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Donald Trump

The Three Taxeteers: Al Capone, Leona Helmsley, and Donald Trump

July 8, 2021
by Peter Feinman

This image of Al Capone, Leona Helmsley, and Donald Trump comes from a blog dated October 2, 2016. While I would love to take credit for it, the author was Jordan Zoot. At that time he wrote:

Helmsley….perhaps the most notorious and self righteous criminal tax evader in the history of the United States. I will never forget her quote “We don’t pay taxes, only little people pay taxes” which rightfully caused her to get “hung by her own tongue” and sent to prison….which is more likely than not the proper answer for Donald Trump.

As a CPA with thirty five years of involvement with our tax system, the disclosures in the New York Times make me want to throw up. I would absolutely no [sic] respect of anyone that would actually vote for this mentally defective, vile animal to be POTUS. Why would we elect a person that is truly a hater of our government and way of life.

Donald Trump joins Leona Helmsley and Al Capone on the list of the WORST CRIMINAL TAX CHEATS IN US HISTORY

Jordan Zoot was ahead of his time.

We know that once upon a time, Helmsley’s real estate rival, Donald Trump, castigated her in his usual delicate manner as scum of the earth and rejoiced in her conviction. His comments about her undoubtedly will be played at the upcoming trial(s) where he and others will be charged with doing the same.

Those trials and his legal shenanigans are sure to provide continuous humor and outrage for months if not years to come. He is firm believer that when you are in a hole, keep digging.

THROWN UNDER THE BUS

Michael Cohen, the attorney who did not take a bullet for the client he still calls “Mr. Trump,” has been consistent on this point. The accused always looks out for himself first, foremost, and only and he will throw everyone else under the bus. Apparently, Cohen has seen a mighty long bus in his career serving Person #1.

Recently, we have seen another lawyer of the unindicted conspirator thrown under the bus. Rudy Giuliani has received the “treatment” and not the money he needs. He has mounting legal expenses and minimal income. Naturally he turned to the person he served for assistance and naturally he was rebuffed.

His actions on behalf of his client have rendered him a permanent laughingstock on path to being disbarred. In exchange for making the most ridiculous claims in court he has received nothing. Obviously his client has complete confidence that he can stiff Giuliani and suffer no consequences.

The former hero of 9/11 claimed during the Ukrainian extortion attempt that in the end he would be the hero. So far it has not worked out that way. Instead he is alone, losing his money, his law license, and his freedom. As it turns out he does have the opportunity to be the hero. He could do what Michael Cohen did – tell the truth.

The same choices are or will face other people involved in the audacious 15-year tax fraud. The CFO, the children, and the CEO all will have moments of truth. No one can say for sure what these people will do when that time comes. Actually we can say. The CEO already has said that everyone (including Capone and Helmsley) does it. Yes, the actions the Trump Organization are accused of did happen, but so what? Only fools pay taxes and serve in the military. What are you going to do about it? I am sure that Weisselberg is comforted by the fact that his Hitler-admiring boss just threw him under the bus. It’s almost as if Trump is working for the prosecution.

SUING SOCIAL MEDIA

One can only hope and pray that the stunt of suing social media companies proceeds through the legal system. Over the past few years, the most corrupt President in the history of the United States has done everything he can to avoid testifying under oath. He is not capable of telling the truth except by accident. Therefore his own lawyers wisely attempt to prevent him from entering a perjury trap.

That approach works well when you are a defendant but not so well when you are the one who initiates the prosecution. Then the process of discovery occurs. Since he was removed from social media for his actions instigating the assault on America on January 6, guess what evidence the defendants are going to request? Everything that Congressional Trumpicans have sought to squash and keep hidden from being investigated by Congress now will become fair game if the lawsuit is allowed to proceed. Most likely it was just a stunt that was not thought through. But such stunts can take on a life of their own.

IDES OF MARCH

In a previous blog, I suggested that the Howard Baker moment from Watergate would be an “Et tu Brute” moment instead. Everyone knows who Brutus will be. For that moment to occur, Ron DeSantis has to win re-election for governor in Florida. To be elected, DeSantis required the assistance of the then-President. To be re-elected, he does not. After the 2022 election he will be in the driver’s seat.

The exact details of the transition depend in part on the election results elsewhere. If Democrats retain control of the Senate that in itself will not be a game changer. If Democrats retain control of the House despite voter suppression, rigging the certification process, gerrymandering, Congressional reapportionment of House seats, and the traditional out-of-power party pickup in the first mid-term election, then there will be hell to pay. At that point, the Loser will be the one thrown under the bus.

A lot will happen between now and the 2022 elections. There will be more lawsuits. Investigations will continue. The economy will continue to get better. The unvaccinated red-states will continue to experience coronavirus variants. Many of his followers admire him precisely as a potential American Hitler who will execute all those Jewish Satan-worshiping pedophile globalists when he is returned to power, jurors may not. Then he may get to join Capone and Helmsley not under the bus but up the river and in the slammer.

Dueling Anniversaries: July 4 and China 100th

July 6, 2021
by Peter Feinman
Tiananmen Square Rehersal ( Roman Pelipey/EPA via Shuttlecock)
Trump Organization CFO (Jefferson Siegel for the New York Times)

The battle between the Borg and the Disunited Federation of Countries is engaged. The dueling images on the front page of The New York Times print edition on July 2 tell the story. If you only saw the website you would have missed the message delivered by the juxtaposition of these two images and articles. A picture is worth a thousand words so these pictures alone are sufficient for a battle report from the frontlines between the Middle Kingdom and the one-time City on a Hill.

CORONAVIRUS

The first item of note is that in the American picture the people are wearing masks while in the Chinese picture they are not. In so doing the images contrast the records of the two countries in the handling of the coronavirus. In general terms, regardless of the origin of the virus, the Chinese handling of it proved successful. The country went through some drastic steps which would not have been possible in a free country but which were eminently doable in a country devoid of both freedom and the desire to be free (outside of Hong Kong and those who lie back). The result was a country which snapped back to normalcy far quicker and far more successfully than anyone else. That record enabled China to assert the supremacy of its way of life and government over the democracies who failed abysmally in their responses.

As always, one must keep in the mind that the world does not watch Foxhub. What the world saw in the United States was country with a leader who was out of his league. His simple-minded and silly prognostications and recommendations guaranteed him a place of honor in the Hall of Ineptitude and Incompetence. He will be joined there by his counterparts in Brazil and India. In the years to come, people will not know whether to laugh at his stupidity and dishonesty or cringe in recognition at the hundreds of thousands of people who needlessly died as a direct result of the shortcomings of the greatest mass murderer of Americans in history. In time, more and more White House people will tell the tale of what really happened. In the battle for world leadership, score one for China over the United States due to the catastrophe of having an immature child as president during a crisis.

There are two caveats to this that can put America back in the game despite China’s success and America’s failure. First, China is a HAT country (Honest as Trump). That means China cannot tell the truth about the origin of the coronavirus. That failure undermines its position in the world. Second the American vaccines are superior. While the United States is not yet geared up to save the world, the rest of the world still is more willing to accept America’s role as the rescuer if we want the job. So at this point, China is ahead on the coronavirus, but as the American economy roars back, travel resumes, and vaccines are distributed, the United States can regain some of the status it lost under the previous administration provided there is no return.

“Audacious” TAX FRAUD versus THIRD TERM

The leaders of both countries want a third term and to rule for life. The image from China article shows Chinese people rehearsing for an event where the Chinese leader would all but announce his intention to govern for a third term, breaking the two term convention. There should be no doubt that he intends to govern for life and should be expected to do so.

The American photograph tells a different story. It shows the Chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization being escorted to court. He stands accused of multiple accounts of audacious tax fraud over a fifteen-year period. So far the only defense offered by the Chief Executive of the organization is that such perks are standing operating procedure. Everybody does it. His acknowledgment that other people in the organization indulged in similar activities guarantees additional charges against addition people.

So far his preference to preside for life has not worked out. As least legally it has not. He no longer lives in the White House. The issue of how he would arrange for a third term has been replaced by a different consideration. He remains the real but-powerless President in his second term to tens of millions of Americans who yearn to return him to Office on January 20 or March 4 or in August or January 1, 2023 as Speaker of the House or back in White House in January 2025. The same people who think the coronavirus was a hoax, who would not wear a mask, who will not be vaccinated, and who vilify America’s health leaders, are eager for their Lord and Savior, the Chosen One, Blessed Be his Name, to be restored to power since only he can save them.

The contrast between a united China under one-man rule for life and a divided country could not be more stark. The Chinese leader speaks from a position of strength ruling a united country. By contrast the United States is a divided country experiencing a civil war. Local rulers are deploying military forces outside their jurisdiction in support of the policy they believe is the correct. I did not know that governors could deploy their military forces outside their state without federal authorization. Apparently they can and with private money funding these militias as well.

These actions guarantee a reciprocal action by state forces on the other side of the civil war in the event they deem it necessary.  One can anticipate such deployments at the two upcoming critical moments – the elections of 2022 and 2024. The forces assembled in the nation’s capital may there to remove Joe Biden from the White House or to keep him there or both. Either way, the ratcheting up of the level of confrontation in the United States will show to the world that we are not united, not a democracy, and not governed by the rule of law (except when the winning side changes the law to support its entrenchment in power). The global coverage of the American civil war in 2022 and/or 2024 will undermine any effort by the United States to maintain a leadership position in the battle with China.

After all the talk about the previous President being a Russian asset, his “Stop the Steal” dividing of America turns out to be the greatest gift he could have given the Chinese.

WAVING THE FLAG

A third image from the two front-page articles is of the Chinese waving their flags. True, the contrast between the masks in the American photograph and the flags in the Chinese photograph could be equalized. There are plenty of pictures of American’s waving flags at the nation’s capital. Take January 6, for instance. The difference between the two countries is that flags are a symbol of unity in China and division in the United States. Flags are becoming like masks, a weaponized symbol in the American Civil War. If you think “defund the police” was an incredibly stupid political slogan for Democrats, then their abandoning the flag and the claim of being patriots to the Trumpicans is an even bigger blunder.

The more Democrats cede the American flag and national anthem to the Trumpicans, the more they jeopardize their slim majorities in Congress. The more the Democrats cede the American Revolution 250th to the Trumpicans, the more they jeopardize both their slim majorities and the presidency. Between now and the elections in 2022 and 2024, the Woke will have numerous opportunities to enable Foxhub to characterize the Democratic Party as a party of traitors even though it was Trumpicans who lead the assault on America on January 6.

There are signs of hope, that all is not lost. Consider this example from an article “On July Fourth, Stars and Stripes and Division,” (July 4, 2021, NYT), an article that does have a picture of an American flag. It is a story about a farmer who displays a flag on his truck and the assumptions people make about his political views as a result. The article concludes with three vignettes about people who are neither Trumpican nor Woke and need someone to champion them.

The first example is from a white male Republican who sometimes votes Democrat. He flies the American flag and said:

There is a lot of history with this country, some that maybe people don’t like today, and some that people are being judged for today for what they did 300 years ago. It’s still our country, and very good and bad thing made it our country. And that’s what that [the flag] represents.

The second example is from a female El Salvadoran immigrant who wore an American flag T-shirt and intended to do so on July 4. She said in Spanish:

This symbolizes this country and I live in this country. This flag is for all.

The third example is an African American Democrat who used to display the flag regularly until recently. When she just saw a forest of flags not at a political rally but as a peaceful “field of honor” installed by the local rotary club in honor of people who had helped the community. It led her to say:

I’ve always loved the American flag so much, and now seeing it by the carousel I felt happy again. And I haven’t felt that way about the flag in such a long time.”   

These are the people on whom America must build its future if it wants to win the war against China for world leadership. The American Revolution 250th provides the opportunity to forge a We the People identity that we can showcase to the world. All we need is the leadership.

The White House or the Court House in August?: The Shrinking Loser

June 30, 2021
by Peter Feinman
“But when my son was about 3, I realized his fictive worlds were vivid enough to continue without me. All he need, at first, was a listener.” (John Mahler, “New York at a Crossroad,” NYT 6/20/21) REUTERS/Gaelen Morse

Pre-millennialists generally avoid specifying a date for the return of Jesus. They do so because they have learned from experience. Every date they pick has come and gone without anything happening. Eventually the message sinks in: to avoid being laughed at do not identify the date.

By contrast, Pillow Head goes where pre-millennialists fear to tread. He named if not an exact date then an exact month when his Lord and Savior, the Chosen One, Blessed Be his Name would triumphantly return to power in a blaze of glory. The month is August 2021 and he still champions that date.

I confess I want to people to be believe Pillow Head’s prophecies. I want Trumpicans to be counting the days until the moment occurs. I want them to be glued to the screen of their choice waiting for Tucker or Sean to announce that the moment of moments has arrived. The Satanic pedophile forces of evil have been vanquished. The senile stealer of the election has been booted from the White House. Once again the forces of right and light have prevailed. I want this modern version of the Great Disappointment to be played out for all the real world to see as the alternate reality crashes and burns. There should be a betting line on when the day will be. Trumpicans should be interviewed on what they will do to celebrate it. The days are drawing down, let the countdown continue.

Where do things stand now?

AS ARIZONA GOES SO GOES THE NATION

According to the Gospel of Pillow Head, Arizona was the start point for the return to power. It would show the massive defeat of Biden that was reversed through fraud due to aliens from Italy, China, or Mars. Those UFOs are not here by chance!

From there the Cyber Ninjas would march through Georgia as the second coming of Sherman. They would find the 11,780 votes and then some. Michigan would be next. Devotees made pilgrimages to Arizona so they could replicate the Way of the Vote back home. Everything looked good for a successful reversal of the Electoral College vote of January 6 on paper. Even if they did not herald an immediate return to power, they would provide an unbeatable election cry for 2024 to right the wrong of the stolen election in 2020.

So far things are not working out as expected.

A Reagan-appointed judge in Georgia nixed the effort there. It is over in Georgia.

A Republican controlled State Senate Oversight Committee squashed the effort in Michigan. They did so in terms so insulting to the “Stop the Steal” movement you would have thought they were Democrats. There is “no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud.” “The Committee strongly recommends citizens use a critical eye and ear toward those who have pushed demonstrably false theories for their own personal gain.”

The outcry against them has been minimal. In nearby Ohio, the Loser President railed against the Michigan Republican leaders demanding his followers call them to change their ruling or be voted out of office. Do you think they are concerned? It is highly unlikely that they will be primaried or censured. The lack of outrage signals a dissipation of the Stop the Steal movement and the weakening of the power of the Loser ex-President. He can huff and puff and threaten to blow them all down but he cannot do it. It is over in Michigan.

Even worse, the Republican Senators admitted that since there had been no fraud in Michigan, there was no need for new laws to prevent it. In other words, the voter suppression laws have nothing to do with preventing fraud. Their purpose is to ensure that a repeat Biden victory does not occur in 2024. Perhaps one of the reasons Trumpicans can accept that the Loser ex-President will not be returned to power now is because of all the actions taken to legally prevent the Democratic candidate winning in 2024.

If you think the actions of the Cyber Ninjas have been ridiculed so far, wait until they disclose their findings. Wait until they produce the evidence that will convince the Supreme Court to cancel the January 6, 2021 vote and install the true winner as President effective immediately. If you think Séance Sydney was good for a few laughs in communicating with the dead, the Cyber Ninja evidence will be the death knoll for the Stop the Steal movement. There is no August return to the White House and no replacement date in sight until 2024.

If Florida or Texas need disaster recovery relief in the fall which President do you think they will contact? If there is a bipartisan infrastructure bill how can you maintain the lie when you just entered into an agreement with the illegitimate President? Even elected Trumpicans in Congress know it is time to move on….with some exceptions of course.

PREDICTING THE FUTURE

Predicting the future is easy. What else can you predict? The past? So here are my predictions.

1. The Durham report, the hope of Hannity for days, weeks, months, even years, will prove to be a Nothingburger.

2. The Horowitz report will prove there was spying at the highest levels against political opponents just as Foxhub said but it was by Trump and not Obama. This investigation does not get the airtime on Foxhub the original Horowitz report did. It will be a little like the movie Z as the truth is unraveled only this time the military is on the side of democracy.

3. The House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 will document the assistance by some Republicans, the instigation by the President, and the presidential unawareness of the difference between a TV show where the violence is fake news and the assault on America where it was real. It will even force Kevin McCarthy to tell the truth.

4. The COVID investigation will show the ineptness and incompetence of the immature child President lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. If the Senate had done its job and removed him from office and made Mike Pence president those Americans would be alive today.

5. More and more insiders will expose the horrendous truth and callous evil of the Trump Presidency. The face-saving efforts of Bill Barred-for-Life is one example. The pathetic joyride in the hospital parking lot by the COVID President is another. Even more amazing, there actually were people in the White House who thought the infection of the immature child would cause him to grow up and take the disease seriously. It boggles the mind that anyone could think such nonsense. Getting COVID did not change the need of the biggest weeny in America from a fake display of his manliness. He will always be Macho Macho Boy pretending to be more; nothing can change that.

6. At some point, the Loser will realize even in his deranged alternate reality, that even though the election was stolen – he will believe that to his dying day – he will not be returned to the White House by his Supreme Court. What will he decide to do then? We probably have to wait for the results of the 2022 elections to find out. This mid-term election may be an anomaly in that instead of simple being a referendum about the current President, it will be one about the former President who wants to be the next President. That is good news for the Democrats.

7. The criminal and civil cases in Georgia, Washington, and New York will only become worse for him. He may even have to cut down as his golf which would be cruel and unusual punishment in his case even without being convicted.

One final prediction does not augur well for the Loser. His former Vice President Brownnose is no profile in courage. But he is the proverbial canary in the coal mine. When he took pride in his actions on January 6 in fulfilling his constitutional duties to certify the election of Joe Biden against the demand not to, he dared to put his loyalty to the Constitution over his obligations to the President of the United States. “If we lose faith in the Constitution, we won’t just lose elections — we’ll lose our country,” Pence said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Exactly right. But there are other ambitious would-be candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, too. They can sense weakness. They can smell the blood in the water. They can see the rivals around them. The king will be dead and I want to be the new one. Republicans do not need Trump to campaign against the Woke. The more they realize that they are stronger without him then without him, the more likely the Howard Baker moment will be the Brutus moment of shoving the Loser aside.

Michael Horowitz, Bill Barr, and Donald Trump: The Sequel

June 13, 2021
by Peter Feinman
The storm is coming (Politico).

Good morning, Mr. Horowitz. Your mission Michael, should you decide to accept it, is to prevent the overthrow of the duly-elected President of the United States.  The presidentially-authorized spying must be exposed. Adam Schiff is involved. It is the greatest corruption scandal in the history of the United States. As always, should you or any of your DOJ Force be caught or killed, the Attorney General will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

For weeks if not months on end, we heard Sean Hannity play a version of these words. The Horowitz probe would reveal the greatest threat to the American rule of law ever experienced by this country. Heads were going to roll. People were going to prison. The Deep State would die. Hannity gleefully looked forward to these traitors receiving their just punishment. But alas, it was not to be. The Horowitz investigation joined similar other investigations into the corruption at the highest level that amounted to nothing. The still-awaited Durham report also was touted again and again by Hannity and the Foxhub staff. Still waiting.

Now we have arrived at the Horowitz sequel. The disappointing for Hannity first movie proved to be a dud. Nothing untoward was exposed. It was all a lot of Nothingburger. But hope springs eternal and nothing can dissuade loyal Trumpicans that there was corruption at the highest level of government. Once again Michael Horowitz and his team have been charged with the task of exposing presidential corruption in involving one of Hannity’s favorite whipping boys. However this time, Schiff was the target of the corruption and not the alleged instigator.

DONALD TRUMP IS ALWAYS GUILTY

Donald Trump is always guilty.

Not only is Donald Trump always guilty, he is always guilty of criminal actions you did not even think off.

There still is no rock bottom. Look at what has transpired in just the last few days. First there was Don McGahn’s testimony on how he had resisted the criminal requests from the President of the United States to obstruct a criminal investigation by the DOJ. No sooner had you caught your breath than the next bombshell hit. There really had been presidential spying and it involved Adam Schiff. No sooner had you caught your breath then another bombshell hit. Because McGahn would not play ball with the most corrupt President in the history of the United States, he too had been a target of presidentially-authorized spying.

At this point one wonders what is next. I shudder to write this blog knowing that it can be eclipsed at any moment. Horowitz has work cut out for him. There are going to be many sequels.

It seems unlikely that Hannity and Foxhub will be cheering during the Horowitz Sequel.

DONALD TRUMP IS ABOVE THE LAW: HIS ACCOMPLICES ARE NOT

I first referred to Bill Barred-for-Life in a blog Will Mike Pence Become a Profile in Courage? (October 3, 2019) (the question was a rhetorical one).  Now the wheels are in motion for the most corrupt Attorney General in the history of the United States to reap what he has sown. Do you think he understands the meaning of “suggest”? It is up to the Trumpicans in Congress to prevent the investigation of the most corrupt President in the history of the United States from moving forward.

Although Donald Trump is always guilty, convicting him is never easy. The best way to prevent that problem is to indict everyone else first. Take Michael Cohen for example. Once upon a time he would take a bullet for “Mr. Trump” as he still calls him. Then he wised up. He realized that THE DONALD would throw him under the bus without hesitation. Now he sings like a canary. He sings before Congress, He sings before the TV camera. He sings whenever he is interviewed. This is the pattern that should be followed. Convict or grant immunity first as in New York, then indict. Indict the organization. Indict the accountant. Indict the children. Indict the former Attorney General. Indict everyone else whose name pops up in the investigation. They are not above the law. Their opportunity to resist investigation has been curtailed. They are on their own now.

Prosecutors should take advantage of their predicament. Let the accomplices do the dirty work. Let them call Donald Trump to testify as a witness under oath on their behalf. Even they know better than to do something so stupid as to call Donald trump to testify under oath. Every time he takes an oath to tell the truth it is a perjury trap. Better to lose everything then to call him as a witness!

FOR HOROWITZ TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

Horowitz has limited time to complete his investigation. At some point in August at a date still not specified, the most corrupt President in the history of the United States will return to the White House. He will be joined by the two losing Senate candidates in Georgia thereby giving the Trumpicans control of the Senate. The new Attorney General, Sydney Powell, will immediately squash the Horowitz witch hunt. Instead she will be compiling lists of the Satan-worshiping pedophiles for execution. Secretary of Homeland Security Mike Flynn will be tasked with preparing the gallows to do the deed. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

The press, as expected has been negligent in its reporting of the coming STORM this August. As with the Cyber Ninjas in Arizona, the press coverage has been treating it as a joke, an embarrassment. The press ignores that tens of millions of people will believe the results produced by the Cyber Ninjas that the vote in Arizona was stolen. They will believe it in Georgia too. They will believe it elsewhere as well. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

The press should be using the remaining time to prepare for what is to happen, not to dredge up yesterday’s hoaxes. Our Lord and Savior, the Chosen One, Blessed Be his Name, successfully resisted the efforts of Deep State to take him down until they had no recourse but to unleash the Patriots on January 6 to undo the steal.  We will see who has the last laugh. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

The press should be asking the rightful President when in August he will return to the White House.

The press should be asking the rightful President what preparations he is making for his return.

The press should be asking the rightful President what he intends to do when he returns to the White House.

Brian Williams should knock off that silly count up of days in the Joe Biden administration and instead start a countdown to when the rightful President will return to the White House. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

Joe Biden should invite the 45th President to some event at the White House in August. Everything possible should be done to maximize the belief that THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST.

Trumpicans should be roused to a state of frenzy in anticipation of what is going to happen. Every day in August they should be asking is today the day. Every day the press should be asking them starting with Marjorie Green Taylor is today the day. THE STORM IS COMING AND IT WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2021.

What will Trumpicans do when it does not happen?

Create a new date.

Ninjas and the 2024 Presidential Election

May 7, 2021
by Peter Feinman
Will John C. Calhoun be the real winner in 2024? (Portrait by George Peter Alexander Healy in Wikipedia)

America’s Third Civil War has taken some unusual and unexpected turns. My expectation as previously stated was that the 2020 Presidential Election immediately would lead to the Battle of Gettysburg. The forces of light would battle the forces of darkness in the battle of Armageddon for the future of the country. That is not exactly what happened and back then I had no idea what January 6 was.

When the post-election battle for America was engaged, it was different than expected. It was in one location and not nationwide. The forces arrayed on behalf of the Loser were smaller than I would have anticipated. Plus as bad as the assault on the Capitol was, the Trumpican insurrections did not achieve their objective of overthrowing the Constitutional Republic and replacing it with the Rule of Trump.

No office holders were executed in the attack. Think of how different the reaction might have been if the Trumpicans had hanged Mike Pence or executed Nancy Pelosi. Would the elected Trumpicans in the House and Senate still be as quick to gloss over the insurrection? Would Foxhub? We will never know.

NINJAS

The latest wrinkle in the Third Civil War has been the unleashing of ninjas to reverse the election results and restore the previous President to power. Their first battle is in Arizona. By using advanced ultraviolet technology not deployed in the previous audits of the votes and by tracking bamboo, the ninjas will determine that not only did Biden not win in Arizona, he lost by a huge amount. The fix was in.

The circus–is-in-town ninja audit does not change the facts of what they will claim they found. The possible DOJ interference if it comes will be too late. The ninjas are performing for an audience of one. That individual has expressed how delighted he is over the actions of these Patriots to expose the true lie of the 2020 election. He is counting the seconds until the moment when the ninjas go public and declare the election in Arizona stolen.

The announcement of this result will confirm what tens of millions already know. Whether or not the ninjas will name names, meaning identifying the people who should be prosecuted for perpetrating this fraud remains open. If the ninjas do not, then the Arizona Trumpicans will launch such an investigation to bring these criminals to justice.

The next battle in the ninja campaign to restore the rightful winner likely will be Georgia. Enthusiasm will be mounting as Trumpicans can see victory in sight. In Georgia, the ninjas will find the 11,780 votes that the Republican Secretary of State who needs to be replaced by a Trumpican could not find. Is there any doubt that the ninjas will be successful in not only finding those votes but even more as Biden truly lost the state in a landslide? Whether or not the ninjas will find the Senate votes were compromised too adds a twist to the campaign. Obviously the removal of two fraudulently-elected Georgia Senators would change the complexion of the Senate to the advantage of the Trumpicans right now. Ironically, at the same time as the ninjas will be reversing the Georgia vote, the prosecution of the former President in Georgia will be moving full speed ahead.

At this point, the ninjas will need only one more state to prove that the election was stolen. Exactly which one it will be will prove challenging. Meantime the Trumpicans will be in hyperdrive to finish the job. QAnon will be predicting total victory. The momentum will be unbelievable and the emotions off the chart.

REMEDY

Once the ninjas have exposed the truth of the stolen election then what? There is no doubt that the Loser expects to be returned to the White House now. Can states demand that the true winning slate of electors retroactively be counted in the Electoral College vote thereby reversing the results? There is no provision for that so the request will go to the Supreme Court. It is hard to imagine that it will rule to remove Joe Biden.

How about impeachment? The impeachment of the President is insufficient since Trumpicans do not want the current Vice President to become President now, in 2024, in 2028, or in midterm if the President resigns for health reasons. Besides if the President and the Vice President were removed that would make the Speaker of House the President. Trumpicans certainly do not want that now. Impeachment like the Supreme Court is not a viable option for the returning the Loser to the White House now.

But after the 2022 elections, Trumpicans expect a new Speaker. They take it for granted. So do many Democrats. Still there is no provision anywhere for the Speaker to stand aside to let a losing candidate become President. However, there is an opportunity for the Trumpican Speaker to impeach the Democratic President twice in 2023 and 2024. So what if it does not pass the Senate and he is not removed from office. He will have the stain on his record of having been impeached twice too. The Trumpican Speaker also can initiate investigations into the stolen election.

Realistically, there is no way the Congressional or Supreme Court level to reverse the election results. There is only one remedy for the ninja-revealed proof of the stolen election.

2024 REMEDY

The only remedy in the real world for the results of 2020 is the election of 2024. To those who say (as Michael Cohen does) that 2024 will not be a replay of 2020, I say they are wrong. First he will never leave the stage of his own free will. Second he will have all the proof he needs that he really won in 2020 and the election was stolen. Third he is a person of vengeance. He will be drooling in anticipation of pardoning everybody who is loyal to him, punishing those who are not, and becoming a three-time winner. He will use the stolen election idea as the theme of his candidacy.

So who will be the real losers of the successful ninja campaign to prove the election was stolen? All the soul-sellers who want to be the candidate in 2024 will find that there is no room at the top. The person who controls the Trumpican Party and has the stolen-election issue will be energized to run again. The soul-sellers will have to wait until 2028 at least.

There is a fly in the ointment. I am not referring to the ninjas failing to prove to the satisfaction of the Trumpicans that the election was stolen. I am referring to the 2022 elections. Suppose despite the voter suppression, the traditional loss of seats by the incumbent party in the midterm elections, the retirements, and the reapportionment, the Trumpicans do not seize control of the House yet alone the Senate? What happens if after over three years of anticipation, Kevin McCarthy discovers he sold his soul for nothing and still is out of power? Suppose Democrats follow the successful 2018 model and do not become the Diversity Party of all-race-all-the time? Unfortunately such results seem like a long shot. Still too early to tell but in America’s Third Civil War, Tom Friedman understates the gravity of the situation. The worst is still to come. I have expressed my fears that the United States as we know it will not survive to celebrate its 250th birthday. Expect John C. Calhoun to make a comeback no matter who wins in 2024.

It’s Morning Again in Half of America

May 2, 2021
by Peter Feinman
The Rising Sun (https://teachingamericanhistory.org)

“Now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun.”

Ben Franklin uttered these words on September 17, 1787, at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention. He was looking at George Washington’s chair which was topped with half a sun and rays shining forth. Franklin, of course, was passing judgment on the work just completed in fashioning the very document in amended form that continues to constitute We the People to this very day.

Franklin’s comment was an expression of hope and optimism. He used the sun metaphor to exclaim his positive feelings about the Constitution. Franklin did not invent optimism in America, but he certainly exemplified it. As the oldest member of the Convention, he had the longest view of what had occurred in the time since even before the French and Indian War to the new beginning after the American Revolution.  Even in his old age, Franklin embraced the future with faith and confidence that became part of the American cultural heritage.

In 1932, one hundred forty-five years later, America was depressed. That old-fashioned optimism seemed obsolete in the face of the mounting challenges that had overwhelmed the country for several years. A new President was elected, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a name that has been in the news lately due to the new President today.

Happy Days Are Here Again (https://politicaldictionary.com)

Franklin Roosevelt did not draw on the sun metaphor of Franklin, Benjamin, at least not directly. But his campaign song did. “Happy Days Are Again” would become indelibly etched in the American cultural heritage as the Republican-written post-World War I song about returning veterans acquired a new meaning. It would be vigorously sung anew by Barbra Streisand among others as a clarion call to the positive outlook that is at the essence of the American Dream and way of life. And, yes, there is a shining sun.

Happy days are here again,
The skies above are clear again
Let us sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again.

Altogether shout it now
There’s no one who can doubt it now
So let’s tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again,

Your cares and troubles are gone
They’re be no more from now on
Happy days are here again,
The skies above are clear again

Let us sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again,

So long sad time, so long bad time
We are rid of you at last
Howdy gay times, cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past

Happy days are here again,
The skies above are clear again
Let us sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again,

Altogether shout it now
There’s no one who can doubt it now
So let’s tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again,

Your cares and troubles are gone
They’re be no more from now on
Happy days are here again,
The skies above are clear again

Let us sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again,
Happy days are here again,
The skies above are clear again

Let us sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again.

(Source: Musixmatch, Songwriters: Jack Yellen / Milton Ager, lyrics © Wb Music Corp.)

Could this song be sung again today? Who would you choose to sing it?

It’s Morning Again in America (https://politicaldictionary.com)

In 1984, fifty-two years after Roosevelt and nearly two centuries after Franklin’s declaration, Ronald Reagan’s “It’s Morning Again in America” became the definitive successful presidential campaign ad. The phrase lives on usually without the “again,” a testament to the hope and optimism that continued to define this country. Part of American Exceptionalism has been this indestructible fully-embraced belief in a better tomorrow, in the best is yet come, in life is worth living. That deep-seated faith has drawn millions to this land. People who want a seat at the table in the room where it happens come to America and thrive here to fulfill dreams and live lives they could not at home.

Until recently. One President changed the song, altered the vision, and lost faith. The legacy of the one-term 45th President will include that the presidency was inaugurated and departed in carnage. It became with an inaugural description of America that resembled the landscape of Blade Runner or a Batman movie. It ended with an attempted insurrection to overthrow the government. January 6 will join December 7 and September 11 as a day of infamy in American history (and as April 12, 1861 has not). Instead of embracing America’s future, this loser sought an imagined American past, an America he knew when he was a child. It is a vision shared by tens of millions of Americans who no longer have the optimism and hope for the future expressed by Benjamin Franklin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan unless their Lord and Savior, the Chosen One, Blessed Be his Name can restore it.

Our current President seeks to renew that faith and optimism, to lift us from the viral carnage of the previous President. On April 28, 2021, in an address to a joint session of Congress, President Joe Bidden drew on the American legacy while acknowledging that it is being tested at home and abroad.

Can our democracy deliver on its promise that all of us – created equal in the image of God – have a chance to lead lives of dignity, respect, and possibility? 

 Can our democracy deliver on the most pressing needs of our people?

 Can our democracy overcome the lies, anger, hate and fears that have pulled us apart?

With these words, Biden harkened to the challenge faced by Roosevelt compounded by the ongoing effort of the previous President to tear America apart far beyond what Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis did. They sought to secede from the United States, not to overthrow the government and rule the entire country. This time the stakes are far higher.

America’s adversaries – the autocrats of the world – are betting it can’t.

They believe we are too full of anger and division and rage.

They look at the images of the mob that assaulted this Capitol as proof that the sun is setting on American democracy.

Here President Biden draws on the sun imagery of Franklin. Without specifically saying so, he is addressing the claim Abraham Lincoln made in his annual address to Congress on December 1, 1862 about the United States as the last best hope on earth. Like Franklin, Biden envisions a rising sun but it won’t be easy.

They are wrong. And we have to prove them wrong.

We have to prove democracy still works.

That our government still works – and can deliver for the people.  ….

The autocrats will not win the future.

America will.

The future will belong to America.

Perhaps no one expected this President to join the ranks of his illustrious predecessors in boldly championing America’s future. Stirring oratory is not his political past. Yet for one moment and the right moment, he rose to the occasion to vigorously embrace the future that is stunning in its rejection of his predecessor’s carnage.

I stand here tonight before you in a new and vital hour in the life of our democracy and our nation.

And I can say with absolute confidence: I have never been more confident or more optimistic about America.

We have stared into an abyss of insurrection and autocracy — of pandemic and pain — and “We the People” did not flinch….

With light and hope, we summoned new strength and new resolve.

To position us to win the competition for the 21st Century.

On our way forward to a Union more perfect. More prosperous. More just.

As one people. One nation. One America.

It’s never been a good bet to bet against America.

And it still isn’t.

We are the United States of America.

There is nothing – nothing – beyond our capacity – nothing we can’t do – if we do it together.

Amen.

 

Presidential Shrine versus Presidential Library for the Former Guy

March 2, 2021
by Peter Feinman
Location of the Unpresidential Library (Google Maps)

The tradition of the Presidential Library began with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Library was located on his home grounds in Hyde Park where he had served as the local historian before moving on to bigger jobs. I used to take teachers there for professional development programs. Depending on the program we might be there for a few hours, a day, a weekend, or a week.

While we were there we would walk the grounds, tour the buildings, meet with the curators, and even have dinner at Top Cottage as Roosevelt and Churchill once had. Over the years a visitor center was built and the Library was renovated. More public programs and conferences were held. A shuttle between the site and the Poughkeepsie train station was established. It was no longer necessary for visitors to come by car, they could take the train and spend a day with the Roosevelts. The complex was a major destination site in Duchess County.

Since that low-key origin, a lot has happened. Presidential libraries have become a major phenomena that have outgrown the private property of a former president. They also have become prestigious academic institutions. Even pre-Roosevelt Presidents have gotten into the act. Existing sites have been upgraded to become research centers and not just places for a house tour.

So what does all this mean for the 45th President?

PRESIDENTIAL SHRINE LOCATION

First, where would the Presidential shrine be located? It could not be in Queens where he was born and grew up. He hasn’t lived there in years, is disconnected from that site, and probably not welcome there. The only time he might to be in Queens is when landing at an airport. It’s hard to imagine him watching the U.S. Open there once tournaments are back to normal. Its international audience hardly seems Trumpican!

It could not be in Manhattan either. He no longer lives there. He is likely only to be there for judicial reasons in the years to come. It is hard to imagine the United Nations inviting him to speak there…or any of the law schools! It is conceivable that he would at some point donate a tower to be the Presidential Library. Naturally he would take a huge write off which would immediately be subject to investigation. Besides, do Trumpicans really want to travel to New York to worship their Lord and Savior, the Chosen One, Blessed Be his Name? I suspect not.

It could not be at a university with which he is affiliated. He isn’t affiliated with one. He had to pay someone to take the tests so he could get into an Ivy League school. We may never learn whom he paid to write his papers and take his tests once he matriculated. He has had no contact with his alma mater as President nor is there any sign that the University of Pennsylvania welcomes him. Pity the poor college that lands a graduate in the White House and is ashamed.

Perhaps there is another college which may seek to house his shrine. There are many evangelical seminaries and colleges throughout the land and which have sufficient open space. Presumably at least one of them would be more than eager to be the location for the shrine to the 45th. Trumpicans would flock there and it would make a great recruiting tool. So keep in mind the possibility of the shrine being located on a religious campus.

Finally, there are his own properties including where he now resides in Florida. These golf courses have plenty of land. Once again there would be a huge write off which would be investigated. But in a way we would have come full circle: the library could be located on the home of the former president.

PRESIDENTIAL SHRINE CONTENTS

This past weekend, we were witness to a preview of what the Presidential Shrine would look like. Besides the golden calf courtesy of a true believer, we could see that the shrine would be dedicated to him as America’s greatest president. It would bear witness to his deserved status as a Mount Rushmore President. Better yet, he deserves his own mountain since he is in a class by himself.

The shrine would be dedicated to all his victories over the forces of evil that tried to cancel him. His triumphant battles against Deep State hoaxes and Fake News reports would feature prominently. His enemy list would be displayed. There would be testimonials from his worshipers. Truly it would be a religious experience like to Graceland itself with suitable souvenirs available for sale at the gift shop.

THE UNPRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY LOCATION

What about the location for the Unpresidential Library? What about the location of the research center for people interested in the truth about the 45th? What about the people who want to know the truth about his failed business career, his abuse of women, his Russian collusion, his Ukrainian attempted extortion, his mismanagement of the coronavirus, his attempt to steal the election, his attempt to end the American constitutional republic, his nastiness, his lack of morals, ethics, conscience, empathy, sympathy, and compassion. Where will they go?

As it turns, such a library location for the loser President has been found. It is a prime piece of real estate in 45th’s former beloved borough of Manhattan where his building career began.

The following comes from an obituary to Sheldon Solow, a real estate developer in New York.

Sheldon H. Solow, Manhattan Real Estate Mogul, Dies at 92

By Robert D. McFadden (Nov. 17, 2020, NYT)

But Mr. Solow’s most ambitious and visionary undertaking, by far, was his unfinished $4 billion project to transform the 9.2-acre site of a former Con Edison power plant on the East River into seven glass towers, with 4.8 acres of gardens, lawns and esplanades. The site, just south of the United Nations headquarters, was the largest undeveloped, privately owned plot in Manhattan.

A decade after buying the sprawling property in three parcels with a partner for $630 million in 2000 and spending $125 million more to demolish the power plant and clean up toxic debris, Mr. Solow was still bogged down in public-approval processes, community resistance, financing issues and other problems. He had shed his partner but had not yet begun to build on the site.

In 2013, he sold the southern parcel for $172 million. Two residential towers were built, but not by Mr. Solow. His first building on the site, a 42-story condominium-and-rental tower on the west side of First Avenue between 39th and 40th Streets, was finished in 2018. But most of the site, bounded by 41st and 38th Streets, First Avenue and the F.D.R. Drive, has remained a grassy wasteland, awaiting three residential condominium towers and an office building that were approved in a master plan in 2008.

This ideal location would pack people in by the thousands. The Unpresidential Library of the former guy would be an international destination site. In the past I have written several blogs about the Unpresidential Library (Fox & Friends and the Unpresidential Library April 30, 2018; The Unpresidential Library: The Adolescent Room, July 30, 2019;  Murderers’ Row: The Trump Hall of Fame October 27, 2020 among others). Now is the time to start planning it. Is there a university in Manhattan that would like to be the lead academic institution for the Unpresidential Library? Is there a history organization that would like to be the lead history organization for the Unpresidential Library? Is there a rich person or rich people who want to ensure that the 45th is remembered for the true person that is and not as the Presidential Shrine will portray him? Let’s make it so.

Kamala Harris Vows to Do What Mike Pence Didn’t Do

February 28, 2021
by Peter Feinman
Trumpican Justice (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images)

In 2021, Vice President Mike Pence did not have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and the Constitution. The penalty for the failure to rise to the occasion and be a profile in courage to save the country is simple, direct, and brutal: death, death by hanging, death by hanging in public. However despite the efforts of the domestic trumperists, Mike Pence escaped the fate he deserved. No wonder the Loser President was enraged and declined to express any concern about the safety of the Vice President who was not loyal.

Kamala Harris is well aware of the new rules. She does not want to be lynched. Therefore she will do what needs to be done to avoid the lynching Mike Pence managed to escape. To prevent a reoccurrence she is putting the states on notice that their electors will be subject to disqualification. In particular, she will warn the states implementing voter suppression bills. If the votes in those states in 2024 do not support the Democratic candidate, she will prevent the Trumpican effort to steal the election and disqualify those Electors through the powers granted to the Vice President in the Constitution.

ELECTION RULE CHANGES

The election rules have changed. Never again will presidential elections be as simple as they once were. I don’t mean there weren’t contentious elections in the past. I mean that once upon a time, people knew what the rules were. Now they have changed.

Once the actual vote on Election Day mattered. Now it doesn’t.
Once the certification of the vote mattered. Now it doesn’t.
Once the Electoral College vote mattered. Now it doesn’t.
Once evidence mattered. Now it doesn’t.
Once the Congressional ratification was routine. Now it is all that matters.

STOP THE STEAL: 2022 AND 2024

Given the importance of Congress in determining what Electoral College votes to count, control of Congress looms ever more important than it already was. The Trumpicans are fully aware of how critical control of Congress is in the selection of the President. They are moving full bore in an open and brazen manner to rig the vote count and steal the election(s). It is an all-out national assault on a state-by-state basis where they are in control of the legislature. It almost as if there is a special Olympics to see which state can best rig the count in elections and the gerrymandering to ensure that the Trumpicans remain in power at the state level and regain power at the federal level.

What are Democrats going to do about the Trumpican STEAL THE VOTE initiative?

Will the Democrats launch their own STOP THE STEAL counterattack to prevent the Trumpicans from succeeding? Does this effort even have a campaign name that will be used repeatedly?

Will the Democrats pass national legislation FOR THE PEOPLE to curtail such effort? In time to make a difference?

Will the Democrats will prepare a list of dos and don’ts. This list should include specific actions that Trumpicans do to rig the vote through voter suppression. The Democrats should announce that the application of these STEAL THE VOTE actions by states will be grounds for disqualification of Electors. The list also will include specific actions to promote voter turnout which if not done, also will result in disqualification of Electors. Of course, if the efforts to rig the vote fail and the state votes Democratic, then the Electors will be accepted.

Unlike the 2020 election, the scrutiny of the vote will not be limited to the Presidential vote. Senate and House elections will be subject to the same rules as applied to the Presidential election. Efforts to rig the vote for one federal position will be treated as applying to all federal offices. Just as the Presidential Electors will be disqualified in event of the rigging of the vote through voter suppression, so Senators and Representative elected through voter suppression similarly will not be seated.

Trumpicans have shown Democrats the way to win elections regardless of the vote and lack of evidence. The one and only method of determining the winners is through Congress. Those bodies in themselves may be subject to challenge if supposed House and Senate winners are the result of rig elections. The stop the steal effort will be expanded to all federal positions so by the time Congress meets to certify the Presidential elections, there may be open issues as to who is to be seated.

ELECTION CHALLENGES 2022 AND 2024

Obviously it is still early, but there still are some thoughts to consider. At this point, 2024 is shaping up as a rematch of 2020. It would be the first rematch since Adlai Stevenson and Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.

Spoiler Alert: the rematch didn’t change the results from the 1952 election.

Barring any medical and/or criminal procedures, there is no alternative for Trumpicans from the founder of the Trumpican Party, their Lord and Savior, the Chosen One, Blessed be his Name. Indeed, his worshipers rolled out a golden calf before which they could frolic as they sang his praises as if they were reliving a scene from the Bible. As things stand now, he will be the candidate for as long as he wants before turning over the Trumpican Party to a junior version of himself. It is almost funny watching politicians sell their souls to be the chosen one as if the Trumpican party could anoint a non-Trump and that he would ever relinquish power.

The few Republicans left in the Party have four choices in the real world:
1. stay at home and don’t vote
2. swallow their pride and vote Trumpican
3. support the Democratic candidate as long as it is Joe Biden
4. launch an independent candidacy in the tradition of Teddy Roosevelt, George Wallace, Ross Perot, and Ralph Nader and hope they make a difference the right way.

If they choose to nominate a Republican, then time is running out to start the 50-state effort to create a third party especially given that the Trumpicans in power at the state level will obstruct the effort to do so.

The Democrats have no reason to be complacent.

Joe Biden was the only Democrat who could win in 2020. That still may be true in 2024.

Without the coronavirus, Joe Biden might have lost.

Even with the coronavirus, Joe Biden might have lost if the Loser had worn a mask, faked compassion, and put Mike Pence in charge.

In order for Joe Biden to win, a major effort behind the scenes was undertaken to ensure a safe and fair election in 2020 as just detailed in a major article in Time. Whether or not that effort is repeated in 2024 remains to be seen.

The Democrats still have to decide what to do about the loss of House seats and state legislatures in 2020 and the impact of the 2020 Census moving forward.

The Democrats still have to struggle to hold the House in the post-Census districts. There are reasons why Kevin McCarthy is foaming at the mouth anticipation of 2022 when he is not otherwise kissing the Donald’s ring on bended knee.

The Democrats still have deal with the fact that at any given moment the Woke will hand the Trumpicans an issue on a silver platter again and again.

The Democrats still have to deal with the fact they have maxed out the votes they can gain by playing the race card. Many of the voters the Democrats have been taking for granted for years actually identify as Americans, are proud to be Americans, and don’t wallow in 1619. The Trumpican Party made unexpected inroads with the supposed Democratic hyphen-voters in 2020 without even trying. An adult Republican could clean up with those voters unless the Democrats change their ways. Even a Trumpican could make additional inroads if the candidate caught on to this movement. It might not even be necessary for Trumpicans to steal the election in 2024 if the Democrats continue to alienate their hyphens.

The Woke effort to create Trumpican votes will be relentless. Their success in alienating Americans continues unabated. They have been so successful, the ridicule against them as seeped out into the general public and is not just confined to Foxhub. The cancel culture has become a national joke.

To counter the Trumpican STEAL THE ELECTION effort, the Democrats need to launch their STOP THE STEAL counterattack now.

To counter the Woke and the Trumpicans, Joe Biden needs to keep reaching out to all the American people in his speeches, his legislation, and his actions. Good thing for the Democrats the pandemic should be over, the economy will have recovered and that Joe Biden is a nice guy unlike that former guy.

Will the Constitutional Republic Survive America’s Third Civil War?

January 26, 2021
by Peter Feinman
For want of wearing a mask, the presidency was lost. (https://nailstip.blogspot.com/2019/08/for-want-of-horseshoe-nail.html)

The fate of the constitutional republic of the United States of America remains unknown. Will it survive to celebrate its 250th anniversary? Will it dissolve into its constituent parts? Will it simply muddle along under constant strain because the alternative is too scary?

No one knows the answer to these questions. Before beginning a series of history blogs on the subject, I would like to note how easy it would have been for the constitutional republic already to have ended. A lot of things had to work out for us to get even this far and anyone one of them could have turned out differently.

THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A BIGGER TURNOUT ON 1/6

Approximately 8000 people showed up on January 6, not all of them armed. When I first wrote Seven Days in January: This Time It Is Not a Movie on January 3, I asked what would happen if different combinations of heavily-armed right wing militias had stormed the Capitol. I wondered if there were sufficient ground forces to stop them. Now we know. Even with the lower number of insurrectionists the defensive forces were inadequate to do the job.

1. Why weren’t there adequate forces to defend the Capitol?
2. Why was the turnout for the insurrection so low?
3. Despite the low numbers, what would the response have been if Mike Pence had been hanged and Nancy Pelosi had been killed?

SUPPOSE THE TRUMPICANS HAD BEEN AS WELL ORGANIZED AS THE WOKE

The Woke were prepared for the post-election attempt by the Trumpicans to steal the election; the Trumpicans were not. The Woke correctly anticipated the Trumpican attempt to steal the election. They had planning sessions as to what to do. More importantly, they had planning sessions on what not to do: No cries to “Defund the Police.” No toppling of statues. No burning of flags. They conducted training sessions. They planned for contingencies. They coordinated. They vowed not to provide Trumpicans with the slogans and photo-ops that would undermine their cause. They were organized, disciplined, ready and successful.

By contrast, the Trumpican side was true to their leader. He bought a lifetime of incompetence and ineptitude to managing his post-election attempt to steal the election. He was not prepared at all. He had no planning sessions. He developed no strategies. He organized nothing. When your legal effort is being led by Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, you know you have a weak case. Everything was ad hoc, impulsive, on the fly. The DOJ wasn’t ready; in the end a nobody from left field attempted to stage a coup within the department that went nowhere. In the end the corporations that were being accused of criminal activity based on wishful thinking decided to strike back through legal action.

The planning for the insurrection itself consisted of a call to show up, attend a rally, and walk to the Capitol – it will be wild. There was no planning about what the people should do once they got inside the Capitol. As Mary Trump said about her uncle, a child in the body of an adult with the emotional maturity of a three-year old, he “enjoyed every second…He is a physical coward but he’s perfectly happy when other people commit violence on his behalf.” Even the rightwing groups mocked the effort for being unorganized and inadequately planned. Once inside, the insurrectionists were busy taking selfies and souvenirs. Skilled revolutionaries they were not.

1. Suppose next time the insurrection leader is an adult?
2. Suppose next time the insurrectionists turn out in force and do have a plan?
3. Suppose next time the Woke aren’t as well organized and prepared to stop the steal?

WHAT IF THE CORONAVIRUS HAD OCCURRED EARLIER IN HIS TERM?  

On numerous occasions during the pandemic, various people in the administration have made fools of themselves for their ineptitude, incompetence, and ignorance. They did not understand the science nor did they want do. One of the questions historians will ask, if they aren’t already, is why did the eventual loser throw away the opportunity to be a winner.

1. Imagine if he had worn a mask.
2. Imagine if had pretended to be sympathetic.
3. Imagine if he had put Mike Pence in charge.

Of course, he couldn’t change who he was even though it cost him the election. He simply was too simple-minded, narcissistic and lacking in mental necessities to transform the virus into a leadership challenge as a wartime president. Instead all he cared about was the Dow Jones and once that crisis was solved he lost interest.

But if the virus had struck earlier and if the vaccine had been ready earlier and if the vaccine had been distributed earlier and America was looking back on the virus on election day the way China is, he would have been re-elected. He will never understand that.

WHAT IF THE DEMOCRATS HAD NOT NOMINATED JOE BIDEN?

While 7 million votes is a lot numerically, in percentage terms, it is not that great. A small shift of votes in Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and one congressional district and there would have been no need to try to steal the election. All things considered, that is not a lot of votes. It also shows how thin the Democratic bench is and how Democrats may need Biden to run again in 2024 to prevent a Trumpican victory.

Our next presidential election is the bicentennial of the election of 1824. That presidential election was one of the ugliest in American history. There were five candidates. American was transitioning from the First Party system of Federalists and Anti-Federalists/Republicans of Adams and Jefferson to the Second Party system of Whigs and Democrats with Clay/Webster and Jackson. I first wrote about it in September 2016 The Presidential Election of 1824: Lessons for Today and tried to resume the discussion in December 2020 Biden and Cuomo: The End of an Era. In that blog I wrote about the Diversity Party and the Democratic Party as two of the parties. The question was how long the two factions could remain united in one party. The answer is still unknown but I think it is safe to say both groups understand the stakes if they don’t.

In that blog, I deferred writing about the corresponding division of the other party between the Republicans and the Trumpicans. In a little more than a month since then, that division has become obvious to everyone. The actions of the state parties such as in Arizona and really-off-the-rails Oregon, the votes in the House on the electors and the impeachment, the vote in the Senate on constitutionality of the impeachment all show that there is no civil war in the Republican Party. The Trumpicans have won. The Republicans are retiring from the battlefield. The Lincoln Project Republicans aren’t welcome anymore and they know it. There is no place for them.

Mitch McConnell is four years too late to battle to save the Republican Party from the Trumpicans. He got his tax cut to help rich people get richer and he got his judges. If the price is the destruction of the Republican Party for the Trumpican Party, then he will have to decide if it was worth it. The people who need to set up a third party are the Republicans and not the Trumpicans. There is no Republican Party left to take back.

That is why the fate of the constitutional republic remains unknown and precarious. The United States of America now has one national party that is dedicated not to the rule of law under the Constitution but to the wishes of one immature individual with no conscience, no ethics, and no morals. For now at least, he is in complete control of his party. The vaunted Biden working relationships with members across the aisle means nothing. Those are the Republicans on their way out. He has no Senate experience with Trumpicans. He has no House experience with Trumpicans. They do not consider him legitimate.

The Democrats still control the House…by a little and the in-power Party tends to lose seats in the non-Presidential election. The Democrats barely control the Senate but there still are some Republicans left there so some legislation may be possible. The Democrats have no margin for error. The continued existence of the United States of America as a constitutional republic depends on them not making one.

January 20, 2021: The Day of the Janus

January 19, 2021
by Peter Feinman
It Was the Best of Times; It Was the Worst of Times: A Tale of Two Countries (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7404342)

The Roman god Janus look back and ahead as we are doing this January 20, 2021. The morning is the time of looking backward to one of the worst years in the history of the United States. In the afternoon, we begin to look forward. We stopped the steal attempt by our criminal insurrectionist President. Now we have to end the carnage so we can make America great again.

I apologize in advance for my technical shortcomings and any ads you may see.

You’re terminated, daughter trumper.

Ding dong, the wicked witch of the White House is dead.

America is dancing in the streets. So is the world.

Even with Covid 19 and economic collapse, happy days are here again.

Imagine what Time Squares would like if only…

At last there is light at the end of tunnel!