FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Jan 9

Trump set up Vice President Mike Pence’s down-fall among his supporters

by bcurry

VP Mike Pence came under intense pressure from Donald Trump to toss out the election results during the confirmation within Congress of the Electoral College votes validating the win by President-elect Joe Biden and VP-elect Pamela Harris.  However, Pence had no constitutional authority to do any such thing, and he correctly refused to buckle to the President’s demands to engineer a procedural coup that would keep him in power.  It has been reported by sources close to the vice president that he clearly was being set up as a “scapegoat” to shoulder the blame by angry Trump supporters.

What is further egregious is that during the Capital Hill riot by Trump supporters, the President and top White House officials did not even contact the vice president to ensure that he and his family, who were inside the U.S. Capitol at the time, were unharmed.  Several rioters were reported to have shouted that they were looking to find the vice president in order to capture and execute him as a traitor.  In spite of this, full credit must be given to the vice president for his return following the riot to continue the debate and the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes in Congress.

However, where does this moment leave Mike Pence’s status as a potential Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2024?  Here was a man who had been extremely loyal to Donald Trump throughout his presidency.  Now he obviously has been thrown under the bus by Trump who just can’t admit defeat and wants another scapegoat.  As witnessed in reports from the Republican National Committee following the Capitol rioting, there nevertheless remains continuing support for Trump’s leading role in the GOP.  Moreover, despite evidence to the contrary, party members, one after another, said in interviews that the president did not bear any blame for the violence at the Capitol.  However, privately, a group of Republican officials, mostly those from the pre-Trump establishment wing of the party, said that they were appalled by the president’s conduct.  Alas, there is a clear division within the GOP as to how to proceed without angering Trump’s base which they continue to perceive as crucial to win future elections.

Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz obviously tried to position themselves as heirs to Trump’s base and they remained largely unrepentant for their actions after this week’s deadly riot.  However, a group of Republican officials, mostly those from the pre-Trump establishment wing of the party, said that they were appalled by the each senator’s conduct during the certification of election results.  The GOP for now is a very divided party.  After all, a lot of introspection needs to occur among Republicans as to where the party is going and what will be its future electoral platforms.  One needs to remember that Trump is the first president since Herbert Hoover to preside over the loss of the White House, the House and the Senate in a single term.  Despite the election results, the Republican rank and file don’t yet appear to be all that fazed!

At this time, Mike Pence appears to be the odd man out.  Will Trump ever forgive him for failing to attempt to toss out the election results?  Trump has never appeared to be a very forgiving person when it comes to anyone appearing to be disloyal to him.  One only has to look at his past erratic history with those supposedly close to him.  When it comes to future political aspirations within the GOP, good luck Mr. Pence for you’ll need it.

Donald Trump Presidential Election 2020 US US Politics

Leave a comment »
Jan 4

Americans in 2021 will be even more divided than ever

by bcurry

While one may welcome in the New Year, there is little doubt that Americans will be even more divided than ever.  Even a pandemic could not bring Americans together after the recent presidential election.  Spurred on by outgoing President Trump, numerous Republicans and conspirators such as QAnon, many Americans believe that his re-election was stolen by a corrupt voting system.  They have managed to put the very essence of democracy under a microscope for all the wrong reasons.

Many Americans look at Democrats and see a party made up primarily of radical lefties, blacks, LGBtQ+, and belonging to an apparatus run by political elites, business leaders and Hollywood celebrities who are also pedophiles and actively working against Trump.  Democrats see Republicans as white, right-wing, evangelical and gun-toting folk.  While these perceptions are far from the truth, polls nevertheless have shown that they are basically how both sides like politically to characterize the other party’s membership.  Even concerted efforts to deal with the pandemic have not brought the two sides any closer together.

Following the U.S. election outcome, several Republicans in Congress and elsewhere have unfortunately continued to cater to Trump’s base by promoting false and misleading accusations about the voting process.  With so much anger in the air and a President who refuses to concede his loss, the political and social atmosphere is more toxic than ever.  The right-wing extremist Proud Boys will march on Washington as Senator Ted Cruz leads 12 GOP senators who are still trying futilely to overturn the results of the presidential election only to appease Trump’s base.

What all this means is that President-elect Joe Biden’s first major challenge will be to convince many Americans that his administration is legitimate, something rarely heard of in U.S. history.  Protests will follow with both pro-Biden and pro-Trump supporters attempting to out shout the other side in front of far from neutral media.   Depending on what happens in the two Georgia runoffs for the U.S. Senate, Congress may or may not become a continuing stalemate of ideological differences.  President-elect Biden’s administration will have their work cut out for them to get anything significant accomplished in the next four years.  With the divisions running so deep and Donald Trump screaming in the Twitter background, one cannot envy the challenges that his administration will face in the coming months.

Donald Trump Joe Biden Presidential Election 2020 US US Politics

Leave a comment »
Dec 20

When Sedition Enters In To The Lexicon of Trump’s Administration

by bcurry

According to the New York Times, Donald Trump recently discussed with Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser, the possibility of imposing martial law to overturn the election.  Having lost all of his court cases alleging fraud during the presidential election and with the Electoral College having given Joe Biden the majority of electors needed to make him officially President-elect, Trump is at the end of his rope.  Or maybe not?

Apparently, in his meeting with Trump and his advisors, Flynn suggested that the President send troops into the swing states which he lost to Biden in November and have the military basically rerun an election in each of those states.  If true, the proposal would represent the or speech inciting rebellion against the legitimate authority of a state.  Insurrection is a violent uprising against authority and coup is a sudden violent seizure of power from a government.  Even the mere contemplation of such an act by the Commander-in-Chief is alien to Americans, particularly as one of the military’s principal responsibilities is to defend the constitution of the United most drastic and unconscionable move by Trump up until now.  All kinds of thoughts come to mind, comprised of concepts such as sedition, insurrection and coup.  Sedition is defined as conduct States.

The next stage in the election timetable is when the House and Senate hold a joint session to count the electoral votes, with the hearing presided over by Vice-President Mike Pence.  This is normally a formality, although some Republicans may like to challenge the result through a debate in both chambers.  Such a challenge has no chance of succeeding.  To all intents and purposes, President-elect Biden now represents the new head of government, only to be inaugurated.  The inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, 2021 as the 46th president of the United States will mark the commencement of his four-year term president and Kamala Harris as the vice-president.  Democracy will live on in the U.S. despite Trump’s desire to undermine it.

According to the New York Times, Trump also weighed appointing Sidney Powell as special counsel within the White House to investigate voter fraud.  Ms. Powell promoted conspiracy theories about rigged voting machines.  Several lawsuits related to election fraud filed by Ms. Powell have been tossed out of court.  In addition, legal action has been launched by Dominion Voting Systems against Ms. Powell over her baseless claims about its voting machines.  In both of the above irrational proposals, the President was advised that he had no constitutional authority for what was being discussed and any subsequent appointment could not be affiliated with the Justice Department.  Thus, such an appointment would be meaningless. 

All this to say that Donald Trump is now treading on thin ice!  Any proposal for military action by Trump should be considered as an act of sedition.  What Trump should be doing is simply offering his concession and helping to plan the transition to a new administration, like his modern predecessors before him.  American democracy demands it!

Donald Trump Presidential Election 2020 US US Politics

Leave a comment »
Dec 13

Sorry To See Trump Leave Office, But Not Too Sorry

by bcurry

Well, an era is coming to an end once Donald Trump leaves office.  Indeed, it’s all definitely been weird and left one with a lot of stuff to blog about.  Just look at a few of blog titles noted below as issued over the last four years.  The fact that Trump continues to contest the election results should be of no surprise.  The surprise may be that many Republicans are continuing to support the President, even though it means contesting the very fundamental nature of American democracy.  It certainly is a sad state of affairs, especially given all of the ridiculous law suits filed with numerous courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, aimed at overruling valid election results.  Now that all this meaningless litigation has apparently been put to bed, maybe the current administration can get on with the transition business toward new governance.

Unfortunately, Trump continues to stir up his supporters which has galvanized protest marches and counter protests across the nation, some even resulting in violence.  Trump has undermined their confidence in the electoral system, something which may take years to repair.  As well, Trump is building up a war chest to be used to finance his future activities and propaganda as to how his re-election was stolen.  One can certainly foresee more bluster on the part of Trump.  In the meantime, what does all this mean for the dysfunctional Republican Party?  How are the Republicans going to recover in order to become more centrist and recover the support of independent voters, while distancing themselves from ultra-right extremists? 

Meanwhile, the rest of the world, including Canadians, watches as the great American democracy is being torn apart.  Hopefully, the administration under President-elect Joe Biden will be able to bring enough Americans together in order to effectively deal with serious domestic and international issues, and once again to provide much-needed global leadership.  Let’s say good riddance to one era of division and vindictiveness, while heralding in the start of a new era promoting hope and the collective well being. 

Donald Trump Presidential Election 2020 US

Leave a comment »
Dec 7

Waning Support for Death Penalty Won’t Stop Trump from Proceeding with Executions

by bcurry

The Trump administration is ratcheting up the pace of federal executions prior to his leaving office.  Having resumed executions in 2019 for federal crimes, there have been 13 executions since last July.  His administration resumed putting inmates to death after a 17-year hiatus.  This will cement Trump’s legacy as the most prolific execution president in over 130 years. While President Obama had placed a moratorium on federal executions, he left the door open for future presidents to resume them.  It is reported that Attorney General William Barr defended the extension of executions into the post-election period, saying he’ll likely schedule more before he departs the Justice Department. 

It should be remembered that the U.S. is the only Western industrialized country to continue to have the death penalty.  The death penalty was ‘de facto’ abolished in Canada in 1963 and ‘de jure’ by legislation in 1999.  An Angus Reid survey in 2012 indicated that fifty percent of Canadian respondents said they prefer life imprisonment without the possibility of parole while only 38 percent supported the death penalty.  Interestingly, according to the same survey, 88 percent of respondents who voted Conservative in the 2011 federal election were more likely to regard the death penalty as appropriate — much in line with their Republican counterparts in the U.S.

At last count, President-elect Joe Biden is a death penalty foe, and a spokesman told the American Press that Biden would work to end the death penalty for federal crimes once he is in office next January.  However, this still currently leaves the death penalty as a legal capital punishment in 28 American states.  Last year, those states carried out a combined 22 executions.  However, most states halted executions since the start of the pandemic as a safety measure in prisons. 

Another concern for the federal government and the affected states is the current shortage of the lethal drug used to carry out the sentences, much of it previously imported from Europe.  For this reason, the U.S. Justice Department was forced recently to update protocols to allow for federal executions by firing squad and poison gas, though it’s unclear if those methods might be used in coming weeks.  Some states also have the option of hanging in carrying out their sentences.  All of which are barbaric!  One wonders if they intend to bring back the guillotine, once used by a number of European countries but since abolished with removal of the death penalty?

It will be interesting to see whether the Biden administration will live up to its intention to do away with the death penalty for federal crimes, despite the current Republican-led Senate.  Hopefully, if Biden follows through, states with capital punishment may consider putting an end to their death penalty option and thus becoming part of the more humane and civilized world.  In addition, Canada has seen a number of prisoners who have been found innocent after serving a number of years as a result of life sentences.  As history shows, abolishing the death penalty would also put an end to the tragic execution of persons found innocent after the fact. 

Death Penalty Donald Trump Federal Government US

Leave a comment »
Nov 21

Americans Must Overcome the Collective Narcissism Promoted by Donald Trump

by bcurry

Back in February 2016, I blogged about Donald Trump displaying behavioural traits associated with an extreme narcissist (https://froliticks.wordpress.com/2016/02/29/donald-trump-and-extreme-narcissism/).  I recently read a very interesting article in the UK’s Independent on “collective narcissism” written by Alan D. Blotcky, a clinical psychologist in Birmingham, Alabama.  Dr. Blotcky noted that collective narcissism refers to the feelings of greatness or supremacy of a group of people organized by race, ethnicity, religion, or some other distinction.  He also noted that the narcissistic connection between Trump and his supporters is a bond that is irrational and incredibly strong.  In this post-election period, it has now become evident that Trump and his supporters are mutually invested in maintaining their collective narcissism at any cost.

The failure of Trump to concede his defeat is a reflection of the narcissistic behaviour prevalent during his entire administration.  Unfortunately, the mass media loved to cover his every uttering, often on Twitter, whether or not they made any sense or had an ounce of truth.  Trump’s supporters followed his every word as if it was gospel and as if he were an occult leader.  There is little doubt, as reflected in the election’s results, that many of his supporters have numerous legitimate grievances and concerns around sociocultural and economic issues.  Unfortunately, as Dr. Blotcky notes, the resulting collective narcissism led some of them to support several unfounded conspiracy theories and various extreme groups whose ideologies include racism, xenophobia, terrorism, or fascism.  The President simply manipulated these grievances to encourage support for his views and the need for gratification as a way to prop up his own narcissism and image.

Dr. Blotcky goes on to give several suggestions as to how to deal with such collective narcissism among Americans in order to reduce the evident divisiveness left behind by President Trump.  One important suggestion is to cut off Trump’s media lifeline that unfortunately had been used effectively to stoke the fears of white Americans and to reinforce their growing collective narcissism.  An extreme narcissist loves the attention, so don’t give him any when he is no longer president.  Instead, concentrate on the words and actions of President Elect Joe Biden, hoping that he can begin the healing process.  Dr. Blotcky advocates: “Unity, inclusiveness and honesty must be our mantra going forward.”  No one should have been surprised that Donald Trump refuses to concede in light of Joe Biden’s victory and that the majority of America voters rejected his policies.  No one should be surprised that his administration is acting vindictively and refuses to assist the incoming administration towards a smooth transition to govern.  These are the continuing actions of an extreme narcissist.  For the sake of the country and democracy, the sooner Donald Trump leaves office, the better off we’ll all be!

Donald Trump Joe Biden Presidential Election 2020 US

Leave a comment »
Nov 12

President Trump Is Playing The Victim Role Once Again

by bcurry

All through his presidency, Donald Trump has appealed to his supporters that, like them, he is the victim of a corrupt system, whether it be the courts, the media or congress.  He blamed mainstream media for putting out “fake news” about the daily events.  He blamed the House of Representatives and the Special Prosecutor for the impeachment hearings.  He blamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation for failing to investigate the actions of his “political enemies” and Hunter Biden’s business activities in the Ukraine.  He accused top public health officials of overstating the crisis surrounding the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., including the use of testing so as to inflate the numbers of cases.  Now, he is blaming the electoral system for the outcome of the presidential election, without presenting any proof of voting fraud or mishandling of votes by the states.  There is no doubt that Donald Trump is a victim, but a victim of his own arrogance, hypocrisy and self-importance.

Unfortunately, Trump’s refusal to concede to Joe Biden is designed to promote one more conspiracy theory among his supporters that the election was stolen and he did not “loose”.  Simply launching dozens of lawsuits without any legal grounds is a waste of precious time and resources.  The hypocrisy of it is highlighted by his daughter Ivanka Trump.  In recent statements, Ms. Trump celebrated the fact that the Associated Press projected the state of Alaska for the Republicans and for her father.  At the same time she rejected the same organisation declaring Joe Biden the president-elect, despite Mr. Biden clearly winning the 270 electoral college votes he needs for the White House.

On top of which, you now have key Republicans and administration officials encouraging the President should keep fighting until every “legal” vote is counted.  They include Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General William Barr, and Senators David Perdue, Susan Collins, Kelly Loeffler, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley to name a few.  On the other hand, one has Republicans who have congratulated Joe Biden on his victory such as former President George W. Bush, Senator Mitt Romney and Governors Charlie Baker, Larry Hogan and Phil Scott.

Meanwhile, to date, GOP operatives have filed a string of lawsuits over alleged ballot tampering in battleground states but have had zero legal victories or produced any substantive evidence for their claims.  Sorry, Mr. President, you’re no victim in all of this!  While the nation waits to proceed with the normal political transition and there are record numbers of Americans who continue to die or become hospitalized because of COVID-19, you obliviously keep on playing golf.  This nonsensical situation will only add to what is already a terrible legacy, and is just another symptom of Trumpism.

Donald Trump Joe Biden US US Politics

Leave a comment »
Oct 26

Finally, the American Mainstream Media Got It Right

by bcurry

For sometime now, both in the U.S. and Canada there have been serious concerns about where people are getting their local, national and international news.  With the advent of social media and nebulous on-line sources of news, the danger of misinformation and disinformation has risen on a number of occasions.  This has especially been the case during national elections.  The confirmed Russian interference in the last American elections highlighted the ability of certain actors to attempt to insert bias and misinformation into news outlets and social media.

In any democracy, the media plays an important role.  In the past, journalism within mainstream media resources, be it in print, radio or television, was a key, reliable and important source of information for citizens.  There was a code of conduct for journalists to research and verify their sources of information before publishing or broadcasting their findings, hopefully based on facts gathered in their investigations.  I would like to think that, when I read articles in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the National Post and the Financial Post in Canada, etc., etc., the information has been thoroughly vetted to ensure as much accuracy and verifiable facts as possible.

Unfortunately, there are still attempts by some to plant misinformation for political gain.  This appears to have been the case among President Trump’s close advisors inside the White House who believed President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign needed a desperate last ditch rescue mission.  According to the New York Times, this included Arthur Schwartz, a New York public relations man close to Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr., White House lawyer Eric Herschmann, and former deputy White House counsel Stefan Passantino.  They attempted to concoct a story concerning to Hunter Biden’s work in the Ukraine and the involvement of then Vice-President Joe Biden.  They were hoping that mainstream media would pick up the story and go with it prior to the November election.  However, following further investigative journalism, news outlets such as the Wall Street Journal wouldn’t buy it.  Good for them!

While some unreliable social media sources and right-wing publications love to pursue such stories in an attempt to influence their supporters and possibly some voters, at least the mainstream news media shed light on the President’s attempt to promote “fake news” for political gain.  Trump even tried to raise the unconfirmed collusion story about Hunter and Joe Biden’s involvement in the Ukraine during the final presidential debate.  However, without substantive proof, the attempt was a weak and dishonest one aimed at manipulating public opinion for political gain.  Hopefully, voters will acknowledge Trump’s unfortunate effort to deflect the debate from other important and real issues such as his administration’s absolute failure to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Donald Trump Media US

Leave a comment »
Oct 15

Entering Critical Stage In The Battles Against COVID-19

by bcurry

In North America, we have entered a critical stage in the battles against COVID-19 which some are referring to as the “second wave”.  We have only to see what is happening as part of the second wave in Europe.  With an average of more than 100,000 new infections per day over the past week, Europe now accounts for about one-third of new cases reported worldwide.  Countries such as Britain, France, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and even Russia have had to reintroduce restrictions on travel among regions and various forms of lockdowns and curfews.  European leaders are now confronting an evident surge in coronavirus cases that is rapidly filling hospital beds.

In U.S. federal elections, the surging rise in coronavirus cases across the country, especially in the Midwest, has taken front and center stage in the campaigns.  The public health crisis could reach new levels of urgency by Inauguration Day.  Recent projections show that, if current trends hold, as many as 400,000 Americans may have died from Covid-19 by then.  Unfortunately, President Trump and his allies continue to downplay the virus, arguing that the country is “turning the corner”.  Trump and Vice-Presdent Pence are holding campaign events with thousands of supporters in attendance, even as cases are increasing rapidly.  In Canada, coronavirus cases have risen in the last month to surpass levels above those seen at the height of COVID-19 last spring.  Provincial governments across the country are reintroducing numerous restrictions on travel between regions and varying degrees of lockdowns.  The Prime Minister has declared that the border with the U.S. will remain closed to non-essential travelers as long as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase in Canada and the U.S.

With governments’ restrictions on businesses and gatherings in the U.S., Canada and in Europe, there are complaints by some as to their impact on the economy and employment.  However, unless people once again take the situation seriously and are no longer complacent after the past summer of fewer restrictions, countries will find it harder to effectively confront the surge in coronavirus cases that is rapidly filling hospital beds and subsequently driving up death tolls.  Health care systems and workers are being stretched to their limits now, although the seasonal flu season has not yet begun in earnest.  More schools will be required to close and more people will be forced to withdraw from their work to provide child care and home schooling. 

Various precautions have to be taken such as: limiting our social activities to our immediate households, wearing masks in public, physically distancing wherever possible, washing our hands frequently, getting the seasonal flu vaccine, traveling only for essential purposes and avoiding contact outside the household with persons having underlying health conditions except when providing an essential service.  Folks: to undertake this sacrifice is not asking too much under the circumstances and will benefit the community at large.  Unless each of us takes such measures, the second wave of this pandemic will only get worse.  As our leaders and public health officials often reiterate, we are all in this together, whether you like it or not!

Canada Coronavirus COVID-19 Donald Trump Presidential Election 2020 US

Leave a comment »
Oct 8

Politics and the Tragic Story of U.S. CDC in Tackling COVID-19

by bcurry

On October 7th, it was reported that U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 7.5 million with most states seeing a rise in cases and a startling nine states setting ominous, seven-day records for infections.  Even these numbers may not reflect the reality given that the nation’s patchwork pandemic response has led to wide disparities in data reporting.  There are apparently even differences in definitions for basic medical concepts.  In the absence of federal standards, states have also adopted divergent and sometimes scientifically questionable approaches to disease control.

Where has the leadership role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) been in all of this during the past nine months?  William Foege, a renowned epidemiologist who served under Democratic and Republican presidents, detailed in a recent private letter to CDC Director Robert Redfield (obtained by USA TODAY) what he considered as the White House’s meddling in the agency’s efforts to manage the COVID-19 crisis.  He reflected what a number of Director Redfield’s predecessors at the CDC strongly believe have been serious failures in the administration’s coronavirus response. Dr. Foege expressed how many scientists and experts feel about the CDC’s failure.  Moreover, Dr. Foege’s letter lamented that “the CDC’s scientific experts have been rendered impotent during the most significant health crisis in a century while decades of experience have been ignored.” He concluded: “This will go down as a colossal failure of the public health system of this country.”

Here in Canada, the CDC has had an excellent reputation for its work in the past and government bodies such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada have interacted on health issues with the CDC on numerous occasions.  Now, the CDC’s scientific reputation has unfortunately been tainted because of the administration’s actions and its failure to provide national science-based standards in addressing COVID-19 issues and to help develop applicable national policies. 

In a virtual event held by American University, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, recently said that as many as 400,000 Americans could die from COVID-19 if action isn’t taken in the fall and winter.  Dr. Fauci acknowledged that there was the decreasing trust in him as a public official, especially in light of mixed coronavirus messages coming out of the CDC.  President Trump’s frequent attacks on the CDC’s integrity and several renown scientists have done nothing to help matters.  In direct contradiction of the experts and the CDC, Trump persists in stating that a vaccine will be available in the very near.  However, experts and researchers have asserted that a vaccine will probably not be available to most Americans until next summer or the fall at the earliest.  Once again, Trump is attempting to undermine the expert advice of the CDC and others for political reasons to the detriment of all Americans.  What a shame!

Coronavirus Donald Trump Presidential Election 2020 US US Politics

Leave a comment »
«Older Entries
Newer Entries »
Blog at WordPress.com.