Archives for July 2016

The “King of the Tweets,” let it be known a few days ago he is unhappy with the presidential debate schedule:

Of course Trump’s claim is bogus. The debate schedule was determined almost a year ago by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, a private group made up of both Republicans and Democrats. The Commission announced the number, dates and sites for the 2016 general election debates in September 2015.

So why complain now?

Some political observers are speculating this latest tantrum may be the first step in Trump eventually backing out of debating Clinton.

Could Trump actually skip the debates? Isn’t he required to show?

The answers are “yes” and “no.”

Yes, just as with releasing tax returns, a candidate’s decision to participate in the presidential debates is completely voluntary. And, no, there is no law that requires a candidate to debate.

Of course a presidential candidate who refuses to debate would be committing political suicide. The attack ads would be out the following day branding the “no-show” candidate a coward.

But Trump is not your typical presidential candidate. And this has become an election year where all rules are thrown out the window, Trump may think his loyal followers ( and those leaning in his direction) will treat his not showing up for the debates the same way they’ve reacted to his not releasing his tax returns – who cares!

The talk on the street is that Trump will not release his tax returns because he is betting this will cause him less harm than if he were to put them out. In the same way, the political calculus might be that Trump would be better off skipping the debates than to get on a debate stage with the consummate politician and policy wonk, Hillary.

Then, of course, it is unlikely any presidential debate moderator would allow Trump to answer “we are going to look into that” or “we will make America great again, believe me.”

Photo | thehill.com

Republicans hate “Crooked Hillary.” But their Clinton-hatred does not match the level of animus felt by some Bernie Sanders supporters towards the former secretary of state.

Now that Hillary has chosen a middle-of-the-road political insider, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, as her running mate, their hopes of ever embracing Clinton have faded fast. About the only way avid Sanders supporters were ever going to get behind Hillary would have been an Elizabeth Warren VP pick or, perhaps, the ghost of Che Guevara.

The fact that Bernie Sanders has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president has not diminished the lust for revolution among Sanders diehards.

It is being estimated that about 30,000 to 50,000 protestors will be gathering at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia to protest Kaine’s selection as Hillary’s running mate, a man seen by many Bernie loyalists as just another Wall Street lackey.

But beyond protesting what they believe to be a bad VP pick, there are still some Sanders dreamers who think he can win the Democratic presidential nomination. They point to the fact that Bernie has not yet conceded the race to Hillary. They are still holding on to a thread of hope that a big showing in Philadelphia will persuade super delegates committed to Clinton to vote for Sanders.

During the lead up to the Republican National Convention, there was much talk about major protests, and violence, outside the convention hall. While there were some flare ups, the protests and violence were basically contained.

How ironic if the large-scale protests predicted for the RNC take place at the DNC, which starts tomorrow at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

“If Clinton has reached out to Bernie supporters, it appears that she has done so to stick triangulating thumbs in their eyes,” said Norman Solomon, the coordinator of a group billing itself as the Bernie Delegates Network. Solomon has called Kaine, “a loyal servant of oligarchy.”

It is hard to predict how many true Bernie revolutionaries there are. Whether or not Hillary can convince them she is the best hope for change remains to be seen. Certainly the pressure is on Clinton to stop this group of Bernie fanatics from either sitting out the election, voting Trump or voting third party.

Photo | abcnews.go.com

Trump likes to portray himself as a friend of the LGBTQ community. He made history last Thursday night with an explicit pledge to protect LGBTQ people during his speech accepting the GOP presidential nomination.

But while many are praising Trump for this rare act of inclusiveness, a close reading of what Trump actually said (and didn’t say) paints a totally different picture.

Referring to the Orlando shooting at a gay nightclub a few weeks ago, Trump said, “As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology. Believe me.”

Yes, Trump may want to protect our LGBTQ community from foreign terrorists, but what about the more immediate threat from domestic terrorists?

Trump does not believe in federal protections for LGTBQ people, opting instead for a “state’s rights” solution. He is perfectly OK with states deciding whether transgender people may use restrooms matching their gender identity; he has no problem with states trying to restrict same-sex marriages; he has no issue with states trying to make discrimination legal by passing “religious freedom” laws.

One of the most restrictive of those “religious freedom” laws was passed in Indiana this past March. The law, called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, prohibited state and local laws that “substantially burden” the ability of people — including businesses and associations — to follow their religious beliefs. In other words, a business could now discriminate against anyone that offended the owner’s “deeply held religious beliefs” without fear of being sued. Now, a person’s religious beliefs trumped another person’s federally guaranteed rights.

And who was the governor that signed this anti-LGBTQ, pro-discrimination bill into law? Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick.

Try as he might, many inside and outside the LGBTQ community are not buying Trump’s professed humanity and decency. Well except, perhaps, for a curious subset of Republicans.

Gregory Angelo, the president of the Log Cabin Republicans, which represents LGBT Republicans, has said, “Donald Trump here is showing leadership on LGBT issues and we haven’t seen that from Republican presidential nominees in decades. Certainly we’ve never seen a nominee so directly engage with and seek the support from LGBT voters.”

Trump’s chances of attracting members of the LGBTQ community to his camp are about as great as those of attracting blacks. Latinos and Muslims.

Photo | usatoday.com

There is nothing presumptive about Donald Trump anymore. After yesterday’s roll call vote of delegates, the political novice and self-described multi-billionaire IS the Republican Party’s 2016 presidential candidate.

What began as a joke to many political observers, is now the standard bearer of a major political party. The man who launched his run for the presidency by riding down an escalator with his beautiful wife, now carries the GOP’s hope of regaining the White House. The man who on the day he announced his candidacy claimed Mexico was sending us “their criminals, drug dealers and rapists” is the Republicans’ pick to unify a divided country.

In case political amnesia sets in, here is a list of how some Republicans have described their 2016 presidential candidate:

Rick Perry: Trump is a “cancer on conservatism.”

Marco Rubio: “We’re on the verge of having someone take over the conservative movement who is a con artist.”

Ted Cruz: “This man is a pathological liar. He doesn’t know the difference between truth and lies. He lies practically every word that comes out of his mouth.”

Chris Christie: “Showtime is over. We are not electing an entertainer-in-chief. Showmanship is fun, but it is not the kind of leadership that will truly change America.”

Lindsey Graham: “He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot. He doesn’t represent my party. He doesn’t represent the values that the men and women who wear the uniform are fighting for. … He’s the ISIL man of the year.”

Carly Fiorina: “Donald Trump reminds me of the Kim Kardashian of politics.”

Mitt Romney: “Here’s what I know: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud,”

Jeb Bush: Trump is “not a stupid guy, so I don’t assume he thinks that every Mexican crossing the border is a rapist. He’s doing this to inflame and incite and to draw attention, which seems to be the organizing principle of his campaign.”

Yes, politicians say all sorts of things during political campaigns. But do you notice a common theme here?

Out of a primary field of 17 candidates, Republicans have decided to go with their most divisive, disliked, least experienced, double-talking candidate of the bunch.

Word of warning to the many Republican politicians who have bought their tickets on the USS Titanic – there is a limited number of life boats.

Photo | chicagonow.com