Archives for June 2015

Chutzpah And The Republican Presidential Candidate

June 30, 2015 By John DeProspo 3 Comments

Chris Christie has today announced his candidacy for president of the United States. He now joins a long list of failed political leaders and charlatans seeking to be the next leader of the free world. There is no other word that comes to mind for this group of wannabes other than “chutzpah;” the sheer, unadulterated kind. Let’s look at some of the contenders for the Republican nomination, starting with Christie.

Chris Christie – New Jersey governor with a current approval rating of 30% within his state; a governor who is still not in the clear over the “Bridgegate” scandal; a governor who reportedly has grossly abused his expense account; a governor who has allegedly used Hurricane Sandy relief money for political purposes; a governor who has purportedly misused millions in Port Authority funds for unrelated projects within his state; a governor who privatized his state’s public pension system at the expense of taxpayers and state workers; a governor who vetoed reforms to cleanup state government.

Carly Fiorina – The former CEO of Hewlett-Packard whose greatest accomplishment, becoming the first woman to run HP, turned out to be a total disaster; a CEO hated by her employees; a CEO responsible for huge stock losses at HP; a CEO many analysts labeled as one of the worst performing CEOs.

Bobby Jindal – Louisiana governor so disliked within this deep-red state that President Obama has a higher approval rating; a governor who destroyed his state with major tax cuts for the wealthy and budget cuts for vital programs; a governor who believes the United States is a Christian nation.

Ben Carson – “I don’t want to be president” but God told me to run.

Ted Cruz – Famous for being the main catalyst and cheerleader for the government shutdown in 2013.

Rick Perry – Former governor of Texas and presidential candidate in 2012 who famously forgot which three agencies of government he would eliminate if elected. “Oops!”

Donald Trump – What can be said or needs to be said? The P.T. Barnum of our times.

I am certain the list of failed leaders and buffoons running for the Republican presidential nomination will increase in time. The selection for Republicans will surely come down to which candidate is the least offensive. I’m not ruling out “The Donald” by any means!

Ben Carson – “God Made Me Do It!”

June 29, 2015 By John DeProspo Leave a Comment

Over forty years ago, the comedian Flip Wilson had a line he used whenever one of the many characters he portrayed did something wrong, “The devil made me do it!” Today we have some politicians running for the highest office in the land who have flipped Flip’s gag line and claim, “God made me do it!”

The latest politician to claim God directed him to run for office is the neurosurgeon-turned-presidential candidate, Ben Carson.

“I really don’t want to do this, to be honest with you,” Carson said recently to a town hall crowd of more than 100 Iowa voters. “I was looking forward to a relaxing retirement, you know, with a beautiful home in Florida by a golf course.”

But God apparently nixed those plans. In a long back-and-forth with God, Carson admitted, “I finally said, ‘Lord, I don’t want to do this, but if you’re going to open the doors, I will go through with it.’

“My wife was looking forward to it (retirement) more than I was. She thought maybe finally we could have some time,” Carson said. “I think the good Lord had a different plan.

While Ben Carson is not the first politician God directed to run for the presidency, a look at God’s recent won-loss record leaves much to be desired. God’s only recent home run was George W. Bush. The list of losing candidates has included: Michelle Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and Rick Perry.

Dr. Carson may be a Biblical scholar, but he needs to consider the line from the book of Matthew, “Many are called, but few are chosen.”

My bet is Mr. and Mrs. Ben Carson will be moving into that lovely golf course home in Florida soon.

The Amazing Grace Of Barack Obama

June 29, 2015 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

The first time I heard Barack Obama speak was at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. The then junior U.S. Senator from Illinois was an unknown political voice to me. But as he delivered his eloquent keynote speech, I was moved in a profound way. I couldn’t help but think, “Who is this guy and why have I never heard of him?

Sitting there in front of my TV, watching this amazing speaker, I remember commenting to my friend there with me, “Man this guy is incredible! He should be the Democratic nominee for president!” My friend chuckled, “A black man as president? Keep dreaming. Not enough non-racist votes to elect such a guy.”

Well, only four short years later, the once seemingly impossible had become reality. I remember crying like a little child when Barack Hussein Obama raised his hand and was sworn in as our nation’s 44^th president. I foolishly thought this was going to be the beginning of a new era in the American experiment. A black man had been elevated to the most powerful office in the free world! Here was the transformational leader America so desperately needed. A man who personified hope and grace; a uniting force; a man who talked about transcending the nation’s political divide even in the face of the uncompromising extremism of the modern American right. Surely this was the beginning of something special.

I soon found out how naive my thoughts were. Before the blink of an eye, the conservative media in general, and Fox News in particular, expressed their dislike and disdain for our new young president. Rush Limbaugh famously proclaimed, “I hope he fails.” This was soon followed by Mitch McConnell’s incredible,” The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” What a noble legislative goal I remember thinking! There was no talk about what Americans really needed, things such as jobs, economic fairness, educational opportunity or the lifting up of the middle class.

That our president has been able to achieve anything of significance, with a Republican opposition committed to his failure from day one, has been nothing short of amazing. To have achieved the historic passage of the Affordable Care Act, when so many previous presidents had tried and failed, was, in the words of Joe Biden, “A big f___ing deal!” Then there was the lifting of the nation out of the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression; the ending of our combat mission in Iraq; the hunting down and killing of Osama Bin Laden. The list of achievements is a long one and should be viewed by all Americans with great pride. The simple truth is that Barack Hussein Obama has emerged as one of the most consequential and, yes, successful presidents in American history.

This, of course, did not stop former Vice President Dick Cheney from foolishly claiming Obama is ”the worst president we’ve ever had.” His successes have not stopped conservative talking-heads from trashing our president’s accomplishments, or attacking his competency and intelligence. In a surreal display of disrespect and base hatred, many conservatives seriously questioned Obama’s birthplace and religion! The constant drumbeat on conservative outlets, like Fox News, has been talk of the failed Obama presidency. And, unfortunately, many subscribers to such “outlets of misinformation” swallow what they are fed on a regular basis.

Only a man with a deep reservoir of inner strength and peace could have withstood the constant disrespect and disguised racial hatred. I remember some Republican pundit claiming that Obama “was not one of us.” I didn’t realize this at the time but that right-wing windbag was actually correct. Barrack Hussein Obama is not one of us. He is not human. No human could have shown such poise and grace in the face of constant, unrelenting venom. For my money, Barack Obama is the coolest president this country has ever had. I mean that in every sense of the word but mostly I’m referring to his Zen-like sense of calm. Maybe he was not born in the United States. Maybe he was dropped from outer space?

The second time I cried during an Obama speech was the other day when the President delivered the eulogy for the slain South Carolina politician, Clementa Pinckney. The President’s words, once again, brought tears to my eyes. When he broke into his rendition of “Amazing Grace,” the droplets turned into a stream. I have never been more proud to be an American nor more grateful to have such a man as my president.

Gay Marriage Is Here – Can The End Times Be Far Behind?

June 26, 2015 By John DeProspo 13 Comments

To the true believers, it’s a sign. The much-prophesied end of times are nigh. Time to “pack up the babies and grab the old ladies cause everyone goes, cause everyone knows.”

In a stunning 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has come down in favor of gay marriage nationwide. The landmark victory for gay rights has struck down state prohibitions on same-sex marriage as violative of the Constitution.

“God will surely punish us,” was the refrain heard throughout religious communities. While some believers actually heralded the end of the world, others were not so ready to go. Many hedged their bets by rushing out to their nearest supermarket to stock up on food and water in the event it’s a long, drawn-out process.

“If the world is really coming to an end,” said Wilbur Scruggs,” I guess there ain’t much to do about it. I am just going to live every day as it’s my last. Heck, I am walking in to my boss’s office tomorrow and tell him to take his lousy job and shove it!”

Wilbur’s wife, Sally Mae, had a different take on what some Christians believe will be the second coming of Jesus. “I just thank god we won’t have to pay our mortgage anymore on this rundown piece of crap we call home.”

It was only a few years ago radio evangelist, Harold Camping, predicted that Jesus Christ would return to Earth on May 21, 2011. This was after he had predicted Judgment Day would occur on or about September December 6, 1994. It appears the great visionary may have be slightly off on his dates. Not by much, mind you. Unfortunately Camping died December 15, 2013, never to see his prophecy come true. Well, maybe.

Fox News On Obamacare Decision – “What The ____!”

June 25, 2015 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

The Supreme Court’s decision upholding Obamacare had barely been released when Fox News dubbed June 25, 2015 “Another Black Thursday.” This, of course, should not be confused with the blackest of all Thursdays, the stock market crash of 1929. That “Black Thursday” led to the Great Depression and the worldwide economic collapse.

“This is what happens when you have liberal activist judges sitting on the highest court of the land,” fumed Sean Hannity. “This was a simple case. The language of the law was clear… subsidies are only available on those exchanges setup by the states!”

While very few would describe the current makeup of the Supreme Court as ‘liberal,” fellow Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly commented, “That turncoat Roberts! Twice he’s let me down on Obamacare!”

O’Reilly’s anger with Roberts, however, is really a moot point. While Roberts voted with the majority, the result would have been the same even if Roberts voted against Obamacare. The decision to uphold the law would have passed 5-4, instead of 6-3.

In a blistering dissent, joined by Justices Alito and Thomas, Antonin Scalia declared, “We should just start calling this law SCOTUScare!”

When reached for comment, House Speaker John Boehner said, “ObamaCare is fundamentally broken, increasing health care costs for millions of Americans. Today’s ruling doesn’t change that fact.” Speaker Boehner went on to say, “We will continue our efforts to repeal the law and replace it with patient-centered solutions that meet the needs of seniors, small business owners, and middle-class families.” When asked exactly with what the Republicans planned to replace Obamacare, Boehner said, ”Just give us a little more time. Heck we’ve only had five years to come up with something!”

Conservative blogs exploded with condemnation of the Supreme Court’s decision. As one poster on the Fox website observed, “The Supreme Court has just given Obama the elevator and the American tax payers the shaft. Is it time to move to a non-socialist country?”

Well, unless the Fox poster wants to move to Angola, someone needs to inform him that nearly all the advanced nations of the world offer universal healthcare… and for the most part free!

I hear non-socialist Yemen is a nice place to live. The cost of living is very affordable. And Fox News is available on basic cable.

Understanding The Confederate Flag Debate

June 24, 2015 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

Here is an excellent history of what we, incorrectly, often refer to as the Confederate flag, by Ben Brumfield, CNN

(CNN)The racist massacre in a South Carolina church has tipped the balance in a decades-old tug of war over the meaning of the Confederate battle flag.

Its champions have argued it’s a symbol of Southern culture, the historic flag of the South.

Critics say it’s a racist symbol that represents a war to uphold slavery and, later, a battle to oppose civil rights advances.

We take a look at the flags of the Confederacy to sort out the facts.

It’s not the original Confederate flag

The Confederate states went through three official flags during the four-year Civil War, but none of them was the battle flag that’s at the center of the current controversy.

The first was the “Stars and Bars,” approved in 1861.

Like its Union sibling, it had a dark blue field in the upper left corner — or the canton — and only three stripes, two red and one white. It had seven stars to represent the breakaway states: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. And the white stars formed a circle, much like the original Betsy Ross American flag.

It’s not even the second, or the third

The original Confederate flag’s similarity to the Union flag quickly confused soldiers, who often couldn’t tell the difference between the two on smoke-filled battlefields.

Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard wanted something that looked distinctly different.

So politician William Porcher Miles came up with the design we know today — the battle flag: a blue St. Andrew’s Cross with white stars on a red field.

The Confederacy took the battle flag design and put it on the canton of its next flag, a white one. They called it the “Stainless Banner.”

There was a problem.

When the wind didn’t blow, only the white was clearly visible, making it look like a white flag of surrender.

So, in the third incarnation of the Confederate flag, a red vertical stripe was added on the far end. This flag was called the “Blood-Stained Banner.”

Shortly after that the South surrendered.

It’s the battle flag of Robert E. Lee’s army unit

While it wasn’t the Confederate states’ official flag, the battle flag was flown by several Confederate Army units. The most notable among them was Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

And even Lee distanced himself from divisive symbols of a Civil War that his side lost.

“I think it wiser moreover not to keep open the sores of war,” he wrote in a letter, declining an invitation by the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association.

There were no flags flown at his funeral, Confederate or otherwise.

Slavery was a big part of why the South wanted to secede

In their declarations of secession from the Union, some Southern states expressly mentioned slavery as a reason for their departure.

“… an increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery, has led to a disregard of their obligations …” South Carolina wrote in its declaration.

The state of Mississippi aligned itself with slavery right off the top of its declaration:

“Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery — the greatest material interest of the world.”

Georgia named slavery in the second sentence of its declaration. The sad list goes on.

“To put it more simply, South Carolina and the rest of the South only seceded to preserve the violent domination and enslavement of black people, and the Confederate flag only exists because of that secession,” said CNN political commentator Sally Kohn.

“To call the flag ‘heritage’ is to gloss over the ugly reality of history.”

The rebel flag’s resurgence came long after the Civil War

After the Civil War ended, the battle flag turned up here and there only occasionally — at events to commemorate fallen soldiers.

So, when did the flag explode into prominence? It was during the struggle for civil rights for black Americans, in the middle of the 20th century.

The first burst may have been in 1948. South Carolina politician Strom Thurmond ran for president under the newly founded States Rights Democratic Party, also known as the Dixiecrats. The party’s purpose was clear: “We stand for the segregation of the races,” said Article 4 of its platform.

At campaign stops, fans greeted Thurmond with American flags, state flags — and Confederate battle flags.

But desegregation progressed.

As it passed milestones like the Supreme Court ruling on Brown vs. Board of Education, which gave black American children access to all schools, the Confederate battle flag popped up more and more.

It can be removed from the South Carolina Capitol without a supermajority

In 1961, to honor the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, South Carolina lawmakers raised the Confederate battle flag over the State House.

In 2000, it was moved to a flagpole next to a soldiers’ monument, and its position there was protected by the 2000 Heritage Act.

The act said that any changes to the act will require a “two-thirds vote of each house of the General Assembly.”

But there’s another thing the state Legislature can do. It can vote to repeal the law altogether — and it only needs a simple majority for that.

“The Heritage Act requires a two-thirds vote to change any of these Confederate and Civil War statues and monuments around the state,” U.S. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina told CNN.

“The Heritage Act must be rescinded, and the only thing required to rescind that is a simple majority vote. And once that Act is rescinded, two-thirds would not be needed to change the locations of the flag or any other Civil War or Confederate memorial.”

The Party Of Denial Is At it Again

June 22, 2015 By John DeProspo 5 Comments

Is it any surprise that the Party of Denial a/k/a the Republican Party, is having such a hard time acknowledging the reality of the recent Charleston, South Carolina massacre? Not one Republican presidential candidate stepped up to forcefully decry the church shooting as a racial attack on a black congregation. To do that, after all, might somehow offend their base of bigots.

Fox News, the unofficial propaganda machine of the Republican Party, did, to their credit, condemn the attack as a hate crime. But this was not a hate crime directed against blacks, but one directed against Christians! This fit in perfectly with their “war against Christians” narrative. The fact that witnesses at the shooting heard Dylann Roof, the white supremist coward, clearly state that his act was against blacks didn’t matter… it was never reported.

Beyond the reluctance to label the shooting as racially motivated, the Republican field of candidates refused to criticize the state for flying the Confederate flag at the state capital. As the no-chance candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham observed, the flag is “part of who we are.”

The only prominent Republican who spoke unambiguously about the Confederate flag was a man not running in 2016. Mitt Romney said in a Twitter message this past Saturday, “Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims.”

But did you expect anything less from the party that denies global warming is real; that trickle-down economics doesn’t work; that racism exists; that abortions are legal; that the ACA is a success; that America has a gun problem?

As I write this, the political winds are already starting to shift. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is scheduled to call for the removal of the Confederate flag from the state capital. Whether the state’s legislature goes along with the proposal is an entirely different story. As is usually the case with radical, conservative Republicans, it won’t be common sense or even common decency that will get that flag down. It will be when their business overlords demand it.

Thanks Dubya … For Everything!

June 19, 2015 By John DeProspo 4 Comments

There is so much for which to thank George W. Bush. The current state of the world, in no small measure, can be traced directly to Bush’s leadership. Remember, he was “the Decider.” And boy did his decisions have a profound impact on everything… the state of the world, the shape of our economy, and even the current condition of Republican politics.

Because of Bush’s election, we now have the sorry spectacle of a Republican clown car so packed, it might take the jaws of life to pry everyone out! Dubya lowered the bar for the presidency so much that we now have, as reality, what would have only been a Saturday Night Live skit not too long ago. Donald Trump? Really?

Bush aptly demonstrated it does not take brains to be elected president. People have to just like you. You’ve got to be the type of guy a person would want to have a drink with. Government is bad, as Saint Ronald liked to say, so why do we need a smarty-pants president anyway? Hence we have a 2016 lineup of Republican presidential hopefuls that not only includes “The Donald,” but Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, George Pataki, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker, and Chris Christie.

Opps! Forgot to mention Jeb. Remember, him, the smart Bush? It was Jeb who had the right stuff to be president. He was the one with the gravitas and brains to be leader of the free world. It was supposed to be him, not George, placing his hand on that bible at the swearing in.

Unfortunately for everyone, as Jeb was exploring his option to run, he showed the world he doesn’t have that many more IQ points than his less mentally gifted brother. When asked the simple, and predictable, question by Megyn Kelly of Fox News, if, knowing what we know now, he would have ordered the invasion of Iraq, Jeb amazingly answered “yes!” As has become abundantly clear, he is just another bought and paid for Republican. The younger Bush’s rhetoric was that he was his own man. So what does Jeb do? Well, he surrounds himself with the same group of lame, failed advisers from Dubya’s time in office!

I do not know which clown will emerge from that VW Beetle as the 2016 Republican nominee, but those debates will surely be “must see TV”. Pass the popcorn, please.

Thanks Dubya … for nothing!

“The Donald” Is In … And Jon Stewart Is Back!

June 16, 2015 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

In two related breaking-news stories, Donald Trump has announced he is running for president in 2016, and comedian, John Stewart, has reconsidered his leaving “The Daily Show” this coming August.

Trump: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Stewart: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Trump: “Being president of the United States would be a dream.”

Stewart: “Trump being the Republican nominee would be every comedian’s wet dream!”

Trump: ”At least I am not a Bush.”

Stewart: “Just think. A Bush and a prick on the same debate stage!”

Trump: “I will bring this country back!”

Stewart: “This may even bring Letterman back!”

Stewart said Trump’s candidacy would make joke writing that much easier. “You just have to quote what actually comes out of his mouth,” said Stewart. “About the only thing that could make this more fun,” added Stewart, “would be a Trump/Palin ticket!”

No word from Letterman … yet.

Jeb Who?

June 14, 2015 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

A day before making his surprise announcement he will be running for the Republican presidential nomination, Jeb Bush unveiled his 2016 campaign logo.

After much soul searching, and, by his own account, having raised more money than any other Republican candidate in a span of 100 days … ever, Mr. Bush is prepared to throw his sombrero into the ring.

“Quiero ser su próximo presidente!( I want to be your next president!)” Bush was overheard saying to a group of Hispanics earlier today. Mr. Bush is well aware of how important the Hispanic vote will be to his presidential bid.

After being asked why the exclamation mark after Jeb and not his last name, Mr. Bush replied, “If Cher can be Cher; Madonna can be Madonna and Hillary can be Hillary, why can’t I just be Jeb?

Mr. Bush went on to say, “I want to get people excited about my candidacy. The last thing I want to do is remind them I’m another Bush!”

It has been said American voters have short memories, but Mr. Bush may be asking for a little too much on this one.