Archives for October 2016

Beyond Trump’s Business Failures Lies A Moral Bankruptcy

October 18, 2016 By John DeProspo 4 Comments

Before his foray into politics, most people viewed Donald Trump as a smart, successful businessman. It has only been during his presidential run did we learn Trump’s business acumen revolves around running businesses into the ground, declaring bankruptcy and leaving his creditors, investors and employees holding the bag.

Trump, of course, always comes out smelling like a rose so, in a sense, he is a “smart” businessman.

We also learned the man is bereft of a moral compass.

The recent Access Hollywood tape where Trump boasts of sexually assaulting women, with impunity, just follows in a long pattern of morally reprehensible behavior and comments.

Trump began his presidential campaign by insulting Mexicans. Then he moved on to denigrate Muslims, women, blacks, the disabled and even the Pope. Though he has tried to walk back some of his more derogatory comments, the apologies have all rung hollow (I apologize if you were offended by the truth that I spoke). As Trump himself has said, he never really apologizes because he is never wrong.

As we get ready for tomorrow night’s third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas, look for Donald Trump to go as low as he’s ever gone. Heck, he has no sense of shame nor does he have anything to lose. His path to the presidency has been thwarted by a giant roadblock of his own making.

While his followers may not want to accept reality, Trump understands he will not win the presidency. Some are saying he has known this for some time. Others are convinced it was never Trump’s intention to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. All Trump wanted, they say, was a way to promote his brand.

There is serious speculation that Trump’s endgame now is to solidify his base of conspiracy-loving, Hillary-hating diehards for his next business venture, whatever that turns out to be. Trump Media Empire?

Tomorrow night may be Trump’s last shot at a national audience of his fanatical followers. While some delusional Republican establishment-types still hold out hope Trump will pivot to a softer, more presidential candidate, don’t look for him to break form.

I look for Trump to go full kamakaze by attacking Hillary Clinton with every alt-right conspiracy theory he can think of in order to placate his rabid base.

Moderator Chris Wallace will certainly have his hands full in Sin City.

Photo | REUTERS/Scott Morgan

Donald, If The Election Is Rigged, Here’s a Suggestion …

October 16, 2016 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

Drop out! If, as you say, the election is rigged against you by the press, Democrats, international bankers, Carlos Slim, global elites and even Saturday Night Live, why continue your campaign?

If the “fix” is in, you have no chance. Why suffer through a humiliating defeat next month? Why keep asking supporters for money? Why waste all that dough on a quixotic quest?

Think of your brand! It has taken a serious hit during your run for the presidency. Bookings at your hotels are down. Your casinos, stores, products and golf courses are all hurting.

Depending on the level of the fix, a Clinton landslide is a very real possibility.

For your sake and that of your family, there is still time to bow out.

Yes, your party would devolve into complete chaos but since when did you care about those cowardly Republican politicians anyway? They’ll figure something out. But the point is that you, Donald J. Trump, will not forever be known as a loser.

You might even rehabilitate your brand by telling us what we’ve suspected from the start… the whole thing was a ploy, a con, to promote your beloved brand. You can confess that you are as shocked as anyone that your “movement” developed the legs that it did.

A Hillary endorsement may make sense.

Yes, your diehard supporters would be up in arms (perhaps literally!) but they are not the ones that buy your products or stay at your hotels. Think of the legacy you wish to leave your children … a brand that is once again synonymous with luxury, class and refinement.

No doubt it will take time for your brand to bounce back. But it will happen. As you like to say, “At this point what do you have to lose?”

When you get around to having someone ghostwrite your book about this incredible ride you’ve been on, it will no doubt be a blockbuster!

If you get out while you can, and not give those forces against you the satisfaction of wallowing in your defeat, history may actually be kind to you.

Photo | Richard Bravo

Women Supporters Form “Pussies For Trump!”

October 14, 2016 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

Many women are deeply offended by Trump’s lewd, sexist remarks made during a taping of Access Hollywood in 2005. Yet today there is a group of GOP women organizing to support the alleged groper. They call themselves “Pussies For Trump!”

“We stand behind Mr. Trump more than ever,” said group leader, Amanda Swift. “We are not offended by his remarks or conduct in the least. He can have his way with me anytime!”

That some females would support a man whose abusive behavior towards women is so well known, one wonders what motivates these women.

Psychologist Beverly Bevis may have the answer.

“ Throughout history, women have been attracted to strong, powerful, wealthy men. They just can’t resist,” said Bevis.

“Men understand this so they strive for wealth and power to get women,” Bevis added. “This perk is why they seek to become wealthy in the first place.”

So in a very real sense, a woman thwarting a wealthy man’s advances is bad for the economy, say some Trump surrogates.

“If women don’t allow these alpha males to have there way with them,” said a Trump surrogate who chose to remain anonymous, “it messes up the whole equation. These men will not create the businesses that make them powerful and wealthy. These job creators stimulate the economy. We need them. So what if they also stimulate a woman or two?”

But what about the issue of consent? Without that, doesn’t such behavior amount to sexual assault?

“Women may say ‘no’ to a wealthy man’s advances, but they really mean ‘yes’,” said Bevis. “They’re flattered when a powerful man takes an interest in them. The bottom line is women are attracted to money … the kind of wealth and power that can get them things.”

Whoever thought allowing rich men to grope and fondle women had such a direct impact on our GDP!

Ironically, the first meeting of “Pussies For Trump” will me take place next week in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

Photo | scoopnest.com

Could Trump Make His Intentions Any Clearer?

October 13, 2016 By John DeProspo 6 Comments

Sorry, folks, but I must indulge in a little of that Trumpian “I told you so.” You see, I told you so!

As readers of this page know, it has been my belief all along that Trump’s “run” for the presidency has been a complete charade. A con job from the ultimate con man. Trump never wanted to trade his gilded Fifth Avenue penthouse for the relatively spartan White House.

While many analysts thought Trump would surely pivot from his “primary election mode” to a “general election mode” once he secured his party’s nomination, I kept saying “no way Jose.” And to the utter consternation of the Republican establishment, the pivot never came. The nastiness Trump exhibited during the primary only increased once Trump became the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.

The irrefutable proof of this came last week during the second presidential debate. With sinking poll numbers everywhere, Chef Trump skipped over the Caesar salad appetizer and went straight to a giant serving of red meat. Trump promised his hungry base the first thing he would do if elected president would be to jail Hillary. Oh how those “lock her up” supporters savored every bite!

Now that even the slightest pretence of winning the presidency is done with, Trump has promised to go nuclear against all his enemies. He has declared war not only on Hillary and Bill Clinton, but also on the media and his own party. He has told House Speaker Paul Ryan to go “f” himself after he stated he would no longer defend or campaign for the Republican presidential nominee.

Kamikaze Trump recently tweeted, “It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to,” instigating a full scale civil war within the Republican Party… less than four weeks before the election.

This will get really ugly, folks.

Trump’s game plan is now abundantly clear. Far from trying to broaden his appeal, he will be solidifying his hold on a large segment of Americans who think he is the second coming of Christ.

Look for Trump, and his campaign guru, former Breitbart boss Stephen Bannon, to stoke more hatred among the ready-made audience for his next business venture. Could it be a Trump cable empire to rival Fox News? Or an online right wing media outlet in the mold of Huffington Post? Or might he even have the discipline to form a third party for his rabid base (unlikely)?

The only question remaining is will Trump merely lose to Clinton or get annihilated?

Either way, it won’t matter to Trump. He wins. The system is rigged against him, right? His angry base will no doubt buy this lie as they have bought every kind of flimflam snake oil he has peddled.

Whatever the end game, Trump will come out of this political debacle smelling like a rose with a few extra dollars in his pocket. For The Donald, it has always been about making money off the misfortune of others having the bad sense of trusting him. That he has caused serious harm to our people, our nation and it’s political institutions, well that’s just the cost of doing business. It has worked great for Fox News and all those other conservative media outlets!

For Trump, it is not about party over country but himself over all else.

Photo | YouTube

Does Trump Have The “Midas Touch” … Or The “Sadim Touch?”

October 11, 2016 By John DeProspo 3 Comments

In Greek mythology, everything King Midas touched turned into gold. We call this the “Midas Touch.” But there is another kind of magical power which is the opposite of this great feat … it’s called the “Sadim Touch,” where everything that’s touched turns into #!#! … well, you get the idea.

For the curious, Sadim is the reverse spelling of Midas.

Donald Trump has sold himself as the man with the ability to be successful at whatever he attempts. Making money just darn comes naturally to the man! Whatever he touches, we are told, turns out benefitting all involved. Most of Trump’s avid supporters believe he is the candidate with the “Midas Touch” who will bring prosperity (winning) to a great many struggling Americans.

But a close look at Trump’s business record shows his touch is anything but golden.

Trump has the “Sadim Touch.”

Take Trump’s four business bankruptcies. All involved casinos where the rule is “the house never loses.” Or how about these business busts: Trump Steaks; Trump Airlines; Trump Vodka; Trump Mortgage; Trump Magazine; Trump University; Trump The Game; GoTrump.com.

We just recently learned Trump took a nearly one billion dollar loss in 1995. This is the “Sadim Touch” on steroids!

While everything Trump touches seems to turn to #!#!, he, nevertheless, usually does well for himself. His secret? OPM. Always use other people’s money. Never put your own greenbacks at risk.

It looks as if Trump’s greatest reverse-Midas touch is about to unfold before our eyes.

Donald Trump is on track to accomplish what Democrats for decades have been unable to do … bury the GOP.

There is a civil war brewing within the Republican ranks. Members are turning against one another. With each day comes a new GOP politician renouncing his or her party’s presidential nominee. Even the highest elected Republican official, House Speaker Paul Ryan, has said he can no longer defend Trump and has green-lighted his party members to do whatever they think is best for their political futures.

It’s every man and woman for themselves!

The Republican game plan now is to try to hold their majorities in the Senate and in the House. The White House, they painfully realize, is a lost cause.

The GOP elites rolled the dice with Trump and are now stuck with an unelectable candidate. What becomes of the Republican Party is anybody’s guess. It is certainly not the concern of one Donald J. Trump.

We do not know Trump’s end game but it is abundantly clear by now that it is not to win the general election. Trump is doing all he can to shore up his base by continuing to feed them red meat (Jail Hillary!). Trump knows he needs them stoked for his next venture. Could we see a Trump media empire? Or a Trump third party?

While Trump has worked his “Sadim Touch” on the Grand Old Party, you can bet he will come out of this latest disaster smelling like a rose. One way or another, he will make money for himself.

For all the man with the “Sadim Touch” has done, and continues to do, for Democrats, they will forever be grateful.

Photo| schooltube

For A Man Who Praises The Constitution, Trump Knows Very Little About It

October 10, 2016 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

If elected president, Donald Trump would be the first commander in chief never to have been elected to previous office, or have served as a high-ranking military officer, or have served as a federal government official.

But beyond his lack of experience, Trump would perhaps become the president with the least amount of knowledge of the United States Constitution and its workings. He gives every indication he does not understand the brilliant concept devised by our Founding Fathers, the separation of powers.

Trump has often stated his admiration of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

Last night, Trump actually said that if he were elected president, one of his first jobs would be to jail Hillary Clinton. Could there be more red meat for his base than this?

“If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation because there has never been so many lies, so much deception,” Trump said to Clinton during the second presidential debate.

Clinton replied, “It’s just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country.”

The man with no self-control interjected, “Because you’d be in jail.”

American’s do not elect a dictator, or even a quasi-autocrat like Putin, to lead the country. A fifth grader with minimal knowledge of our system of government would be able to tell you that.

“Be afraid of any candidate who says he will order DOJ/FBI to act on his command,” said Eric Holder, who served as Attorney General under President Obama.

The activist Michael Moore tweeted, “Never has a candidate threatened to jail his opponent. This happens in dictatorships. Scariest man ever to run for WH.”

What makes Trump so dangerous is he seems to have no interest in learning about a government he seeks to run. Equally dangerous is that his uninformed supporters believe Trump would be able to do all the things he promises to do even though most are clearly not within a president’s powers or are flat out unconstitutional.

Trump is a graduate of the distinguished Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania. He either never took the required civics class or was able to avoid the requirement through some sort of “son-of-a-rich-man” deferment.

Photo | slate.com

Trump Holds His Own In Second Presidential Debate

October 9, 2016 By John DeProspo 4 Comments

The predication that Donald Trump would self-immolate in tonight’s second presidential debate proved to be wishful thinking on the part of the Democratic faithful. The Trump campaign lives to see another day!

With all the negative press surrounding Trump following the release of the now infamous Hollywood Access “sex” video, many analysts thought this topic would consume the debate and prove fatal for Trump.

Yet very little time was spent on the video or Trump’s treatment of women. The reason for this is that the debate was held in a town hall format where audience members ask prepared questions of the candidates. Many different questions were asked; many different topics were discussed.

The most interesting question of the night came at the very end of the debate.

Carl Becker asked the candidates, “Regardless of the rhetoric, would either of you name one positive thing that you respect in one another?”

Hillary Clinton answered first. “I respect his children. His children are incredibly able and devoted and I think that says a lot about Donald,” Clinton said.

For his part, Trump paid a huge compliment to Hillary, whether wittingly or not. The man who loves winners and fighters said, “I will say this about Hillary. She doesn’t quit. She doesn’t give up. I respect that.” Trump called his opponent a “fighter.”

To me this was a most unexpected answer from Trump. I had to ask myself if I really heard Trump’s words correctly. I did.

I don’t know how that answer will play with a base that believes Hillary is the devil incarnate, but Trump’s gracious, seemingly sincere compliment might sit well with many undecided voters or independents. But not enough, I believe, to swing the momentum of the race in Trump’s favor.

One could almost see the Clinton camp preparing an ad with Trump’s kind words being used against him.

Whether the Access Hollywood video will continue to have legs going forward remains to be seen. Whether more unflattering tapes from Trump’s past are made public also remains in doubt but, with the many videos of Trump over the years, you can bet it’s a good possibility.

Rejoice. There will be a third and final debate!

Photo | chicagotribune.com/Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Trump’s Lewd Remarks … Is Anyone Really Surprised?

October 8, 2016 By John DeProspo 6 Comments

Yesterday, the nation was hit with a tidal wave … Donald Trump’s 2005 audio of vulgar, sexist comments made during a taping of Access Hollywood. The Republican presidential candidate boasted to the show’s host, Billy Bush, he could do anything he wants to women because he is a star. He could even “grab them by the p_ _ _y” with impunity.

As shocking as the tape turned out to be, is any one really surprised?

Trump has demonstrated his disdain and disrespect for woman throughout his adult life. To Trump, women are mere objects that exist to satisfy his personal pleasure. And they must meet his high standards of beauty! If a woman is not a “10,” he’s not interested. He simply tosses those “losers” into the garbage heap of “dogs, fat pigs and slobs.”

No, no one who has paid any attention to Trump’s history of treating women is surprised.

Republican establishment types are outraged over the latest development. Some good Christian Republicans, like Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, are unendorsing Trump.

“I’m out,” said Chaffetz on Fox News. “I can no longer in good conscience endorse this person for president. It is some of the most abhorrent and offensive comments that you can possibly imagine.”

Chaffetz is not the first, nor will he be the last, Republican to jump ship.

The Hollywood Access video is forcing the hands of many Republicans who have tired to straddle the fence … criticizing Trump’s rhetoric on one hand, while promising to vote for their party’s nominee on the other.

Tomorrow night we will be treated to “must see TV.” The second presidential debate will be held at Washington University in St. Louis. There is little doubt Trump’s “sex” audio will be a topic of discussion. How Trump handles the situation may be the difference between a simple loss in November and a landslide victory for Clinton.

The dye is set. Trump is done. He will not be able to talk or bully his way out of this predicament. Any other candidate with an ounce of self-respect would skip the debate or drop out of the race. But, hey, we’re talking about Trump here!

Many voters, especially the undecided, are finally seeing Trump for what he is: the most crass, sexist and racist candidate to earn the nomination of a major party in American history.

Photo | mashable.com

Round Two For Trump… Second Verse Same As The First?

October 7, 2016 By John DeProspo Leave a Comment

The second presidential debate will be held this Sunday at Washington University in St. Louis.

While Trump and his surrogates tried to spin his first debate encounter with Hillary Clinton as a win, the consensus among analysts was that he got his clock cleaned. Not only did his poll numbers sink nationally, but he lost ground in many of the key battleground states he needs to win to get to the 270 electoral votes necessary to reach the White House.

Trump’s handlers are spreading the line that he will be a more prepared, polished debater this time around. Advice on how he can turn things around is popping up everywhere.

“Look and act calm,” advised Jo-Renee Formicola, a political science professor at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. “Be a gentleman. Smile.”

Republican pollster Frank Luntz believes that during the town-hall debate, Trump “needs to empathize and sympathize with the voters and forget that Clinton is standing next to him.”

There is a decent chance we may be treated to a more presidential performance by Trump in round two (well, at least temporarily!). Maybe Trump can replicate the smooth performance his running mate, Mike Pence, gave during the vice presidential debate earlier this week?

But Trump has shown that against a seasoned debater like Hillary Clinton, he will undoubtedly revert to form once she starts getting under his thin skin. Look for Trump to go “off script” and make some wild statements or crazy accusations against Clinton … the kind that will send some of his campaign staff packing!

Beyond the misplaced optimism of Trump’s people, some political observers are clearly delusional.

“He’s proven to be a quick study during the campaign and reports of Trump’s debate obituary could be greatly exaggerated,” said Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan.

Kall noted that President Obama got negative reviews after his first debate against Mitt Romney in 2012, but then rallied in a town hall debate to change the trajectory of the race.

There is only one small problem with this Romney/Obama analogy.

In a memorable vice presidential debate between Lloyd Bentsen and Dan Quayle, the Democratic nominee told his opponent, after he had likened himself to JFK, “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”

It is safe to say, Donald Trump is no Barack Obama.

The second verse could be worse than the first.

Photo | newsday.com

Sharing Is Caring … A Reader’s Comment

October 6, 2016 By John DeProspo 6 Comments

Articles on this site generate a variety of comments. While some are ill informed, cringeworthy and even downright nasty, the majority are positive and constructive.

Occasionally, a well-written, well thought-out comment comes along like the one below by Will A Kelly. I have taken the liberty of posting it in its entirely. No editing. I believe it is worth the read:

Dear Mr. Trump,

It’s taken me a while to realize this and to admit it, but I’m grateful to you.

For the past few months, I’ve spent a good deal of time lamenting your campaign and the poison it has so effortlessly generated. I’ve watched our country imploding, our public discourse become polluted, our political climate grows ever more corrosive, and wrongly assumed you were to blame.

It’s only lately I’ve come to understand that you haven’t manufactured our current national ugliness—you’ve simply revealed it.

By saying the irresponsible, mean-spirited, ignorant things you say so freely and so frequently, you’ve given other like-minded people license to do the same. You’ve opened up the floodgates for our corporate sewage to flow fully. People no longer conceal their vile mess, they now revel in it, they broadcast it and retweet it.

You’ve made bigotry and racism socially acceptable again and that has been a kind of twisted gift because it’s allowed me to really see people; not as they pretend to be on the surface—but in the very depths of their wounded, weaponized hearts.

Over and over as your campaign has persisted, your supporters would tell me that they like you because you “speak your mind”. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve realized that you speak their minds. You’ve given credence to their prejudices and made those prejudices go mainstream.

Thanks to the terrible ground you’ve broken, politicians, pastors, friends, and strangers, both in person and on social media now regularly out themselves as hateful, intolerant, and malicious—and they remind me just how close they are to me, just how deep the sickness in us runs, and just how far we have to go together.

You’ve emboldened people to be open about things they used to conceal for the sake of decorum, and though it turns my stomach, I know that this is the only way we can move forward; to have that cancerous stuff exposed fully so that it can be dealt with. Our progress as a nation is predicated on authentic dialogue, no matter how brutal and disheartening that dialogue is.

In other words, you’ve let us know what we’re really dealing with here and while it’s been rightly disturbing, it’s also been revelatory. That’s the thing about that kind of harsh light: you’re forced to see everything. Beauty and monstrosity equally illuminated.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think you’re the least qualified, least knowledgeable Presidential candidate we may ever have had participate this far into the process, and if you somehow were elected I’d fear gravely for the world my children would inherit—should it survive your Presidency at all. I believe you’re reckless, bitter, and completely reprehensible; the very worst kind of bully.

But whether you win or lose, you’ve already allowed me the blessing of Truth; about me, about you, about other candidates, about our nation.

And in the process, you’ve also shown me that I am not alone in resisting you and this ugly thing you’ve revealed about us.

You’ve generated an equally loud, equally passionate response to it and this is where I find my hope these days.

I find it in those for whom equality isn’t just a cheap buzzword, it’s the most precious of hills to die on.

I find it in those people who refuse to be silent in the face of our impending shared regression.

I find it in those willing to be bolder in defending the inherent value of all people.

I find it in the growing army of those who will not tolerate hatred as a core American value.

I find it in those who reject violence as our default response to dissension.

I find it in the ever rising voice of people who will not let malice and bitterness represent them in the world.

Today I find my hope in those who, like me, will not be complicit in allowing bigotry and intolerance to become a source of national pride because we’ve seen where that leads.

Yes, Mr. Trump, you’ve unearthed our hidden sickness and you’ve allowed it to go viral.

You brought every awful thing about us out into the open.

You will NEVER Get My Vote!

Image courtesy of Gualberto107 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net