Now that Donald Trump has 270 Electoral College Votes...
All of the pressure applied to the 538 electors failed to change the result of the 2016 general election. Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. Anyone who tries to tell you they know with certainty what will transpire in the first year of a Trump presidency is foolish.
The hashtag #NeverMyPresident is trending. Given how fervently Mr. Trump tried to delegitimize the presidency of Barrack Obama with his "birther" claims, it might seem appropriate to do the same to Trump's presidency. I suspect that there will be much said about how he lost the popular vote by such a wide margin, going forward. His hollow claims about what a landslide his victory do not change the fact that he actually eked out victory in the swing states that gave him enough electoral votes to become president.
You can proclaim he is not your president but making that statement is not going to have any impact on the fact that come January 20, 2017, Donald Trump will be the President of the United States. Rather than focusing on making such statements, perhaps it might be better to try to take actions that will thwart his efforts to effect changes we oppose.
The same rule of law that resulted in his election remains in effect. We must make sure that everything he does is legal and above board. Starting with the fact that the moment he takes office, he is in breach of contract with the U.S. government regarding the lease for his new Washington, D.C. hotel. While it is true that the federal statutes regarding conflict of interest for elected officials do not apply to the president and vice-president, this lease is a different issue.
As reported by USA Today, the lease contains this language:
"No member or delegate to Congress, or elected official of the Government of the United States or the Government of the District of Columbia, shall be admitted to any share or part of this Lease, or to any benefit that may arise therefrom; provided, however, that this provision shall not be construed as extending to any Person who may be a shareholder or other beneficial owner of any publicly held corporation or other entity, if this Lease is for the general benefit of such corporation or other entity."
Seems pretty clear to me. But inundating the General Services Administration with emails and phone calls about this lease conflict is a waste of time. So is the viral message regarding asking the Justice Department to conduct an audit of the presidential election. Details on both issues are found here on Snopes.
What can we do moving forward that may have impact? Let's examine a few names:
Jeff Flake
Roger Wicker
Deb Fischer
Dean Heller
Bob Corker
Ted Cruz
Orrin Hatch
John Barraso
They are the eight United States Senators who will be up for reelection in 2018. Several are not likely to be vulnerable to being defeated should they run. That list would include Senators Corker, Cruz and Hatch. But the others might face stronger challenges should they seek reelection. Senator Heller may give up his seat and run for Governor of Nevada instead.
We can also focus on the most vulnerable Republican members of the House of Representatives. What should we do in focusing on these particular members of Congress? Let them know how we feel about what President Trump is doing. Our feelings on the issues that Congress will be considering.
We need to take a more active role in trying to shape our nation's future. If the Democratic party does not make major changes and simply attempts to maintain the status quo, four years from now Donald Trump will almost certainly be reelected.
* * *
I just watched the Tuesday night episode of Jeopardy. Cindy Stowell won for the sixth straight time, bringing her total winnings to more than $100,000. In case you aren't familiar with her story, when she tried out for the game show she was already dying of cancer. Once she qualified to appear on the show she asked about how long it would be before she would compete, as she didn't want to keep the space if she was going to pass away before competing.
The show's producers made sure she was able to come to California and take part in the program, but she would die a week before her first appearance was aired last week. All of her winnings will be donated to a cancer charity.
Her fellow competitors did not know about her illness.
This is a story of true courage. Next time I'm feeling low I'm going to think about this woman and how she faced her future. Color me inspired.
* * *
One of the lead stories on the local news in Los Angeles on Tuesday was the discovery of the body of Lisa Marie Naegle buried at the family home of Jackie Jerome Rogers. He has been arrested and charged with her murder.
This story has been followed closely by the local media since Ms Naegle disappeared after attending a birthday party at Alpine Village in Torrance. There are reports that she and Mr. Rogers, who was one of her nursing students, were having an affair but they are as yet unconfirmed.
Why did this story get so much more attention than any of the other deaths in Southern California this month? Because an attractive young woman disappeared? Because she had been a contestant on a reality TV show I've never heard of? She was on Bridalplasty, a show that ran for one season on the E! Entertainment Network.
According to the homicide tracker of the Los Angeles Times, 677 people have been killed in Los Angeles County in the last 12 months.
While most homicides get a mention on the news, they usually don't draw a lot of press unless the person was a celebrity in one way or another. Or if the killing involves an attractive young woman. Especially if it is preceded by her disappearance. Or in those cases where a person of color dies at the hands of police officers.
Should all homicides be big news? Depends on whether or not they will attract an audience. Apparently they don't.
* * *
Two thumbs up to Amy Schumer for buying her family farm back. Her father lost the farm in a bankruptcy when Amy was a child. Now he owns it again.
Awesome!!
The hashtag #NeverMyPresident is trending. Given how fervently Mr. Trump tried to delegitimize the presidency of Barrack Obama with his "birther" claims, it might seem appropriate to do the same to Trump's presidency. I suspect that there will be much said about how he lost the popular vote by such a wide margin, going forward. His hollow claims about what a landslide his victory do not change the fact that he actually eked out victory in the swing states that gave him enough electoral votes to become president.
You can proclaim he is not your president but making that statement is not going to have any impact on the fact that come January 20, 2017, Donald Trump will be the President of the United States. Rather than focusing on making such statements, perhaps it might be better to try to take actions that will thwart his efforts to effect changes we oppose.
The same rule of law that resulted in his election remains in effect. We must make sure that everything he does is legal and above board. Starting with the fact that the moment he takes office, he is in breach of contract with the U.S. government regarding the lease for his new Washington, D.C. hotel. While it is true that the federal statutes regarding conflict of interest for elected officials do not apply to the president and vice-president, this lease is a different issue.
As reported by USA Today, the lease contains this language:
"No member or delegate to Congress, or elected official of the Government of the United States or the Government of the District of Columbia, shall be admitted to any share or part of this Lease, or to any benefit that may arise therefrom; provided, however, that this provision shall not be construed as extending to any Person who may be a shareholder or other beneficial owner of any publicly held corporation or other entity, if this Lease is for the general benefit of such corporation or other entity."
Seems pretty clear to me. But inundating the General Services Administration with emails and phone calls about this lease conflict is a waste of time. So is the viral message regarding asking the Justice Department to conduct an audit of the presidential election. Details on both issues are found here on Snopes.
What can we do moving forward that may have impact? Let's examine a few names:
Jeff Flake
Roger Wicker
Deb Fischer
Dean Heller
Bob Corker
Ted Cruz
Orrin Hatch
John Barraso
They are the eight United States Senators who will be up for reelection in 2018. Several are not likely to be vulnerable to being defeated should they run. That list would include Senators Corker, Cruz and Hatch. But the others might face stronger challenges should they seek reelection. Senator Heller may give up his seat and run for Governor of Nevada instead.
We can also focus on the most vulnerable Republican members of the House of Representatives. What should we do in focusing on these particular members of Congress? Let them know how we feel about what President Trump is doing. Our feelings on the issues that Congress will be considering.
We need to take a more active role in trying to shape our nation's future. If the Democratic party does not make major changes and simply attempts to maintain the status quo, four years from now Donald Trump will almost certainly be reelected.
* * *
I just watched the Tuesday night episode of Jeopardy. Cindy Stowell won for the sixth straight time, bringing her total winnings to more than $100,000. In case you aren't familiar with her story, when she tried out for the game show she was already dying of cancer. Once she qualified to appear on the show she asked about how long it would be before she would compete, as she didn't want to keep the space if she was going to pass away before competing.
The show's producers made sure she was able to come to California and take part in the program, but she would die a week before her first appearance was aired last week. All of her winnings will be donated to a cancer charity.
Her fellow competitors did not know about her illness.
This is a story of true courage. Next time I'm feeling low I'm going to think about this woman and how she faced her future. Color me inspired.
* * *
One of the lead stories on the local news in Los Angeles on Tuesday was the discovery of the body of Lisa Marie Naegle buried at the family home of Jackie Jerome Rogers. He has been arrested and charged with her murder.
This story has been followed closely by the local media since Ms Naegle disappeared after attending a birthday party at Alpine Village in Torrance. There are reports that she and Mr. Rogers, who was one of her nursing students, were having an affair but they are as yet unconfirmed.
Why did this story get so much more attention than any of the other deaths in Southern California this month? Because an attractive young woman disappeared? Because she had been a contestant on a reality TV show I've never heard of? She was on Bridalplasty, a show that ran for one season on the E! Entertainment Network.
According to the homicide tracker of the Los Angeles Times, 677 people have been killed in Los Angeles County in the last 12 months.
While most homicides get a mention on the news, they usually don't draw a lot of press unless the person was a celebrity in one way or another. Or if the killing involves an attractive young woman. Especially if it is preceded by her disappearance. Or in those cases where a person of color dies at the hands of police officers.
Should all homicides be big news? Depends on whether or not they will attract an audience. Apparently they don't.
* * *
Two thumbs up to Amy Schumer for buying her family farm back. Her father lost the farm in a bankruptcy when Amy was a child. Now he owns it again.
Awesome!!
posted by me at 11:33 AM
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