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2020 Elections

What Do Putin and Trump Have to Look Forward to?

November 13, 2022
by Peter Feinman

What do alpha male Putin and alpha male wannabee Trump have to look forward to? The two losers are forever linked by the dual frontpage headlines above the fold on the print edition of the New York Times, November 10, 2022. Across the top, headline read “those who passed the litmus test to become approved Trumpican candidates lost in key states.” Just below, the headline read “In another major retreat in the special military operation, Putin withdrew his forces from the city he had just proclaimed annexed by Russia forever.”

At this point, the two men have an aura of loser surrounding them. What do they have look forward to in Ukraine or in the American political arena?

PUTIN

How many strategic retreats in a special military operation can one have before admitting defeat?

Putin failed in the effort to capture the capital.

Putin was pushed backed in the northeast.

Putin was pushed back across the river at Kherson.

Putin has had one partial mobilization.

Putin has scraped the bottom of the barrel to find bodies to throw into the battle.

Putin searched the globe for additional bodies so desperate is he for cannon fodder.

It is getting to the point where he could not defend Russia from an invasion by the Baltic States!

We are used to Russia absorbing the invasions from the west by Napoleon and Hitler before turning the tables. Now it is the Russian military forces which have reached their limit and have begun pulling back. Do you think there is going to be a second land offensive into Ukraine by Russia? Do you think the withdrawal of forces from Kherson is the last Russian withdrawal? Quite the opposite. It will be Ukrainians who will be pressing their momentum this winter.

More and more Russian families want to know what has happened to their loved ones. The task of hiding the truth will become more and more challenging.

The hope that European unity will collapse over the winter seems like wishful thinking. The American arms pipeline to Ukraine will continue. At some point the combination of sanctions and the spending on the war will take a toll on the lives on the Russian people.

Could what is happening in Iran also happen in Russia?

How many shoulders does Putin have to look over?

The course of events in Russia does not loom well for Putin because the course of events in Ukraine do not either. Since the Kremlin is far from transparent, it is hard to say what will happen. Putin could keep renewing his term in office until 2036 when he will be 86, but somehow it is hard to imagine him lasting that long. Putin’s “savvy” move to fulfill a Peter the Great destiny may turn out to be the dumbest thing he ever did. The moment of truth will occur when Putin no longer can maintain the illusion that he is Peter the Great, that he is restoring, that he is winning in Ukraine. When that moment comes, he my go ballistic.

What will happen then? He cannot just push a lever, turn a key, or press a button. Other people will have to carry out his orders. Will they?

Once before, an American President had to show the skill, foresight, and patience to let the Iron Curtain fall and the Soviet Union collapse in what Putin regards as the “biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” Now another American President may have to do the same for the collapse of Putin.

TRUMP

Even as everyone in America is caught up in the election on 2022, life still goes go in the legal arena for the Loser. In one case, a judge ruled that Trump lawyers had to pay fines and receive sanctions for a frivolous lawsuit about a vast conspiracy of perceived enemies arrayed against him. Although I am not a lawyer and have not read the ruling, I get the impression that the judge had had it with the complete and total nonsense of Trump lawyers abusing the legal system for the political agenda of an immature child with the emotional maturity of a three-year old.

The case delivered a doubled message:

1. MAGA means “Make Attorneys Get Attorneys” meaning lawyers accept Donald Trump as a client at their own financial and legal peril.

2. Pay attention to the little case that don’t get much attention.  For example in case against the Trump Organization involving former Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, we already have seen the Trump lawyers show their willingness to throw him under the bus – it was all Weisselberg. Now Controller Jeffrey McConney has testified about the mechanics behind the financial skullduggery behind the payments to avoid taxes. One wonders exactly who is going to defend the actions of the Trump Organization. One wonders if other people are catching on that no matter how loyal they have been to him, he will not be loyal to them as Michael Cohen has been saying for years.

The Georgia Senate runoff scheduled for December 6 means any indictments either by the DOJ or in Georgia or both will be pushed back until after that time so as not to interfere with vote. Assuming the Democrats lose control of the House by no matter how small a margin, the House Select committee will be issuing its report shortly thereafter as well. In other words, it will not be “Happy Holidays” for the Loser.

It’s hard to see what Trump can do to escape the taint of being a loser. We know that stigma was something he has strove to avoid at all costs practically since childhood. We know that he made he made his loss the 2020 the litmus test for receiving his blessing in 2022. We now know that even though he is name was not on ballot in 2020, he is the President who is being blamed for being the loser while Joe Biden is taking victory laps.

On November 15, he will try to assert his power in the Republican Party. He will be meaner. He will be more insulting. He will be nastier. He will dare any wannabee from running against him. He will demand fealty. He will make the lives of McCarthy and O’Connell a living hell. The new litmus test will be supporting his candidacy in 2024 right now or feel his wrath.

While the Freedom Caucus has been garnering all the attention, what about the Real Republican Caucus. There were ten who voted for impeachment in the current Congress. How many will there be in the new Congress? Republicans who have had enough and are ready to move on? We may know soon from some votes.

Did anyone think he would appear before the House Select Committee on November 14? As expected, he is trying to run out the clock so his red wave can rescue him and on his income taxes. But there is no red wave. What happens if despite his ranting and raving, the House Select Committee recommends the House holds him in contempt for not compliance?

They are not afraid of the Loser anymore

At times, it is starting to look like “Murder on the Orient Express.” Everyone is coming out of the woodwork to castigate Trumpty Dumpty’s failure.

He is not used to being the ridiculed figure of failure from his own supporters. He lacks the maturity to deal with a situation where Republicans are eager to make fun of him and to talk about moving on.

Like Putin, Trump will have a moment when goes ballistic. However when that moment comes it means he will implode and become even more deranged. Even as we prepare for his announcement of his candidacy for 2024, he just may be a loser spouting hot air.

 

Mitch McConnell: Howard Baker (Time to Go) vs Stay the Course (Go Down with the Ship)

June 8, 2020
by Peter Feinman
Will the Red Wave Be as Successful in 2020 as it was in 2018? (amazon.com)

Mitch McConnell has a decision to make…if he hasn’t made it already. McConnell is an adult. He lives in the real world. The Senate Majority leader has a transactional relationship with the President of the United. McConnell’s decision will be based on his analysis of the political situation and the November elections. Whether or not his assessment turns out to be accurate is not the subject of this post. Instead it is to examine the parameters of that decision-making.

McConnell’s political agenda is a fairly simple one.

1. Help rich people get richer
2. Appoint conservatives to judge positions
3. Don’t help, you know….those people.

His assessment of the election results will be based on how those results affect his ability to achieve his agenda.

HELP RICH PEOPLE GET RICHER

To fulfill this objective requires the support of the House, the Senate, and the White House. Following the 2016 elections, McConnell had this trifecta. As a result he was able to pass a tax cut for the wealthy. This goal already was part of the agenda for the former party of Lincoln even prior to the election.

McConnell recognizes that those days are over. That political confluence is not likely to return. If anything the 2020 census will probably make it even more difficult to attain the political trifecta. At present if he wants to help rich people get richer, he has to do so through economic recovery acts. Otherwise, there would seem to be little he can do anymore to help rich people get richer in this Congressional term or the next.

APPOINT CONSERVATIVES TO JUDGE POSITIONS 

To fulfill this objective requires the support of the Senate and the White House. During the past three years he has had exceptional results in appointing conservatives to judicial positions. McConnell recognizes that the window of opportunity may be closing here due to the loss of the Senate, the White House, or both. As a result he has been seeking the retirements of older judges so he can replace them with young conservatives. So far that initiative has not been successful. Still, one can anticipate that he continue to appoint these judges right up to the very last  moment on December 31 if he can depending on the election results.

If there is no change in the Senate and the White House, then the urgency is off and McConnell can wait to the new session.

If there is a change in only the White House, then the urgency remains and he will seek to use every moment he has left. In the next session, he will oppose the nominations of new Democratic President. He will stymie the recommendations of the former Democratic Vice President just as he had done to the former Democratic President.

If there is a change only in the Senate, then time is urgent.

If there is a change in both the Senate and the White House, then time is urgent.

So at this point, it is in McConnell’s interests to appoint as many conservatives to judge positions as he can.

DON’T HELP, YOU KNOW….THOSE PEOPLE

McConnell has had two opportunities this year to help people he does not want to help. The economic freefall as the result of the coronavirus forced his hand to provide temporary relief including to the people who were hardest hit by the virus. Now that the medical crisis officially is over and the economy officially is back from the recession, McConnell has put the brakes on any additional help. Why should expensive Democratic states that subsidize the Confederate states with their taxes get any assistance to perpetuate their wasteful ways helping the wrong kind of people?

McConnell supported the efforts of the commander in-chief to use military force to liberate Lafayette Park from the heavily-armed terrorists who had surrounded the White House.  The death of George Floyd has witnessed four previous presidents preaching unity. What an excellent opportunity for McConnell beyond boilerplate to spurn any sign of compassion or desire for unity in the country when it includes the wrong people.

McConnell needs to maintain control of the Senate so in case Biden becomes President the world isn’t turned topsy turvy and the rich are called upon to help those who aren’t rich.

SENATE ELECTION PROGNOSTICATIONS

What is McConnell’s assessment of the Senate election results?

At present the Senate configuration is as follows:

51 Trumpicans
45 Democrats
2  Independents who caucus with the Democrats
2  Republicans who caucus with the Trumpicans

Previously, I had raised the question of how Mitt Romney would caucus in the next session (Where Will Mitt Romney Caucus in 2021?). Depending on the Presidential and Senate election results, his vote could be the determining one in who controls the Senate. Now there appear to be two Republicans with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski joining Romney. Together this amplifies the power of the Republicans in determining the control of the Senate in the next session.

Consider this quite possible scenario: the Democrats lose one seat in Alabama and pick up three in Arizona, Colorado, and Maine. Under these results the Senate configuration will be:

49 Trumpicans
47 Democrats
2   Independents who caucus with the Democrats
2   Republicans.

How will the two Republicans caucus if they have the power to decide who controls the Senate? In the interim, the Trumpicans will continually demonize Murkowski as a traitor, will not support her if she chooses to run for re-election, and will not welcome her in the Trumpican party.  In other words, the Trumpicans will do everything they can to encourage her to caucus with the Democrats in 2021 where that one vote might mean the difference. The other Republican Senator already voted to remove the President from office and is on the trump list. If the Democrats prevail in the Presidential election, it is easy to imagine the two Republicans caucusing with the Democrats.

This analysis excludes the other potential seats which also may be won by Democrats. Since all the candidates haven’t even been selected yet, it is too early to be realistic about the final results in the Senate. In addition, who knows what other events will occur between now and November (or October with early voting). It’s not so long ago that the coronavirus dominated the news. Now that the President of the United States has dominated Lafayette Square as he deployed his forces to take back the country, the results of his great victory have yet to be factored into the polls. What will the reaction be when coronavirus deaths in the United States hit 200,000? What will happen in the international arena? What will the response be to the October indictments of the Deep State including Obama and Biden as co-conspirators? So it easy to understand why predictions for the Senate remain fluid.

One should also keep in mind, that depending on the election results, Trumpican Senators up for re-election in 2022 may experience an agonizing reappraisal. If the vaunted red wave predicted by the Trumpican in chief dooms Trumpican control of the Senate as it did the House in 2018, then Trumpican Senators may want to reevaluate their position.

Consider Wisconsin as an example. In 2016, Wisconsin was not Trumpican during the primary. It barely was so in the Presidential election.  In fact, the then Republican Senator won by a larger margin. Since then the Senator has converted to the Trumpican cause and is gung ho on indicting Deep State Democrats. However, also since his election, Democrats have won statewide elections for governor and a state judge. Democrats also have gained popular vote victories for Congressional and state legislative seats but due to gerrymandering have been unable to turn those state majorities into victories. That may change after the 2020 census. Regardless, in statewide Senate election in 2022, Johnson will be running as a Trumpican. Or will he like other Trumpican Senators running in 2022 see the light and have a change of heart? Will it be too late?

Everything above is based on possible scenarios. The situation is very fluid. Maybe we will try again to buy Greenland? Maybe a hurricane really will hit Alabama? Maybe North Korea will launch a missile or detonate a bomb or both? So as McConnell assesses the situation for the Senate, there are a lot of variables to consider. As we get closer and closer to actual voting, many of the variables will stabilize. Then it will be possible to get a better fix on the results. Then it may be too late to do anything about the prospective results if they are adverse to McConnell who himself is a candidate. In the meantime, McConnell will do everything he can to appoint conservatives as judges and not to help you know…those people despite everything which has occurred.

Which Trump Will Run in 2024?

August 26, 2019
by Peter Feinman
Presidents for Life if there are no Russian or Hong Kong springs (CNBC.com)

As the 2020 Presidential race heats up, it may seem strange to raise the question of 2024. However sometimes looking ahead provides a clearer picture of the present. I started writing this blog on July27 but never got around to completing it. Look at what has happened since then! Greenland – who knew? Our Lord and savior is the chosen one – who knew? American companies have to withdraw from China. No, they do not – who knows? In Trump time, a month is a like a year for normal people. Nothing sticks to him because before anything can it is on to the next event that has never happened before.

Still, despite all that has occurred, it is worth taking a little longer look than the 24-hour news cycle and to think about the 2024 presidential elections.

First, there will be no Republican Party in 2024, just the Trumpican Party using the Republican Party name. Weld, Walsh, Kasich, and the Mooch can appear on all the cable talk shows they want. It does not matter. They are irrelevant. The red wave in 2018 cleansed the Trumpican Party of dozens of disloyal Republicans at the federal level and even more at the state level. That process will continue until the Trumpican Party has been purged of any lingering Republicans.

It’s time to put aside the wishful thinking and live in the real world whether you like it or not. In the real world the Republican Party no longer exists at the federal level; there is only the Trumpican Party. That party is based on no values, no principles, and no ideology. It exists as a cult of personality for a narcissist. No matter what happens in 2020, the Republicans will not regain control of the party that bears its name.  Republicans who admire Lincoln need to look elsewhere. If Republicans want to have a voice in 2024 they will need to create a new party (the Constitution Party?). It has been done before. That is how the Republican Party originated in the 1850s. It went on to nominate and elect Abraham Lincoln as President. Not a bad start.

So which Trump will be the nominee in 2024 of the Trumpican Party? Let’s consider two scenarios depending on two different election results in 2020 (and ignore his legal situation).

THE INCUMBENT WINS RE-ELECTION

If the incumbent wins re-election, then one might think that ends the president-for-life option. Based on the 22nd Amendment, an individual is limited to serving two terms. Under normal circumstances that would be true. However what is normal now? The father has expressed his desire to rule for life like his favorite fellow autocrats around the world. He has expressed the desire to at least rule for 16 years as he thinks one president already did. His re-election would  do nothing to diminish his desire to remain in power. The only issue is how.

Could he issue an executive order declaring the 22nd Amendment null and void? Of course, he could issue such an order. Would that order have any legal standing? Probably not. It seems unlikely that even the Trump-Judges on the Supreme Court would declare the 22nd Amendment null and void. However, they might interpret to mean what they want it to mean. Certainly it would be worth a try to find out. Perhaps the birthright citizenship issue or his income taxes will preview this possibility of changing the traditional meaning of the 22nd Amendment no matter how absurd that might seem.

But even under the 22nd Amendment a person could run for president for a third term. The 22nd Amendment says “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” It does not prohibit someone running for a third term. The Trumpican Party could nominate him a third time even if he wins in 2020. Sure there might be a fight about putting his name on the ballot but the Trumpicans easily could win that fight. Since it is the Electoral College that actually elects the President, one could easily make the case that anything prior to that vote is not covered by the amendment. That means a two-term president could run for office and be on the ballot. The line that cannot be crossed is having the electors vote a person into office for a third term. What would happen at that point if the two-term President won the vote? For whom would he instruct the Trumpican Electors to cast their vote? You say that has never happened before. That does not mean it could not. Maybe we will find out in 2024.

Of course all these machinations could be rendered moot despite an incumbent re-election. After all, another possibility is the repeal of the 22nd Amendment. That process undoubtedly would be time consuming event. Furthermore it is unlikely that the required standards could be reached to propose or ratify such a repeal. Having the Trumpican Party nominate him for a third term and just keep moving forward seems like the best way to violate the Constitution and do what you want to do. His standard course of action is to just keep doing what he wants to do until he is stopped. Just because something has never been done and seems absurd does not mean it will not happen.

THE INCUMBENT LOSES RE-ELECTION

At the moment, this scenario seems the more likely. Both Fake and Fox News show him losing decisively in the popular vote to a slew of Democratic candidates. One remarkable consistency from the three national polls I have seen is his percentage of the vote. In each of the three polls, regardless of who the Democratic candidate is, his vote remains the same. It is the individual Democratic vote where the vote varies. His vote went from about 42% against the leading Democratic contenders to 41% to 39% while the opponent figures ranged from 44-50%. It remains to be seen what effect Greenland, the economy, and the easy-to-win trade war will have.

We know what will happen if he loses. He forecast that even before the last election – rigged voting. He will claim the Deep State has rigged the results to favor its candidate and remove him from office. How that claim will work out will depend on a number of factors with too many scenarios to diagram here.

There is something the Democrats can do in preparation for the rigged vote charge. They should sponsor the Rigged Vote Olympics. Contestants will be asked to simulate the illegal voting. The contest will be held in voting districts throughout the country especially in California and battleground states. Participants will vote illegally, leave by the back door of the polling station,  run around to the front where they will be given a different shirt and hat, and then vote illegally again. Each contestant will be given a hour and the number of times they navigate the course will be tallied. Runoffs may be necessary. The winner(s) will be granted legal citizenship.

Defeat in the rigged 2020 election where the Deep State finally prevails only means that he will run again as the Trumpican Party candidate in 2024. After all, who could challenge him? It is his party.

Of course, all this is contingent on his legal situation. If he does leave office after the 2020 election, keep mind that he will be pardoned of all federal crimes. He will resign a day or two before the end of his term and be pardoned by the former Vice President now President. That action will wipe the slate clean except for New York. However, it may be difficult to run in 2024 if you are in jail or prison. Keep in mind that he is more afraid of exposing his real hair than he is of his real income and wealth. Who knows how all this will play out? So as for the future my recommendation is to remember the words of Duped-by-Russia Hannity who constantly advises us: “Buckle up!”