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The Screaming Moderate

He still doth protest too much

5/30/2019

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The only person in the world who doesn’t think the Russians meddled in our 2016 election is Donald Trump.

This morning, Trump blew a gasket with the press corps on his way to his helicopter when he, again, claimed no one helped him win his election except – Donald J. Trump. Forget that his statement neglects to thank anyone else for helping him – like the voters.

Now, I haven’t really heard anyone state that the Russian interference decided the election. I think it’s hard to imagine that the flood of Russian fake news on Facebook and other social media didn’t affect at least one vote. But no one can scientifically state that the meddling decided the election.

As you, I’ve seen the footage of Trump stating he had “no reason to believe Russia” meddled in the election as Putin stood next to him. Watch that footage next time and keep an eye on Putin’s face as Trump makes his statement. Putin looks around like your puppy when you ask him who made the mess in the house while you were away.

Trump has gone from saying that Special Counsel Bob Mueller was fair right after his report was released to this morning when he said Mueller was conflicted and a “never Trumper.” In one tweet this morning the President actually confirmed that Russia helped him when he tweeted, “…I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected.”

Yesterday his press spokesman said the country should move on from the Mueller report since, according to her and Trump, it showed “there was no collusion, no obstruction” even though that is not what the report says, Trump is fighting the same battle he's been fighting.

When Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, “the lady doth protest too much,” he was prescient but the first two words would be “Donald Trump doth protest too much.”

I would never make the snide comment Trump’s behavior begs for…but, I will: The difference between when the redacted report was issued and today is that Mueller gave his first public statement on his investigation. That statement was carried on TV. Trump watches TV, but doesn’t read. Thus, he learned yesterday firsthand what the report really says.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is not pushing impeachment. Most of the Democratic caucus in the House is not pressing for it. But Trump seems to be either scared to death of an impeachment process or protesting too much because he wants the House to go through the process because he knows the Senate will find him not guilty and it will help him win reelection.

No one knows if it will help him but the odds are more that it would help rather than hurt him. Kind of like the Russian election meddling.

 

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Finally, the transparent Trump

5/22/2019

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It’s official. Donald Trump today said he is more important than the people of the United States.

If any supporter of the President needed any further proof of his narcissistic personality and how everything is about Donald Trump, they got it today when he announced that nothing will get done with Congress until Democrats call off all investigations against him.

This was a planned tactic by Trump to use a meeting with the Speaker of the House, Senate Democratic leader and other topic Democratic officials to try another way end the "phony investigations" he claims are being conducted. The printed sign laying out all that was done against him in the special counsel’s report allegedly said (Much of what it said wasn’t true). He claims he is the most transparent President in history and today that was true when he announced: the presidency is all about Donald Trump and no one else.

What set him off was the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi saying before the meeting  that he was involved in a “cover up.” That settled matters for Trump and we finally saw his transparency: he is more important than anyone.

What more proof does anyone need of President Trump’s intentions than he is more important than you or me? That he views the government of the United States as him, and him alone?

Among the nothings that he is saying won’t get done are the debt limit, a budget – setting up another government shutdown – and myriad other issues.

He now can blame the Congress for all the bad things that are about to happen in the United States, his ultimate tactic for what he sees as his kingdom.

I agree with Nancy Pelosi’s comment after the non-meeting meeting: I pray for this country.


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Constitutional Crisis Alert

5/9/2019

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The White House is instituting a new policy which will allow it to grant press passes based on criteria the White House establishes. The White House has adopted a "no witnesses, no documents" policy when it comes to responding to Congressional requests.

If allowed to stand, this is a further chopping by the President at those he considers his enemies. He is pulling passes from reporters or columnists who he doesn’t agree with. 
You know how the President likes to point out what he sees as the strength of dictators in other countries? Well, this is one way the “press” operates in those countries – at the whim of the dictator who also banishes those who are critical.

This at the same time that there is a building Constitutional crisis between the White House and the Congress, another example of this White House controlling information.
Both are offenses against our Constitution. The Congress has an oversight responsibility which it carries out through its power to solicit witnesses for hearings to explain their actions and for documents to review. The White House has issued a blanket “we’re not providing anything to the Congress” policy.

At the same time it is saying, “The White House will determine who gets access to the White House” when it comes to the media.

Whether you support or oppose the policies of President Trump, only the most partisan can support these actions by the Trump White House. Trump has proclaimed that his is the “most transparent White House in history.” That just isn’t true and it doesn’t take much digging to see why: they are withholding information from the Congress and picking the reporters who give them what they consider the “nicest” coverage.

Attorney General  William Barr testified at his confirmation hearings that he, in effect, had F. U. money – he didn’t need the job (he already had it on his resume from the Bush Administration) and he could be depended on to do the right things (because he already had quite successful political and private sector careers). We are seeing him now violate his under oath pledges to the Congress.

Constitutional Crisis? If not now, soon. We must support our institutions to do the right things – and one of those things is to be a check on the other branches of government.
The Trump White House is hacking away at those institutions at the same time claiming transparency.

Whether you support or oppose Trump’s presidency isn’t the issue, as Americans we must support our system of government which is in tremendous peril right now.


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    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

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