Category: Elections

Former (R) Governor Ridge Takes To Twitter

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Former Gov. Tom Ridge calls out Donald Trump on his refusal to concede the 2020 presidential election after losing by more than 7 million votes

Former (R) Gov Tom Ridge Takes To Twitter

D. S. Mitchell

“Thomas Joseph Ridge is a Republican politician and author who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005.”-Wikipedia. Mr. Ridge also served as governor of the sate of Pennsylvania. Mr. Ridge tweeted the following in reference to the corruption of Donald Trump and his disgusting efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

@GovRidge Twitter:
“History will record the shameful irony that a president who lied to avoid military service staged a bogus event on the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg in a brazen attempt to undermine the Republic for which scores of real patriots had fought & died to preserve since its founding.”

https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2020/05/27/time-for-twitter-to-take-action-14270/

Donald Trump: A Criminal Candidate

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Trump desperately holding onto power despite substantial loses at the ballot box.

Donald Trump: A Criminal Candidate

D. S. Mitchell

Looking Back

In 2004, a British tabloid asked brazenly on its front page, when announcing the news that George W. Bush was re-elected, “How can 59,054,087 people be so dumb?” By this time the world had observed the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan in 2001, and then in 2003, Iraq.  It didn’t take long to see that George W. was no George H. W. From the beginning of his administration, George W. was under the spell of the neo-cons. From day one he was led around by the nose by  VP Dick Cheney and associates. Still, Americans re-elected him. If the British tabloid’s question was rude, it was at least a legitimate question.

The Rude Question Comes Up Again

That “rude” question has resurfaced in 2020. The counties and states are still counting, but as of November 21, 2020, 73,781,603 people have voted for president Donald Trump, which amounts to 47.2 percent of the total votes so far counted. The same sources show 79,816,557 Americans voted for Joe Biden, which is approximately 51.1 percent of the total votes counted. The president-elect, Joe Biden, is kicking Trump’s butt, leading by over 6 million votes. But, those numbers go against the Trump plan. So, it is time to recount and recount and do anything possible to overturn the election or undermine the validity of Joe Biden’s presidency.

Is It That Bad?

A majority of Americans,  especially Black, Brown, Native Americans, Asians, and other marginalized communities, who are at the mercy of this country’s historic, systemic, police abuse and seemingly incurable racism, voted Donald Trump out of office. I want us to celebrate that so many Americans voted to oust his criminal ass, but there is much need for introspection and intense soul searching about those who feverishly supported him, and still support him in his fight to remain in office.

A Cup Of Coffee

I’m ready this morning to have a cup of coffee, eat an apple and reflect on why more than 73, 701,667  Americans would chose a man like Donald Trump to lead this country? His incompetence and stupidity is legendary. Some close to him have called him a “fucking moron.” These words come from those who know him best, yet these voices are ignored by his minions.

Nothing Moves His Base

For the last several days I’ve scoured old newspaper and magazine articles putting together a list of the known criminal activities of Donald Trump. Although well-known to his followers, his criminality seems to have no effect on their loyalty or their intoxicated enthusiasm. Monster flags whipping off the back of pickup trucks advertise their loyalty to Trump, not the United States. Wake up guys. Trump is a fraud and you are his biggest suckers. Get real, please, Trump and his whole crew belongs in Sing-Sing, not the Oval Office.

The Habit Of Corruption

Trump is no stranger to corruption and criminality. He has been embedded in it his entire life. As President, he’s just taken it to a new level. The Trump administration is without a doubt the most corrupt presidency in American history. No wonder he keeps screaming “fake news” when answering reporter’s questions about his scandal ridden administration. He desperately needs to undermine the legitimacy of the fourth estate.  Donald John Trump has so much to hide.  If his devout followers would listen to the information that is available everywhere, they would drop him like the proverbial a hot potato. But, for some reason they are both deaf and blind to the truth. Truth matters, and Trump couldn’t find truth with both hands. Just to refresh the reader on Trump’s criminal history:

It All Started With Daddy Trump

1.) Donald and his father blatantly participated in housing discrimination against people of color and they were sued by the Justice Department.
2.) The Mafia and Donald worked together through the construction trades in New York city.
3.) He hired undocumented Polish workers to rehab the Trump Tower and then refused to pay them.
4.) Trump was fined $750,000 for anti-trust violations during his attempt to take over a rival casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

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OPINION: Trump Sorest Loser Ever

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Trump is a sore loser

OPINION: Trump Sorest Loser Ever

By Trevor K. McNeil

Human Frailty

There is no accounting for human behavior. Particularly in times of trouble. Stress and panic are capable of leading to seemingly irrational behavior on the part of the American electorate. Such as the re-election of Richard Nixon in 1972 despite his actions in Asia. And then there’s the insanity of George W. Bush’s two elections. Why the comfortable re-election in 2004, after stealing the 2000 election from Al Gore? The 2004 victory still makes me shake my head in bewilderment. The stupid idiot (#43) started two wars that we are still fighting nearly two decades later. A shockingly high number of troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan were not even born when the Twin Towers fell. The unpredictable American electorate and their often obvious disconnect from reality is a forever unknown. Which is part of why the Biden-Harris landslide was far from a fore gone conclusion, despite the polls.

Making History

The 2020 US election made history in many different ways. Some of them better than others. For starters there was the highest voter turn-out ever. Both despite and because of the pandemic. Leading to one of the longest vote-counts, lasting nearly a week from kick-off to final whistle. Something closer to what would be expected somewhere like India which has a much larger population base. Kamala Harris has risen higher in American politics than any woman before her, minority or otherwise, now named Vice President-Elect. With Biden declared President-Elect he is the oldest incoming president and one of the few to come from a modest economic background, as well as the first to attend a public university. Even George W. Bush,  somehow managed to get into Yale and Ulysses S. Grant attended West Point.

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Smile Time: Joe Biden, President-Elect

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Smile Time: Joe Biden, President-Elect

D. S. Mitchell

Let The Dance Begin

Joe Biden is the President-Elect. Thank Zeus, and the millions of Americans who turned out and gave Donald Trump the proverbial boot.  On January 20th, 2021 Joe will be inaugurated the 46th president of the United States. I want to take a minute and reflect on this historic moment. It is a time for tears of joy and the dancing in the streets. I pray this is going to be a new chapter, a better chapter, a unifying chapter. With Joe comes Jill Biden, PhD., a working woman. What a new and beautiful 21st century image of a First Lady.

A New Vision

Furthermore, Kamala Harris, a half-black, half-East Indian, first generation American, Oakland born woman, has just become Vice President-Elect. This is an amazing moment. This is a big deal, folks. As a woman I am thrilled. I was seriously beginning to wonder if I would ever see a woman elected to national office before I died. For me this is a day of  jubilation and celebration. This is also a moment for the next generation.

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OPINION: Paying Tribute To The Dead

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OPINION:

Paying Tribute To COVID-19 Dead

D. S. Mitchell

Trump Terror Campaign

Total COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 9 million on Friday, October 30, 2020. Close to 235,000 people are dead in America. Most states are experiencing spikes unseen since the pandemic peak back in July. CDC reported that today there were an astounding and record setting 98,580 new cases. The pandemic is rapidly expanding. This is a runaway train. The Trump terror campaign is in full swing. The U.S. has only 4.25% of the world’s population but we have nearly 20% of the worlds deaths from COVID-19.

Incompetent, Ineffective and Unfit

969 Americans have died needlessly since yesterday. Brothers, sisters, mothers, husbands, sons, friends and family who are no longer with us. I said these folks had died needlessly and I meant it. If Donald Trump had taken the virus seriously in January we would not be experiencing these shocking death totals. A study from Columbia University estimates that 210,000 of those American deaths could have been avoided. Donald Trump had the power to change the dynamics. If Donald Trump hadn’t been an incompetent, ineffective, and unfit president a total of  24,000 Americans would have died from COVID-19 instead of nearly 235,000.

“Operation Warp Speed”

Trump is actually out on the campaign stump claiming one of his top achievements during his first term was “ending COVID-19.” I don’t know if Donald is hallucinating, on drugs or just a pathological liar, but I’m shocked and disgusted at his claims.  The fact that his pronouncement came at a new peak of a raging pandemic should be no shock to anyone. While the pandemic gets worse in our country the toxic psychopath masquerading as a president babbles absurdities completely divorced from reality. If the pandemic is over, why is the Trump administration still desperately trying to bring out a vaccine “any day?”

It Could Be Different

Take New Zealand for example. Jacinda Ardern is the Prime Minister of New Zealand. From the beginning of the pandemic she and her government enacted a nationwide lockdown and the widest ranging and toughest border restrictions of any country in the world. Despite the strict crackdown she earned the respect of her citizens. She has shown care and compassion and her actions have saved thousands of lives. As of today less than 30 of her citizens has died from coronavirus. Adjusted for population, that is the equivalent of 1,650 Americans, which is clearly even better than the Columbia University study mentioned above.

Between Now And January 20th

Out-of-control incompetence. It is anticipated that 150,000 to 250,000 more Americans will needlessly die between now and noon on January 20th. Hopefully that is the same day that we see Joe Biden replace Donald Trump. I think the death toll could be even greater than estimated. I hope not. All we can do is wear our masks, wash our hands religiously, social distance and avoid groups. Even with that, half the population resists these simple measures.

Poor Example

The primary reason for the resistance to masks is named Donald Trump. He is the poorest example of what to do during a public health emergency.  I wonder if we will ever be able to track the deaths directly related to Trump’s rallies. The carnage of fifty more 9/11 deaths will occur between now and January and based on recent rally rhetoric it looks like Trump is going to blame “doctors and the nurses for making money on COVID deaths.”

No More Trump 

We can stop this. We can step up and vote the diseased Orange Menace out of office. I truly believe this country cannot tolerate another four years of Trump and his goons. What we need to do is vote. We must make sure Trump is  removed from the White House as soon as the Constitution provides. There are thousands of reasons why Donald Trump is unfit to be president of the United States, his response to the virus is one of his worst failures. The best tribute we can give to our lost loved ones is to Dump Trump.

https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2020/06/21/covid-19-is-taking-a-mental-toll-14467/

“Mourning In Michigan”

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“MOURNING IN MICHIGAN”

The Lincoln Project

The Lincoln Project is seriously trying to have defeat Donald Trump.  Trump is floundering and The Lincoln Project is part of the reason. The founders of The Lincoln Project are all former Republican strategists. The ads they are putting together are drawing blood. I intend to share their ads whenever I see them.

Trump is a rude, spoiled tyrant that was born wealthy. He has squandered his fortune and now owes dubious characters around the world. Trump needs to go. We cannot do four more years of his incompetence and cruelty. He’s no populist. He is a con man grifter that fooled us once, but we won’t let him fool us twice. We can do that on November 3rd. Don’t let anything deter you, this is the most important election of our lifetimes.

Thanks to all the folks who are working so hard on The Lincoln Project.

D. S. Mitchell

Demi Lovato “Commander in Chief”

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The Lincoln Project

The Lincoln Project Ad 

Demi Lovato sings “Commander in Chief”

The Lincoln Project gives us another great ad. This one features singer Demi Lovato singing her powerful song, “Commander In Chief.” Please vote. This is the most important election of our times.

OPINION: Look, Here’s The Thing…

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OPINION: Look, Here’s The Thing…

By Anna Hessel

 

A Sick Joke

 When I first heard that Donald Trump was running for the presidency, I knew of course it had to be a joke.  Who in the world would vote for a egotistical bigot with multiple bankruptcies to run our nation?  My friends and spouse all had a good laugh at the very idea of Trump as a presidential candidate.

A Woman’s Nightmare

I have been heavily involved in pageantry.  I knew from witnesses “The Donald” thought nothing of walking in a dressing room during a Miss Teen USA pageant, while underage young ladies were in varying stages of undress.  His obnoxious and racist conduct was viewed by me first  hand at the Miss USA pageants for a two-year period in the nineties in Gary, Indiana.  I knew it was impossible for such a man to be taken seriously, his moral code being so corrupt.  His raunchy locker room talk of, “grab ‘em by the pussy”, was an unbelievably disgraceful comment.  He would never get the nomination.  His claim that he would “Make America Great Again”, was a preposterous campaign slogan.

The Great America We Had

America was great with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the helm.  We had the Affordable Care Act, finally.  Our military had taken out Osama Bin Laden.  The auto industry and the banks had been saved.  The LGBTQ community finally had equal love and marriage, and our President was a decent caring man that cried for gun victims.  He led our nation with dignity, “with God’s grace”; and never even a breath of scandal.

Actual First Families

Barak loved his beautiful wife and his daughters. The Obama’s have been married for 28 years.   They brought an adorable Portuguese Water Dog to the White House and we watched the president play in the snow with his girls. Michelle created a garden. This was a First Family that you could not help but love.  Our first Black President was stellar.  His VP, Joe Biden has known tragedy. He had been a single-parent widower, who put his children first. He found love again and has been married to his second wife ‘Dr. Jill’ for 43 years.  He has never been unfaithful to either of his wives.  Of course this great team was re-elected, and the Democratic party was making strides at keeping America great through inclusion and acceptance.

Breaking The Glass Ceiling

We had Hillary Clinton ready to break the glass ceiling as the first female President of the United States.  Instead of that glass ceiling breaking, our hearts broke.  Donald Trump received the Republican nomination for president.  My mouth dropped nearly to my neck from shock.  Surely, there was no way he could be elected.  Hillary was by far the clear, experienced choice and Trump’s low-down, ridiculous tactics about her emails would not be taken seriously, or would they?   Why, some of her emails were just simplistic messages about her daughter’s shower.  Hillary had nothing to hide in her emails in the least, whereas Mr. Trump continues to hide his debt and blatantly refuses to show his tax returns.  All other United States presidents and candidates had released their tax returns.  Surely, the American people were not foolish enough to fall for this man’s malarkey.

You’ve Got To Be Kidding

I sat on election night at a colleague’s restaurant, wearing my “I voted” sticker with my husband, awaiting Hillary’s brilliant acceptance speech, when the unthinkable happened.  I watched in horror, losing my appetite, as a smug and smirking Donald Trump descended a staircase with his family to make a victory speech.  Our nation had just descended into hell.  Tears streaming down my face, my husband escorted me to our car.  I was literally in a state of shock; I cried for three days.  Hillary wrote a beautiful email to all of her supporters; I used a half of a box of tissue while reading it.

God Help Us

Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa were bittersweet because we knew what was to come.  I prayed, I cried, I hoped and I feared; emotions ran high during the holidays.  Anger simmered below the surface at my husband’s Trump-voting brother-in-law’s house.  New Year’s Eve brought tension, not celebration.  Never had a bigger deal been made of a President leaving office.  President and First Lady Obama would be much missed.  I could not watch ”The Donald” take the oath of office.  News photos of Barack and Michelle kindly escorted Melania to her seat, while her husband ignored her completely.  I vowed to never call Donald Trump ‘president’ and I could not bring myself to refer to a woman who has been seen naked in magazines by half the world,  ‘first lady.’  The nightmare had begun.

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Let’s Un-elect The Electoral College

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Let’s Un-elect The Electoral College

By Wes Hessel

 

Thinking Inside The Box

The two highest offices in the land are not directly selected by the voters.  Actually, up until the Seventeenth Amendment was ratified in 1913, U.S. Senators were chosen by their respective state legislatures as well. But that’s old, old news,  or it should be, even though there have been a few people speaking up lately about repealing the 17th – apparently they have been thinking outside the ballot box.  As a certain so-called president has been doing his entire administration.

The Old College Try

The U.S. president and vice-president are actually elected by a group who are newly formed each presidential election year.  Known as the electoral college, their existence is mandated in Section 1, Clause 2 of Article II of our Constitution. The Constitution gives the state legislatures the power to determine the method of electors being chosen.  Since the 1820’s, that method has been indirectly by the votes of the people during a presidential election. While the candidates’ names are on the ballots, the voters are actually choosing electors who are pledged to a certain presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

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