Trumpsgiving

President Donald Trump has begun a new holiday tradition.  Which is putting himself at the head of the table so that no one forgets who he is, shoving aside turkeys, football (he's still mad at the NFL for that national anthem thing), bickering relatives (including his own) and those giant balloons hovering over the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Maybe we should call it Trumpsgiving.

Trump has been commandeering the public's attention on what would normally be a national holiday with his actions, which reveal how ignorant or desperate he is, depending on the day.  Some might see this as the President being on the job 24/7, Sundays and holidays.  The rest of us see this as overkill.  It's as if we can't trust the Leader of the Free World to Leave. Us. Alone. for even a day.
Some recent developments . . .

• Trump used his annual phone call to thank the military for their service to issue grievances about immigration and trade.  He also tweeted about being thankful for himself.
• He dumps a major report from a White House commission on climate change and how, among other things, the American economy would suffer by century's end.  It is released on Black Friday, a day when most Americans were either shopping or recovering from all that turkey.  To no one's surprise, the President dismissed the report as no big deal.
• The "migrant caravan" that Trump had been ranting about during the campaign had finally arrived at the U.S.-Mexican border in Tijuana on Sunday.  Those folks were met with flying tear gas canisters by border guards when they tried to get past the gates, creating a panic.  Trump said some of those demonstrators were "stone cold criminals" who allegedly used women and children as human shields, though there's no proof of that, and has threatened to close the border.  Note:  Gassing women and children, no matter how much you spin it, is never a good look.

Now that Trumpsgiving is over, one wonders if the President is going to turn Christmas into Trumpsmas.  Happy Donald Days?

The Trump Turkey Stomp

On this Thanksgiving week, it should come as no surprise that the man who has been exhibiting turkey-like behavior for some time now has issued the annual pardon for a real one.  President Donald Trump certainly gobbles up all the attention no matter what time of year it is, always trying to prove that he's cock of the walk, undermining everything he sees.  Here's some examples from the past couple of weeks since the midterm elections, in which he and the Republican party lost half of Congress.

1. The President took exception to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts' comments about the apolitical bent of his fellow justices, especially when some decisions were not in his favor.  Technically, Trump is right that the judges and justices have been political appointees of whoever happened to be President at the time.  But that doesn't mean he should be undermining the rulings they make.
2. Instead of getting to the bottom of who is responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khasoggi, Trump chose to side with Saudi Arabian prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is alleged to have been involved in the crime.  After all, billions of dollars in America's (and the Trump family's) investment in the Saudis is at stake.
3. Jim Acosta of CNN is kicked out of the White House press corps for not being deferential enough to the President, only to have him return--at least temporarily--under a court order.  There go those "Obama judges" again.
4. After the midterms, Trump lost interest in the "migrant caravan" making its way north through Mexico to the U.S. border.  But the soldiers he ordered to patrol it are still there.
5. Instead of offering sympathy and disaster aid to those who lost their lives and homes in the California wildfires, the worst in the state's history with 84 dead and over 800 missing (as of 11/21/18), the President not only criticized the way forests are managed, but he also offered free gardening advice by suggesting raking as a way of cleaning up the forests.
6. Trump made the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I about himself, with his decision not to visit a French cemetery filled with American soldiers because of bad weather.  Then he admits to avoiding war zones out of fear that he might get shot.
7. Ivanka Trump is accused of conducting government business on her personal phone.  Hillary Clinton allegedly did the same thing when she was Secretary of State, and Daddy Trump's supporters have been chanting "lock her up" ever since.  But Clinton didn't go to jail, and neither will Ivanka.
8. And Trump is still being investigated by Robert Mueller, who reportedly is close to wrapping things up and releasing his findings.  But if acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has his way, the President won't have Mueller to worry about much longer.

So while you're eating your holiday meal, rest assured that the Head Turkey is still on the job, clucking about whatever it is that fancies him whether anyone likes it or not.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Congress Splits, Sessions Fired

All through the campaign, there were warnings of a Blue Wave of Democrats ready to sweep away the Republican majority in Congress, as if a Category 5 tsunami were to hit.

Turns out, the supposed tsunami became a Category 1 tropical storm hitting land.  But even weakened storms do damage.  According to Associated Press, Democrats won the House of Representatives 222-196 while the GOP kept the Senate by a 51-44 margin, mainly through President Donald Trump's fear and race-bating tactics aimed at shoring up support among disaffected white men (and the women who love them).

The real wave came when more than 100 women, mainly Democrats, won their congressional races in record numbers:  95 in the House and 13 in the Senate.  One of those, Nancy Pelosi of California, is expected to return as Speaker of the House.

Leave it to Trump to steal the headlines the following day.  There was first a raucous news conference, in which he (A) considered the GOP's retaking the Senate a 'victory', (B) put down those in the party who lost their races because they weren't loyal to him, (C) complained of 'hostile' reporters and (D) made an example of CNN's Jim Acosta by taking away his White House press pass for the crime of allegedly touching the young woman who tried to take away his microphone.

Then it was announced that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had resigned, though some would say he was fired.  No surprise, considering how Sessions never really got along with the President.  Matthew Whitaker, who had been Sessions' aide, replaces him on an interim basis.  Whitaker is also not a big fan of the ongoing investigation special prosecutor Robert Mueller is making in regards to any alleged Trump misdeeds in the 2016 election, which is now in danger of getting shut down.

Yes, the 2018 midterms made history.  It remains to be seen whether the split Congress will either make much of an impact, or whether Trump will neuter their efforts.

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In Minnesota, Democrats had a big night.

• Tim Walz swaps his U.S. House seat for the Governor's chair, defeating Republican Jeff Johnson.  Walz' running mate Peggy Flanagan became the first Lieutenant Governor of Native American descent.
• Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are going back to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republicans Jim Newberger and Karin Housley, in that order.
• Dean Phillips defeated Erik Paulsen, ending more than 50 years of GOP control over the Third Congressional District.
• Angie Craig is the state's first LGTBQ congresswoman, defeating incumbent Jason Lewis in the Second District.
• Ilhan Omer is the first Somali-American to serve in Congress, coming from the Fifth District.  She replaces Keith Ellison, who in spite of charges of alleged domestic abuse, is now Minnesota's Attorney general.

The Trump Midterm: Tell Us What You Want

Tomorrow is November 6, 2018.  Majorities in Congress and at your state house are up for grabs in this midterm election.

Evey two to four years, it seems everyone from politicians to the media to Hollywood celebrities are trying to shame people into voting.  "This is the most important election in our lives!", we're told.  Maybe so, and in the next two to four years you'll be told the same thing.  Why?  Because elections have consequences.  Remember 2016?

President Donald Trump's name is not on the ballot, but the fortunes of Republican candidates--fairly or not--are tied to what he and other GOP leaders in Congress have been doing to the country for the last few years.  Can the Democrats do any better?  Can the number of women who are running make any difference?

There are other issues that can have an impact on an election.  Some of them have occurred in the past few weeks.

Mass Shootings  

In the past week or so, 16 people have died by way of the bullet in the most ordinary of settings.  Two African-Americans were killed at a Kroger supermarket near Louisville, Kentucky.  Eleven Jewish worshipers were murdered at a Pittsburgh synagogue.  Two women were shot dead at a yoga studio in Tallahassee, Florida.  The three suspects, which includes the one from Florida who ended up killing himself, were all white males who allegedly had grudges with women and minorities.  Our President once referred to such individuals as "very fine people".

Oh, we should mention that someone has been arrested in connection with allegedly delivering pipe bombs to former Presidents, media outlets and other prominent Democrats for daring to disagree with Trump. The sheer scope of the bomb threats seems to indicate that the suspect already in custody may not be the only one involved.

Immigration

A horde of people escaping poverty and oppression in Central America, also known as the "Migrant Caravan". have been making their way north through Mexico on their way to the U.S. border.  President Trump has termed these people as thugs and criminals, deploying as many as 15,000 troops to fortify the border he still hopes to wall off, while running racist political ads in the last days of the campaign that have been banned by at least two TV networks--but only after millions have already seen it.

Others say the "caravan" includes mostly women and children who want the better life that the United States provides, even as Trump threatens to sign an executive order to ban birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.  Whether he is actually serious about it or not, any change to the Constitution takes years to ratify, so this might be just a cynical election ploy.

So it is up to us to decide whether we want Trump's actions to remain unchecked in our name, or to elect a Congress that will at least grow a spine.  If you haven't already voted, please do so Tuesday for the candidate of your choice.  This is your country.  Tell us what you want.