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New York Times and Associated Press look for dirt on Kavanaugh’s wife

They’re coming for you next: The New York Times and the Associated Press have now made broad requests for the email records of Ashley Kavanaugh, wife of the current Supreme Court nominee, while she was town manager for the Village of Chevy Chase Section 5 (that’s only part of the village).

The two news organizations took different approaches to obtain the e-mails. According to the documents, the AP made a sweeping request for “all emails sent or received” by Ashley Kavanaugh’s Village of Chevy Chase email address.

By contrast, The New York Times is currently requesting that The Village of Chevy Chase Section 5 hand over “any emails to or from Ms. Kavanaugh that contain any of the keywords or terms listed below.”

And what a list it is, including words like “liberal,” “abortion,” “gay,” and “federalist,” while also explicitly asking for e-mails containing the names of certain individuals.

It’s a witch hunt, and a perfect illustration of McCarthyism of the left. “Have you ever been a member of the Republican Party, or do you know anyone who has?” As noted at the link,

[I]t’s all but clear that the PIA request from the NYT and the AP isn’t to shine a light on the workings of Chevy Chase local government; it’s to invade Mrs. Kavanaugh’s correspondence to dig up dirt on her husband. The nature of the search parameters from the NYT make that excruciatingly clear, unless the NYT has an ongoing in-depth exposé on the use of “federalist” thought in local governments.

…This is an intimidation tactic designed to discourage the next Supreme Court justice appointed by Donald Trump or any other Republican president, warning everyone that spouses will become fair game not just in electoral politics but in non-electoral politics as well.

This is only the beginning. The witch hunt, having failed against Trump, must continue until it succeeds, even if it means broadening it so that everyone who opposes the left is always guilty, and subject to as much blacklisting and thuggery as possible.

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47 comments

  • wayne

    William Mandel testifies before HUAC
    May 1960 (excerpt)
    https://youtu.be/UM8uP565hzI
    1:23

    “Honorable beaters of children, sadists, uniformed and in plain clothes, distinguished Dixiecrat wearing the clothing of a gentleman, eminent Republican who opposes an accommodation with the one country with which we must live at peace in order for us and all our children to survive…… If you think that I am going to cooperate with this collection of Judases, of men who sit there in violation of the United States Constitution, if you think I will cooperate with you in any way, you are insane!”

  • Cotour

    Another positive indicator, the desperation builds.

    Lies, double standards, treachery, impeachment, murder, blackmail, false accusations, redefining of words and terms, hacking, fake followers, fake posters, extortion, sounds a lot like how the mafia (Or the leadership of the FBI) operates.

    If these things were not going on I would be very concerned, because in the false silence and false peace you know there will be corruption and manipulation forming. But they are, the Democrats now have no time for their flavor of manipulation while they are concentrated on their existence.

  • Cotour: I hope you are right, but these are not “positive indicators.” They do indicate that the left’s desperation is building, but there is no indication so far that this will end up to everyone’s benefit. In fact, we haven’t the faintest idea. If anything, that the trends are this inconclusive, with this much bad behavior by the left, is a very bad sign.

  • Cotour

    Your discomfort and apprehension is understandable, you are a civilized and fairly rational man, but this cycle of political discord and adjustment, even evolution will be rancorous, loud and stressful for many.

    And there is no way around it now.

    I remain optimistic in the long term, what else is there? As long as the Constitution remains there is hope.

  • Cotour: I repeat, even more forcefully, I pray you are right. However, as the left gets more desperate their loyalty to the Constitution has increasingly vanished, till today it is pretty much gone. If power for them is the only goal, and the rule of law is to thrown out the window, these signs are not positive, but indicators of where they intend to go.

    If the voters don’t see that, and once again, the indicators here are very inconclusive, the Constitution will go away, very quickly, in the next few years.

  • Cotour

    Praying has its place.

    Do you really think that we and the Constitution after 242 years of existence in the world is that easily erased? And replaced with what? And you think that no one is going to have anything to say about it? In the end if it ever came down to it, there are more of us then them.

    The Democrats irrational behavior and desperate acts will be judged by the masses.

  • Cotour

    I share this with you: https://youtu.be/8cYxM7LNU6g 7min

    The black / minorities will not be as dependable as they were in the past, among other people. Just be happy that you are alive to see it, may you live in interesting times.

  • wayne

    Cotour–

    Freedom and our Constitution, are far too easily erased and are not the historic norm.

    These fools, WILL drag us ALL down into the gutter. It’s taken them literally 100 years and it’s accelerated tremendously the past 2 years.

    Hunt for Red October
    “you’ve killed us…”
    https://youtu.be/ISeLwQDP8UM
    (0:14)

  • Cotour

    That acceleration witnessed in the last 2 years is like I have pointed out, a good thing (You and the Zman are IMO misinterpreting it because it is unfamiliar to you) They are no longer able to conceal their treachery and the light of truth is shinning on them all and their irrational and dangerous un America and even anti American behavior.

  • Cotour wrote: “That acceleration [of leftist violence and fascist behavior] witnessed in the last 2 years is like I have pointed out, a good thing (You and the Zman are IMO misinterpreting it because it is unfamiliar to you)”

    As a Jew, I am sadly very familiar with fascist behavior. You cannot be raised a Jew without knowing about it. It runs like a theme through all Jewish history. And having been born in the 1950s, shortly after WWII and the Holocaust, it is even more familiar to me personally, especially because there is not a Jew on this Earth from that time who did not lose relatives in the genocide.

    That I spend a lot of time on BtB pointing out this fascist behavior is because I think too many Americans are, like the good Germans and Jews in 1930s, ignoring it. I point it out also because of those who are aware, they are, like you, unable to take it very seriously. It is not a “good thing,” no matter how much you wish to think so. We might survive it, but it will bring evil in its path, and the path to a positive conclusion is very unclear. All you have to do is ask the people of 1930s Germany.

    Anyway, your comment above is why I generally do not like debating issues with you. You always end up being condescending to whomever you debate. Please give both myself and Wayne more credit. You are not the only person in the room with brains and intelligence.

  • Steve

    The Constitution is going nowhere. The 2nd Amendment, if need be, will come to the rescue. That’s why it is under attack. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

  • Cotour

    I have not been condescending at all, not for one second, trust me.

    I am not dismissing your concerns, I understand your concerns, but I see the collapse of the democrat party, as I have been pointing for quite a while now as a good thing. That is all it can be. Would you argue that it was a bad thing? Are you now rooting for their remaining whole and intact? Of course not. None of us have witnessed what is about to happen in America in the coming weeks and months and some people will be confused and distressed.

    It is the “What comes after their collapse” that is your issue. Its that fear that is troubling to you, and I also understand that. But like I again have pointed out, there is no going back now they / we are all in on this deal and I must assume that after it all shakes out, and it will take some time, America will rise to the occasion and reconnect to its Constitution and not turn its back on it.

    There can be no other result…………IMO, respectfully.

    (And thanks for the compliment)

  • Edward

    Robert,
    Congratulations, you have gotten me to read my first Cotour comment in about a year (I stopped reading him for reasons similar to your complaint about him).

    Apparently, Cotour believes that because the left in America is exposing their true nature, violence and fascism, that is supposedly good, because it will cause people to vote for the “right” people.

    Observation shows a different outcome. Had Cotour been right, then Democrats would be leaving their party in great numbers. Instead, they are following the leadership in harassing Republicans and others who do not toe the fascism line, starting with stopping Vice President Pence as he leaves a play in order to tell him and the world that he does not know anything about America ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWlwrUFiuUw ).

    Democrats have demonstrated that they are eager to rule through ignorance, hatred, bullying, intimidation, and violence.

    Even the Republican Party is moving toward the left. They saw minor victories by the Democrats and assumed that the left’s methods and philosophies work to get votes, so they have been moving more and more left, right down to nominating leftist presidential candidates (e.g. McCain, Romney, and Trump). We now have a leftist president, but because he ran as a Republican and is less left than Obama, many people compare him with Reagan. The result of following the Democrats will be to emulate their bad behavior, and a few past commenters here on BtB have given the impression that some on the right are willing to give it a try.

    As for the original post: there was a time when the children and spouses of candidates and nominees were off limits, but civility has been defenestrated. The left now uses them as part of their bullying and intimidation. From the report, violence against them cannot be far behind.

  • MarcusZ1967

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell….

    https://youtu.be/5pJFJIAZlUw

  • Cotour

    “Just started to read Cotour’s posts in a year”. Right.

    People are going to vote in their interests, Trump has given them a rational, concrete list of reasons to support the Republicans in the midterm elections rather than reject them. The power structure of the country will more than likely remain about the same more or less.

    The Democrats around the country will pull out all stops and will do ANYTHING to retain what ever power they have left. ANYTHING. And IMO they will not be able to acquire any new power of consequence.

    Blue wave? Really? Not IMO.

    (You have been wrong about the Trump phenomenon from the beginning, what makes you think that you are correct now?)

  • Cotour

    http://thefederalist.com/2018/05/11/black-support-trump-rising-danger-zone-democrats/

    Some more rational reality based thinking. When the black vote is not able to be banked on by the Democrats they are done. And they can all see it. That is really the foundation of their entire party model, they “own” the black vote.

    I don’t care what the polls say, they have all been wrong during this Trumpian age. Why are you correct now? Your not.

  • wayne

    Weather Underground Bombs the Capitol, Pentagon, and State Department
    March 1971/ May 1971/ January 1975
    https://youtu.be/jbQCpUhONtk
    9:59

  • wayne

    Bernardine Dohrn
    Weather Underground threatens all civilians
    1970
    https://youtu.be/jzisFBiCsmI
    (0:19)

  • wodun

    In the end if it ever came down to it, there are more of us then them.

    We are out numbered and dehumanized to the point where Democrats feel morally obligated to use violence and abuse government powers against us. It needs to turn around because an actual civil war would be horrible for everyone and the atrocities committed by Democrats and their foreign allies would be right up there with the worst we have ever seen from humanity.

    Right now we face a horde of people who have been taught that the very existence of our country is illegitimate. Not something that will change over night.

  • wodun

    e now have a leftist president, but because he ran as a Republican and is less left than Obama, many people compare him with Reagan.

    I can’t look into Trump’s soul but he governs as a conservative and has been the most conservative/libertarian President in my lifetime. How is Trump a leftist?

  • Col Beausabre

    You have to read this to understand the tactics and strategy of the Left

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_for_Radicals

    Too many on the Right have not and it has cost us

  • wayne

    Col Beausabre-
    I’d recommend as well:
    “The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty”
    Richard A. Cloward and Frances Fox Piven
    May 2, 1966, The Nation
    https://frrl.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/cloward-piven.pdf

  • Chris

    IMHO I see the problem with the Left (the “Other” from Batchelor/Vlahos series on Civil War) is that they no longer will accept:
    1. That there are immutable truths or vitues
    2. That any argument that we use that draws on these truths is forever untrue and so no argument from our “side” can be even considered.
    3. That there is no “argument” we can offer to satisfy. The only thing to offer is an outcome that is to the Left’s liking regardless of the basis for the outcome. (And then more will be demanded until complete surrender -see Batchelor/Vlahos)

    This I see is the biggest issue. There is no “truth” anymore where we can come to a common point where we can then build any kind of relationship. All of the morals, virtues, beliefs in country …etc that we have had to hold us together as a nation are stripped bare from the Left.

    This points to terrible conflict in the US. And while we are deeply internally conflicted the evil men of the world will play.

    Prayer is definitely needed.

  • Cotour

    Good points all, except for “Molten Carpet” calling Trump a Leftist, totally disregarding facts and the reality of actual actions that one can see and are tangible. A dinosaur immersed in thinking not commensurate with the facts before his own eyes.

    There ARE more of us then them. The run of the mill reasonable American Democrats, which are the bulk of the numbers of their party see the counter intuitive nature of what their leadership says, supports and does. The Col. correctly points out the techniques employed by a small number of leadership operators “Rules For Radicals”, which culminated in the community organizer presidency of Barack Hussein Obama.

    As the Democrat party is forced to square off with itself with its growing internal turmoil a schism is becoming apparent and they are challenged with their party breaking into three components 1. Leadership, which is composed of old white dinosaurs like “Molten Carpet” that just talk irrational and disconnected crazy talk. 2. The greater middle mass of reasonable American Democrats, this will include the becoming more affluent and previously to Trump “Owned” by the Democrat party black and Hispanics and 3. This extreme Left radical segment that consists of the remainder of the sixties radicals and the newly minted millenial activists and “Social Justice Warriors” taught by these sixties radicals in today’s Left university factories. Phony socialist, SJW, intellectual, BS political manipulators and perverts, liars all.

    So when the likes of Elizabeth Warren, white as lilly white can be, 2020 “Native American” Democrat presidential hopeful, looks into the camera and seriously says “We are going to end the Trump tax cuts and we are going to raise your taxes because you are not paying “your fair share” to the wealthy and the greater middle mass of the Democrats in America so that SHE can redistribute their wealth “Properly”, they hear her. Now calculate into that the Trump phenomenon and the real and tangible wins that he is putting up on the board that benefit them in real terms. And that is his strategy that he knows will destroy any efforts that the Democrats can throw up both in the 2018 mid term elections and the 2020 presidential elections. Trump deals in real term accomplishments and not fantastical Democrat like BS when it comes to his presidency and the future of America.

    (And all while being hounded by a fraudulent special prosecutor investigation by severely conflicted and self interested FBI and DOJ players. How can Mueller, Rosenstein and the rest of them investigate something that they are fundamentally involved in? From being involved in true Russian payoffs and buying of influence during the Hillary Clinton SOS term to being involved with the creation and distribution of the Steel dossier which was paid for by the Hillary operation. Talk about unfair and abuse of power. )

    AND what ever violence will be, if there will be any at all, will have to be dealt with as need be. Lets stop the hand wringing and lets face what needs to be faced and take care of business. There is no other alternative.

    And I leave you with what was probably the most insightful and prophetic speaker of the 2016 presidential election, Michael Moore that solidifies my point. Was true then and is still true now.

    https://youtu.be/XsPlwhahHAo

    4min of unintentional concise political truth and destruction delivered to the lying for the past 70 years Democrat party.

  • wayne

    Cotour–
    I wouldn’t reference Michael Moore for anything.

  • Cotour

    Its a great pro Trump speech, listen to it.

    He hates that he made it.

  • Cotour

    Black America is going to save America.

    https://youtu.be/6dqk-EglVXE

    In the Trump era black Americans are going to save themselves and the rest of us from their modern day, culture of dependency political slave masters, the Democrat party. The Democrats assumption that they own the black vote, like the many other assumptions about minorities that they make, is going away.

    If I were them I would not be banking on the status quo of yesterday. And I strongly suspect that there are some other realities that will be revealed in the coming weeks and months that will surprise many in America, and especially here on BTB.

  • Cotour wrote: “here are some other realities that will be revealed in the coming weeks and months that will surprise many in America, and especially here on BTB.”

    Condescending as always.

  • Cotour

    I think that if you go back and review my posts over the time that I have been posting here I have certainly evolved and have become much more concise, civilized and less combative. That has been my goal anyway. Would you really want me to lose all of my edginess?

    I think that I have been pretty measured and reasonable. But not boring, I leave that to “Others” (You know who I mean).

    Condescending? Maybe a touch here and their, but that’s just one of those things that makes me so lovable :)

    (And there are things in the web universe that you would not want posted or discussed here, but they are out there)

  • Cotour: When you write that upcoming events will “surprise” people, “especially here on BTB,” you condescend, especially because you appear to generalize. Everyone but you (being all wise) is going to be surprised.

    How do you know who is going to be “surprised?” You don’t. Moreover, your statement tries to make it sound as if everyone here has disagreed with you completely, which is untrue. Our differences on Trump have generally been somewhat mild.

    Stop trying to denigrate the people you are conversing with. It is beneath you.

  • Cotour

    Lets say that I am a work in progress, I honestly aspire to better interactions here on BTB and in general in this medium, it has been a learning experience.

    Moving on: I found this very interesting video, another woman involved with D.J.Trump.

    She is black and has been living in one of his apartments in Trump tower, right under his wife’s nose, rent free, for over nine years, long before he seriously contemplated the presidency. He makes sure she has room service every day and sends her fresh flowers every week.

    https://youtu.be/nRWdWpgDHDA

    To my point, black America is going to play a very significant roll in all coming elections and I do not believe that the democrat party will be seeing them in the numbers that they require to acquire more power or retain the power that they presently enjoy.

  • Edward

    Robert,
    I understand why you are conversing with Cotour, but my experience last year was that after two of us answered his question about how could some observation happen if it weren’t a conspiracy, he ignored the answer and continued to believe that the observation was evidence of a conspiracy. This is why I do not bother reading his comments and why I responded to you rather than to him; I no longer wish to engage him in conversation.

    Cotour does not have a frame of mind to learn, he is in a didactic mood, spreading conspiracies as though they were true, so it is futile to argue with him. He truly believes that he does not denigrate people and is unlikely to change his ways.

    Again, I understand your effort, and I wish you luck.

  • Edward: I think you are wrong. I also think that, by not reading Cotour you are making some assumptions here that are not based in fact.

    I believe that every person deserves respect. That belief also includes the requirement to tell people gently, when they are screwing up, that they are screwing up. For example, you continue to call Trump a pure liberal leftist, when this no longer appears to be true. He certainly is not an ideology, and political philosophical theory is not his interest, but in his actual actions as president he has shown himself to be possibly the most reliably conservative president we have had since Reagan.

    That does not mean he has been a solid conservative, only that a majority of his actions have been far more conservative and constructive than the past two Bush presidents, and far more than either McCain or Romney would have been.

    Moreover, he has done something even more remarkable for someone running for office: He has kept his promises. So far he has more or less done everything he said he would do. And where he hasn’t it has not been because of his actions.

    My doubts about him before and after the election were based on his past history as a liberal Democrat, and the track record of every so-called conservative to run for office since Reagen (lie during the campaign and then get in bed with the left after the election). Trump’s actions have eased those doubts. I think your refusal to see this is a mistake. As an engineer you are trained to look at facts. It does not appear that you are doing so, with Trump.

  • wayne

    Cotour–
    In Michigan, Hispanic turnout dropped 34% from 2012, (Black turnout dropped 3%) and Trump only won Michigan by 10,000 votes. The 3 county Detroit metroplex region has more votes than the entire rest of the State combined, and went overwhelmingly for Obama, twice.
    If HRC had actually tried, (and wasn’t such a criminal) she would have taken Michigan.

  • wayne

    I remain highly sympathetic to Edward’s viewpoints.
    That being said, I am surprised with Trumps consistency between what he says and what he does, even though I don’t like all of it.
    I’m less worried about Trump than I am about the likes of Ryan and Mitch and their behind closed doors machinations and subterfuge. Congress hasn’t held Budget Hearings in 10 years, and we’ve been running on continuing resolutions and automatic spending.

  • Cotour

    Wayne: Your valid observations are all pre Trump administration. The real numbers and minority unemployment numbers that Trump is driving are directly attributable to Trump. I think a light bulb may be flickering, no?

    The midterm elections IMO will tend to prove that the black / minority population will be thinking and acting in a very different manner than they have reliably been able to have been counted on by the Democrats over the past 30 to 70 years.

    What if the Democrats can no longer count on 95% of the black population to continue their Leftist juggernaut of dependency and poverty but are now down to 85% or worse as unemployment numbers improve in those communities? Remember, all people act in their own self interest first and Trump has in very real and material ways affected that thinking. The Democrats have one hell of a selling job in front of them. How ignorant will the black / minority communities willingly remain? They may be rightfully sceptical, but they are not stupid, not outside of the big cities anyway. How many congressional seats are up for grabs outside of the big cities?

    This is but another reason that the democrats are desperate to enshrine illegal immigration, its their new black base. Remember the Democrats now stand for four things. 1. Abolish ICE. 2. Forced illegal immigration. 3. The culture of dependency, and 4. “Sanctuary” cities where they bring together and support their new base so they can empower them. And they are doing all of this using other peoples money, using the American tax payers money to screw themselves with. Brilliant, until the people paying for all of this treachery burn it all down and throw them all out of power.

    Sick, sick, sick, and very unsustainable in every American based way, its actually subversive. That is today’s American Democrat party. Be proud Democrats.

  • Edward

    For example, you continue to call Trump a pure liberal leftist, when this no longer appears to be true.

    He certainly seems to be a 2006 Democrat, still liberal enough to impose tariffs, allow Clinton to get away with multiple felonies (Lerner, too, on her misdeeds), allow cities and states to flaunt their sanctuary policies, and let Obamacare run rampant across the land (except for the individual mandate). That is pretty liberal and leftist, except when compared to Obama.

    At best, President Trump is similar to President Clinton, who stole several Republican ideas and took credit for others that the Republicans instituted. Clinton planned to balance the budget in 10 years, but the Republican Congress managed to do it in four — Clinton took full credit for the resulting surplus.

    All Trump had to do was talk up the economy and the economy began to improve over Obama’s Great Recession (even the Great Depression had better growth than Obama’s Great Recession); Obama talked down the economy from before he was elected all the way through his presidency. Trump considered his tax cut, at the end of last year, to be revenue neutral (not an overall reduction or cut), and he is eager to impose tariffs. Obama said that his economy was the new normal, but under Trump’s talked-up economy not only are we seeing growth that could finally be considered a recovery from the Great Recession but the Fed is no longer printing cash — a policy of extremely easy money, yet no resulting recovery — and is bringing us out of panic interest rates.

    Most people seem to consider Trump a savior and conservative, but only because he isn’t Obama. Even the leadership in 1930s Germany was considered a savior, but only because they weren’t the Wiemar Republic, so by doing very little they had a greatly improved economy and a grateful populace.

    It takes more than just a good economy to make for a non-liberal non-Democrat (or worse). Even Bill Clinton had a good economy, but only because he had to work hard for seven years in order to destroy Reagan’s booming economic policies, leaving the younger Bush with an inverted interest rate curve.

    Moreover, he has done something even more remarkable for someone running for office: He has kept his promises.

    There are only four promises that he made that he did not waver on or did not make so many variations of that anything that he did would have counted as a promise kept:
    1) lock up Hillary
    2) end sanctuary cities
    3) build the wall
    4) end Obamacare.

    I’m impressed, but in the opposite way that Trump supporters would want. I’m impressed that he keeps his support despite his miserable failures on his four most important promises.

    Trump’s actions have eased those doubts. I think your refusal to see this is a mistake. As an engineer you are trained to look at facts. It does not appear that you are doing so, with Trump.

    He may not be in bed with the left, but he isn’t in bed with the right, either. The fact is that during the campaign he was inconsistent with his statements, starting with one position then changing it until he had made statements that conformed with just about everyone’s desires. Thus, no matter what he does in office he is living up to one statement or another — a truth can be seen between statement and action, but that means that all the other statements that are related to that action were lies.

    The fact is that even recently Trump has been all over the place with statements about free trade vs fair trade (what is fair, anyway, and why is free trade different than fair trade?) vs tariffs — completely inconsistent. No matter what he does now, where trade is concerned, he will have conformed with one of his statements, and everyone will praise him again for his consistency.

    Meanwhile he gets to do whatever he fancies at the moment and he continues to be adored, a sign that people are being emotional about him, not basing their opinions on the facts over the three years since he threw his hat in the ring.

    Again, that emotional support sounds like Bill Clinton — and Hillary, too, come to think of it.

    I also think that, by not reading Cotour you are making some assumptions here that are not based in fact.

    Only if he has given up his conspiracy theories. Otherwise I have found that his occasional gems just are not worth the frustration.

  • wayne

    Cotour–
    Ref: ” The real numbers and minority unemployment numbers that Trump is driving are directly attributable to Trump…”
    -I really don’t want to be in a position of talking-down the economy, cuz’ I’m currently doing vocational rehab and in our census-area this is the best job-market I’ve seen since 2004-ish. But that’s a incredibly relative thing.
    In 2016, Trump said all the unemployment numbers were fake. (And they were. So are the inflation numbers.)
    Now in 2018, they aren’t fake and the lowest on record?
    –It’s the labor participation rate that is important and we still have high SNAP enrollment and nearly 10 million people went on SS Disability during Obama.

    I’ve learned to take Trump seriously, but not literally. Boosterism definitely has a positive effect, as Edward noted (paraphrase) after being lectured by the Marxist-in-chief for 8 years, anything positive from the President is helpful on an economic & psychological level.
    Trump much like Bill Clinton and Reagan, has an ability to evoke shared cultural experiences and positive American archetypes that actually resonate with actual American citizens.

    Edward–
    I voted Trump, cuz’ he wasn’t HRC, but I’m highly sympathethetic toward your view, and you did a good job of backing up your thoughts.

  • Cotour

    Wayne,

    Vocational rehab, you must be feeling pretty good, all the best to you. This conversation will certainly continue, my positions and interpretations are fairly well laid out and stated, and I am confidently sticking with them.

    As to the characterizations of Trump, I just do not believe that the evidence provided by his actions supports much if any of what has been proposed. The thinking IMO is antiquated and inflexible and lacks vision and understanding.

    By the end of the Trump administration Trump may well be considered in the class of Lincoln and / or Reagan and may even be considered as a re-founding father of sorts. As crazy as that may seem to some. Trump IMO is no run of the mill cookie cutter politician.

  • Cotour

    I will leave you tonight with some rich Leftist wishful, (or is it delusional?) BS written for the NYT’s opinion section.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/29/opinion/columnists/trump-loss-re-election-2020.html

    This writer envisions the defeat of Trump by the Leftist Elizabeth warren, of all Leftists. You remember, she is the one who wants to cancel the Trump tax cuts and pledges to raise taxes for all, especially all of those rich bastards who “Don’t pay their fair share”. That is the Lefts go to terminology of division and class warfare for the next 6 years.

    This guy is for certain suffering from TDS and / or he is a substance abuser. Does he not detect the chaos and the existential nature of the Democrats problems? The Democrat party as formulated today and I would bet as formulated in six years is going away.

    He, like others, just don’t get it.

  • wayne

    Cotour–

    I’ll give some credit to Trump, and you would be glad to hear— of the 24 clients we enrolled in April [just to be clear, I’m the Program Director of said vocational-rehab, not a recipient] fully 8 of them have found jobs and most of the remainder are making very good progress.

    (informal Poll on everyone btw, yields a high percentage of Trump voters)
    -these folks are highly screened, they want something better and are willing to jump through hoops, and I’m very good at turning recipients into tax-payers. [Believe in the Power of Work!]

    This is my one last hurrah; if we can get 16 total, employed by October, I get to retire a super hero, the Program gets extended for (tentatively) up to 3 years, and my assistant gets promoted to Director.
    If I fail, they get to blame it all on me, I still get to retire, and the Program only gets extended into mid 2019. (and my assistant & 4 employees start sweating)

    We have an odd assortment of private insurance funding (fully 60%,) mixed in with 40% Federal & State money which is partially Medicaid, Federal/State Vocational, Trade Readjustment Act, and Substance Abuse money. (My for-profit employer merged with a non-profit umbrella agency in 2017, but my particular Program is categorized & run as for-profit, so if we don’t meet our Goals people will be fired next Spring.)

  • Edward: If you think I am unaware of all these negatives about Trump, you are being as condescending to me as Cotour has to others in the past. I readily admitted his imperfections, and you know I did.

    Meanwhile, your answer ignored everything I mentioned about what Trump has accomplished, as if none of it existed. I thus conclude that you are still discounting entirely the areas where Trump has made conservative inroads, and this is thus blinding you from seeing the whole picture.

    Has he been perfect? No. Has he been a true-blue conservative, in the model of George Washington or Calvin Coolidge. No. And it is a joke to even put him in the same sentence.

    He is a transition figure. Whether that transition will be positive or negative or even neutral remains to be seen. Cotour is convinced it will be positive. I personally have no idea. I do admit to the positive aspects, and pray that they win out. If so, we will then be able to move more aggressively in those areas you feel Trump has been weak.

    To see him however as a two dimensional figure, all bad or all good, is simply too simplistic.

  • Cotour

    This is what a leading black politician has to say on the subject of taxation, how this woman has become a leading representative in Congress is far above my being able to understand, but here she is. And who is right behind her in her plans to gut the lives of the black and Hispanic population of America? Elizabeth Warren, 2020 presidential hopeful. (Really?)

    http://dailycaller.com/2018/07/29/maxine-waters-trump-tax-scam/

    So in the verifiable positive effects of an improving economy by most all measures, a tax reduction and the lowest numbers ever recorded related to black and Hispanic unemployment this woman and the leadership of the Democrat party pledge to reverse it all, essentially only due to Trumps involvement and leadership.

    People do not ignore the things that they can plainly detect as being in their own personal self interests, it is irrational to think in such a manner, especially if you are a politician.

    We can now at this point in time establish that the Democrat party stands for the following four foundation precepts in the Democrats platform (It used to be 3, but the leadership decided to take a stand on the ICE issue, the people who enforce our duly passed immigration law that protects our country from invasion by whom ever desires to inhabit OUR country).

    1. Abolish ICE. 2. Mandatory / forced illegal immigration. 3. The culture of dependency / the welfare state. and 4. Sanctuary cities where they bring #’s 2 and 3 together in order that the Democrats can support those illegals who will become their new and growing base of political control, they already “own” the existing black population in those locals. And of course this is all done by confiscating other peoples money through taxation and their more better wisdom in how to direct those other peoples hard earned wealth.

    Its sick but brilliant. Sick because it creates a life exhausting parasitic model of existence that true blue and law abiding Americans are forced to pay for, and its brilliant because those who have had the gall and nerve to fabricate such a sick and depraved model and effectively executing it. Anything for power, talk about Strategy Over Morality, this is it in full bloom.

    And the Democrats are in the process of selling this evil plan to their economically improving black and Hispanic voters? There is no politico in the Democrats ranks that I can see that has the Lucifarian abilities to sell that counter intuitive crap to anyone. Let alone the clearly economically benefiting black and Hispanic population (At least outside of the major sanctuary cities that are Democrat party controlled).

    How irrational and for what length of time do the Democrat leadership require their supporters and members to suspend their own common sense and best interests? HOW LONG?

    MAGA

  • Edward

    Robert,

    I readily admitted his imperfections, and you know I did.

    And I explained why his imperfections prevent me from being swayed. That explanation is not intended to be condescending, it is intended to state my own position and reasoning.

    Meanwhile, your answer ignored everything I mentioned about what Trump has accomplished

    Most of which are in other threads and are difficult for me to find in order to address as you stated rather than as I paraphrase, but I had no intention of searching for them to address them in order to change your mind, only the intention to present my point of view. Those accomplishments are not nearly as compelling to me as his failure to accomplish the four promises that got him the nomination and the election. I consider those four as primary factors to consider.

    I thus conclude that you are still discounting entirely the areas where Trump has made conservative inroads, and this is thus blinding you from seeing the whole picture.

    As I mentioned, president Trump is about as conservative as president Clinton was. Both made conservative inroads. Clinton through theft of ideas and Trump through inconsistent statements. Again, not as compelling to me as they are to you.

    I mentioned other aspects of his contributions to his own success: Trump talked up rather than talk down the economy, resulting in a vastly improved economy: “growth that could finally be considered a recovery from the Great Recession,” and “Fed is no longer printing cash.” I mentioned that Bill Clinton spent his presidency destroying the economy whereas Trump is growing it; a contrast to complement the comparison.

    It is no surprise that the economy is doing well, now, because with the Fed’s policy of 0% interest rates and printing money, the Obama economy should have been BOOMING! That is wasn’t strong is a condemnation of Obama’s policies, methods, and message. However, with such low interest rates even Bill Clinton’s economy would have withstood his destructive policies, so a strong economy under anyone is expected with these interest rates.

    Ever since the election, and possibly before, I have been emphasizing the four major campaign promises that I enumerated in my above comment. These are the benchmarks and milestones that I expect this president to accomplish, and I had expected his supporters to likewise put great value on them. They are the reason that he is now president.

    He is a transition figure. Whether that transition will be positive or negative or even neutral remains to be seen.

    During the primary campaign, the Republican Party had better transition figures, some that would have been positive, not uncertain. Unfortunately we are stuck with this unknown, and I continue to be unhappy with the uncertainty. The positive aspects do not impress me, as they are manifest almost exclusively because Trump is not Obama. Until he starts to accomplish those four major campaign promises, I am unlikely to be impressed. Those four major promises are the reason that he was chosen over other, more positive, Republican primary candidates.

    That last part is so important to me, I will repeat it: until Trump starts to accomplish those four major campaign promises, I am unlikely to be impressed.

    The whole picture is not as shiny as most see it. It is more like a dark asteroid, such as Ceres, whose photographs have been brightened for public consumption. Some aspects of the world are returning to the the “old normal,” but there is much damage that cannot be corrected until the Republicans start to work with the president. For instance, this is why Obamacare is still on the books despite the Republican Party’s promises. They preferred infighting over keeping promises, and Trump’s leadership on that and other issues I find wanting. Trump messed up opportunities to accomplish all four of his major promises.

    That need for leadership and cooperation is much more of the big picture than just looking at Trump’s individual accomplishments.

  • Cotour

    Will the black community in America be as dependable for the Democrats in the coming elections?

    https://youtu.be/-oYarKyufco

    https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/03/demanding-rahms-resignation-anti-violence-protesters-shut-down-chicagos-lake-shore

    I say no way.

    The black and LEGAL minority Hispanic and otherwise, population of America 1. Are now able to see another path to the now renewed American dream with the non status quo / non culture of dependency presidency of D.J.Trump. and 2. Do not support the Democrat party’s foundation plank in their clearly stated policy of mandatory ILLEGAL immigration. A policy that threatens them all in terms of numbers and employment as well as the rest of the country and our Constitution.

    The Democrats will be suffering great set backs in the coming elections specifically due to the growing in realistic policies and actions of president Trump. The Democrat party is dying before all our eyes and what will emerge after the mandatory reorganization of that organization in a more America based philosophy will be interesting to say the least.

    The possibility exists that because of their Liberal and without out doubt Leftist evolution, (and that really is all they can become, anti American Leftist), that they will be no more and the Independent party will emerge to replace them. An interesting thought as we all watch this self imposed due to faulty and anti American philosophy auto death cycle that is today’s Democrat party.

  • Cotour: Please do not double post. If you include more than one link in a post I must manually approve it. Sending the comment multiple times won’t change this. You must be patient.

  • Cotour

    My mistake, with this more seamless and streamlined system you are employing I forgot about the two article rule.

Readers: the rules for commenting!

 

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