Congress has long mandated that after the death of U.S. presidents, official flags at the Capitol fly at half-staff for thirty days.
Jimmy Carter died on December 29 at the age of 100. So during the Inauguration on January 20, flags would be flown at half-staff. But Trump objected crudely, saying that Democrats were “giddy” at the possibility. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson thus ordered that during the Inauguration the flags would be fully flown.
Trump was Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2024. But for their magazine cover on Inauguration week, we appreciate that it is this particular former president who is featured. We don’t know how Trump feels about this, though we might yet hear.
If America needs role models for moral leadership and exemplary living, we have had few presidents, maybe none, who fit the role better than Jimmy Carter.
“Chuck Schumer is Hamas all the way. I don’t know what the hell happened to him. If you support him, you’re crazy.”
“But they do love me in Israel. Everybody loves me. I could run for Prime Minister.”
Trump recently addressed the Israeli-American Council. In his 45-minute incoherent diatribe he explained why American Jews must vote for him.
Some unforgettable moments:
And, sadly, and I have to say this, and it hurts me to say it, you’re going to still vote for Democrats, and it doesn’t make sense. I say all the time that any Jewish person that votes for her, especially now, her or the Democrat Party, should have their head examined. It’s true.
With all I have done for Israel, I received only 24 percent of the Jewish vote. Now, think of this. I really haven’t been treated very well, but that’s the story of my life. It’s true. Think of it. But I understood that because I wasn’t really tested, I wasn’t a politician, and I won. But I understood that. And then I became President and was the best President ever for the people of Israel and for Jewish people. The best President ever.
And I did more for them than any President has and probably any President can do or will do, other than the current situation that’s coming up, because I have a feeling that maybe that’s going to be more than anything that was even done in the past, if you want to know the truth, because I think Israel is in big trouble.
And still, in 2020 — so remember, I got 24, 25 percent. Now I did all of these things, and I got 29 percent. Think of it. So I wasn’t treated right. But it’s not me that’s been treated badly. It’s Israel. Because you can make a big difference in the vote. You’re going to be a big factor in the vote.
I will say, places like Miami and different places were great. But honestly, I went from 25 to 29. And based on what I did, and based on my love of the same love that you have, I should be at 100. I should be at 100. But — But let me give you the bad news. A poll — I just told you how good the polls are, but we need every vote we can get.
The current polling has me with Jewish citizens, Jewish people — people that are supposed to love Israel. After having done all of that, having been the best President, the greatest President, by far — by far — a poll just came out. I’m at 40 percent. That means you got 60 percent voting for somebody that hates Israel. And I say it, it’s going to happen.
It’s only because of the Democrat hold or curse on you. You can’t let this happen. Forty percent is not acceptable because we have an election to win. So after all of this, I went from 29 to 40 percent.
And people that are smart said to me — a friend of mine, Jewish friend of mine, loves Israel, loves everything about your religion and about your country, your place. He said, “I can’t believe it’s happening. It’s sad.” And he started to cry, actually. He started to cry. With all of this — and he’s a tough cookie. I don’t think he cried for — since he was a little tiny baby. Maybe then I don’t think he cried.
And I only want to be — so I’m not going to call this as a prediction, but, in my opinion, the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss if I’m at 40 percent. If I’m at — if I think of it, that means 60 percent of voting for Kamala, who, in particular, is a bad Democrat.
The Democrats are bad to Israel. Very bad. They’ll never change because they have a section of their party now which has become amazingly and quickly very powerful, votes-wise. I mean, Chuck Schumer is a Palestinian. Who would have thought that was going to happen? What the hell happened to him? I saw him the other day. He was dressed in one of their robes, you know. That’ll be next. No, Chuck Schumer is Hamas all the way. I don’t know what the hell happened to him. If you support him, you’re crazy.
I’m at 40 percent. And when I heard that number today — it just came out today — when I heard that number today, I think it was insulting to our country. It was insulting to Israel. You know, it’s very interesting. They did a poll in Israel. I’m, like, at 99 percent favorable. I could run for — right now, I could run for any office in Israel. I’m at — in Israel, they love me. Here, not so much.
But they do love me in Israel. Everybody loves me. I could run for Prime Minister. Would you like me as your Prime Minister? But I have to learn your language. That’s a tough language to learn. I have to learn it in about three months. I have to learn it very quickly. But, no, I’m very — most popular person in Israel. But here, it doesn’t translate. It’s a — it’s a strange thing.
Rhetoric doesn’t end war and save lives. Whatever the rhetoric he and his administration announce, Biden continues to arm a nation pursuing a questionable war strategy that is killing thousands. Reported just yesterday:
US reportedly approves transfer to Israel of bombs and jets worth billions Sources say weapons package authorized even as Washington expresses public concern over anticipated offensive in Rafah Friday, March 29, 2024
The US in recent days authorized the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel, two sources familiar with the effort said on Friday, even as Washington publicly expresses concerns about an anticipated Israeli military offensive in Rafah.
The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK-84 2,000lb bombs and 500 MK-82 500lb bombs, said the sources, who confirmed a report in the Washington Post.
Whether you lived through the Vietnam War or know it only as history, this is seeming oppressively and depressingly familiar, not just as an unnecessary tragedy, but as a political nightmare.
LBJ accomplished a lot of important things for America, but his stubborn support of the war in Vietnam doomed his reelection in 1968, leading him to drop out of the race, and leading to the horrors of the Nixon White House.
Biden has also accomplished a lot of important things for America. But he already goes into the 2024 election with widespread questions about his age. Now added to that is his stubborn support, despite his rhetoric, for a war that is already tragic and a situation that will not look better by the time of the election.
The analogy isn’t perfect. But as the saying goes, history may not repeat itself, but it rhymes. This is looking a lot like Biden’s Vietnam. And as terrible as the Nixon presidency was, the Trump regime would be more evil and dangerous. Is there still time for Biden to do more than talk, to stand up and use American military support as leverage? Even if he does, is it too late to make a difference in what is almost certainly a toss-up election, with Biden in the eyes of some voters—especially some Democratic voters—a villain?
Joe sits most days on the porch of his house on Main Street. Everybody knows Joe, most everybody likes him. People passing by stop and chat. They listen to Joe’s wisdom, his stories about his life, what he’s done, what he’s seen. He can get a little nostalgic, but that’s just Joe being Joe.
Don doesn’t live on Main Street. He lives in a mansion on the hill. Every day his driver brings him around. He gets out of the limo, walks around, grabbing anyone who’ll listen. He talks and talks and talks, mostly about himself or about some cockeyed vision of the town and how it’s going to hell, unless he saves it. Some people like Don, but most people are just scared of him. He seems to be getting crazier every day. He is frightening, but some say that’s just Don being Don.
Election for mayor is coming up soon. Joe and Don have both decided to run. People are sad, because they know the town has other people who could do a better job. Will Joe get off the porch? Will Don stop threatening people? Is there something wrong with the town?
“This has been a year of staggering, stupefying realizations.”
I published a post five days before the 2016 election, writing that “This has been a year of staggering, stupefying realizations.” The post wasn’t really about Trump, who seemed unlikely to be our next president. It was about America and us in America, whatever the results of the election.
I did not yet know what a year of staggering, stupefying realizations could be. The Talking Heads sang “Say it once/Why say it again?”, and this is mostly right. Even so, below is that post from four years ago, which is just as pertinent now.
In 1945 America helped defeat Nazi Germany, a global force that threatened to engulf the world in virulent hate and tyranny. In the aftermath of a brutal but noble victory, and despite deserved self-congratulation, America was forced to look at itself. It was not immune to or unfamiliar with similar levels and types of hate within—in certain places, among certain people.
We worked at identifying and eliminating that sort of hate, institutionally and individually, to the extent that is ever possible. There were missteps and resistance, along with denials and rationalizations. Progress was made, sometimes in fits and starts, and the work goes on.
This has been a year of staggering, stupefying realizations. Among the things we know better, as if we weren’t aware, is that there are plenty of people with hate in their hearts who for a long while have felt marginalized and silenced by a degree of public decency. Another thing we learned, and should know, is that once public decency is called into question or invalidated, those same people will be encouraged and emboldened.
Like it or not, these are our countrymen. Pretending they are not has never worked, nor has giving up because there’s nothing to be done. Progress has been made, and though it would be comfortable to believe things inevitably move forward, they don’t. Backwards happens, but not if we start by facing up again to who we are and hope to be. And then get back to work.
The president apparently believes he can “defeat” ISIS and “win” the war in Afghanistan by dropping really big bombs. The biggest. Sad that no one thought of that before.
A number of times in world situations (and in domestic situations too) it appears that Trump has been completely absent from any discussion, debate or learning for decades. It doesn’t matter, since his opinion, at least until recently, has been based mostly on what he sees and hears on the news and on his emotional gut reaction. And as with most uninformed gut reactions, subject to change at a moment’s notice
Or maybe he’s been asleep. Like Rip Van Winkle, who slept for at least 20 years, only to wake up and discover a strange but more satisfactory world. Maybe one in which he is suddenly president.
Ah! well a-day! what evil looks Had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Barring extraordinary intervening events such as impeachment (which may not happen), Donald Trump will be president for the next four years. For those unhappy with that prospect, one obvious strategy is to limit his power/damage by reducing the number of Republicans in Congress and elsewhere.
As complex tactics are devised to achieve that end, here is a magic incantation—an albatross—that can help:
REPUBLICAN President Trump
Yes, it is that simple. Three words. It was only months ago that many Republicans were distancing themselves from candidate Trump—trying to hold onto their integrity, dignity, principles and sanity. Once he won, it was understandable that they stood by him, given the power that comes with the office. A lot of Republican dreams could come true with a Republican president, even if it is Trump.
Now Republicans are wondering about the consequences of being attached to the wackiest and least popular president in modern history—maybe ever (after only two months in office!). Not even distancing is going to work, since Trump showed during the campaign that he would attack anyone at any time, regardless of party. Those attacks carry a lot more weight now that he is actually the president.
Even if Republicans try to delicately distance themselves, it should be made as difficult as possible. And the best way to assure that is to identify Trump regularly as REPUBLICAN President Trump. Not President Trump. REPUBLICAN President Trump. REPUBLICAN President Trump.
Comic books aren’t always funny. They include some very dark characters with dark intentions and powers. Those intentions and powers are found in the real (non-comics) world, so we should pay attention and shouldn’t laugh.
One other thing, though, is that these dark characters are two-dimensional, even when they are turned into compelling movie characters. Upon close inspection, they have no intelligence, because they have no brains, because they are…comic book characters.
And so, as long as we recognize that the real President and his real administration have very real intentions and powers, we might gain perspective from treating them graphically as comic book characters. In any case, we are probably already tired of seeing photos of Donald Trump. Maybe this is a way to make the view a little bit different and more interesting.
The news is that Rick Perry will be nominated as Energy Secretary, head of a department he had trouble remembering he wanted to eliminate. So here he is:
Two closely-watched Republican lawmakers are calling on their colleagues to maintain aggressive congressional oversight of the Trump administration next year even though the new president hails from the same party controlling Capitol Hill.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), who have large national followings and grander political ambitions, agreed that House and Senate committees must keep close tabs on Donald Trump’s new government starting next year — not because they want to stick it to a man that neither originally endorsed for president, but because doing so would help rebalance power between the three branches of government.
During the campaign, Trump was like a rich and wacky member of the Republican family—a crazy uncle you could distance yourself from, but who was after all a member of the family, and you did want to make sure that he left you something in his will. This led to many Republicans doing some fancy dancing.
But Trump is very much alive, and the Republican Party woke up to find itself married to him. So while Republican Senators like Cotton and Gowdy say they will “maintain aggressive oversight” because they want a proper balance of power, that isn’t it. Married to Trump, they know that if he screws up, come the next election—or sooner—they will get the blame and take the hit. Trump may now be head of the household, but his new family is going to try to make sure he doesn’t burn down the house. Because they know he just loves to play with fire.
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges.” Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1927) by B. Traven, changed slightly for the movie.
The naming of Ben Carson to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development brings this to mind.
Imagine that you are a really, really rich guy with a big ego and a big yacht. You pilot that yacht all around America and some locations around the world.
You conclude that based on this experience, you are able to captain the biggest destroyer in the U.S. Navy fleet (USS Zumwalt, 610-foot, 15,000-ton, $4.4 billion to build) or a Nimitz-Class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (USS George Washington, 1092-foot, 100,000-ton, crew of 5,000).
You further conclude that in general, qualifications are overrated and unnecessary. You therefore feel free to ask anyone to do anything, no matter how big the job or small the experience or knowledge. After all, that’s how you got your job in the first place.
Bob Schwartz 