Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump Book Review

In the history of humanity, the game of politics has never been clean. It has been dirtied by ego, money, greed, etc. But even among the dirt, there still a bit of clean optimism that exists.

Dan Pfeiffer was the White House Communications Director under President Barack Obama from 2013-2015. Having an insider’s view of the game of American politics in our modern era gave him a unique perspective. He chronicles his experiences and observations about his boss and you know who into the new book Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump.

Pulling no punches, Mr. Pfeiffer gives the reader not only the first person experience of working in The White House, but also gives those who still believe in the American democracy hope that it will survive beyond the orange snake oil salesman who is President.

I recommend it.

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It’s Treason, Pure And Simple

In 1778, during the height of the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold jumped ship to fight for the British.  Since then, his name is synonymous with treason.

Today, was have a new name to link to treason against America: Donald Trump.

Despite recent undeniable proof (and indictments against Russian agents) that Russia meddled in the 2016 Presidential election, Trump continue to deny the truth during the dual press conference in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I don’t know (though it seems likely and has seemed likely for a while) if Putin has something on Trump or he is just so dam egotistical that he can’t see what is happening in front of his eyes.

I’m not a legal scholar, but for me, this would be more than enough of a reason for me to start impeachment proceedings. We’ve been sold out to Russia and Putin knows it. The only person who doesn’t know it is Trump.

Even those who have supported him have called Trump out on what he did and said today.

So much for America First.

 

 

Thoughts On De Niro’s “F*ck Trump” Remark On The Tony Awards

As an FYI, the clip below is not bleeped out. This is your profanity warning.

Anyone with half a brain in America these days is more than aware of the deep political divisions that could potentially pull this country apart.

Last weekend, while presenting at the 2018 Tony Awards, Robert De Niro stated the following:

“F*ck Trump”

The audience loudly cheered and clapped in agreement.

De Niro is known for not liking Donald Trump and using his status to air his views publicly. Which is his right.

As much I agree with him, I believe his statement to be out-of-place and sending the wrong message. The Tony Awards, like any awards ceremony, is not a political rally. It is held to honor those who work in that particular profession.

In order to reunite this country politically, we need to prove to those who are for Trump that he is bad for the country. Alienating those who support Trump by continuing to back their claim that Hollywood and the coastal elites are not in touch with the real America does not help.

It’s akin to finding out that a friend’s significant other is cheating on them. When you tell this friend that their significant other is two timing them, this friend does not believe you and gets engaged to said significant other.

We need political unity in this country, not divisiveness. Unfortunately, De Niro’s comment only hurts, not helps this need to bring Americans together politically.

Fox News Anchor Calls Trump A Dictator

Depending on where you land on the political spectrum, Fox News is not exactly the most truthful of news channels.

But last week, one anchor on the network finally told the truth about Donald Trump.

Lets call a spade a spade. Trump is a dictator. He is used to running his own company, his way. But what he either doesn’t know or doesn’t care to understand is that being President is very different from being the CEO of your own company.

Thankfully, he is currently bound by the Constitution and the check and balances system that our government is made of.  The question that needs to be asked is how long before he is no longer bound by these rules. My fear is that there are too many in the government who are either chickensh*t or they are more concerned with their careers than doing what is right for the country.

But for now, my consolation prize is that someone on Fox News finally told the truth.

 

New Randy Rainbow Video-RUDY and the BEAST – Randy Rainbow Song Parody

The latest addition to Donald Trump’s legal team is former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.  Like the rest of the team surrounding Trump, he seems to be opening more cans of worms than helping to govern the country.

Randy Rainbow’s latest video, RUDY and the BEAST – Randy Rainbow Song Parody, is the perfect parody of this political relationship that may go down in flames like the other political relationships.

Giuliani has revealed quite a few truths that, frankly, I am not surprised about. The only question is, which truth will be the final nail in the coffin that gets Trump out of the office?

A Higher Loyalty Book Review

The man of the political hour these days is James Comey. It seems like it is nearly impossible to go anywhere without hearing his name.

His memoir, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership was published very recently to acclaim, buzz and a bit of controversy.

In the memoir, Mr. Comey tells the story of his life from his own perspective. He was born in the early 1960’s in a suburban town just outside of New York City and grew up in New Jersey. Working for the government at the state, local and national level for several decades, he uses his experience to draw a picture of what ethical and m0ral leadership looks like. As expected, he also writes about his brief and turbulent term as FBI director during the 2016 Presidential Election and under the leadership of Donald Trump.

If some readers are expecting a tabloid-esque tell all similar to Fire and Fury or Devil’s Bargain, they will be sorely disappointed. What they will find is the story of a man who shoots straight from the hip, believes in American democracy, does not cater to party lines and makes decisions based on what is best for the country.

I recommend it.

Thoughts On Last Night’s James Comey Interview

Last night, after months of speculation, James Comey sat down to tell his side of the story in regards to the 2016 Presidential election and the current commander-in-chief.

Bear in mind, that I have not yet read the book, so this post is strictly based on the interview

Mr. Comey appears to me as a straight arrow. Unlike others in government, he does not yield to partisan politics. He does what he thinks is right for the country, even if it means influencing voters close to a Presidential election and possibly changing the outcome of history.

I have to admit at this point, that I am of the belief that had the email scandal not derailed Hillary Clinton’s campaign, she would be in the White House instead of Donald Trump. But I also have to admire Mr. Comey for his candor and his ability to focus on the American people instead of swaying to those in power.

Some naysayers could easily say that he is a disgruntled former employee who is still bitter about being fired and is using a public forum to air dirty laundry.

But as I see, Mr. Comey is still doing his job, looking out for the voting public.  If only more politicians and high level government employees were willing to put politics aside and do what is right for the voters, this country would be in a much better place.

 

 

New Randy Rainbow Video-YOU CAN’T STOP HIS TWEETS! A Randy Rainbow Song Parody

There used to be a dignity and a proud sense of self associated with the office of the President Of The United States.

Then Donald Trump became President. That same dignity and proud sense of self quickly went down the drain.

Randy Rainbow’s new video is entitled “YOU CAN’T STOP HIS TWEETS! A Randy Rainbow Song Parody”.

A satire of the song “You Can’t Stop The Beat” from the musical Hairspray, the video highlights how his use of twitter is beyond out of control. Social media is well and good, but he needs to do the job the American people hired him to do.

BTW, here is the original song, just in case your curious.

It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America Book Review

Traditionally, a President is supposed to be responsible, mature, speak with intelligence and integrity, and represent everything that America stands for.

In his short time as President, Donald Trump has done exactly the opposite.

In David Cay Johnston’s new book, It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America, the author breaks down how Trump and his administration are ruining the lives of Americans, instead of fulfilling the promises made on the campaign trail.

He writes about wide-ranging issue such as climate change, the supposed wall that Mexico is supposed to pay for to keep out illegal immigrants, and removing the self-serving lobbyists that Trump promised to get rid of on his way to the Presidency.

After following Trump as a businessman for three decades, the author speaks with gravitas and a level of authority that frankly should scare the sh*t out of every American.

I recommend it.

(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump Book Review

It’s easy to become complacent in a democracy, especially when one feels like persecution based on race, religion or family origin is a thing of the past.

In 2016, most Americans were woken up rather harshly from their complacency when Donald Trump won the Presidential election.

In Jonathan Weisman’s new book, (((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump, the author details how antisemitism, which has always been part of American culture, but has become more prevalent and vocal in the past few years. He explores how alt-right groups and white power groups, which has previously been pushed to the sidelines, have been given free rein to spew their hatred to the masses. Mr. Weisman ends the book, waking American Jews up from our complacency and proposes that we work together with other disenfranchised Americans to stop the hate and prejudice from taking over.

This book, if nothing else, is a wake up call.  While the author is speaking to his coreligionists, he is also speaking to anyone who is part of a group who is hated and/or disenfranchised.  We need to stand up together. Prejudice in America is not mere a topic that our parents and grandparents spoke of. It is alive and well and if we don’t do something about it, we will never live up to the ideals that makes America great.

I absolutely recommend it.