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On the eve of the 2020 election it’s fitting that we look at the present through the lens of the past

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A Blue Wave is Coming!

2018

Trump Spokeman Slips Up on Collusion

12 March 2018

Trump’s collusion with Russia was an open secret.  Everybody knew it but nobody would admit it.  I first suspected collusion when Trump said infamously, “Russia if you’re listening…”.   Interesting how often Trump or one of his spokesman tripped themselves up when denying his relationship with Putin like here.
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The “Russian Defense”, a strategy for avoiding truth and consequences. First deny the act as Putin did Russian interference in our Presidential election. Then, when that is no longer viable, acknowledge the act but disavow the actors. In Putin’s case the second part of the Russian Defense goes something like this: These acts were committed by Russians who were not really Russian. Or these acts were committed by Russians affiliated with the State but they were not sanctioned by the State and they were undertaken without the State’s knowledge. In Trump’s case, now that denying Russian interference is no longer viable, the new message will be this: These acts were committed by campaign officials who were not really campaign officials. Or these acts were committed by people affiliated with me but they were not sanctioned by me and they were undertaken without my knowledge. Trump’s new message will be no more believable than that of his partner. In the meantime, no Russian sanctions, no DT tweet in response to Putin’s new-nukes-aimed-at-Florida announcement and $0/$120M spent by State to protect Nov’s elections.

Oh The Lies They Tell For Trump: Sh*thouse or Sh*thole Countries?

16 January 2018
When Trump first indicated that he would ban immigrants from certain countries he expressed a preference for Norwegian (read Aryan) immigrants and a desire to ban immigrants from what he called “shithole countries” meaning African and other predominantly black or brown countries.  At least two Republican Senators overheard Trump’s remarks that were later leaked to the press.  Initially, both Senators Cotton and Perdue, of Arkansas and Georgia respectively denied on air having overheard the remarks (more accurately, they couldn’t recall hearing the remarks).  Later when pressed the Senators recalled that Trump did make an unflattering reference to third world countries in Africa and elsewhere but that they heard “shithouse” not “shithole”.  Now I for one do not understand the distinction between a shithole country and a shithouse country but apparently there was enough nuance for the Senators to avoid characterizing Trump’s remarks as racist.   Looking back I see that this post is the first of many posts that started me to thinking about how main stream media (MSM) felled us when we needed it most./span>

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What I find most remarkable about this sad chapter in Trump’s presidency is that his racism is considered “news” and not settled fact. For more than a year the media and Trump supporters have looked high and low for other ‘isms’ to explain his remarks to avoid the obvious one: racism. It started way back when with “nativism” then “nationalism”, then “populism” and, the latest, “authenticism”. His supporters know what he is and support him for it. Their defense is simply a strategy of misdirection and obfuscation. Others, but by no means enough, know what he is an oppose him for it. Only the media is confused. Giving him and his enablers the benefit of the doubt time after time. Refusing to ask obvious follow up questions that get to the heart of the matter. This latest outrage will fade in a few weeks and then replaced altogether by new remarks that provide fresh evidence that Trump is a racist. An unending cycle that will not end until he is out of office.

And the price Trump paid for Senators Cotton’s and Perdue’s failure to recall?  Tanking the DACA deal. And yet some still think that the Russians are not blackmailing Trump even though he so easily created a situation that put him in a position to be blackmailed by two Senators of his own party. More evidence of his stable genius I guess.