Head to head. Who will it be? Mayor Pete Buttigieg or Beto O'Rourke. Joe who?

POW! My guess is Beto doesn't know what hit him. Where did this dark horse come from that came galloping and jumping to the top of the candidate heap? OUT OF THE HEARTLAND People! A precious trophy for Presidential candidates and he came with more than the sparkle of a shiny object. Mayor Pete Buttigieg came with gravitas.

Beto O'Rourke was interviewed for an hour on David Axelrod's The Axe Files and I'm not sure if he said anything substantive, just the regular soup to nuts progressive talking points. He did talk about his bad boy background which I didn't know about but it did nothing to elevate him (who doesn't love a bad boy?) to someone I want to donate my hard-earned shekels to. Give him props for shaking up the Texas Senate race with an awesome ground campaign, making personal contact with thousands of voters, waking them from their somnambulism to get out and vote for chrissake and he almost made it but, as in all races, there's only one #1. His near win and the adulation of the campaign flipped his ego into overdrive and he thought he was Presidential material. Millions of people gave a whopping $80M to that race but, to me, it was more of an endorsement of the progressive message delivered by an attractive candidate. 

Then, a super smart, honest-to-god everyman comes along and talks like a regular person...albeit a brilliant one...looks you in the eye and also talks progressive values. Straight as they come, but gay, Pete Buttigieg has a solid resumé of accomplishments as mayor of South Bend. In his announcement, the message is that it's time for his generation to take over, it's time for a bright new day, "Today is the first day of a new era." Hear, Hear! The significance of the pictures of Pete and his husband, Chasten, embracing on stage, walking hand-in-hand down the steps of the stage cannot be overstated. It made me and millions of people so happy. And delighted to think of how Conservatives are throwing up right now.

As many of you know, my first love is Bernie and had Mayor Pete not shown up, he would have gotten my full attention. But I can love two people at the same time, right? Does that make us a threesome? Interestingly, in high school, Pete won the first prize for the JFK Profiles in Courage Essay Contest awarded by the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. Guess what he wrote about? Pete wrote about the integrity and political courage demonstrated by U.S. Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Imagine that. And here they are both running for President. Would love to hear their thoughts about this.

Neither Beto nor Mayor Pete have run for national office, a killer experience if there ever was one. There will be many tests, mishaps, mis-spokes, stumbles along the way...not just for them but for every one of the candidates, as there always is. Beto, who is full of boiling energy, makes me a little nervous, like I just want to hold him down for a second, to chillax. Pete couldn't be more opposite, calm, serious, thoughtful but not boring. There's enough crap roiling our nervous systems everyday that I welcome his assuring presence. There's that gravitas again. 

Pete Buttigieg is the real thing. You know, I just reminded myself that I said the same thing about Barack Obama when he surprisingly showed up as a contender. And, we got the first black President. Now we have the first Monster President (I did not predict that.) Mayor Pete will be the first gay President. Bernie will be the first Jewish President. Why can't they be co-Presidents...you know, switch every year while the other one recharges?

Here's an apt reminder for those candidates whose deluded ambitions will eventually come smack up against the reality of the winnowing process - this tagline (thanks to Next Top Model): "One Day You're In & the Next Day You're Out'" Better have a Plan B.

The Art of Being a Dictator by Donald J. Trump

The Feast of the Goat, Mario Vargas Llosa's riveting novel about dictator, Rafael Trujillo - 'the goat' - who led the Dominican Republic for thirty years, 1930 - 1961 is practically a power point presentation of how to be a dictator. I doubt Trump read it because he doesn't read, but his personality and character are all about narcissistic dictator impulses. I mean, if we're talking about being a dictator, I guess those impulses are universal.

Here are a few highlights how Trump and Trujillo mirror each other:

How To Be A Dictator #1
You think Baby Trump invented calling people insulting names? It's hard to gauge how people process the name calling, being called "criminal, lying', shady, sneaky, crazy, etc." but it's obviously intended to denigrate those that challenge him, his intellect or otherwise. There's even a Wikipedia page: List of nicknames used by Donald Trump

"Had he given him that nickname too, before he rebaptized him, in his heart of hearts, as the Walking Turd? Probably. Since his youth (Trujillo) had been good at making up nicknames. Many of the savage labels he stamped on people became part of their very flesh and eventually replaced their real names. That's what happened to Senator Henry Chirinos...they used only his devastating epithet: the Constitutional Sot."*

How To Be A Dictator #2
Could have been talking about the Baby Trump Whitehouse with Trump sadistically pitting one against the other.

"It amused Trujillo - an exquisite, secret game that he could permit himself - to observe the subtle maneuvers, the secretive stabbings, the Florentine intrigues devised one against the other by the Walking Turd and Egghead...and almost everyone else in his close circle, move ahead, be closer to and deserve greater attention, a closer hearing, more jokes, from the Chief....And in order to keep them always on the alert, to keep them from becoming moth-eaten and to avoid routine and ennui, he alternated them on the list, sending one, then the other, into disgrace."*

How To Be A Dictator #3
Trujillo insisted on fastidiousness. If a tie was slightly crooked or pants didn't have a knife-sharp crease, that would  be enough to send Trujillo round the bend. One of the reasons Baby Trump ostensibly dismissed Joseph diGenova and his wife Victoria Toensing was because they were too disheveled. I would say Trump has a way to go on this one, the way he dresses. Trujillo was meticulous about his dress.

How To Be A Dictator #4
Baby Trump has portraits of himself all over the place plus fake Time magazine covers he had hung in his golf clubs and god knows what else is around. He may be sorry he signed the bill making permanent a ban on the use of government funds to pay for oil portraits of the president, vice president, Cabinet members and lawmakers but I'm sure he will give his portrait an exemption.

"She barely noticed the portraits and pictures of the Generalissimo - on foot and on horseback, in military uniform or dressed as a farmer, sitting at a desk or standing behind a lectern and wearing the presidential sash - that hung on the walls..."*

How To Be A Dictator #5
Well, womanizing could be about any yahoo but the Trump way is creepily sleazy. Trujillo, though, was a notorious libertine specializing in deflowering young virgins. Because dictators do what they want, take what they want, anytime they want.

Trujillo was mortally afraid of being assassinated, which he eventually was, but he ruled for thirty violent years. Baby Trump eats McDonald's because he is afraid of being poisoned. There is certainly an element of self-awareness if one is fearful of being assassinated or poisoned, right?

These are but a few characteristics of someone hellbent on being a dictator. What do you think?

Very highly recommend Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa

* Feast of the Goat, #1 p. 111
* Feast of the Goat, #2 p. 177
* Feast of the Goat, #4 p. 390

How is it possible that the Nation is held hostage by a Trump minority base of dunces?

I've never been a hostage. Before now. I've heard of people being taken hostage, you know, on the evening news, listened with fear for their lives, sympathy for their situation while sipping my cocktail and checking Facebook. With knitted brow, I try to imagine what it must be like to have no control over your life, your very existence in someone else's hands. Well, now I have an inkling of what a hostage feels like because I, and the majority of citizens who are living in the United States, are experiencing the same feeling of loss of control over our lives, of running in a maze with no way out. 

As a hostage must hope, with every cell of their being, that someone is planning to rescue them imminently. We, too, (I'm assuming everyone who is not a trump supporter is 'we') hope and wish/pray that we will soon escape this national hostage nightmare. One thing I can say for sure about us, we are not afflicted with Stockholm Syndrome. (The 'base' likely is but that's for  another time.) The virtual sound of choppers overhead, heroically coming to help us escape, is about a likely as Ivanka making daddy take a truth serum. 

So much has been written and postulated about who those trump supporters are exactly. Are they stupid rural voters who never read a book? Are they greedy white collar pigs who are simply motivated by self-interest, the hell with the planet and poor people? What up with people of color voting for trump...even one? Holy shizzle, who the hell are those 53% white women who voted for him? Or better yet, how about them Obama voters who voted for trump? We know that about 30% of them voted against Hillary but what about the other brain-dead 70%? Seriously, does it even matter, at this point, because those base voters ain't moving from their unwavering position of support: "A Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 96 percent of Trump voters said that supporting Mr. Trump was the right thing to do and 2 percent said they regret their decision."

Here are the numbers when we hear trump's base is at 36%. The total amount of votes was 128,838,341. Hillary got 65,853,516; trump got 62,984,855. trump's stuck-in-quicksand base of 36% is 22,661,591. So, 22, 661,591 fucking people are HOLDING 106,176,780 PEOPLE HOSTAGE! How is that even possible? Pandering to such a minority and 'winning' is incomprehensible to me. Oh, and let's not forget the 90,000,000 reprobates who didn't bother to vote in 2016, and who, I wouldn't be surprised to learn, are railing everyday against POTUS. 

Right now, I can't see a way out of this. The Democrats have no answer except for their exceedingly stupid slogan, "Have you seen the other guys?" I will not go into how exceedingly stupid the Democratic Party is altogether but don't count on them to rescue us. Besides, they don't listen to anyone. Would you say they are paternalistic in their "Father Knows Best" snide treatment of Independent/No Party Affiliation voters? 

As a hostage, I have learned several survival tactics: cocktails, beer, wine, friends (no politics talk), inane tv, staring out a window for several hours to empty your head. It's a good time to organize your closets. What you think would help, but doesn't, is hiking in nature because it only reminds you how trump is coming for the national parks and the planet in general. Sorry, I have no answers or clever repartee. I just wanna know how this hostage situation is allowed to continue. If you have any ideas about 'why', please let me know. 

But you DO know what you have to do: VOTEVOTEVOTE and work your ass off making calls, walk precincts, drive people to the polls, be a poll watcher, register people to vote, write letters to your newspaper (they're still around for now), protest every chance you get. If you've moved, RE-REGISTER TO VOTE. And VOTE 2018.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article150045012.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article150045012.html#storylink=cpy

Hillary, Trump, Election 2016. What did we do to deserve this?

This is the worst of times. Fear and despair hang like Damocles swords above our heads, Trumpageddon, Hillarygate, Russians snooping around to unlock our weakest link, the rising tides of climate change, the newfound freedom by Deplorables to bash anyone's head in who they deem, from their point of view, deplorable. What else? There's more but you can fill in the blanks. The brutal toll this election has taken on our fragile psyches, not to mention our physical health, well, it'll be a long time coming til we get over it. Heal, no. There is no healing when we face the prospect of what's ahead. To put it quite simply, we're fucked.

But wait! Close your eyes and meditate in your time machine back to 2008, three days before the election. Damn! Life was electric! We were in a state of euphoria! Higher than kites with Hope and Change just around the corner! Our adored and esteemed candidate, Barack Hussein Obama, on the cusp of becoming the next President of the United States! OMG, life was good, life was happy. There was no question who we were going to vote for. Working side-by-side for two solid years with love and respect for our fellow volunteers - all over the country I may add - giddily, we went to the polls, thrilled to be able to vote for a candidate we believed in. What a difference eight years make.

Everyone has a Story of Self about those amazing years of passionate activism. There will never be another time like that. Yet, here we are. Battle weary from an insanely long campaign, do we have the energy to fight on? We must. We must push back from the status quo, from the DNC stranglehold on the electoral process, from the malodorous corruption within and we must push hard for the 'progressive' platform adopted to appease Bernie supporters because who can believe they really meant it. Massive props for Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, our progressive shadow Presidents.

Say, can we pass a bill about the length of campaigns? Other countries manage to elect leaders with way shorter election seasons. This is just ridiculous. Campaigns costing ONE BILLION DOLLARS. The absurdity of it all.

From now until Tuesday, I will busy myself with books and cocktails. Yes, the choices are beyond regrettable but that is what is before us. Take nothing for granted. Just GET OUT AND VOTE and gear up for the fights ahead.

Dear Hillary - An Open Letter Regarding Your Presidency

Dear Hillary -
You are one tough cookie! I'm saying that admiringly after watching you walk on the hot coals of this campaign, not once flinching, your tight smile and death stare resolute. Grrrl, you've been tested by fire whose burning embers have scorched your opponent leaving him in a pile of ashes. Good, let's sweep him away. (Did you get lucky or what to have him-who-shall-not-be named as the candidate!) You are about to finally summit the highest office in the land, a Sisyphean feat if there ever was one and for that you are to be congratulated! Let's hope all the October surprises have been spent and the next two weeks are a snooze. Somehow, I doubt it but I know you are well-prepared to deflect any onslaught.

I have to admit, I haven't always seen you in this light. Yes, you've been a tenacious combatant skillfully dodging the slings and arrows that came with scandals (self-inflicted or not) and the intense scrutiny of public life. But you have also been very adept at holding your finger up to read the zeitgeist - being 'flexible' with your positions, adept at mis-remembering, being tone deaf to the actual day-to-day misery of the majority of the citizenry and of having a miscreant love affair with Wall Street bankers. I'm still not sure where you stand on climate change. Fracking and the TPP still seem to be in play despite your come to Jesus pivot. The need for middle class jobs and taxing the wealthy are, hopefully, a revelation. I don't doubt your genuine benevolence for children and families, as you often mention, but all that caring cannot divert attention from your record on these other things. And it is your record that keeps me from lining up behind you, not, as some have implied, your hair or your voice or your pantsuits. It's a matter of beliefs and policy that are at issue for me.

As you probably can tell, I am a #stillBernie supporter and I will forever grieve for our country that Bernie wasn't allowed to become our candidate. Forces behind the scenes made sure of that but since you are the least objectionable candidate for President, I will vote for you because...Trump.

Here is what I would like you to do once you have been elected President. Since the DNC has ostensibly adopted the 'most progressive platform ever' and you have promised to follow through with everything you said on the campaign trail...no flipping...it would be great if you followed through by starting with your appointments. Your new BFF, Elizabeth Warren, is the perfect person to consult with about that. You know, no Wall Street snakes in any positions whatsoever period. And consult with Bernie because we know he has his finger on the pulse of the disaffected masses. Absolutely do not disregard the discontent of Trump supporters. They offer valuable lessons on what is not working in this country. Both Bernie and Trump have tapped into the seething rage over a 'rigged' economy, lost jobs, no jobs and terrible trade deals to name a few.

So, this is the way I hope it plays out: At the first meeting of your Clinton Cabinet, all - and I mean ALL - the uncomfortable issues that came up during the campaign are put on the table, analyzed and really 'go deep'. Look at every issue in a new light, from a new angle with creative out-of-the-box thinking. Challenge each other. Upend the status quo. Whether you like it or not, 2016 is a whole new world both culturally and economically. To understand the importance of our disparate American cultures, our distinct tribes - and they are plainly obvious - study them just as I assume you studied the distinct tribes in Iraq: Shia from Sunni Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians, Yazidis, Iraqi Turkmens. The United States is a hot bed of multiculturalism and must be examined accordingly. The Democratic 'most progressive platform ever' is a perfect road map.

Progressives will be watching you very closely and will keep pressure on you and your administration like a tourniquet. We have seen what establishment politics has gotten us - Donald Trump - so don't be doing the same crazy stuff over again hoping for a different outcome. I'm sure after the schooling of this campaign you recognize that.

As the campaign winds down and it pretty much looks like you're going to win - Irish bookmaker, Paddy Power, has already paid out on your win! - you are looking great, relaxed and full of stamina! I wish you the best of luck in your Presidency, Hillary. Your fortitude will serve you well because this is going to be one hell of a ride.

I wrote a long time ago that if people think the Republicans gave Obama a hard time, just wait until Hillary is President. They hate her to their core (sorry), they hate women and the thought of Bill Clinton roaming the halls of the White House...well, they will all suffer everlasting apoplexy. Not much will get done I'm afraid.

We know you have a penchant for secrecy, playing things close to the vest, but it would be advisable to be as transparent as possible. We, the people, deserve to know what's going on. You're going to be our President and our lives depend on you. That's no small responsibility. I'm rootin' for ya!

Hey, if you ever want some advice or ever need to vent, I'm here for you. Just email me. I'm on a secure server.

So, you're running from Hillary and Trump to Jill Stein. Why?

I'm sure Dr. Jill Stein is a lovely lady. Smart. Harvard Med School, practiced internal medicine for 25 years. A nice trim lady who, in olden times, would have made a compassionate country doctor who made housecalls to treat little Timmy's tummy ache. Okay, that's not really fair. She's done important medical research and she is an activist's activist. Done terrific activist work over the years. Wonderful résumé...and Jewish, too! But, the question is, is she really qualified to be President of the United States?

Let's get right to the point. Dr. Jill Stein has never held elective or appointive office or held any position in government. She has never run a business. If the latest Green Party convention is any indication of her leadership and organizational skills, by all accounts, the Green Party convention was a shit-show and certainly doesn't put her in the best light.

"But the disorganization, borderline paranoia and participation-ribbon mentality (literally, if the press badges were to be believed) on display left little hope that the Green Party will be anything more than an unproductive nuisance through November. Even when one calibrates one’s expectations ― it’s a given that the Green Party convention will more closely resemble a gathering of nursery school music teachers than hardened political operators ― what transpired was dismaying.

There was the convention’s agenda. It allotted ample time for privilege-checking and inventorying of everyone’s contributions to the dominant paradigm, but very little attention for nuts-and-bolts organizing, get-out-the-vote plotting and press strategizing. During one of the first gatherings of party officials Saturday morning, delegates spent nearly an hour on breathing exercises and aimless discussion about their “anti-oppression skills.” Participants came away knowing how to locate the “deep blue indigo tunnel” at the “throat center,” but not how to write an effective fundraising email."

 Read more...  ~ Eliot Nelson, HuffPost Hill Editor 

There have been people from all walks of life who have run for President who haven't held elective office but they're gone and mostly forgotten. Actual Presidents have held elective office whether as a State governor, U.S. senator, Cabinet position or other legislative offices. Only about three never held elective office before becoming President and they came out of the military: Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Source  This is not to say it's not possible. Just not probable.

We like to see our Presidential candidates' tax returns. You know, just to see which tax loopholes they're jumping through and to see how generous of heart they really are, philanthropically speaking. What a coincidence, Jill Stein *just* released part of her 2015 Federal tax return today. There's been tremendous pressure on her to do it nigh these past five years and, finally, I'm sure, reluctantly, she did. She still has not released returns from 2011to 2014 so where's the hue and cry from voters who demand other candidates do so?

Jill Stein does have something in common with D. Trump. They are both Putinistas! At a conference in Russia this past winter, she criticized the U.S. human rights record as 'shaky' (agree) without so much as a mention of Russia's rather understatedly revolting human rights record. Dare you call their picking off investigative journalists, assassinating political opponents, their vile anti-LGBT vendetta, a 'human rights policy'? Did Jill Stein forget about that when she was in Russia or did she not want to tempt the assassination snipers by even subtly pointing out those abuses?

So, I'm just curious why legions are running to vote for Stein who has zero experience in government. At least Gary Johnson and his running mate, Bill Weld, are both two-term Governors and they make an interesting team to say the least. UPDATE!!!!! Scratch doofus Gary Johnson. Bill Weld must be withering inside every time Goofy Gary (this time it does apply!) opens his mouth and nothing comes out.

So, if you have an idea why Jill Stein is the default candidate, please tell me. I really want to know.

I am sure, whatever happens, Jill Stein will continue to be an excellent activist for progressive issues and, for that, I am grateful.

Fun fact: Jill Stein has cut several albums with collaborator Ken Selcer in the folk-rock band Somebody's Sister and is able to play the conga and djembe drums and guitar so there's always that. Nobody said she wasn't talented.

Note: I am a Bernie super supporter. This is the way I spin it so I feel better: "I am not voting for Hillary. I'm voting against Trump." ie: I'm holding my nose and voting for Hillary.

Top Ten Careers for Little Barron Trump

Little Barron Trump has been blessed with THE BEST parents EVER! You couldn't ask for better parents! They have set such a high bar! In fact, they are going to start THE BEST, WINNINGEST parenting school in THE WORLD! And because Little Barron has had such exemplary models of what it means to be an adult, career opportunities galore await this "Little Donald", as his mum likes to call him*.

Peering into the crystal ball of Trumpland, after Little Barron graduates from high school, his father, the NEVER PRESIDENT, will threaten Wharton to accept his prodigy progeny or he'll set the school on fire. Unlikely to succeed at either getting Little Barron into the school (Wharton students and staff hate Trump) or at setting the school on fire as Trump's squinty eye, teensy hand coordination isn't too good and a potential scenario would that his whole sugary mop catches a spark and sets his well-tended coif on fire leaving Little Barron to attend the only school that he could get into - Trump U.

After graduating with a highly regarded degree in cronyism, the world will be his oyster! Here are the top ten careers that Little Barron's Life With Father (and Mother) have him supremely suited for along with his degree. I'm sure there are many more careers at which he would excel and be THE BEST but these shall suffice for now.

1. Hairdresser
2. Speechwriter
3. Wall builder
4. LGBTQ social worker
5. Fixer
6. Admissions admin at Trump U.
7. Gynecologist
8. Border patrol officer
9. Dealer at casino
10. Shrink

If none of these work out, he can always go into politics.

* Inquisitr March 15, 2016 Be sure and read this...it's quite instructive

The Trump Hillary Faceoff: What Did We Do To Deserve This?

C'mon. This really isn't a surprise, is it? Oh, it is? Really? So, how do you think we got here, stuck with the incomprehensible choice of two of the most unpopular people in the country? It sucks, right? Do we deserve this? Maybe.

How on earth did we get a Trump? Here's how. Forget his orange face and teeny, pudgy fingers, his ill-fitting suits (What's up with that? He can certainly afford better), his cotton candy hair. That's window dressing. Have you ever heard of 'perfect timing'? Somehow Trump emerged and tapped in to the somnolent, apathetic, undercard of the American populace. They've been simmering - seething in fact - with discontent as their world was crumbling. They're pissed, just like we are(!), at government bloat and dysfunction, corruption and laziness, the inability of Congress to get anything done aside from keeping their cushy jobs. And maybe because there was a black man in the White House who was really the one responsible for every conceivable shitty thing that was going on in their lives. Trump came along and woke them with his gutter mentality and spoke their language. Suddenly, they had a voice and became political activists, going to rallies, trolling on the internet, listening with a deaf ear to Trump's hate speech. Alarmingly, we watch them, dissidents of the establishment, morph from passive to aggressive with their ugly newfound voice.

And people have fallen asleep at the wheel. Well-meaning people think that cleverly complaining about politics and reposting opinion articles (I do that) on Facebook is being an activist. No it's not.Yeah, everyone's busy. So busy, in fact, they forgot to vote. Tell the truth, you know you don't vote in down-ticket or mid-term elections. It makes you want to cry. By being too busy to vote for your school board candidates, your council people, your Supervisor, your State Senator, your judges, you relinquish your voice and your power to effect who is elected to represent you. Every one of those people make up the foundation of our governing system. We build from the bottom up and whoever wends their way through that system to emerge at the top becomes our top tier candidates. They started somewhere and someone had to vote for them to get to the next level. Except for Donald J. Trump who busted into our lives through reality tv and the tabloids. An aberration because he's not a politician who went through the electoral process. He is just a total aberration.

But, it's Presidential season and because, for years, we didn't exercise our vote up and down the ticket, this is what we got. Often the weakest candidates win in mid-term elections simply because of low voter turnout and those are the people who become incumbents who then are hard to get rid of and who often rise to the top (The Peter Principle) to become weak Presidential candidates. So, we do get what we deserve. That is unless, miracle of miracles, one honest, authentic, progressive (no flip flopper here!) politician manages to rise like a phoenix and upset this entire election miasma to save us all. No, the rest of this is not a paean to Bernie. You can safely read on.

The Trumpians are really pissed at the government because they feel they haven't been heard. You know who they should be mad as hell at? They should be mad as hell at their ineffective Tea Party! They have been led them down a fantastical path where the promise to live in a deranged Utopia of hate and guns and hegemony was dangled before their myopic eyes and what have they got to show for it? Somehow all the anti-abortion legislation and the NRA making sure no one got their hands on their precious guns - well, aside from little Johnnie who shot his father - all that hasn't done shit for their bottom line. Incomes are down 6.5% since the start of the recession. The fear that drove them to embrace the Tea Party and their fundamentalist, neo-libertarian promises hasn't worked out too well. Right-wingers have not seen much accomplished even in their Fascistic universe. Yes, we (the good guys!) are beyond frustrated by those obstructionist right-wing politicians because they have been at the forefront of an astonishing do-nothing Congress. But they haven't done anything for their supporters either. Tea Partiers probably don't realize why they're pissed but the people they've elected have done zippo for them and they are sick of it - sick of government and sick of their pathetic representatives...although they would never say that. And now the asylum inmates think they have finally found their Messiah. Donald J. Trump. Well, at least now, they're involved in the political process.

The Democratic Party should use their millions to support a PR campaign to educate people about what voting means leading them through the process from the bottom to the top, how it affects electoral outcomes and how precious each vote is. And let's throw in a national day off to vote. Please vote every election...

Mr. Obama, Have You No Sense Of Decency, Sir?

My blood is boiling. And yours should be, too. This New York Times article just reported that Obama, at a $33,400 ticket fundraiser in Texas for the DNC, told donors that it was time to back Hillary.  President Obama may just have lost the election for Hillary by putting Bernie on the back burner and dissing the whole democratic process. Bernie's legions will not take kindly to this.

"But while he stressed that he was not endorsing either candidate, and that both would make good presidents, Mr. Obama went on to lavish praise on Mrs. Clinton, describing her as smart, tough and experienced, and said that she would continue the work of his administration." 

Guess what? I don't want the next President to continue the work of his administration. I'm not going to list why - I've written plenty about 'why' - but we need fresh thinking and someone with the courage to take on the 'Establishment'. Enough with the status quo.

But the worst part of this is Obama's behind-closed-doors, sneaky 'endorsement' of Hillary. Remember when Mitt Romney was caught on video talking about the 47%? Well, this leak could be Obama's Waterloo. Once again, he's snubbed his nose at progressives. He did it when they put him the White House - make no mistake, progressives early and enthusiastic support was a good part of what propelled him - and now, again, he's kicking them in the balls by not even acknowledging all the progressive supporters' hard work and money and renewed excitement for the political process. Could Mr. Obama be any more disrespectful for the democratic process? He so much as said 'they don't matter'. Imagine if someone told Obama to back out and 'come together' for Hillary at this point in his '08 campaign.

"Mr. Obama has been careful in public to avoid disparaging Mr. Sanders, given his deeper history and relationship with Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Obama also does not want to alienate the liberal voters who have flocked to Mr. Sanders."

Well, Mr. Obama, it's too late. You have pissed off and alienated millions of people. Those "liberal voters" you pretend to care so much about will not forget this no matter what kind of scare tactics you or the media proclaim. Many people are mightily motivated now to upset the whole apple cart and not vote for the coronated nominee because it would only be more of the same. Hillary might be singing the same tune as Bernie right now but she's a terrible singer and, as sure as night is day, I don't think one person believes she will keep her word.

The idea that Hillary as the front-runner and nominal nominee would give her an advantage because of the longer timeline...well, I have no idea what Obama and the DNC is smoking. The longer Hillary is out front, the longer she would be a target for Trump's assaults. He's already started and, as I've said before, he will chew her up and spit her out. He will harp on the FBI investigation, her emails, Benghazi til the cows come home. Any facts about the investigation will not matter a wit to Donald Trump and he will harp on it til his followers believe it as 'fact'. And, that is just the beginning. Bill Clinton will come in for a major drubbing and no stone or cigar will be left unturned.

"Those in attendance described an urgency in Mr. Obama’s tone as he suggested that Democrats needed to come together to prevent an opening for the Republicans, whose leading candidate is Donald J. Trump, to exploit."

What 'opening' is Mr. Obama talking about?

This is a shocking turn of tactics for Obama. To reiterate, he has just royally pissed off millions of potential Democratic voters who 'frankly, don't give a damn' anymore about politics as usual. Let's say Bernie loses and is not the nominee, it would take a few weeks of mourning for his supporters to accept it. If Obama had heaped praise and love on Bernie and Bernie's supporters now, instead of marginalizing them, if he made them feel welcome then they might not see fit to turn their backs on the Party come November. But it would take massive mediation and therapy to get Bernie's people in the Dems corner at this point. Let the chips fall where they may...and fall they will.

Donald Trump: A Case Study of Mental Illness Not Being Taken Seriously by the Media

"What has this country come to?" It's asked everyday, by everyone, no matter their politics. It's the one question that we can all agree on even though the reasons are somewhat different. But don't stop the questioning there...it's not just rhetorical. You have to wonder how a man with a diagnosable mental disorder, someone you might have seen on a soapbox in Hyde Park spewing crazy shit, is allowed to run around like a delusional maniac believing he could be President of the United States. But, Ladies and Gentlemen, that is exactly what is happening here; and, it is gleefully being covered - fucking daily ad nauseum - by media outlets and so-called journalists. You know who I'm talkin' about. Do I really have to say his name one more time? Is there one person in the whole USA who doesn't know about this troll? Okay, okay - Donald Trump. But I don't want to address all the stupid crap he's regurgitating out of his ugly mouth. 

It's about how this country deals with the mentally ill. Luckily for Trump, he has a home and isn't one of the thousands of homeless people on the street because, except for that home, he would fit right in with his - here's the diagnosis - narcissistic megalomania as easily as the guy I saw last night in downtown L.A. yelling at some imaginary persecutor. But no one was covering this poor soul's insane ramblings. And he had better hair. Here again is the class divide even though they are on equal footing mentally. The Donald was fortunate to be born into a wealthy family so he kind of flew under the radar. 

In fact, his disorder was looked upon as a path to success. Here, this guy wrote about it:
Being A Narcissistic Megalomaniac With Sociopathic Tendencies May Mean You Have An Advantage In Business, According To Psychologist Oliver James  But, the chickens will come home to roost someday and it won't be pretty. To wit: "The final stage of NPD is the part of a narcissist’s life when the world they have known in the past starts to spin out of their control. The loss of power and prowess over others is devastating to a megalomaniac narcissist. It damages and unhinges the narcissist psychologically and emotionally, leading to an intra-personal implosion followed by a violent explosive end for the narcissist and others around them." This guy was writing about Jim Jones but, hey, you might say Trump is feeding his followers Kool-Aid.

Does the fact that so many people (aka Tea Partiers) support him mean that they are crazy, too? At the very least, they are enablers in a co-dependent relationship. Can it get any worse? Why is the media covering this guy so relentlessly when he should be tackled and put in straitjacket to be tucked away in a mental ward before we all go nuts. It's not funny or amusing any more. He is making us the laughingstock of the world. ISIS must be ROFLMFAO.

It's time for the media to take some responsibility (ha, that's an old trope) for how they are presenting the news. Most people are not news junkies, like I and many of my friends are, so what they see is what they believe and that is a pretty straightforward transaction. People are busy, they don't have to think about it. But the reality is, Donald Trump has a mental disorder* and the press isn't talking about it. Why not? Afraid they'll get reamed my Mr. Born-to-Sue? It is an awful thing to reward people for awful behavior and it doesn't help the conversation that should be addressed - mental illness.

I don't believe Trump is a real 'threat' to become the GOP nominee (UPDATE: Looks like he will) nevermind President, (still stand by this) but I wish he and his grotesque orange face would get out of my face. Let the other nincompoops have equal time. BTW, do you think Trump and Boehner share a tanning bed?

*Psychology Today

Narcissistic Personality Disorder involves arrogant behavior, a lack of empathy for other people, and a need for admiration-all of which must be consistently evident at work and in relationships. People who are narcissistic are frequently described as cocky, self-centered, manipulative, and demanding. Narcissists may concentrate on unlikely personal outcomes (e.g., fame) and may be convinced that they deserve special treatment. Related Personality Disorders: Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic. Narcissism is a less extreme version of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Narcissism involves cockiness, manipulativeness, selfishness, power motives, and vanity-a love of mirrors. Related personality traits include: Psychopathy, Machiavellianism.

Narcissists tend to have high self-esteem. However, narcissism is not the same thing as self-esteem; people who have high self-esteem are often humble, whereas narcissists rarely are. It was once thought that narcissists have high self-esteem on the surface, but deep down they are insecure. However, the latest evidence indicates that narcissists are actually secure or grandiose at both levels. Onlookers may infer that insecurity is there because narcissists tend to be defensive when their self-esteem is threatened (e.g., being ridiculed); narcissists can be aggressive. The sometimes dangerous lifestyle may more generally reflect sensation-seeking or impulsivity (e.g., risky sex, bold financial decisions).