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lees1975

lees1975's Journal
lees1975's Journal
February 6, 2025

Election results warrant change of leadership in the Democratic party, and that must happen quickly

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/02/change-of-leadership-is-necessary-for.html

We just lost a major election that frankly, given the issues and the politics on each side, along with the qualifications, character and ability of the candidates, would have been a slam dunk thirty years ago. The factors which brought us a second Trump term are not all the fault of Democrats. We've lost our free press, billionaire ownership of the media, including once reliably "fair and balanced" sources, along with the ability to reach into most of the population with a clear message, no longer exists. Those elements of our society which provide for an educated and informed electorate have disappeared. And a renegade Supreme Court, bent not on strict constructionism, but on reforming and changing the Constitution's meaning from the bench, made it possible for money to buy election results through their Citizens United ruling several years ago.


The Biden Administration accomplished some remarkable things. But during a two year period, when we had a majority in both Houses of Congress, a sitting Democratic President and control of the justice department, we failed to deal with the single largest issue of the day, which was the act of sedition committed by Trump in organizing an insurrection to attack the Capitol on January 6th, and his subsequent illegal attempts to thwart the peaceful transfer of power.

We had good, solid, experienced party political leadership, but not bold enough to take some risks that would have overcome the obstacles cited as excuses for not achieving his arrest and conviction, and prevented him from being eligible to run again. "It would look too political," they said. It was a risk that would require some innovative thinking to pull off, and some courage to carry out, in that some of our leaders might have had to risk the sacrifice of their power and position in order to see it through, on behalf of their constituents. The old school, status quo manner of doing business precluded the boldness, and self-interest and self-protection precluded the risks and the courage.

That's one big failure for which Democratic leadership must account. The other was failing to recognize the transitional nature of Biden's Presidency, and the weakness within caused by perception of his age and ability to do the job. Running the risk of a faltering, stumbling debate performance, combined with fewer public appearances getting media coverage that the press was giving to Trump, was a failure, and in the final analysis, it was a major factor which did cost Harris the election. Democratic leadership, which allowed an embarrassing, month-long period of confusion, mostly negative media coverage, and open the door for Republicans to insert unfounded speculation and criticism , must be held accountable for this as well.
February 5, 2025

I hate to say, "We told you so," but Gaza supporters who voted for Stein, RFK, Trump or stayed home to punish

Biden, you're getting a much worse outcome than you would have with Harris.

Look at some of my posts about it. I said if Trump gets in, he would turn the entire population into refugees, level the place and set it up to be one of his resorts, for him to make money off of it. He wants it to be an imperialist outpost of the United States, while the people of Gaza are diffused among other Arab states. Well, Netanyahu would buy that, not sure anyone else in the world will.

So go study American politics, and the Constitution, and when you realize that this is not "demand and get it" in the real world, then tell me you regret your own vote.

February 5, 2025

Do we want to save America? Then we need leaders willing to sacrifice and we need to get behind them and help.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/02/do-we-want-to-save-america-then-we-need.html

If there were any doubt that Trump was an existential threat to Democracy before he took office on January 20th, there's none now. That being said, I can't understand any reasoning by Democrats in Congress that would open the door to cast any favorable votes for any of his nominees. Sorry, that may not be status quo politics, but I'm done with that. If the man is an existential threat to Democracy, then that is what he is, and there isn't anyone he nominates who should be getting a single vote from any politician who really believes that. Those he nominates are also a threat.

I sent an email, outlining my position in a very firm, but nice way to my member of Congress, and checked the box indicating that I would like for her to reply. So far, five days later, which is after her own deadline, I had not received anything. I don't really know if she's a "play the game, status quo" kind of Democrat, or whether she's interested in bolder leadership, and worrying more about the country than the potential of losing her seat in a district where Harris got 70% of the vote. I hope she is the latter, or I will feel compelled to run against her myself, and I am, as I write this, making contacts to determine how to get started on this.

My Senators are also getting a similar screed. One of them is another status quo Democrat, Dick Durbin. I try hard to be respectful here, because the Senator is 80, and has a long and distinguished record of service, but I don't think the Senator's perspective on how Congress operates is up to date, and I don't see the aggressiveness that will be necessary in a vital spot on the Judiciary committee. I expect him, as I do Senator Duckworth, to vote down everything Trump at every opportunity in order to represent myself, and their constituents, fairly and objectively.

The fact that there is a shred of Democratic support for any nominee this President puts forth is baffling and confusing to me, after all of the strong, sharp rhetoric about Trump being an existential threat to democracy, and especially after he organized and carried out an insurrection against the government by organizing an attack on the Capitol on January 6th. No Democrat who lived through that experience should be compromising or giving way on anything, and the fact that this does seem to be happening is bitterly disappointing, disheartening and discouraging. If the leaders we've elected to positions of responsibility in government aren't willing to show some resolve, then we need to elect new leaders, or step up and take the reigns ourselves, something I am perfectly willing to do.
February 4, 2025

Why were Republicans able to be so obstructionist when Democrats were in power, but Democrats can't do anything

with Republicans in power?

Even when they weren't the majority in either house, we couldn't seem to get much past them. They had tools and plans and strategies and the Democrats wouldn't make the moves to show we still had the power.

Why aren't our party's leaders being nasty and obstructionist now?

February 4, 2025

Called out because of their false doctrine, an unprecedented bill to censure a preacher for speaking truth to power.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/02/called-out-because-of-their-false.html

Taking the step to introduce a resolution in the House of Representatives to censure the Bishop will not accomplish anything except to underline the hypocrisy of those who support the resolution. Those who support doing this are showing us their lack of conviction, and if they claim to be Christian, it is a demonstration of gross hypocrisy. They are setting themselves aside as the wolves in sheep's clothing, or as the Apostle Jude put it, they are intruders in the church, bringing in licentiousness and denying the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have found a new savior to worship and adore, and they are abandoning the one who actually preached and taught values.

Of course, it's no surprise that Trump was offended by a basic doctrinal principle of Christianity. He is not only not a professing Christian, but has been openly defiant in his rejection of the Evangelical interpretation of a Christian conversion experience, claiming he has done nothing requiring God's forgiveness. Those within his entourage, or within the Republican party, who chose to defend and support him, are also denying aspects of their own faith. It's a choice, and they are accountable for it.

I've read and heard a lot of critics of the Bishop's sermon from among the fundamentalists of Falwellian ilk, and the Charistmatic prosperity gospel preachers of Pat Robertson tradition, and they are way outside of the boundaries of Christian orthodoxy. Their interpretation of the Bible, which didn't develop until the middle to late 19th century, doesn't take into consideration the interpretive standard of the words of Christ himself as the criterion by which all of the rest of the Bible is to be interpreted. So they have developed a very legalistic religion, in contrast to the grace-based Christian gospel of Christ.

But it appears that Trump is now the standard by which conservative Evangelicals interpret the Bible, and which dictates the practice of their Christian faith. All of those things upon which Jesus placed primary importance as expressions of values held by those who professed faith in the Christian gospel, from the beatitudes, including peacemaking, mercy and seeking after righteousness, to loving one's neighbor, and loving one's enemies, along with grace, forgiveness and mercy, are not relevant or important to conservative Evangelicals. It's what Trump thinks and says that are the gospel, not the Bible's writers.

And that has led us to this point, where Congress is considering a resolution that violates the first amerndment of the Constitution, the censureship of an Episcopalian Bishop, for preaching truth to power.
February 3, 2025

A "new day" at the Democratic National Committee or more of the same status quo?

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-new-day-at-democratic-national.html

The fact that David Hogg has better name recognition than Ken Martin, and that I am more excited about his being elected vice-chariman of the Democratic National Committee may say something about how rank and file Democrats also view the recent change of leadership. The Democratic National Committee is now entering what will be the single most critical period of its existence. And as a lifelong, contributing member of the Democratic party, while I understand the role of the DNC is primarily raising funds and directing how they are spent, and Ken Martin seems to be a suitable candidate to manage that kind of operation, I think whatever else it can produce that is turned toward opposing the single most corrupt and incompetent President in American history must be done.

The fact that Martin won, without the big endorsements of Schumer and Pelosi, is a big factor in his favor, as far as I am concerned. The Democratic party has had a chronic disability when it comes to defining its messaging, making it clear and relatable, and getting it out. Pelosi and Schumer, who have been excellent in their party leadership in Congress, haven't been nearly as successful when it comes to this aspect of party politics. I like what Martin had to say about how he sees his role at the DNC, specifically, "My job is to go out there and define the Republicans." That's pretty clear. And so is "We will go on the offense against Donald Trump."


Not even two full weeks into the second Trump administration, and it has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. In the face of that, we've had some Democrats back down, one even made a pilgrimage to Mar-A-Largo, and there's been a definite softening of the rhetoric, toning down the "existential threat to democracy" language, and crawling under well-placed rocks prepared in advance places in Washington, DC, for the purpose of self-preservation. It's a milquetoast response to the peaceful transfer of power, compared to the manner in which Republicans faced off against the incoming Democratic congress and the Biden Administration in Jauary of 2021.

That generated, from me, notice to my member of Congress and my two state senators that I personally would not tolerate compromise or "soft" opposition to the Trump Administration, and that if they wanted my vote in future elections, I needed to see some backbone, now. My political contributions, at least for now, go to "Leaders We Deserve", the organization that now-DNC Vice Chair David Hogg leads. Instead of protecting their own turf, and their own position, I need to see some Democrats willing to take risks and make some self-sacrifice because I think saving this Democracy is far more important than their getting one more term in office.

One more term to do what?
February 2, 2025

The necessity of an educated and informed electorate has never been more urgent.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-importance-of-educated-and-informed.html

George Washington addresses the issues that we are facing with this unconstitutional, incompetent and corrupt Trump Presidency as if he were observing them himself. So it's not that the founders, when designing American democracy, writing and ratifying the Constitution, and establishing the Republic, did not forsee the possibility of a corrupt, criminal element, influenced by foreign powers and driven by money interests, gaining control of the government to serve their own narrow purposes and those of the other billionares who influence the politics. Washington saw this as a possibility.

They put plenty of safeguards in place, including making the Constitution amendable, not expecting a strict constructionist approach, but that as society and the culture changed, the Constitution could adapt to the change. The safeguards in making those changes was wisely requiring two-thirds of the members of Congress to agree, and two-thirds of the states having to ratify their agreement. The safeguard which the founders believed to be the best defense against "ill-concerted and incongruous projects of factions," a description which fits Trumpism perfectly, was "the power and right of the people to establish government."

So Washington believed that an informed electorate, with the power and right of the people behind them, wouldn't elect a convicted felon, or a con artist, or a grifter, or a corrupt, known pathological liar, like Trump to any office where they had any influence in government. An educated and informed electorate was, to the founders, a wall of protection to the Constitution against a subversive, and in this case, seditious faction.

It is substantially true that virtue or morality is is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the fabric?

Promote then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the structure of government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.--George Washington, First Farewell Address [emphasis mine]
January 31, 2025

If there were still any question about whether Trump's lack of ability to be President is worse now than it was before,

his response to the plane disaster removed all doubt.

And if you think that's bad, just wait until Monday, after he levies tarrifs on Canada and Mexico. Egg prices won't be the issue, but $6 a gallon gas will.

January 30, 2025

How many of those brilliant people and geniuses Trump was referring to were never hired because there was no DEI?

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/01/how-many-of-those-geniuses-and.html

Trump turned a tragic plane crash in Washington, D.C. into another opportunity to harp on one of his constant political themes. His obsession with DEI employment practices appears to be a form of psychosis. His claim is that because diversity, equity and inclusion are hiring requirements for federal jobs, including those in air traffic control and safety, people being hired aren't as smart or as good at the job as they might be if there were no such requirements. Of course, this is just more political rhetoric that he spews forth without substantiation or supporting facts, something the news media has simply normalized as far as he is concerned.

But there's more to it than just political rambling motivated by hatred and bigotry. My question is, how many people who had the technical skill, the focus, the education and the "smarts" if you will, to be outstanding air traffic controllers were passed over for jobs in the past because they were black or Latino, or Asian, and not white?

And that prompts a second question, one that any sharp reporter or commentator working this story should have asked, or put out there for Trump's response, "Does he have a shred of data or fact to support the claim that current air traffic controllers are not as good as air traffic controllers who didn't get a job they applied for because diversity, equity and inclusion rules required taking a less qualified candidate?"
January 30, 2025

Blaming DEI for a plane crash? Seriously?

So, we have the demented Trump, going over and over and over to the same themes, blaming DEI hiring practices for the plane crash because high quality people aren't being hired for air traffic control.

And most of our media, no longer a "free press," stands there, listening, and acting like this is something to take seriously.

Of course, any reporter or commentator not fully loyal or favorable to Trump doesn't get in his press conferences. So these are the suck ups. The good ones are those restricted from access.

Someone needs to ask where an example of a DEI hire wasn't as equally qualified for an air traffic control position as the person who got the job. Document that and make it public.

We've got a long way to go people. Lots of lies left to tell.

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Gender: Male
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Current location: Chicago, Illinois
Member since: Wed Dec 25, 2019, 12:02 AM
Number of posts: 6,224
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