I am located in NY State.
And, for those who know how the New York City media outlets work – from the
NY Times, the Daily News, and the NY Post to every TV network - the focus is on
what goes on in NYC - the nation's largest city, the nation's financial center, and the arts capital of the USA too. This has been
so prevalent for so long that many Americans think that New York City is the
Capital of New York, and not Albany. And, I am sure that
some Americans think that New York City is the nation’s capital too. Maybe we
should have a Presidential debate on education in civics and US geography as
well. Some years back – before the TV
hit, “The Sopranos”, the media was focused on the arrest and trials of the head
of a NYC crime family, John Gotti. Ever
the top-shelf dresser, Gotti headed the Gambino crime family. Top gangsters in the Mafia was referred to as "Capo" and "the boss" in
the game was “the Don.” He acquired the
nickname, “the Teflon Don” after he was acquitted in three high-profile trials
in the 1980s. He was finally convicted
in 1991 and sent to prison. He died in prison of throat cancer in 2002, so he
was unavailable to run for the presidency in the 2016 race. Instead, we have another “Don”, The
Donald... Donald Trump. And, boy, is he TEFLON.
Since his
2015 announcement that he would seek the office of the Presidency as a
Republican, Donald Trump has cluttered the political landscape – and the media in
print and on air – with the most outrageous and “politically incorrect”
statements and positions than any other candidate for office would have ventured. Trump was so off the mark of reasonableness that most analysts thought he would quickly became an “also
ran.” Mexican immigrant rapists…. Deport
millions….. Slurs against women ….. Attacking a Federal Judge because of his Mexican heritage. Encouraging violence against opponents in his rallies. Monitor,
register and do “extreme vetting” of Muslims, and close the gates to further
Muslim immigration…. Ethnic and racial discrimination… “Bomb the shit out of them!” Secret plans to grow the economy, grow the
military, eliminate the minimum wage that prevents us from being "competitive", cut taxes on the wealthy, cut corporate taxes in half and more, and
all without increasing the deficit. I think that the last proponent of this sort of economic package was either Calvin Coolidge or Warren Harding. All outrageous statements.
And, then
there is the foreign policy arena. Trump has said that he “knows more about
ISIS than the Generals.” Really? And, that we should have “taken the oil” from
Iraq – an act illegal under both US and International Law and the Rules of
War. He said that we should encourage
South Korea and Japan to develop nuclear weapons and, simultaneously, prevent
North Korea from developing their own.
And, that we should re-evaluate our involvement in the decades-old NATO
Alliance which, in his view, has outlasted its usefulness and cost us far too
much money. And, that we should consider recognizing the Crimea, a part of the
Ukraine seized by force by Russia, as a part of Russia. And, who really wants to defend Estonia, Latvia,
and Lithuania anyhow? And, is Poland
really that important? Never mind that
all of those nations are a part of the NATO alliance and that we are pledged to
defend one another if attacked by Russia. (Holy Moly!). Never mind an attack
from Russia on our allies, the Donald is having a “bro-mance” with Putin,
describing him as a “great leader.” Trump
said that “if Putin says good things about me, I will say good things about
him.” Maybe Trump would prefer an
alliance with Putin against Europe, drop the NATO Alliance altogether, forget
all about the Cold War, and open yet another Trump Tower in Moscow complete with
Russian caviar and vodka. Wow! Do you really want this guy to have the
nuclear codes? And, that is why dozens of national security leaders - Republicans all - signed an "Open Letter" criticizing his foreign policy statements and his dangerous pronouncements. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates described Trump as "beyond repair" and encouraged voters to cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton.
In his
personal life, Trump has suffered 7 bankruptcies but never lost a nickel, says
that he gives “millions” to charity over the years but will not release any
records to support that contention, and, unlike every other candidate for
President in the last 40 years, refuses to release his income taxes because…..
errr….. either he is under IRS audit
(which does not prevent disclosure of his returns), or that the campaign thinks
that the information in his return will “distract from the main message of the
campaign”, according to Donald Trump Jr.
In any case, his campaign spokesman said that the public isn’t
interested in his tax information in any case.
What do you think? Inquiring minds
want to know. What is this guy hiding?
Any one of
these statements or policy positions or hiding his financial information (did
he get a really, really large “gift” from some Russian Oligarchs?), or business
failures would likely have resulted in the crash and burn of any Presidential
campaign. But, not Donald Trump. Even support from David Duke, and hiring
the head of Alt. Right publication, Breitbart – Stephen Bannon - loaded with
racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, Birtherism, (at this writing Trump still will not admit that president Obama was born in the United States), and a full basket of conspiracy
theories like the 9-11 World Trade Center attack was a “false-flag” dark
operation conducted by the US Government in order to inflame the electorate so
that the government could invade the Middle East and seize the oil assets that
exist in Iraq - all Breitbart "facts", didn't put a dent in Trump's support. After all, what did Sadam
have to do with Osama Ben-Laden who was hiding in Afghanistan? And, what ever
happened to the WMDs? Maybe we can find
them on the Dick Cheney ranch in Wyoming.
See how easy it is to construct a conspiracy theory? Maybe there are alien babies in the Whitehouse
basement???And, then he associates himself with Roger Ailes, a recent refugee from Fox News after the network paid out more than $4,000,000 in settlement of a sexual harassment suit against Ailes.... with more to come I am sure. And, Trump brings him in as an advisor? Well... he is a pal of Roger Stone, a long-time Republican operative... and "swinger" - exposed in 1996 for placing newspaper ads seeking "swinging couples" for he and his wife to party with. Of course, you say, that was "back in the day" as well. That behavior continued at least until 2008 according to print sources and admitted by Stone, a self-described Libertarian and "Libertine." Given Trump's unguarded statements on the Entertainment Tonight bus with Billy Bush about his approach to women, seems birds of a feather do flock together.... But, what can you expect from someone - Trump - who thinks that Ted Cruz' father was somehow involved with Lee Harvey Oswald in the assassination of JFK!
So, after
all of the insults, all of the cracked theories and mis-statements, the many hair-brained
policy positions and wrong-headed notions about people, politics, and
priorities that would have sunk any other candidacy for President, Donald Trump
stands in a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton as I write this column. Weird staff changes take place, policy shop researchers quit, and his new crew - Steve Bannon of Breitbart, Roger Ailes formerly of FOX News and "swinger" Roger Stone - appear.... How can he survive that, you ask? How can that be? Really! Still in the race? Didn't sink in the polls? And, tied with Hillary? TEFLON...... can't be anything else....I may have further comments on this topic - The Teflon Donald - in the days ahead. Meanwhile, what do you think? And, while you are thinking about that.... please pass the pasta......
No comments:
Post a Comment