Category: Political Parties

Our Primary Responsibility

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Our Primary Responsibility

By Wes Hessel

We Have A Choice To Make

The run up to the presidential election, this year on November 3rd is two tiered. The last pair of events in the process are the conventions of the two main political parties, where they nominate their candidates for president. Interestingly, the delegates to those conventions are chosen by a system of state primaries and caucuses.

Primarily Choosing Or, Caucus Talk-ups

To clarify the nominating process; most states hold primary elections,  a few others hold caucuses. Presidential primary elections are held by the states that have them, with primary elections for state, county or municipal offices. Caucuses however, are “private” events, run by the party whose delegates are being chosen.

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Trump Impeachment: Agony & Ecstasy

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The Senate of the United States is about to acquit president Trump of charges brought against him by the House of Representatives

The Republican Senate is about to acquit Trump of 1) abuse of power and 2) obstruction of Congress.

Trump Impeachment:

Agony & Ecstasy

The Agony

It seems the Trump impeachment has been going on forever.  The never ending developments, obstruction, ignored reality, AAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!! That’s me screaming. And we unfortunately know, that no matter the evidence the Senate will ignore it. Some days I can’t stand reading all this garbage and have to stop scanning the internet.  Apparently, if you’re Republican no matter Trump’s guilt, the offense isn’t bad enough.  Voter tampering isn’t serious enough.  AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!! That’s me screaming, again.

Phone Call Perfection

The absurdity of the Trump defense that his July 25th, 2019 call to Ukrainian President Zelensky was “perfect,” makes me want to kick a stump but I don’t want to break my foot.  Trump’s plot to withhold needed financial aid from a desperate Ukraine had two goals. First, he wanted the Ukrainians to announce an investigation into his political rival, Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Secondly, Trump wanted to implicate the Ukraine in the 2016 election tampering instead of the Russians. Both goals are outrageous and corrupt. Nothing serious enough to have an impeach hearing over.  WTF?  Sorry, I can’t think of anything more serious than election fraud.  Back in a minute, I have to hurl.

Overturn Valid Election

Seriously!  Back to AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!  I’m on the back porch, screaming. The Republican idea that the entire Trump impeachment process is to overturn an election is a fairy tale.  Why on earth would anyone with a brain think Pence is a prize?  We all want to get rid of Trump so we can have someone even worse?  I hear this stupid argument day in and day out. I guess I’m wondering why America would want to overturn an election.  The Dems could have just ignored all the crimes and waited until the election if that was the goal.  Let’s get it straight, Trump was impeached because he’s a cheat, a criminal, and a dumb ass clown.

Loyalty to Trump Not U.S.

What the F!  One of the criticisms I have of the House Manager’s prosecution is that no one mentioned that the witnesses against Trump are Republicans.  Most of them Trump appointees.  Trump is so ‘effn dumb.  All of the audio, video and eyewitness testimony has been filed by Republicans.  Trump is the kind of boss that would make me spend all my time devoted to malicious compliance.  All while looking for a better job.  The idea that even being a lifelong Republican isn’t important because your loyalty now has to be to Trump.  Trump only.  If you haven’t kissed the royal ring, and the royal ass you aren’t Trumpian enough. Seriously, we are looking at cult behavior.

The Ecstasy

Whatever the outcome of the Trump impeachment hearing, this has been an extremely damaging scenario for the president. Day after day new information is leaked to the media pointing to Trump’s guilt and I presume this will continue ad nauseam until he is out of office. I call it the scandal a day presidency. So there is definitely some good with the bad in this whole drama.  Sometimes I just think if we just sit back and wait Trump will accidentally confess to something even Republicans believe is impeachable.  “Hey, Donald!  I found some more rope, you want some?”

Twitter

The Trump impeachment has sent the president’s Twitter account into overdrive.  He has been spouting idiocies on his Twitter feed for years but the recent ones are a joy to behold.  I enjoy watching him embarrass himself day after day with poor grammar, lousy spelling and idiotic ramblings,  When I’m tired and can’t sleep, I read Trump tweets instead of counting sheep.  Then when I do fall asleep it’s with a smile on my face.  What a moron!  By the way, he has tweeted Schiff, Pelosi and Bolton are all “going to pay for their part in the Trump impeachment”.  His Twitter feed is full of threats, hate and lies.

Obstruction Shenanigans

His recent admission that “we have all the material.  They don’t have the material,” is scary. He is talking here, about evidence. This is an admission of obstruction of Congress. Trump has made obstructing the impeachment process into an art form.  It really scares me that the Republicans are willing to aid the president in suppressing the voices of fact witnesses.  Especially since they have to throw so many loyal Republicans (Vindman, Sondland, Bolton, Mattis, Kelly) under the bus to protect the President.

Comedy Gold

The Trump impeachment is comedy gold for the late night comedians  As you can see, I’m trying to keep a good sense of humor until the next election.  Trump isn’t going to be removed from office until then.  Hopefully, this is Trump and his Republican followers last hurrah. We will have to wait for the last laugh until Trump is out of office and the Congress has been cleansed of the Trump cultists, but I believe it is coming.  I know most Americans can’t keep focused on anything for more than a week, but I am hopeful that, on this issue, the issue of Trump’s character will be the major topic in the 2020 election.  There is a price for ignoring the 63% of Americans who wanted witnesses called and documents presented.  The majority of Americans wanted to see an actual trial. Vote and make sure we, the People, have the last laugh.

The Trump Impeachment Trial

Now we come to the impeachment trial phase and Republican obfuscation.  Republicans say they have no need for documents or witnesses.  They heard the House testimony and it’s not enough.  They’re going to acquit Trump.  With that in mind, new evidence, such as the phone records by Lev and Igor and Bolton’s book revelations are being blatantly ignored.  So annoying.  Join me in my prayer that Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham develop anal warts.

The Fallout

Republicans are playing with impeachment fire.  The arrogance of the Republican lawmakers is alarming.  They are literally willing to ignore, and in some cases bury the evidence, but the public is not.  Since 51-56% of Americans believe Trump should be impeached and removed from office the Republicans risk losing their Senate majority in the upcoming election.  All in all this could be a very good year for Democrats and November may give them the House, Senate and the Presidency.  If we don’t F it up!

David L. Shadrick is a regular contributor to Calamity Politics. 

 

KOCH BROS: Corruption & Hypocrisy

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By Trevor McNeil & D.S. Mitchell

Kernel of Truth

The old adage that “only the good die young” was confirmed with the death of David Koch at the age of 79.  David Koch, and brother Charles, formed the two-headed demon that led one of the most unethical and unprincipled companies in modern memory.  Which is saying something with the likes of Enron as competition. Though, to be fair, like them or hate them, no one at Enron, as far as is known, used their vast fortune to fund and push for extreme hard right libertarian political ideology of small government and anti-regulation to transform U.S. government policy.

The Company We Keep

A group of hard Right, hyper-“patriotic”, pseudo-Christians emerged with the Obama election. These folks identified themselves as the “Tea Party”.  They were a cranky group of hustlers and howlers who seem to think the parable goes “turn the other cheek; and then pull a Glock”. A bit of a turn on the standard evangelical prayer group.

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News That Bites: Try A Little Kindness

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Try A Little Kindness

By David L. Shadrick

Hello and welcome to Calamity Politics and “News That Bites” with David Shadrick and Calamity Clown.  Calamity has stood us up. She sent me a note scribbled on the back of a Nancy Pelosi fund raising letter telling me she intended to spend the afternoon curled up in Bernie Sanders’ lap, while he reads his “Medicare4All” plan aloud. 

It Ain’t Easy

This is probably the hardest article I have ever tried to write.  It shouldn’t be that hard to simply remind everyone that we all need to be a little bit nicer to each other.  As the world around us experiences the chaos that is existence, we need to remember to take a few extra minutes to embrace kindness, as a life choice.

Reserve Your Condemnation

When I do fundraising I often times have to remind volunteers not to become agitated or angry when someone doesn’t make a donation, or worse, is disrespectful.  I remind them that there are so many charities begging for money; and people have limited resources. I know what it’s like to be on a fund raisers platinum mailing list.

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THE FATAL FLAW OF CONSERVATISM

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JUST MY OPINION:

The Fatal Flaw Of Conservatism

By T. K. McNeil

Divided Amongst Itself

It is a fact often observed, but no less true, that America is a divided country. What is often lost is that it has always been this way. A degree of partisanship is at the very basis of a healthy democracy. Otherwise, everyone might as well vote for the same person or party, like Russia. For democracy to be at its very best there needs to be a choice with a clear difference.  There is, however, a fatal flaw of Conservatism.

Fatal Flaws

What people are taking note of in America today is just how stark the differences have become. Political disagreements and street protests often devolve into  fatal violence. This despite the clear weaknesses of the ideals of liberalism and the more subtle but fatal flaw of conservatism.

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Cory Booker: A Candidate Close-Up

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Cory Booker: Close-Up

By Amaya Oswald & D.S. Mitchell

Intro To Cory Booker

As of February 1st, 2019, Cory Booker is officially running for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. As of March 20, 2019, he now makes up one of sixteen Democrats running. And there are at least 2-3 other hopefuls still on the sidelines, including former Vice President, Joe Biden.

Middle Class Cory

Cory Anthony Booker was born in 1969, in Washington, D.C. His parents were among the first black executives hired at IBM. Cory grew up in a strong middle class home in Harrington Park, New Jersey. His family was religious. It is easy to imagine. Sometimes when he is giving a stump speech you can almost feel the revival coming on. All we need is a little foot stomping to make it happen.

Education

Cory Booker seems to be a bit of an overachiever in my eyes.  Cory was a damn good student and a damn good athlete. He was good enough in football to be named to the 1986 USA Today ALL-USA High School Team.  He continued to play football and was a tight end for Stanford. Even in this more competitive environment Cory was named to the PAC-10 Academic Team. Additionally he found time to be elected class president, at least once.  He earned a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Sociology. He got a Rhodes Scholar appointment and received an Honors Degree in U.S. History. And he topped all that off with a Juris Doctorate in 1997, from Yale Law School. WOW. That deserves some respect.

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The Eternity of Now: Beto 20XX

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COMMENT:

Eternity of Now: Beto 20xx

By Ross Turner

The Eternity of Now: Beto 20xx

Only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Beto O’Rourke’s commitment to eventually make a decision about whether to run for President.  The three-time House Representative has been touring through the Southwest like a tumbleweed and has displayed an equally impressive sense of direction.  Will he run?  Won’t he?  Only one man knows.  He has yet to be found.

Political  Rock Star

Today, the winds of chance have carried the political rock star to another dusty, nameless pueblo in the heart of Texas.  Arriving on his unicycle with a small but zealous flock of supporters and reporters, O’Rourke stopped to speak with Calamity Politics.

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KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND: Saint or Scammer

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Kirsten Gillibrand:

Saint or Scammer

By D.S. Mitchell & Trevor K. McNeil

The Pendulum Swings

It seems like each new each day brings us a new candidate for the job of president of the United States. At the beginning of Trump’s third year, anyone able to walk and talk at the same time, thinks they can do a better job than Trump. In fact, not to bring peels of laughter from the audience, I am sure that I could do a better job. Being able to do a better job than Trump however could probably be accomplished by any of the last six Westminster champions.

Blinded By Desperation

There are those who say there is no way Trump can win in 2020.  Didn’t everyone say that about Trump in 2016? The prognosticators also said George W. Bush couldn’t win in his second term in 2004. Single term presidents do occur, although not often. In every case such losses occurred it was due to a compelling opponent. The most recent instance, when relatively unknown Arkansas governor Bill Clinton ran against, and beat George H.W.Bush. Who was, by all accounts, in line for a second term.

A Champion Shall Rise?

If the Republicans stick with tradition and name Donald Trump their nominee for 2020. The key to victory for the Democrats will be selecting the right candidate. Someone with a specific set of attributes that appeal to the base, as well as making them impervious to Trump’s already proven attacks and tactics. One of a bevy of Democrats to recently throw their hat into the ring is second-term New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

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Kamala Harris, The Prosecutor

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Kamala Harris: The Prosecutor

By Megan Wallin

An American Dream

She carries herself like a leader. She doesn’t isolate listeners with simplistic statements when she speaks. Her  back story is proof of the American dream. An ethusiastic 20,000 supporters came out in Oakland, Ca to hear her announce her intention to make a run for the presidency. That, and according to Lisa Lerer of The New York Times, Harris “matched Senator Bernie Sanders’s record by raising $1.5 million from 38,000 donors in the first 24 hours of her campaign”. All in all an impressive campaign roll out.  Kamala Harris’ decision to run for president is an obvious threat to other Democratic candidates.

Prepared to Change the Status Quo

As a prosecutor Harris went to crime scene

As a prosecutor Harris went to crime scenes

In an interview with Mother Jones writer Jamilah King, Kamala Harris gives more of her story, her views, and how her education and work has prepared her to change the status quo. She tells King, “This is about my training as a prosecutor. I like to go to the scene, and I do that with almost [any] project. I need to see it and I need to hear it—I need to feel it, almost, so that I can have some intuitive sense, as well as some theoretical or intellectual or academic sense, of what’s going on.”

Something Meaningful

At first glance, Kamala Harris’ background as a prosecutor doesn’t seem like the type of preparation that would lead to being not just a senator, but a social leader, maker of history, and presidential candidate. But Harris grew up watching her parents forge ahead into unknown territory, and—by her own admission—her yearning for something meaningful started at a young age.

Education and Activism

Harris’s mother Gopalan immigrated from Chennai, India, to study at the University of  California-Berkeley for her doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology. She met and fell in love with Donald Harris, a Jamaican-born economics major earning his Ph.D. Rather than returning home to marry someone of her family’s choosing, Gopalan stayed in the United States. Together Harris and Gopalan had two daughters. They raised their daughters nurtured within two combined cultures and instilled them with a respect for activism and academia.

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Just My Opinion:The Respecter-In-Chief

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OPINION:

The Respecter-in-Chief

By Ross Turner

 

The Respecter-in-chief

“President” Trump is well-known for his combative and bigoted rhetoric.  His campaign announcement speech infamously declared of Mexican immigrants: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”  Classy!  And yet, somehow, not all Americans were united or inspired by such presidential prowess.  They needed more.  Sure, he “has a great relationship with the blacks,” and clearly “love[s] Hispanics!”, but what of Native Americans?  After such dignified displays of respect, was there any even left for the indigenous peoples of this country?  A silly question.  Our Great President oozes respect, like a slimy, lurching slug of virtue, a trail of honor ever in his wake.

“Pocahontas” Warren

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has experienced this trademark respect firsthand.  Beginning on Twitter in 2014, Donald Trump has referred to Warren as “Pocahontas” at least 26 times.  Whether at rallies, in the press, or in governmental meetings, the slur has become easily his favorite insult toward the progressive senator.  Warren earned this distinction both by talking about her family history and criticizing Trump’s policies.  Citing family stories passed down and told to her as a child, Warren has long maintained that a tiny portion of her ancestry is of Native American origin.  She never gained from this professionally or politically, but what are facts except Playdough in Trump’s tremendous, powerful hands?  Not one to let an opponent’s personal history go un-respected, Trump weaponized “Pocahontas” to mock and discredit Warren’s claimed heritage, and in the process, all Native Americans.

He Said What?

We’ve all come to expect as much from the Stable Genius-in-Chief.  But surely, the President of the United States wouldn’t be so tone-deaf, so immature, and so callous as to use this slur at a ceremony honoring Native American WWII veterans.  Imagine a president calling a political opponent “Anne Frank” at a Holocaust memorial, or “Harriet Tubman” at a Civil War commemoration; preposterous!  It beggars belief.  But why believe before you see for yourself?: “You’re very very special people. You were here long before any of us were here.  Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas. But you know what. I like you. Because you are special.”  Surely, the words of Lincoln and FDR are the rantings of madmen before the oratory of President Donald J. Trump.  With leadership like this, do we even need the rest of government?  Has not the great American experiment all led up to the crowning of this messiah?  Somebody give him more power immediately so that we may unleash the full strength of his titanic, muscular brain.

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