Liberal Elitism?

One of the more consistent themes among Conservative media and their Republican rank and file is that they are soooo tired of liberal elitism. They accuse Liberals of arrogance, condescension, elitism, etc., etc., etc. Let’s be honest. Liberals have projected a sense that they know better. On the other hand, it is the Republicans who claim that this is their Country (and they want it back), they are the Party of patriots and the only ones who care about veterans, police, families and, above all else they are the Party of GOD (the Christian one). They resent it whenever anyone else chants “USA-USA-USA”.  How many times do Liberals hear the accusation that they “hate the police” or “hate the Country”? How many veterans (some with medals of valor) who happen to be liberal hear the accusation they are cowards because they don’t want to jump into another war?

Of course, neither Liberals nor Conservatives have an exclusive claim on patriotism. Nor do Conservatives have an exclusive claim to arrogance or condescension. A person can’t question why police might shoot an unarmed, compliant black man without getting accused of hating cops. Or Question suspending Constitutional rights to find “terrorists”, without being accused of supporting terrorism? Or challenge hate speech without being accused of being “politically correct”? It’s getting pretty tiresome…

Truthiness and Orange Jesus

I have always believed that whenever someone tell you repeatedly that they are telling the truth, then they are more likely than not lying. Someone who feels compelled to announce their honesty is obviously concerned that they will be perceived as dishonest. If they claim everyone else is lying, it means that they want you to ignore reality and believe them instead. Anyone watching Trump give his acceptance speech, even for the first hour and a half, heard him say that there would be no lies. Well, I guess some of us would rather check facts than sign a blank check.

We are among the most taxed countries in the world? The truth is we are among the least taxed nations of the world.

Latino poverty up by 2 million since 2008 since Obama took over? Obama took over in 2009 when there were 1.2 million Latinos in poverty. The rate of Latinos in poverty has slowed down since Obama became President.

Unemployment of Latinos and African-Americans is near historic lows today. Even with the recent uptick in violent crime, the crime rate is still lower than when Obama became president. Politifact, the organization that fact checks every politician, rates Trump as one of the most worthy recipient of the “pants on fire” liars among active politicians. I could go on, but it won’t matter to the true believers. They really would be the types to say that the guy Trump shot in Times Square deserved it.

I would start my debate with Orange Jesus by confronting him about his use of lies to generate fear and hate to divide Americans, such as thousands of Muslims dancing in the streets of New Jersey after 9/11 or the Mexican rapists, murderers and drug dealers flooding into the US, or there African-Americans who are killing whites at a record rate. Maybe the real difference is that Trump lies to divide people and Hillary lies just to cover her behind.

Melania Speaks

After a day of hearing “Chachi” speak for the first time since “Happy Days” was cancelled, the bitter anger of a mother who lost her son in Libya and a sitting US Senator tell America that she knows that ISIS has people in all 50 States… After a day in which the “law and order” party violated its own rules causing a walk out of some delegates, we had the real drama.

The highlight of the first night of the GOP Convention and Melania speaks. She’s the current wife of the champion of family values and his idea of the kind of immigrant he wants in the USA. In a speech drawn from the extensive library of plagiarized materials at Trump Institute, she channeled Michele Obama with impeccable hair and Slovenian accent.

One could almost feel badly for her, who by all accounts is a decent person, intelligent and a good mother, now exposed to national humiliation. Except that there is a price to pay for being the latest narcissistic ornament of a truly disturbed man. Maybe she didn’t sign up for political conventions, but she could have said “no”. Maybe she should review the United Nations’ criteria for human trafficking: unable to refuse jobs/never allowed free time, unable to speak for yourself, isolated and unable to be in public alone…

I can hardly wait for the next Trump ornament… I mean family member… to speak. And we will hear from all of them. Or not. It’s sad really to see this kind of exploitation. One has to wonder that if he subjects his own family to such humiliation and exploitation, what he will do for the Country.

Opening Night in Cleveland

Opening night of the GOP Convention and the RNC has released to official biography of their nominee. Cue the dark lights and inspirational music …
“He was born to the hard life of privilege and the terrible burden of inherited fortune. He served his Country in a military academy through 10th grade, and suffered through his own Viet Nam of trying to avoid STD in the 80s and then multiple bankruptcies. He founded a University and an Institute, based on fraud and plagiarism he implemented his own version of Social Darwinism by ridding the most vulnerable people of their savings.
After witnessing what he believed were 30,000 Muslims dancing in the streets of New Jersey after 9/11, he once again answered the call to duty. He exposed the Kenyan/Muslim birth of the President, and undertook a campaign to rid the Country of rapists, murderers and drug mules (which he calls “Mexicans”). He proposed eliminating domestic terrorism by registering American citizens who were Muslims, and cleaning up a judiciary corrupted by “Mexicans, Muslims and Women”, and single-handedly pulled the David Duke into the political mainstream.
Then he hired the lobbyist for North Korea, Russia and Iran to be his campaign manager. He studied the television pundits to learn about foreign policy and race relations, and then (like an alien plague) eliminated the GOP establishment as an outsider. He has a secret plan that will eliminate ISIS overnight, but will wait while hundreds are slaughtered until he is elected to reveal his strategy. Now, here on stage with a dozen hot blondes half his age… the next President of the United States: Donald Trump.”