impeachment

No Doubt, Game On

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Ten days into month two of year 21 of century 21 you have two serious doubts.

One is, you doubt that you’ll ever watch a movie on one of the super big screens inside of an American Multi-Cinema (AMC) Theatre again.  Two is, you doubt that you’ll ever watch another hour of the American political theatre again.

AMC theatres are closed.  It’s a virus thing you know.  Political theatres never close.  It feels like a virus thing as well.

AMC has no choice right now.  Politics chose basically to rerun the Trump Impeachment.

It’s a slightly different plot but all of your favorite characters are there.  It’s got a catchy name too- The Second Impeachment of Donald Trump.

They had a choice.  They could choose to let the darkest days of his Presidency stay that way.  Or they could choose to “buy” airtime on all of your favorite channels like MSNBC, CNN, FOX, ABC, CBS, or NBC to shine more light on the darkness.

So while America watched one Super Bowl commercial after another that spoke to unity and coming together, the newly sworn-in Congress decided to further unify us by making their first order of biz in the new year with a new prez a docudrama about the old prez.

How many times can you watch Jason hack someone up in Friday the 13th?

Super Bowl parties can leave you hungover.  American politics can as well.

But you wonder if the sequel has and the prequel had ulterior motives.  Did the prequel have everything to do with getting 45 out of office and 46 in?  Does the sequel have everything to do with the 2022 midterms?

You see to “unify” you can always divide to conquer.  And, forcing a Republican to vote for or against Trump being impeached and/or convicted gets him/her on the record.

Vote to acquit him and the Dems will run against you on that very point.  Vote to convict and you risk alienating the very people that may have put you in office last time or for the first time.  It’s a win/win or a lose/lose depending on the color of your uniform.

We highly doubt that America is watching this anymore closely than they were watching the last five minutes of the Super Bowl.  The outcome at the game’s end was no longer in doubt, only the final score was.  And, breaking news, Trump isn’t going to get convicted either.

Meanwhile, for AMC, it’s at least the two-minute warning.

But in American politics running up the score never ends.

And make no mistake about it, the game never ends either.

 

 

Run Forrest Run!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If the four years of the Donald Trump presidency can be compared to four laps of a steeplechase race, Trump entered the first turn of the final lap this week.

He wants to run four more laps and has filed the necessary paperwork to do so.  He wants to win the next one. He always wants to win, win, win.  Don’t believe me, just ask him.  Or, don’t even ask, just listen.

So listening was just what America did yesterday.  Trump had a great burst into lap four and was free and clear of the field and its many detractors.  All previous investigations behind him, the biggest hurdles were two impeachment articles.  He jumped them both quite well.  The Democrats fell into the water.  Adam Schiff looks winded.  Nadler’s gassed.  The Iowa Primary went underwater and hasn’t surfaced.  Joe Biden said he took a gut punch.  The State of the Union address was lauded near and far as his best speech to date in office.

Out of the court and free and clear, Trump sprinted into Thursday morning and held his own court.  In the rearview mirror he could see them all getting smaller.  So what did he do?  In what should have been a well-earned victory lap, Trump decided to slow down and put all of his detractors right back into the thick of the chase.

He apparently cannot help himself.  In 49 or so minutes he reminded us that he won in 2016 when people thought that he couldn’t.  That’s so 2016 of him.

He bashed Comey.  Comey might have deserved bashing in 2017 and 2018.  What does Comey have to do with the Ukranian phone call, impeachment, and subsequent acquittal?  That’s so 2018 of him.

And, while thanking a female senator or rep (BBR could not identify her from the tv and Trump mumbled her name) for her help in defeating the uprising, Trump called her “nasty” and “mean” and said, “you did a great job.”  Take that as a compliment we guess.

Maybe, no probably, he only knows one way.  He prefers and excels at mixing it up.  He came from nowhere, he slugged it out with Hillary, and he has been fighting everyone for three-plus laps.

With no one in front of him he ran headlong into the next hurdle.  He brings the field back to him. He lowers the hurdles for the competition. Clearly he prefers tight quarters with elbows thrown over running unabated.

Just when the Democrats tied all of their shoelaces together Trump decided to go Forrest Gump.  Run Forrest Run!

The Under Card

Posted on by thependulumswings staff
  1. What’s on everyone’s mind on the national scene these days?  It’s Kobe Bryant and his daughter’s unfortunate passing.  It’s the threat of the coronavirus spreading in the U.S.  It’s the Senate Impeachment Trial.  And, it’s the dwindling field and the jockeying for position in the Democratic race to gain the 2020 party’s nomination.

What’s the goal of the trial?  It’s two-fold.  It’s an attempt to deny Trump a chance to run for reelection.  And, it’s an incessant campaign to weaken his campaign.  And, the goal of the nomination process is to get to the candidate that most from the left feel has the best chance to take back the White House of course.  Opinions vary as to what the ultimate success of any of these plans might be.

But what gets little national play until way closer to the November election is the undercard.  The undercard is comprised of all of the state by state races for the House and the Senate.  The Democrats regained the House in 2018.  They have their eyes on the Senate as well.  Defeat Trump, and voila!  The keys to all three kingdoms are yours.

However, Lee Corso might say, “not so fast my friend!”  A great source tells BBR that they feel quite confident that the GOP has a finely tuned strategic plan of their own.  And, they think regaining the House majority is well within reach.  Wowza.  Round one.  Ding. Ding.

Thirty House Democrats are up for reelection in districts won by Trump in 2016.  Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), is one of the 30.   He voted against both articles of impeachment. Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), who represents another such Trump-won district, voted for the first article, “Abuse of Power,” but against the second, “Obstruction of Congress.” Another now-former Democrat, Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, actually quit the Democrat Party and joined the elephants over his opposition to the impeachment push against Trump.

All great plans just need oxygen and money.   The Democrats seem to be providing the oxygen with their nonstop assault of the President inside the halls of Congress.  What about the money?  It sounds like the elephants are charging.

Across his four fundraising entities, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and his team raised $52.3 million in 2019. That is over $8 million more than the Republicans did during Paul Ryan’s previous record run up in the first year of President Donald Trump’s administration back in 2017.

Like him or not, Newt Gingrich is a wise political owl.  He likes what he sees.  “Kevin McCarthy’s tireless work ethic has produced a new dynamic, united, and aggressive House Republican Party,” Gingrich told Breitbart News. “Thanks to his efforts, Republicans enter 2020 from a position of strength—with the necessary resources, recruits, and message to win.”

Is it really possible that on their way to the Democrats’ House, Senate, and Presidential victory party a Republican sweep of the three got in the way?  Some folks sound pretty confident.

Where there is a will there is a way.  And, that way is being paved with lots of green cash.

If 2016 didn’t teach us that the impossible is possible, what will?

Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s get ready to rumble.

 

Party On

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Did you get your invite?  Don’t fret if you haven’t.  Some parties are better than others.  And some parties when two parties are throwing the party can be real duds.

As Henny Youngman might say, “Take this Senate Trial, please!”

So who did get invited?  Cameras aren’t permitted to focus on those in attendance, but rather only on the current chosen one who is addressing those in attendance.  There must be a drone there somewhere capturing this though.  Wait, BBR is being told that the drone is actually Adam Schiff droning on and on in a monotone voice only his mother would love.

Each Senator may invite one guest to sit in the balcony to watch.  Rand Paul overheard President Trump saying that he might like to attend what the President called a “partisan charade.”  He tweeted, “I heard @realDonaldTrump would like to attend the impeachment trial. Mr. President, would love to have you as my guest during this partisan charade.”  Apparently Paul will be voting against the two articles.

Hunter Biden might get an invite too.  Although he might not attend due to other travel plans.  Seems like Biden is defying a court order to disclose his financial information as part of a child support fight in Arkansas while renting a $3.8 million designer home in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, with his new wife Melissa Cohen for $12,000 per month.  They married six days after they met.

Lawyers for 28-year-old Lunden Alexis Roberts who was a stripper at a Washington, DC, club Biden once frequented — said he failed to submit a slew of discovery materials.  DNA tests proved Biden fathered a child with Roberts.  A court order has been issued in Arkansas for his appearance.   “No comment” has been the word from his first wife Kathleen Biden, with whom he currently is expecting his fifth child.

Hunter desperately needs a few more board of director gigs like the one that might compel him in the Senate to testify to keep up with the child support.

No one from Russia is in attendance as far as anyone can tell.  Adam Schiff mentioned the country literally 30 times in his sermon yesterday.  Somewhat like Field of Dreams though, maybe if you say it enough they will come.

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton might yet get an invite as well.

If Trump doesn’t use the Rand Paul ticket maybe Bolton can invite his own mustache as his guest.  Surely it can fill a seat all to its own.

One hundred Senators were invited and all are in attendance for the six day a week marathon.  No electronic devices are allowed in the proceedings.  One hundred Senators regret that they could not send their regrets back after the formal invite.

What about you?  You’re invited to watch at least.  The number of TV’s, desktops, laptops, Surfaces, IPads, and mobile devices turning to other interests by the hour must be staggering.  Not to worry though.  All of the news channels and talk shows are watching and listening for you.  If you think Trump is guilty turn to CNN or MSNBC and you’ll be proven right.  Speaking of the right, if you think he is innocent, turn to Fox News and you’ll be proven right about his innocence.

What if you threw a party and no one came?

 

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Business as Usual

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It seems like business as usual for the great folks that run Washington DC.  In just the last 72 hours a lot of news (perhaps some fake) has emanated from a district some call “The Swamp.”

Donald J Trump was on the stump in Milwaukee, WI on Tuesday night trumpeting his latest accomplishments.  He even spoke to rescinding some of those silly energy efficient laws that his predecessor put into law.  One in particular would provide a greater volume of water pouring out of the shower head to help him wash his hair.  “But how about the shower? I have this beautiful head of hair. I need a lot of work. You go into the shower…drip, drip, drip. I call the guy and ask ‘is there something wrong with this?’ He says ‘no sir, it’s just a restrictor.'”

On another stage just one state over, the Iowa Democratic Presidential Debate droned on for two hours on Tuesday night.  When it was over the group that encourages inclusiveness, acceptance, and tolerance had a little tiff.  CNN mics captured the following exchange.   “What?” Sanders replied.  “I think you called me a liar on national TV,” she said again.  “You know, let’s not do it right now.  If you want to have that discussion, we’ll have that discussion,” Sanders responded.  Warren replied: “Anytime.”  That appeared to have irked Sanders who then said: “You called me a liar.  “He added: “You told me — all right, let’s not do it now.”  This all started after Sanders denied during the debate that he ever told Warren that he didn’t think that a woman could win in 2020.  Could Warren be misremembering the event like her heritage, her firing during pregnancy, or her father’s non janitorial occupation?  Nah.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch Nancy Pelosi and her seven or so of her impeachment managers signed the articles of impeachment last evening.  Before the first witness in the process ever testified she said that she was very prayerful and that this is a very somber time for our country. She also spoke to the urgency due to the threat that our president posed to our country. Last evening, after a four week delay in delivering the articles, she was all smiles and handing out commemorate pens to the signers prior to their orchestrated walk down the halls of Congress for the delayed handoff.

And finally, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) called for the recusal of four Democrat presidential candidates from the impeachment process on Wednesday after Speaker Nancy Pelosi signed the articles.  She stated in part, “these four Democrats, Senators Bennet, Klobuchar, Sanders, and Warren, cannot sit in judgment of the very President they seek to replace. To participate in this trial would be a failure of the oath they took to be an ‘impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws.’

Her words “failure of the oath they took” ring so loudly and often in Washington DC these days that it’s not surprising that you hear them even while under the thick, dirty, boggy water that fills what is known as “The Swamp.”  At least the president has given us more fresh water out of the shower heads to rinse off.

Carry on.

 

It’s a Marathon, or Two.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Have you ever run a marathon?  It’s quite a feat to cross off of your bucket list we assume.  Accomplished runners will tell you that the only thing worse than the physical grind is the mental grind.  Surely you’ve heard of hitting the wall around mile 20 or so and having to really dig deep to will yourself to the finish line.

Did you feel like the impeachment marathon had at least reached the proverbial wall earlier this week when Nancy Pelosi (CA) stepped up to the podium to provide the encouragement needed for Adam Schiff (CA) and Jerry Nadler (NY) to get the articles drafted?  It worked.  Amazingly, just a day or so later, flanked by more two more New Yorkers and two more Californians, Schiff and Nadler announced that President Donald J. Trump’s high crimes and misdemeanors would be headed to a congressional vote.

If the Democratic Party controlled House vote has a majority in the “yea” column, the marathon concludes in the Senate in a full trial.  It seems like it’s taken forever to run this race.  It’s started on The Hill and has slowly wound it’s way to just six point two miles now from the very bottom.  The race is unique as each mile either shares a name with another or has a unique one all to itself.

Let’s refresh your three year, first 20 mile by mile memory.  1.  Tax returns.  2. The Steele Dossier.  3.  Session’s Recusal.  4.  Russian Collusion,  5.  Putin’s Turn,  6.  Obstruction (the toughest mile).  7.  More Russian Collusion.  8.  Obstruction of Justice.  9.   Schiff’s Got Proof.  10.  Comey, My Comey.  11.  Peter Strzok.  12.  Lisa(Lover’s Lane) Page.  13.  The Mueller Report (the slowest mile).  14.  The Whistleblower(you can not see the fans cheering you on, but you can hear them).  15. Ukraine.  16.  Quid Pro Quo.  17.  Bribery.  18.  Solemn and Prayerful (candles line each side of the road).  19. Abuse of Presidential Power.  And, whew, 20.  Obstruction of Congress.

With just six point two miles left the Senate joins the race.  Has America hit it’s own wall yet?

But just yesterday we learned that we might need to start training for yet a second marathon.  A second one wasn’t anywhere on the bucket list.

Rep Karen Bass (CA) said if Trump is reelected in 2020 there might be a second impeachment.  Here’s what she said.  “Because even though we’re impeaching him now, there’s still a number of court cases, there’s a ton of information that can come forward. For example, we can get his bank records and find out he’s owned 100 percent by the Russians.  The only thing I’d say slightly different is that it might not be the same articles of impeachment because the odds are we’ll have a ton more information.”

Californians and New Yorkers want to do away with Donald Trump and the Electoral College.  The middle of America wants to reelect Donald Trump and do away with Californians and New Yorkers.

At least all fifty states don’t want another impeachment marathon, do they?  It’s crossed off of their bucket list, isn’t it?

 

Six Questions.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

As we exit this week, thankfully, we leave you with a few(6) questions to ponder.  We’ll call this blend of politics, sports, and current events our Six Shooter for now. Perhaps this name is offensive.  Does Six Pack sound better?  Suggestions for a better name for this new feature are welcome.  But, make them good, or they will likely hit the round file.

We’ll keep it short as we, much like you, would prefer to put this week behinds us ASAP.  And, to the points to ponder we wander.

  1. In the age of media overkill, can we kill any future stories before they are printed or spoken about Antonio Brown?  The entire NFL is taking a pass on Antonio catching a pass for them.  Can the media pass?  Colin Kaepernick is holding on line two.
  2. Is Adam Schiff related to Pinocchio?   He has to be.  His ability to stare cameras in the face daily and lie right through his pearly whites has reached yet another level.  Jacob Chaffetz, the respected and recently retired Senator from Utah wrote a piece expressing his desire to see Shifty Schiff removed as House Intel Committee Chairman.  It’s from the right, and right here if you want a quick read.
  3.  The Packers are 3-1.  Their defense is better, much better, than in years gone by.  But, something doesn’t look right.  Aaron Rodgers, with last night’s game as another example, doesn’t look like Rodgers of old.  What’s wrong?  New OC?   He couldn’t get along with former HC Mike McCarthy either.  Or, as Rodgers told the world a few years back after a tough loss, “everyone needs to just chill.”
  4.  What’s more impressive, the way Joe Biden’s hair plugs have taken root, or how strong Nancy Pelosi’s Poly Grip held up this week after several press conferences?  Throw in Trump’s orange face tint and you have three very vain people at the center of the US political universe.
  5. Lamar Jackson, DeShaun Watson, and Patrick Mahomes are tomorrow’s (and some of today’s) NFL.  Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees are both injured and both may return to HOF form.  Rodgers and Rivers continue on.   But, is there any doubt, ANY doubt, that Tom Brady was yesterday’s, today’s, and likely tomorrow’s NFL?  Story lines about the NFL abound yearly.  You have to fill lots of Al Gore’s virtual world daily.  But, when the season gets long in the tooth, long in the tooth Tom seems to always be the story that matters.
  6. Thursday on CNN’s “OutFront,” 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) called on President Donald Trump to resign from the White House over the “whistleblower” complaint regarding Trump’s communications with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.  Can someone tell CNN, and then CNN could be kind enough to tell Beto, that someone’s opinion who is polling at less than 1% doesn’t really matter?  BBR is calling on Beto to resign.  Wait, he doesn’t have a job to resign from.

Tom Cruise (Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee) wanted answers from Jack Nicholson (Colonel Nathan Jessup) in A Few Good Men.  Nicholson told Cruise that “you can’t handle the truth.”  Truth be told this, once again, wasn’t America’s finest week.  Enjoy the weekend escape, and let the games begin.

And the Pendulum Swung

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Sixth grade science teaches us that a pendulum can only swing so far in one direction.  It’s momentum is slowed, then eventually halted, by its center of gravity and gravity itself.  That wise professor Nancy Pelosi gave several freshman Democrats a refresher course in just how that pendulum “thing” works yesterday.

Just six weeks or so after hugs and smiles and poses for group pictures had the Democrat freshman representatives positively giddy about a progressive future without greenhouse gasses and that gas-bag Donald Trump guy able to get in the way, Nancy became the center of gravity.  And, suddenly the swing to the left met gravity.

Alexandria Octavio Cortez (AOC) has The Green New Deal and dozens of other far left newbies had the pitchforks and lanterns.  The hunt for green October and the head (figuratively) of Donald Trump was on.

Nancy cleared her throat and in her best Lee Corso voice, pencil in hand, said “not so fast my friends on the left.”  That’s right.  It took a left coast, left leaning liberal to slow the roast.  She said, “I’m not for impeachment. Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.”   And just like that the old guard put the new guard in place all the while taking a cheap shot at The Donald.

And just like that the old guard put the new guard in place in 2014.  Then it was John Boehner, who took the gavel from Nancy, and Mitch McConnell who relegated the Tea Party incoming revolution to the last row of the Senate and House floors.   Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and a band of brothers had the music momentum stopped.  These upstarts had gone just far enough.  Rhinos forever!  And just like that the darn center of gravity, like Father Time, remained undefeated.  The pendulum headed back towards the middle.

So, where to from here?  AOC and her nearly 60 new Democrat friends feel empowered by the progressive wave that retook the house.  Surely they can push the Green New Deal.  Cost might be a problem though.  Estimates to actually act on its merits range from 40 trillion to nearly 100 trillion, or between 8 and 25 times the yearly federal revenues tax dollars received.

The cost of a Chick-fil-A meal is far less than that.  Sarah Palin left an aforementioned Tea Party rally in 2013 and proudly bought a couple of no. 1 value meals. It made international headlines as a show of support for the conservative christian right led Tea Party and the conservative christian right leadership of Chick-fil-A.  The restaurant chain was under fire then because they closed (and still do) on Sundays.  Heathens demand that the right give them the right to chicken seven days a week.

Support came to the left led Green New Deal yesterday when noted nutritionist, right coast NY Mayor Bill de Blasio proudly announced that soon NY public school lunches would enact, drum roll please, “meatless Mondays.”  Surely this will be a great first step in reducing those pesky emissions all the while helping our young eat healthier.  Government sure knows how to look out for its tired and its poor who know no better.

Perhaps the long running,successful, cow survival campaign by ChickFilA is now dated.  In place of “Eat Mor Chikin” sparing cows it could be “Eat Mor Letus.”  You would save (not kill) two animals with one slogan.  PETA would be so proud.

Speaking of “Letus,” let us pray that sanity returns soon.

Or, it returns at least before the cows come home.

 

 

 

“Made in China” made February 21st Relevant

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Yearly February 21st holds little cache’.  Sure it’s a week after Valentine’s Day so it might be remembered for throwing out dead roses that warmed hearts for about five minutes.  But in 1972 February 21st was a day that warmed an ice-cold relationship and in turn gave hope to a world that had plenty of cold wars brewing.

President Richard M. Nixon arrived in Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China, on the first ever US President’s visit to the world’s most populous nation. Because the U.S. federal government had formerly opposed China’s communist government since it took power in 1949, Nixon was also the first president to visit a nation not recognized by the United States. In Beijing, President Nixon met with Chairman Mao Zedong.

At the Shanghai Communique on February 27, Nixon and the Chinese premier agreed to lessen the risk of war, expand cultural contacts between the two nations, and establish a permanent U.S. trade mission in China.  The two leaders also secretly discussed how they could work together to carefully watch the growth of Soviet power in Asia and elsewhere around the globe.

It was progress, but it was begrudging and it churned forward slowly.  As the years wore on the trade between the two superpowers grew and grew.  But so did the trade imbalance and the tariffs imposed by China.  Both have risen geometrically and unchecked by the US.

And now a mere 47 years later President Trump is attempting to tackle it.  He is seeking what he calls trade equality.  In short he states that he wants to balance the trade imbalance-make the China exports and imports more equal in dollar value.  And he want the tariffs (taxes imposed by both countries on incoming goods) equalized as well.

After years of trade agreements that bound the countries of the world more closely and erased restrictions on trade, a populist backlash has grown against globalization. This was evident in Trump’s 2016 election and the British vote that year to leave the European Union.  You know, MAGA.

Critics note that big corporations in rich countries exploited rules to move factories to China, then shipped these goods back to their wealthy home countries while paying low tariffs. Since China joined the WTO in 2001, the United States has “lost” nearly 3 million factory jobs, though many economists believe a significant percentage of that loss is not just to trade but to artificial intelligence(robots) that replaces human workers.

President Trump blames what he calls their abusive trade policies for America’s persistent trade deficits — $566 billion last year. Most economists, by contrast, say the deficit simply reflects the reality that the United States spends more than it saves.

In 1972 the US was very divided over Nixon’s visit to China.  “Why should America even step on communist soil?” was a constant retort.  Just shy of two years later Richard Milhous Nixon was impeached for all together unrelated reasons.

In 2019 the US is very divided over the imposition of these tariffs on China as well as the many other nations that the Donald John Trump team has renegotiated trade deals with.  “Why mess with what has been working?” is the constant retort.

In fact in 2019 the US is very divided over everything.  Two years from now a new congress and either a new president or President Trump are sworn in to office.  If it’s a new congress that takes control of the Senate and President Trump is reelected might he be impeached for all together unrelated reasons?

If you are old enough you can still hear the tone and see President Nixon as he assured America, “I am not a crook!”

What fate lies ahead for President Trump?  And what will he say when he exits the American political stage whether forced out, elected out, or has served the maximum eight years allowed by our Constitution?  Our guess is that it will be strongly worded regardless of the pulpit, the audience, and the reason.

Meanwhile, the cost of your “made in China” items are about to go up it seems because Trump thinks China is a crook.