that finally brought home
How democracy isn’t so sacred to some
They’d rather have an autocratic commander
One who deals in malevolence and slander
 
2O2O, the year that saw a divisive election
With 74 million favoring an incompetent’s selection
Nothing more defines a splintered nation
Than such a vote count that defies explanation
 
2O2O, the year that saw Republican leaders
Shun their Oath and become conspiracy breeders
Not adhering to the Constitution
They thought a bloodless coup was the solution
 
Now, as 2O2O comes to an end 
What’s in store, around the bend?
Will America rediscover what’s true and right
Can it come together and reunite?
 
2O21 will usher in a new president
But will the year be kind to the White House resident?
Will he be able to heal the nation’s wounds
Or is American democracy irrevocably doomed?
 
So let us say a New Year’s prayer
That a sense of renewal will fill the air
That we will be as we once were then
And truly make America great again

Photo | amazon.com

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As far back as I can remember, Republicans have been the party of “law and order.” At least that is how they billed themselves starting back in the days of Nixon. 

A popular bumper sticker of the time, directed at the 60’s anti-Viet Nam war protesters, was “America … Love It Or Leave It.” If you were a patriot, you supported the unjust and senseless war. If you were for ending the bloodshed, you were an anti-American, unpatriotic commie anarchist.

As was brilliantly depicted in the movie The Trial of the Chicago Seven, the protesters were the real patriots of the time, not Nixon and his attorney general who sought to imprison those protesters simply for exercising their First Amendment rights.

On Tuesday, at least 11 GOP senators and as many as 140 House GOP representatives have vowed to vote against certifying Joe Biden’s Electoral College win. This act can only be seen as a clear attempt to overturn the vote of the American people and is nothing short of sedition.

As stated by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D), “This pathetic, opportunistic stunt is an attack on our democracy. It’s un-American & unconscionable. Votes have been counted, recounted, certified, & all challenges totally discredited.”

When it comes time for arguments at the January 6^th meeting of the Electoral College, Democrats need to take off the gloves. They need to call those Republicans who refused to follow precedent, and the Constitution, what they are … un-American, unpatriotic, seditionists.

Shamefully, Mike Pence, who will be presiding over the Electoral College vote, has stated, through his spokesperson, that he “welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people.”

As Paul Rosenberg recently noted in salon.com, “Fundamentalism and authoritarianism pushed the Republicans from low-grade mendacity into a threat to democracy.” 

Democrats need to forcefully stand up for our democracy on Tuesday. They need to get over this silly idea of making “nice-nice” with the opposition and reaching out across the aisle. Those that would teardown American democracy, and the United States Constitution, are traitors of the first order.

It would be refreshing to see at least one Democrat rise on Tuesday and throw back to his Republican colleagues that infamous 60’s argument, “America … love it or leave it.”

Photo | washingtonpost.com

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