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| Signing of the Constition by Thomas Rossiter c. 1860 |
By the time most of you read this, election day will be well underway.
On November 5th, 2012, I wrote my first presidential election episode, Erev Elections: Get Out there And Vote. I reread it and much to my disappointment, not much has changed. I still believe the same things, I still have a bit of a Pollyanna expectation that something good will happen.
But the truth is that no matter who wins We, the People are in deep and serious trouble. Our nation is at stake. If Trump wins, there will be a concerted effort to strip millions of Americans of their health care insurance. Immigrants and minorities will see their status change about as close to overnight as one might get. There will be a renewed attempt to dismantle the FDA and EPA, leaving both the environment and the citizens of this nation at serious risk. The speed of executive orders will keep Congress devoted preventing the new President from running amok.
If Hillary Clinton wins, the GOP has already promised to block any and all nominations to the SCOTUS. They have undying pledged fealty to the proposition that no program, no action, no process she puts forward will ever see the light of day.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has all but promised an insurrection.
Just thinking to myself right now, we should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump. Donald J. Trump - rally in Toledo, OH, 10/27/2016
What does that mean? He manages to telegraph his intent via Twitter and ads.
Senator Al Franken made an interesting observation on the Trump campaign's last economic ad, the one that specifically targets three Jewish public figures: Janet Yellen, George Soros, and Lloyd Blankfein.
This was something of a German shepherd whistle, a dog whistle, to sort of the, a certain group in the United States... Al Franken, CNN State of the Union (minute 2:53)11/06/2016
This is not a grand departure; this is merely confirmation of what we already knew. Just as we are all aware of the significant rise in threats against Jewish journalists as documented this summer in The Atlantic. And the rhetoric over this campaign has give tacit approval to alt.right groups to pursue their fascist agenda. It's not simply targeting Jews, it's targeting minorities, LGBT community members, and the disabled...anyone who does not match some arbitrary white man's standard. You do realize, of course, that list would include Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson, don't you?
And for the record, James Comey should be fired. He violated the Hatch Act. Didn't matter which candidate was being skewered. He violated the Hatch Act. And he knew he was violating the Hatch Act because any lawyer in Washington would've advised him that he was about to violate the Hatch Act. The bullshit was lobbed over the wall and whether or not there was a gram of truth in it (there was not) the damage was done. That was intentional. And that was a clear violation of the Hatch Act.
Are we all clear on that now?
And for the record, James Comey should be fired. He violated the Hatch Act. Didn't matter which candidate was being skewered. He violated the Hatch Act. And he knew he was violating the Hatch Act because any lawyer in Washington would've advised him that he was about to violate the Hatch Act. The bullshit was lobbed over the wall and whether or not there was a gram of truth in it (there was not) the damage was done. That was intentional. And that was a clear violation of the Hatch Act.
Are we all clear on that now?
Nothing I can say here or now is going to make a whit of difference. No one is going to change a mind because reading this. The best I can hope for is that my readers recognize the peril we face with both candidates. There are no winners, only losers, and we are the big losers in this contest. We, the People, have lost any shred of democracy credibility with the election. Our standing in the world is degraded, and our days of influence are numbered because of the actions of our cross-party leaders. There is no redemption on the horizon, only more embarrassment.
Vote. Vote for whomever you feel will allow you to live a full and healthy life. Vote for the one you think has the best interest of ALL of We, the People, at heart.
We get the government we elect, and by extension, the government we deserve.
G-d bless America. We need it.
G-d bless America. We need it.
That's all.
The WP's Tip o'the Week
Be honest, be up front, and be prepared.
Everything You Know is Wrong
ReplyDeleteOh, come on. You can't leave it at that! Please illuminate!
DeleteI think Comey may have violated the Hatch Act... what do you think, WP?
ReplyDeleteIt's another Firesign Theater quote. The title of their 8th album, to be exact. Bozos on This Bus was number 4.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's the morning after. I barely slept a wink last night. We're screwed. Women and children will be the biggest losers. Trump is a puppet who will be controlled by others who know that all they have to do is fawn over him in order to get him to do what they want. Pence will push through new legislation to blur the line between church and state. Women will not be allowed to determine their reproductive choices. Children will be taught evolution as science. Businesses will freely pollute our environment. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to take away the voting rights of women, anyone not born in the country (regardless of citizenship), and people who don't own real estate property (look it up...this has been proposed before). I'm not exaggerating when I say I fear for my daughter's future.
ReplyDeleteThe Donald is President-elect Trump now. He won the job fair and square (in the legalistic sense); now we will see how he handles it. I am not sanguine about the prospects for this country.
ReplyDeleteBut I am encouraged tho this extent: he will not be able to do many of the things he promised to do, at least not immediately. And I'm sure he will get a lot of pushback, from the grassroots level on up.