"... A LIGHT WILL SHINE THROUGH THAT WINDOW, A BEAM OF LIGHT WILL COME DOWN UPON YOU, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE AN EPIPHANY ... AND YOU WILL SUDDENLY REALIZE THAT YOU MUST GO TO THE POLLS AND VOTE FOR OBAMA" - BARACK OBAMA LEBANON, NEW HAMPSHIRE. JANUARY 7, 2008.
It was all so predictable. And I, a former radical counterculture hippy from the late revolutionary 1960s (fan of Ho Che Mien and the Vietcong and the terrorist Weather Underground) predicted one year into Obama's presidency (see): the return of leftist terrorism and violence in the post-Obama era. The socialist chaos and rage following Obama's failed presidency wasn't too difficult to foresee. Based on the absurdity (believed by millions) that Obama was a spiritually exalted being and God-sent progressive messiah who'd work miracles (see) - that his presidency would be "a great defining moment" in American and world history, that he'd save the earth from climate catastrophe and "fundamentally transform" our country into a more perfect dependency union - I predicted a dangerous descent into political violence and madness when this vision failed to materialize.
Though Obama, during his presidency, tolerated some left-wing violence (Occupy Wall Street and BLM rioting) he was essentially a nonviolent Alinskyite or Democratic stealth socialist striving to build the transformative socialist state by democratic electoral and quietly subversive means; or, in contrast to Marxist-Leninism, to peacefully work through the system to gradually undermine it; instead of violently overthrowing it - as Marx and Lenin believed was the only possible way for revolutionary change.
Michelle "hope is dead" Obama herself a disillusioned Alinskyite.
But after one year into Obama's presidency seeing how inept, incompetent and feckless he was (how his $800 billion stimulus was failing to supercharge the economy, his EPA and other regulations were damaging to business, investment and growth, and how he was pushing with lie after lie for a total unpopular government takeover of healthcare) the writing was on the wall: Obamunism was the last hurrah for nonviolent, democratic, Alinsky stealth socialism.
Indeed, I foresaw that Obama would leave office with Alinskyism largely discredited; and the freaked out, disillusioned, angry Left would revert to Marxist-Leninism; they'd return to the violence and terror of the late 1960s as the only way left to revolutionary change. And now it's here spreading like cancer in all its savagery, blood lust, madness and rage.
RESIST! RESIST! RESIST!
SHOUT THESE LOSING LIBERAL FASCISTS, AS THEY CALL FOR TRUMP'S DEATH FEARING HIS SUCCESS
Back in my college days at Queens College in Flushing, Queens (I'm a Queens boy like the President) I majored in Classical Philosophy (I'm a Platonist) and was a veracious reader of the Greek and Roman classics in translation where I learned a great deal from writers like Plutarch, Suetonius, Appian and others about Julius Caesar: the great Roman dictator who destroyed the terribly corrupt and declining Roman Republic - and is getting much attention these days because of the tragic Shakespeare play in New York using a Donald Trump look-alike playing the assassinated leader (see postscript).
Now this awful business by deranged, violent, leftist Trump haters of turning the murdered Caesar in the play into President Trump (as if he had a tyrannical authoritarian personality wanting unlimited power and was plotting to destroy our constitutional republic to get it) is just plain nuts. True the two men are charismatic leaders who by sheer will power, audacity and cunning triumphed over all their enemies to achieve great power. But that's where their likeness ends. For Caesar politically was anti-Repubican and believed in unchecked, unlimited autocratic rule; while Trump is the opposite wanting to defend, protect and strengthen our republican form of government and constitutional norms; and to that end he nominated constitutional originalist Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court; and will possibly nominate two more like him if Justice Kennedy retires and Ruth Bader Ginsberg dies. Would Ceasar have done that?
However, just as the killing of Caesar by Brutus and the conspirators didn't kill or stop Caesarism*, making the restoration of the Republic impossible, nor would the killing of Trump stop Trumpism** which, unlike Caesarism, is trying to save our Republic from the radical statist left and its impoverishing, socialist, anti-free market, freedom killing agenda.
*Wikipedia defines Caesarism as "a form of political rule that emulates the rule of Roman dictator Julius Caesar over the Roman Republic, in that it is led by a charismatic strongman whose rule is based upon a cult of personality."
**Trumpism, in essence is radical America first economic nationalism for the restoration of middle class prosperity and family and work ethic values; and a "Peace Through Strength" foreign policy to restore America as the most powerful nation on earth after the military and geopolitical decline of the Obama years. For a fuller treatment of Trumpism see Trumpism: What Is It? Tradition, Populism, American Greatness, for Starters | National Review
Indeed, after Rome plunged into a series of bloody civil wars in wake of Caesar's death the ultimate victor Octavian (Caesar's nephew and heir) transformed himself into another all-powerful Caesar becoming the absolute master and ruler of the Roman world, and started a dynasty of Caesars that lasted centuries until Rome crashed and burned.
Similarly, if President Trump's political enemies get their sick, evil, demented wish and he was, God forbid, murdered it wouldn't stop Trumpism anymore than Caesar's death stopped Caesarism. Indeed, Trump's MAGA Agenda for draining the Washington swamp, reviving the economy and reversing America's decline making it greater than ever would live on in his successor President Pence (who is to the right of his boss) - with perhaps another Trumpian President to follow who'll continue the necessary work of national renewal.
In other words, following the analogy with Julius Caesar and post- mortem Caesarism Trumpism and Republican rule of Congress would surely survive and live on for sometime to come (a generation, not ages) if President Trump met Caesar's fate. The genie of radical pro-American domestic and foreign policy change is out of the bottle; and because of an angry, American, disappearing middle class that's hell-bent on prospering again (and will do so under Trumpism) there's no putting it back, regardless if Trump lives or dies.
In sum, If Donald Trump is the new American Caesar, and Caesarism powerfully survived Julius Caesar's death, then killing Trump would be useless for stopping Trumpism as a powerful force shaping American politics, and would live on long after he was gone.
POSTSCRIPT
ABC'S SCANDAL
Donald Trump and Scandal's Trump-like Hollis Doyle
This is amusing. One of the speakers at the Democratic National Convention last year was actor Tony Goldwyn. Goldwyn plays President Fitz Grant III in ABC's hit TV series Scandal. President Grant is a Republican version of Bill Clinton: he is liberal in his politics and cheats on his wife Mellie, with Olivia Pope (and other women) the show's central character who heads a DC law firm that fixes scandals for Washington politicians.
During Grant's second term wife Mellie (like Hillary when husband Bill was President) runs for and wins a seat in the US Senate. Mellie then wanting to succeed her husband as President runs in the Republican primaries. One of her opponents is Hollis Doyle a coarse, flamboyant, insulting, sexist, anti-immigrant Texas oil billionaire who was intentionally made to resemble Donald Trump. But what many don't know is that actor Gregg Henry who played the Trump like Doyle in Scandal is the actor playing the murdered Julius Caesar in the New York play. Ain't that a kick in the head.
Since the start of Donald Trump's historic campaign for the presidency and rise to power his political adversaries from Left, Right and Center have been consistently wrong in their predictions about his fate right up to Election Day. And they haven't stopped being wrong since, as we saw on Tuesday with Karen Handel's upset victory in Georgia.
First treating Trump as a clown they roared with laughter when he announced his candidacy saying that his inexperience, ignorance of policy and mediocre debating skills would make him the laughing-stock of the race and failure a certainty. Indeed, they predicted that Trump wouldn't survive the first GOP debate; that his rivals on the dabate stage - savvy, experienced, gifted politicians like Christe, Cruz, Bush, Kasich and Rubio - would cut Trump to ribbons and quickly end his run. But the exact opposite happened: he won that first debate and went on to do well in the others growing in popularity with Republicans and Independents.
Then they predicted that he could never surmount the opposition of the GOP establishment, the viciously, negative, hostile press and false image as a racist, sexist, xenophobic bully to win the GOP primaries; and again they were wrong as he tapped into the anger of a forgotten and collapsing middle class who wanted a President who'd reverse their fortunes and make them great and prosperous again.
Then it was predicted that the GOPe fearing Trump would take down the party and cost it the House and Senate would deny him the nomination at the Convention and choose Ted Cruz or someone else. But again they were wrong as his support with Republican voters was just too damn strong.
Then in late September with Trump unexpectedly surging in the polls and tying Hillary (see) it was predicted that the "world's greatest woman" (and most qualified candidate ever to seek the presidency) would crush Trump in debate, show voters how unfit he was for office, and runaway with the election. And though HIllary bested Trump in their first debate and pulled ahead in the polls by several points (see) it wasn't enough to make the Clinton machine comfortable that she'd win.
So they came up with an 'October surprise' that they thought would do Trump in: the leaking of the Billy Bush "Access Hollywood" tape where Trump said denigrating things about women (he was, btw, a liberal Democrat at the time). Because of the tape and subsequent multiple groping allegations (whatever happened to them?) Trump's poll numbers took a nose dive (see) as his enemies were uncorking the champagne in expectation of a Hillaryslide.
But again they were wrong; as the race tightened going into the campaign's final week (Trump helped somewhat with late undecided voters by the "Comey Effect") a dire warning rang out from billionaire Mark Cuban, Nobel Prize economist Paul Krugman and other masterminds on the Left:
Trump beating Hillary would crash the Dow and world economy causing a domestic and global recession or worse.
But again from their broken, clouded, hate filled crystal balls the anti-Trumpers made yet another bad call. Predictably (immediately after the election) the very opposite occurred: the market began climbing after a slight fall, then soared into the stratosphere to record highs.
What was the reason for the sudden upsurge of investor confidence and optimism?
IT WAS THE TRUMP EFFECT, STUPID!
The promise of MAGANOMICS: tax and regulatory relief (shrinking the size of our massively intrusive government) plus other business friendly polices (repeal of Obamacare, infrastructure rebuilding, trade renegotiation, etc.) designed to unleash the pent up GDP growth that Obamunism was suppressing.
Indeed, Trump haters who are hell-bent on wanting to remove the President from office, or politically weaken him to the extent of paralyzing his presidency so he can't roll out with his leftist smashing MAGA Agenda, must be horrified by the actions taken by Janet Yellen (a liberal Democrat) and the Fed since the election.
Trump and Yellen
It's no coincidence that before the election (going back to January 2009) the Fed hiked interest rates only once (showing little faith in Obama's abysmally bad recovery and redistributionist-social justice-fake climate science policies); while since, Janet Yellen raised rates not once, not twice, but a whopping THREE times. Why? In anticipation of a "TRICKLE DOWN" economic boom like Coolidge had in the 1920s, John Kennedy in the 1960s, and Reagan in the 1980s
In March 2016 Fed Chief Yellen announced that there were no definite plans to hike interest rates any time soon, after the slight increase of 0.25% made the previous December.
THEN CAME THE EARTHSHAKING ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP
Make no mistake about it, if Hillary Clinton (who pledged to continue Obama's failed policies) was elected pres that the Fed rate hike of early December (one month after the election) would not have happened.
Business Insider reported:
"2017 may be the year that fiscal policy starts to support the economy in a significant way [which it hadn't under Obama] as President-elect Donald Trump enters office. Trump has pledged to cut taxes for corporations and individuals and to invest about $550 billion [now $1 trillion] in infrastructure. Wall Street already thinks these steps will spur economic growth and inflation while supporting company earnings; stocks surged to new highs after the election, while bonds sold off."
THEN AT A JANUARY MEETING THE FED ACKNOWLEDGES THE TRUMP EFFECT
"The [Fed] meeting was the first since Trump took office, following his stunning November election upset. The president's name was never mentioned in the minutes, but the broad brushes of his agenda show up often.
Members reported hearing higher levels of confidence in the business community. And they predicted that the expected increase in economic growth related to Trump's policy proposals could push the Fed into action [in raising interest rates]."
AND SINCE THE RATE HIKE IN DECEMBER THE FED HAS DONE IT TWO MORE TIMES
"The simple message is the economy is doing well," Yellen said in a press conference. "We have confidence in the robustness of the economy and its resilience to shocks..."
"While experts caution that President Trump's policies won't take effect until 2018, the Fed must pay attention to how financial markets perform in response to news about the policies.Trump's potential reforms have already caused U.S. stock markets to rise to all-time highs. Expectations for his policies have triggered a significant increase in business and consumer confidence."
Three Fed rate hikes in five months since the election vs. one before in the seven years since the end of the recession is an auspicious sign of what's ahead for the economy as Donald Trump battles on against titanic media adversity and keeps on winning - as his proxy Karen Handel did in Georgia on Tuesday. And as for those who fear or hope for Trump's impeachment based on some weak obstruction charge by Robert Mueller (very unlikely but not impossible in my view) keep this in mind: with the economy robustly growing and Donald Trump's popularity soaring there's no way in hell that he'll be impeached. With a prospering economy like Clinton had in the 90s (most voters believed he was guilty of perjury and justice obstruction) the chances of a Republican House impeaching a popular, successful President Trump are as remote as the Democrat Senate convicting Bill Clinton of crimes. No country wants a change in leadership when it's on the right course.
Get used to it Left!
WE'RE IN THE SECOND HUNDRED DAYS OF EIGHT MAGA TRUMP YEARS
Last night Republican Karen Handel (a Trump political proxy) defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff to represent Georgia's Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. Congress. Now Georgia (one of the original 13 American Colonies) was named after King George II of Great Britain who reigned from 1727-1760.
In 1742, the 15th year of George's reign, the classical composer George Frederick Handel (above) debuted his greatest and most inspired work: Messiah. And in celebration of Karen Handel's victory I bring you the very moving and exhilarating "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's masterpiece - beautifully conducted by Georgia's very own Robert Shaw of the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra.
HEAR IT. ENJOY IT. FEEL THE LOVE.
Let's top off this Republican-Trumpian triumph with Handel's glorious Royal Fireworks Music.
“I am being investigated for firing the FBI director by the man who told me to fire the FBI director."
Now taken literally the President is saying that he's being investigated for firing James Comey not by Special Counsel Robert Mueller but by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein - the one who told Trump to fire Comey then hired Mueller, which is totally absurd.
Jay Sekulow clarifying the President's statement said: "It should not be taken as a confirmation that Trump's under investigation by Mueller for the Comey firing.....The tweet from the President was in response to the five anonymous sources purportedly leaking info to the Washington Post that Mueller is investigating him."
So what we have is 1. the President's tweet which makes no logical sense when taken literally; and 2. it's interpretation by Jay Sekulow which absolutely nails the President's true meaning.
But let me clarify this further: in his tweet the President isn't being mistakenly illogical as many believe, he's being satirical; he was simply, humorously pointing out the utter, total absurdity of news reports saying that he's being investigated by Mueller for firing Comey on the recommendation of Rosenstein - the correct, legal, DOJ procedure for firing the FBI director.
In other words, just as it would be absurd for Rosenstein to investigate Trump for the perfectly legal firing of Comey (done on his advice) so would it be absurd for Mueller (hired by Rosenstein after firing Comey) to investigate possible crimes related to the firing. If the Deputy AG, for whatever reason, determines that the FBI Director is unfit to carry out his duties he writes a memo to the President telling him to fire him. No special council would investigate this perfectly legal procedure for a crime. It could be the reason for firing the FBI Director was inappropriate; but (with one theoretical exception) it wouldn't be a crime; and especially the crime of "justice obstruction (stifling a federal investigation)" which fake news reports say is what Mueller is looking for.
Indeed, that Comey's firing couldn't possibly be justice obstruction is proved by its total ineffectiveness in impeding, halting or obstructing in any way the Russiagate investigation; as acting FBI director Andrew McCabe told the Senate Intelligence Committee, the firing of an FBI director under no circumstances can affect or impact in the least any FBI investigation or project (see).
However, there is one theoretical exception (and this is important to understand) that McCabe doesn't mention in his testimony (because it's never happened and probably never will). Indeed, the only possible way that the canning of an FBI director can criminally stop, impede or obstruct an investigation is if it's his own personal project where he's the entire probe doing all the work with no one assisting him; then and then only would firing him criminally impede, halt and obstruct that probe; but this wasn't the case with Russiagate which has a life of its own apart from the FBI chief with possibly hundreds of agents working it*.
*The Clinton email investigation had 147 agents working it.
In conclusion, then, Mueller can't be investigating the President for firing Comey as it was perfectly legal following protocol and didn't criminally obstruct the Russiagate investigation.
And as for what Trump allegedly said to Comey in private about "letting Flynn go" it's a "he said he said" situation with no corroborating witnesses; and falls way below the high bar of proving justice obstruction and criminal intent as in for example Watergate. In Watergate there was hard objective evidence of crimes: a burglary by the president's men followed by a White House cover up where Nixon told his deputies to lie to FBI agents, then used hush money to bribe witnesses into silence. Those who compare the legal, non-obstructive Comey firing to Watergate crimes are either Trump hating liars or Trump hating fools; and if they think, because of the firing, that Trump is on his way to impeachment by a Republican led Congress then they're headed for disappointment.
The only real difference between the radical, psycho, leftist loser on the left and the unhinged, brain broken billionaire on the right is that the one wanted to kill President Trump physically (and took out his rage on Republican Congressmen during a practice baseball game), and the other wants to kill him politically and takes aim and fires with lies, leaks, innuendo and character assassination. Otherwise they're of one mind and spirit, comrades in arms joined to the hip fighting in the same failing cause to unseat a U.S. President they hysterically fear more than hacking Russians, Moslem terrorists and fake science climate change.
The question now is this: will vicious, frustrated, wingnut moguls like Jeff Bezos turn increasingly to violent dissent as the economy booms, Trump's popularity soars and the destroy Trump media falls flat on its face, worn out and exhausted unable to compete? Hope not.
But whether the Jeff Bs of the country fight civilly or violently against the "orange menace" one thing is clear: Donald Trump is bigger, much bigger than them; they are midgets with pee shooters firing spit balls at a battleship - hoping against hope that Robert Mueller will be the torpedo to sink him when all else has failed. But the closest they'll come to killing Trump's presidency is the idiotic corruption of Shakespeare's great play; and ISIS inspired wingnut comedians cutting off his head.
The Left is at it's wits end. And their mounting berserko rage at Trump are
"The results through the first four months of the Trump presidency are clearly impressive. More Americans are working at better jobs, new claims for unemployment benefits are at a 44-year low, and median household income, household net worth, and job openings all set record highs. Some might call that “tremendous.”
Now, it’s time to pass tax and healthcare reform......."
THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE:
If Donald Trump's disgusting Hollywood Access tape (recorded when he was a progressive liberal) and multiple subsequent groping allegations (whatever happened to them?) couldn't stop his impossible, unthinkable election just think how impossible it will be to stop his reelection with a booming, high powered economy hugely benefiting the forgotten, declining, angry middle class that put him in office?
Take sleazy, perverted, alleged rapist Bill Clinton and Monicagate for example: though he befouled and desecrated the White House with Lewinsky, and a majority of Americans (who he lied to) believed he was guilty of perjury and justice obstruction, they were against his impeachment and removal from office. Why? Because of a robustly growing, kick ass economy that was lifting all boats and prospering the country.
"The survey found that although most people did not dispute the accusations in the articles of impeachment approved by the Judiciary Committee [perjury and justice obstruction], only 24 percent wanted the House to actually vote to impeach. Thirty-seven percent of Americans want Congress and Mr. Clinton to forge a compromise; another 37 percent want the matter dropped entirely."
In other words, with a supercharged economy growing in jobs and rising wages the public will reelect Donald Trump to a second term even in the unlikely event that Robert Mueller charges him with a crime, like Ken Starr charged Clinton.
The economy is the destiny of presidents. It is conceivable that if Richard Nixon had Clinton's or Reagan's high growth economy (not double digit inflation) he would have finished out his presidency Watergate and all; his economic policies and great popularity would have chilled any attempt to impeach him as happened to guilty as sin Bill Clinton in the Senate. When times are good voters want to stay the course and fear a change of leadership.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. PRESIDENT!
YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY TO REELECTION CARRIED ON THE
WAVE OF A HUGE ECONOMIC BOOM SUCH LIKE WE
HAVEN'T SEEN IN
DECADES.
POSTSCRIPT
AT THIS POINT IN BILL CLINTON'S PRESIDENCY
he had an approval rating as low as Donald Trump at 37%. Then the economy took off (as it will for Trump) and he was reelected, as Trump will in 2020 (see).
Two years into his presidency and the economy in recession Ronald Reagan's approval rating fell below 40% (see). Then came the great Supply-Side driven economic boom just in time for the 1984 election; and Reagan won a second term in a 49 state landslide.
The question for 2020 is not will the Reaganite Donald Trump win? The question is by how much?
"You and I both know my father a long time. When he tells you to do something, guess what? There's no ambiguity in it."
After 24 months on the American political and world stage everyone knows who Donlad Trump is; they know that he's a brutally blunt, direct, straightforward man who hits back harder when he's hit; and pulls no punches holding nothing back when he fights to achieve his aims. Indeed, he was that way before his election; and defying expectations he'd be different once in office (softening his rhetoric and crude, harsh, aggressive style) he's hardly changed a bit.
\
Now in searching for a real life or fictional analogy to President Trump one writer has likened him to the comic book super villain Bane played by Tom Hardy in the blockbuster film The Dark Knight Rises - who Trump seemed to quote in his inaugural speech (see). Trump is not a schoolyard bully who loves pushing around weaker souls, as Hillary Clinton and others have said; instead he greatly delights in taking on the strong and powerful (Clinton campaign machine, Democrat Party, GOPe, liberal media for example) and in defeating and breaking them; and when they're down he pounces on them like Bane broke Batman in the film then continued to beat him into unconsciousness. Just look at his continued post-election attacks on Hillary and Obama. Rightly or wrongly he just loves to keep on bashing them.
Indeed, the extreme politically incorrect Trump loves tormenting his opponents and eating them alive then spitting them out. Recall how this 900 pound gorilla treated his political rivals and enemies heaping a torrent of abuse and insults on them during the campaign: there was Carley Fiorina's looks, John Kasich's dining manners, Jeb's low energy, Rick Perry's IQ; there was "sad, lyin Ted" whose dad "killed JFK;" "crooked, weak Hillary" with her pathetic lack of "stamina and energy;" look how he eviscerated "little" Marco Rubio, called Obama "sick," and recently started in on Comey calling him a "nutjob." Earlier this year The New York Times compiled a list of 332 people, places and things that Trump has insulted on Twitter. For a good laugh you can read them here
In a word, Donald Trump is Mr. Meanie, and it's hilarious. Only humorless lefties don't appreciate the entertainment value in all this. But I digress from my reason for writing this piece. The reason being that the Donald Trump of James Comey's leaked memo (and testimony to the Senate) is not the audacious, defiant, counter punching, anti-PC Donald that we've come to know and love. No way that the real President Trump would have said to Comey about his friend Michael Flynn:
'I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a goodguy. I hope you can let this go.'
How can anyone but an obsessive, partisan, anti-Trump freak see in these 28 words the candidate who bulldozed his way into office, and continues to be so outrageous and unchained? This is not the Donald Trump that we know or, for that matter, the duplicitous Comey knows and conversed with that day.
It's as Don Jr. (an authority on his dad) indicated to Judge Pirro Saturday: the Donald Trump of Comey's memo is radically uncharacteristic of him; he's too vague, subtle, nuanced, indirect and ambiguous for the real, gruff, hard-hitting Donald; those 28 words and Trump's habitual style simply don't mesh - they're way too unTrumpian. If Trump was hell-bent on Comey dropping the Flynn investigation he wouldn't have testified: "I FELT that Trump was pressuring me to drop the probe." Comey would have had no doubts or misunderstanding about the president's intent. He wouldn't have "FELT" that Trump was pressuring him (leaving open the possibility he could be wrong); on the contrary, he would have KNOWN with 100% certainty what Trump meant.
Indeed, as Comey's meeting with Trump was private there was nothing stopping him from being the brutally blunt Donald Bane Trump he normally is; there was nothing stopping him from applying the utmost pressure on Comey (short of violence) threatening him unequivocally to do or die saying:
'This is the deal, Comey: drop the Flynn probe or lose your job starting today!'
That's Trump's way; he doesn't mince words. Don Jr. is perfectly correct: the subtle, nuanced Donald Trump of Comey's February 14th memo isn't his father. It's crystal clear those 28 words are wordsmith Comey's skillful invention. In other words, it's more James Comey than Donald Trump and should be dismissed as a lie designed to appear like justice obstruction in retaliation for being fired - and wanting a lengthy, troublesome special council investigation to follow him. That was very clever of Comey. But it's not going to stop the roll out of Trump's ambitious agenda to
I have written on the topic of President Trump winning the 2016 election in the wee hours of the morningon November 9th or 11/9 when the great Rust Belt state of Pennsylvania put him over the 270 electoral votes he needed to win. But what I wrote was a defense against those shell-shocked Trump haters on the Left who seized on the date "11/9" and spun it into an ominous sign that Trump would be a 9/11 disaster (11/9 reverse) as president:
"11/9 is the new 9/11," tweeted one. "Worst day in
America 9/11....2nd worst day in America 11/9" tweeted another. Then came Michael Moore, who predicted Trump's victory, with the tweet, "Fahrenheit 11/9."
In defense of the newly elected president I wrote that "11/9" was 9/11 reverse. That it was a sign of Donald Trump completely reversing the fortunes of our radical Islamic terrorist enemies; and I predicted that Trump (with Mad Dog Mattis* at Defense) will do to them what they did to us on 9/11-and worse, much worse. In short, I predicted that Donald Trump will be their worst nightmare and 9/11 CATASTROPHE. And so far, unless you hate his guts, President Trump hasn't disappointed us.
*Oddly, on 9-11-2007 (sixth anniversary of 9/11) President George Bush elevated Lieutenant Mattis to the rank of general to command U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia. Thenon 11-9-2007 Mattis was promoted to four-star general and took control of
But what you're about to read has nothing to do with defeating ISIS and al Qaida and winning the war against radical Islamic terror. What you're about to read is a new, astonishing, inspirational discovery about Donald Trump's historic 11/9 victory date; a discovery like many others
that I wrote about since the start of his gravity defying against the odds presidential campaign two years ago, signifying that his presidency is the Work of Divine Providence, as Reverend Graham said, and not a freak historical accident. For what I've discovered below can only be explained supernaturally as a signature effect of a
Higher Power, or sign, that Donald Trump is a Providential Man: a blessing to this nation and its people in a time of peril for reversing our economic, military and geopolitical decline. This is what I found:
DONALD TRUMP'S 11/9 ELECTION VICTORY AND THE FOUNDING AND FRAMING OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC
When on 11-09-2016 around 2:30 p.m. a stunned anti-Trump media led by the New York Times called the election for Donald Trump it was the 44th week of the year, one day shy of the 45th (see). Indeed, on 11/9 Trump was elected by the country to succeed the 44th president, Barack Obama, to be its 45th president; and it was the blue state of Pennsylvania, one of the 13 original revolutionary colonies (which a GOP presidential candidate hadn't won in 28 years*) that led the way to Trump's astounding, odds defying, underdog victory.
*Oddly, on November 8, 1988 (the last time before 2016 a presidential election was held on that date) George H. W. Bush won Pennsylvania and the presidency.
Now here is where it gets profound and shows signs of a Higher Power connecting Donald Trump's 11/9 election victory to the Founding and Framing of our Constitutional Republic:
First off when we combine the numbers 119 (signifying the month and day of Donald Trump's victory) with 44 (signifying the week of the year) it gives us the five digit number 11944. Now if we turn 11944 into WEEKS then subtract it from the complete date 11-09-2016 something
seemingly or actually (however you want to see it) miraculous happens: it brings us the the date December 12, 1787. What is significant, astonishing and mind boggling about this date, and indicates that Trump's victory was no chance accident or mistake (or work of Russian hackers, or a James "Comey Effect" as Hillary Clinton believes) is that it was precisely when the great state of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia was our capital at the time) ratified the U.S. Constitution and entered the Union...the second state to do so (see, see and see).
Just write 11944 in the Weeks box (only three digits of the number will appear) hit Subtract, then hit Calculate New Date, and this is the result you will get:
FromWednesday, November 9, 2016 Subtracted 11,944 weeks Normalized to 83,608 days
President Trump in celebration of the last day of his very productive first 100 days (more productive that Ronald Reagan's) decided to skip the White House correspondents' dinner in Washington and be with his supporters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; he did this to thank them once again for electing him president on 11-09-2016, and to celebrate his achievements.
Now Donald Trump's presidency which auspiciously began on the 70th year, 7th month and 7th day of his life (see), and whose 77th day in office, April 7th*, was the best of his first 100 days, ended that very productive period on Saturday, April 29th, the 7th day of the week. Amazingly, astonishingly and I believe providentially April 29th, when Trump was with his Pennsylvania supporters, was the 119th day of the year (see and see).
*On April 7th Syrian time President Trump ordered the bombing of Bashir Assad's air base as punishment for his chemical attack on innocent Syrian civilians. Moreover, April 7th was the day Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to the Supreme Court (see). BTW, 119 is a multiple of 7 17x.
OUT OF MANY ONE
In the above I established what I believe is a providential connection linking Donald Trump's election victory on 11-09-2016 to the historic day Pennsylvania ratified the Constitution and entered the Union. This was part of the process that turned 13 separate states into a unified nation. "OUT OF MANY ONE." Does this foreshadow Donald Trump unifying our terribly divided and turbulent country? The odds seem against it. But will Providence intervene sometime in the near future confronting us with an existential threat that will unite the country behind Donald Trump like it did with Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940s?
THE CONNECTION OF PRESIDENT TRUMP'S 11/9 VICTORY TO JULY 4, 1776
However, going further I will show you something equally astounding: the linking of President Trump's election to July 4, 1776, our nation's Founding Moment. This is how it's done:
Above I mentioned that when Donald Trump was sworn into office it auspiciously fell on the 70th year, 7th month and 7th day of his incredible life. That gives us the numbers 70 (7 X 10), 7 and 7. Now look at this: when I used timeanddate.com to calculate the exact number of days separating 7-04-1776 (a date encoded with three 7s) and 11-09-2016 it totals exactly (are you ready for this) 87,787 days - a number like the date of our Founding, and Donald Trump's age at his inaugural, encoded with three 7s (see).
From and including: Thursday, July 4, 1776
To and including: Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Result: 87,787 days
Anyone who thinks that all the above is the work of random, meaningless, chaotic, undirected chance, or mathematical trickery on my part, is greatly mistaken. Donald Trump, just like FDR his predecessor from New York is a Providential Man with a great national mission, purpose and destiny; part of which is to reverse 9/11 and reign utter, total, devastating havoc on our radical Moslem terrorist enemies. This, I believe, is supernatually indicated by the following:
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S 11/9 TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST
I began this article with an interpretation of Donald Trump's 11/9 victory as a sign of his destiny to completely reverse the 9/11 event which first struck New York City (where Trump was born) and then Washington DC (where Trump currently resides as president); and then there was the third terrible event of that day: the crash of United Airlines Flight 93*near Shanksville, Pennsylvania - the state that gave Donald Trump his victory on 11/9.
*As Trump won Pennsylvania on 11/9, the 44th week of the year, oddly there were 44 people aboard Flight 93 (including the terrorists) when it crashed (see).
Now here is where it gets profound. On Friday May 19th Donald Trump went on his first overseas trip as President of the United States. As you will see according to the signs it was the right trip, to the right place at the right time in history. Why? Because it was an 11/9 trip. Why do I say this? Because amazingly, incredibly, astonishingly it fell on the 119th day of Donald Trump's presidency (see and see).
Think about this: as 11/9 symbolically is the reverse of the terrible destructive terrorist attack on 9/11 (and signifies, I believe, Donald Trump completely reversing the fortunes of (turning the table on) our radical Islamic terrorist enemies, he began his trip on the 119th day of his presidency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Osama bin Ladin's birthplace) where 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers originated.
And what did President Trump accomplish by that first and most important leg of his trip? He reasserted US power in the region after a period of intentional and deliberate retreat and decline by his predecessor where the terrorist states of ISIS and Iran filled the void wrecking havoc on the region; and Syria descended into a fratricidal civil war where 500,000 have died. Donald Trump on that trip united 54 Sunni Moslem nations* behind his leadership to end the financing, support and murderous existence of Islamic terrorism; an amazing historic achievement unprecedented for a nonMoslem head of state. Clearly the consequences of what he accomplished that day will long be remembered, as will his epoch making presidency for our nation.
POSTSCRIPT
GENERAL JAMES MADDIS
As I wrote above General James "Mad Dog" Maddis who is President Trump's right hand man for completely reversing 9/11 and defeating our Islamic terrorist enemies became a general, and was given control of the US Joint Forces Command, on 9-11-2007; and 60 days later on 11-9-2007 he was upgraded to a 4-star general and took control of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.
In what follows you will see God's hand at work in bringing together General Mattis and his commander-in-chief, President Trump. Above I wrote that Donald Trump on the day he became President was in the 70th year, 7th month and 7th day of his amazing life. Well, quite incredibly, when Trump kicked off his presidential campaign on June 16, 2015 General Mattis had been a four star general and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for exactly 7 years, 7 months and 7 days. I'm not making this up:
From and including:Friday, November 9, 2007 To, butnotincludingTuesday, June 16, 2015
Result: 2776 days
It is 2776 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date
Or7 years, 7 months, 7 daysexcluding the end date (see).
Now if we include the end date in our calculations the number of days is increased by one giving us a total of 2777 days (see).
Now the question is what does the number 7 mean if it has meaning at all? Pythagoreans, Kabbalists and those who assign meanings to numbers tell us that 7 is symbolic of
VICTORY
THE TRIUMPH OF THE WILL
By the sheer force of his indomitable will and personality Donald Trump against titanic opposition and seemingly impossible odds became President of the United States; and is staying in power confident that nothing and no one can or will undo his election and bring him down.
And with the superb Mad Dog Mattis as Defense Secretary Donald Trump will accomplish legendary things as America is made great again rising from the ashes of the Obama years to new heights of glory and achievement.
On May 6, 2016 the citizens of London wanting to show the Moslem world and its anti-Western extremists how tolerant they were of their faith made history: they elected in a landslide Labor Party candidate Sadiq Khan, a British born Moslem of Pakistani parents, mayor of their great city. Not only did this historic election make Khan London's first ethnic minority mayor, but he also became the first Moslem to head a major Western capital.
Now when Khan won I like many on the Right who'd been following Khan's career were alarmed and dismayed. For this was the man who was the legal consultant to 9/11 bomber Zacarius Moussaoui, shared platforms with and showed deference to anti-Western and Jew hating Islamist extremists like Azzam Tamini and Suliman Gani; and derogatorily referred to moderate Moslems as "Uncle Toms"- meaning that they were false Moslems and betrayers of the faith; and that only Islamists or Islamic supremacists (those who believe in Islamic world rule) were true Moslems worthy of the name.
Yet despite Khan's association with Islamists, and the fear and condemnation of him by the American and British Right when he became mayor Donald Trump going against the grain congratulated him saying during a New York Times interview:
“I was happy to see him elected mayor. I think it’s a very good thing, and I hope he does a very good job setting an example because frankly that would be very, very good (see) .”
And that should have been the end of it. But an ungrateful Mayor Khan rejecting Trump's congrats and well wishing chose instead to pick a fight with him over his proposed Moslem immigration ban and issued this tweet:
Responding, the presumptive Republican nominee said:
“He doesn’t know me, never met me, doesn’t know what I am all about. I think they are very rude statements. Frankly tell him I will remember those statements. They are very nasty. It is ignorant for him to say that.
“When he won I wished him well. Now, I don’t care about him. I mean it doesn’t make any difference to me. Let’s see how he does, let’s see if he is a good mayor.”
A spokesman for Khan then hit back, saying:
“Donald Trump’s views are ignorant, divisive and dangerous - it’s the politics of fear at its worst and will be rejected at the ballot box just as it was in London.”
But it wasn't rejected. Trump having the last laugh over Sadiq Kahn (and that other idiot Pakistani Khirz Khan who slandered him at the DNC) was elected POTUS by a nation hurting economically and rightly fearful of radical Islamic terror. And to worsen the humiliation and anger of both Khans the president of Pakistan together with 53 other Sunni leaders (representing 1 billion Moslems and caring nothing about his ban) embraced the "ignorant," "bigoted," "divisive" Trump in Saudi Arabia as a good, wise and courageous man - the leader uniting them in the war against ISIS, al Qaida and Islamonazi terrorist Iran.
Perhaps never in the history of the world have so many Moslem heads of state joined forces behind a leader of a powerful infidel country. It's unprecedented and awesome and will go far in crushing and demoralizing the scourge of violent Islamic jihad .
"Tell Khan I will remember his rude statements about me."
At a joint press conference at the White House on April 12th Jen Stoltenberg (NATO's Secretary General) praised President Trump for the measurable impact of his hardline stance on increasing NATO spending since his election. Stoltenberg said:
"Mr. President, I thank you for your attention to the issue of NATO's defense spending; we are already seeing the EFFECT of your strong focus on burden sharing in the alliance; and we agree that the alliance needs to redouble the effort they pledged in 2014..."
Indeed, as you will see from the evidence below SecGen Stoltenberg wasn't merely flattering the president with words, but genuinely praising him for lighting a fire under the NATO members who, despite a 2014 agreement to boost spending, were greatly underspending when he took office . But since, NATO has been spending substantially more - now well over the $10 billion Stultenberg cites at the press conference. What I posted below from news stories documents this achievement from shortly after the election to just days before the president's trip to Brussels. As you will see, the Trump Effect is very real and growing; and as a result NATO is stronger today in meeting threats from Vladimir Putin and Moslem terrorism than it was on November 8th when Donald Trump's election sent shock waves through the alliance.
SINCE THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have announced plans to buy everything from surveillance aircraft and drones, to new air defense systems and warships. The announcements come amid U.S. criticism that European countries are not doing enough to uphold their part of the alliance.
Germany, UNDER FIRE FROM U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP for not meeting NATO's defense spending goal, is boosting military budgets, but also wants Trump to map out a consistent foreign policy agenda, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said.
Germany’s Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced today thatGermany will be deploying a substantial force of tanks and armored vehiclesto Lithuania, along the Russian border, where they will be joining the NATO anti-Russia force in the region, which already has upwards of 1,000 German troops involved.
While the timing would aim to directly link Germany’s military growth with its anti-Russia deployments, the reality is that the effort is also meant as a way to increase spending in an effort to PLACATE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION...
The French Parliament has approved an EUR600 million increase to the country's defence budget above current-year levels.
In total the 2017 budget will sit at EUR32.44 billion, a 1.8% increase over 2016. This is the latest in upward revisions of the French defence budget, with the new 2017 figures about EUR1.1 billion higher than was envisaged by the 2014-2019 Military Programming Law (LPM) and EUR775 million higher than the revised LPM of July 2015. Approximately EUR250 million of 'exceptional income' is included in the new budget figures, set to be sourced by land and property sales.
Brussels is to unveil plans to “turbo boost” spending on cyber security, war ships and drone technology as part of a multi-billion euro European Defence Fund, which comes as US PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP presses Nato allies to significantly increase military spending.
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovakia approved on Wednesday plans to spend 1.2 billion euros ($1.33 billion) by 2029 to replace the army's outdated armored personnel carriers, in the biggest defense modernization project in the country's history.
Slovakia is stepping up defense spending and its military presence in NATO missions after calls by U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP on allies to recommit themselves to the alliance.
A day after new US DEFENSE MINISTER JAMES MATTIS requested allied countries to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP, Croatian Minister of Defense Damir Krstičević stated that a decision on Croatian Air Force can help Croatia meet the target, increasing defense expenditure from current 1,23% of GDP. At this moment, only seven NATO members has no air force. Reaching the 2% target would mean increasing the defense budget by 400 million USD (2,8 billion HRK). Currently, United States are responsible for 70% of NATOs military capabilities. Mattis has also stated that “Americans cannot care more for the future of your children than you can”.
Lithuania is determined to increase its defense spending amid US calls to meet the alliance's 2 percent defense spending target, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told reporters on Tuesday.
“Security is not cheap. Otherwise the price is the entire country,” Bergmanis said. “Latvia’s government is committed to increase the country’s defense budget to 2% of GDP next year. As Latvia’s defense minister, I will fight to ensure this decision is not changed.”
The former eastern bloc nation of 7 million people is revamping its military amid calls from U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP for NATO members to meet the alliance’s spending guidelines. The EU’s poorest country is worried about increasing threats from Islamic State and has raised concerns about potential calls for autonomy among ethnic Turks. Russia’s takeover of Crimea and the Ukraine conflict have rattled the whole region.
PRAGUE (Sputnik) – The deal, signed on the sidelines of the NATO defense ministerial in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday, will ensure tight cooperation between the 4th Czech Rapid Deployment Brigade and the German 10th Armoured (Panzer) Division, Ceske Noviny said.
March 22, 2017WASHINGTON, Mar 21 — RIA Novosti. Turkey will increase defense spending in 2017, and thus closer to the goal to allocate 2% of its budget on defense, said Tuesday the Minister of foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Romania has become the first NATO member since the election of pro-NATO Donald Trump to spend 2% of GDP on defense-bringing the number of 2% nations up to five.
Romania increased defense spending to 2% of GDP
Last week, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed into law Romania’s annual budget, which for the first time provides for a defense authorization share equal to 2% of GDP. The budget drafted by the Government of Romania had received prior approval by the Parliament and the defense authorization provisions have been unanimously supported by all political parties.....
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Friday that he wants NATO to "fall apart," as he criticized President Trump for urging allies to increase their defense spending.
"[T]hey should completely be falling apart, that will help," Putin said during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. "But we don't see that falling [apart] just yet."
WHERE ARE THE SNOWLESS NORTHERN GLOBAL WARMING WINTERS?
The freakish iceless August Arctic summers? Where's the gondolas sailing down Fifth Ave past Macy's, Saks and Trump Tower? Where's the rainlessness and devastating droughts wiping out forests, farmlands, plants and crops? Where are the coastal floodings displacing millions driving them up mountaintops? Where's the acidifying of the seas killing all fish, marine life, algae and sea weed? And desertification, what happened with that? turning soil into dry lifeless sand where nothing can grow to feed insects, animals or man?
Unless CO2 was drastically cut by 2016 millions were to perish from famines, heatwaves, floods and disease. What happened to all the destruction and death-the runaway extreme weather events-predicted expertly by doomsday scientists? Thank God they were wrong and Armageddon's not coming; and the world is thriving, greening and pleasantly warming.
The truth is this: Earth's complex climate is changing for the better; but not if you're a capitalist hating warmunist with a one world, eco-fascist, anti-oil agenda.
EX-NASA SCIENTIST JAMES HANSEN SAYS PARIS ACCORD IS "BULL SH*T" AND "FRAUD"
Hansen, arguably the leading scientific voice of the global warming movement, said that the Paris Accord was "useless for reversing human CO2 emissions because it's based on promises, and lacks an enforcement mechanism." Isn't that what Trump is saying coming from as different direction?
In other words, both men are agreed that the Paris Accord (with more signatures) is another worthless Kyoto; for like Kyoto it won't stop the massive growing use of fossil fuels - the cheapest, most efficient, and wealth creating form of energy known to man - especially in industrializing third world states that won't go green unless we pay them billions...which isn't going to happen.
This is both mind-boggling and shameful. Look at the NATO defense spending chart above and what country do you see just beneath the United States? You're not imagining it, it's Greece. Greece! Broken, busted, bankrupt socialist Greece. How could Greece of all countries be so high up in the chart above 26 of the 28 NATO states? Above so many with much bigger, healthier, stronger economies who aren't contributing their fair share to NATO defense spending? Countries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Turkey, etc....there are 23 of them, "deadbeats" as some derogatively call them. Greece, for God's sake, is in a deep, dire, dismal state of economic DEPRESSION, as bad if not worse than our devastating Great Depression of the 1930s (see).
Indeed, if there is any NATO country with a legitimate claim not to pay its fair share for the common defense it's Greece. With 25% unemployment and so many desperate, impoverished suffering citizens no one could reasonably blame Greece if it were at the bottom of the chart spending less than Luxembourg at .5%. But there Greece is with its staggering economic problems slashing wages and pensions but raking number two under the US spending more on its military as a percentage of GDP than Germany (1.1%) and Italy (1%) combined. Like I said "it's mind-boggling and shameful."
But why? Why is Greece spending .4% over the 2% minimum while Germany and Italy are underspending by .9% and a full 1% respectively? It's not because they lack the means to spend more and reach 2%-they both have multi-trillion economies the 4th and 8th largest in the world. It's because unlike Greece (with the 57th largest economy and broke) they lack political WILL. Where there's no will there's no way. And Germany, Italy, Canada and the other 20 NATO deadbeats who mooch off of the US simply refuse unlike Greece to give their shared defense obligations near budgetary priority. It's just not important to them as it is to Greece, the US, UK, Poland and Estonia who are the only members of the 2% club. The wealthy countries who are underspending should be ashamed themselves, deeply, miserably, pitifully ashamed.
MAKING NATO GREAT AGAIN!
Indeed, Donald Trump should invite the Greek prime minister to the White House with great honor and fanfare; and praising him to the skies for being an outstanding ally hold him up as an example for Merkel and the rest to emulate. President Trump wants to Make NATO Great Again and the strongest it has ever been to deter Vladimir Putin and put a powerful red line check on his neo-imperialist ambitions that he dare not cross. And Greece in its small way shows the way for achieving that.
POSTSCRIPT
GREEK VS. GERMAN DEFENSE FORCES
This is embarrassing for Germany: statistics show that Greece's active army (with a far smaller population) is equal in size to Germany's, and that their active reserve force is larger. The stats show that Greece has a larger Navy than Germany's with more frigates and subs; and a far larger tank force than Germany's, and almost as large an air force. This is hard to believe but true. See for yourself:
THE BEGINNING OF THE TRUMP EFFECT ON NATO SPENDING STARTS WITH TRUMP'S ELECTION AS INDICATED BY THE FOLLOWING:
CNBC REPORTS:
"Since the U.S. presidential election, European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have announced plans to buy everything from surveillance aircraft and drones, to new air defense systems and warships. The announcements come amid U.S. criticism that European countries are not doing enough to uphold their part of the alliance."
Exactly. The spending increases were underway before Trump took office, not because he took office. If anything, his soft spot for Russia is what's really behind our European allies rushing to beef up their own defenses faster.
Actually the facts are very different. In the two years prior to Trump's historic election NATO spending increases were lackluster and way below the 2% commitment that its 28 members made in 2014. Moreover, before the election NOBODY ever said what that 2% was supposed to buy - troops, tanks, aircraft, munitions, whatever; this was evidence that it was a weak, half-hearted smoke and mirrors commitment for most members. But that underwent a major change after the election as CNBC reports:
Indeed, it wasn't until December [a month after the election] that "NATO [finally] announced what it was going to buy....everything from surveillance aircraft and drones, to new air defense systems and warships."
This is no coincidence and is evidence of the Trump Effect as confirmed by Jen Stoltenberg (NATO's Secretary General) when he praised President Trump's unorthodox hardline stance on spending saying, “We are already seeing the EFFECT of your strong focus on the importance of burden-sharing in the alliance.” And when Magnus Nordenman said to Trump, "Europeans are taking your demands very seriously and we're seeing the results."
As you can see the Trump Effect is very, very real and moving NATO members in the right direction in meeting their obligations...which still, however, has a considerable ways to go.
Actually, these are the facts: Here's what's going on: It's true that NATO members are spending more. But the trend started well before Trump was elected, and it will be many years before some members are in a position to hit the group's spending target.
The group is slowly making progress, however. In 2014, members pledged to increase their outlays, and collective spending increased the following year for the first time in two decades.
Last year, 22 members spent more as a share of national economic output.
"The defense spending pledge was made in 2014. That's when some countries started to increase spending," said Claudia Major, a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "Trump became president in 2017. The timeline is clear."
It's not that difficult, really. NATO members = making progress on meeting their 2% of GDP defense spending BEFORE Trump. Literally nothing else is reverent. That's fact. It's not opinion.
And BTW, blackmailing your allies is never a good idea, and shows Trump's abject ignorance of geopolitics and international affairs.
No! Actually these are the facts: the two year NATO spending trend prior to Trump's election was a weak, pathetic, lackluster, directionless trickle lacking real focus, seriousness and aim with no plan on weapons procurement. 5 nations of the 28 reaching 2% spending in 24 months lacks evidence of a serious military buildup; and was cited by candidate Trump repeatedly as unacceptable and damaging to the alliance.
Then in December, after Trump's shocking election, NATO leaders fearing that he might be an isolationist who'd pull the US out of NATO (he said it was "obsolete") came up with an aggressive buy list, obviously designed to appease him; thus began a more serious military build up (as CNBC points out) which both Stoltenberg and Nordanman credit to the Trump Effect. The timeline for the Trump Effect must begin with the election not inaugural.
Indeed, the,Great Disrupter's election threatening withdrawal from NATO and chaos caused a real, noticeable shake up putting the fear of God in its members. There is no NATO without America, and no effective detterence to Russian aggression unless its strong. If Trump hadn't been elected NATO's military build up would still be where it was beforehand: smoke and mirrors bs aimlessly trickling along to the delight and benefit of Vladimir Putin and Russia.
In the months and years ahead Trump isn't going to be satisfied and will continue to be relentless in kicking the asses of underspending NATO leaders as until they fulfill their financial obligations and the alliance is stronger than ever. Not since Reagan have we seen a US president more committed than Trump to strengthening NATO in order to meet the Russian challenge. Putln's "puppet?" LOL!!!
And as for your last point about "blackmailing allies never being a good idea," that's rubblsh.When being nice, friendly and diplomatic (using SOFT power) doesn't work (as it didn't for Clinton, Bush and Obama for 20 years) it's time (as a last and necessary resort) to use force and KICK ASS! To continue doing what doesn't work (begging deadbeat NATO members to spend more) comes under Einstein's definition of INSANITY.
Effing gibberish. We agree on one thing. The great orange disruptor's soft spot for Russia has DEFINITELY spooked our NATO allies. They have no clue who's side he's on, and they are scared.
Anyone who after seeing the astonishing and unexpected events in Riyadh last week (Trump's formation of an anti-/Iranian/Syrian/Russian/terrorist Sunni coalition) has any doubt that Trump is an 'America First' president and not a Putin "puppet" has very serious reality problems.
Any Trump loyalist who saw Trump kiss up to the Saudis and then lecture our NATO allies while being less than resolute about continuing Russian sanctions has their head up their rectum...
LOL!!! Kiss up to the Saudis? No such thing happened. But where were you when Obama kissed Moslem a*s with his Cairo apology speech, and was in Riyadh days before getting input and guidance to make sure it was Islamically correct? And when was this done? About 75 days after he publicly bowed to the Saudi king in England. And LOL!! it was the Saudi king who bowed slightly to Trump when he greeted him at the airport.
The US/Sunni/Israeli coalition (the reassertion of US power and leadership in the Middle East) spells doom for the Mullahs and Russia's influence in the region. Watch as Trump peals Iraq away from Iran and supports with funds and arms internal and external anti-Mullah forces to bring down their evil regime.
Yeah. Better believe it: Putin is sh*tting a brick as his neo-imperialist dreams go up in smoke. Trump is becoming his worst nightmare.
The world can't depend on Trump. And nobody will benefit more than Putin, and China. And brutal despots in Saudi Arabia and the Philippines and everywhere else.
LOL!!! Kiss a*s Obama (with his stupid, ill-advised reset fiasco) was the greatest and mosts dangerous enabler of post-Soviet Russian power of any president since the fall of the Soviet Union. And no president since Jimmy Carter has done more to benefit the murderous, tyrannical Islamo-nazi mullahs of Iran (who support the US soldier killing Taliban with the funds he gave them) in achieving regional hegemony, than that feckless, leftist, crackpot catastrophe of a president.
BTW. what was it that Obama said to Romney about Russia not being the geostrategic foe of the US? What a pathetic ignorant dumb a*s!
The catastrophically failed leader of Germany says what? The US and Britain are no longer reliable partners? What is "reliable" about wealthy prosperous industrial Germany stubbornly failing to keep its spending commitments to NATO? And what was reliable about taking in up to one million poorly vetted or unvetted Syrian refugees without first consulting with the leaders of other EU states? The first failure weakens NATO and emboldens Russia. The second failure has weakened Germany's economy, worsened its security and created resentment among many EU members including Britain....which exited the EU in part because of Merkel's reckless, disruptive, unilateral immigration policies.
Hell, Merkel is such a disaster and danger to the security of Europe that she prefers spending billions caring for hundreds and thousands of savage anti-German/Western Syrian refugees than meet Germany's NATO commitment of spending 2% of GDP on military security and defense. And unless Trump is willing to spend more US taxpayers' money to build the military to protect Germany he is an unreliable partner and SOB uncommitted to Article 5. The audacity and hypocrisy of this woman is staggering.
The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday largely upheld a nationwide block on President Donald Trump's travel ban, arguing that it "drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination." But what this was, was another leftist judicial manifestation of anti-Trump hatred and obstruction mania.
DID THE IDIOT LEFT-WING JUDGES OF THE 4TH CIRCUIT COURT
hear President Trump's historic speech that he delivered in the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last week? Did they not see and hear the applauds he received from the leaders and ambassadors of 54 Moslem states representing over one billion Moslem men, women and children? Are they completely blind and brain-dead to the fact that these leaders embraced this infidel president as their pro-Moslem leader in the war against radical Islamic extremism and terror? Are they so dumb as not to realize that if President Trump was an intolerant anti-Moslem bigot like they stupidly, laughably, unjustifiably suppose that he would not have been invited to The Kingdom to make his speech? For the Saudi royal family would have considered his presence in their realm an affront to their God, a desecration of their land and mockery of their faith?
Do these judges not understand what happened that historic day? That the "racist," "bigoted," "Islamophobic" travel ban of President Trump's was tacitly endorsed by all 54 Moslem leaders and reps. That in applauding him and embracing him they said in effect that his controversial executive order was perfectly fine and no way offensive to them and their faith. In other words, if any of them were POTUS they'd probably do no differently. Do these judges not comprehend that if these leaders believed Trump and his ban were anti-Islamic, and the Saudis had nevertheless invited him to speak, that the auditorium he spoke in would have been practically empty. That these leaders in protest would have boycotted the speech. Or when Trump spoke they would have turned their backs on him and held their noses in disgust. Is this so hard to understand?
NO! NO! NO! The travel ban which these morons in black robes (following lower courts) found immoral, racist and discriminatory were not considered anti-Islamic by any of these Moslem leaders; on the contrary, they understood it for what it truly and objectively was: a temporary ban on six predomently Moslem countries with terrorist problems and poor or non-existent vetting systems to prevent evil, bloodthirsty, death loving scum from coming here. Indeed, just as these leaders do what they can to block ISIS, al Qaida, and other jihadists from entering their lands so do they honor and respect Donald Trump for wanting to do the same; for upholding his oath of office and keeping us secure and safe. It's not more complicated than that.
Certainly Moslem world leaders are better able than American judges at distingusihing Moslem hating Islamophobes from the true friends of the faith. And they believe that Donald Trump is a friend of Islam, not its foe; and he'll be a tremendously effective leader in the global war against radical Islamic terror in all of its forms. I hope I've made myself clear.
The opinion of 50 Moslem leaders representing most of the Moslem world community count for nothing only to miserable, moronic Trump haters hopelessly stuck on stupid. But watch how this becomes a minor factor when the Supreme Court strikes down the 4th's decision as unconstitutional, and rules in favor of the ban.... just as two federal judges did in Massachusetts and Virginia this year.
Prepare yourself for defeat, Atoz! What happened in Massachusetts and Virginia foreshadows the ultimate ruling by the Supremes. Travel ban here we come. And only al Qaida, ISIS, the Taliban and Iran will condemn it as anti-Moslem.
Washington (CNN) Former CIA Director John Brennan told House Russia investigators Tuesday that Russia "brazenly interfered" in US elections, including actively contacting members of the President Donald Trump's campaign -- but he stopped shy of dubbing it "collusion."
"I saw interaction that in my mind raised questions of whether it was collusion," Brennan told Rep. Trey Gowdy, saying that he supported the FBI digging further. "It was necessary to pull threads."
"I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and US persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals. It raised questions in my mind about whether Russia was able to gain the cooperation of those individuals."
CNN says about this quote that it is quite "damning" to Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON — American spies collected information last summer revealing that senior Russian intelligence and political officials were discussing how to exert influence over Donald J. Trump through his advisers, according to three current and former American officials familiar with the intelligence.
The conversations focused on Paul Manafort, the Trump campaign chairman at the time, and Michael T. Flynn, a retired general who was advising Mr. Trump, the officials said. Both men had indirect ties to Russian officials, who appeared confident that each could be used to help shape Mr. Trump’s opinions on Russia.
COMMENTARY
IN HIS TESTIMONY BEFORE THE HOUSE ON RUSSIA-COLLUSIONGATE
this week former CIA chief John Brennan feared that maybe, quite possibly, but not certainly Russian agents were trying to recruit or "suborn" members of the Trump campaign. Why? To turn them into Alger Hisses. To do what? To spy on Donald Trump if he should become president, and influence his polices toward Russia like Hiss and others influenced FDR with Joseph Stalin. But if that is "damning" for the president, as CNN says, then how worse was it for FDR to have Russian spies and pro-Stalin advisors all over his administration? How was FDR being spied on and influenced by the Hisses to adopt policies favorable to Stalin a treasonous collusion crime, or impeachable offense, as many say it is for Trump? What nonsense!
Though FDR was the greatest wartime president next to Lincoln he blundered badly with Stalin who played him like a fiddle.
In other words, if Trump is neo-Stalinist Vladimir Putin's puppet (as CNN, the NY Times and other destroy Trump lunatics slanderously allege) then what does that make FDR and his legendary bromance with "Uncle Joe" Stalin....a worse mass murderer and war criminal than Hitler and Putin combined? Indeed, it was the naïve FDR who told the realists, anti-communists and Stalin haters in his administration (who tried warning him of Stalin's imperialist designs on Eastern Europe and hatred of democracy) to back off, saying the following:
“I just have a hunch that Stalin is not that kind of man [hell bent on territorial expansion] …I think that if I give him everything I possibly can and ask nothing in return, noblesse oblige, he won’t try to annex anything [Eastern Europe] and will work with me for a world of democracy and peace.”
FDR's blind, stupid, misplaced trust in the freedom hating, anti-capitalist, power mad Stalin proved to be a blunder of catastrophic proportions for the post-war world as the warnings of his anti-communist advisors, that he'd dominate Eastern Europe, fully materialized; and this created the very dangerous East-West/Cold War Conflict that came near to going hot and nuclear in the early 1960s.
Compare this to allegations about candidate Trump being Putin's secret "Siberian candidate," and now his marionette puppet as president. For Trump to prove himself to be a real useful idiot to Russia in advancing its interests and geopolitical aims he has a lot of catching up to do to FDR; and also to Barack Obama who when president was the greatest enabler of post-Soviet Russian power since the end of the Cold War.
Putin had so much control over candidate Donald Trump that he needed to recruit his team members to spy on him.
But just think how laughably absurd this is. If Donald Trump is under Putin's control and forced to do his will because (as some theorize) of damaging dirt he has on him then why would he need to recruit a Paul Manafort or a Mike Flynn (or any member of Team Trump) to influence him? It would be totally unnecessary. A puppet master needs no one but himself to manipulate his puppet. It's precisely because Putin lacks control of, or has any real influence over, the unpredictable, independent Donald Trump (that no one can control) that he tried to recruit campaign people who were close to him.
Because there's no criminal collusion between Trump and Putin a ten month investigation has turned up nothing incriminating on Trump tying him to Russian interference in the election, as inconsequential as it was. And after the events in Syria with the bombing of Putin's ally Assad, and in Riyadh last week with the organizing of an anti-Iran coalition of Sunni states that's a threat to Russian influence and interests in the region, only conspiracy nuts would believe that Vladimir Putin is the real power in the White House holding a gun to Trump's head directing his every step.
Would Vladimir Putin's "puppet" or "evil twin" or "ticking time bomb" have kept economically damaging sanctions in place on Russia warning that they'll remain until illegally annexed Crimea is returned to Ukraine? Would a "puppet" of Putin's have bombed the airfield of Russia's second most important ally in the Middle East, mass murderer Bashir Assad? Indeed, would Putin's easily manipulated "puppet" be reviving and reorganizing the coalition of Arab Sunni states against Islamonazi terrorist Iran, Putin's most important economic, strategic and military partner in the region? What kind of "puppet" strikes blow after blow at it's master and makes him progressively weaker? It's unheard of!
Putin absolutely must be sh*tting a brick over Donald Trump's bold reassertion of U.S. power and leadership in the region. Any threat to Bashir Assad's murderous regime or, worse still, to the "death to America" mullah theocracy (which Trump is hell-bent on destroying) is a threat to Russian interests in the region which are huge and worth billions.
Obama's reckless dismantling of the Pax Americana has been the greatest enabler of post-Soviet Russian power since the fall of the Soviet Union. Before Obama took office CNN could never have aired the documentary: Vladimir Putin: The World's Most Powerful Man (see) .
The restoring of the Pax Americana is bad news for neo-imperialist Vladimir Putin and everything that he's accomplished during the Obama years in trying to make Russia great again: i.e., restore some measure of the global reach it had as the Soviet Union, America's chief rival in the world for decades. Indeed, Putin's "puppet" is slowly, incrementally and methodically chipping away at Russia's power and influence, weakening, undermining, downsizing it...making Russia small again. Trump's agenda for reversing America's decline and making it greater than ever means Russia losing much if not all it has gained since Obama started the reckless retreat of American power; this has thrown the Middle East into deadly sectarian turmoil and strife causing more instability and terrorism, and a massive refugee problem overwhelming Europe. It's a zero sum game that Putin's now losing after winning so much clout, power and prestige due to Obama's policies; in short, Putin's so called "puppet" Donald Trump is becoming his worse nightmare.
The emergence of a great world leader.
This past weekend's extraordinary events in Riyadh not only dealt a huge hammer blow to Putin, but it blew up the phony left-wing media lie of President Trump being a covert Russian agent or spy in criminal collusion with Putin....blackmailed or forced into treason to benefit Russia at U.S. expense. It's hilarious the nonsense people come up with!
TRUMP IS MAGA AND MAGA IS TRUMP!
Donald Trump won't allow Russia or Iran or any country or alliance or enemy within (the deep state, media, Democrat party and GOPe) to stand in the way of his patriotic plans for making America great again. The American eagle is again in flight. The Pax Americana is on the rise.
Another day and another phony revelation from the imploding destroy Trump media causing a new fake crisis for the administration which will go the way of all the others into inconsequential oblivion. This time the gun firing blanks at the prez, is alleged to be an unclassified memo written by ex FBI chief Comey leaked over the phone by an associate to a New York Times reporter. It claims that President Trump at an Oval Office meeting in February with Comey asked him to end the investigation into former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, himself the victim of criminal leaks. What was leaked (or what the Times wanted us to see to the exclusion of all else because it had the semblance of criminality) was this horrendous thing:
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Trump supposedly told Comey.“He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”
"I hope you can let Flynn go"? Is that all he said? Does it sound like an instruction laid down by Trump for Comey to follow? Does it sound like a demand or command from our so called "fuhrer in chief" for Comey to obey, OR ELSE run the risk of firing, injury or death? It's nothing of the sort. What it is, is an acknowledgement by Trump that the investigation of Flynn is in Comey's hands, not his; that he and he alone is the decider running the show; and he would like to see his friend let go as he believes in his innocence. Since when is a president expressing an opinion to an FBI Director about an investigation a criminal obstruction of justice? It's unheard of.
Yet the lying lunatic get Trump press is characterizing this as an "obstruction of justice" reaching epic, earthshaking "Watergate proportions." That these 28 words constitute the high, impeachable presidential crime of the ages; that they will bring down Trump where 23 unremitting months of anti-Trump propaganda and open warfare have failed. Is this all they got after all this time to strip Trump of the presidency and put him in jail? If so what they have is
OBSTRUCTION OF BUPKIS
Nothing. Absolutely, completely, provably NOTHING! I repeat, there was no coercion of any sort, no menacing threats, no warnings Comey might lose his job or wind up dead at the bottom of the Potomac. What Trump did at this meeting was so innocuous, unoffending, decent and good, so lacking in criminal intent, that when the meeting ended what did Comey do? BUPKIS! Instead of going straight to the Attorney General to report Trump's damning "crime" (AS THE LAW REQUIRES*), and begin an investigation, Comey either returned to his job of catching bad guys, or went home where he made notes to memorialize the meeting for himself and posterity.
Acting FBI chief Andrew McCabe (a Democrat) denies any interference from Trump administration in any FBI investigation.
And that would have been the end of it. No one but Comey would have known of this memo's existence were it not for his being sacked by Trump for incompetence and corruption (see). Then all hell broke lose in the hate Trump media culminating in this NY Times leak designed to stir up more trouble for the prez on top of his meeting with two of Putin's henchmen.
The Comey memo is nothing but a nothing burger served up by Comey and the media for consumption by idiots ignorant of the law.
In other words, and this is extremely important to understand, if, as alleged, President Trump attempted to obstruct justice and tried to shut down the Flynn probe we would have heard about it THREE MONTHS AGO. Within a week or two of the meeting there would have been leaks to the Times, WaPo and CNN that the president was under criminal investigation by his own Justice Department for obstructing justice; it would have been the Trump Watergate disaster that his enemies have been desperately trying and failing to create to remove him from office; and today as I write, and you read these words, they'd either be impeachment proceedings in the House, or, like Nixon, Trump might have resigned replaced by Mike Pence.
But Comey found nothing unethical, immoral, wrong or criminal with the president that day. NOTHING ZILCH NADA. The meeting was bupkis then and it's bupkis now turned into a ruckus and media row by a mortified Comey out for revenge because Trump dared to fire him...ten months too late (he should have been sacked in July). No crime. No fire. No smoking gun to shoot Trump down. There was only a president speaking from the heart about a good friend and patriot who was the victim of a criminal leak hoping that Comey would see reason and stop investigating him. This is the new Watergate that will Nixonize Trump? It ain't going to happen my friends. And if you want further proof read the rest of this article to the end:
As you will see from the following, if there was "obstruction" and Comey didn't report it immediately to the Justice Department then he was involved in a conspiracy to obstruct justice.
18 USC 4 and 28 USC 1361
Under the law, Comey is required to immediately inform the Department of Justice of any attempt to obstruct justice by any person, even the President of the United States. Failure to do so would result in criminal charges against Comey. (18 USC 4 and 28 USC 1361) He would also, upon sufficient proof, lose his license to practice law.
So, if Comey believed Trump attempted to obstruct justice, did he comply with the law by reporting it to the DOJ? If not, it calls into question whether the events occurred as the Times reported it.
Obstruction requires what's called "specific intent" to interfere with a criminal case. If Comey concluded, however, that Trump's language was vague, ambiguous or elliptical, then he has no duty under the law to report it because it does not rise to the level |of specific intent. Thus, no crime.
There is no evidence Comey ever alerted officials at the Justice Department, as he is duty-bound to do. Surely if he had, that incriminating information would have made its way to the public either by an indictment or, more likely, an investigation that could hardly be kept confidential in the intervening months.
POSTSCRIPT 1
COMEY UNDER OATH SAYS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NEVER PRESSURED HIM TO STOP ANY INVESTIGATION
(hat tip Sue2)
Looks like I've wasted my time writing all of the above. This video completely crushes the justice obstruction narrative.
UPDATE
NOW THAT THE PHONY FAKE MEDIA STORY
of a justice obstructing Donald Trump pressuring Comey to stop the Flynn investigation is crashing and burning - with Comey disappointingly refusing to testify (lie) about it - it's on to the next Trump obstructed justice NOTHING BUPKIS BURGER:
"Trump Reportedly Asked Top Intelligence Official to Intervene With FBI’s Probe of Flynn"
Pure anti-Trump slander. Trump mocked the denial of a story the reporter wrote, not the repoter's disability which was unknown to him ... as is proved in this video:
In this video Trump uses the same spastic gestures to mock an army general and Ted Cruz neither of whom are handicapped:
My God! Is Donald Trump and Collusiongate Richard Nixon and Watergate all over again? Is Trump headed for impeachment, resignation and disgrace with Mike Pence replacing him as president? There are historical parallels suggesting this will happen that will make you cheer or cringe depending which side of the isle you are on.
For example, March 4th, the day President Trump accused Obama in several tweets of wiretapping Trump Tower, was the 43rd anniversary of the "Watergate Seven" indictment for burglarizing and bugging the Democrat National Committee's Watergate headquarters. Could this be a sign that Trump and his men colluded with the Russians in hacking Podesta and the DNC and stealing their emails? And perhaps hacking the White House in 2014, and everything in between? It's not far fetched given the love fest we just witnessed between Trump and Foreign Minister Lavrov - the worst desecration of the Oval Office since Monica Lewinsky (of Russian-Jewish descent) relieved Bill Clinton of his frustrations with Hillary and Newt Gingrich.
April 29th, the final day of Trump's first 100 days, when he skipped the White House correspondent's dinner (Woodward and Bernstein were there) for a rally with fans in Pennsylvania, was the 43rd anniversary of Nixon releasing edited transcripts of White House tapes related to Watergate. An ominous sign for Trump and his taping of Comey warning him that he could disappear like another man named James with the last name Hoffa of union fame.
But it gets worse! When Trump defying Comey fired him on May 9th it was the 43rd anniversary of the House Judiciary Committee opening impeachment hearings against Nixon; this was five months after he fired Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox...the "Saturday Night Massacre" it was called wheredead bodies littered the White House on every floor and on the outside lawn. This is too much a coincidence to be coincidental. It looks more like a sign from the gods that Trump will be undone before his 71st birthday next month. Face the facts folks: where there's smoke there's fire; and things are looking mighty grim for President Trump and his Collusiongate Men.
Kidding aside. Where are the apples to apples Watergate crimes committed by Trump and his men? Could there have been a Watergate scandal without the break in? Could there have been any cover up, lies and obstruction of justice without that stupid damning crime? Nixon is laughing in his grave at the Dems who succeeded in hanging him. The ropes are around their political necks and they don't even know it despite the heavy loses over the years when Obama led them over a cliff with a thousand Dems losing legislature seats.
Collusiongate is fake Watergate because there's no known crime or a scintilla of one to drive Trump from office. Instead, we have the destroy Trump media creating a thick choking fog of fake black smoke desperately in search of real fire to roast him...or a smoking gun to shot him down instead of firing blanks. It's nothing worse than that; and Trump, certain of his destiny of reversing America's decline, is enjoying watching the three-ring circus of resist, obstruct and deny going round in circles getting nowhere as the audience grows tired.
The real scandal is a corrupt, hyperpartisan media's all out war on Trump for defying their predictions and polls and beating sure to win Hillary after whipping 16 GOP pols; and daring to be a president who won't turn his cheek when slapped and fights back hell-bent on counter-punching his way to their second defeat in 2020. Compared to Trump they're midgets with pee shooters firing spit balls at a battleship achieving nothing. After 100 days of spitting venom at Trump what have they gained? He's more electable now than on November 8th. Polls show Trump's core supporters remain in tact and would elect him again, with Hillary losing the popular vote by three points (see). And in state after state Dems keep on losing post-2016 elections. Prelude to a 2018 disaster.
This isn't Watergate, it's Mediahate. That's the real scandal, folks. My advice to you is this: stock up well on organic popcorn (I'm a right-wing health food nut), enough for three thrilling years of the greatest show on planet Earth: Watergate in reverse where the media will be impeached in the court of public opinion as prosperity returns lifting most boats, and America is made great again after Obama tried flushing us down the drain. The time ahead is going to be fun; but not if you're Trump hate derangement scum.
POSTSCRIPT
Though the Russians for decades (going back to their Soviet days) have been engaging in cyber warfare against the USA here's a picture of Hillary in 2009 (fully aware of anti-US Russian hacking crimes) laughing it up with Lavrov over her idiotic Russian reset button farce.
Did James Comey find the smoking gun (the treasonous collusion link to Russia) that could bring down Donald Trump and his presidency? Or was he hot on the trail of finding it drawing closer and closer until Trump stopped him in his tracks and fired him-as many Trump haters across the net believe? Assuming they are right, then what Comey knows (hard evidence or circumstantial of collusion) would make him the most dangerous man alive for Trump's political survival. It means that Trump's impeachment, disgrace and imprisonment are very much in Comey's hands making him a very powerful man; making him the ultimate weapon for anti-Trump derangement forces for obliterating him.
The question then is this: if Comey uncovered the secret link criminally connecting Trump to Putin, or was close to finding it, why is he still alive to talk about it? Why didn't "fascist," "authoritarian," "Hitlerian" Trump (the most evil man on earth), who said he could "shoot people with impunity on 5th Avenue in daylight," have Comey killed dead? Why instead did he simply fire him and let him slide when what he knows could force Trump to resign, and make Mike Pence 46th President? It makes no sense!
With all the resources at Trump's command it would be a cinch for him to kill Comey and get away with it. Trump's buddy Putin kills his enemies all the time, and would in fact help him dispose of Comey, or show him how best to do it KGB style. Trump was Putin's "Siberian Candidate" during the election; now he's Putin's puppet president at his beck and call because of what he knows from hacked copies of Trump's tax returns and other damning things. Trump is Putin's super agent for making Russia great again; and if Comey could oust him from power Putin would put him in the grave - and make it look like the work of the Clintons in revenge for Comey making Trump President.
But it appears Trump and Putin are letting Comey live because he has zilch to hurt Trump with. After a nine month probe and millions spent Comey has come up empty-handed without a scrap of evidence; nothing remotely incriminating to hang Trump, his family, associates and friends with-though all of them are guilty as hell being one big pro-Russian cabal....as every Trump hater suspects. In short, Trump and Putin are letting Comey live because their secret is buried so deep no one can find it. Not even them.
All the above,
in case you didn't suspect,
was
SARCASM
Do you see how absurd this conspiracy theory is? It's time to move on and bring this nonsense to an end, and let Donald Trump
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin and FBI Chief James Comey put a gun to Hillary Clinton's head and force her to illegally put her unsecured server in the basement of her home? Of course not. Then how is she justified in blaming them for her loss to Donald Trump? As the study below shows, based on the post-election survey data of pro-Clinton Democrat pollster John Zogby, there was a definIte, measurable 'Comey Effect' in the last 11 days of the 2016 election negatively impacting millions of late undecided voters. But there was no 'Russian Wiki Effect.' Zogby, failing to find the slightest hint of voters effected by the hacked DNC/Podesta emails he omits it in his survey.
But the Comey Effect was very real and substantial as voters revealed. But as you will see below, with the possible exception of one key swing Rust Belt state, it didn't cost Hillary the election. Hillary cost Hillary the election; her decision to accept Obama's offer to be secretary of state ultimately proved to be politically fatal: the collapse of Russian Reset; turmoil in Libya, Iraq, Yeman and Syria; the 9/11 Benghazi attack; the Taliban's success in Afghanistan despite a U.S. troop surge; and the horrific rise of ISIS; Hillary was secretary of state under a God awful, feckless, incompetent President who ran U.S. foreign policy into the ground, and plunged this country into geopolitical and military decline. And Hillary (who lacked any significant diplomatic achievements) suffered terribly for it with emailgate adding greatly to her woes - causing much distrust with late undecided voters because of her mendacity, deceit and lies (see Zogby's trust factor below) .
Late undecided voters have won close elections for many presidential candidates in the past: Truman in 1948, JFK in 1960, Nixon in 1968, Clinton in 1992 and George Bush twice. In 2016, due to the unprecedented unlikability and high negatives of both candidates the pool of late undecideds was perhaps greater than ever. As of October 27th, the day before Comey renewed his probe into Hillary's emails, Hillary was ahead in most of the polls, but with Trump not far behind. And after Comey's letter to Congress informing them of the renewed probe Trump indeed began to close the gap with Hillary showing no loss of support.
Hillary's gripe that if it weren't for the Comey Effect the undecideds would have broke for her instead of Trump is flat out wrong. As Zogby shows the issue of trustworthiness where the Comey Effect had an impact lagged far behind the economy and jobs. The undecideds in the Rust Belt states, the forgotten hurting mostly white middle class, wanted change from the status quo and came out in favor of change candidate, radical outsider Donald Trump. Indeed, Hillary's admitted neglect of the Rust Belt swing states cost her big time.
As for 2020 if the economy surges in the years ahead, which it's very likely to do given all the pent-up growth Trump is unleashing from deregulation, the Rust Belt states will carry him to victory again and we will have
EIGHT MAGA TRUMP YEARS.
[REPOST] DEMOCRAT POLLSTER’S POST-ELECTION POLL FINDS ‘COMEY EFFECT’ AND ‘RUSSIAN-WIKI EFFECT’ DIDN’T EFFECT OUTCOME OF ELECTION
Enraged, deranged, vicious "Not My President" Trump haters who feel cheated that Hillary Clinton lost the election and blame it on a combination of Russian interference using hacked DNC emails, and Jim Comey's renewed 11th hour probe into Hillary's emails will hate this excellent underreported post-election poll that proves them flat out wrong. Professional pollster John Zogby (a radically left, pro-Clinton, Democrat Arab American) took a scientific poll on November 16th (eight days after the election) to determine when voters made their decision for whom to vote for.What Zogby found was this:
When did you make your decision for whom to vote for President?
A year ago 26% More than a month ago 39 During the presidential debates 18 In the last week before voting 8 In the 24 hours before voting 4 In the voting booth 3 Not sure 3
26% (29 million voters) made up their minds one year before the election; 39% (52 million) made up their minds prior to October 7th, the day the massive Russian-DNC-WikiLeaks email dump began; 18% (24 million) made their decision based on the three Trump-Clinton debates (September 26th, October 10th, and October 20th). In sum, according to Zogby 83% of voters (112 million out of 135 million) were completely uninfluenced by the WikiLeaks emails.
But what of the remaining 17% or 23 million voters who were still undecided after the last presidential debate, and made up their minds in the final days and hours of the campaign? Most analysts agree that this was the group that decided the election for change agent Donald Trump over establishment candidate Hillary Clinton; that late in the day they broke for Trump in the battle ground, swing states that mattered (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan), and where Hillary was out polling him right up to the end. But why did these swing state voters break for Trump?
Fancy Bear
l
THE RUSSIAN DNC/PODESTA HACK
Indeed, did the steady drip drip drip of the Wiki-emails throughout October disillusion hundreds and thousands of Hillary leaning voters in the three swing states causing them to vote for anyone but her, or not vote at all depriving her of crucial votes to the benefit of Trump?
The answer is an emphatic NO!. For many reasons it's practically impossible that WikiLeaks mattered with late undecided voters; and this is born out by Zogby who makes mention of a "Comey effect" in his polling data (which I'll get to later), but not of a "Wiki effect." Why the one and not the other when both were and still are hotly debatedcontroversial subjects? The answer is simple: unlike the "Comey effect" Zogby, when questioning voters, couldn't find a "Wiki effect." Either Zogby found that the impact of the stolen Hillary related emails was too slight to have any post-election interest; or it was completely nonexistent; and this is understandable given the nature of the emails.
Indeed, while the DNC/Podesta emails did provide the basis for a lot of negative stories about Hillary (and hilarious right-wing mockery and propaganda) they were no more harmful to her campaign than annoying little pin pricks; they weren't politically damaging like the criminal probe into her server and emails that she lied about to the public and unsuccessfully tried to the cover up. In comparison the emails were as nothing to the electorate who were accustomed to hearing much worse about Hillary.
TRUMP'S SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS VS. HILLARY RELATED EMBARRASSING EMAILS
Look at it this way: if Donald Trump's infamous, lewd Hollywood Access groper tape, (which surfaced an hour before Julian Assange published the DNC/Podesta emails), and subsequent multiple sexual assault allegations, failed to politically hurt or stop him (though a majority of voters believed they were true, see) what fatal political damage could Hillary have suffered from the Wiki stuff?
Indeed, which is worse and more offensive for turning off actual or potential voters? Trump's groper/assault scandal where women are demeaned as sexual objects and playthings? Or emails showing John Podesta bad mouthing Hillary and questioning her judgment? Or Hillary saying she wanted "a hemispheric borderless common market," "single payer healthcare," and that as President she'd implement gun control by executive order"? In other words, if "gropergate" scarcely hurt Trump with late voters then what significant electoral harm could the Wiki-emails caused Hillary?
PUTIN THE KINGMAKER?
So where does that leave Vladimir Putin? True, he (and his Kremlin hackers) tried to interfere with the election preferring Trump to Hillary. True he hoped that the Wiki-emails would help Trump's cause and even perhaps, serving as a distraction, counter the negative effects of the Hollywood Access tape*. But was Putin Trump's kingmaker? Absolutely not! And because Putin and the Wiki-emails had zero to do with Trump's victory Zogby couldn't find evidence of a "Wiki Effect" among the voters he questioned and omits it from his survey.
*It's no mere coincidence that on October 7th, when Julian Assange published the DNC/Podesta emails it was one hour after the Access Hollywood tape surfaced (see). It is also interesting to note that October 7th was Vladimir Putin's 64rd birthday (see).
THE COMEY EFFECT
Now while Zogby couldn't find a "Wiki effect" negatively impacting voters about Hillary (which he certainly looked for when questioning them) he did find a fairly substantial "Comey Effect" in 38% or 51 million voters. But as I will attempt to prove using Zogby's polling data the Comey Effect may have somewhat changed the electoral vote count, but not the outcome of the election.
Zogby asked voters the following:
"Did the re-opening of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server [on Oct. 28] have a negative impact, positive impact or no impact on your feelings toward Hillary Clinton as a candidate for President? "
And the result was:
Negative impact 30% Positive impact 8 No impact 58 Not sure 4
Now according to Zogby 30% or 40.5 million voters had their feelings negatively impacted by Comey's 11th hour Hillary probe, which dominated the news cycle for nine days. And while 83% of these or 33.6 million already made up their minds who to vote for the question is this: did the remaining 17% or 6.9 million undecided voters decide the election for Trump based on the Comey effect? At first glance it would seem so. For if we evenly divide these 6.9 million undecideds between each of the 50 states it comes to 138, 000 voters per state. Now with Trump's close victories in each of the three swing states that won him the White House way under 138,000 votes (Pennsylvania 44,000, Wisconsin 23,000 and Michigan 10,000) it would appear that James Comey was Trump's kingmaker -- as Hillary Clinton believes.
TOP VOTER ISSUES
But Hillary is greatly, greatly mistaken. For when we factor in Zogby's data on the top issues that concerned voters (and especially the undecideds) we learn that Trump could have likely lost only one of the three key states due to the Comey Effect. In other words, as you will see, if Comey hadn't renewed the investigation into Hillary Trump would have won the electoral vote anyway.
According to Zogby top issues for voters were as follows:
Economy/jobs 32% Taxes 5 Syria 1 Immigration 7 Trust/Truthfulness 11 Terrorism 8 The Environment 5 Energy 1 The budget deficit 6 Social security 6 Medicare/Medicaid 4 Obamacare 8 Other (specify) 8
You will notice that the top issue "Economy/Jobs" at 32% is followed by an issue relevant to the Comey Effect, "Trust/Truthfulness," and this intensely concerned 11% of the voters. Now 11% of the 6.9 million voters who were negatively impacted by the Comey Effect and were likely swayed by the trust issue to vote for Trump (or one of the third-party candidates) over Hillary was 759,000 votes.
But the question again is this: did the 11% influenced by Comey win the presidency (as Hillary and others believe) for Donald Trump? The answer is an emphatic NO! Whichever way I crunched the numbers (there's only two ways of doing this) it didn't add up to a win for Hillary.
For example, using the simple method of equally dividing the 759,000 Comey influenced/trust votes between each of the 50 states it gives us 15,180 votes per state. And 15,180 is only more (by 5180) than the margin of Trump's victory in one of the three key swing states: Michigan (10,000 votes). Giving Michigan with its 16 electoral votes to Hillary does nothing to change the outcome of the election.
According to The Daily Telegraph Corey Lewandowski said that Comey's late investigation into Hillary related emails gave the Trump campaign "a little spring in their step." Andso it did. But just a little; not enough to make a decisive difference.
However, when I used a more sophisticated method where I worked out the math on a state by state basis the result, beginning with Pennsylvania remained unchanged:
PENNSYLVANIA
2,970,733 - Trump votes
505,024 - 17% undecided
151,507 - 30% Comey effect
16,665 -11% trust top issue
44,000 - Trump's margin of victory
WISCONSIN
1,405,284 - Trump votes
238,898 - 17% undecided
71,669 - 30% Comey effect
7883 - 11% trust top issue
23,000 - T's margin of victory
MICHIGAN
2,279,543 - Trump votes
387,522 -17% undecided
116,256 - 30% Comey effect
14,867 - 11% trust top issue
10,000 - Trump's margin of victory
As you can see when taking the percentage of undecided voters in each of the three key swing states where Trump narrowly won, and then further reducing that number to Comey Effect voters, then reducing that to trust issue voters, again only in Michigan does it appear that the Comey Effect could have been the decisive factor helping Trump. In Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as with the other 27 states Trump won, the overriding issue that put him over the top was the economy and jobs. In only one state Michigan does it appear it was the trust issue influenced by the short-lived Comey probe.
In sum, if there were no stolen DNC WikiLeaks emails, nor the 11th hour FBI Clinton email probe, Donald Trump would be exactly where he is today: 45th President of the United States -- but with less controversy about his historic, astonishing PROVIDENTIAL victory.
On March 23rd I declared victory when the Freedom Caucus killed the vote for the repeal of Obamacare in the House. But I predicted that a better bill would soon pass. And it has.
As for President Trump (who was led astray by Paul Ryan) it's just a temporary setback on the way to repeal and replace "CRAZY (Bill Clinton)," MISTAKEN (Chuck Schumer)" "TRAINWRECK (Max Baucus)" Obamacare.
The celebration of Democrats over the Trump/Ryan failure is laughable. House and Senate Republicans one and all (and most rank and file party members) are united on ends and divided on means. They are hell-bent and unified on wanting to repeal and replace collapsing, imploding, impoverishing, class warfare Obamacare, but differ on how to do it. When they resolve their differences, which I'm confident they will do soon, Obamacare will join Romneycare, Hillarycare and Single Payer (Bernie Sanders) Vermontcare on the ash heap of history.
See my prediction of Obamacare's inevitable repeal and demise based on the 18th century repeal of the Stamp Act. This ancient sign of liberty from unfair taxation and oppression shows that Obamacare was doomed from the start and doesn't have a future.
My fun numerical prediction on 4-11-2014 of 4DOOMED A4DABLE OBAMACARE, based on the number 4, in retrospect seems prescient as today, when the Republican House voted to repeal Obamacare, is
MAY 4TH
4DOOMED A4DABLE OBAMACARE 4CES SEBELIUS TO QUIT
Smart move jumping ship before it hits the rocks.
Kathleen Sebelius (the 44th governor of Kansas) picked by the 44th president in the 4th month of April to be HHS chief, is resigning from office in the 4th month this year-'cause after 4+ years of failure (4 years, 11 months and 14 days to be exact) she's had it with the 4doomed, so-called "A4dable" Health Act.
Indeed, after all the mis4tune, setbacks and tears Sebelius is jumping ship be4 Obamacare sinking from countless leaks drags her down into the cold dark deep of socialized medicine hell.
Indeed, when we look back at Reagan's first 100 days what were the most striking, memorable and consequential things? First off there was the end of the long, agonizing 444 day Iran Hostage Crisis just hours after Reagan took office. But that was President Carter's achievement as he negotiated an end to the crisis with Iran months before.
What next comes to mind was the attempted assassination on Reagan's life, extraordinary in that he was the first president to take a would be assassin's bullet and survive.
What else was there? Nothing of immediate importance or consequence. Reagan proposed the largest peacetime defense build up in U.S. history, which he would get well after his first 100 days. Also to spur the faltering economy Reagan proposed major across the board cuts in personal and corporate taxes. These he would get later that year when the stagflation he inherited from Carter worsened, and joblessness and inflation went into double digits.
But Trump wasted little time in getting to work on the economy. From day one he started signing Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions nullifying unnecessary growth inhibiting, jobs killing red tape and regulations from the economically flat to failing Obama era. Totaling 13 in number (the most of any President) these CRAs have just about completely dismantled Obama's destructive regulatory regime (much of it based on fake climate science) which is hurting businesses and costing the economy an estimated $100 billion per year (see). Moreover, in his first 100 days Trump revived, to the cheers of the International Workers Union and pro-fossil fuel advocates, the XL Keystone and Dakota Access pipeline projects. These will create tens and thousands of high paying construction, manufacturing and spinoff jobs.
Other positive actions taken by Trump that has inspired a new optimism in the business and energy communities is his replacing Obama era anti-business, anti-free market, anti-fossil fuel personnel with their opposites in his administration. This sets the stage for realizing (among other things) Trump's vision of transforming America into a 21st century energy HYPERPOWER which has the potential of creating millions of new jobs.
As is clearly evident from the above Trump's first 100 days trump's Reagans. But where Trump truly shines beating out the Gipper is in the reassertion of US military power and restoring our leadership role on the world stage after a period of steep decline during the feckless, lead from behind Obama years.
It's amazing but as a possible sign of reversing Americas military and geopolitical decline, with a victorious Reagan-like peace through strength foreign policy, Trump (who was inaugurated on the 70th year, 7th month and 7th day of his life see) on April 7th (Syrian time), which was the 77th day of his presidency (see), launched the punishing attack on the Syrian air base for Assad's murderous use of chemical weapons*. It's as if Trump set in motion something quite significant and far reaching that day that will prove to be an important factor in restoring American greatness*. However, Reagan would do nothing comparable until late 1983 when he ordered the invasion of Grenada to depose an oppressive, pro-Castro communist regime.
*The attack was launched in the evening of April 6th Washington time, which was April 7th in Syria. April 6th (the 77th day of Trump's Presidency) was the 100th anniversary of President Wilson declaring war on Germany, thus bringing us into World War I.
MAKING RUSSIA SMALL AGAIN
Defying his expectations Trump's actions in Syria were a blow to Russia's strong man President Vladimir Putin who was made to look weak and helpless as his ally Assad was pounded. Moreover, politically this decisive action against Assad quickly put to rest the ridiculous notion that Trump was covertly colluding with Putin and was his puppet or agent. Indeed, just as those eight strong years of Ronald Reagan brought the Soviets to their knees it looks like eight strong years of Donald Trump will put Putin back in his place, and make Russia small again. Also impressive is Trump getting China to stand up to North Korea as he was striking Assad; and his threat to levy new sanctions on Iran for illegally test firing a ballistic missile.
And lastly, on April 7th, the day Trump bombed Syria, the Senate confirmed Neil Gorsuch as Supreme Court judge. This was the first time since 1881 that a sitting President did this in his first 100 days.
Trump said this of Reagan when he was a liberal Democrat and supporter of Jesse Jackson's bid for the Presidency. Now that Trump's a Republican President the liberal Democrats are saying the same thing about him.
With business and consumer confidence soaring in anticipation of a robustly growing economy, and the Fed joining in with two recent interest rate hikes, that Trump's first 100 days were a disaster because of a few executive orders held up in the courts (which will be resolved in the Supreme Court), and a temporary set back on healthcare reform (more of the Freedom Caucus is now on board), is ludicrous in the extreme. There are the anti-Trump media distortions of Trump's first 100 days and the reality of his achievements which put him ahead of Ronald Reagan. It took 18 months for Reagan to get his act together; and my guess is that Trump (who has shown he can learn) will do that under budget and in less time.
We are in the SECOND 100 DAYS of THE GREAT DISRUPTER'S EIGHT MIGHTY MAGA YEARS as his vicious political and media enemies continue to implode trying desperately to take him down. It's both fascinating and amusing to watch.
The above excellent New York Times article on Reagan's achievements in his first 100 days reports the following:
"Mr. Reagan's achievements so far are contained in a package of proposals including 83 major program changes, 834 amendments to the budget this year and next, 151 lesser budgetary actions and 60 additional pieces of legislation. Not until March 31 did he sign his first bill - cutting back dairy price supports - on a breakfast tray at George Washington University Hospital the morning after he was shot. If the bulk of his program is enacted, it won't be until much later in the year, and it is far from certain what form it will be in by then."
As you can see Reagan's greatest achievements in his first 100 days were a PACKAGE OF PROPOSALS none of which (with one exception) were enacted before the end of that period. Trump's first 100 days towers above Reagan's in achievements. And his package of proposals for changing the economic, military and geostrategic direction of our nation is just as vast, comprehensive and ambitious as Reagan's.
In fact, while Reagan signed his first bill on March 31 (the day he was shot) Trump by early April had signed twice as many bills as Obama.
Donald Trump is now in the 130th day of his productive and media embattled presidency and he keeps on besting the Gipper. Since the end of his first 100 days on April 29th, and defying expectations, Trump got the House to pass a healthcare reform bill to repeal and replace Obamacare; and he went on his first overseas trip which was a triumph...especially in Saudi Arabia where he formed a coalition of over 50 Sunni states to fight Islamic extremism. Reagan's first trip to a foreign country which was in March, 1981 was to Canada where he addressed the Canadian parliament. And his first trip overseas (outside of our hemisphere) wasn't until June 1982 when he went to Paris to meet with France's President Francois Mitterrand.
This post was originally published on October 24, 2013.
SHAME ON YOU REPUBLICANS
for costing Obama's weak, pathetic trickle growth economy $24 billion! When Democrats shut down government five times in the late 1970s causing Jimmy Carter's miserable stagflationary economy $85 billion that was okay. It's only when you Republicans cost the economy money that's it's shameful, vile and sick.
The 16 day "world ending" federal shutdown was the 18th and third longest in our history. Of these 18 Democrats were responsible for 15, Republicans for 3 giving us a ratio of 3:1. Now (rightly or wrongly) according to Standard & Poors the cost of this recent shutdown to the economy was an estimated $24 billion (see); assuming that S&P is correct and that 16 days of shutdown would consistently cost $24 billion (or $1.5 billion per day) what then would be the total cost of Democrat shutdowns versus Republican shutdowns since the first shutdown 37 years ago? According to my calculations (using $26 billion as a baseline) Democrat shutdown costs to the economy are twice Republican costs. Here is how I figure it:
Below is a list of all 18 government shutdowns and their duration, ending with "D" or "R" indicating which party was responsible (see)
September 30 to October 11, 1976 (10 days) D
September 30 to October 13, 1977 (12 days) D
October 31 to November 9, 1977 (8 days) D
November 30 to December 9, 1977 (8 days) D
September 30 to October 18, 1978 (18 days D
September 30 to October 12, 1979 (11 days) D
November 20 to November 23, 1981 (3 days) D
September 30 to October 2, 1982 (1 day) D
December 17 to December 21, 1982 (3 days) D
November 10 to November 14, 1983 (3 days) D
September 30 to October 3, 1984 (2 days) D
October 3 to October 5, 1984 (1 day) D
October 16 to October 18, 1986 (1 day) D
December 18 to December 20, 1987 (1 day) D
October 5 to October 9, 1990 (3 days) D
November 13 to November 19, 1995 (5 days) R
December 5, 1995 to January 6, 1996 (21 days) R
October 1, 2013 to October 17, 2013 (16 days) R
You will notice that the 15 Democrat shutdowns totaled 84 days, while the three Republican shutdowns totaled exactly half at 42. Now if every 16 days of shutdown cost the economy $24 billion (or $1.5 billion per day) then 84 days would cost a total of $126 billion, and 42 days $63 billion. Well then if Republicans and Tea Party patriots are “arsonists,” “extortionists,” “terrorists,” and every imaginable evil thing under the sun for shutting the government down for 16 days at a cost of $24 billion then Democrats are doubly, monstrously and satanically evil; for they cost the economy twice the overall sum of Republicans inflicting far greater pain. In other words, Republicans have much catching up to do to match Democrat shutdown wickedness.
POSTSCRIPT
CRITICAL COMMENT FROM WILLIAM OF WALES
My dear Apollo,
greatly enjoyed your article, and original approach to the subject. But a little friendly criticism is in order. You’re wrong about the Democrats owning all of the first 15 US government shutdowns. And you’re wrong about Republicans owning the last three. No doubt Democrats bore responsibility for the first six shutdowns under Ford and Carter. But the seventh in 1981 was due to Ronald Reagan; and the 16th in 1995 was due to Bill Clinton. In those two years Reagan and Clinton ordered the shutdowns because Congress wouldn’t give them the budget they wanted. So the score of 15 to 3 holds with Democrats picking up and Republicans losing two days, 86 to 40, with Democrats costing the economy a few billion more.
God bless,
William
APOLLO ANSWERS XAVIER AND OBAMAROCKS
Xavier
Question for Apollo:You said in your reply to Eric23skidoo that it’s “impossible to determine or quantify the economic damage done by government shut downs; and that S&P’s figure of $24 billion is “obviously bogus and politically motivated.” I’d appreciate it if you could elaborate on this.
ObamaRocks
I would like to know why apollospeaks thinks that the $26 billion the Teapublican shutdown cost the economy is bogus?
MY ANSWER
First off S&P is under investigation by the Justice Department for its bond rating activity (giving AAA ratings to worthless mortgaged backed securities) leading up to the 2008 housing/financial meltdown, and has every incentive to kiss Obama's butt (see). Secondly, the economic impact of the shutdown was probably zero for the sensible reasons given in this Forbes article:There Will Be No $24B Economic Loss From The Government Shutdown - Forbes
Now if S&P, Obama and his political and media proxies are going to use this bogus $24 billion to shame Republicans for the shutdown then (all being fair in love and war) why not turn it against them and use it as a baseline for determining the economic costs of Democrat shutdowns?
HUFFPO COMMENTS AND REPLIES
Aurical October 26, 2013 at 11:36amNo it's not, it was an obvious attempt to deflect from THIS subject by bringing up what others have done as if that excuses Cruz.
I'm doing nothing more than putting the latest government shutdown in its proper historical context.
Eris23Skidoo October 25, 2013 at 4:08pmYour website is some con-man website. If you want us to read your links you'll have to provide ones that aren't biased from the outset.I love how instead of actually researching the previous shutdowns to see what they actually cost the economy you just use the recent one as a baseline and then assume that all shutdowns are equally expensive. You don't know that. You might think it sounds logical but you also think that conservatism is logical when really its quite dubious.
While the economic damage that government shutdowns (anyone's shutdowns) do to the economy is impossible to determine (S&P's figures are obviously bogus and politically driven) what we do know for sure is that when it comes to shutdowns Democrats have out done Republicans 3:1 and racked up a total of 86 shutdown days vs 40 by Republicans. And if you (or any lib) want to imagine that 86 shutdown days could possibly do less economic damage than 40 days who then is being illogical? Who then is being biased? Who then is involved in a con?
outlandish October 26, 2013 at 7:06amThe longest Democrat shutdown was 3 days and all Tip O'Neil asked for was a personal letter for all the Democrats from Reagan asking for them to lift it. There's a huge difference between the Republican shutdowns and Democrat shutdowns and that difference is making a point with no damage as opposed to demanding their way or the economy gets it.
Assumptions based on the economic history of this country going back 96 years to the Roaring, Soaring, Prospering Twenties unleashed by Supply-side ("trickle down') ideas. But don't take my word for it or from any right-winger. If JFK were alive today it's 1000% certain he'd be backing Donald Trump's (what I call his) "Five Point Maganomics Program" for super charging the US economy. Why? Because it's practically identical with his pro-business, pro-growth, "trickle-down" tax reduction, GDP boosting policies which made him, his family and the nation more prosperous:
Because of
MAGANOMICS
WE'RE IN THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF EIGHT MAGA TRUMP
MARK MY WORDS!
IN 2020
President Trump's path to 270 electoral votes will be easier for him than it was last year because of the following five point plan to radically reverse and energize our weak, trickle growth, bad jobs, high debt, overly regulated Obamunist economy.
What I'm selling is salvation from the 7th rung of radical leftist hell. What I'm selling is a way out of your ignorance, confusion and despair. I'm a friend not an enemy, Sy. I feel your pain. Please, let me help you.It won't cost you a dime.
No it's you who need me to rescue you from the political catastrophe ahead that Trump is causing with his disastrous presidency and policies. Mark my words: He will not be able to push his agenda through congress. He's failed to garner the votes to repeal Obamacare. Republicans will never be able to agree on legislation to get anywhere, thank God. Trump is George Bush's third term and, mark my words, he's going to plunge the country into another recession with his tax cuts just as Bush did.
Indeed, by the time four years rolls by, if Trump's still president, you won't find anyone who will publicly admit to voting for him...like Bush. They will primary him...and he'll lose. That all hinges on him staying out of prison for his collusion with Russia. It's already caused four members of his administration to either resign or recuse themselves...Flynn, Sessions, Nunes, and now Chaffetz... Trump has failure written all over his orange face. And on Election Day 2020 the House, Senate and Presidency will belong to us Democrats.
You have the same Trump derangement mentality that laughed uproariously when he announced his candidacy, and confidently predicted he wouldn't survive the first GOP debate; then predicted he'd never surmount GOP establishment and media opposition to win the primaries; then predicted he'd be defeated by the" Never Trumpers" at the GOP convention and be denied the nomination; then predicted that Hillary would crush him and finish him off in the first debate; then predicted his massive defeat because of the Access Hollywood groper tape and multiple groping charges.
I'm watching Trump with the utmost glee triumphantly dismantling piece by piece Obama's growth killing declinist globalist legacy, and cowardly appeasement foreign policy; and preparing the economy for a robust Reagan-like recovery and return of America to greatness. And you're hopelessly stuck in the same stupid groupthink mindset that was certain he wouldn't get to first base during the campaign. Pathetic. Heck, the nomination of Gorsuch alone puts Trump far ahead of Reagan's first 100 days (made memorable by the Hinkley shooting). Only angry, frustrated, mentally deranged Trump haters are blind to what he's now accomplishing.
Get used to it friend:
This unpredictable, gravity defying, indefatigable man is in the first 100 days of eight victorious MAGA years.
Neither did the first three quarters of the Superbowl for the Patriots look good for them, nor the first four games of the World Series for the Cubs. The later was a sign of Trump's come from behind election victory in November. The later could very well foreshadow that Trump is the Tom Brady of American politics, and will come back from near certain defeat to take the 2020 election.
No. Like the Cubs and Patriots it APPEARS that Trump is failing as president, just as it APPEARED for 16 months that his presidential campaign was failing and he'd lose the nomination, then the election.
What will guarantee Trump's success and reelection is the doubling of Obama's pathetic, flat to failing, trickle growth economy of 1.48% GDP to a more robust 3%. Given all the pent up growth in the economy this 3% (which will expand it by $10 trillion) will be easy for Trump to accomplish. No way he can do this and not win in 2020 the Rust Belt states that put him in the White House.
He's already doing it by showing economic leadership: The soaring of consumer confidence, the new optimism of the business community, the Dow breaking 20,000, and the Feds raising interest rates twice since the election are all due to the TRUMP EFFECT: the promise or anticipation of radically changing the direction of our flat to failing, middle class destroying, highly regulated, declining economy.
How? By dismantling Obama's, stupid, oppressive, growth inhibiting regulatory state, implementing corporate and middle class tax reform, rebuilding the infrastructure, stopping the flow of job robbing, wage depressing illegal aliens (and deporting millions), and repatriating $trillions in hidden offshore corporate profits. Trump haters who think that Trump is failing are deluding themselves like they did for 16 months during the campaign. They're out of touch with reality living in an alternate universe of fear, anger, darkness and despair. As Michelle Obama said after the election: HOPE IS DEAD. and so it is for New Deal/Great Society Liberalism.
Yeah, people are excited about the Trump promises.
Except it looks like he can't delivery on more than 1/5 of them.
Continence looks more like 'hope", hope that is now in decline.
I don't see that Obama "regulations" hurt the economy much either. Higher standards for fuel efficiency in cars ? Less pollution ? These are not bad things and they promote investment and technological development and that means more jobs, not fewer.
The odds on a recession are going up and could increase with any sort of trade war. We'll see what happens
Trump is doing more for this country in his first 100 Days than Reagan did in his; and President Reagan, because of booming economic growth that started in the third year, was reelected in a 49 state sweep in 1984. Reaganomics and Maganomics are practically identical. Reagan's inspiration, by the way, for his SUPPLY-SIDE economic miracle was JFK .
When Obama left office his eight years of GDP averaged out to 1.48%
Moreover, Obama's sickly, pathetic trickle growth 1.48% GDP (the only U.S. president not to achieve 3% GDP growth in any one year) was the lowest of the last 11 presidents. And the costs of his failure have been staggering: he lost the House, Senate, Presidency, a Supreme Court pick, 14 governorships and 1000 state legislature seats. Not since Herbert Hoover has a president done more damage to his party.
Meh. Obama came into office in the midst of the worst Recession in eighty years. Economic growth has been slow, but recoveries usually last sixty months and this one has been over ninety.
Trump promised to fix everything but he doesn't have any real plans. At least none that he's shared.
Maybe Trump will cut taxes and raise spending. Good luck with that. In the end I expect he will widen the wealth gap and leave America weaker economically. Not trying to be a pessimist intentionally, but that just seems to be the direction.
Bureau of Economic Analysis chart showing that the V-shaped recovery from the Great Recession started in December 2008 before Obama took office.
When Obama took office the V-shaped GDP and manufacturing recoveries were well under way (beginning in December 2008); and this was followed in April by the V-shaped jobs recovery (before red one cent of stimulus money was spent). V-shaped recoveries are the beginning of the end for recessions. When the Great Recession ended in June 2009 it was still the Bush economy. If Bush had a third term, or McCain had been president, the recession would have ended when it did without the stimulus (a huge waste of money that stimulated the debt not the economy).
US Census Bureau chart showing that the V-shaped manufacturing recovery from the Great Recession started December 2008, before Obama took office
It takes at least a year for a new economic program to impact the economy. When Obama's stimulus took effect in February 2010 it completely bombed out. The recovery was so bad that Obama lost the House to Republicans in November 2010 (he called it a "shellacking"). Fearing a double dip recession Obama in December 2010 extended ALL of the Bush tax rates for two years. That went against his campaign promise (see) and was an admission that the stimulus was a failure.
Bureau of Labor Statistics chart showing that the V-shaped jobs recovery from the Great Recession started in April 2009 before a single dime of stimulus money was spent.
BTW, under Obama the Wall Street bankster economy boomed (making the 1 percent rich vastly richer) while the Mainstreet economy languished. During Obama's eight years the crisis of the disappearing middle class worsened-which is why there were two simultaneous populist middle class revolts led by Donald Trump on the Right and Bernie Sanders on the Left. Trump and Sanders represented 76 million mostly white "forgotten" middle class Americans wanting a radical change from and reversal of Obama's miserably failed status quo policies - represented by Hillary, the establishment Washington candidate, stupidly promising to stay the course and not connecting with the forgotten folks.
Sure. We should have had more layoffs and more austerity. Punish the Middle Class and the Lower Classes.
Now Trump wants a stimulus package. Many of the Republicans who opposed Obama will oppose Trump as well.
"the extension of the Bush tax cuts for two years was an admission of failure"
Trump wants more tax cuts. I guess that's an admission of failure as well. He can't grow the economy except through larger deficits.
"The recovery was so bad that Obama lost the House in November 2010."
Yet he beat Romney who ran in 2012 on his business acumen. Your argument doesn't hold up. And I am not even auguring that people are "happy" with the recovery so your "proof" of what people think is pointless.
The Trump tax policies are basically the same type of policies that enriched the wealthy under Bush and Obama.\
Trump is basically giving us Bush's third term. Trickle down economics.
Basically, Congress stifled the economic recovery under Obama. Congress wouldn't or couldn't act and instead of fiscal policy the recovery was kept alive with monetary policy directed by the Fed.
Now Trump wants Congress to act. He will call for them to do the things he called for them to not do under Obama (such as raising the debt ceiling). It will be interesting to see the political hypocrisy.
Economic facts from the US government showing that Obama inherited an economy in a straight up V-shaped recovery (the beginning of the end of recessions) where his fiscal stimulus played no part is "a lot of hot air"?
A low growth, flat to failing recovery with an annual GDP (adjusted for inflation) of 1.49% (the lowest of the last 13 presidents if we include FDR's war years) is "a lot of hot air?
The fact that Obama was the ONLY president in US history never to achieve a GDP of 3% (adjusted for inflation) in any one year is "a lot of hot air?"
The worsening plight of the shrinking, collapsing ("FORGOTTEN") middle class under Obama (campaigned on by Trump, Sanders, Johnson and Stein) is "a lot of hot air?"
The massive populist anti-status quo revolt against continuing Obama's failed policies by over 80 million voters (Trump 63 million, Sanders 13 million, Johnson and Stein 4 million) is "a lot of hot air"?
Low Fed interest rates now at only 1% showing evidence of an anemic economy after eight years and trillions borrowed, spent and printed is "a lot of hot air"?
The massive political setbacks suffered by the Democrat party because of Obama's failed Keynesian/demand-side, hocus pocus, big gov't interventionist policies is "a lot of hot air"?
And now you laughably and ignorantly bring up the left-wing talking point about made up, phony, non-existent "trickle down economics"? You mean the policies that ended the Wilson Depression of the early 1920s? That prevented a sixth post-war recession in the mid-1960s? That ended the scourge of stagflation (stagnant growth with high inflation) in the 1980s? That saved socialist Sweden from Greece-like socialist collapse in the 1990s? And that prevented a recession after 9/11, but was overwhelmed by the housing/credit collapse (that started with Bill Clintion's reckless sub prime (BAD) loan revolution)?
Then you accuse the GOP Congress of "stifling" Obama's recovery? This is absurd! It was with Republican help in 2009 that the Democrat led Congress passed Obama's $825 billion fiscal stimulus bill, the largest in US and world history. And every last cent of it was spent. However, this type of Keynesian stimulus failed wherever and whenever it's been tried; it's failed for Hoover and FDR, the Brits, French, Germans, Italians, Argentinians and the Japanese for over 25 years. Every government that tried to spend its way out of economic distress has failed. Truth is, Obamanomics was predictably doomed from the start; it was another sad chapter of failure in the long history of Keynesianism - a terribly flawed economic theory that should be killed and buried for good.
The only one blowing hot air in this debate is you.
BTW, when JFK massively cut top marginal tax rates from 91% to 70% for the rich did he do it to make himself, his dad and family wealthier? Or to "LIFT ALL BOATS" as he said and which he virtually did?
FINAL WORD TO TRUMP DERANGEMENT HATERS PREDICTING ECONOMIC COLLAPSE, WORLD CHAOS AND A FAILED ONE TERM PRESIDENCY, IMPEACHMENT OR NIXON LIKE RESIGNATION.
You're a bunch of bitter, frustrated, sore losing economic illiterates making political and policy predictions about Trump with the same busted crystal ball clouded with hate that failed you consistently throughout the campaign.
Unable to come to grips with realityyou keep making the same mistakes about this man over and over again. At this point you're beyond pathetic; at this point you're worse than insane. Your rage and ravings are the
DESPERATE CRIES OF A DYING ORDER.
Trump is an epoch making President
reversing the economic, military and geopolitical decline of our country to make us great, strong, respected, feared and prosperous again.
Michael Mann writes: " ......Trump should read the landmark “2020” report now published by Mission 2020, a group of experts convened by the former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The report establishes a timeline for how we can ensure a safe and stable climate. We don’t have much time — 2020 is a clear turning point."
CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISTS, ECO-WARRIORS AND FRIENDS OF THE EARTH
According to eminent climate scientist Michael Mann, an activist leader for decades of the global warming movement, the climate doomsday clock is ticking away alarmingly fast and is in its 11th hour of deadly peril and disruption. Indeed, with the Earth catastrophically heating and the seas catastrophically rising, with droughts, floods, record heat and hurricane activity everywhere mounting, Mann warns that "we no longer need data, the scientific method, hypotheses and theories;" he warns "everyone can observe disrupting, man-caused climate change with their eyes and senses;" he warns "we have until 2020 to save the planet from fossil fuels, CO2 and a run away greenhouse [heating] effect that's certain to come;" he warns that "four years from now it could be game over for the climate;" that we will reach the dreaded "tipping point of no return...where it might be impossible to stabilize planetary warming below dangerous levels.” In other words, according to Mann (and no one knows better than him) we're insanely breaking our climate system, smashing it to bits, with dirty fuels, CO2 and human stupidity and ignorance; and soon it could be so badly damaged and chaotically unstable as to be beyond repair. That is Mann's "tipping point of no return" in four years when global temps could soar out of control and overheat the warming earth in an explosive greenhouse gas catastrophe of extremely violent weather events multiplied a thousandfold. Recall the film "The Day After" and you'll get the frightening picture.
j
At the very least, within a few years of Mann's predicted tipping point we will suffer rainlessness like never before, global droughts (100 times worse than California's), massive crop destruction (where nothing can grow), famines of biblical proportions, disease from malnutrition and massive premature deaths in the billions - leading to an EXTINCTION EVENT where our race and all living things will perish and be no more. Take it from Mann. He's not to be questioned. HE KNOWS!
With the authority of a New Age prophet Mann warns that mankind has just four short years to radically reverse course and stop the madness before all hell breaks loose and all is lost; four years to stop the rising massive burning of climate disrupting coal, gas and oil; four years to begin the transition to a clean, green energy future; four years to save the Earth from Donald Trump, Big Oil, dirty industrial capitalism and suicidal human indifference and folly.
In short, we're in the final, gut wrenching, nerve-wracking
COUNTDOWN TO CLIMATE ARMAGEDDON
and there doesn't seem to be a way to stop it short of a miracle.
TRUMP'S FIRST HUNDRED DAYS OF ASSAULTING OBAMA'S GREEN ENERGY LEGACY AND EARTH'S DETERIORATING CLIMATE SYSTEM
Michael Mann's deathly fear of Donald Trump isn't delusional. Just look at the terrifying headlines above, and then at the horribly destructive things he's been doing as president and SHUTTER.
Indeed, in less than 100 days Trump has practically undone and wiped out eight years of Barack Obama's EPA legacy and clean energy regime. He's trashed dozens of health and life saving climate and environmental regulations that could significantly cut CO2 emissions down to safe climate stabilizing levels putting mankind out of harm's way; he approved the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines despite their environmental hazards; he's defunded and killed the climate science division at NASA, cut funds for NOAA, and he's doing much worse to the EPA which is under attack like never before in its history; and worse than bad Trump's on the verge of shredding the Paris climate accord to save planet Earth signed by 200 nations. If Trump exits that agreement other nations could possibly follow. In fact, there could be a stampede as only very few nations are actually abiding by the agreement. And nothing could please Trump more as it would enhance his image as a global leader against the science and politics of catastrophic climate change. What a terrible, awful human being.
AMERICA THE FOSSIL FUEL HYPERPOWER
But that's only half of it. Trump is so extreme in his love of dirty energy and hatred of environmental sanity that America being a fossil fuel superpower (first in the production of natural gas, second behind China in coal, and third behind Russia and Saudi Arabia in oil) isn't enough for him. Trump the super nationalist wants this country to be FIRST in everything. He wants to "DIG BABY DIG" for more and more coal, and "DRILL BABY DRILL" for more gas and oil until this nation becomes NUMBER ONE in every dirty energy category; until, in effect, it becomes a fossil fuel HYPERPOWER driving down dirty energy costs so that clean, green renewables can't compete and will be priced out of the market-a plan from hell if there ever was one.
THE DILEMMA OF THE GLOBAL WARMING MOVEMENT
So what are we to do? I'll get to that soon. But first we must fully grasp the dilemma that we're in. The global warming movement has been struggling for decades to alter humanity's self-destructive climate course, but to no avail. For 20 years now we've done everything humanly possible (even lied, cheated and made up frightful things) to stop the madness and save the world from Big Oil, the Koch brothers, industrial capitalism and gas guzzling human beings-who grow in number with the economic progress of third world states. Sorry to say we have little to show for all our great effort, compassion and world citizenry; little to show for pleading with man to look at the signs of climate disruption and collapse, and wake up before it's too late.
MANKIND SETS RECORD FOR FOSSIL FUEL USE
Indeed, despite thousands of scientific papers, UN conferences, protests, marches and media doomsday reports; despite a US president (Barack Obama) who was our man and had his priorities straight: giving preference to fighting global warming over global terror, poverty and AIDS; despite billions spent on cutting carbon pollution and using renewables (hydro, solar and wind); despite Kyoto and now the Paris accord; despite all this and more what do we see to our shock and awe? With each passing year mankind burns and consumes more fossil fuels than ever before setting new records for CO2 emissions with no end in sight. And people wonder why Michael Mann, James Hansen, Al Gore and others are freaking out. They love this world too much (the only one we have) to see it go to hell in a hand basket.
What then must we do when human governments, institutions and political movements fail? When mankind is unresponsive to science and reason and what's in its best interest? When the existential threat looms larger and draws closer by the day, week and year? In other words, what's left after everything humanly possible has been done to save the Earth and humankind?
What's left is
GOD!
.
THE NEED FOR GOD TO END THE CLIMATE CRISIS
God who "created the Heavens and Earth" and "gives us our daily bread," and the fossil fuels we use to power our world, is our last best hope when all else fails. When sinful man can't save himself GOD THE SAVIOR is there to work MIRACLES and do it for him. And as we approach the dreaded tipping point of no return to CLIMATE ARMAGEDDON we need a MIRACLE FROM HEAVEN to save our race from the great EXTINCTION ahead.
WITHOUT A MIRACLE WE'RE LOST IN HOPELESSNESS AND DESPAIR, AND DONALD TRUMP, BIG OIL AND INDUSTRIAL CAPITALISM WILL PREVAIL
This is what we must do my friends. We must turn EARTH DAY into a time of FASTING AND PRAYER. We must get down on our knees, turn to God and pray for deliverance and grace; pray for a MIRACLE to save planet Earth from the deniers, polluters and ignorant men. We must pray to God that he mercifully intervene in our dangerously warming world and hold down temperatures and the rising seas. This God can do directly (supernaturally) or naturally through the Sun which is the life of our planet and death when it's gone. All that God need do is tweak the Sun a bit and we'll be saved. Indeed, a slight variation in the Sun's heat and energy output could lower solar activity and cool it down just enough to prevent the cataclysmic greenhouse effect mentioned above. Moreover, the cooler Sun will cause the oceans to contract and sea levels fall sparing Miami, New York and other coastal cities from monster floods and storms.
Pope Francis "God's Vicar" could help us here. He's a holy man pure of heart and soul and much beloved by God and believes in our cause. He could intercede with the Lord on behalf of the Earth and humanity and save us from catastrophe. Surely God will listen to such a man, and be moved by his compassion, prayers and love of man.
SO SPREAD THE WORD!
Let Earth Day be a day of Fasting and Prayer. At 12 PM on April 22nd wherever you are, whatever you're doing stop and turn your thoughts to Heaven and beg God with tears for climate salvation. You have nothing to lose and could win God's grace; and reversing the course of this dirty fossil fuel age save the
POSTSCRIPT
For those atheists and Gaia devotees who don't believe in a supernatural Deity, on Earth Day you might consider using this ancient Greek hymn to the physical Sun. Beseech the Great Blazing One to take pity on us, and dial down his nuclear furnace just enough to save us from becoming a hell world like Venus.
Like all rational people and lovers of truth I reject the hypothesis of Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming (CAGW); the belief that drives NASA, NOAA, the IPPC and the great, so-called "settled authoritative science consensus" that human caused global warming from fossil fuels is an existential threat to our society and to future life on planet Earth. That the continued massive use of these cheap, reliable, efficient, wealth creating fuels will eventually make this world so devastatingly hot that no living thing will be able to live upon it. Truth is, however, this horrific, infernal, life ending global holocaust will inevitably happen over time; but it will be an ACT OF GOD AND NATURE having nothing to do with man's activities and energy behavior (see section on heliogenic warming below).
200 years of progressive industrial capitalism and billions of tons of human CO2 emissions has been more than enough time to test this man caused climate doomsday hypothesis; and what do we see? A modest, non-threatening increase in global temperatures compared to past global warm periods going back 3100 years: Medieval, Roman and Minoan (see); and the miracle of ANTHROPOGENIC GLOBAL GREENING: the vast, amazing, rapid greening of the planet due to the fertilizing effects of human CO2 emissions.
Decades ago this CO2 induced greening was ridiculed as an impossible crackpot theory by "consensus scientists" who confidently predicted that the very opposite would be happening today: soaring, sizzling out of control temperatures, rainlessness, droughts, desertification and catastrophic crop destruction causing global famine, disease and the death of millions. And because, fortunately, the terrible future never arrived as authoritatively predicted, and now is now being pushed off to later dates (2030, 2050, 2100 take your pick) is it any wonder there's so much skepticism and doubt about CAGW? Repeated bad predictions a true science doesn't make.
If climate alarmists like Jim Hansen (back in the 1980s and early 90s) were right about the catastrophic warming impact of human CO2 emissions much of the Earth by now would look like the terrible picture on the left. But instead it's undergoing a huge, worldwide greening transformation as even NASA scientists grudgingly admit (see).
BEHOLD! THE WONDERFUL, BENEFICIAL IMPACT OF RUNAWAY ANTHROPOGENIC GREENHOUSE GLOBAL GREENING!
With close to 1 billion starving people on this Earth, and 3 billion more mouths to feed in 33 years
we need to do this:
BURN MORE OIL, COAL AND FOSSIL FUELS
for a healthier, wealthier, greener Earth - needing a doubling of crop production by 2050 to avoid looming, devastating, mass killing famines from overpopulation and too little food.
The fertilizing effect of enriching the atmosphere with human CO2 (and whatever nature provides) will save billions from starvation, disease and premature death.
THIS IS THE WORK OF PROVIDENCE
THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD
DISQUS DEBATE
ON THE MENTAL ILLNESS OF CLIMATE CHANGE CATASTROPHISM
"You reject CAGW? Like a child who doesn't want to hear that it's bedtime? Well it's not up to you.
Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journalsshow that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities and are a very serious threat. In addition, most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position.
CO2 is not the only thing that can warm the Earth. In the distant past many things have proven they can become the main driver of temperature increases or decreases. But right now, the world body of climate scientists are quite certain, they say 'very likely' or 'extremely likely', which is 90-100% sure and 95-100% sure respectively that right now, and for the last 50 years CO2 took over as the main driver of temperature as was predicted long before that based on physics and simple calculations of how much CO2 we were producing and were expected to produce from burning fossil fuels."
Al Gore: 'Forget the other apocalyptic movements in history which proved misguided and false. Put your faith and trust in me. I'm the real deal. The doomsday prophet mankind has been waiting for to lead you to the holy land of a cooler, safer, climate stable, fossil fuel free world. Deny me and you get this:
You blindly, uncritically and religiously put your TRUST AND FAITH in a prophetic "consensus?" of improbable future doom with the fundamentalist certainty of a Jehovah Witness, and judge me as childish and immature? Like an apocalyptic END TIME fanatic your mind is so obsessed with catastrophism (a mental illness) that in a delusional sense it's a clear and present danger to you as if the apocalypse were unfolding before our very eyes. Like events in Israel and elsewhere used by someas signs of the "Countdown to Armageddon" every extreme weather event for you warmunists becomes an ominous sign prophetically anticipating "Climageddon" (global doom), if sinning humanity doesn't repent and stop using fossil fuels: the dirty, foul, destructive energy from hell extracted by greedy, satanic, world-be-damned oil companies for power, gain and huge bonuses for oil execs./sarc
Big Oil is your Great Beast of the Apocalypse; your infernal 666 anti-Christ condemning the Earth to hell fire, destruction and ruin. And Barack Obama, Al Gore, Michael Mann, Jim Hansen and other holy crusading eco-alarmist leaders are your God sent saviors hijacking science in a messianic cause based on conjecture, speculation and faith. You warmunists want to destroy industrial capitalism (see), and spend $trillions trying to save a world that's not in peril; and you call me childish?
After mankind has survived countless horrific wars, threats of nuclear holocaust, devastating plagues, earthquakes, tsunamis and other terrible disasters (that's killed hundreds and millions) now we're warned by a mastermind climate "consensus" of Nostradamus's that CO2, a tiny amount of essential, life sustaining greenhouse gas (plant food that supports ecosystems and the biosphere) is dooming mankind to perdition? Dooming us to greater frequency of droughts, floods, plagues and extreme weather events culminating in a horrific final apocalyptic extinction (that'll happen who knows when?) if we continue to make this parts per million trace gas fractionally larger? This is intellectual idiocy! And you call me childish?
What is the catastrophic AGW movement? It's a mindless politically driven ideological war against CAPITALISM and FOSSIL FUELS using fake dogmatic science, propaganda, fearmongering and lies about CO2's power over nature andwarming effects to end their massive use.
That such minuscule amounts of CO2 can have such large effects on climate more powerful than the sun, oceans and volcanoes combined is preposterous and defies sound science and common sense: A tub of warm water can't be blackened with a few drops of ink; then made boiling hot with a cup or two of scalding water. But you warmunists stand the laws of nature on their head: for you if CO2 becomes slightly more than .04% of a complex atmosphere it's warming effect will be amplified a hundred thousand fold triggering a runaway greenhouse effect violently heating the earth, making it uninhabitable like hellish Venus-where CO2 is 96% of the atmosphere. And you call me childish?
The burning surface of Venus. Only mad men and fools believe that an uptick in CO2 by hundreds or even thousands of parts per million can do this to our planet. In fact, there is no evidence of high levels of CO2 (up to 7000 ppm see) ever catastrophically overheating this world, and killing all of life. Not now, not ever.
Fact is, John, I use much more of my brain in thinking about fossil fuels, CO2 and climate change than you do; which makes me the adult in this conversation.
"The difference between science and religion is the difference between repeatable tests which validate a theory and a belief in something through faith which is unproven or even unprovable, reinforced by dogma.
NASA, NOAA, and the IPCC are scientific organizations that use the scientific method to arrive at their conclusions. Your failure to accept those conclusions [CAGW] does not show that science has failed, but that your scientific education has failed. Unless you are a trained scientist, you are on the wrong side of the argument of any scientific consensus conclusion if you do not accept the scientific consensus position."
Given the inconvenient truth that Earth's climate is a big, complex, dynamic system of many moving, variable known and unknown parts that interact unpredictably in known and unknown ways how then can climate doomsday scientists be "90-100% sure" of their extinction predictions? How can predictions and projections of future time be the equivalent of empirical observations? To treat the catastrophic future and the present here and now as the same, which many climate scientists and activists do by saying there's a "clear and present danger" of disaster, is absurd and unscientific!
What repeated tests can climatologists run to validate a theory of man caused global disaster from CO2? It can't be done. Detonate all our nukes and millions will die; but the human race will still survive (nuclear winter and all). And to raise the threat of CO2 to a level passing DEFCON 1 is insane. But that's what you lunatics do.
Indeed, how can climate scientists make accurate, long term predictions when there are too many variables and climate unknowns? When they have no way of knowing if human CO2 emissions can substantially heat the earth, or by how much and what degree? Climatology itself is a long, long ways from being a "settled science" Currently it's a hodge podge potpourri of conjecture, speculation and hypothesis; it doesn't rise to the level of a true settled science repeatedly making valid predictions like physics, chemistry, astronomy and meteorology.
The 18 yr 8 month global cooling trend (the so-called "pause") interrupted by a powerful warming El Nino. Now that El Nino has ended will the cooling trend resume despite 400 plus ppm of CO2 in the air? I'm betting it will.
Heck, "the consensus" which predicted a 21st century of soaring temperatures in the short and long run couldn't foresee the so-called " hiatus" or "pause" a few years down the road; this is when there was statistically no warming for just under 19 years until El Nino heated up the planet again. If "the consensus" was taken by surprise in their short-term predictions (on temperature, catastrophes, global greening, etc) think how much more difficult or impossible it is to make accurate predictions for the long tomorrow where so many surprises and outcomes are possible?
To put it another way, due to our very limited knowledge and understanding of El Ninos and La Ninas, ocean oscillations, ocean currents, volcanoes, natural cooling aerosols, tilt of the Earth's axis, plate tectonics, water vapor, methane, clouds, forest and grasslands, wind, sun spots, Milankovich and water cycles etc. how can accurate predictions and projections be made on the "disastrous warming effects" of human CO2, when it is just one factor in a big, complex, constantly changing system of rearranging combinations (see)?
Global cyclone energy is in decline despite global warming. How is that possible (see)?
Indeed, catastrophic AGW is an uncertain, subjective, pessimistic vision of things to come; a mental illness afflicting people in love with catastrophism, convinced without evidence that man is destroying himself with fossil fuels and CO2; and to believe with absolute, doubt free certainty that a future "extinction event" is INEVITABLE because of rising, human caused CO2 levels (whose buildup in the atmosphere isn't stopping), isn't rational, real, fact based science. It's an emotion driven ARTICLE OF FAITH; an INFALLIBLE ORTHODOX DOGMA akin to religious belief, and hysterical crackpot END TIME theologies-which at best have symbolic meaning for the real, inevitable, nature caused apocalypse to come.
Those who dogmatically promote this vision of future CO2 caused doom are either liars, charlatans and frauds mindlessly at war with fossil fuels and industrial civilization (which unstoppably grows and thrives lifting millions out of poverty); or they're useful gullible idiots and fools; poor souls needing a great global purpose and messianic cause to give their lives some grand, morally elevating significance and meaning; and what could be grander than saving collective humanity and planet Earth from destruction (though neither are in peril from human causes)?
The scientific evidence from reconstructing Earth's climate going back millions of years is overwhelming and conclusive (see): there is absolutely no correlation between high levels of atmospheric CO2 and global temperatures. The above chart shows that around 445 million years ago (the Upper or Late Ordovician Period) the CO2 count in the atmosphere was 4000 plus ppm (10-12 times what it is today), and the Earth was in a period of frigid ice age glaciation with average global temps at 10 degrees C (50 degrees F); in other words, it wasn't scorching, blistering, life destroying hot as we are told will happen in future time by the all wise, all knowing, "settled science consensus" if the atmospheric ppm count goes to just 450-500 or more.
And contrariwise, climate reconstructions for the Middle Ages when the CO2 count was at 280 ppm (120 ppm or 40% lower than today) show warmer global temperatures by 1 to 2 degrees C than today (see). In fact, California, which just ended five years of drought, experienced two devastating megadroughts during the Middle Ages of 240 and 180 years each - with sweltering local temperatures higher by 3 degrees F than today (see and see). How was that possible with way less heat trapping CO2 in the atmosphere?
In short, despite the billions of tons of CO2 industrial man has emitted since the late 18th century there's nothing unusual, abnormal or anomalous about modern global warming when compared to its medieval counterpart - or even going back two or three thousand years to Roman and Minoan times. In other words, what caused the higher temperatures and worst droughts in medieval California was a greater and more extreme threat to human society and the world than anthropogenic CO2, as temperatures now are milder. But if not CO2 then what was the cause of the higher preindustrial age temperatures?
Putting the question another way, if 444 million years ago a super high CO2 count coexisted with frigid global temperatures, and during the Minoan, Roman and Middle Ages (see, see and see) a lower CO2 count than today coexisted with warmer global temps then what was it that caused these extreme differences? The answer is provided I believe by Nir Shaviv a distinguished professor of astrophysics and climatology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Building on the work of other scientists going back to 18th century astronomer William Hershel Prof. Shaviv discovered that SOLAR ACTIVITY (variations in the sun's heat and energy output) and COSMIC RAYS (the presence or absence of its high energy radiation ionizing or not ionizing the atmosphere) are the two major forces driving climate change; this is proved by the correlation of both forces (as shown by the good professor in the video below) with cycles of global warming, cooling and sea level changes throughout Earth's geologic history.
Moreover, as Prof. Shaviv points out, both natural forces (SA and CR) are unscientifically excluded or minimized from IPCC and other mainstream warmunist scienceclimate models. Why the omission? Because when added they forecast a modest, unfrightening, noncataclysmic rise in global temps of 1 degree C or less over the next 100 years. IPCC claims that a 2 degree rise could be dangerous; and that if man doesn't drastically cut CO2 emissions, temperatures over the next 100 years could increase 1.5 to 4.5 degrees C. In other words, more precise, honest scientific climate modeling is useless for the purpose of alarming people; it undermines long term doomsday CAGW predictions exposing them as fraudulent, fake science akin to the end time dogmatic religious movements.
This chart shows a correlation of sunspot numbers to the rise and fall of global temperatures.
Skeptics, deniers and doubters opposing the refuted, deceptive CAGW hypothesis speak TRUTH TO POWER (and are branded criminal sinners and infidels): Earth's climate is measurably changing for the better as it grows moderately warmer, greener and more fruitful; and 200 years of industrial, technological and economic PROGRESS continue to make Earth a better place for humankind. And in the meantime human genius and ingenuity are developing the means to move us off this planet and into deep space to populate distant worlds out of existential necessity. It's no accident we're in the SPACE AGE. For one day the blazing nuclear furnace at the center of our planetary system called the SUN will unleash all hell upon this Earth wiping out human, animal and plant life in a devastating holocaust.
Global cyclone energy is in decline despite global warming. How is that possible (see)?
And that brings me to the title of this blog. In truth, the only valid, provable science of catastrophic, cataclysmic world dooming global warming is HELIOGENIC (Sun caused) not ANTHROPOGENIC (man caused). Astrophysicists like Nir Shaviv tell us that the power of the Sun over Earth's climate is such that a sudden, slight variation in its heat and energy output could heat or freeze this world in devastating ways. And what is certain from the observation of greatly aged stars across the universe is that when the Sun enters its dying phase it will collapse into a RED GIANT, expand its scorching radius by 200x and turn the Earth's surface into a desolate burning hell world like lifeless, scorched, blistering Venus.
The life and death of this world is in the hands of the central, sovereign, violently hot, infernal SUN, not mankind. And because man's existence on this planet is limited by the Sun's life and death cycle this is the God's honest truth:
SPACE IS DESTINY
IT MUST BE CONQUERED
ON IT DEPENDS OUR SURVIVAL
THE SUN IS A MORTAL STAR
THE EARTH A PERISHABLE SPHERE
AND MAN A TEMPORARY EARTHLING
UPDATE
THE RESUMPTION OF THE PAUSE?
Earlier this evening our friend X-Man posted the following comment: "Apollo, you were right! The "PAUSE" is alive and well and continuing. The satellite data is in: the surface global cooling trend that started in the late 1990s and was interrupted by El Nino has resumed."
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Uh, Trump was televised mocking the reporter.
Zoom
every one saw trump mocking that reporter
We did not need Wapo to tell us that especially if you were already familiar with that reporter before hand
stop sticking up for his bad behavior