Tag: politics

HARRIS-TRUMP 2024 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

The much-anticipated, long-awaited Harris-Trump presidential debate is history. The questions are (1) who won, (2) will the results affect the polls, and (3) will there be a second debate? Read on for the answers.

The post-debate polls I have seen are all over the place, and as is always the case each side’s spin doctors claimed victory. But, to be fair, the consensus seems to be that Harris “won” the debate. According to CNN North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper opined that Harris’ performance will “move the needle” in his state. But before Harris begins to pick out curtains for the White House, I have a word of caution. Firstly, history has shown that “winning” a debate does not always translate to a bump in the polls, and when it does the advantage is often fleeting. The reasons have varied, but that has generally been the case. For example:

  1. Post-debate, the same polls indicate that the crucial swing states are all still within the margin of error.
  2. In 2012 a CNN poll reported that Mitt Romney won the first debate over Barack Obama. He received a post-debate bump in the polls. But, as we know, Obama won the election.
  3. In 2016 the consensus was that Hillary Clinton had “won” all three debates over Donald Trump. She, too, received a bump in the polls. However, again, Trump won the election.

So, today, Dems can rejoice over Harris’ “victory,” but history has proven it does not mean she will win the election. A lot can happen between now and ED and usually does.

This was an extremely difficult debate to analyze. I have tried to be objective, however, I suspect that some of you will conclude that my comments are biased in favor of Trump. That said, below please find my thoughts, comments and analyses:

  1. This was not a “debate” in the strict sense of the word, nor was it intended to be. As you saw, the moderators asked each candidate questions in turn to which they responded. Then the other candidate had the opportunity to respond. In the interest of fairness, the moderators were supposed to refrain from commenting or exhibiting any bias at all. That was not always the case as you shall see below.
  2. My most significant takeaway from the debate was that the moderators exhibited considerable and frequent bias against Trump. Thus, they failed in their primary duty. They fact-checked Trump frequently (not always correctly as I will denote below), yet I cannot recall any instance of them doing so to Harris. At times, it appeared to be three against one. Many GOPers were incensed. According to CNN Trump asserted to it that ABC News’ bias was so extreme that the network “should have its broadcast license revoked.”
  3. In my view, each side had its own objectives with respect to the debate. Harris’ was to (a) appear presidential, (b) speak in generalities to avoid being pinned down on the specifics of her radical policies, (c) avoid her traditional “word salads” and cackling, (d) “spin” the Biden-Harris Administration’s accomplishments or lack thereof, (e) try to goad Trump into one of his traditional bullying, name-calling episodes, and (f) most importantly, blame Trump for everything – every failed policy from the economy to the border to abortion, even if it meant exaggerating, obfuscating, misrepresenting, or lying. She knew she could succeed in these endeavors because the moderators would assist her and would not fact-check her. For the most part, she accomplished her objectives.
  4. Trump’s objectives were to (a) expose her far-left policies to voters who for whatever reasons, have little or no familiarity of her and policies, (b) expose the duplicity, misrepresentations, mischaracterizations, and outright lying with respect to her claimed policy changes, (c) tie her to Biden, (d) refrain from any bullying or name calling, and (e) explain how his policies would be better for the American people.
  5. In my opinion, she succeeded for the most part, whereas Trump, for the most part, did not. Why? Well, for one thing, Trump seemed desultory, and he gave an uncharacteristically lackluster performance. The more significant factor, however, was the moderators. The moderators in a debate have one simple job – to be fair and impartial. Their job is NOT to fact-check, dispute or assist one of the debaters. The ABC News moderators failed miserably (or, perhaps, in view of the network’s history of bias against Trump, 95% unfavorable compared to 100% favorable for Harris, succeeded brilliantly). They fact-checked Trump frequently, sometimes incorrectly. On a couple of occasions, they even disputed his statements. On the other hand, they allowed Harris to bob and weave, obfuscate, deceive and even lie. No fact-checking there.
  6. Apparently, the night before the debate Harris finally posted some policies on her website. But they were vague and short on specifics. Trump derided them as being “plagiarized” from Biden’s policies.
  7. Harris tended to avoid specifics. For the most part, she spoke in generalities, platitudes and slogans.
  8. Harris continually reiterated how “everyone” hated Trump. Yes, he is hated by a portion of the electorate, but not “everyone.” In fact, roughly half the voters love him.
  9. While Trump was speaking and the camera was on her Harris often made weird faces, which was meant to convey her disagreement or displeasure. I found that to be distracting, unprofessional, and disrespectful. Also, on various occasions it appeared she was trying to interrupt Trump while he was speaking. Of course, she couldn’t because her microphone was turned off. The NY Post referred to them derisively as her “Marcel Marceau shtick.” In the opinion of Miranda Devine, political reporter for the NY Post these “reinforced the fatal inauthenticity of the rest of her debate performance, which was a string of memorized set pieces with little reference to the question being asked and delivered in an odd staccato.”
  10. One of the major reasons for the debate was for the electorate to ascertain Harris’ policies. Heretofore, because she had largely refrained from giving news conferences or speaking without the aid of a teleprompter, according to polls as many as 70% were not clear on them. In her entire career up until few months ago she has espoused far left policies. In this electronic age there are a copious number of quotes of them if one cares to look. Now, with the election looming suddenly she has been disavowing most of them in favor of more moderate ones. Voters wanted to know if these substantial modifications were genuine or were they flip-flops to win the election. I would like to denote that in a rare moment of candor erstwhile Harris supporter Bernie Sanders disclosed they were just temporary to win the election. Everyone knows that she cannot possibly win if the voters were to ascertain her real policies.
  11. As of today, voters still don’t know, because she frequently responded to questions with lies, half-truths, nonresponsive generalities, non-sequiturs or avoided answering them entirely. The moderators should have pressed her with follow-up questions or fact-checked her answers. I don’t recall even one instance where they did.
  12. On the other hand, they frequently fact-checked or even disputed Trump’s answers, sometimes incorrectly. That was not their job. That exposed their deep bias against Trump.
  13. The most egregious instance was regarding abortion, although there were several others. They claimed that his point that the state of Virginia under a previous governor had allowed post-birth abortions was incorrect. On the contrary, it was true. Also, they allowed Harris to assert inaccurately that Trump supported an abortion ban. As most people know, Trump has advocated that the voters in each state should decide that state’s abortion policy. In the wake of SCOTUS’ recent decision abortion is basically a non-issue, but the Dems are trying to make it one as they don’t have any others.
  14. As I said, most observers opined that Trump “lost” the debate, but he did utter a few memorable zingers.
    • He said Harris now agreed with his policies to such an extent that he thought about sending her a MAGA hat.
    • He said many of the policy changes Harris is claiming she’ll effect on Day 1, such as the immigration problems and resuming drilling and fracking, can be implemented right now by Executive Orders. We don’t need Congress to pass any laws. He challenged Harris to go to DC right now, wake up Biden, and get him to sign the requisite Executive Orders.
  15. The following issues were either ignored, mischaracterized or glossed over:
    • Are Americans better off today than they were four years ago. Why/why not.
    • Income tax hike of up to 80% for high earners.
    • Tax on unrealized income.
    • Rising prices for groceries and other products and services.
    • Single payer healthcare plan to be administered by the federal government.
    • Illegal migrants being treated better than citizens.
    • Various freebies for illegal migrants, such as healthcare, social security, housing, education, and sex change operations even for those in prison (all to be funded by US taxpayers).
    • Late term abortions when the fetus is viable even after birth, which is allowed now in Minnesota, where Walz is governor, and a few other states.
    • Mandatory gun buyback program, which is tantamount to gun confiscation.
    • Green New Deal, which she co-sponsored and which would cost over $93 trillion.
    • Bans on various popular products such as red meat and plastic straws.
    • Electric vehicle mandate.
    • Bans on offshore drilling and fracking.
    • Border security.
    • Allowing illegal immigrants to vote.
    • The ill-conceived, ill-advised, misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, for which she was “proud” to cast the tiebreaking vote. Contrary to its name this act will cost trillions of dollars, was chock full of “pork” for party donors and friends and actually increased inflation and interest rates.
    • Defunding the police
    • Abolish or sharply curtail the powers of ICE.
    • No-cash bail laws.
    • Establishing a fund to post bail for criminals.
    • Lawlessness in many cities defended and unpunished.
    • Billions of dollars provided to Iran.
    • Dem Party coup to oust Biden, which disenfranchised, some 12 million Dem primary voters, and nominate Harris who has never, ever won even one delegate vote.
    • Student loan forgiveness.
    • Botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
    • Reparations.

I found some post-debate polls interesting, for example:

  1. A NY Times survey disclosed that although a majority of the pundits thought Harris had won the debate many undecided voters surveyed were not so sure.
  2. A group of independent voters tracking the debate in real time on the economy were as positive toward Trump as his supporters.
  3. Reuters polled ten undecided voters after the debate. Six said they would vote for Trump, three for Harris, and one remained undecided.
  4. Another independent voter put it succinctly: “I guess I’m leaning more on his facts than her vision.”
  5. Commonwealth Attorney pollster Matt Lowery opined the debate “was not Trump’s best day, but it [didn’t seem] to hurt him. Undecideds are “not sold” on Harris. Trump has now pulled even in MI. Trump’s super-packs must help him to disseminate Harris’ true policies to the electorate (via ads). He cannot do it alone.
  6. Pollster Mark Penn, CEO of Stagwell, a marketing group, opined that voters care the most about the economy (no revelation since that is always the case). Furthermore, Harris’ real positions seem to be slowly seeping out to voters, but Trump has to work harder to disseminate them more fully.
  7. Charles Payne, a Fox News financial journalist, denoted that Biden-Harris’ actions have enriched their donors at the expense of the middle class. He added that the deficits they have created are “unsustainable.” Also, the runaway spending has raised interest rates and is “imploding” the jobs market. The Fed cannot cut interest rates because “inflation is at a 40-year high.”

CONCLUSION

As I said, as is normally the case, both sides are claiming victory. It’s probably too early to know the post-debate impact on the election for sure. The answer will probably be determined once we see the post-debate polls. Although I don’t know who won, I can definitely tell you who lost – the American people. The people did not learn much, if anything, about Harris’ core beliefs, which, in a free society, is unacceptable. A goodly percentage of them did not know before the debate, and they still don’t know now.

Both sides have expressed interest in a second debate. Supposedly, they are negotiating the details. I’m skeptical, but we’ll see.

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THE ENIGMA OF THE ELECTORATE

Try as I might, I cannot comprehend the mindset of the electorate. I just don’t get it. It does not make any sense to me. Maybe, you, the readers, can explain it to me.

For the past 3 1/2 years the country has been in a severe downward spiral, economically, politically, and socially. I have described this, in detail, in previous blogs, but it bears repeating briefly. Please see below for a few examples.

  1. Inflation – Let’s have some fun with statistics, which we all know can be twisted every which-way to prove whatever one wants to “prove.” For example, according to the CPI the rate of inflation in 2021 when Biden took office was 1.2%. It rose to a peak of 8% in in 2022, and in June 2024 it had decreased to 5%. Thus, while technically the Dems’ assertion that inflation is decreasing is correct it is still at an unacceptably and unsustainable rate. This all a direct result of Biden’s excessive spending programs. All of us can see many examples of this in our daily lives.
  2. Food – In March 2024 a basket of groceries that cost $100 in November 2020 cost a whopping $125.80. This statistic is no surprise to those of us that actually food-shop, as opposed to many of the so-called elites who don’t. During the same period restaurant meals have increased 24%, and fast-food prices 24.6%. These price increases are probably understated since they likely don’t take into account smaller portions, to which we can all attest.
  3. Gas at the pump – According to Newsweek and AAA the average price was $2.40/gallon in January 2021. It rose to a peak of $5.06 in June 2022, and in August 2024 it was $3.83. So, once again, Dems can twist these numbers to assert that gas prices are decreasing while ignoring the overall increase since January 2021.
  4. Housing – According to AI Overview the median sales price of a house increased 28% from June 2020 to June 2024. According to bankrate.com the 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate averaged 3.5% in 2021. In 2024 it was 6.5%. That would amount to a significant difference over a 30-year period. The obvious result is that many people cannot afford to buy a house.
  5. Illegal immigration – Never mind the flood of statistics that have been released by DHS and other sources. All one has to do is turn on the tv news. We can all see for ourselves the veritable flood of illegal aliens crossing our non-existent southern border daily. It is so bad we don’t even know how many there are (estimates run as high as 20 million), where they come from, and what their intentions are. Furthermore, it’s not just the people, it’s also the drugs, crime, terrorism risk, and drain on us financially, economically and socially.
  6. Crime – Again, one has to look past official statistics. Many crimes are not being reported because everyone knows that the police are severely hampered in dealing with criminals, and “woke” DAs won are reluctant to prosecute them. Just turn on the tv news. Almost every day there are reports of people being murdered, assaulted, robbed and raped. The worst thing is that much of the crime is indiscriminate and random. No one and nowhere is safe. Property is being wantonly destroyed. Again, store employees are powerless to stop the perpetrators. Many businesses are abandoning crime-ridden cities. Many people are fleeing Dem-controlled states such as CA and NY for “safer” states like FL and TX.
  7. Foreign Relations – When Trump left office we were not involved in any wars. Terrorism was under control. The ME was relatively quiet. Iran was subject to embargoes, feeling a severe economic pinch, and in no financial position to fund terrorism. The US was feared and respected. Now, there are serious wars ongoing in the ME and Ukraine; Iran is very close to possessing nuclear capabilities; our allies are distressed; and are enemies are emboldened.

The foregoing are just a few examples of the deterioration of life in the US since January 2021. I could have listed many more, but you get the point. Truly the Dems and their policies have been the root cause. They have been in control of the government. That is why I am truly flummoxed by the polls that show the election is a toss-up.

CONCLUSION

I understand that many people hate Trump and refuse to vote for him. In my view those people are not thinking logically. They are willing to vote against their own self-interest to punish Trump. I have to chuckle when I hear that. That doesn’t punish Trump or hurt him in any meaningful way. Of course, he wants to win the election, but if he were to lose, he would just return to his previous life of wealth and privilege. In my opinion, he is not running for self-aggrandizement. He doesn’t need all the abuse he’s been subjected to for the last nine years. He’s doing it for us, the average citizen. He truly wants to help the country. No, if he were to lose, he would be disappointed, but it would devastate him.

The real losers would be you, your family, your kids and grandkids, and the country. We simply cannot afford four more years of Biden-Harris. I love this country, but there are many who do not, and it appears that most of them are Dems and Dem supporters. All they do is criticize, riot and destroy. They don’t have America’s best interests in their heart. They are only interested in perpetuating their power, privilege and control. They mistakenly think socialism would be an improvement. They are sadly mistaken. Socialism has been tried many times, and it has never worked. Never. If you doubt me, as Casey Stengel used to say, “you can look it up.”

Be honest with yourself. Are you better off today than you were 3 1/2 years ago? A few of you might be. If so, great. I’m happy for you. But if you are not, why would you return the same people to power who have made your life worse? That makes absolutely no sense, which is why I say I don’t understand the electorate.

The only possible reason is “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Apparently, it’s a real thing. I fear it will be our fatal flaw. Remember, you get the government you deserve. You will have no one to blame but yourself.

When deciding for whom to vote don’t listen to the bloviators and the spin doctors in the media or elsewhere. Use your eyes and ears and the common-sense God gave you.

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KAMALA AND ISRAEL

Kackling Kamala(“KK”) is trying to walk a fine line with respect to the Israel-Hamas War. On one hand, she is offering disingenuous platitudes in support of Israel to try to convince it and the Jewish portion of the electorate that she backs our ally and is not antisemitic. In that vein she has told the story that as a child she helped raise money to plant a tree in Israel. (Even if that is true, and the likelihood is that it is a Bidenesque tall tale, it does not have any relevance to her positions today.) On the other hand, she is trying to convince the pro-Palestinian, antisemitic portion of the electorate that she supports them. Biden had been pursuing this two-faced, dichotomous approach, and it did not work for him. Both sides saw right through it and criticized him for it.

Neither side is happy. Pro-Palestinian voters in Minnesota have criticized what they perceive as her lukewarm support. They have made it abundantly clear that they want nothing less than for the US to withdraw its support for Israel entirely and support Hamas unequivocally. Also, a sizeable chunk of Dems in Michigan expressed their displeasure by voting “uncommitted” in the 2024 primary rather than voting for Biden. I don’t think this vacillating approach will work for KK either.

Jews, do not be deceived by KK’s current utterings. She has a long record of antisemitism and support for extreme Palestinians. As with everything else, she says one thing but does another. Her actions speak louder than her words. For example:

  1. She has continually demonstrated empathy and support for Palestinian rioters, such as those who occupied college campuses earlier this year. She minimized or overlooked that they committed various crimes, such as assault on Jewish students, breaking, entering and occupying university buildings, and harassing Jewish students with hateful antisemitic slogans and signs.
  2. She has been and is in compete lockstep with Biden and the Dems tepid support for Israel in its war with Hamas. In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ unprovoked terrorist attacks on October 7, they first tried to dissuade Israel from retaliating at all. When that didn’t work, they tried to get Israel to “show restraint” in its response. That was absurd on its face. Name one other instance in the history of the world in which a country that had been attacked was urged to show restraint. For instance, did the US show restraint after Pearl Harbor or 9/11? Then, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, aka “The Chameleon,” gave a speech in which he urged Israel to force out Netanyahu and hold new elections. Such interference in the internal workings of another sovereign nation is traditionally reserved for “banana republics,” not an ally.
  3. Last week KK “dissed” Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu by not attending his speech before Congress. Not only did she disrespect Netanyahu, but also Israel, our staunchest and most dependable ally in the ME and Jews, in general, as well. Her feeble excuse was that she had to attend a previously-scheduled speech at a college sorority. That snub was consistent with the Dem Party’s policy of criticizing Netanyahu rather than Israel itself in the hope that it will prevent or at least minimize Jews’ defecting to the GOP. I think and hope most Jews will see that for what it is, code for antisemitism. Several Republicans sharply criticized this obvious snub. Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s comment that this “made it clear that Harris stands with the woke antisemitic members of her party” was a typical example. She even drew criticism from some Dems. One, speaking anonymously in fear of retaliation, said “it makes zero sense that for our most important ally [in the ME] she’s skipping out on the speech.” The representative added “a bunch of us have [made] calls [to her office] saying, ‘what are you doing.'” Later, she tried to mend fences by meeting with Netanyahu privately, but in my view that was just for optics and too little, too late. Again, actions spoke louder than words.
  4. Recently, she offered a weak statement of support for Israel, proclaiming “Israel has a right to defend itself.” Well, duh. That was a typical KK non-sequitur. Of course, any country has that right. Rather than meaningless words how about some action such as sending needed weapons that Israel keeps on requesting.
  5. She has continually expressed sympathy for the plight of Gazan civilians. While it’s unfortunately true that many have been murdered and have been deprived of necessities like food, medicine and shelter that is primarily the fault of Hamas, not Israel. It was Hamas that started the war. It is Hamas that is stealing much of the aid being supplied by the Red Cross and others, and it is Hamas that has been using civilians as human shields. War is hell. In all wars throughout history civilians have been caught in the middle. They have been dispossessed, robbed, raped, enslaved and murdered. It is a sad fact, but it’s true. As anyone who has fought in a war will tell you that’s the very nature of war. It’s why we say, “war is hell.” In this case, I would like to denote that Israel has gone overboard to minimize civilian casualties.
  6. A few days ago, Hezbollah launched a rocket attack on a Druze village that borders on Lebanon. A dozen young children were killed while playing soccer. How about expressing sympathy, condemnation and outrage regarding that. As I write this, I have not heard a peep from KK.

CONCLUSION

This entire debacle is a prime example of cause and effect. Biden’s ME policies have been the cause, and the effect is what we see now. KK fully endorses those policies, and her comments and actions as delineated above have not been helpful. In actuality, they have served to encourage Hamas to keep holding the hostages and keep fighting and have extended the war. It’s clear to objective observers that her motives are disingenuous. In reality, she’s trying to placate the radical, antisemitic left wing of her party for political reasons, for votes in the upcoming election.

Israel is embroiled in an existential battle against enemies that have vowed to exterminate it as evidenced by their mantra “from the river to the sea.” They have consistently proclaimed they don’t want a two-state solution. They want a one-state solution. Theirs. Their desire to negotiate a cease fire is just a ploy to stop Israel from destroying them. When they feel the time is right, they will attack again. This is what they have always done.

Israel’s entire history has been characterized by a series of wars and terrorist attacks. All of them have been started by their enemies. If they don’t finish the job this time by destroying Hamas and Hezbollah entirely there will just be another war, and another, and another. Ultimately, it will cost more lives and treasure. I say to KK. Just get out of the way, and let Israel do what it has to do to finish the job.

One final comment. Let’s not forget that Iran has been sponsoring all these terrorist groups. Also, let’s not forget the root cause of all the terrorist attacks that have plagued the region in the last 3 1/2 years. Iran has been able to fund the various terrorist groups because Biden, in one of his more fatuous decisions, stopped domestic drilling for oil and ended the embargoes that Trump had put in place, which has allowed Iran to make a fortune selling its oil and use those funds to sponsor terrorism in the region.

Cause and effect.

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    KAMALA HARRIS

    It’s time for you to meet the real Kamala Harris, aka Kackling Kamala (“KK”), not the media version that the Dem and media spin doctors are currently spewing out, but the real, unvarnished, unedited version that we have seen and heard for some 20 years. According to multiple media reports she was the most liberal, far-left senator. She was even to the left of avowed Socialist, Bernie Sanders. I can’t conceive of there being any room to the left of Sanders, but somehow, she found it.

    Currently, the Dems are doing what they always do to deceive the voters and win elections. For 3 1/2 years or so they pursue their true left-leaning policies, and then as election day approaches, they spin their positions and statements in order to get re-elected. Then, after ED they return to their true policies. It always reminds me of George Orwell’s novel 1984 where the government-dominated media periodically alters information it disseminates to the public at its whim. Orwell’s novel was fictional, but much of what he wrote is coming true today. More on this later.

    Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland, CA. Her father, Donald Harris, who was born in Jamaica and emigrated to the US in 1961, was a professor of economics at Stanford University in Berkley, CA. Her mother, Shyamala, was a biologist, who was born in India, and had emigrated to the US in 1958. They met in 1962 and married in 1963. Kamala has one sister, Maya. Robert and Shyamala divorced when Kamala was seven.

    Due to Kamala’s parents’ work the family moved around quite a bit. KK spent part of her childhood in Montreal and various areas of the Midwest before settling in Berkeley in 1970. While in elementary school she was, as she denoted in the 2019 presidential debate, bused from a predominately black public school to a 95% white school in a more affluent neighborhood.

    KK declared her candidacy for President on January 21, 2019. Her campaign was short and not so sweet. She fared very poorly in the second debate enduring criticism of her record as CA attorney general by Biden and Tulsi Gabbard. Afterwards, her poll numbers crashed into the single digits and her funding dried up. On December 3, 2019, she withdrew and promptly endorsed Biden, a fortuitous move.

    She became VP due to an unlikely series of events. Following his nomination Biden was pressured to select a black woman as his running mate. James Clyburn and others advised him that “African American women needed to be rewarded for their loyalty.” The pressure mounted in the wake of the George Floyd murder. Biden, no doubt recalling KK’s early endorsement chose her. The ticket won a close election, and KK became the first female, first African American, and first Asian American VP.

    As VP KK has become a prime example of the “Peter Principle.” This term, which was first formulated by educationalist, Laurence Peter, holds that a person will continually earn advancements until he or she reaches a position in which he or she “reaches a level of incompetence.” Regardless of her pros and cons in her prior positions KK is generally considered to be among the worst, if not the worst, VPs ever. She has had one of the lowest approval ratings and highest staff turnover rates of any vp. Critics and former staff members have derided her “abrasive” management style, her laziness and her penchant for berating subordinates.

    If you want to vote for KK at least be cognizant of what policies you are voting for. According to a poll published by RealClear Politics in April only 39% of registered voters had a favorable view of Harris. In 2019 Harris was ranked as “the most politically left” senator by the nonpartisan GovTrack organization. As I said, she was even ranked as more extreme than avowed Socialist, Bernie Sanders.

    As I said, the Dems and the media have been and will continue to sanitize and modify Harris’ political views. But don’t be gaslighted. By her own admission she fully supports all of Biden’s policies. She has espoused her real views over a 20-year career. Below please find a list of some of them paraphrased from her own words based on interviews by several media outlets such as CBS, CNN, MSNBC and others. To quote the late Joe Louis: “[S]he can run, but [s]he can’t hide.”

    1. As “border czar” she did nothing to curtail the onslaught of illegal migrants. She didn’t even deign to visit the various border hotspots to view the situation firsthand. In fact, she has proclaimed she favors unfettered, unlimited immigration and full rights for illegals, including free education and healthcare. In doing so, she has, in effect, supported human trafficking, sexual and other abuse of women and children and abetted the increased risk of terrorism, crime, and inflation. She wants to decriminalize illegal border crossings. Without effective borders we would no longer have a viable country.
    2. She was an early and staunch supporter of the Green New Deal, an ill-conceived, ill-advised program that will cost trillions of dollars, explode inflation, and adversely impact our lives in a plethora of ways.
    3. She supports a universal single payer healthcare system for everyone. A government-run system similar to that of Canada and Europe would replace private insurance. Ask any resident of those areas how that system is working out for them.
    4. She supports eliminating ICE or at least sharply curtailing its powers.
    5. She would ban various quality of life choices such as gas cars, red meat and plastic straws. MIDWESTERNERS, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?
    6. She would ban offshore drilling and fracking. VOTERS IN PA, OH, AND TX, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?
    7. She would abolish the Senate filibuster. At times, this rule can be annoying, but it has encouraged deliberation and served the purpose of preventing the railroading of legislation.
    8. She has espoused defunding the police.
    9. She supported the rioters in 2020 (“They won’t stop and should not.”), no-bail laws and established a fund to bail out criminals.
    10. She favors unrestricted abortions up to the moment of birth and perhaps beyond. This is only supported by a small sliver of voters and is tantamount to infanticide.
    11. She supports raising taxes to as high as 80%. Even that would not be sufficient to pay for all of the programs she has espoused.
    12. She supports a mandatory government sponsored buyback program for guns owned by private citizens. Many gun owners view this as nothing more than a thinly disguised confiscation program.
    13. She has denigrated and demeaned 18–24-year-olds characterizing them “stupid.” “That’s why they live in dormitories with resident advisors.” Kamala, how about all the 18-24-year-olds who work and support their families or those who serve in the military? That was just one example of the inane things she has said periodically. Another one would be when she gave a speech saying the US and “North Korea” have enjoyed a “long and enduring alliance.” Really?
    14. She supports regulating “hate speech,” which is code for censorship.
    15. As I have blogged previously the majority of her words and actions have made it clear that she is anti-Israel and pro-Hamas. She cares more about the Muslim vote in Michigan and other states than our most reliable ally in the ME.
    16. She has made tasteless jokes about killing Donald Trump. It’s irresponsible talk like that that may have inspired the would-be assassin in Butler, PA and perhaps others prospectively.
    17. Her penchant for kackling is most annoying, embarrassing and unprofessional. Can you her imagine being in a serious meeting with Putin and suddenly bursting out with one of her kackling episodes?

    CONCLUSION

    Well, there you have it, the real, unvarnished thoughts and opinions of Kamala Harris in her own words. As I said, if you want to vote for her, fine. By all means, it is your right to do so. Just be cognizant of whom and what you are voting for. Don’t be gaslighted.

    Even if you hate and despise Trump on a personal level remember you should vote for the policies, not the person. If you’re not happy with the state of your life or the country, if you are worse off today than you were four years ago, strap on your “big boy pants,” hold your nose, suck it up, and vote for Trump. Your kids and your grandkids will thank you.

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    FLAG DESECRATION

    Desecrating the American flag, i.e. burning or stomping, has become a favorite means of protesting or rioting. Yesterday’s vile, contemptuous, despicable, and appalling display in Washington DC made my blood boil. I am irate, as you should be.

    I understand that in 1989 the Supreme Court held that such actions constituted a form of “symbolic speech” and therefore fell under the protection of the First Amendment of the Constitution. I understand that many Americans have taken the liberal view and agree with the court’s decision.

    That said, in my opinion such actions are just plain wrong. At some point, common sense has to take over. Since the Revolutionary War through the present day, millions of brave Americans have fought for and died for that flag and what it represents. It is a symbol of America and all it stands for.

    There has got to be some legal way to curtail this scourge. The 1989 Supreme Court decision was only by a 5-4 vote. Today, the composition of the SC is different. Perhaps, another case can be brought that would result in a different outcome. A constitutional amendment is cumbersome, time-consuming and would take years. There has got to be a better way to deal with this.

    Many of the rioters were probably illegals. They shouldn’t be in the US to begin with. Why should they be allowed to desecrate our flag? Why should they be afforded the right of free speech? Additionally, maybe the rioters can be prosecuted for other crimes such as assault and vandalism.

    CONCLUSION

    We have to find a way to curtail flag desecration. Our leaders seem to be unable or unwilling to take action. Other countries, particularly our enemies, see this as a sign of weakness and a further deterioration of American might.

    My suggestions would be to:

    1. arrest all the rioters;
    2. find some other related crime to prosecute them for, such as vandalism or assault;
    3. run their IDs to determine if they are wanted for other crimes (I dare say many of them will be.); and
    4. ferret out those who are in the US illegally and deport them on the spot.

    You may have better ideas. I welcome your suggestions. Somehow these activities must be stopped!

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    ONE THOUSAND

    I know what you’re probably thinking. That is an odd title for a blog posting. What does it signify? Well, simply put this is my 1,000th blog posting. I began blogging 12 years ago on September 5, 2012. I had retired three years previously. My wife had suggested I needed to do something to “exercise my mind.” Since I always listen to my wife (“Yes, dear.”) I began this blog. As I write this, my blogs have generated over 36,000 views. They have been read by viewers in 115 countries, and they are regularly posted in The Times of Israel. Nice, but I couldn’t have done it without you, the readers. Thank you for your loyalty.

    Now, to the real focus of this blog, our vice president and Dem Party designated nominee for president – KACKLING KAMALA (“KK”).

    KK is a creation of the Dem elites. They have adopted her and anointed her as the designated nominee out of desperation following the demise of Joe Biden’s campaign. For various reasons, which I have documented in previous blogs, there is no one else.

    She has not earned a single delegate ever. In 2020 her candidacy never got off the ground. It was over before it began. It went broke and was characterized by internal bickering and disfunction. She was forced to suspend her candidacy before the Iowa caucuses. Her earlier career was mediocre at best. I will analyze it in a later blog.

    In 2020 Biden selected her as his running mate because the party elites and “wokers” told him he had to select a black female. Biden didn’t want her. She had no power base; she didn’t add much, if anything, to the ticket; and they had clashed in the debates. But being “good old malleable Joe” he caved like a cheap suit.

    The power elites wanted her now because she will be Biden reincarnate, Biden without the age and cognitive issues. Like Joe, she will accede to their wishes. Make no mistake about it. She was and is in accord with Biden’s misguided policies. If you didn’t like Biden’s policies you surely will not like hers.

    Actually, there is evidence that her political philosophy is to the “left” of Biden and even Bernie Sanders in many areas. Reporting in the NY Post columnist Isaac Schorr characterized her as a “far-left authoritarian demagogue,” “Biden on steroids.” More on this below. If she were to win, she will be president in name only. The same hidden cadre of power elites will be running things. Once again, democracy and the will of the people will have been thwarted.

    As vp KK has been a disaster. She has no positive achievements of her own. Probably, her biggest failure was immigration at the southern border. Biden designated her as “border Czar,” and assigned her the task of resolving the problem. It was a chance to demonstrate her mettle, and she failed. I have discussed this in detail in pervious blogs. In summary, she didn’t even bother to visit the problem areas of the border, and presently, the situation is worse than ever.

    Below please find some samples of KK’s political positions, many of which are far to the left of the mainstream and would be detrimental to the country.

    1. While in the Senate she was a strong supporter of the ill-advised Green New Deal, which basically would terminate thousands of blue collar and middle-class workers’ jobs, bankrupt the country, and result in the demise of the fossil fuels industry.
    2. She wants to ban fracking. Are you paying attention PA, OH, Texas and the rest of the oil-producing states?
    3. She favors the “Medicare-for-All program, which, essentially, would terminate all private insurance plans in favor of socialized medicine.
    4. Her tax ideas are totally inane. She favors raising taxes. She has not put forth any sensible plan and has not demonstrated even a modicum of business or finance knowledge, but she did characterize the idea of a tax rate of 80% as “fantastic.”
    5. She was a leading proponent of defunding the police.
    6. She has been a strong critic of ICE, and if elected she would probably abolish it or at least sharply curtail its power.
    7. She often “shoots from the hip” without any analysis or thought. For example, early on, before all the facts were known she characterized the Jussie Smollett hoax as a “modern day lynching.”
    8. She advocated funding bail for all who are arrested, particularly those who had rioted in the cities in 2020.
    9. She favors a sweeping amnesty for illegal immigrants, more extreme than Biden.
    10. However, perhaps most destructive is her antipathy against Israel, our only reliable ally in the Middle East, and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. She is more extreme than Biden was. In my view, her attitude and actions have indicated a pro-Hamas bias. She is more in line with the attitude of the Squad and other antisemites in her party. For example, she will be boycotting Netanyahu during his visit to the US. This sends a very bad signal to the rest of the world, but she is either oblivious to that fact or simply doesn’t care. I repeat what I have said many times already. Why any Jew would vote for the Dems is beyond me.

    CONCLUSION

    Currently, KK is in a “honeymoon period.” The media is hyping her as the savior of democracy. This is what they do. For years they protected Biden. Now they will do the same for KK.

    Voters should not be deceived. She is not well known to much of the country. Hopefully, as they get more familiar with her, her warts will be exposed.

    Don’t forget all her faults and failures as listed above. If she were to win the country would go “from the frying pan to the fire.”

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    DEMS ENGAGE IN AUTOCRACY, NOT DEMOCRACY

    Folks, in the last month we have been witnessing the complete breakdown of our democracy. A small, but powerful and influential group of Dems, their supporters, media allies, and influential donors (the “Usurpers”) have determined that they don’t want Biden to continue to seek the Dem Party’s nomination for president. They have concluded that Donald Trump will likely win the election, possibly by a landslide, and his coattails would increase the GOP’s margin in the House and flip the Senate. The senators and congressmen running for election and re-election have concluded Biden will be a drag on their candidacy, and they will likely lose. That is anathema to them as they would lose their power and influence. Their sense of entitlement simply will not tolerate such a result. Accordingly, they have coerced him to withdraw “voluntarily” from the race.

    According to published reports as recently as a few days ago Biden wanted to continue. He proclaimed he had a “path” to victory, and he was “in it to win it.” Delusional, perhaps, but he was entitled to his own opinion. It is still early in the campaign, and a lot of unforeseen events could have swung the election. History is full of unlikely upsets. (See Truman and Trump.) But the Usurpers didn’t want him to do so. Consequently, purely for selfish reasons that I will discuss below, they forced him to withdraw. They accomplished this by a multipronged attack consisting of private arm-twisting by influential party members such as key advisors and former presidents Obama and Clinton, among others, public declarations by various senators and congressmen, and stories in the media that he was too old and cognitively unfit.

    And, yet they are content to have him finish out his term. Ask yourself, if he is unfit to run for re-election, why is he not unfit to govern for the next six months? It puts the country at grave risk. In the words of “Dr. Spock” it is not logical. It makes no sense, except for the reasons cited above.

    Understand, I am not defending Biden’s disastrous record as president nor am I disputing that he is cognitively unfit. In my opinion, both are obvious and have been for some time. What I am disputing is the process. That pesky little document called the Constitution has a process for dealing with a president that is unfit to discharge his duties. It’s called the 25th Amendment. It lays out a specific procedure by which he can be declared unfit and replaced. It may be complicated. It may be tedious. It may be controversial. It may be difficult to accomplish. But it is the ONLY legal way to remove a president.

    Furthermore, it only deals with removing a president, not forcing him to withdraw from the nomination or election process against his will. TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE IS NO PROVISION IN THE CONSTITUTION OR ANYWHERE ELSE THAT SUPPORTS THIS.

    For four years we, the public, have been fed the fantasy that Biden is cogitatively fit. His cadre of advisors has shielded him. The mainstream media has protected him. They have both denigrated any stories of his decline as a “right wing conspiracy, a MAGA conspiracy, a Fox News conspiracy.” For four years the evidence was obvious to anyone who cared to look. His family knew it. His advisors knew it. White house reporters and domestic and foreign politicians with whom he interacted on a regular basis knew it. Fox News watchers knew it. However, most of the public did not or refused to acknowledge it. It was only when his decline was exposed in last month’s presidential debate and became obvious to everyone around the world that “The Emperor had no clothes” that the protectors and deniers admitted it. Then and only then, did Usurpers go to work as described above. To paraphrase the novel 1984 Biden was fine, until it was decided he wasn’t.

    Biden has gone through the nomination process unopposed. According to Politico and various other media outlets he has won 3,861 delegates, well in excess of the 1,986 required for nomination. Millions of people have voted for him in good faith. They all had their individual reasons for doing so. Some of them were aware of his cognitive condition and chose to ignore or discount it; some may not have been. Doesn’t matter. They all voted for him “fair and square.” In effect, what the Usurpers have done is disenfranchised them unilaterally. Probably, fewer than 100 of them have illegally countermanded the will of millions simply because they don’t want Biden to win the nomination. That, my friends is a characteristic of an autocracy, not a democracy.

    At the present time, Harris is the favorite to replace Biden. She has already garnered a host of endorsements; the mainstream media is supporting her; and no other candidate appears desirous of challenging her. However, it should be noted that she has a lot of “baggage,” and she has not distinguished herself as VP. In addition, as Biden’s VP she has been tainted by his failed and unpopular policies. Also, she was cognizant of and participated in the aforementioned coverup regarding Biden’s cognitive deficiencies. Furthermore, certain heavyweights, including Obama, Pelosi, Schumer and Jefferies have not yet endorsed her. To me, this indicates a lack of confidence and conviction in her. It also begs the question, if not Harris then who. The Dem bench is woefully thin. All that said, the Dems will probably be stuck with her. Whatever her deficiencies she is the only one who could inherit the campaign’s $200 million plus war chest.

    CONCLUSION

    Make no mistake. The Usurpers have not done this to benefit the country. If that were their goal, they would have proceeded with the 25th Amendment process. If they were truly concerned about the welfare of the country they would have blown the whistle on Biden four years ago. They are so disingenuous and hypocritical it disgusts me.

    What we are witnessing is a classic “palace coup” akin to what occurs in autocracies. The only thing missing is a takeover by the military. My prediction is that the Dems will present us with the allusion of an open convention in which Biden’s delegates, having been released, will, in theory, be free to vote to choose the nominee. In reality, they will be heavily influenced by a small number of power brokers who will, in reality, choose him or her. Then, if the nominee should win, this small group of power brokers will, in effect, have bypassed the democratic process and chosen the next president.

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    WHO WAS THAT GUY?

    Donald Trump has been resurrected and reborn. His near-death experience has given him a new perspective on life. Anyone who watched his acceptance speech at the RNC knows what I mean. Gone was the bullying, name-calling, sarcastic, bombastic, Don Rickles-imitating Trump. He was replaced by the calm, sedate, soft-spoken, unifying newbie. I guess a near-death experience will do that to you. I like this version of Trump better, and hopefully the voters will too. Hopefully, he will continue in this vein.

    By his own admission, “I’m not supposed to be here (on earth, at the RNC or anywhere else). I’m supposed to be dead.” That was not hyperbole. As we all know his would-be assassin missed killing him by a mere millimeter. For those of you who are not familiar with metrics, that is 1/25 the of an inch. He was saved by a quick turn of the head just as the would-be assassin fired. As columnist Micharl Goodwin wrote in the NY Post “survival has given him a new lease on life.” He sees things differently now.

    Various investigations of the assassination attempt by the Secret Service, the FBI, Congress and others are ongoing. Inexplicably, Kimberly Cheatle, the head of the Secret Service, has refused to accept responsibility for the agency’s inadequate protection of Trump, has not resigned and has not been fired. Nor has anyone else, and quite possibly regardless of the conclusion of the various investigations, nor will anyone else. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered, but don’t hold your breath.

    Based on his aforementioned speech Trump does not intend to waste his “second chance.” He told reporters he had planned to give his usual tough, critical, firebrand speech, but he discarded it in favor of the speech we heard. For the most part he refrained from nasty name-calling, which in the past has angered some voters, (although he did slip once referring to “crazy Nancy Pelosi”). But, overall, his tone was unifying, not dividing. As he said, “I am running to be president for ALL America, not half of America because there is no victory in winning for half of America.”

    CONCLUSION

    In my view, the RNC was a rousing success. There were many highlights: Trump’s acceptance speech, the largely positive vibes with respect to the selection of J. D. Vance, the various introductory speeches by the Trump family members and Hulk Hogan being Hulk Hogan. Furthermore, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the uplifting speech by Kai, which humanized Trump as a typical grandfather (sneaking candy to her when the parents weren’t looking.

    However, the best takeaway was that the RNC demonstrated unity, which is something the GOP has not always been known for. The party showed that it was unified in supporting Trump, unified in its policies, and most importantly it truly wants to unify the entire country. The GOP emphasized it has a big tent, and it wants everyone, Republican, independents and Democrats to come under it.

    That is in stark contrast to the current administration, which has sought to divide. I will address the Dems’ disfunction and disarray in my next blog.

    Latest polls in the five key swing states: AZ – Trump +10; G – T +5; MI – T+3; NV – T+3; and NC T+9.

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    DT PICKS JT AS VP

    Donald Trump didn’t waste any time. He could have kept us in suspense a day or so longer. He could have maintained the drama and uncertainty a bit longer. But he chose not to do so. He had made up his mind. He knew whom he wanted, and as is his nature he acted decisively. As most of you know by now, he picked Ohio freshman Senator J. D. Vance as his running mate. As is customary, the convention delegates then approved him by acclimation.

    Some observers were a little surprised. Vance was on Trump’s short list along with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota governor Doug Burgum and some others. Each of them would have brought pros and cons to the ticket. Eventually, it came down to Burgum and Vance. In the end, he went with Vance. Was Vance a wise choice? Will he help Trump, hurt him, or have no discernible effect? In the recent past there have been examples of candidates for president being elected despite their choices for VP (FDR in 1944, Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, and Bush, the elder, in 1988). In my view, it depends. Vance brings both pros and cons to the ticket. See below for my analysis.

    Vance’s life story is, in many ways, a microcosm of the true “American Dream.” It is an embodiment of how one can, through hard work, determination, and perhaps a little luck, rise above the circumstances of his birth and achieve greatness. It’s a cliche, but in his case it is true. There have been many examples of this. As they say, “only in America.”

    He was born on August 2,1984 in Middletown, OH. His birth name was James Donald Bowman. Later, he was adopted by his mother’s third husband, and his surname was changed to Hamel.

    His beginning was as bad as it gets. His family was very poor. He suffered through a terrible childhood plagued by violence and abuse. His father was not in the picture. His mother suffered from drug addiction. His parents divorced soon after his birth, and he was raised primarily by his maternal grandparents whom he called “Mamaw’ and “Papaw.” He recalled, “I grew up poor in the Rust Belt in an Ohio steel town that ha[d] been hemorrhaging jobs and hope for as long as I can remember.” There was never enough money for food and other necessities. He recalled his Mamaw often had to “negotiate” with social services personnel for extra food. Yep. It doesn’t get any worse than that. Yet, Vance exhibited the strength, courage and fortitude to overcome it all.

    Upon graduating from high school Vance enlisted in the Marines. He served in Iraq first as a combat correspondent and later in the Public Affairs section. He characterized this period as the “defining chapter of [my] life where [I] first developed a sense of purpose.”

    After he was discharged, he attended Ohio State University from which he graduated Summa Cum Laude in two years. Then, he attended Yale Law School where he was editor of the Yale Law Journal and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association. Upon graduation he married and adopted his grandparents’ surname of “Vance.” He had a very successful business career in technology and venture capital, and he wrote a best-selling book based on his upbringing called Hillbilly Elegy, which was also made into an Academy Award-nominated movie starring Gabriel Basso, Amy Adams and Glenn Close.

    Politically, Vance is generally viewed as a conservative, which should appease the right wing of the GOP, although I’m not sure how the all-important independents will view him. For example, he has been opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage. Moreover, until recently he was sharply critical of Trump. In fact, he was an avowed “never-Trumper.” He went so far as to characterize Trump as “reprehensible,” cultural heroin,” an “opioid of the masses,” a “cynical a**hole, and “America’s Hitler.” He denigrated his policies as ranging from “immoral to absurd.” However, after observing Trump’s record and accomplishments as president he abruptly changed his opinion, and he became a strong supporter. He endorsed Trump way back in January 2023.

    Politically, he has since exhibited some similarities to Trump and also some differences. For example, he is an advocate of a strong, secure border and is a strong supporter of Israel. On the other hand, as I mentioned above, he has expressed opposition to abortion and same-sex marriages.

    If elected Vance, 39, would become one of the youngest VPs ever. The youngest was John Breckenridge who was 36 when he took office in 1821. A bit of trivia: he would also become the first Ohio native to be elected to the office since Charles Dawes in 1924 and the first VP since Charles Curtis to sport facial hair (1929-1933 under Herbert Hoover).

    Vance is married with three children. His wife, Usha Chilukuri is an accomplished attorney who was a classmate at Yale Law School and who has clerked for Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts.

    CONCLUSION

    Vance was a bold choice for VP. I believe he brings both pros and cons to the ticket. As I said, his life story is most inspiring. It is an embodiment of the American Dream. As political commentator David Graham wrote in The Atlantic “he brings youth and intellect to the Republican ticket.” As Catherine Lucey and John McCormick opined in the Wall Street Journal he “offers Trump a natural successor to his MAGA movement. Trump had often said that this would be a critical element of his choice for VP.

    On the other hand, there is much in his background for the Dem and Dem-supporting “spin doctors” in the media to attack, and they will definitely do so. They always do, and they are very effective at it. Their primary targets will likely be so-called “women’s issues” such as his early stance on abortion and same-sex marriage. Earlier in his career he was strongly opposed to abortion. He has since moderated his stance on the issue. He now characterizes it as a “state issue,” but the Dems will still attack him on it as it is probably their best (only?) issue. Additionally, they will gleefully repeat his early characterizations of Trump as listed above.

    Yes, this was a bold choice by Trump. Despite all the recent negativity surrounding the Biden campaign and the well-publicized panic among many Dems who want him to withdraw, this is still a close election. My analysis of state-by-state polls reveals that Trump is currently ahead in states totaling 300 electoral votes, however, many of those margins are very narrow and within the margin of error. Also, it is still very early in the campaign, and history tells us that a lot can happen and often has happened between now and Election Day.

    In summary, I believe Trump could have made a safer choice, one which would have been harder for the Dems and their allies to attack, but bottom line, I think Vance is a solid choice who will be efficacious to the ticket.

    Whether or not that translates into victory remains to be seen. As always, the decisive factors will be organization and turnout. In 2020 and 2022 the Dems excelled in these areas, particularly in early voting and ballot harvesting. The GOP did not. The Trump campaign has to match the Dems in these areas, or it could very well lose.

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    TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

    Yesterday, July 13, Donald Trump and America, itself, dodged a major bullet, both literally and figuratively. Yesterday, as most of us know, Mr. Trump was very nearly assassinated while giving a campaign speech in Butler, Pa, a small city located just north of Pittsburgh. According to live tv and various news reports the would-be assassin’s bullet grazed Trump’s right ear and missed killing him by a mere millimeter or two. (For those of you who are not well-versed in metrics a millimeter is approximately 1/25 of an inch.) On replays one can see that Trump fortuitously turned his head just before the bullet struck. After being shot he reacted immediately, ducking down out of sight below the level of the lectern. He was immediately surrounded by secret service agents and hustled off-stage with blood dripping from his face to a waiting vehicle, which then left the area immediately. Otherwise, I would be writing a very different blog today.

    Despite the exigency of the situation Trump managed to take a moment to assure everyone he was okay. He said he heard a “whizzing sound,” and a shot and immediately felt the bullet pierce the skin of his ear. He immediately was cognizant of what was happening and ducked down showing quick reflexes and awareness. As he was hustled off-stage, he raised and pumped his fist. The crowd responded with chants of “USA, USA.” Later, Saturday night he sent an email in which he vowed “I will never surrender.” Also, despite everything he managed to extend condolences to the family of the spectator who had been killed.

    Reaction from witnesses, the media, law enforcement agencies, politicians and world leaders was swift and copious. Investigations will be conducted by various law enforcement agencies including, among others, the FBI, secret service, Homeland Security, Congress and Pennsylvania state and local agencies. Obviously, at this time any and all investigations are in preliminary stages and fluid.

    Below please find a sampling of the current status based on multiple reports:

    1. The secret service is conducting an initial investigation. In the words of the late Desi Arnaz it will have some “‘splaining to do.” It gets kudos for its prompt reaction after the shooting, but it appears to have failed to secure the perimeter adequately. More on this later.
    2. The FBI will be taking the lead on the investigation among law enforcement agencies.
    3. The would-be assassin has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa. Somehow, he was able to perch on a rooftop of a building a mere 100 yards from where Trump was speaking. Secret service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi disclosed Crooks was able to get off “multiple shots” before he was neutralized. An “AR-style” semiautomatic rifle was recovered from the perch. At this moment his motive and weather he was a “lone wolf” or part of a group conspiracy is unknown.
    4. George Bivens of the PA State Police stated the agency is following up several “suspicious occurrences.” The most troubling one is that multiple witnesses had reported to police seeing a person on the roof of a building just outside the security perimeter prior to the shooting. Moreover, they said they had advised police officers, but no action was taken.
    5. Various spectators described a “bloody, chaotic and confusing” scene and reported hearing multiple shots, as many as eight.
    6. Multiple former and current FBI agents told reporters it was very concerning that Crooks was able to perch so close. They added that the SS “really needs to answer that question.”
    7. Steve Moore, a retired FBI supervisory special agent and experienced “counter sniper” offered a chilling assessment regarding assassinations that the “secret service has to be right every single time,” but “the bad guys only have to be lucky or right one time.”
    8. Last night after being released from the hospital Trump returned to his home in Bedminster, NJ. He confirmed the GOP convention, which is scheduled to begin this week, will proceed as planned.
    9. A plethora of both domestic and foreign government officials and politicians, including, among many others, President Biden, Merrick Garland, J. D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Doug Burgum, Lloyd Austin, Chuck (the “Chameleon”) Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Kamala Harris, Mike Johnson, Nikki Haley, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have expressed support.
    10. In the wake of the shooting a Biden campaign official told reporters the campaign would be “pausing” television ads and outgoing communications as quickly as possible.
    11. As a result of the shooting law enforcement spokespersons were asked if they were aware of any additional security threats. They responded they “don’t currently believe” that there are any at this time.
    12. Yesterday’s attempted assassination of Trump was not a singular event in American history. It reminds one of other assassinations and attempted assassinations in American history such as Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, JFK, and Ronald Reagan. Also, let’s be mindful of the fact that presidential candidate RFK, Jr., whose father and uncle have both been assassinated, has requested and inexplicably been denied secret service protection.

    As shocking as yesterday’s attempted assassination was it should not have come as much of a surprise. In my opinion, this election has been the most contentious in recent memory. It has progressed way beyond the traditional politicking that normally characterizes elections. Many Dems and their supporters view Trump as more than just a political opponent. They have portrayed him, ignorantly and inaccurately to be sure, as evil, a reincarnation of Adolph Hitler. They hate him with a passion that strikes me as irrational. They view him as someone who, if elected, will be a dictator, never leave office and “destroy democracy.” (This is ludicrous and delusional on its face. He has already been president and he did leave office in 2020 when he lost.)

    These characterizations are not limited to fringe elements. He has been portrayed as such by many in the mainstream media, both on television and in the press. Many of his opponents have vowed publicly their intention to “stop Trump” at all costs. The vitriol has been so extreme that it has spawned a term to describe it – “Trump derangement syndrome, or TDS. Consequently, one should not have been so surprised that some disillusioned, misguided wacko decided to take matters into his own hands.

    This all began in 2015 when Trump first declared his candidacy for President. It has continued through his first term as president and the post-presidential period. Initially, Trump’s opponents attacked him with false or exaggerated claims of everything from being anti-women, antisemitic, anti-Black and anti-Hispanic to consorting with Russia and China. Then, they tried to impeach him multiple times for the flimsiest of reasons. Then, when he declared for a second term, they indicted him on false or exaggerated criminal charges in heavily “blue” venues with the intent of tying him up in court to prevent him from campaigning, convicting him and even imprisoning him. Each of these was and is being exposed as vicious lies.

    These attacks have increased in volume and intensity during the current campaign, reaching a crescendo in recent weeks when it has become apparent that Trump is winning the election, and perhaps winning by a considerable margin in electoral votes. Trump is winning not just on the issues. His opponent, President Biden, has finally been exposed as a cognitively-deficient shell. During the presidential debate the Biden facade came crashing down. The entire world came to see what many of us have known for years, namely that he is an empty vessel, an “emperor with no clothes.”

    As I have written in previous blogs, after covering for him for several years his supporters both in the Dem Party and the media are now in a full-blown panic. The Washington D. C. so-called elites, aka the “swamp,” which, though not elected to any office, have essentially controlled government policy for decades feel their power about to slip away. Their disingenuousness and lying have been exposed, and if Trump were to win could be exposed further.

    The down-ballot Dems who are running for re-election in the Senate and the House now see their chances of winning diminishing rapidly. They perceive that Biden’s coattails are rapidly morphing into “anchors.” To them, a Trump presidency is bad enough; the prospect of the GOP gaining control of Congress as well is unthinkable.

    As a result, the Dem Party is badly split and not just politically between the far-left wing and the moderate wing. There is an additional split between those who want Biden to withdraw and Biden and his supporters who want him to stay. Biden, himself, has been insisting he is “not going anywhere.” The former group has been working both overtly and covertly to replace Biden. The main impediments are (1) Biden controls all the campaign funds as well as some 1,200 delegates who voted for him in the primaries and (2) the Dems do not have a suitable replacement who can beat Trump. (I discount Harris, the logical choice, who has been a very unpopular and ineffective VP.) Moreover, the “dump Biden” people are operating under a short deadline. Early voting will begin in several states in some 60 days. Many persons will be voting for Biden, so any replacement candidate will lose those votes. To top it all off, the Biden camp and the Obama camp have never liked each other and do not trust each other.

    In my opinion, if Biden hangs tough the Dems will be stuck with him. I love the irony. They propped Biden up and forced him to pick Harris as his VP. Now they are stuck with the two of them. As the saying goes, the Dems are being hoisted on their own petard.

    CONCLUSION

    I anticipate a long and exhaustive investigation. I expect the media to be all over it. The SS, FBI, Homeland Security, and PA state and local police, among others, will be trying to deflect responsibility and blame others. The SS, in particular, will be under the microscope for failing to secure the perimeter adequately. I would not be surprised if “heads roll” there. In my opinion, it will be one big s**t show.

    In view of the foregoing, in retrospect we should not be surprised at yesterday’s attempted assassination. The media and many Dems and their supporters have criticized and vilified Trump relentlessly for seven years. They have characterized him not as a political opponent who is entitled to express his contrary views but as “evil,” a “Nazi,” and “Hitler.” In doing so, they have, intentionally or not, incited and encouraged violence against him. It was inevitable that someone would try to assassinate him sooner or later. In fact, I would not be surprised if there were further attempts. I expect the danger of further violence to rachet up as we get closer to the election. I am not the only one who thinks so. Many others have expressed the same opinion to me. Furthermore, according to his close advisors even Trump agrees. There are a lot of deranged people out there who will want to settle political differences not with a vote, but with a bullet.

    This is not how we do things in America. This is not what we are about. We are supposed to be a nation of laws governed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Somehow, gradually we have lost our way. We need to find it again before it is too late.

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