IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY........... AND INTO THE FACT-FREE ZONE......

Wow!  What a performance last night!  But, didn’t you get the feeling that there were two realities being presented on stage at the Hofstra Presidential Debate?  One, as described by Hillary Clinton, that appeared to be well grounded in history, fact, and vision… and, the Trump “alternative reality” - loaded with conspiracy, bombast, attempts to disrupt his opponent, and lies.  In my view, Trump was really out there – sort of on another planet in a galaxy far, far away.  

Trumpology – a system of thinking and basic beliefs that are like looking in a carnival mirror – reality is distorted and, as presented by Trump, is loaded with false statements, outright lies, and confused conclusions.  This magical thinking cannot be the basis of sound decision-making that is the necessary foundation of presidential action.  Here are some recent examples from Trumpworld.

                -Ted Cruz Dad was involved with Lee Harvey Oswald in the assassination of JFK;

                -Global warming is a “hoax” launched by China;

                -President Obama was born in Kenya; Hillary started the “birther” movement;

                      Barak Obama is a secret Muslim;

                -US taxes are the highest in the world (they are not);

                -Trump opposed the invasion of Iraq (he said on tape that he supported it);

                -Trump opposed the invasion of Libya (he said on tape that supported it);

                -Trump’s microphone at the debate wasn’t working and was tampered with (85,000,000
                       viewers who watched the debate know that it was working just fine);

                -Trump said that Hillary had no child care plan (she did - nearly 1 year before Trump);

                -Trump’s states that he wants to grow US jobs (his ties and other products are made in

                      China, India, and elsewhere);

                -When “Stop and Frisk” in NYC was suspended by the incoming Mayor, Trump insisted   

                      that the number of murders “dramatically increased.” The murder rate decreased;

                -According to Trump, Ford Motor Company is “shutting their small-car division” in 

                      Michigan and sending those jobs to a “giant” plant in Mexico.  Ford corrected the 

                      record immediately by commenting that the small-car plant in Michigan was set to

                      manufacture another model of Ford cars and that not one job at that plant will be 

                      eliminated. A new plant is being built in Mexico;

                -Putin is a “great leader” in Russia and we should have supported Saddam Hussein in Iraq

                      because he kept the lid on the simmering violence that came after his departure. Putin
                      is a despot, an enemy of the USA, and is  threat to our long-time allies.  Hussein, was
                      just a murderous head-case, dictator, and terrorist;

                -Vince Foster, then an Assistant White House Counsel who was found dead near the

                      Potomac River in DC, was killed by Bill and Hillary Clinton.  Nonsense, of course; 

                -Trump said that he knows more about ISIS than the Generals, “trust me.” (Oh, boy).

                We did, however, learn some interesting information last night that we did not have before.

1.     TRUMP ADMITS THAT HE PAYS NO TAXES.  When under attack from Hillary for not having disclosed his tax returns, Trump initially said that he couldn’t because he was “under audit.”  He gave that answer during the Republican Primary debates last spring.  Later, he admitted that the release of his returns was not prohibited by law, but, he was advised by “his attorneys” that he should not release his taxes until after the audit. Hillary prodded him to agree to release the returns by suggesting that he must be hiding something, giving several examples.  One, that he doesn’t make as much money as he claims.  Two that he doesn’t give as much to charity as he claims.  Three, that his financial transactions and monies owed might be an embarrassment because of who he owes and how much.  And, fourth, how much he pays in taxes.  Hillary suggested that he was hiding the fact that he pays no federal tax at all!  As Hillary was following that up with comments saying, “no money for vets, for education, for roads, etc, Trump clearly said, “that makes me smart.”  He didn’t deny Hillary’s allegation.  He didn’t say something like, “I pay my fair share”, or “I pay what I owe”, or, “Of course, I pay federal taxes like everyone else.”  Nope.  Trump just had to boast about how brilliant he is by saying, “that makes me smart” – virtually admitting and confirming the charge that he does not pay taxes like you and me.  
                    
      I don’t know about you, but that really ticks me off.  If he – and others of high wealth like him – do not pay their fair share of the costs of governance, inevitably, it costs me more.  And, Donald’s solution to our unequal tax system?  A massive tax cut – some 60% - for the upper tax brackets and a corporate tax reduction from 30% to 15% - a 50% decrease - dramatically increasing the deficit and the national debt and crippling the federal government.

2.     TRUMP GOES SOPRANO.  Responding to the charge that his statements regarding NATO and living up to our international treaty obligations, he clearly stated – and then repeated – that we should protect those who “pay us” to do so.  Sounds like something that Tony Soprano, or the New York Mob on Mulberry Street would be proud of – the protection racket.

3.      TRUMP APPEALS TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTE?  Moderator Lester Holt asked both candidates what might each do to “bridge the racial divide” that is infecting America right now. 

Trumps response was to fall right back into a “lock ‘em up” statement.  He said that the answer is in increasing the police, instituting “stop and frisk”, adopting more effective “tactics”, and essentially, locking up more or the perpetrators.  Reminded that the question was about Black Americans, Trump doubled down on his response.  Evidently, in Trump’s mind, all crime comes from Black Americans (or sometimes illegal immigrants, of course), and the solution to bridging the racial divide is to lock Blacks up thereby separating Whites from Blacks by bars and barbed wire adding more and more African-American males to the rolls of the incarcerated. Not really too much a surprise for someone like Trump who said 2 weeks ago that 81% of murders of While Americans were committed by Black Americans.  Actually, according to FBI statistics, 82% of White murders are committed by White perpetrators, 15% by Blacks.

4.      TRUMPUS INTERRUPTUS.  True to form, the Donald tried his “bully” tactic on Hillary, but to no effect.  Trackers in the media counted how many times each candidate interrupted each other.  Interruptions are designed to “rattle” the opponent or break their train of thought.  Either that, or they are evidence that the interrupter has a serious lack of self-control. Trump interrupted Clinton 51 times; Clinton interrupted Trump 15 times.  You decide whether these interruptions were strategic to throw Hillary off her game or evidence of a lack of Trump self-control.

5.      THE TEMPERAMENTAL DONALD? At the end, Trump made yet another gross statement in claiming that the best attribute that he would bring to the Presidency is his “temperament.”  Donald claimed that his temperament is far superior to Hillary’s temperament and his “best asset.”  The audience roared with laughter.  Donald seemed not to understand what they were laughing at……  Is this a mental health issue?

Most scientific polling done after the debate found that Hillary won the debate by a wide margin.  CNN reported that the margin was 62-27 in favor of Hillary.  The Drudge Report open dial-in poll indicated Trump won with 80% to 20% for Hillary.  One has to wonder who “dialed in” to Drudge, mostly watched and read by right-wing conservative Republicans and the Alt. Right.  And, anyone who watched the debate from start to amazing finish, knows who came away as “Presidential”, competent, level, knowledgeable, and ready to be President.  She was wearing a red pants suit without orange hair.