Month: June 2017

For those of us old enough to remember Watergate, Week 20 has been Déjà vu. Experiences such as Watergate and Russiagate are painful and exhausting. They remind us of how precious our democracy is and yet how fragile; how comfortable yet how very messy. I believe I’ve quoted Thomas Paine in this report before, but I’d like to repeat: “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.” Freedom is indeed precious and well worth our most ardent efforts, but it’s also pricey.  Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address at a Civil War battlefield, a portion of which was being dedicated as a monument to those who had paid the ultimate price to preserve our union. After commenting on their sacrifice, he challenged his audience:

“It is for us the living . . . to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is . . . for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”

Our nation is divided again, perhaps more deeply than it has been since the Civil War. Our divisions are no longer North vs. South, slavery vs. emancipation; today we’re divided on what it means to be American, what values should guide our country, who we want to be as a people, and who should be allowed to share in the privileges which our ancestors have purchased for us at such enormous expense. Our greatest challenge is finding those values which define us not as Democrats and Republicans but as Americans and then learning to make those American values the bedrock that unifies rather than divides us.  My recommendation for “us the living” is that we all memorize Lincoln’s words and make them the mantra that guides our navigation of these difficult waters.

Here are the highlights of Week 20.

1. For the second time in less than two weeks, England was struck by tragedy on Saturday, June 3, when a car plowed into pedestrians on London Bridge. In what is now known to be a terror attack, the perpetrators “then rushed to the nearby Borough Market, where they ditched their vehicle and began stabbing people in the area” (HuffPost). Eight people were killed and dozens more injured in the attack, the sort of event which would usually inspire an outpouring of sympathy and support from other national leaders. Since the USA, however, is not currently in a business-as-usual mode, our “president” expressed his feelings in his own unique way: he tweeted insults toward the London mayor and used the occasion as a political opportunity to once again plug his derailed travel ban and to ridicule gun-control debates. In one tweet, 45 wrote, “Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That’s because they used knives and a truck!” In another, he said, “We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!” Most offensive and embarrassing of all is this one responding to his out-of-context version of the mayor’s remarks to the people of London: “At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is “no reason to be alarmed!” Anyone with a third-grade reading level would have known the mayor was reassuring Londoners to remain calm in the face of extra police presence, not telling them the attack was no big deal. Perhaps next presidential election, candidates should be required to pass a basic literacy test.
2. In the latest episode of the Reality TV show “Presidenting for Fame and Profit,” the Trump family announced this week a new business venture—adding to, you know, all those other businesses from which they’ve not divested. Since a large contingent of DT’s adoring base could never afford a night in any of the Trump luxury hotels, and since he wants to keep his faithful followers faithful, smiling, and voting, his organization announced on Monday, June 5—according to the New York Times—that they’ll soon be rolling out a three-star hotel chain, called American Idea, in some Trump-friendly areas. (Oh, but this is NOT political, mind you!) The observation on the campaign trail was that lower-priced hotels were pretty generic, different only in the names on their lighted signs. The Trump family plans to set their properties apart by using a kitschy Americana theme, “featuring artifacts of American culture,” such as old Coca-Cola machines. By rebranding existing properties such as Holiday Inns and Comfort Inns, the Trump Organization will be lighting up their first signs pretty quickly; so keep your eyes open on your summer road trip. Personally, I’d rather sleep in my car!
3. I can’t recall in my lifetime a president who has consistently been referred to as angry, seething, enraged, infuriated, shouting, cursing, fuming, and other descriptors indicating a volatile temper and unstable mind. Leaving 45’s mental condition to the professionals, I find it disturbing to think that our government is being run by someone with no impulse control and not enough self-awareness to reflect honestly on his own mistakes. Because of his inability to face himself and to accept responsibility for his actions, we’ve become well accustomed to his habit of blaming anyone and everyone else when things go wrong—which they do on a daily basis. Multiple reports have stated that Trump was and is enraged at his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from the investigation in Russia’s meddling in our 2016 election. According to Trump, it was Sessions’ recusal that led to the appointment of the special counsel to take over the investigation. The Washington Post reports, “He has intermittently fumed for months over Mr. Sessions’s decision to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian meddling in last year’s election, according to people close to Mr. Trump who insisted on anonymity to describe internal conversations.” Poor Donald! It’s so hard to be a narcissist when the whole world is watching and expects you to act like a normal president.
4. Donald Trump is not known for his charitable spirit; in fact, he has often been called the least charitable wealthy person in the world. We learned during the campaign last year that the Trump Foundation had been using charitable donations to pay DT’s numerous legal fees and to cover a few personal purchases such as two large portraits of Mr. Narcissist himself and a souvenir football helmet signed by Tim Tebow. This week, we learned that Eric Trump’s charities have been funneling money donated to fight childhood cancer into Trump enterprises. Forbes reported that Eric has hosted an annual one-day golf tournament for the last ten years. Since the event is held at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, New York, Eric has always claimed that since it’s a family biz, there are no overhead costs and 100% of the money donated goes to St. Jude’s to help fund children’s cancer research. The problem is, big surprise, that isn’t true. In fact, Eric’s daddy insisted on billing the Eric Trump Foundation for the use of the facilities, which means the Trump Organization benefited richly from this pretentious charity event. As the Mimi of a childhood cancer patient, I find this personally offensive!
5. On Wednesday of this week, NSA Director Mike Rogers and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee and, according to Politico, “repeatedly stonewalled when asked about news reports that Trump asked each of them to downplay or refute the FBI’s probe, which is examining whether Trump’s associates colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.” Although it’s been widely reported that Trump tried to pressure both of these men to influence James Comey to drop the Russia investigation, neither would admit to any such pressure. Yet many feel that they revealed more by their silence than by the words they spoke. Their testimonies left the committee members dissatisfied, a little miffed, and determined to meet these men again for some straight answers.
6. Meanwhile, back at the Senate, while the special committee was questioning witnesses, Mitch McConnell—grateful for the distraction—was making profitable use of his free time by holding closed-door sessions to create a Senate version of the health-care bill which he plans to fast-track through to a vote in the near future. There’s only one thing Mr. Turtlehead forgot: to let the Democrats in on the content of the bill. Oops! Well, he didn’t really forget, obviously. Here’s what the Washington Examiner reported: “Democrats have taken issue with Republicans for not holding a hearing on the Senate version of the American Health Care Act. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., called out Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, when he said Democrats were welcome to offer ideas and suggestions for the legislation. ‘When you are saying that you inviting us, for what? We don’t even know. We have no idea what is being proposed,’ McCaskill replied.” Well, isn’t that special?
7. On Wednesday, the former director of US national intelligence, James Clapper, spoke to Australia’s National Press Club. According to The Guardian’s report, Mr. Clapper, when asked to compare the Trump-Russia investigation with Watergate, responded, “I think you compare the two, that Watergate pales, really, in my view, compared to what we’re confronting now.” Clapper also called Trump’s interactions with Russia “very problematic,” called Trump’s firing of Jim Comey “egregious and inexcusable,” and said that it is “absolutely crucial for the United States, and for that matter for the world, for this presidency, for the Republicans, for the Democrats and for the nation at large, that we get to the bottom of this.” I agree on all points.
8. Lordy, what a day we had on Thursday! With possibly the largest TV audience for a political hearing since Watergate, James Comey stepped into the Senate Intelligence Committee chamber at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday and swore to tell nothing but the truth about his interactions with Donald Trump. Under oath, Mr. Comey called our “president” a liar, testified that from his very first conversation with DT his gut instinct told him this is a person who can’t be trusted, and unequivocally stated that Russia’s influence in our election was real. Here are his words: “There should be no fuzz on this whatsoever. The Russians interfered in our election in the 2016 cycle. They did it with purpose, they did it with sophistication, they did it with overwhelming technical efforts, and it was an active measures campaign driven from the top of that government.” One of the most notable points of Mr. Comey’s testimony is what it tells us about his reputation. Republicans and Democrats both questioned some of his decisions, but no one questions his integrity. Most of his questioners prefaced their conversations with him by highly commending his integrity and devotion to his country and to his job. Everyone reading this report, as well as the person writing it, has had moments of intense frustration with James Comey and might have fired him ourselves when eleven days before the election he felt compelled to reveal some newly discovered emails from Hillary Clinton’s aide’s ex-husband—a decision which played a large role in throwing the election toward 45. Yet Mr. Comey’s overall reputation as a person of integrity and honor will play a crucial role in this he-said/he-said situation that’s going to determine the future of our republic.
9. There’s been no praise for Donald Trump’s attorney since he made his botched response to James Comey’s testimony. After Robert Mueller was appointed special investigator into the Russia probe and DT was advised to lawyer up, his team began seeking counsel to represent 45 in the long legal battle he faces. Problem is, no one wants to work for him, and the top two reasons given are his reputation for not listening to advice and for not paying those he hires to work for him. Those reasons, along with the potential damage to a legitimate firm’s reputation from being associated with the mob boss, DT, have left Trump and Company in dire straits, with only old friend Marc Kasowitz willing to accept the gig. Mr. Kasowitz, who bills himself on his website as the baddest badass, has a long-standing relationship with DT: “Trump has turned to Kasowitz for matters that include debt restructuring and suing an author who Trump said undercounted his net worth.” In the New York subculture that produced DT, Kasowitz is a star; but in Washington DC political circles, he is outclassed and incompetent. But hey, when he’s all you can get, what’s a prez to do? Kasowitz called James Comey a liar and stated his intention to file a complaint against Comey on Monday of the upcoming week. Comey made his statements under oath, which means Kasowitz has accused Comey of perjury, which is a felony. Mr. Kasowitz seems no more judicious in his public statements than his boss is.
10. And the trophy for most pathetic, disgusting statement of the week goes to our own Speaker of the House Paul Ryan! The Washington Post reports this statement from Ryan following James Comey’s testimony on Thursday: “’People now realize why the president is so frustrated when the FBI director tells him on three different occasions he is not under investigation, yet the speculation swirls around the political system that he is — that’s frustrating,’ Ryan said. He added: ‘I would just say that of course there needs to be a degree of independence between [the Department of Justice], FBI and the White House and a line of communications established. The president’s new at this. He’s new to government, and so he probably wasn’t steeped in the long-running protocols that establish the relationships between DOJ, FBI and White Houses. He’s just new to this.’” Nice try! However, the presidency of the United States is NO place for on-the-job training! This so-called “president” is not only unfamiliar with protocols but is uninclined to become familiar with them. That’s not an excuse; it’s an indictment.

I close my 20^th Swamp Report with the words of James Comey, excerpted from his Thursday testimony before the Senate intelligence committee. Nothing I can write would be as timely, as eloquent, as powerful, or as impassioned as these words:

“The reason this is such a big deal is, we have this big messy wonderful country where we fight with each other all the time. But nobody tells us what to think, what to fight about, what to vote for except other Americans. And that’s wonderful and often painful. But we’re talking about a foreign government that using technical intrusion, lots of other methods, tried to shape the way we think, we vote, we act. That is a big deal. And people need to recognize it. It’s not about Republicans or Democrats. They’re coming after America, which I hope we all love equally. They want to undermine our credibility in the face the world. They think that this great experiment of ours is a threat to them. So they’re going to try to run it down and dirty it up as much as possible. That’s what this is about and they will be back. Because we remain — as difficult as we can be with each other — we remain that shining city on the hill. And they don’t like it.”

We cannot, we must not squander our precious heritage purchased at such great cost. We must keep this city on the hill shining for our children and our children’s children! It’s not a choice. It’s a sacred duty.

New series name; same weekly summary

This week’s tension was broken by a bit of levity as the world laughed, joked, and made memes about the meaning of “covfefe,” from Donald Trump’s late-Tuesday-night tweet, which circulated in the twitterverse until Wednesday morning when someone finally saw and deleted it. The incomplete tweet, “Despite the negative press covfefe,” was obviously going to be a criticism of DT’s favorite target, the press; it seems simple enough to figure out that “covfefe” was meant to be “coverage”; and the unfinished thought, typed late at night, would seem to indicate that the typist dozed off mid-sentence. Nothing sinister here; well, except for the intended attack on the press. Dozing off late at night in the middle of watching a movie, grading papers, or tweeting is a pretty human thing to do. Hitting the wrong keys, especially on a tiny iPhone keyboard, is equally common; and sending out an embarrassing auto-correct version of one’s thoughts—well, none of us want to be reminded of the times we’ve done that. So the question which begs to be answered here is “Why not just admit it?” Why not say, “I was tweeting, and I fell asleep—haha”? That would be the normal thing to do; but since no one can accuse anyone in the DT administration of being normal, sycophant-in-chief Sean Spicer explained to the press (with a straight face!): “The president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant.” Spicer’s statement, to me, sums up the depth of dishonesty embodied in this administration. The inability to admit even the most trivial error, the need to turn a simple mistake into something important and symbolic, and the constant challenge to intelligent people’s reason by telling lies so transparent that none can give them a moment’s consideration is corruption at its most profound. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius sees his son Laertes off on a long journey with some fatherly advice that culminates in this line: “This above all—to thine own self be true,/And it must follow, as the night the day,/Thou canst not then be false to any man.” In 2017, we’d say, “Here’s the most important thing: If you’re honest with yourself first, you can’t be dishonest with anyone else.” I would argue that if a statement is true, its opposite is also true. In this case, that would mean that if one is dishonest with oneself, it’s not possible for that person to be honest with anyone else. And that, friends, sums up the integrity problem at the core of this nightmare administration: the leader is so self-deluded that truth is non-existent except in the moment, in whatever serves his need and his ego at any given time. To be at the mercy of such a morally decadent person is terrifying.

Here’s a snapshot of the week.

1. With the Trump-Russia scandal at the center of the news for what looks like a long time to come, we have begun to pin our hopes each day on some promising announcement that the truth is being discovered and justice will eventually be done. This week’s good news is that James Comey has been scheduled to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, June 8. This portion of Comey’s testimony will be public and is expected to center on the question of whether 45 attempted to persuade Comey to drop his investigation of Michael Flynn. Since 45’s doing so would constitute obstruction of justice, an impeachable offense, the world will be waiting to hear Mr. Comey’s answers to those questions. Although we will probably hear a great deal about Comey’s extemporaneous memos recording 45’s alleged attempts to influence the investigation into Flynn, much of the information which Mr. Comey can share will no doubt be reserved for closed-door sessions with the Senate committee and others.
2. Attorney General Jeff Sessions claimed his share of the spotlight this week, again. A CNN article reminds us of Sessions’ statement during his confirmation hearing on January 10 that he “’did not have any communications with the Russians’ during the campaign. He also said in a written statement submitted to the Senate judiciary committee that he was not in contact with anyone linked to the Russian government during the election.” Sessions has repeatedly denied having had any inappropriate contact with Russian officials, and he failed to report any meetings with Russians on his security forms filed when being vetted for the AG position. In March, however, we learned that he actually had two meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak; and this week we learned there is a potential third meeting which Mr. Sessions apparently “forgot about” when filling out those pesky security forms. Investigators are looking at evidence of an alleged meeting between Sessions and Kislyak, this one on April 27, 2016, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, where Trump was making a campaign speech. I guess when your boss is a serial liar, truth becomes whatever you want it to be. Facts be damned!
3. After last week’s defeat in a federal appeals court of Richmond, Virginia, which issued a 10-3 decision to uphold the block on 45’s travel ban, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is taking the case all the way to the SCOTUS. Since DT’s only hope for sustaining his political power is to keep his base of deplorables happy, it seems he’ll do anything—including fighting for his travel ban and damning the planet by withdrawing from the Paris Accord—to bolster his ego and keep himself politically afloat. It’s all about him!
4. On Wednesday of this week, 45 issued a dozen or so ethics waivers which have caused quite a stir. Ethics waivers are apparently intended to allow specific government officials to do specific things which would otherwise be forbidden by ethics laws. It’s not uncommon for these waivers to be granted; but there are, of course, rules and guidelines governing to whom and for what they can be issued. No one should be surprised to learn that DT did not follow those rules or guidelines. Two particular points of concern are the facts that a number of the waivers made public on Wednesday do not include dates, making it impossible to prove when they were issued or went into effect; and some appear to have been issued retroactively, to cover violations already committed. Walter M Shaub Jr., director of the Office of Government Ethics, provided the voice of reason: “If you need a retroactive waiver, you have violated a rule.” Richard W. Painter, White House ethics lawyer under GWB, puts it more pointedly: “The only retroactive waiver I have ever heard of is called a pardon.” It should go without saying that the White House employee to benefit most from these waivers is Steve Bannon, who has violated ethics restrictions by continuing his communications with his old employer, the alt-right Breitbart News. Voila! Now all of those chats with Breitbart editors are okey dokey! What’s next? Waivers for meetings with Russian officials?
5. Subpoenas have been flying around our nation’s capital this week, as both House and Senate intelligence committees as well as the special prosecutor continue their investigation of Russian election meddling and possible collusion by the Trump campaign. On Wednesday, the House committee approved subpoenas for Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who as we all know has so far not been cooperative. According to the HuffPost, “The committee also approved subpoenas seeking information on requests made by former Obama administration officials to unmask the names of individuals mentioned in classified surveillance reports, the Wall Street Journal reported. The subpoenas reportedly focus on requests made by former national security adviser Susan Rice, former CIA Director John Brennan and former United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power.”
6. In the made-for-reality-tv climax of the week, on Thursday, 45 dramatically announced from the White House Rose Garden that he is pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Seemingly struggling to read his prepared script, which he appeared to be seeing for the first time, Trump “said the landmark 2015 pact imposed wildly unfair environmental standards on American businesses and workers . . . and vowed to stand with the United States against what he called a ‘draconian’ international deal” (New York Times). Draconian? Anyone who’s gritted their teeth through a Trump “speech” knows that’s not a Trump word! Not to worry, though; this decision places us in great company. We’re now in an exclusive group of only three countries who do not participate in the accord; the other two are Syria, which is a bit distracted right now with their civil war, and Nicaragua, who declined to participate because the agreement didn’t go far enough to suit them. But lest anyone should think our esteemed “president” made this decision unadvisedly, fear not! After agonizing over the impact of his momentous choice, before making the public announcement, 45 made a last-minute call to Kimberly Guilfoyle. And who is Kimberly Guilfoyle? you ask. Is she a renowned scientist? No. Is she a climate expert? No. An energy expert? A local politician? No and no. Ms. Guilfoyle is co-host of a FOX News show. Yeah. That’s where 45 goes when he needs expert advice. He did say that he’d consider re-entering after he can renegotiate the agreement; but other leaders were quick to point out that the accord is irreversible—no renegotiation allowed—and that our withdrawal will take several years to be effective. The earliest we can officially leave the agreement is 2020-2021, which means there may yet be hope, because we should have a new president by then. The other leaders also threw in for good measure that our current “president” is an idiot. But that’s not news.
7. In the aftermath of 45’s ignorant and selfish decision to withdraw from the Paris accord, we see once again the indomitable spirit that has made this country what it is. When there’s a leadership void, citizens step up to fill that void and to keep our finest values and priorities alive. In the Rose Garden melodrama, DT declared, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” The problem is that . . . well  . . .  Pittsburgh doesn’t want him.  Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto immediately responded with a tweet: “As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris agreement for our people, our economy & future.” Nationwide, 83 mayors have so far vowed to honor the agreement; and they’ve been joined by governors, business leaders, and university presidents. That’s the spirit of the America that has always been great and didn’t need no stinkin’ orange conman to make it great again!
8. David Gergen, whom I deeply admire for his astute and rational political commentary, called Trump’s action in withdrawing from the Paris accord “grotesquely irresponsible.” He explained, “Seventy years ago the United States entered an international agreement called the Marshall Plan, when we came to the aid of Europe, and it was one of the noblest acts in human history. Today we have walked away from the rest of the world, and it is one of the most shameful acts in our history. I think it will be widely seen around the world as a terrible, terrible setback for the planet. We represent as a country four percent of the world’s population, but we represent about a third of all the excess carbon dioxide that is now warming the planet. We are the largest contributor to carbon dioxide in the world, and…as this carbon dioxide threatens the future of our grandchildren, for us to walk away from that is grotesquely irresponsible. It is also true that the nations that are going to pay the greatest price for global warming are the poor nations of the world, and they have contributed the least to global warming. We have contributed the most. For us to walk away from that is immoral.” All I can say is “AMEN!”
9. Trump’s first trip abroad as the United States’ representative to the world—I can’t believe I’m even saying that!—is being called historic, but not for any reason we can be proud of. Among other results, the trip has left European heads of state frustrated, disappointed, and angry. Germany’s Angela Merkel declared this week that her country’s days of depending on the U.S.A. are “over to a certain extent” and that her country, along with other European nations, “really must take our fate into our own hands.” Most heartbreaking of all is that our president is no longer hailed as “leader of the free world.” That title now goes, according to most analysts, either to Angela Merkel or to a triumvirate of Germany’s Merkel, France’s Macron, and Canada’s Trudeau. My God! What have we done?
10. I close with an excerpt from an excellent article published this week by Rebecca Solnit, called “The Loneliness of Donald Trump”:

“The American buffoon’s commands were disobeyed, his secrets leaked at such a rate his office resembled the fountains at Versailles or maybe just a sieve (this spring there was an extraordinary piece in the Washington Post with thirty anonymous sources), his agenda was undermined even by a minority party that was not supposed to have much in the way of power, the judiciary kept suspending his executive orders, and scandals erupted like boils and sores. Instead of the dictator of the little demimondes of beauty pageants, casinos, luxury condominiums, fake universities offering fake educations with real debt, fake reality tv in which he was master of the fake fate of others, an arbiter of all worth and meaning, he became fortune’s fool. He is, of this writing, the most mocked man in the world.”

We must remind ourselves daily that our fellow citizens brought this disaster raining down upon us. As a lifelong educator, I’m convinced one root of the problem lies in our education system’s emphasis on learning job skills to the exclusion of learning critical thinking skills. That has to change. But first, there’s Betsy DeVos. It’s going to be a long, hard struggle.

As I’ve said before, there is one good result that has come from these last 19 weeks of having a toddler in the White House: it has forced the rest of us to become adults. More people are reading the news, joining political groups, speaking out, participating in protests, and in general being politically active and involved than I have seen in my lifetime. Like the alcoholics’ children, we’ve been forced to take on more responsibility for the maintenance of our household than has been common in the recent past. Long after the Orange Menace has been removed from the White House, we need to retain the vigilance this experience has taught us; we need to remain active and involved and above all alert, to ensure that such a national disgrace never occurs again. “Of the people, by the people, for the people” means it’s on us; it’s our responsibility. Kudos to the parents who are involving their young people in the resistance movement; those children will grow into adults who carry the spirit of responsibility to the next generation, so that our work will last beyond our own lives. We’re part of history. What we do matters. Let’s make it good!