Former Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein assesses the Trump administration’s first six months and responds to questions about an infamous photo that showed her sitting at the same table as Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a dinner in Moscow in 2015.
The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release February 28, 2017
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States -- (applause) -- and citizens of America:
Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our nation's path towards civil rights and the work that still remains to be done. (Applause.) Recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms. (Applause.)
Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present. That torch is now in our hands. And we will use it to light up the world. I am here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength, and it is a message deeply delivered from my heart. A new chapter -- (applause) -- of American Greatness is now beginning. A new national pride is sweeping across our nation. And a new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp.
What we are witnessing today is the renewal of the American spirit. Our allies will find that America is once again ready to lead. (Applause.) All the nations of the world -- friend or foe -- will find that America is strong, America is proud, and America is free.
In nine years, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding -- 250 years since the day we declared our independence. It will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world. But what will America look like as we reach our 250th year? What kind of country will we leave for our children? Read more ___________________________________________________________________
In his first address to Congress, Donald Trump vowed to destroy health care for the tens of millions of children, disabled people, low-paid workers and elderly citizens who now depend on Medicaid. He promised to continue viciously demonizing Muslims and Latinos as terrorists and criminals. He blustered that he will gut government health and safety regulations so that billionaires and corporations may prosper and plunder, buzzed on a permanent capitalistic crack high. He committed himself to the destruction of public education, euphemising it as "school choice." He pledged a massive build-up of the already bloated military forces abroad and enhanced militarized police forces at home.
And the mainstream media swooned, because Donald Trump uttered all his depraved fantasies in such a normal, reasonable tone of voice. Trump is finally acting "presidential." He abandoned the dark rhetoric of his inauguration, and magically morphed into the heir of that sunny sadist himself, Ronald Reagan. He even managed an echo of Barack Obama's own "adult in the room" glib, bipartisan doubletalk.
I just wanted to begin by mentioning that the nominee for secretary of the Department of Labor will be Mr. Alex Acosta. He has a law degree from Harvard Law School, was a great student; former clerk for Justice Samuel Alito. And he has had a tremendous career. He’s a member and has been a member of the National Labor Relations Board, and has been through Senate confirmation three times, confirmed; did very, very well.
And so Alex, I’ve wished him the best. We just spoke. And he’s going to be — I think he’ll be a tremendous secretary of labor.
And also as you probably heard just a little while ago, Mick Mulvaney, former congressman, has just been approved weeks late, I have to say that, weeks, weeks late, Office of Management and Budget. And he will be I think a fantastic addition.
Paul Singer just left. As you know, Paul was very much involved with the anti-Trump or as they say, "never Trump." And Paul just left and he’s given us his total support. And it’s all about unification. We’re unifying the party and hopefully we’re going to be able to unify the country. It’s very important to me. I’ve been talking about that for a long time. It’s very, very important to me.
So I want to thank Paul Singer for being here and for coming up to the office. He was a very strong opponent, and now he’s a very strong ally. And I appreciate that.
I think I’ll say a few words, and then we’ll take some questions. And I had this time. We’ve been negotiating a lot of different transactions to save money on contracts that were terrible, including airplane contracts that were out of control and late and terrible; just absolutely catastrophic in terms of what was happening. And we’ve done some really good work. We’re very proud of that. Read more
The Deep State Speaketh Sardoniky blog By Karen Garcia Wednesday, February 15, 2017 *2/16 Update Below.
The first Deep State leg of the punishing journey that Senator Chuck Schumer called "six ways from Sunday" is now complete. The Intelligence Community has officially begun its vendetta against Donald J. Trump.
Not that we should mourn the newly deposed General Mike Flynn, of course. The man was not just a loose cannon in a whole cabinet full of them, he was a human cluster bomb. A ground war with Iran on his watch was never a question of if, but of when. Flynn was practically salivating blood in his hateful haste to kill as many Muslims as possible. So good riddance to him.
I have just a few thoughts on what could possibly be going on with the Consensuals of the Washington establishment.
1. They just really, viscerally hate Donald Trump's guts, as well as his unfiltered Queens-accented voice speaking uncomfortable truths about the Military Industrial Complex and American imperialism. Above all, they just hate that he is ruining their long-held plans for at least a warming of the cold war with Russia. They don't want all those troops in Norway and Estonia and Poland just going to waste. If there is a true peace with Putin, the American-based oil cartels might have to negotiate nicely with Russia over all that oil lurking in the Bering Sea. And they don't want to share. Read more...
A challenge to election results by Donald Trump could start and ultimately end in the states.
State laws governing recounts vary, CNN reports in an article by University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck. Issues include when a candidate can request a recount and when the recount is required.
Some states require an automatic recount when results are close. And some states don’t allow recounts unless the vote is close, report Politico, the New York Times and the Boston Herald. Some states allow recounts when there is a larger margin separating the candidates but require the candidate to pay the cost.
Trump could challenge the recount results. He could also sue state officials for allegedly violating their own election procedures. And he could claim voter fraud changed the results.
Larry Noble, former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission, pointed out that Trump can’t rely on general allegations of fraud to make his case. "You need something more specific," he told the Boston Herald. "You need a serious claim."
Federal law guarantees recognition of a state’s electors only if the results are certified within 35 days, giving the states five weeks to resolve challenges, according to the CNN article. A longer resolution could run the risk that Congress wouldn’t recognize state results and would instead make its own decision on the state winner.
Trump could try to persuade electors meeting in December to ignore the state vote, or he could ask state lawmakers to appoint new electors, University of California law professor Richard Hasen tells the Times.
Congress meets to count electoral votes Jan. 6. If no candidate receives a majority, each state casts a vote to determine the winner. Trump could also ask Congress not to recognize a state vote or to challenge a state’s counting procedure, Hasen said.
Disputes over election results are resolved under state law unless a federal constitutional violation can be shown. That was the issue in Bush v. Gore, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on behalf of George W. Bush, finding an equal protection clause violation.
What happens if a constitutional case goes to the U.S. Supreme Court? If the court splits 4-4, the state supreme court opinion would be affirmed, CNN reports in a different story.
Another scenario would be a recusal by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg because of her comments criticizing Trump as "a faker" with "an ego" who "says whatever comes into his head at the moment." New York University law professor Stephen Gillers told CNN in July that he thinks Ginsburg would be required to recuse because her impartiality might reasonably be questioned.
But it would be up to Ginsburg to decide whether to recuse. Read more
Revised at 9:50 a.m. to correct wrong reference in the second to last paragraph.
Why would anyone vote for Donald Trump? One popular theory holds that his supporters are bigots angered by America’s changing racial mix. Another is that they’re salt-of-the-earth working folks left behind by the loss of manufacturing jobs, alienated from the moneyed ruling class and irritated by the tyranny of political correctness. Or some combination thereof.
These theories, which contain elements of truth, emphasize Trump’s dire assessment of present-day America and his followers’ discontent. They focus on negative sentiment. But an important part of the story is Trump’s positive allure — the way the candidate taps into, and projects, the most fundamental outlines of the American Dream.
Conventional explanations miss the glamour of Trump’s message.
The word "glamour" originally meant a literal magic spell that makes people see things differently than they are. Understood correctly, glamour is not a particular style — different styles seem glamorous to different people — but, like humor, a form of communication that creates a specific emotional response. Glamour generates a feeling of projection and longing: "if only." If only I could walk that red carpet, drive that car, wear that dress, belong to that group, have that job, be (or be with) that person … if only I could have that life.
The feeling is universal, but the manifestation is particular: One person’s glamorous vacation may be a busy trip to Paris, while another dreams of the solitude of a mountain cabin. What you find glamorous depends on who you are — and who you yearn to be.
To tastemakers and TED talkers, Trump may seem impossibly vulgar, with his braggadocio, teased hair and preference for well-done steaks. But one definition of "vulgar" is "of or relating to the common people," and a lot of folks find Trump their kind of tycoon: a totem of success in whom they can imagine their ideal selves. "Trump is the big time, the bright lights, the fancy everything, and wealth and fame and all things I am not but would like to be," said supporter Michael Stuart Kelly, who runs an Internet marketing company. Kelly believes that the candidate appeals to "good, intelligent, productive people who dream big, even when they can’t live it." Unlike moguls who inspire resentment, Trump encourages his audience to imagine sharing his success.
Even more than fashion and film, the real estate and travel industries — where Trump has made most of his money — employ glamour as a tool of persuasion and sales. With carefully crafted words and imagery, marketers invite customers to project themselves into a different, better setting and, through it, a different, better life. Stay in a Trump hotel, the corporate website promises, and you won’t just get a nice room and good service. You’ll enjoy "a lifestyle where you can do more, experience more and live life without boundaries, limits or compromise." Glamour is much more than luxury. It promises transformation.
In this way, Trump combines powerful charisma, which draws audiences to enlist in his cause, with the glamorous salesmanship of a real estate brochure. At times the appeal is so explicit, it’s meta: "We need somebody that can take the brand of the United States and make it great again," he said in announcing his candidacy.
His branding efforts permeate everything he says, with his repetition on the campaign trail of certain words: "win," "respect," "strong," "powerful," "rich," "leader" and, of course, "build." The right words can cast a spell, even if they don’t really make sense. "We are going to do something so good and so fast and so strong, and the world is going to respect us again, believe me," Trump told supporters after his win in New Hampshire, letting them fill in the blanks with their own desires. (It’s a trick well-honed during his business career. He once asked a vendor: "What should I call my next project? Celestia? Empyrean? Royal Imperial Regal?")
Like all forms of glamour, this salesmanship transmits an artificial sense of grace. It conceals effort, costs, difficulties and flaws: the constant maintenance that keeps the golf course pristine, the wear from real-life traffic on the white rug, the sand in the bathing suit, the jet lag, the family squabbles. Like the performance of a magic trick, glamour relies on the suspension of disbelief.
On the campaign trail, the candidate portrays himself as a maker. "Who can build better than Trump? I build; it’s what I do," he said, defending the practicality of his proposed border wall. For his supporters, the attraction is not just the possibility that the wall will be built but the belief that their candidate is a doer, someone whose abilities transcend the quotidian and inadequate skills of the political class currently in power. The builder image carefully omits the fact that these days, Trump doesn’t make his money by erecting new high-rises or resorts. Instead, he’s turned himself into what branding consultant Robert Passikoff calls "a human brand extraordinaire." He licenses his name to other developers as a lifestyle promise, which turns out to add significant value. Read more
