Trump’s State of the Union Speech

And so Trump’s state of the union has come and gone. It was typically Trump; saying everything he did not mean; calling for peace when everyone knows he is itching for war. Many may already be watching his twitter feed for contradictions. Trump is a man who says whatever is convenient to get by the immediate moment. And that’s what he did Tuesday night.

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Tribal Politics and 2020 Elections in America

The more I look at what is happening in America and the world today, the more I accept the theory advanced by former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Ben Bernanke when he argued that American politics has become tribal. No one appears to look at reason. You simply vote for your tribe.

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The Whistleblower and Impeachment of Donald J. Trump

President Donald J. Trump is in serious trouble. Whether he realizes this or not is a different matter. The problem with tracking President Trump is that by the time one believes that one understands the current news; it has indeed become dated.  I strongly suspect that before this write up gets to the netters, most of what I write here must have become “old.” Such is the speed at which news about Donald Trump happens these days.

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The Senate Trail of Donald Trump: Will It Ever Happen?

I’ve been thinking about developments in Donald Trump’s impeachment especially as they relate to Speaker Pelosi’s latest strategy of withholding the forwarding of the impeachment documents to the Senate. At a cursory level, my thinking is that the House has done its job and the Speaker should let the Senate do whatever the Senate wants to do. I’m not sure if that initial thought is still what I hold. But I’m not so naive to the extent of not recognizing the independence of the House and the Senate.

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The SCIF Stunt

The Republicans are becoming increasingly desperate and dangerous. It is against the law to enter a SCIF with any electronic device. SCIF is short for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF). A SCIF exists to protect sensitive government information. If anyone has seen or entered a SCIF, the protocol is pretty straightforward.

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The Right Call

Somebody should remind Donald Trump that in all his face-offs with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker has never blinked. She is not going to start blinking for the bully now.

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The Attack on Saudi Oil Facility

When it comes to governance, it’s hard to find anything better than process, analysis and coordinated action. And these are the things lacking in what goes today as America’s White House. All that counts is a “win” or “closing a deal.” It would be funny if lives didn’t depend on it.

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Lynching Will Not Save Donald Trump

Donald knows he’ll be impeached. The question is what the Senate will do. Many of us had concluded that the Republican led Senate will acquit him. However, while I suspect that this will likely be the outcome, it may no longer be as certain as previously thought.

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Is it Still the Right Call?

A few days ago, I argued that Speaker Pelosi was right to resist the call by the White House and the Republican party to call for a formal vote to open up the impeachment inquiry. Yesterday, in a letter to House members, the Speaker appeared to reverse course. Being an ardent supporter of the Speaker, I immediately asked myself, is her reversal still the right call?

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Gordon Sondland and the Fifth

November 17, 2019

Wednesday November 20, 2019 will be pivotal in the impeachment inquiry of Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States. This is the day one of the now infamous “three amigos,” Gordon Sondland will testify in public before the House Intelligence committee chaired by Adam Schiff. Given the apparent incriminating statements Mr. Sondland has made, will taking the Fifth be his best option?

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