The Constitutional Candidate

“We, the people,” need an opposition party and the Democrats continue to function as a political party. They respond to situations through traditional political means, rely on procedural checks and balances to carry the day. Rather than push through nominations and legislative agenda party leaders respect the process. Trust in free and transparent future elections, legislative rules, and the motives that those who engage in public service do so to act on the public’s best interests and in accordance with opinion polls and the desires of local constituents.

From the very first hanging chad Republican leaders employed a different strategy. Far more proactive Republicans push nominations, agenda, political investigations, Justices and even Presidents through and then seek permission after they seize power. They get ahead of all narratives prior to results so that they control public perception. This tactic became even more brazen following Romney’s loss in 2012. The realization that the public had fully rejected the Republican ideology of trickle down economics built on a military industrial complex. Desperate times call for desperate measures and the rich, white, Christian aristocracy that had been in control of America for generations wasn’t about to step aside because demographics and social progress demanded it so.

Americans don’t need to nominate a candidate for President through a Democratic convention. Donald Trump knows a criminal indictment awaits his return to civilian life. The office of Presidency his only shield from prison. He is never going to be defeated through the political process. A “Democrat” will never coalesce enough support to overwhelmingly drive our Mad King from his throne.

Americans need to discover an opposition leader from a Constitutional Convention of sorts. We need to find a leader from within. Somebody who will stand up and unite the great majority of Americans under one umbrella. Common sense gun control, mental health awareness, affordable health care for all, the right to a safe and available abortion, LBGTQ+ equality, affordable education, controlled borders, fiscal restraint, a strong military and modern defense capabilities…there may be political differences as to the degree and controls afforded these rights but the overwhelming majority of us agree that these rights reflect the values of America.

The majority also take pride in our immigrant heritage and standing in the world as the land of hope and opportunity to all. We do not believe it to be a zero-sum equation that you either have open borders or walls and closed borders. That you either merit entrance or have no value to our society.

There is no two party system in America. Republicans no longer represent political positions. They are a fringe party that has coalesced fringe issues into a single party. The only way to counter that is to do the same. To find a leader that will advocate for America, our common beliefs, our values, the rights enumerated under the Constitution. The job of President is not political, it is moral. We need someone who understands this and has the courage to defend America’s morals and values regardless of what party, or candidate it may offend.

That is that the only path forward at this point. Cast politics aside and coalesce around the moral majority. There are more of us than there are them. We can still stop this thing and restore our democracy. Perhaps Mark Cuban can lead the search and preliminary interviews. Narrow down the field and produce a reality show called “The Constitutional Candidate.” #HistoryHasItsEyesOnYou

Conspiracy Theory

Conspiracy theory is a favorite weapon of the rising authoritarian. The most skilled and ultimately successful strongmen are able to wield conspiracy both as an offensive and defensive instrument. They use it both to legitimize those who sit on the extremes of society and then ostracize those who reside in the moderate center, the moral majority. It’s classic gaslighting and, no surprise, but it is a favorite tool of this caravan of criminals and corrupt enablers that now sit at the controls of our nation.

Take Donald Trump as an example. Trump’s political rise was birthed by his embrace of conspiracy. Legitimizing the deplorables of society by giving a mainstream voice to a baseless race baiting accusation that the first Black President of the United States was born outside of the country. More so Trump proclaimed, it’s your worst dreams come true because he has proof that proof exists that Barack Hussein Obama is actually a secret Muslim born in and therefore loyal to the barbaric cause of a shithole African country!

Gurrrl please, Trump’s twitter avatar may as well wear a tin foil hat. His feed and timeline a virtual opus of dog whistles and baseless accusation against the deep state. That he now uses conspiracy to divide and assault our perception of Antifa, the Clinton’s or Epstein’s death, is par for the course.

What is unique about the coordinated response to Epstein’s death is how Trump and the GOP mouthpieces are able to fan both sides of the conspiracy with this one trigger. On the one hand you see Twitler using his favorite medium to sling some serious red meat fodder; his very contribution to the #ClintonBodyCount. On the other side we see clickbait headlines strewn across social media and the echo chamber of right wing talking points making the Sunday rounds bemoaning the “mainstreaming of conspiracy theory.” A carefully orchestrated symphony of disinformation.

Ridiculous. Epstein’s death is not what brought about the birth of mainstream conspiracy theories. Donald Trump is the one and only birther of all such things conspiracy theory.

Like all bullies this administration’s plan is to use false equivalents and misdirection to marginalize, delegitimize and, if necessary, squash dissent and opposition. Doing so allows them to present alternative facts and declare phony national emergencies, only now without the alternatives or independent oversight. Lies then become truth, and conspiracy and perception reality.

Psycho Therapy

Donald Trump is a literal caricature of every villain of every film ever made. A billionaire product of affluent affirmative action who sells himself as a man of the people. A self proclaimed tycoon who was placed directly at the top of the business pyramid. A man-child who does not understand what it means to actually lead. Knows not what it feels like to earn a promotion, to advance on merit, not name.

What Americans see today is the result of a chief executive who was able to skip the lessons of middle management. Who may have learned to deal but was never schooled on the art of empathy, humility, accountability and communication.

The Don truly is a genius only in his own mind. So poor at business that he literally bankrupted both casinos and real estate conglomerates at the height of the economy. In every way the opposite of a man who embodies the original American dream. Forget reelection to the Oval Office, he wouldn’t even merit entry into our country

United Against Hate

America is not red states & blue states when it comes to all things. We are the United States. United against Nazis, klansmen, white supremacists & their ideologies of hate. United in pride for our immigrant heritage and in our standing as the beacon for hope and liberty to all throughout the world

Don’t take the bait this time. Ignore the rhetoric, sound bites and tweetstorms. This is not a political fight. It’s a moral one #ProudToBeAnAmerican

Sound the Alarm

Prior to the ascension of our Donald Trump I had never used Facebook as a platform, but consider me an alarmist. I believe we all have a responsibility to speak out. The only thing I ever learned in Hebrew school was “never forget,” and I haven’t.

All of America is faced with a simple choice, #Resistance or #Appeasement.

America has a long history of standing up to bullies and Nazis. The vast majority of us teach our children that name calling and excluding other kids on basis of race, gender or religion is not okay. We take pride in the melting pot that is America. Recognize that diversity IS the American identity. We can’t change that anymore than a tiger its stripes. A list of all the great contributions immigrants, minorities and refugees have made to this country would dwarf a list of their misdeeds a million times over. Americans are waking. We know who we are. And we like it that way.

I urge all in #GOP, including the so called “moderates” who serve this administration, to declare yourself an independent, a freedom fighter or whatever heroic name you wish to give yourselves. Find the courage within you. Make clear to the Divider in Chief that you stand for the people and the constitution and he will have trouble if he messes with either.

This is not about politics. Look at Trump’s words. Log into twitter and review his timeline of tweets. It is repulsive. You’d be ashamed of your child if that was the method they used to become class president. He is a man of flawed character. He does not share OUR values and we must stand up together and punch him in the nose.

This shitshow has gone on long enough. It’s time to cut commercial and bring the adults back into the room. We can no longer afford to play Russian roulette with our values, our democracy or the lives of our future generations

The Boiling Frog

According to lore if you place a frog into a pot of boiling water it will jump right out and escape its impending doom. If, however, the frog is put into a pot of warm water and then brought to a slow boil it will not perceive of the danger until it’s too late. The poor frog is cooked to death.

The lesson of the story isn’t found in the frog’s death, but in its life. It’s that the frog never thought to escape. It was always just a hop away from freedom but chose to remain passive. Why? Because it couldn’t even perceive of the danger that lay ahead. Welcome to America’s democracy.

The warning signs are all there. From the inept Cabinet picks and partisan judicial nominations. To the war on the free press and creation of Sean Hannity’s Ministry of Propaganda. To the reckless wag the dog foreign policy. To the manufactured inquiry into Obama’s deep state. Deranged Donald has done more to destroy our democratic institutions, strip away individual freedoms and erode our standing as the beacon of hope and freedom to the world’s oppressed and underprivileged than any modern American leader.

Moreover, the majority of us understand that there is more to this Russia story. That Deranged Donald craves nothing more than power, adoration and fortune and will go to any lengths to protect his legacy, his bank account and family name. That he acts as if compromised by Putin in everything from his repeated refusal to implement sanctions, to his hiring of Flynn and Manafort, to his flagrant obstruction, to his shady real estate dealings, to his passing along of classified information, to the secret meetings, to the tipping them off of impending military operations, all the way to the outright refusal to directly say anything negative about his Puppetmaster Putin.

Put aside that alone may mean he has de facto command of the two most powerful military forces the world has ever known. That he will never permit the liberal witch hunt to end in his removal from office. Consider only what we know instead. That Russia continues to actively promote his agenda through misinformation campaigns on social media and by actively seeking to interfere in our midterm elections. That American intelligence is aware of this activity. That our so called President has done absolutely nothing about it! Why may that be? Might it be that a free and fair election may not be in his best interest. That the thought of a Democrat controlled House alone keeps him up at night with worry that the naked Emperor will be exposed. It’s the one contingency he must not allow.

It’s time for the majority to wake up. We must not allow past experiences to lull us into a false of security. The water is getting mighty warm. It’s time we jump out of this simmering cauldron and recognize what is at stake. Traditional checks and balances do not apply to unconventional threats.

We cannot afford to sit back passively and wait for a long off Election Day to voice our displeasure. We need our citizens to engage in bold and direct action. National strikes, sit-ins, daily ooemonstrations and other disruptive but non-violent methods are required. We need to leave our comfort zones and make proactive sacrifice. The freedoms we take for granted can literally be wiped away with a stroke of a pen; an impulsive tweet, or the push of a button.

What If….

Two simple words that comprise one of the most powerful phrases in the English language. Once the psyche enters a “what if” wormhole it may be lost for hours, occupied in an endless maze of regrets and gratitudes. What if I had been there…What if i hadn’t quit…What if those chads didn’t hang…What if she had said yes…What if I spoke up…

The one thing I learned in Hebrew School was “never forget,” and I haven’t. We know what happens when a citizenry turns a blind eye to the everyday horrors unfolding around them. When a deluge of carefully orchestrated propaganda, false equivalents, sound bites and alternative facts enable a fearful and threatened demographic to perform acrobatic feats of cognitive dissonance to normalize, what in other times would be considered irrational actions. I will not suffer that fate. There is too much to lose. The only way to preserve the dreams of the future is to heed the lessons of the past.

Donald Trump is far from an original. The recent past alone provides a litany of would be authoritarians who proved capable of hijacking democratic institutions to slowly consolidate power. That Trump is the first to so blatantly do so from the Oval Office hardly makes him unique in his technique.

He seeks to divide the citizens of this country along racial, socioeconomic and political lines in order to deflect from his own scandals and advance the agenda and interests of a select few. He uses his bully pulpit to marginalize, belittle, conflate, delegitimize and, if necessary, squash dissent and opposition. Doing so allows him to continue presenting alternative facts, only now without the alternatives. Lies then become truth, and perception reality.

Though his tactics are tried and true the danger posed is no less real. Donald Trump and his merry bannon of deplorables pose a clear and present danger to the experiment in individual freedoms our founding fathers set in motion generations ago. He makes no secret of his intent; his desire to deconstruct and eliminate outdated democratic institutions. He seeks to rip the very fabric of America’s soul from its identity, to dim the light that serves as a beacon of hope and freedom to the poor, disenfranchised and oppressed who suffer across the globe.

The right to a free and independent press, the right of assembly, the right to be free from religious persecution, the necessity of checks and balances with three equal, though often inept, branches of government. These essential ideals are all under attack. The yuge majority of Americans realize that we are the great melting pot. That diversity IS the American identity and what has always made us great. We can’t change that anymore than a tiger can change its stripes. A list of all the great contributions immigrants and refugees have made to this country would dwarf a list of their misdeeds a million times over. Yet that is what appears to be at stake.

To those who continue to support our so called President, understand this. All you are doing is identifying yourself as a dinosaur. Painting a scarlet letter on your sleeve that your way of thinking and very belief system will soon be relegated to the history books. Think carefully about your next move.

The pathway to perdition is paved in ignorance. Do not suffer that fate. Do not remain passive. Future generations need not wonder where you stood when our leaders decided to play Russian roulette with our democracy. Do not be left to wonder what if…

Greed is the Word

The greatest threat to capitalism has never been socialism. That’s just a boogeyman to distract you from the real enemy, greed.

The insatiable appetites and desires of those who lust for unimaginable masses of riches and will go to any lengths imaginable to gain it. The gluttony of those who rig the system to hang on to what’s theirs and to instill artificial barriers to entry to prevent others from obtaining market share. The insecurities that lead those in power to legislate a permanent caste system to protect their future generations and insulate them from competition.

Make no mistake. The greatest threat to the “American Dream” is Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, the Koch brothers and the old money white aristocracy that makes up the majority of today’s GOP and Senate. The very people who seek to sow fear and marginalize Democratic Socialists do so with the worst of intent.

There’s a reason greed is a deadly sin. Ultimately it will destroy whatever it touches. A free market economic system based on merit and public value is no exception. That those who most benefitted from that system now sit back and cheer its destruction is hardly a surprise. It’s one thing for a talented tycoon to inherit his way to the top, it’s a whole other thing to stay there.

Hamilton and the designers of our capitalist system were aware of the danger of avarice and market manipulation. It’s why they so many legislative safeguards and checks and balances were designed to mitigate the risk of greed (not socialism). Unfortunately those guardrails were meant to protect us against individual beings, not political parties, corporate conglomerates, lobbies and unidentifiable PACs. When the courts extended inalienable rights typically reserved for those with flesh, blood and a pulse to these nebulous and nefarious groups they essentially short circuited our republic. Our checks and balances were not designed for the modern world. Our constitutional rule book no longer applies

America, What a Country

Trump is an empty vessel. A freelance reality show host available for hire. Stick a storyline in front of him, tell him the type of character he is to play and he can obfuscate with the greats. If you don’t believe he can do it just check out his work on The Apprentice when for the first and only time in his life the man uttered the words “you’re fired” while looking the terminated employee in the eye. As an aside I hope when Pelosi decides its time to do her actual job she simply sends @realdonaldtrump a tweet, “You’re being impeached!”

The point is Trump’s only agenda is power and money, everything else he does are terms in the art of deal. His entire administration a giant quid pro quo to multiple masters, Russian oligarchs included.

There’s a reason each faction of the GOP stands behind Trump. Military hawk, Christian conservative, trickle down white establishment prick, or true deplorable it matters not, there’s room for all in Trump’s world. It’s all gobblygook to him anyway. What does he care if he has to portray himself as a pro-life, pro-Christ, confederate loving, gun-toting, America First, proud to be a redneck summabitch. So long as it keeps him out of jail, earns him millions and results in his becoming the most powerful man in the world he’s happy to play along.

The rest of the GOP. They know this. They know it’s all an act but they don’t care so long as each agenda continues to get pushed. They also know that by pretending to represent everyone Trump is the only man who can unify the GOP. That the modern GOP is truly just a collection of “other” that was ready to go extinct from the national stage following back to back losses to a Black man of all things. All that remained was a loose fabric of fiscal conservatism that held a potpourri of single issue voters together. The truth is the GOP is still nothing more than a regional political platform, the NHL of political world.

As for the GOP electorate it’s no wonder they coalesced around Trump and idolize him. He’s the only national candidate who actually legitimized all regional issues into a single national platform. That he abandoned fiscal conservative principles to do so was collateral damage. The so called moderate Republicans were really secret liberal elites anyway like Comey, Will, McCabe, Mueller, and Gates. The rest of the conservative population continue to idolize the only national voice, outside of right wing media, that actually speaks for them.

Truth is Trump is a puppet and his political handlers continue to ride out the storm counting their return on investment. Big grins on their faces as the rich get richer, the military grows, arms race revive, the preconditions for Armageddon get closer and the bigots are given equal standing to the peaceful protestors.

I won’t pretend to know the thoughts of Vladimir Putin as he observes the international chaos he has no doubt directed, but imagine they echo those of another famous Russian, Yakov Smirnof, in his assessment of our affairs, “America, what a country!”

People Over Party

Resist the urge to take the bait. This isn’t a story about Trump or Clinton. It’s a story about pedophilia and sex trafficking. It’s about the private lifestyle of the rich and powerful and their privileged status that sits above the laws of accountability.

Regardless of last name, regardless of party allegiance, whoever took part in the illicit behavior, helped to cover it up, obstruct the investigation of, or failed to protect key witnesses or preserve evidence in should be held to account.

We are all on the same side here. Let’s demand a full and transparent investigation. In fact, let’s reserve a special place in Guantanamo for the guilty. The national emergency exists within our borders and “we, the people”need to coalesce and unify around our common interests and shared values.

Drown out the divisive voices and cast them back to the corners. If the preponderance of evidence shows that Trump and Clinton are two sides of the same coin, so be it. This isn’t a political fight, it’s a moral one.