Deplorables, Deflections, Two Quotes, Whiz and a Gathering

A Gathering

Gather them all together in a room, a big room:  Thomas Friedman, Paul Krugman, E.J. Dionne, Charles Blow, Ruth Marcus and any others from the Washington Post and New York Times newsrooms who want to come along.  Invite the folks from MSNBC, perhaps Chris Matthews, Joe and Mika, Rachel Maddow and some from CNN too, probably led by Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper.  David Brooks and Kathleen Parker, hearing about the gathering, will show up bringing some of their associates with them, too.  By now the fire marshal will have closed off the place since the crowd will have reached the legal capacity. (“Occupancy by more than 1000 people is illegal” the sign by the door reads.)

Inside the room, silence will soon reign because after a few minutes, all of them, regardless of their politics, will realize that they all agree with each other regarding the monumental incompetence of our *PEFAP.  Realizing that talking to one another would be no more than "preaching to the choir," they all shortly depart, returning to their keyboards and studios.

 

Meanwhile, millions of Americans, most of whom never read nor view any of the folks who had been in that room, or if they have, believe that such people are all part of some "deep state" conspiracy, go about their daily routines, knowing that at 10:00 p.m., good old Sean Hannity will be there on Fox News to tell them the truth about what is going on, defending the indefensible.  And on weekends, when he is off, some other Fox Neanderthal will be there to do the same.  It would be wonderful if only these Fox News people might be wired to a polygraph while they were broadcasting.  Then, an on-screen graph could show whenever they strayed from the truth.  (The same might be said of the PEFAP for that matter.)

*(As you may recall, in the prior posting on this blog, PEFAP was defined as “Poor Excuse for a President.”)

Jack Lippman

Two Quotes 

I am not going to waste any space criticizing our PEFAP’s behavior in regard to Charlottesville.  Anyone with half a brain understands what is going on.  Many of those who voted for our PEFAP now regret it, although they usually aren’t out there bragging about it.  Just like the German businessmen, including some Jews, who voted for the National Socialists in Germany as an alternative to Communism came to painfully regret their action.   

Here are two quotes worthy of your attention. (1) The first is from former Klan Grand Wizard David Duke speaking at a torch-lit rally in Charlottesville the night before the violence.  He said “We’re here to take our country back.  We’re going to fulfill the promise of Donald Trump.”  (2)  The second is from a column written by the New York Times’ David Brooks last week.  He wrote “If great words can heal and inspire, base words can corrupt.  Trump has been delivering the poison of prejudice in small but increasing doses.  In Charlottesville, the effect became fully evident.”

Impeach now.

JL

Whiz

Growing up, I remember a candy commercial which touted “Whiz, the best nickel candy there iz-z!”  Well, Whiz is no more (it's downfall started when the price went up to a dime and that killed the commercial).  Same goes for a lot of the other candies with which we grew up.  In fact, few of us can remember any candy bars selling for a nickel.  But believe it or not, you can still get chocolate cigarettes!  Remember them?  Start learning about this sweet bit of American history BY CLICKING RIGHT HERE!
I alert any diabetics or pre-diabetics to the possible hazard to their health which might result from clicking on this link.

JL

Deflection

Deflection!  That’s what the President does when he wants to change the subject.  As the Russia investigation gets closer and closer to the White House and its occupants, residential and otherwise, our PEFAP frantically tries to change the subject.  I am sure that the President knows exactly where the Mueller investigation stands, what they already know and where they are going.  And he is very concerned.

That explains his intemperate remarks concerning North Korea which sent our diplomatic and military leaders scurrying off to reassure the rest of the world.  That also explains his sudden threat to use military force to stabilize Venezuela, a move which didn’t endear the United States to most of our southern neighbors, either.  He knows a nation on a war footing would be reluctant to turn out its Executive Branch and its leader, our PEFAP.
  

Therefore, expect him to talk about anything whatsoever, preferably of a military nature, which would promote putting our country in a crisis mode and reduce the attention of the country on the Russia investigations.  Even Charlottesville.  Military involvement in Venezuela or North Korea would do just fine since his war against the media doesn’t seem to draw much support, except from Fox News.  Time is growing short for our PEFAP.  Very short.

Impeach now.

JL

Deplorables

Two months before the 2016 Presidential election, Hillary Clinton remarked that "to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.”  By "he," Hillary was referring to Donald Trump.  And I translate "lifting them up" to mean "enabling" them.

Well, on this past Thursday, Jennifer Rubin who writes the conservative "Right Turn" blog for the Washington Post attempted to define precisely who these "deplorables" were. Clinton implied, perhaps in jest, that about half of Trump's supporters fit into this category.  Rubin makes it very clear who they are.  And some people may wonder how many people in America, not just Trump's supporters, fit her definition.

Although support for the President is eroding among Republican elected officials, polls continue to indicate that his supporters out there across the country are still sticking with him.  In view of this, could it be that Clinton's 50% number is close to accurate for America today?  

I have heard Jeffrey Toobin, who writes for the New Yorker and is often seen on CNN, questioning whether or not many, many Americans not living in the Northeast nor on the Pacific Coast are actually comfortable with the kind of bigotry which Trump (coached by the now departed Steve Bannon) used to reach the White House and continues to apologize for, and enable, even today.  That is a frightening unknown.

But getting back to Rubin's blog, here it is in its entirety.  Usually I do not include copyrighted material, but since this is from a blog, I will chance it.  It is important that you read it.  Particularly if you were

(choose one):

 ___ stupid enough,

 ___ gullible enough,

 ___ wealthy enough,

 ___ bigoted enough,

 ___ blind enough ...       to have voted for Trump last year.

About the ‘Deplorables’

By Jennifer Rubin August 17 at 10:15 AM ... from her Right Turn blog.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was vilified for calling some of her opponent’s supporters “deplorables.” During the campaign we noted her opponent’s reliance on white grievance and negative racial stereotypes. Pollsters could see that during the campaign — no surprise — those voters with the most racial animus were drawn to  then-candidate Donald Trump. (“Trump performs best among Americans who express more resentment toward African Americans and immigrants and who tend to evaluate whites more favorably than minority groups.”) Polling and statistical analysis after the election confirmed the role race and xenophobia played in the campaign, far outweighing economic anxiety. This did not mean that all Trump voters were racists, but some clearly were; for others, Trump’s racist appeals didn’t bother them enough to deter them for voting for him on other grounds (e.g., his business background, his promises on trade).

Now we fast forward to Charlottesville. Trump has spun a tale of moral equivalency between white nationalists and those who oppose them. He’s said some of those who participated were “fine” people. (Do fine people accompany neo-Nazis shouting anti-Semitic slurs, using the Nazi salute and embracing Nazi iconography?) And yet there is a segment of GOP voters who still defend him, agree with his response and have sympathy for the false narrative of white victimhood, an essential component of neo-Nazis’ and white supremacists’ ideology which seeks to “reclaim” (from Jews, minorities, foreigners, etc.) their country, as David Duke likes to say.

So who are the people who still support Trump?  It would be those who have been willing to tolerate his history of birtherism, his continued vilification of the “Central Park Five” (even after they were exonerated), his racial attack on Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, his declaration that Mexican immigrants were “murderers,” the portrait of African American life as a war zone, and now even his efforts to shield neo-Nazis and white nationalists from blame.  Those who after all of that still back him, either share his racist beliefs or have an incredibly high tolerance for racism. 

Moreover, if Trump voters tolerated his racism during the campaign because they thought Clinton was a she-devil or because they were convinced he possessed unique skills or because they thought he’d be controlled by congressional leaders, what is their excuse now? Clinton isn’t the alternative to Trump. (Vice President Pence is.) Trump is not demonstrating even a smidgen of competence or ability to enact the agenda he promised. Even if you thought in the campaign his racism was mitigated by other factors (we find that entirely reprehensible, but let’s continue) those other factors don’t exist any more. All that is left is the white-nationalist sympathizer.

In sum, there is no non-deplorable rationale for continuing to defend this president, his rhetoric and his moral obtuseness. No one is asked to confess error in voting for him (although some self-scrutiny would be appreciated). Nevertheless, continuing to deny he is unfit for office and to make excuses for his verbiage makes one complicit in his racial divisiveness and his determination to provide aid and comfort to neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

Some delude themselves by thinking that Trump can show “greater moral clarity” (!) (as the Republican Jewish Coalition preposterously did) 

Sheldon Adelson sits on the Board of the Republican Jewish Coalition which minimized its criticism of Trump by merely asking for "greater moral clarity."  (They are still waiting for Trump to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  Hope Adelson isn't holding his breath.  T'was just another Trump lie designed to get votes from the gullible.  It amazes me how successful "businessmen" such as Adelson can be so dumb.) JL

or that staying in the administration prevents damage to the country (as Gary Cohn, John F. Kelly and others apparently do) or that the 2016 voters’ verdict cannot be upset with no regard for subsequent events (as Republican lawmakers insist). Let’s be blunt, these are rationalizations for continued support for an unfit, racist president. It does in fact make one deplorable.

                                                       *   *   *   *   *

Nice blog posting, right?   And from a conservative!  I agree with it.  But we have to start worrying what will happen when the President is either impeached or forced to resign. That will happen.  Vice-President Pence has not sufficiently separated himself from the President to be able to successully take up the reins of office, and if he does that now, it would only exacerbate existing schisms in the Republican Party.  Once there is a new occupant in the White House, whoever that might be, there will be an angry far-right group of Americans who still carry the destructive impulses which resulted in their supporting Trump.  Will they coalesce into a Third Party? What will become of the Republican Party once they leave it? And where does this leave the Democrats? There will be some rocky terrain to traverse before the harm done by Donald J. Trump to America and its institutions can be repaired.  We hope it can be done peacefully within the framework of the Constitution.

JL

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