Donald Trump expected to run in 2024... So what?

Donald Trump has allegedly decided that he's not finished inflicting damage on our country, and that he intends to run for President in 2024.  Personally, I doubt he'll actually run.  He's dangerously obese, visibly unhealthy, and would be 78 years old were he to run again.  At age 75, he already sounds unstable, and I fear for his mental health.  So why is he running around beating his drum for anyone who'll listen?  He's an attention whore, plain and simple.  There are countless reasons why Democrats and Independents shouldn't be wringing their hands in fear at the prospect of another Trump campaign--and perhaps the most obvious one is that this man has shown himself to be a loser--many, many times over.

He lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 3,000,000 votes.

He lost the popular vote to Joe Biden in 2020 by over 7,000,000 votes.

He was trounced in 2020's Electoral College count, 306 to 232.

He's a disgraced, two-time loser--having been impeached twice.

And let's not forget he's a loser in business as well.  As of this moment, Trump has filed six bankruptcies in his "illustrious" Wall Street career, and it appears as though a seventh is on the horizon.  In every instance he was bailed out by U.S. taxpayers.

Donald J Trump is a notorious sexist pig and serial groper, and now that he's out of office a rape case is slated to proceed against him.  He's blatantly and unapologetically racist, and has no interest in matters of justice.  And, given the fact he's guarded his educational records with a paranoid frenzy, it's probably safe to assume he's the stupidest man to have ever occupied the Oval office.

The multiple failures racked up by the Trump White House boggle the mind.  His bungled Covid policies cost tens of thousands of lives.  His failed bromance with Kim Jong-un left north Korea free and clear to develop long-range ballistic missiles.  He lost the trade war he initiated with China, and failed to live up to his promise that he'd topple the Iranian regime.  And, let's not forget his other failed bromance--this one with Vladimir Putin.  Trump opened the door to Russian interference in our elections, and allowed Putin to run roughshod over basic human rights in Russia,.  It's also likely that Putin directed the attempted assassination of Alexei Navalny.  Trump never squeaked out a word of criticism, afraid to anger his mentor.  The list of Trump's failures is endless.

Donald is the poster child for failure, and if he decides to run for president again, he's sure to become a three-time loser, and an international laughing stock.  It would be nice, though, if we could be spared the "drama" of "will he, or won't he?"  We've got better things to do with our time than to waste another minute thinking abdou that pompous, arrogant fool.

The Trump Pandemic

 Ever since Joe Biden became the duly-elected 46th President of the United States, and Trump was effectively fired by the American people, we've been blessed with comparative calm.  Sure, the occasional toadie (McCarthy, Graham, Scalise) ventures down to Mar-a-Lago to kiss the bloated ego, but by and large since Twitter bestowed the ultimate gift upon the nation (stripping DJT of his accounts), it's been relatively quiet... until now.

You'd think that after fomenting the January 6th attack on the Capitol, "the Donald" would be inclined to lay low.  But as the country recently marked the one year anniversary of the Trump Pandemic, he's attempted to re-insert himself into the national dialogue by demanding full credit for the development of the Covid vaccines.  Well, perhaps we should give him an iota of credit for the rapid pace, but it was primarily science that came through for us.  And, given the history of Trump's response to the virus, it's a wonder he has the audacity to even raise the topic.

--In May of 2018, the Trump administration disbanded the White House pandemic response team.  Tragically stupid.

--In January of 2020, he crowed "we have it totally under control.  It's one person coming in from China."  Speaking of China, he praised President Xi for his "transparency" and efforts to curb the virus.

--All along, Trump was made to understand how dangerous this virus was.  He told Bob Woodward (in private) "This is deadly stuff".  However, he assured the American people "this is a flu".  He lied.

--He claimed that "one day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear".  Delusional.

--By April of 2020, he was promoting hydroxychloroquine as "a great thing to try", contrary to all medical and scientific advice.  This was followed by his off-hand suggestion that we investigate injecting the body with disinfectant/bleach, for a thorough cleaning.  He also wondered about the possibility of hitting the body with "very powerful light", ultraviolet or otherwise.  Insanity.

--In May, he proclaimed "this is going to go away without a vaccine", while May also saw the national death toll surpass 100,000.

--Once testing for Covid finally began to approach appropriate levels, he complained there was "too much testing" (because more and more cases were being uncovered).  He took the U.S. out of the World Health Organization (in the middle of a pandemic!), and began his racist references to Coronavirus as "the China virus".  

--By August 2020, he was once again proclaiming that everything was under control, and demanding that schools be reopened in the fall.  September saw the national death toll pass 200,000 (and climbing).

--Trump was now solely focused on getting re-elected, Covid 19 be damned.  He always scoffed at masks, as well as social distancing.  When questioned if he was afraid of contracting the virus, he replied "I'm on a stage, it's very far away, so I'm not concerned at all".  Apparently he had no concern for his supporters.

--In October, both Trump and the First Lady tested positive for Coronavirus.  More than a dozen White House aides followed suit shortly thereafter. Ceremonies at the White House continued to serve as "super-spreaders" when all safety precautions were routinely ignored.

--On November 2nd, he falsely claimed that "Joe Biden is promising to delay the vaccine and turn America into a prison state--locking you in your homes while letting far-left rioters roam free.  The Biden Lockdown will mean no school graduations, no weddings, no Thanksgiving, no Christmas or 4th of July.  He'll listen to the scientists!"

Mercifully, Trump was booted out of the White House--he lost the popular vote by over 7,000,000 and suffered a landslide defeat in the Electoral College (306-232, almost the same margin as his win over Hillary Clinton, and he called it a "landslide").  At any rate, he's gone, though by the time he left D.C. the Trump pandemic had claimed over 400,000 lives.  Given his complete failure at dealing with the crisis, he needs to be quiet now and let wiser heads prevail.  Goodbye Donald, may the next time we see you be in court in New York!

Joey Molland: The Underdog Takes It All

The classic Badfinger line-up consisted of Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Mike Gibbins, and Joey Molland.  From 1968-1975 the band recorded five albums for Apple Records, and topped the charts world-wide with "Come and Get It", "No Matter What", "Day After Day", and "Baby Blue".  Harry Nilsson scored a smash hit with the Ham & Evans song "Without You" (also covered with great success by Mariah Carey almost twenty years later).  During their time with Apple, Evans & Molland worked on John Lennon's "Imagine" album, and, after working on "All Things Must Pass", George Harrison brought the band to New York to play at his "Concert for Bangla Desh" concerts.  Harrison worked with the band as a producer on the "Straight Up" album, along with Todd Rundgren.  By 1973, however, Apple Records was in financial chaos, and the notorious American businessman Allen Klein was brought in to establish "order".  Unfortunately, he showed little regard for artists, even those who'd proved to be successful, and Badfinger signed on with Warner Brothers.  Badfinger released two albums for Warners in 1974, "Badfinger" and the critically acclaimed "Wish You Were Here".  However, it had become evident to Joey Molland that their manager, Stan Polley, had been robbing the band blind.  Apparently believing he could do the same to Warners, Polley pilfered a joint publishing account.  Unfortunately, the band paid the price.  "Wish You Were Here" was pulled from record stores weeks after its release.  With Apple royalties tied up in escrow, the band had no income.  In the months that followed, Pete Ham left the band, then returned a few weeks later.  Following a short tour, Molland left the band permanently, frustrated at his inability to get the others to see Polley for what he was.  By the time Ham realized the truth, it was too late.  In April of 1975 he hanged himself, leaving behind a note that pointed the finger at Polley.

Following brief stints with other bands--Molland with Natural Gas, Evans with the Dodgers--the two joined forces in 1979 to revive Badfinger.  They released "Airwaves" in 1979 and "Say No More" in 1981.  Both albums had their high points, but disco was peaking at around the same time, and Badfinger's "power pop" was suddenly out of place.  Combined with internal frictions, the band broke apart in 1982.  Molland and Evans went their separate ways with each fronting their own version of "Badfinger".  Neither one of them proved successful, and Evans lost his struggle with his personal demons.  In November of 1983, he hanged himself.

Despite the daunting adversity, Joey Molland resolved to carry on.  Supported, as always, by his wife, Kathie, he released his first solo album, "After the Pearl" in 1983.  He toured extensively in an effort to establish his own identity while simultaneously keeping the memory of Badfinger alive (in 1990 he released the recording of a Badfinger concert at Cleveland's Agora theater in 1974).  1992 saw the release of "The Pilgrim", with "This Way Up" following in 2001.  Though both were chock full of great tunes and were well received by critics and fans alike (particularly "This Way Up"!), neither achieved the widespread success they deserved.  "Return to Memphis", released in 2011 saw Joey exploring new ground, but felt oddly incomplete.  It gave no hint that a power pop masterpiece was in the making.

However, in 2020 the combined talents of Joey Molland and producer Mark Hudson released the "feel good" album/CD/digital download that had been missing from the music world for far too long.  Frankly, there isn't a weak track on "Be True to Yourself", but there are more that a few songs that warrant special mention:  "Better Tomorrow", "Rainy Day Man", "All I Want To Do", "I Don't Wanna Be Done With You", "Shine", and the title track.  Not bad when you feel the need to single out more than half the tracks!

Joey Molland has endured more than his fair share of hard knocks (most recently in 2009 when, after 37 years of marriage, Kathie passed away in her sleep), yet there are a few folks who apparently resent the fact that he's a survivor.  Not only a survivor, but an optimist!  Those detractors need to get over it.  On the other hand, many of us have always believed that Joey was capable of work like this, and "Be True to Yourself" is precisely what we've waited for.  Now, finally, the underdog "takes it all".

Pete Buttigieg: What Could Have Been

Pete Buttigieg’s withdrawal from the Democratic nomination race left me with a number of questions… and one in particular that will linger.  I wondered if Pete was ever given fair consideration by those who seemed ready to pounce on every perceived past faux pas, without seeing him for who he really is?

I’m not sure it’s widespread knowledge that Pete advocated for a solid progressive agenda:

He is pro-choice, and supports repealing the Hyde Amendment.

He supports abolishing the death penalty, reversing criminal sentences for minor drug-related offenses, and restoring voting rights to former felons.

Pete would have restored U.S. commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, and doubled our pledge to the Green Climate Fund.  He supports a carbon tax and dividend policy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  He proposed building a clean economy through the creation of clean energy jobs, improving our resilience by investing in disaster relief & prevention, and building the US role on the international stage.

Pete proposed the Douglass Plan:  it would have allocated $10 billion to African-American entrepreneurship over 5 years, and grants amounting to $25 billion to historically black colleges.

As a self-avowed “Democratic capitalist”, Pete supports “Medicare for All Who Want It”—a plan that would have implemented a public option for healthcare insurance, while still allowing private healthcare insurers to remain in business.  He released a $300 billion plan to expand mental health care services and fight addiction.

Pete favored amending civil rights legislation w/ the Federal Equality Act, so that LGBT Americans also receive federal non-discrimination protections.  He opposed the ban on transgender people that prevents them from joining the military.

Pete advocated tor empowerment of workers by raising the minimum wage to $15, and offering paid family leaves nationwide.

Pete advocates for the abolition of the Electoral College…. He believes that the president ought to be elected by the people—i.e. Hillary Clinton’s victory, by roughly 3 million votes, would have spared us Donald Trump.

And yet, there were many who decided he wasn’t progressive enough, he wasn’t green enough; heck, he wasn’t even gay enough for some of these people!  They were suspicious of his time as Mayor of South Bend, they were suspicious of his time in the military, they were suspicious of his work with McKinsey… Did I always agree with Pete?  No, I was certainly uncomfortable with how some of the fundraising was handled, but in the long run I believe he would have been an incredible choice for our country.  Furthermore, I’m 63, and I recognize the need for a generational change of leadership.  Yes, I realize Pete is 37 and likely to be around for quite some time, but that doesn’t ease the disappointment I’m feeling now.

Never Trump... but Bernie?

     Let me start with a given:  Donald Trump must be defeated.  His presidency is an embarrassment to the American people; a betrayal of our values and beliefs.  The Donald has ushered in a culture of corruption unparalleled in our history.  Furthermore, where the United States was once admired—if not revered—by many around the globe, we have now become a laughing stock. And, quite frankly, though Trump claims to be a “stable genius”, all available evidence points to him being a vain and stupid little man…

     My question now is whether or not the best hope of defeating Trump lies in nominating a 78 year old self-described Socialist who is apparently unable to control the outrageous behavior of his own so-called “Bernie Bros”?  Thus far, these Sanders flying monkey types have been using social media to attack rival candidates, their families, surrogates, journalists, and even celebrities who may have strayed from the Bernie message.  In Nevada, they bullied members of the Culinary Union and harassed the State Democratic Chair late at night outside his home (bullhorns).  One aide in particular, Ben Mora, has demonstrated an appalling lack of character and judgment—making disparaging (to put it mildly) comments concerning the physical appearance, gender, and sexuality of rival candidates.  In light of this—and other—instances of bad behavior, Bernie has postulated that perhaps these aren’t his supporters acting out, but rather Russian operatives looking to embarrass him.  Seriously?

     Look, if Sanders 2016 campaign operatives and associates hadn’t actively encouraged people to vote for third parties, or not at all, and if the 12% of Sanders supporters who actually cast their votes for Trump could have behaved responsibly (i.e. in the best interest of the country), then it’s likely Donald Trump would have never desecrated the White House. So, although Bernie himself did campaign for Hillary (39 rallies over the course of 3 months), far too many in his “movement” were intent on keeping their noses out of joint and refused to play nice.  Look at where it got us!  If Bernie can’t hold sway over his own supporters, it’s hard to see him as an effective nominee-- unifying the many factions of the Democratic Party, while simultaneously advocating for an agenda that promises (or threatens) revolution.

Pete Buttigieg & Our First Priority

Priority one, for every decent, intelligent, and patriotic American is to rid the White House of Donald Trump. To that end, the Democratic Party kicked off the current election cycle with enough presidential candidates to choke a horse.  Mercifully, the winnowing process took effect, and no horses have been harmed.

In the interest of transparency, I’ll admit upfront that I’m 63 years old.  In most people’s minds, that has somehow come to mean that I must be supporting former Vice President Joe Biden.  Even though he’s fourteen years older than I am, they assume I must be generationally linked to him. Of course Bernie is even older at 78, Bloomberg is 77, and Warren the “spring chicken” of this particular group is 70.

Initially, I found myself pining for a Sherrod Brown-Kamala Harris ticket, but my personal “dream team” was not to be.

And, although I find myself supporting much of the Sanders agenda, I find it impossible to ignore the fact that his intransigence in 2016 proved to be a significant factor in ensuring Donald Trump’s Electoral College (not popular vote) victory.  When he talks about the need to support whichever candidate wins the Democratic nomination, I find myself cringing.

Furthermore, although I recognize the need to overturn every piece of legislation that Trump has signed into law, I don’t believe that the surest path to victory lies in promising to make a series of sweeping changes from day one.  That would have the effect of further traumatizing voters.  Extremism will not result in regaining control of the Senate, let alone bringing the curtain down on the Trump national nightmare.

As a result, I find myself supporting Pete Buttigieg.  There is no candidate (or human being, for that matter) who isn’t flawed to some extent, and I have my concerns about Pete.  I’m not comfortable with some of the donors he’s courted, or with the lavish fundraisers in wine caves.  On the other hand, I believe he handled the McKinsey consulting firm questions forthrightly.  Contrary to what the conspiracy theorists may have led us to suspect, there was nothing sinister in his list of clients.

I trust Pete...  He strikes me as a thoughtful, intelligent guy.  He won’t make rash decisions based on political calculations, and he won’t engage in deceitful and petty efforts to bring down his political opponents.  Pete is, genuinely, a very stable Rhodes Scholar.  The days of dealing with a paranoid narcissist (and his other personality disorders) will fade from sight in our rear view mirrors.

Does Pete’s “lack of experience” worry me?  Not really, because while he may not have a “traditional” background in foreign policy, for example, he’s gained at least comparable experience through serving our country abroad.  I am convinced that Pete will take his time, surround himself with the best people, and govern in a calm, deliberate fashion.

We don’t need another President who’s in his or her 70s.  It’s time to turn the page and hand over the keys to those who have a lifetime ahead of them.  At 38, Pete Buttigieg fits that bill perfectly, and I  plan to do whatever I can to insure that he becomes our next President.

Mike Pompeo: The Lap Dog Roars

In his role as Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has proven himself a fascinating combination of sycophant and bully.

On the one hand, it’s evident that his life mission is to gain the approval of Donald Trump, no matter the cost.  He’s made sure to attune his every position to those of the “President”.  Pompeo was instrumental in undermining the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran (a particular obsession for Trump), and his devotion to the Donald’s vision/intransigence has threatened to plunge that region into war on more than one occasion.

Likewise, Pompeo has adopted Trump’s views on North Korea.  Where he was once in charge of a covert cyber campaign against Kim Jong Un, he has now tailored his actions to fall in line with Trump.

He has humbled himself before the dictator, and has repeatedly claimed great success in negotiating with him.  Nothing of lasting value has been achieved, of course, and Kim Jong Un is currently demanding that Pompeo be excluded from any future talks/negotiations.  Given Trump’s peculiar, quasi-romantic, relationship with Kim Jong Un, and his obvious reluctance to lose that special friendship, it remains to be seen what Pompeo will resort to next.

In another effort to gain favor with the groper-in-chief, Pompeo has adopted DJT’s  disrespectful/abusive attitude toward women—as evidenced by his recent temper tantrum directed at NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly.  Pompeo is unable to tolerate challenging questions, and most especially from a woman.  His condescension took full flight—he screamed at her in an expletive-filled tirade, then he employed his mentor’s modus operandi and chose to lie about the encounter.  Apparently, Kelly had to point out Ukraine to him (on an unlabeled map)—and he later claimed she pointed to Bangladesh.  Naturally, Trump felt the need to congratulate Pompeo for his “handling” of the situation.

Personally, I believe Pompeo’s level of rage stemmed from his takedown by Linda Ronstadt at the Kennedy Center Honors dinner (she chastised him for enabling Trump).  Given the setting, he was unable to explode at Ronstadt, and has been looking for a female victim ever since.

Without a doubt, Mike Pompeo is one sorry excuse for an American Secretary of State.  He doesn’t come close to meeting the standards set by his most recent predecessors:  Madeline Albright, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, and yes, even John Kerry.  Our country deserves so much better—yet another reason why the November elections are of critical importance.