The no-spin, honest-to-goodness $64,000 question:

Then-businessman Donald Trump with Russian oligarch (and close Putin ally) Aras Agalarov (R) and his son, Emin (L).  Sberbank is a state-owned bank and the largest in Russia, and Crocus is Agalarov's real estate development company.

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Do the Russians have compromising information on Donald Trump, either through his past business dealings with Russian oligarchs, or through election collusion, enough to blackmail him?  Have the Russians entrapped President Donald Trump?

THAT is what the Mueller Trump/Russia investigation is about.  Period.  Hillary's emails and DNC rigging against Bernie Sanders, etc, are legitimate questions that can be addressed in some other venue.

President Trump thinks the investigation is an effort to deprive him of his legitimate election.  Republicans think it's an effort to remove him from office, which they oppose as they think he's a political novice they can manipulate.  Democrats want to discredit Trump/Republicans so they can regain power for themselves.  They all have their own near-sighted selfish agendas....and they've all missed the point.

Even White House Counsel Don McGahn missed the blackmail point at first.  He once asked the Acting Attorney General why the FBI cared if one administration official (National Security Director Mike Flynn) lied to another (VP Mike Pence)?  She had to explain to him that Flynn had publicly stated he hadn't discussed sanctions with Russians (a really big deal) when the FBI had proof he had.  And of course the Russians knew he had, too.  

At any time of the Russian's choosing they could have blackmailed Flynn, threatening to unmask him as the Benedict Arnold of the 21st Century if he didn't cooperate and give them what they wanted.  RUSSIA WOULD THEN HAVE A SPY IN THE INNER CIRCLE OF THE WHITE HOUSE!

The exact same thing could happen with President Trump.  The Russians have their eyes on all high-profile Americans who visit Russia and/or do business with Russians.  They've been watching Trump for decades.  Russian oligarchs, all friendly with Vladimir Putin, have done business with him.  Trump has been used, perhaps unwittingly, perhaps not, to launder their money.  They've financed some of his hundreds of business ventures, primarily run through suspect Cypriot and German banks.  Now all of a sudden he just might become the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!  HOLY CRAP!  The incentive was surely there for Russia to want to see him elected, hence entrapping collusion.

Everything else is just a smoke screen.  The ONLY thing that matters is to find out once and for all if President Donald Trump is subject to being blackmailed.

Our national security demands that we have a President who is beyond ever being cornered in a compromising position. Those amateurs who say Trump is or isn't susceptible are just thinking wishfully based on their own prejudices.   We need to know if President Trump passes muster.  This is why it's imperative for Robert Mueller to finish his investigation.

S

Choose your poison

President Donald Trump, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Speaker Paul Ryan are in an all-out sprint.  They're scared shitless their Republican Party will lose control of one or both houses of Congress within a year.  Their wealthy benefactors....the deep pockets that fund their political careers....are going to be pissed beyond belief if they don't get what they paid for were promised. 

While polls say Democrats are not at all well liked, Republicans are even deeper in the hole.  A flip of just 2 Senate seats and a handful in the House of Representatives to the Democrats and the GOP leaders will be asking for more knuckle-dragging body guards.  They won't want to have to face Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Banks, Big Insurance, Big Ag, and all the others and swim with the sharks. 

By next summer the mid-term election campaigning will be in full swing, so if they're to deliver on their promises, they'll have to do it before then.  The GOP will be doing their damnedest to ram something through pronto, forget thoroughness or public hearings.  Committee members will get 5 minutes each to ask questions, then it's vote time. *Wham...Bam...SOLD...SOLD...SOLD*  And of course President Trump will sign whatever Congress puts in front of him because THEY are the ones who will vote on whether to impeach/convict him and ruin his Mother-Of-All ego trips.

What should we expect between now and then? A push to finalize a tax cut in the House that will please the GOP donors, another run at getting the government out of the health insurance equation, squashing Medicaid as much as possible (we have too many poor people, don'tcha know), and maybe even squeezing Medicare and Social Security dry, too. 

I'm guessing they have 8 months to make it all happen.  By August our politicians will all be back home, looking us in the eye and telling us how much they love us.  I think the Democrats will have a pretty good chance of winning one house of Congress, spoiling the Republican's party.  Further down the road in 2020, at the rate the GOP is digging its own grave, the Democrats just might gain control of all 3 branches of government.  Then it will be their turn to rape and pillage us and glad hand their special interests.

Another day in Washington.

S

Exactly who is serving who here?

Many, many years ago when they thought I was too naive to catch on, they (one of our political parties) wanted me as one of their Precinct Chairmen.  They asked if I would accept, and I in return asked, "What exactly will I have to do?"  They explained I would need to knock on my neighbor's doors and ask for their vote, pass out literature, put campaign signs in lawns, host fundraisers for local party candidates, and just in general pledge my loyalty and support for all the candidates the party puts forward.  

"But what if I don't like the candidate you put forward?  What if I for some reason find your / our candidate to be unworthy of my and my neighbor's vote?  Do I still have to support him?"

They said, "yes", and I said "no thanks".

That, on a far grander scale, is what we're seeing in Washington right now.  Republicans seem to be honoring their loyalty pledge to their fellow party member, without reservation.  Every single intelligence agency head has publicly stated the Russians actively interfered in our recent election, but President Trump just gives it a "maybe".  "It might have been the Russians, or maybe someone else" he says.  "Who knows?"

Congressional Republicans almost uniformly say, "Yeah, well probably, I guess, but I'm not sure."  Why can't they put party aside and say, "Yes the Russians interfered, and I don't like it one damn bit!"  But they don't.  They just give President Trump a pass, who in turn will likely not even bring the matter up with Russian President Putin when they meet tomorrow at the G-20 summit.  Everyone is just tip-toeing around this little Russian bully.  Is Washington now a "Backbone Free Zone"?

So the party....either party....is now more important than our nation's sovereignty and security?  Unless they speak up boldly, now, I'll have to conclude their answer is "yes".  That's their dirty little secret.  To them the party is more important than The People they serve.

And that's why I will never be a member of either the Republican or Democratic Party.  My loyalty will never be given cart blanche to either party, ever. 

S

Making Mr. Magoo proud!

The notoriously nearsighted Mr. Magoo.

As usual this morning I watched the talking head shows to learn how much mud had been slung by our illustrious presidential candidates overnight.  Turns out the Democrats are still fuming over the fact that Donald Trump likely pays no taxes at all....nada....zip!  *gasp*

And the Republicans are still strutting their stuff, pointing out how brilliant The Donald is at slinking his way through the 75,000 page (and growing) IRS tax regulations.  *par-tay!*

And we, the voters, still can't see 2 feet past this "made-for-TV" charade.  

Is it scandalous that Trump pays no taxes?  YES, of course it is.  Does it make Trump a despicable person for not paying any taxes?  NO, of course not.  He's paying what the IRS says he must, and no more.  Both arguments are missing the REAL scandal:  HOW IN THE HELL have we allowed so many loopholes, deductions, exemptions, subsidies, etc to be included in our tax code in the first place?

How?  We've been outsmarted, and grossly out spent, by the rich and powerful and their hired lobbyists.   They knock on the door of an influential Congressman or Senator and say "We'd like a special tax exemption that allows us to blah blah blah.  Oh, and here's a $25,000 campaign contribution because you're such a great guy."  And down the hall another lobbyist is asking another "civil rapist servant" for their special consideration, and greasing more than a few palms, too.  Over and over it happens, both parties, all over Capital Hill.

Then they all get together and say, "I'll vote for yours if you'll vote for mine."  And they agree, and the tax code grows by a few more pages, and we get screwed. 

Hillary Clinton isn't about to change this practice if elected.  She IS the establishment in this election.  Nor will Donald Trump....he and his $$$$buddies have been the ones greasing the aforementioned palms for decades.  They have everything to lose and nothing to gain if the system is shaken up.

It's all a big joke.  They will win, we will lose.  Game, set, match.

 Thank you Congressman.  May I please have another.

S 

GOP debate recap

This is actually what I tuned in to see, but it was a bit more restrained.  Pity.  ;)

For those of you who are vaguely interested in politics, but not enough so to actually watch 2 hours of their regularly televised sit-com, I offer this debate recap:  Mark O. Rubio seemed cool and above the fray, Dr. Ben Carson, always the polite gentleman, showed....umm....good posture, The Donald seemed to have ratcheted down his mouth a couple of notches, Chris Christie was once again the 8-to-5 working guy's guy, Mike Huckleberry showed he was still the best orator, Ted Cruz had a memorable line, John Kasich seemed to be desperately struggling to keep his head above water, Carly Fiorina was chomping at the bit for a cat fight with Hillary C,  and Jeb Bush and Rand Paul rode off into the sunset (they just don't know it yet).

And the CNBC moderators were assholes.  What the hell was wrong with those folks?  Every question they asked was little more than "have you stopped beating your wife?"

For the life of me I can't understand why Dr. Carson is now the front-runner. Is he smart?  Yes, he's brilliant.  Does he act like an adult when the opportunity is there for a sleazy attack?  Yes, he's a class guy.  But IMHO his demeanor is more that of a statistical actuary than a leader.

I expect my leaders to be able to inspire, to work a crowd up into a force for action.  Such as....

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall NEVER surrender."  Winston Churchill

or "Mr. Gorbachev, TEAR...DOWN...THIS...WALL!"  Ronald Reagan

or "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."  FDR

Dr. Carson has a soft-spoken demeanor that is [to me] reminiscent of Jimmah Carter, and we all know how THAT turned out!  (He was absolutely run over by the scum-bag Washington professional politicians.)

Several of the candidates (Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie) seemed almost like they were "Democrat Lite" when they spoke of entitlements.  "Workers have BOUGHT their 'entitlements', they were not just given to them."  Gov. Christie even slapped us with the truth:  The money we put into our Social Security Trust Fund is GONE.  Over the past 50 years our "leaders" have STOLEN it.   We're not EVER going to see it again.   Fact!  

And Christie wants to jail the crooked bankers who almost imploded the world back in '08.  YES!

There was almost unanimity over how unhealthy our income inequality is.  This from Republicans?  Whoa!

Poor Jeb.  If you're a Jeb Bush fan, I'm sorry, but it's over for him.  The Bush dynasty has obviously ended with Dubyah.  Give Jeb a nice dinner and a gold watch and retire him.  Now.

Even Ted Cruz got a well-deserved round of applause from the audience when he called out the moderators for being unfair beyond belief.

And Donald Trump.  *sigh*  I think he'll lumber along for a while longer as a legitimate contender, but voters seem to be getting a little lot more serious about the issues, and The Donald hasn't really told us much yet about how he's going to do what he's promised.  I'm not sure if he can.  

My chuckle moment was when Trump skewered PAC's as the scourge of politics.  Ha!   So true!  But as he was the only one there not accepting PAC money, he was a lonely voice of one.  Touche Donald!

I think Mark O. will get a bounce from this debate.  Something about him, though, troubles me.  I'm just not sure exactly what.  I'm sure if there's anything there it will surface in time.

There you have it....my opinion, which ranks right up there with a big bowl of cold oatmeal.  ;)

S