Archives for 2017

If it weren’t already obvious from his “America First” campaign slogan, or his recent performance on the world stage, Donald J. Trump has finally cemented the deal … the U.S. can no longer claim the mantle of leader of the free world.

Today, unbowed by science, some members of his own party, our European allies … and even the Pope, the United States officially withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change.

To Trump, it was a bad deal. He says he wants to “renegotiate” a better agreement for the U.S.

“If we can get a deal, that’s great. If not, that’s fine,” said Trump.

Of course our allies, France, Germany and Italy put out a statement reminding our master negotiator the Paris deal is “not renegotiable”.

With the United States pulling out of the international climate deal spearheaded by the Obama administration in 2015, we now join Nicaragua and Syria as the only countries in the world not participating in the accord. Oh, and by the way, Nicaragua had a good reason for not signing up … it was pushing for a more stringent agreement! And Syria? Well, it is in the middle of a civil war.

There was a time the world looked to the United States for leadership on climate change and almost everything else (strangely enough, that seems only a few days ago!) With Trump as our nation’s chief executive, that well-earned reputation is now a moot point.

By going rogue, it is possible the United States has done more harm to itself than to the climate.

China, no doubt, will now be the undisputed world leader in clean energy.

As much as Trump “digs” coal, sorry people of West Virginia, those mines are not reopening anytime soon.

Of course, the United States withdrawing from the accord does not, in and of itself, kill the deal completely. China, Canada, and the European Union have signaled they intend to move forward with the agreement even without the United States, but the U.S. exit just might encourage other, less-willing participants, like Russia, to follow the U.S. lead or significantly downgrade their commitments.

For those who traffic in Trump/Russia conspiracy theories, now that is something to think about! This seemingly irrational move may just make sense when viewed through the eyes of Putin.

Photo | montecarlotimes.com

In politics, it’s never too early to start thinking about the next election. Even though the last presidential contest ended just six months ago, Democrats are already looking around for their next savior.

Who will Democrats in 2020 put up against the disaster otherwise known as Donald Trump (assuming he makes it to the end of his term without being impeached or forced to resign)?

Without a clear frontrunner, the prospect of getting a Democrat back to the White House will no doubt attract an array of hopefuls … from senators and governors, to showbiz types and businessmen.

Here are some potential candidates to watch:

1. Elizabeth Warren – Some are calling her the leading contender for 2020. Her populist cred includes having created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from scratch. While she is feisty, a good speaker and is beloved by many Democrats, would Dems be spooked over picking another woman to head their ticket?
2. Cory Booker – Far from being the most liberal member of the Senate, the relatively young Booker (47) is media savvy and the darling of the Manhattan donor class. But is the country ready for it’s second African-American commander in chief?
3. Andrew Cuomo –The ambitious New York governor has put together an impressive list of accomplishments, including his recently passed universal college tuition program. But in a party where the left is on the rise, would Dems go for a man who has positioned himself as a centrist?
4. Al Franken – During Senate confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet picks, Franken has been a breath of fresh air and a beacon of common sense. Some say the ex-comedian’s devastating wit is the perfect foil for the likes of a Donald Trump. But would Dems seriously consider the former star of Saturday Night Live?
5. Kamala Harris – She’s African-American and female. To many Democrats, she’s a dream candidate. But the first black woman to serve as California Attorney General just got to the Senate. She may be interested in higher office but has she paid her dues yet?

Here are some other names being bandied about for 2020: Sen. Kristen Gillibrand; Gov. Deval Patrick; Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Sen. Tim Kaine; Sen. Chris Murphy; Gov. John Hickenlooper; Sen. Sherrod Brown. Believe it or not, some are even mentioning Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden … and wait, Hillary Clinton! For some real long shots, how about Oprah Winfrey, Michele Obama, billionaire Mark Cuban or Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson?

Many are calling Barack Obama a once in a lifetime figure. For Democrats eager to regain the reins of power, can lightning strike twice?

(AP Photo/Gabriel Bouys, Pool)

If Vladimir Putin had any doubts whether his big investment in Donald Trump would pay off, he got his answer relatively quickly. Trump’s just concluded first trip abroad as commander in chief of the United States made all those rubles spent to get him elected the bargain of a lifetime.

Yes, Putin no doubt knew a Trump presidency would be a destabilizing factor inside American politics but could he have known the former reality TV star would be able to single-handedly sink America’s hard earned reputation in the world, particularly among our allies, so fast?

Ivo H. Daalder, a former U.S. NATO envoy, has said, thanks to Trump, the days of American global leadership are over.

“This seems to be the end of an era, one in which the United States led and Europe followed,” stated Daalder. “The president’s failure to endorse Article 5 in a speech at NATO headquarters, his continued lambasting of Germany and other allies on trade, his apparent decision to walk away from the Paris climate agreement – all suggest that the United States is less interested in leading globally than has been the case for the last 70 years.”

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in a speech following Trump’s visit admitted (ok indirectly) Germany and Europe could no longer count on the United States for support.

The days when her continent could rely on others was “over to a certain extent,” said Europe’s de facto leader. “This is what I have experienced in the last few days. And that is why I can only say that we Europeans must take fate into our own hands.”

A relationship with our allies that took President Obama years to mend following the disaster otherwise known as George W. Bush, wiped away by a bullying, hostile Trump in just one visit! Or as Trump himself described it: “Trip was a great success for America.” Putin, the former KGB spy, must be downright giddy! He has proven himself to be nothing short of a political mastermind.

Americans, and allies, take heart. Trump will not always occupy the Oval Office. Whether sooner or later, a new chief executive will be elected.

One can only hope the new American leader will be able to repair the damage done by the most unqualified, unfit president in American history and reclaim America’s rightful title as “leader of the free world.”

Do the Democrats have another Obama hiding somewhere?

Photo | the sun.co.uk

Call them what you want … deceptions, fabrications or falsehoods … the Trump White House is knee-deep in a cesspool of lies. Ranging from the comical (“No politician in history … has been treated worse or more unfairly”) to the absurd (“The Russia story is a total hoax”), it seems mendacity is at the core of the Trump administration.

But when media outlets report on the mountain of Trump BS, most loyal supporters of the president reflexively shout, “fake news.” Any story questioning Trump’s veracity is simply labeled unfair or “negative.”

And boy has the news coverage been negative!

It should come as no surprise that, barring Fox News, most of the nation’s largest and most influential news outlets rightfully do not support our deceitful president.

In a recent Harvard study, professor Thomas Patterson notes, “Trump’s coverage during his first 100 days set a new standard for negativity. Of news reports with a clear tone, negative reports outpaced positive ones by 80 percent to 20 percent. Trump’s coverage was unsparing. In no week did the coverage drop below 70 percent negative and it reached 90 percent negative at its peak.”

Unfortunately, for loyal Trump supporters, negative is synonymous with inaccurate.

To their credit, most news organizations have not let up on calling out the new president.

You know things aren’t going well when even some at Fox News think Trump is a disaster.

Chris Wallace, reporter for the Republicans’ most trusted mouthpiece, recently said, “Every step he has taken this week has cut into the credibility of this White House, the trust of the people inside the White House, and clearly I think the trust that the American people pay to this President and to his White House staff.”

During the presidential campaign, Ted Cruz correctly nailed Trump as a “pathological liar.” Now that falsifier occupies the Oval Office.

But as bad as having a lying president is (in damage to our country and national security), what’s even more frightening is that when the media does its job by reporting Trump’s lies, a large segment of the American population would rather attack the press than the prevaricating prez.

Photo | lyingcrookedtrump.com