Unfit for Office

President Obama just explained to a reporter why he feels Trump is unfit to be President. He didn’t get animated and yell, which is part of the point. In his usual calm, thoughtful manner President Obama outlined the many reasons. The key point he made is that it’s not about differing policy views or legal matters, it’s Trump’s inability to control his outbursts and “do the job.” He points out that he never claimed that his 2012 GOP opponent Mitt Romney was unfit. Prez O said other Republicans were certainly “fit for office” even if they had very different policy and world views. “That’s not the case here”, Obama said:

“Donald Trump lacks the basic decency, common sense and ability to do the job. He’s not fit to hold office.”

Of course, I completely agree, and that’s the other important point our President made. So do many tried and true Republican public servants and citizens who also see Trump as a national embarrassment. So, how can they endorse the guy for President?  Obama asked the same question:  “What does this say about your party that this is your standard bearer?” Our Commander-in-Chief continued, “This isn’t a situation where you have an episodic gaffe, this is daily and weekly occurrence where they (Republican leaders) must distance themselves from statements he’s making.”

As I tweeted (after Trump’s scandalous remarks about the Gold Star Kahn family): Only the creepiest CREEP mocks the disabled, POWs & parents of dead soldiers! How could ANYONE support such a creep?Drumpf

One of my friends recently suggested that Trump may have early to moderate dementia. Don’t laugh. In retrospect, we know Reagan did, and Trump is older now than when Ronnie took office!

It would explain so much. Why he’s not sure if he met Russian President Putin or not. Why he doesn’t want a physical (by a reputable doctor) and won’t release his medical records. We should be more concerned about his health than his taxes! We already know he’s involved in lots of shady business deals, but we know NOTHING about his mental or physical health. Actually anyone who has taken Psychology 101 can see how he projects (his failings onto others.) He also displays delusions of grandeur, which according to the Encyclopedia of Psychology is “a symptom found in psychotic or bipolar disorders, as well as dementia (such as Alzheimer’s).”

REAL Republicans should take another look at the Libertarians on the November ballot. Former Governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld served as Republicans and at least are “fit for office”, especially our Iron Man (former New Mexico Governor Johnson who has won and participated in several triathlons.)

On #ForeverForward

BernieUSmovementSenator Bernie Sanders conceded the Democratic nomination on Tuesday (July 12.)  I’ve been through ALL of the various stages of grief, including denial (crying), anger (vomiting, well almost) and now acceptance. I don’t want to accept that it’s over. Until now we #StillSanders supporters had a glimmer of hope.

Before stepping on stage with Hillary to proclaim they are now #StrongerTogether, Bernie sent us a very thoughtful email. He also posted it on Medium. Here is Bernie’s  Forever Forward message and  my response (the last link goes directly to my response, or just read it below.)

Of course I will continue to stand with you, Senator Sanders, to defeat Trump and his ridiculous, unfocused “campaign” of insults and ignorance. I was a Bernie fan before you ran for President and will always appreciate and support your life-long crusade for equality, “liberty and justice for ALL.”

Most of your HUGE following has come from Independent (or previously non-declared) voters. YOU have been our only Independent U.S. Senator and that’s why I could always trust your votes and comments. While you almost always voted with other Democrats, you retained the right to dissent and often spoke out on controversial issues like climate change, oil pipelines and fracking. While we are proud and grateful that you have moved the Dems to the left, we are sad and yes disillusioned to see you “swallowed up” by the Democratic Machine.

I am no kid — FAR from it. I am closer to social security than college concerns. Yet I cried on and off all day Tuesday like a baby wishing you could have waited for the convention to make that speech. We wanted our moment (actually many minutes) of chanting, clapping and showing the world our commitment to a peaceful political revolution. I’m sure there were compelling reasons and compromises that required this early concession, but all I can say is it was sad and it SUCKED watching our dreams consumed by the Borg assimilation process. If you can’t stand up to the pressure, who can? (I could make an Obi Wan analogy, but that’s too much SF in one paragraph.)

I was young, but I vividly recall when Bobby Kennedy was gunned down ending our hope of another Kennedy administration. I watched in horror when my country chose Nixon and his “dirty tricks” over McGovern and of course it ended VERY badly! Same with Reagan and his “dark arts” and VooDoo economics (none worked), and the most painful for me was the ballot thievery that stole the 2000 election from Al Gore. I haven’t even mentioned how third party Green or Indie candidates may have inadvertently contributed to some of those tragic turn outs.

NO, I don’t want a lunatic like Trump as President, so if it means supporting HRC and playing the woman card, then yes, deal me in. We must protect our liberties, First Amendment rights, and HUMAN rights in the Supreme Court. That alone is why we can’t run the risk of splitting votes and losing the election with Green or Libertarian voting. Sad but true, and why you have worked within the system, rather than against it, this year.

So, thank you for your tireless work on the platform, and all you’ve done to inspire a new generation of voters. Who knows, maybe you will be asked and agree to be the HRC VP. Doubtful and honestly I’m sure you can do more to benefit Congress and our country returning to your Indie status, where you are now the rock star of DC — deservedly so. Thank YOU, Senator Sanders!

#disenfranchised

This can’t be the way Hillary Clinton wanted to “win” her historic nomination — by disenfranchising MILLIONS of voters in six states, including California! It certainly isn’t a clear path to victory for her this fall. Some ten million hard-core Sanders’ supporters are sick on this final Super Tuesday (June 7, 2016) and more convinced than ever that our political system IS crooked and rigged.

Secretary Clinton should have called a press conference Monday night and emphatically stated the primary election was not over. She should have quieted the salivating media that NO she had not yet “won”, and most importantly reminded everyone that Super Delegates don’t vote until the July convention. Hillary could have offered some of her alleged “love and kindness” to voters in New Mexico, New Jersey, Montana, the Dakotas and the California, assuring us that our vote does matter. Instead she was silent as the Associated Press and cable news networks blasted out that she had crossed the finish line — more than 12 hours before our polls were open! We take that to mean that the “presumptive nominee” simply doesn’t give a damn about our votes. We are disenfranchised!

Sadly, we will never know the true result of this “democratic” primary fiasco. How many people simply won’t bother to vote now that the “fix” is in? Yes, harsh words, but this is exactly why conspiracy theorists believe — or in Trump’s case use such rhetoric — because it’s basically true. The so-called Democratic party (which clearly is not) passed these absurd rules creating Super Delegates for precisely this purpose: to stop an insurgent candidate from winning. But to actually count delegates before they vote is beyond the pale. Even old-school back-room Chicago “machine” politicians would blush at this 2016 in-your-face disregard for voting integrity.

Polls are just opening here in New Mexico as I write this. I voted early (as allowed here), but I can assure you I would not waste time in a line today given this mess if I had not. As people in our states are asking on Twitter, #WhyVote? You have your presumptive nominee now. Good luck in July. It’s on the Democratic leadership and the media when protests erupt in Philadelphia. Hang your heads in shame. What could have been a truly historic, beautiful moment — nominating our first female Presidential candidate — will forever be clouded in controversy over rigging the system, disenfranchising millions of primary voters, and prematurely declaring victory. No one is a winner when the system fails us.

On Bernie and politics…

First I want to thank anyone who has come here as a result of my prolific tweeting about beloved candidate Bernie Sanders. #FeeltheBern !! 🗽  It’s  rare for someone to be as honest and have as much integrity as Bernie does — that’s why we love him so much. 80% of people asked believe Senator Sanders is the most honest of all the 2016 candidates! Yet, many support HRC because “she can win.” We know that if everyone who believed in Bernie would vote for him, HE would win, hands down! But VOTING is the real issue.

Update: 4.21.2016  This was originally posted in mid-April BEFORE the #NYPrimary.  Everything changed that day– for me and for Senator Sanders. I did not realize that nearly all the remaining Democratic primaries, and most remaining voter registration, are CLOSED.  Let me explain.  Of the 16 remaining opportunities to vote for Bernie, only THREE states are “open”, and voter registration is already closed in one of those. Example: you cannot vote in the May 3rd Indiana Primary unless you registered by April 5th!  So even if you think you can vote Independent in Indiana, not unless you registered that way already.  Each state defines voting rules and deadlines.  This is very confusing and hard to explain on cable news, so  they don’t.

Further UPDATE:  May Day, 5.1.2016  Senator Sanders just held a national press conference (that CNN aired a few moments of, but was covered in its entirety on C-SPAN) and streamed live on various online services.  Sanders says that HRC cannot reach the required number of 2383 pledged delegates by June 14, that she will need super delegates, therefore Sanders claims the Democratic convention will be contested.  I can’t confirm that, but it’s a valid reason for Sanders supporters to keep going!  I remain concerned about who has actually registered to vote in the remaining elections.

For instance, some of you may not realize you were required to declare your voting status over a MONTH AGO for upcoming elections! Take the next five Northeastern US elections, four are CLOSED to Independents, and it’s too late to register anyway.  Those deadlines have passed.  Now are you pissed? I was.  I know the election laws of my own state, New Mexico, and how complicated they seem to first time voters and anyone affiliated with alternative parties, like Libertarian, Green Party, Socialist, or Independents.  So, a day or so before the New York Primary I started tweeting with some young Bernie supporters.  When I asked if they were registered, some of them called me a troll and accused me of “dirty tricks” claiming I was posting false info about voting!  I tweeted the official Bernie website with the #NYPrimary info.  It was sad to hear how many people felt cheated to learn they could not vote for Bernie.  This was all confirmed on election day.  Millions of young or first time voters were turned away because they had not registered in time or failed to declare as a Democrat.

Voting laws are not common knowledge. People are mobile and elections are governed by individual states, not federal law. Only a couple of elections, like upcoming North Dakota, allow people to show up and vote without much restriction.  As I reviewed the current election laws,  of the 16 states yet to hold their primary or caucuses, I discovered it’s too late to declare or register in over half of them! So, what is the point of Senator Sanders campaigning so hard in those closed NE states where many young Bernie supports will not be allowed to vote?  It will only fuel future voter apathy.  I remember many of my friends feeling so discouraged over McGovern’s loss (to Nixon) OR not being allowed to vote (for one reason or another), they never tried to change laws… they just gave up and rarely vote.

While I was updating this post I just learned of Prince dying (totally off topic, I know) so I’ve lost some of my zeal for this voter education effort. HOWEVER, here is the perfect resource, an interactive map, for Bernie supporters to learn about election laws in YOUR state:  Can I vote?

Now comes the tough part…  (I wrote the rest of this as part of the original Pre-NYPrimary post.)  It still stands:

What if  #Bernie doesn’t win the nomination? Hillary has over two million more “raw” votes so far and like it or not, she will probably get the vast majority of the Super Delegates. I don’t like that part of the process any more than you, and just wait until we hit the Electoral College. That is what took down my other favorite Al Gore back in the day. Vice President Gore had won the popular vote in 2000 yet due to shenanigans from Bush brother Jeb (remember him, then-Florida Governor) George Bush became President.  I can’t tell you how disturbing and disheartening that was. I bring it up to say that even in the face of something that outrageous, we did not have full-on street riots. I worry we will this year. With a bigot like Trump leading the Republican pack and a lot of skin-head followers (who BTW have called me a Tin Foil Hat Looney) there will definitely be violence in Cleveland this summer.  Let’s not have that in Philadelphia for the Democratic convention… PLEASE!

Give it your all to get Bernie nominated, but if the effort fails Independents have lots of options. You could vote for Gary Johnson, our former New Mexico Governor, a Libertarian who never gets enough attention. There’s Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and a Socialist Worker’s party candidate (there’s a long list of choices.)  I’m sure you can even write-in Bernie.  But, if it truly comes down to Hillary vs. the fascist Trump, then I would urge you to vote for her. After all, we certainly know Hillary, have seen her in action as Secretary of State, and through 11 grueling hours of congressional testimony on Benghazi.  You can get involved in changing the system by becoming active in the Democratic Party (or one of the other parties) and changing the rules of the “game.” As a good friend of mine always says, “Democracy is not a spectator sport.”  Of course, you know that having been in the trenches this year for Bernie.  Don’t give up, get even — stay involved!  Protest all you want, but please let’s not resort to violence this summer.  Thank you again for reading, liking and re-tweeting my posts. I’m grateful you’ve all been so passionate about Bernie.  Please comment below if you’d like.  I would love to hear from you!!