tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116364472024-03-12T20:04:32.546-04:00The Ostroy ReportThe Ostroy Report is an aggressive voice for Democrats, the progressive agenda and serves as a watchdog of the Republican Party and President Trump.The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.comBlogger1419125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-14337836594391315342020-11-09T11:36:00.002-05:002020-11-09T11:36:15.047-05:00Can I Ever Forgive My Trump-Supporting Former Friends?<p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2a77"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_j9wmwPjZ9RUTtx4EapOXkb-awS6kuSRCutyuxrinzILHvPMwfdFVpMuGst4-D08otPQQqKVusd8ZQ8M5ZiaMgykE-TDN2kDQKqPhQ8_r4VErAxSXh8gnq5RngFPDVVo4_ljdA/s600/Screen+Shot+2020-11-09+at+11.15.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_j9wmwPjZ9RUTtx4EapOXkb-awS6kuSRCutyuxrinzILHvPMwfdFVpMuGst4-D08otPQQqKVusd8ZQ8M5ZiaMgykE-TDN2kDQKqPhQ8_r4VErAxSXh8gnq5RngFPDVVo4_ljdA/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-11-09+at+11.15.38+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />For
years we amicably jabbed each other about politics. About our liberal
vs conservative values. We good-naturedly, yet passionately, argued over
taxes, regulation, gay-marriage, abortion and other hotbed issues. Yet
my friends and I were able to remain close despite our monumental core
policy differences. That all changed when they supported Donald Trump.<p></p><p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="366d">Trump was a game-changer. His presidency repres<span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm">e</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>nted
cruelty, corruption and evil. He mocked people with disabilities. He
targeted Muslims, blacks, Hispanics, Asians and other minorities and
immigrants with racist rhetoric, bans and policies. He separated
families and caged kids. He embraced and enabled white supremacists. He
attacked Gold Star families and dead soldiers, calling them “suckers and
losers”. He viciously attacked the media, calling it the “enemy of the
people”.</p><p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9c48">The
list goes on. He was a pathological liar. A sexist and sexual predator
who palled around with global sex-traffickers of minors. He constantly
broke laws, shattered norms and dismantled institutions. He was a
traitor who empowered our enemies and alienated our allies.</p><p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0b42">And
when America was faced with its deadliest health crisis in history, he
put himself and his campaign before country. He not only mocked, denied
and dismissed the Covid-19 pandemic, but he lied to Americans about its
severity and actually served as a <i class="iw">super-spreader…</i>refusing
to wear a mask or follow his own physical-distancing guidelines and
created dangerous Petri dishes of disease with his rallies and White
House events.</p><p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7d01">As
a result, 10-million Americans have been infected with the virus and
240,000 have died. His incompetence and negligence makes him a <i class="iw">mass-murderer.</i></p><p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cf48">I
was angry at my friends who voted for Trump in 2016. I felt they made a
terrible mistake in allowing someone so unqualified to become our 45th
president. But the relationships continued, as we’d yet to see just how
awful and destructive he’d become once in office.</p><p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="db0b">As
it became evident that Trump was a sadistic, sociopath racist with no
regard for human life, these relationships took a bad turn. And when
these former friends continued to support, defend and enable him through
his re-election campaign, I cut them off. How could I be friends with
people who seem <i class="iw">so</i> comfortable with such diabolical behavior?</p><p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d888">I
have other friends too. Liberal ones. Friends who are black. Hispanic.
Muslim. Immigrants. Asian. Jewish. LGBTQ. Veterans. How am I supposed to
remain friends with those who support someone who hates these people
and seeks to deny them their legal, civil and human rights? For what…<i class="iw">lower taxes and bigger 401k’s?</i></p><p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6e09">Trump
is a sociopath who can only feel good about himself if he’s tearing
apart others and creating chaos and division. If he’s spreading hate and
bigotry. His toxicity nearly destroyed the nation and its precious
democracy.</p><p class="hy hz fn ia b ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv db dg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="55ff">So the answer, for now at least, and until I hear a sincere <i class="iw">mea culpa</i>,
is no. I cannot be friends with these Trump supporters anymore. I am
sad over that unfortunate fact, and mourn the loss of what we once had
before Trump tore us apart.</p>The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-41693703858939575482020-11-01T14:54:00.001-05:002020-11-01T14:54:05.496-05:00This Election Will Be Decided By the ‘Hold Your Nosers’<p> </p><p class="hq hr fo hs b ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0285"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzxIubBR3prNmM_xQwpSj8OdP_dUjTnSK8_2OTXrnNtiKYsaGrYzezdQXyvE04YbtjdAo62bIs8o1P0BXJPLgtjZ0UYVz4r5QP61LDL2_BByIQ9w4u7WjzWSsOjmEe62SaS6ypA/s558/Screen+Shot+2020-10-31+at+7.30.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzxIubBR3prNmM_xQwpSj8OdP_dUjTnSK8_2OTXrnNtiKYsaGrYzezdQXyvE04YbtjdAo62bIs8o1P0BXJPLgtjZ0UYVz4r5QP61LDL2_BByIQ9w4u7WjzWSsOjmEe62SaS6ypA/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-10-31+at+7.30.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>Four
years ago millions of Republican and independent voters ‘held their
noses’ and voted for Donald Trump. They didn’t like him. But they
disliked Hillary Clinton much more. This year they will be the reason
Trump loses.<p></p><p class="hq hr fo hs b ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8ab9">Joe
Biden doesn’t need to attract the hardcore Trump cultists. Given that
in 2016 Trump lost the popular vote by 3-million, and narrowly won the
electoral college by 77,000, if he just loses the ‘hold your nosers’
he’s toast.</p><p class="hq hr fo hs b ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4501">Don’t get me wrong. Thes<span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm">e</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
voters will still be holding their noses. But this time they’ll be
voting for Biden as they do it. They understand, unlike 2016, what’s
truly at stake.</p><p class="hq hr fo hs b ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8175">They know that this year’s election truly is the most important in history, because our very <em class="io">democracy </em>is
on the ballot. It’s no longer just about traditional conservative
touch-points like de-regulation, lower taxes and gun rights. It’s <em class="io">existential.</em></p><p class="hq hr fo hs b ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="263c">For
the first time in 243 years, America’s system of checks and balances…as
well as freedom of the press…freedom of speech…freedom to peacefully
assemble and protest…free and fair elections…and the very norms,
institutions and principles that have stood for American exceptionalism
(as well as truth, decency, empathy and humanity), are in grave danger
of extinction. And, pun intended, that trumps <em class="io">everything.<br /></em></p>The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-3005151940604448892020-10-30T13:20:00.003-04:002020-10-30T13:20:49.506-04:00Trump Will Not Win: Why This Election is Not 2016<p class="graf graf--p" name="2030"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQkP-5hl7PEZQjd8nEgxWtBZtlyB9hJ-pR_wxhsIp2lVr3FKBw2XYrZC_ia0Um0bEqNUzfgfx4vSUShwhKqm9MLZ5RNZhyphenhyphensfD5L5gLprZuXw1P4t3-IixOYKBp5MGsQlNbJP4Eg/s618/Screen+Shot+2020-10-30+at+11.59.56+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQkP-5hl7PEZQjd8nEgxWtBZtlyB9hJ-pR_wxhsIp2lVr3FKBw2XYrZC_ia0Um0bEqNUzfgfx4vSUShwhKqm9MLZ5RNZhyphenhyphensfD5L5gLprZuXw1P4t3-IixOYKBp5MGsQlNbJP4Eg/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-10-30+at+11.59.56+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I am 100% confident that the next president of the United States will be Joe Biden. I am basing that on facts and reality, and refuse to get caught up in the fear and hysteria that consumes many of my fellow democrats.<p></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3850">To begin with, let’s remember that Donald Trump <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">barely</i> won in 2016. He lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by almost 3-million, and eked out a paltry 77,000 vote margin in the formerly impenetrable blue wall states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Consider that he narrowly won when his slate was clean and he wasn’t burdened by broken campaign promises, corruption, impeachment, a deadly virus and a struggling economy. He was simply the shiny new ‘celebrity’ toy for disenfranchised, racially-frustrated white voters seduced by childish stand-up comedy and Morton Downey Jr-like bombast.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="193a">Jump ahead to 2020. Trump is toxic material. Americans have endured four years of ignorance, incompetence, sexism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, divisiveness, hatefulness, bullying, corruption and treason. And they’re <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">exhausted.</i> But what’s critical this time around is that this Trump-fatigue is not limited to Democrats.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fc2f">If you define Trump’s “base” as everyone who voted for him in 2016, he’s lost much of that support including women, youth, seniors, suburbanites, college educated, minorities and independents and has appreciably eaten into Trump’s core <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">male</i> base as well.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a97f">Even worse is that he’s not only lost a ton of moderate “Never Trump” Republicans, but they’re actively fighting with Democrats to defeat him. Two prominent examples are The Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump, whose founders include many of the most skilled, aggressive conservative operatives in modern political history such as Bill Kristol, Steve Schmidt, Rick Wilson, Sarah Longwell, Mike Murphy and John Weaver. Their ads have been ruthless. The kind we Democrats always envied but never had the balls to create.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d766">There have also been hundreds of Republican prosecutors, high-ranking military personnel and national security officials — past and present — who’ve endorsed Biden. A first in my<i class="markup--em markup--p-em"> </i>lifetime.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="85b4">In 2016, Trump as the ‘outsider’ ran against one of the most unpopular ‘insider’ candidates ever. Hillary Clinton was branded an elitist and struggled to garner support from the Bernie Sanders camp, and was cannibalized on the left by 3rd party candidate Jill Stein. But Biden is not Clinton. He’s extremely well-liked on both sides of the aisle and on both Wall Street and Main Street; the ‘Bernie bro’s’ are a non-factor in this election; and there’s no Stein peeling away progressives.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1a89">Furthermore, an over-confident Clinton failed to show up in those key blue wall states. She took voters there for granted. To the contrary, Biden, Harris and their surrogates have ubiquitously campaigned in all the critical swing states and have boldly put themselves and much resources into formerly unthinkable red states such as Georgia, Texas and North Carolina (where Trump abruptly cancelled last night’s rally due to the forecast of 14mph “wind”).</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="313e">Which is why all the major polls (with the exception of Trump-loving Rasmussen) have consistently shown a strong double-digit national lead for Biden as well as enviable 4–10pt leads in all the swing states.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cb08">Trump is damaged goods. An incumbent president whose closing re-election pitch is an out-of control deadly pandemic; recession, record unemployment, debt and deficit; racial unrest; weakened national security; healthcare and infrastructure failure; and a badly divided nation. Worse, he’s been expending much of his recent energy and Twitter space attacking Hunter Biden, 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl, and former Homeland Security official Miles “Anonymous” Taylor. You know, all the things Americans <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">really </i>care about right now.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="163e">To be sure, Trump himself knows the landslide’s coming. Which explains the <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">‘rigged election’</i> narrative he’s been spewing for months. I suspect if he thought he was going to <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">win</i> he wouldn’t be undermining his own victory by oddly challenging the results before the first votes were even cast.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bbc0">As of this writing, almost 85-million total votes have been cast, which is roughly 63% of the 136-million popular vote total for ’16. That’s record-breaking enthusiasm and turnout so far. Early voting, especially in states like Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, is off the charts. Given what Americans know about Trump, coupled with the consistent steady polling leads for Biden, this spells disaster for the dictator-wannabe.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2ad3">On paper, and finger to the wind, Joe Biden will be the next United States president…</p>The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-91006770810073090292020-10-28T14:58:00.000-04:002020-11-01T15:05:17.893-05:00An Open Letter to the Other Half of America…<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFgZ5HM-KEjj3UML0DbHYpKpYMbaBEur0nsYwxdFSZNaO2InYNrJJFeB2MiLXBqzPk74prgQfljCU7c6qg3OY0gdcPrsUPZtsw6w0zA4xaG-p9Y-JlB2uzTh0eQuFF1vblfDRcg/s508/Screen+Shot+2020-10-28+at+10.11.20+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFgZ5HM-KEjj3UML0DbHYpKpYMbaBEur0nsYwxdFSZNaO2InYNrJJFeB2MiLXBqzPk74prgQfljCU7c6qg3OY0gdcPrsUPZtsw6w0zA4xaG-p9Y-JlB2uzTh0eQuFF1vblfDRcg/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-10-28+at+10.11.20+AM.png" width="320" /></a></p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="00a9">Dear Trump Supporters:</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="622e">For the life of me I cannot understand how you could <i class="ix">still</i> support him. Do you no longer care about <i class="ix">anything</i> you used to care about?</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f602">On
some level I get it. Four years ago you were seduced by all the racial
rhetoric. You were scared, frustrated, tired of seeing your white
privilege diminished by the nation’s changing demographics. Then along
came Trump with his promise to Make America Great (white) Again. It was
intoxicating. But that was then.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5328">Let’s consider all that’s occurred since. What you’ve accepted from Trump:</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="44a4">You’re <span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm"><span id="rmm">o</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>k with pussy-grabbing, sexual assault and non-stop sexism/misogyny.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5f69">You’re ok with mocking disabled people.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e1a7">You’re ok with bullying. Name-calling. Incivility. Toxicity.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="331c">You’re ok with lies, dishonesty and hypocrisy.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d003">You’re ok with serial-sinning.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d576">You’re ok with record debt and deficits.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6dd9">You’re ok with trade wars.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="06a3">You’re ok with blatant corruption.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a4f5">You’re ok with police brutality.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="849a">You’re ok with calling the free and open press (the bedrock of democracy) the ‘enemy of the people”</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8089">You’re
ok with the shattering of norms and the defiling of institutions
including the FBI, intelligence community and independent judiciary.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4a08">You’re ok with a deadly pandemic and sacrificing the elderly and sick.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="281f">You’re ok with stealing Supreme Court seats.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3592">You’re ok with stealing elections.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a555">You’re
ok with disrespecting war heroes, Gold Star families and active
military. You’re ok with calling them “suckers and losers”</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3eff">You’re ok with enabling our most deadly enemies.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="28d9">You’re ok with alienating our most trusted, respected, loyal allies.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0578">You’re ok with treason and the endangering of our national security.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1881">Before
Trump, your hero was Ronald Reagan. But you support a president whose
policies and behavior would make Reagan implode in his grave. You
support a president who goes against <i class="ix">everything</i> you as a conservative believed in four years ago.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f55f">And
now you face the biggest question of all: are you also ok with America
becoming an autocracy? With Trump becoming King? Because that’s what’s
at stake in this election.</p><p class="hz ia fo ib b ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw de dj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e621"><mark class="pc pd kt">It’s all fun and games until someone loses a democracy…</mark></p>The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-34380890956234034082020-02-23T11:03:00.000-05:002020-02-23T11:10:14.211-05:00Love Bloomberg or Hate Him, But He and Trump are NOT the Same<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwll3rpzCL87uw0OPGVIy-35KBAelwMT3nbdewrmaX48rsHMXVw4g-nfv7EB-DdkNWQ_A0dhUjx-T4XQ7cxXbhEQCKP5bz0frSy8jcvCFcojnTRK1lNa9ZFS09ThpGjO6-ztjcNA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-02-23+at+10.27.02+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="666" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwll3rpzCL87uw0OPGVIy-35KBAelwMT3nbdewrmaX48rsHMXVw4g-nfv7EB-DdkNWQ_A0dhUjx-T4XQ7cxXbhEQCKP5bz0frSy8jcvCFcojnTRK1lNa9ZFS09ThpGjO6-ztjcNA/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-02-23+at+10.27.02+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7331">
Once
again, just as they angrily fought over Bernie Sanders and Hillary
Clinton in 2016, Democrats are engaging in a bitter battle over their
preferred candidates.</div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7331">
<br /></div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bd1c">
And
once again, while the #VoteBlueNoMatterWho mantra sweeps through
liberal circles and social media, many Sanders supporters vow not to
vote for anyone but Bernie. There are those who even more specifically
equate Michael Bloomberg with Donald Trump, and promise to sit out the
election if he’s the nominee.</div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bd1c">
<br /></div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0590">
To
be sure, Bloomberg has lots of baggage. His skeletons include sexual
harassment allegations against his company and him personally; his
controversial, racially-incendiary “stop and frisk” policy while mayor
of New York City; his refusal, like Trump, to release his tax returns;
his insensitive remarks towards minorities, women and LGBTQ; and his
comments about “redlining.”</div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0590">
<br /></div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="306e">
But
to equate Bloomberg with Trump is naive, ignorant and disingenuous at
best, and downright dishonest at worst. And it’s suicidal. Because the
future of American democracy is at stake in November.</div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="306e">
<br /></div>
<div class="jy jz du km ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="228f">
Let’s be clear: Does Trump fight climate change? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> does. Does Trump fight gun violence? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> does. Does Trump fight to protect women’s reproductive rights? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg </i>does. Does Trump believe in science? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> does. Does Trump want compassionate immigration reform? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg </i>does. Does Trump support public education? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> does. Does Trump support progressive tax reform? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> does. Does Trump support LGBTQ? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> does. Does Trump support Pell grants? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> does. Does Trump support a health care public option? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> does. Does Trump obey the law? No. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> does. Is Trump a pathological liar? Yes. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> isn’t. Is Trump a traitor? Yes. <i class="km">Bloomberg</i> isn’t. Is Trump a sociopath? Yes. <i class="km">Bloomberg </i>isn’t.<i class="ar"> </i></div>
<div class="jy jz du km ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="228f">
<br /></div>
<div class="jy jz du km ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="228f">
<span class="ar">How anyone can say they’re ‘</span>the same’<span class="ar"> is unfathomable.</span></div>
<div class="jy jz du km ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="228f">
<br /></div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ef18">
To those democrats who say <i class="km">“I won’t vote for this democrat or that democrat”</i>, or, “<i class="km">I won’t vote for anyone but my candidate”, </i>let
me make this simple: you can stand on principle…you can ‘send a
message’…you can point out candidates’ imperfections and how they don’t
agree with <i class="km">your </i>positions 100%. That’s your right.</div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ef18">
<br /></div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8f9c">
But
the result? A pathologically-lying, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic,
racist, corrupt, treasonous, dangerous, democracy-killing sociopath
monster will remain in the White House.</div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8f9c">
<br /></div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0421">
It’s
time to instead focus on the big picture, because it’s pretty ugly. If
Trump is reelected he will finally achieve his dream of turning America
into a dictatorship and will destroy every single thing that matters to
democrats/progressives. Which is why<i class="km"> any</i> democrat would be 1-million times better.</div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8291">
<br />
As
adults we’re faced with difficult choices all the time. So we
prioritize. We choose the better option, even if it’s not a perfect one.
We accept that life is rarely an ‘all or nothing’ landscape.</div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="870d">
And as children we’re told not to <i class="km">“cut off our nose to spite our face.”</i></div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="870d">
<br /></div>
<div class="jy jz du ar ka b kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl fg" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ef7b">
Democrats need to understand that. And they need to hold those noses and vote for <i class="km">whoever</i> runs against Trump…because the alternative is fucking <i class="km">terrifying</i>…</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-71338592556597527872020-02-06T09:15:00.001-05:002020-02-06T09:28:38.246-05:00An Acquitted Trump Still Crying "Read the Transcripts!"<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="455f">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPR6U8r7sNOMgZ4I7LsaJwmtzDB87t7Bt_GxTvDizL_dP4V8Q30b1NVXAjgaaUljPT_DWy35UV4l1O-LSrmPjFWzC5GuXmvubpucJm0wY6eaOA1xocX4GtQ5bqlU8mVmwhf128Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-02-06+at+8.56.31+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="438" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPR6U8r7sNOMgZ4I7LsaJwmtzDB87t7Bt_GxTvDizL_dP4V8Q30b1NVXAjgaaUljPT_DWy35UV4l1O-LSrmPjFWzC5GuXmvubpucJm0wY6eaOA1xocX4GtQ5bqlU8mVmwhf128Q/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-02-06+at+8.56.31+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
A week ago I <a class="bh gr gs gt gu gv" href="https://medium.com/@abostroy/trumps-consciousness-of-guilt-will-haunt-him-forever-dd705486b02b" rel="noopener" target="_blank">wrote</a> that Donald Trump’s consciousness-of-guilt will haunt him forever regardless of the outcome of the Senate impeachment trial.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="455f">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5c3f">
One
week later the Republican-controlled Senate not surprisingly voted to
acquit Trump. Only one Senator, Mitt Romney, broke tightly-held party
ranks and voted to convict…but not before delivering a powerfully
poignant, courageous and s<i class="gw">cathing</i> <a class="bh gr gs gt gu gv" href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/02/05/mitt-romney-trump-impeachment-trial-vote-announcement-full-vpx.cnn" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">indictment</a> of the president’s actions:</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5c3f">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a7b0">
<i class="gw">“…The
grave question the Constitution tasked senators to answer is whether
the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to
the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did.”</i></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a7b0">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6f4a">
It
didn’t take long for Trump’s crippling insecurities (and obsessive
Obama jealousy) to fire back. Just after midnight he tweeted…</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6f4a">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d9cd">
<i class="gw">“Had failed presidential candidate </i><a class="bh gr gs gt gu gv" href="https://twitter.com/MittRomney" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"><i class="gw">@MittRomney</i></a><i class="gw">
devoted the same energy and anger to defeating a faltering Barack Obama
as he sanctimoniously does to me, he could have won the election. Read
the Transcripts!”</i><br />
<br />
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8614">
And this morning, attending the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, Trump bitterly <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?469058-1/president-trump-delivers-remarks-national-prayer-breakfast" href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?469058-1/president-trump-delivers-remarks-national-prayer-breakfast" rel="noopener" target="_blank">attacked</a> the impeachment process and his opponents…including Romney and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who he claimed ‘used their faith to justify doing what’s wrong.’</div>
</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d9cd">
</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6f06">
Just
as I wrote last week, no matter Trump’s claims that the Mueller probe
“totally exonerated” him…no matter that his weak, feckless cowardly
Senate Republicans abdicated their Constitutional oath to acquit him as
predicted…he can’t and won’t let go. He’s trapped in his emotional
prison, where his guilt and illegitimacy consume him.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6f06">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6d7d">
Trump knows what he did. He knows <i class="gw">we</i> know what he did. We also now know that many Republican <i class="gw">Senators</i> know what he did. It’s not just Romney who’s issued a public rebuke of his corrupt behavior. Senators Lisa Murkowski (<i class="gw">“shameful and wrong”</i>), Lamar Alexander (<i class="gw">“inappropriate”</i>), Susan Collins (<i class="gw">“wrong”</i>), Marco Rubio (<i class="gw">“actions meet a standard of impeachment”</i>) are part of the bi-partisan chorus of condemnation.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6d7d">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5367">
But
in what will go down as the greatest, most shameful partisan cover-up
in political history, only Romney honored his oath to both country and
faith. The others, though politically-expediently critical of Trump,
disingenuously claimed his behavior is not <i class="gw">impeachable. </i>History will judge them accordingly.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5367">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e8d5">
So here we are. With an <i class="gw">exonerated</i> and <i class="gw">acquitted</i> yet still angry, bitter, resentful, insecure Trump ravaged by guilt and illegitimacy. It should be over, but it’s not. It will <i class="gw">never</i>
be over. Not for Trump. That’s what guilt does to ya. It compels you to
spend every minute of every waking day desperately trying to prove
innocence.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e8d5">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq di" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4196">
It’s a life sentence.</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-66946803494845384522020-02-03T09:19:00.000-05:002020-02-06T09:29:17.801-05:00The Bar's Just Been Raised For Impeachment<div class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk ff" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2d15">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdV4ewDmonFXDMkN64ViFOCw3n6EXfe6N7kfo6On4Wqq6Tf0KlMKEydKp2QPvZ0SBMSqM1GegUP0fdVVdKOb4RIxNjcjSGV6qufFa0vLQYiEopgGIGoCRgzUaHrc6tZcvjfPZhUw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-02-03+at+10.58.32+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="568" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdV4ewDmonFXDMkN64ViFOCw3n6EXfe6N7kfo6On4Wqq6Tf0KlMKEydKp2QPvZ0SBMSqM1GegUP0fdVVdKOb4RIxNjcjSGV6qufFa0vLQYiEopgGIGoCRgzUaHrc6tZcvjfPZhUw/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-02-03+at+10.58.32+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Twenty
years ago President Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about sex.
Last week Donald Trump got away with a whole lot more.</div>
<div class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk ff" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2d15">
<br /></div>
<div class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk ff" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="af76">
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell didn’t just conduct an <i class="kl">evidence-and-witness-less </i>sham
trial which will go down as the biggest cover-up in political history,
he essentially re-wrote the Constitution to make it that much harder to
ever impeach and ultimately remove a president again.</div>
<div class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk ff" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="af76">
<br /></div>
<div class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk ff" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a59a">
So
for all intents and purposes, here’s a shortlist of High Crimes and
Misdemeanors that, according to Republicans, no longer qualify as
impeachable offenses:</div>
<ul class="">
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b328">Pathological lying</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aae4">Sexual assault</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="389c">Sexism</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="37ff">Racism</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c193">Xenophobia</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a7c0">Incitement of violence</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6c5c">Bullying</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="990b">Attacking children</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9215">Caging children</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e893">Separating families</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="55d5">Attacking disabled people</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d19d">Attacking the Pope</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aae8">Attacking Gold Star families</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f5f3">Attacking war heroes (alive AND dead)</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f579">Campaign finance violations</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5e78">Emoluments clause violations</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="35d5">Self-enrichment</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0949">Bribery</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e16c">Extortion</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="36b2">Misuse of Congressionally-appropriated military aid</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a275">Abuse of power</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c8bc">Soliciting foreign interference in elections</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5887">Obstruction of Justice</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e67f">Obstruction of Congress</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1341">Threatening US national security</li>
<li class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kp kc kq ke kr kg ks ki kt kk km kn ko" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fba6">Treason</li>
</ul>
<div class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk ff" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c09b">
Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz last week punctuated this shocking reality with his even more shocking <a class="bo ep ku kv kw kx" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/01/30/alan-dershowitz-controversial-trump-impeachment-argument/4618461002/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">argument</a>
that the president cannot be impeached if he believes his re-election
is in the national interest. This suggests that the president can do
whatever the hell he or she wants including rigging the election…so long
as he convinces himself America is better off for it.</div>
<div class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk ff" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c09b">
<br /></div>
<div class="jx jy dt ar jz b ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk ff" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6d30">
To
be sure, the Clinton impeachment lowered the bar. But Trump’s Senate
trial, which gave a shamelessly partisan thumbs up to his myriad moral,
ethical and legal transgressions, raises that bar to unfathomable
levels, and leaves us with the question, <i class="kl">what will it now take to impeach and remove an American president?</i></div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-21468115117223416282020-02-01T10:32:00.001-05:002020-02-01T10:32:38.939-05:00Dear Democrats: Vote Like Your Life Depends On It…Because It Does<div class="graf graf--p" name="e8be">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBzEp37uAzzxxHD8pMIuzg0ADt1xVlBmb-RwlsWBbwhgGZKuVsEIiKKnww5600LIMh8yf-EluO7Bcjivcgp9EH1epPJW8Hha5vWK2aQNBTMHfYxSzXdR1LASVU4AXHCccCvd_Ng/s1600/PO-no-trump-button_busy_beaver_button_museum.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1000" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBzEp37uAzzxxHD8pMIuzg0ADt1xVlBmb-RwlsWBbwhgGZKuVsEIiKKnww5600LIMh8yf-EluO7Bcjivcgp9EH1epPJW8Hha5vWK2aQNBTMHfYxSzXdR1LASVU4AXHCccCvd_Ng/s320/PO-no-trump-button_busy_beaver_button_museum.png" width="320" /></a></div>
First it was the Mueller probe. Then impeachment. Democrats expected these investigations would drag Donald Trump, the most blatantly corrupt politician in U.S. history, through the jaws of justice and finally hold him accountable.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="e8be">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="565c">
We know how <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">that</i> ended up. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="565c">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8ce5">
Mueller came and went with Trump barely getting scratched.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8ce5">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="6215">
And the complicit Republican Senate yesterday violated its oath to uphold the Constitution and be impartial jurors, while completely decimating its oversight role by conducting the first impeachment trial ever to be held without one single document or witness. That’s not a fair trial. It’s a cover-up.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="6215">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="2820">
Donald Trump now has free reign to be as dishonest, corrupt and treasonous as he wants. To trade America’s national security for his personal, financial and/or political gain.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="2820">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="c312">
To abuse the power of the presidency with impunity. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell just assured that.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="c312">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0568">
So the big question is, <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">what do we do now?</i></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0568">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5261">
We <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">vote</i>, that’s what we do. And not in the typical 60% range. We need record turnout. We need to make history. We need a <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">landslide.</i></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5261">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="bcce">
We need to rally around whoever the Democratic nominee will be. Old people, young people, whites, blacks, Hispanics, LGBTQ, men, women, moderates, progressives…everyone needs to unite after the primaries and support the eventual nominee.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="bcce">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="f619">
We need to donate money. Make phone calls. Canvas. Volunteer in voter registration drives. All of it, or any of it. Each of us needs to do <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">something.</i> </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="f619">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="715f">
No more <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">“If my candidate doesn’t win I’m staying home”</i> crap. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="715f">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5d68">
No more <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">“Why bother, my vote doesn’t count”</i> insanity. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5d68">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="e0c3">
We must unite. We must rally. We must support. We must <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">vote</i>.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="e0c3">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="1e89">
And vote like your <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">life </i>depends on it. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="1e89">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="dbe4">
Because, with this dangerous, undisciplined, impulsive, amoral, vision-less policy-bankrupt ego-driven madman in the Oval Office, <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">it does.</i> </div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-5886051517655091662020-01-31T10:39:00.000-05:002020-02-01T10:40:45.347-05:00Trump’s Consciousness of Guilt Will Haunt Him Forever<div class="graf graf--p" name="9363">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcANTiaZ1HuOm2A0oK7iVNyEsMdIqskZuBpflnQBPL2V0hy5N5u8cPOlzkQueT4b2EwHeoR7qVgIlswvhfk7I4NTUXHr-5iSlNW57vlTtiEzvP82gck3Nk8CNG0jxa6yIbOqquJw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-31+at+10.59.39+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="590" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcANTiaZ1HuOm2A0oK7iVNyEsMdIqskZuBpflnQBPL2V0hy5N5u8cPOlzkQueT4b2EwHeoR7qVgIlswvhfk7I4NTUXHr-5iSlNW57vlTtiEzvP82gck3Nk8CNG0jxa6yIbOqquJw/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-01-31+at+10.59.39+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Donald Trump cares about one thing: image. <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">His.</i></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="9363">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="bee5">
He obsesses over size, stature, popularity, accomplishment, wealth, power and success. Racked by crippling insecurities and self-loathing, he sees himself as small, insignificant, ignorant, incompetent and illegitimate…yet spends every waking minute of every day trying to convince us he’s the biggest, the best, the smartest, the richest and most successful human on the planet.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="bee5">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="1cac">
One thing Trump doesn’t have is a poker face. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He lets us see him sweat. He’s as transparent as a Glad bag. We can literally see right through him.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="1cac">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="fde1">
Which is why Trump will never be at peace. Why no amount of ‘exoneration’ will ever satisfy him. He knows what he’s done. He knows <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">we </i>know what he’s done. He knows Republican Congressman and Senators know what he’s done. He will never accept ‘exoneration’ because he knows no one actually believes he’s innocent. And that just <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">kills</i> him.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="fde1">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="b7c1">
Take the Mueller probe, which ended almost a year ago. Trump declared his innocence. Proclaimed the investigation “totally exonerated” him. Yet he’s spent almost every day since attacking it as a witch hunt. A hoax. A coup. He can’t let go. He’ll <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">never </i>let go. Because he knows he’s guilty and got away with it. Because he knows he’ll forever be an asterisk in history.<i class="markup--em markup--p-em"> </i>Because his illegitimacy consumes him.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="b7c1">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="cc1e">
And now there’s the Senate impeachment trial, where later tonight he’ll likely be acquitted in the biggest cover-up in political history. But it won’t matter. Because, again, he’s tortured by his own guilt.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="cc1e">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="f78f">
Last night Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN), the heretofore presumed critical “4th” Republican “yes” vote, issued a <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/30/politics/lamar-alexander-impeachment-witnesses-vote/index.html" href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/30/politics/lamar-alexander-impeachment-witnesses-vote/index.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">statement</a> that he’ll vote “no” today on allowing further evidence and witnesses. But he also said Democrats successfully “proved” their case with a ‘mountain of overwhelming evidence.’ He said Trump’s behavior was “inappropriate.”</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="f78f">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7df1">
So Alexander’s position is this: Trump illegally withheld Congressionally-approved Ukraine military funding in a quid pro quo for dirt on political rival Joe Biden to influence our election— serving to harm an ally while empowering an enemy, Russia, and threatening our own national security…but that this egregious abuse of power is not “impeachable.”</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7df1">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="4391">
In short, Trump did it. He fucking <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">did</i> it.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="4391">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7890">
And that is what Trump will obsess over. Because he knows Alexander, and Democrats, are right.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7890">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="a25b">
Because he knows the cavernous depths of his corruption and treason.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="a25b">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8bc8">
Because for the first time in history there’s now a Senate impeachment trial with not <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">one</i> single document of evidence or <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">one</i> single witness.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8bc8">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="81fa">
Because he knows he’s been <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">‘covered-up’</i> not exonerated.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="81fa">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="e882">
Because he’s been impeached, and that’s forever.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="e882">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7cbd">
So no matter what happened in the Mueller investigation…no matter what happens in the Senate impeachment trial…he’ll never truly be <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">exonerated</i>.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7cbd">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="cd7e">
Because only one person can truly <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">exonerate</i> Donald Trump. And that’s Donald Trump.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="cd7e">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="ee63">
To be sure, a month from now, a year from now, five years from now and so on, we’ll continue to see the tweets, the rallies, the manic, rambling Fox & Friends and Hannity interviews to desperately spin his innocence and legitimacy.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="ee63">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="11eb">
We’ll continue to see Trump ravaged by guilt like maggots on roadkill.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="11eb">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5aa2">
<i class="markup--em markup--p-em">A witch hunt. A hoax. A coup.</i></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5aa2">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0c8f">
He will never stop.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0c8f">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="44e8">
He’ll be the angriest, most bitter, least-satisfied <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">exonerated</i> man ever.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="44e8">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="caac">
A prisoner of his own guilt. And it’s a life sentence.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="caac">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="542b">
Justice.</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-59452474415267541572020-01-11T13:11:00.001-05:002020-01-11T13:58:56.280-05:00An Open Letter to Donald Trump: What Are You Hiding?<div class="graf graf--p" name="7503">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41PsTPbWK8dovyCxRcq2nhJuUsfSlVg0uVnYLGu3t1lI5M55oIhog-ySxg62YgVmw98zzACjqF5utEkRPjwsnBh0amJ0KzdkHzVcFho0RX5MW7UizC2GZxwaNv2W7bl9GZgjHOA/s1600/imrs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1440" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41PsTPbWK8dovyCxRcq2nhJuUsfSlVg0uVnYLGu3t1lI5M55oIhog-ySxg62YgVmw98zzACjqF5utEkRPjwsnBh0amJ0KzdkHzVcFho0RX5MW7UizC2GZxwaNv2W7bl9GZgjHOA/s320/imrs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Ever since you stepped into the Oval Office you’ve waged a relentless, ruthless, unprecedented campaign of distraction, deflection, dishonesty and obstruction. You’ve lied, discredited, spun bizarre conspiracies and refused to cooperate with any investigation and hearing concerning your alleged High Crimes and Misdemeanors.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7503">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="2c9b">
You constantly claim <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">‘I’m innocent…it’s all a hoax and a witch hunt!”</i>Which begs the question, if you’re so innocent why are you desperately trying since the Mueller investigation and then the House impeachment hearings to keep all direct evidence secret and critical first-hand witnesses from testifying? Let me help you: <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">it’s because you’re guilty as hell.</i></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="2c9b">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="07d6">
One thing’s certain, Donnie: you’re an egomaniac. A narcissist. A shameless braggart. Obsessed with image, brand and how the world perceives you. So if you actually had <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">any</i> of the evidence you always claim to have…if you knew a fair trial would in fact <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">exonerate</i> you…if you knew you could scream to the world <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">“SEE!? I TOLD YOU THESE LOSERS HAD NOTHING ON ME!” </i>you would seize the opportunity to do so.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="07d6">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3090">
But you don’t.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3090">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="eec0">
Instead, you’re fighting like a cornered animal, terrified that the truth will eventually come out.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="ecf3">
Because you’re guilty as hell.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="ecf3">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8a5e">
The latest example of this obstruction: your former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who was on the now-infamous Ukraine call and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/us/politics/bolton-giuliani-fiona-hill-testimony.html" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/us/politics/bolton-giuliani-fiona-hill-testimony.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">cited</a> Rudy Giuliani and Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s military-aid-for-dirt-on-Biden bribe as a “drug deal’, has stated he’ll testify if subpoenaed for the upcoming Senate trial. But you’re now saying you won’t allow it.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8a5e">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="4957">
Because you’re guilty as hell.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="4957">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="ea0c">
In your State TV-run propaganda sit-down Friday night with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham you <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/10/trump-john-bolton-testimony-097349" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/10/trump-john-bolton-testimony-097349" rel="noopener" target="_blank">said</a> you’ll invoke ‘executive privilege’:</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="ea0c">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="995c">
<i class="markup--em markup--p-em">“Well I think you have to for the sake of the office.”</i></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="995c">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5522">
Actually, you don’t. If you really gave a shit about “the office” you’d <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">respect</i> it. You’d respect the Constitution and the rule of law. Two things, as the <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">occupant</i> of that office, you took an oath to uphold and defend.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5522">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="c304">
And just for shits and giggles, do you even understand what ‘executive privilege’ <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">is</i>? It’s not some all-you-can-eat obstruction-buffet where you get to withhold every single syllable of conversation ever uttered between you and anyone who’s ever come even remotely close to the Oval Office. It’s not something you can hide behind to conceal every single document that’s ever run through you and/or anyone in your administration.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="c304">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="b32a">
But here you are, continuing to simultaneously claim innocence as you do everything humanly possible to undermine the very process that could exonerate you.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="b32a">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="65a8">
Because you’re guilty as hell.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="65a8">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="719d">
You even <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-indicates-hell-seek-to-block-key-impeachment-witnesses-testimonies-at-trial" href="https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-indicates-hell-seek-to-block-key-impeachment-witnesses-testimonies-at-trial" rel="noopener" target="_blank">told</a> Ingraham you actually <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">want</i> not only Bolton to testify, but others as well:</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="719d">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="97df">
<i class="markup--em markup--p-em">“I would love everybody to testify. I would like Mick (Mulvaney) to testify, I like Mike Pompeo to testify. I like Rick Perry to testify. I want everybody. But there are things that you can’t do from the standpoint of executive privilege.”</i></div>
<div class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="97df">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="b3da">
Then <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">let</i> them.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="b3da">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3cbe">
And while you’re at it, please explain the logic to us in declaring Bolton and the others couldn’t possibly have anything incriminating to say about you because it was such a “perfect” call yet claim ‘executive privilege’ to stop them from…what…saying it was “perfect?” We won’t hold our breath...</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3cbe">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3841">
To be sure, your <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">‘shoot-’em-on-5th-Avenue’</i> cultists will continue to lap up your poor little ‘<i class="markup--em markup--p-em">woe is me’</i> victim campaign. But everyone else sees right through you like a sheet of Saran Wrap.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3841">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="bcbb">
Because you’re guilty as hell…</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-91214232722393806402020-01-09T09:33:00.001-05:002020-01-09T09:33:58.106-05:00Why Pelosi’s Won Not Just the Articles of Impeachment Battle, But the Election Too<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4437">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o-57K62L3ZX-Xhj0uApPraLNgOATW4vwy5bsAwC4y0NW4QKbYal-jiCQqGgJdOipheiIsQh4zBmiJc-qQLxQfplOqXp6U05Ui-FprfOmji29WqfeSJxjGqfK1dVOm7PwGvcXUg/s1600/speaker-nancy-pelosi-and-vice-president-mike-pence-applaud-news-photo-1094200504-1549463488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="480" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o-57K62L3ZX-Xhj0uApPraLNgOATW4vwy5bsAwC4y0NW4QKbYal-jiCQqGgJdOipheiIsQh4zBmiJc-qQLxQfplOqXp6U05Ui-FprfOmji29WqfeSJxjGqfK1dVOm7PwGvcXUg/s320/speaker-nancy-pelosi-and-vice-president-mike-pence-applaud-news-photo-1094200504-1549463488.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_810534969"></span><span id="goog_810534970"></span>When
it comes to Donald Trump’s impeachment trial there’s the Court of
Kangaroo and the Court of Public Opinion. Guess which one has tens of
millions of voters?</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4437">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aad8">
House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s been standing firm in her strategy since
mid-December of not sending the Articles of Impeachment to the
Republican-controlled Senate until Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
agrees to a fair trial with key direct evidence and witnesses. It’s been
a bitter standoff, but Pelosi and Democrats are the clear winners.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="aad8">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e79f">
To
be sure, there’s only one party desperately trying to get to the truth,
and another that’s desperately trying to hide it. And let’s face it, no
one works so hard to <i class="gr">obstruct</i>…so hard to <i class="gr">conceal</i>…so hard to manufacture conspiracies to <i class="gr">distract</i> from the truth…if they’re innocent.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e79f">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1801">
Consider what McConnell declared in December:</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1801">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="748c">
<i class="gr">“I’m
coordinating with the White House counsel. There will be no difference
between the president’s position and our position as to how to handle
this…”</i></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="748c">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9aff">
<i class="gr">“I’m
not an impartial juror. This is a political process. There is not
anything judicial about it. Impeachment is a political decision.”</i></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9aff">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bdbb">
Think
about that. The individual who’s Constitutionally mandated with
conducting a fair trial has publicly stated it’s going to be a partisan
circus, held in cahoots with the accused, absent the facts and with a
predetermined verdict. This is justice? This satisfies the oath
McConnell took?</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bdbb">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2a32">
The
public is smart. It sees what’s happening. It understands that the
Republican Party cares about one thing and one thing only: shamelessly
protecting the most corrupt, treasonous president in American history
even at the expense of our national security.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2a32">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="eb21">
The
public is perceptive. It sees McConnell and Republicans willfully
covering their eyes and ears when direct witnesses like former National
Security Advisor John Bolton, who was on the infamous Ukraine call and
was witness to what he called the quid pro quo ‘drug dealing’ by Rudy
Giuliani and Ambassador Gordon Sondland, have stated they’re willing to
testify if subpoenaed.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="eb21">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8021">
The
public sees the deception. It sees how Republicans are disingenuously
claiming that ‘Democrats failed to call witnesses’ in the House
impeachment hearings and therefore shouldn’t be able to call them in the
Senate trial.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8021">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cf8c">
The public wants the truth. And we can only obtain the truth through direct evidence and witnesses.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9082">
The
longer Pelosi demands the truth, and the longer McConnell is forced to
publicly defend his refusal to allow it, the bigger the win for
Democrats. Because no one runs from the truth unless they’re guilty.</div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9082">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3cb4">
So
while McConnell might be victorious in his weak feckless cowardly
servility to Trump, he is a loser in the eyes of the American public.
You know…those people who <i class="gr">vote.</i></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3cb4">
<br /></div>
<div class="gd ge dd at gf b gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="49c3">
And
if we truly believe that elections are decided not by those on the far
right or far left, but by the ‘20% in the middle’ — the moderates and
independents — then McConnell’s lost way more than just this impeachment
battle with Pelosi. He’s cost his party the election.</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-57579885359338907992020-01-04T10:47:00.001-05:002020-01-04T13:15:24.682-05:00As WAITRESS Musical Ends Its Run, It’s Like Saying Goodbye to Adrienne…Again<div class="graf graf--p" name="a209">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkmsdl7ysHXl-mQMuPrF_uJcC-KtlrrDc2WlTbCRuVLLpXewyMGoRsVJLVKJMUI-yx8Ioh99iRMqxksKm06BHAQkapcOizpm8AKUGRsbBq0MiJE6U8rX5mN4d61-5zYbMsL5TpQ/s1600/waitress-broadway-musicals-theatregold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkmsdl7ysHXl-mQMuPrF_uJcC-KtlrrDc2WlTbCRuVLLpXewyMGoRsVJLVKJMUI-yx8Ioh99iRMqxksKm06BHAQkapcOizpm8AKUGRsbBq0MiJE6U8rX5mN4d61-5zYbMsL5TpQ/s320/waitress-broadway-musicals-theatregold.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Tomorrow night’s performance will be the last for WAITRESS after an incredible four-year run on Broadway. As with most things about my late wife Adrienne Shelly these past thirteen years, this is an incredibly bittersweet moment. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="a209">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="e986">
While it will be sad to see the show’s curtain rising for the last time, it is also cause for celebration of Adrienne, her work and her legacy. A legacy that this talented, determined, dedicated company helped expand with this beloved musical adaptation of her sweet story.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="e986">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="771f">
Adrienne was brutally murdered November 1, 2006 in what her killer staged as a suicide. She died a struggling filmmaker, anxiously awaiting word from the Sundance Film Festival whether WAITRESS, the little indie film she wrote, directed and starred in, would be accepted. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="771f">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="4c37">
It was. News of that coveted entry came the same morning as the eventual arrest of her murderer. Talk about bittersweet.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="4c37">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="a81b">
The film not only ‘got in’ the January 2007 festival, it debuted Saturday night before 1300 at the Eccles Theater and was sold hours later for almost $4-million to Fox Searchlight. Four months later it premiered in theaters nationwide and was the 4th highest-grossing film in the country over Memorial Day weekend.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="a81b">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="848a">
Adrienne never lived to see even the smallest shred of its success.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="848a">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="fbe5">
Stage rights to the film were purchased in 2007, and the journey to Broadway began. It opened in April 2016 at the Brooks Atkinson Theater. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="fbe5">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="c9e8">
I was a bit skeptical and, quite frankly, concerned when I first learned that WAITRESS was being adapted into a Broadway musical. It was more than a film to me. More than a story. It was <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Adrienne</i>; who she was, what she represented and what I had been charged with protecting. Her legacy, and preserving the integrity of her work, was all I cared about. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="c9e8">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="fa3b">
But I eventually heard the music composed by Sara Bareilles and was blown away by how she so masterfully captured the heart and tone of what Adrienne wrote. And then I learned that Jessie Mueller would play Jenna, the lead character. I’d seen her the night before in BEAUTIFUL and was awed by her performance. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="fa3b">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7525">
That was the moment I shed my concerns and knew the production would be a truly successful, organic extension of Adrienne’s work. A production I also believed Adrienne herself would’ve loved.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="77f0">
Over the last four years the city has been blitzed with promotion for the show. There are actors dressed as waitresses handing out fliers in Times Square. There are giant billboards and ads on garbage cans, buses and taxis. Times Square looks and feels like ‘Waitress headquarters.’</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="77f0">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="9950">
One night in the East Village my daughter Sophie and I stepped into the street, raised our arms and hailed a cab. When it pulled to the curb we marveled that on its roof was a big WAITRESS ad. It was as if Adrienne was following us. Always with us. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="9950">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="c966">
And she was. The show brought her back. For four years she was with us again. Perhaps not in life, but surely in spirit. And it was great for Sophie to witness this cultural explosion of Adrienne’s legacy project and the awesomeness of the mother she so tragically and heartbreakingly lost when she was just two.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="c966">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="fd96">
And now the show is leaving us. <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">She’s</i> leaving us. <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Again. </i></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="fd96">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="09a2">
And so the grieving continues. It never ends. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="09a2">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="e9b8">
But we will surely savor the success of the show and what it’s done for Adrienne’s legacy and the impact it’s had on our family. </div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="e9b8">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="982c">
<i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Sugar, butter, flour</i>…</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-23260053427418199102019-12-31T09:39:00.001-05:002019-12-31T10:07:43.942-05:00The November 4, 2020 Article I Wish I Could Write: “Hillary Clinton Elected President”<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="10b6">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlM8ZHy-G8FiuYEVD7SYdqYisKyYCByZjdJfT3LfhdZG911pBzndAT7Rc8d2FUvt15z4HX1hmiU26_GwewOChD12-77eFZK499QG5AxLSnK9-XlLu7sW_CCA-6pDGoCdtyEzj5ew/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-30+at+11.04.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="1584" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlM8ZHy-G8FiuYEVD7SYdqYisKyYCByZjdJfT3LfhdZG911pBzndAT7Rc8d2FUvt15z4HX1hmiU26_GwewOChD12-77eFZK499QG5AxLSnK9-XlLu7sW_CCA-6pDGoCdtyEzj5ew/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-12-30+at+11.04.28+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
In
a stunning reversal of political fortune, and with an historic female
ticket with vice-presidential candidate Stacey Abrams, Hillary Clinton
has been elected the 47th president of the United States in what experts
are already calling Washington’s greatest comeback ever. President Mike
Pence called Clinton last night at 11pm to congratulate her on her
landslide victory.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="10b6">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6c72">
Pence,
who became the 46th president after Donald Trump was impeached in late
2019 and removed from office a month later when Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell joined with democrats to convict after direct witnesses
including Mike Pompeo, Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton and Rudy Giuliani
implicated Trump in a massive criminal cover-up, appeared stunned by
Clinton’s historic margin of victory:</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="6c72">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8381">
“Secretary
Clinton ran an incredible campaign,” said Pence. “She won by 18-million
popular votes and 540 electoral votes, demonstrating that the American
people were fed up with the massive corruption in Washington.” (Pence is
still under Federal investigation for his role in the cover-up and
Trump’s abuse of power and obstruction of justice and Congress).</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8381">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e606">
Clinton’s
popular vote margin is the largest in modern history since Richard
Nixon’s in 1972, and the largest electoral college victory since Ronald
Regan’s 525 votes in 1984 (270 electoral college votes are needed to win
the presidency).</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e606">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a276">
Clinton
won her party’s nomination after a late-entry into the race in January
after Trump was convicted in his Senate trial, and after it became clear
that the other leading democratic candidates had sputtered and failed
to connect with a majority of voters. She quickly vaulted to the top of
the polls and sailed through the primary process, winning handily early
on in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a276">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ee29">
“I
am beyond thrilled to take my unprecedented experience and
qualifications — which includes the White House, Senate and State
Department — and help America get back on track as the greatest nation
in the world,” said Clinton. “I will be the president for <i class="hd">every</i>
American, and will work tirelessly starting in January to unite the
country and bring back American idealism and exceptionalism.”</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ee29">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bb13">
Clinton’s
victory sends a very powerful, inspiring message to every American,
especially our daughters, of grit, courage, fortitude, perseverance,
determination and vindication. That, no matter how hard your detractors
knock you down, you can stand up, dust yourself off, continue the fight
and ultimately prevail. That glass ceilings can still be shattered.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bb13">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c3f6">
Clinton and Abrams will be sworn in on January 20th.</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-53119425630171885452019-12-27T12:01:00.004-05:002019-12-27T12:09:43.189-05:00Why Trump Will Resign in 2020<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="00d9">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKZg317pZ4se8IXhH89vJwiUuMgyBzYbxT2NTwhh_Dzjy1HX7k6_lLeBnx0W_MUBMIh9wmqBg-ObMEqBHpadBWR9ltcWd_Ivw08YXdSgNdv_cbk93f5ApwPnzT3-q-eDUr2nrBQ/s1600/3982a9df02d68e07905528c16cec500b11d4016c.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKZg317pZ4se8IXhH89vJwiUuMgyBzYbxT2NTwhh_Dzjy1HX7k6_lLeBnx0W_MUBMIh9wmqBg-ObMEqBHpadBWR9ltcWd_Ivw08YXdSgNdv_cbk93f5ApwPnzT3-q-eDUr2nrBQ/s320/3982a9df02d68e07905528c16cec500b11d4016c.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
As I first <a class="bh cp hd he hf hg" href="https://medium.com/@abostroy/re-election-trump-wont-even-finish-his-current-term-a1b43e8cba2d" rel="noopener" target="_blank">wrote</a> over a year ago, Donald Trump will resign before his term is up.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="00d9">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="58ae">
Trump’s
political and legal problems are mounting. And no amount of Tweeting
will make them go away. He is now just the third president in history to
be impeached. And despite what he and his defenders would like to
believe, he’s facing a punishing Senate trial which likely won’t end in
conviction and removal, but will be a campaign and PR nightmare.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="58ae">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="26f3">
The
evidence against Trump is beyond incriminating. It’s devastating. And
while he and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell continue to push for a quick
trial with its shameful predetermined verdict, the public keenly sees
one party desperately fighting to expose the truth while the other
fights like animals to hide it and obstruct justice in a massive
coverup. In the court of public opinion, Trump’s a goner.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="26f3">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3e1d">
In a new <a class="bh cp hd he hf hg" href="https://news.yahoo.com/public-support-trump-conviction-time-091925963.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">poll</a>
released this week a record-high 55% of Americans now want Trump
removed from office…an increase from 48% just last week. Voters aren’t
stupid. They’re paying attention. They care. And this number’s going to
keep rising until McConnell can no longer ignore it.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3e1d">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8487">
Trump
the narcissist has spent decades crafting and protecting his image. He
will stop at nothing in doing so. This includes pretending to be his own
publicist to leak exaggerated claims of his wealth and sexual prowess
to pathological-lying and gaslighting reality. He hates being perceived
on any level as a failure and loser, and is obsessed with boasting of
massive success and “winning.”</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8487">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="78dc">
Since
his impeachment earlier this month we’ve witnessed Trump’s colossal
emotional meltdown on TV and on Twitter, where he’s been breaking his
all-time highs (as much as 125 tweets in one day) with attacks on House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the
‘validity” of his very impeachment…a ludicrous charge he’s been leveling
since Pelosi’s brilliantly withheld the Articles of Impeachment until
McConnell agrees to conducting a fair trial with direct evidence and
witnesses.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="78dc">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f05c">
Trump
also knows he’s lost much of his base (defined as everyone who voted
for him in 2016). Gone are moderate Republicans, independents, college
educated women, suburban women, minorities and many youth and seniors.
His math and path to re-election no longer adds up.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f05c">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3ea1">
Trump
also lives in mortal fear of conviction in various states for his many
financial crimes. He still fears the Mueller probe’s criminal <a class="bh cp hd he hf hg" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-report-referred-criminal-matters-prosecutors-2019-4" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">referrals</a>
to the Southern District of NY, Eastern District of VA and elsewhere.
And, he knows better than anyone that so much more evidence of his High
Crimes and Misdemeanors will inevitably come out between now and the
election.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3ea1">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ca78">
Furthermore,
Trump, the most immature, undisciplined, impulse-control-bankrupt,
chaotic, self-destructive president to ever occupy the Oval Office, is
sure to continue breaking laws. His hole will get deeper and deeper. He
simply cannot help himself.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="ca78">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3918">
Which
is why he will resign. He knows he’s going to lose. And lose big.
Perhaps even in the largest, most humiliating landslide in American
political history. And he will not subject himself to that.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a61a">
Here’s
how it’ll go down: When it’s become abundantly clear that he’s going to
be a loser, and as the long arm of the law comes marching down the hall
with threats of indictment, and more importantly when McConnell and the
party abandons him, Trump will do what he always does: lie and
gaslight. He’ll cut a deal (generously afforded out of respect to the
office) and will craft a narrative that feeds his ego and allows himself
a sensational, grandiose, self-soothing out. It won’t matter one bit
that’ll be all bullshit.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a61a">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7381">
And here’s what he’ll likely say: <i class="hh">“Many
people are saying, but nobody’s taking about it…and you all know it
better than me…that I’m gonna win this election bigly…the polls show it,
even the fake-news media’s predicting it….probably gonna be the biggest
win ever in the history of elections. Democrats, Crazy Nancy, Cryin‘
Chuck…they all know it and fear me winning again. But ya know what? Even
though I’d win YUGE by millions and millions of votes… I don’t want it.
Washington is a swamp and I’m tired of fighting these animals who are
destroying America. I got what I wanted. I won the biggest victory ever
in ’16 and we all know I’d do it again. I’ve proven what a winner I am!
But now I’m gonna go back to my business where I’ll make $100-billion
next year. And play a lot of golf…because, as you know, I never got to
play much while I was working non-stop so hard for you! So, I’m outta
here, suckas! You can have this crappy job and old, small shitty house!
Politics is for losers! Nobody wins like Trump! Believe me…”</i></div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-56710106654758304762019-12-26T14:59:00.000-05:002019-12-26T14:59:07.086-05:00The Most Important Election in American History<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a539">
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<span id="goog_742488216"></span><span id="goog_742488217"></span>It’s been said by Democrats before: <i class="hd">“This is the most important election in history.” </i>And
perhaps at those times the warnings were well-founded. The fight
against abortion, the push for gun control, the need to combat climate
change, the battle over the courts all seemed like grave threats to
personal freedom, health and survival (and they <i class="hd">still</i> do).</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a539">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4430">
But
today the warning is rooted in democracy’s existential crisis. The
survival of our Constitution, the rule of law and everything we’ve
cherished for the past 243 years is at stake. Our precious democracy is
teetering on the verge of…take your pick…autocracy, authoritarianism,
dictatorship.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b01c">
The
Founding Fathers were brilliant in their creation of a system of checks
and balances, where each of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial
branches of their nascent government would be equal. A fail-safe
designed to reign in and hold accountable a rogue president who uses and
abuses the office for personal gain, even at the risk of the our
national security.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="51ab">
And
for 243 years the system worked without fail. Until now. What the
Founders never contemplated, and therefore did not create remedies for,
was if one or more of those co-equal checks abdicated its oversight role
and instead aided and abetted a corrupt, power-usurping president. </div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="51ab">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="51ab">
Welcome to the Reign of Donald Trump.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="51ab">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="51c7">
Wake
up, America. Next year’s election is not about policy. It’s not about
ideology. It’s not about right vs left. It’s about right vs wrong. Law
vs lawlessness. It’s about the survival of democracy and everything we
hold near and dear about our great nation. It’s about core values,
decency, honesty, truth and American exceptionalism and idealism.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="51c7">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0964">
It’s about the end of our society as we know it.</div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0964">
<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="baa9">
In just three years of his tainted, now-impeached presidency,
Trump has blatantly and shamelessly broken laws, shattered norms and
dismantled institutions. His relentless attacks on our free press,
law-enforcement apparatus, intelligence community, diplomatic corps and
independent judiciary have shredded the fabric of democracy.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="8579">
Trump’s
corrupted the Department of Justice and Attorney General William Barr,
who executes the duties of his office as if he were the president’s
personal attorney and protector (his “Roy Cohn”). He’s corrupted the
Republican Senate and Leader Mitch McConnell who, as Trump’s chief
enabler, violates his oath daily, for example, when vowing to fully
coordinate impeachment-trial strategy with the White House. And he’s
corrupted the courts by appointing 158 unqualified, controversial,
partisan sycophants to every critical level of the judicial system
including the Supreme Court.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fbcb">
To
be sure, these critical levers of government are firmly, albeit
inexplicably, in Trump’s pocket. Perhaps it’s blackmail, fear of
rage-tweets, hyper-partisan power-lust over tax cuts and judges, racism,
or all of the above. But make no mistake, with their help, Trump has
been able to operate with reckless abandon, utter disdain for authority
and in the mode of a maniacal despot.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="072d">
That
is until Nancy Pelosi and democrats took control of the House in 2018.
Imagine, just imagine, where America, and Trump, would be today if
Republicans controlled the House as well. Imagine if Devin Nunes, Mark
Meadows, Jim Jordan, Doug Collins, Louis Gohmert and the legion of
Trump-ass-kissing GOP goons held the keys to the Constitution.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3914">
But thanks to Speaker Pelosi and democrats, America still looks, smells, feels and tastes like a Democracy. But things <i class="hd">can</i> and <i class="hd">will</i> get unfathomably worse if Trump is re-elected.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="gp gq bz at gr b gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="49d4">
Which is why next year’s election <i class="hd">is</i> the most important in American history. Democrats must retain the House <i class="hd">and</i>
re-take the Senate. And, we must ensure that Donald Trump — the most
dishonest, corrupt, treasonous, dangerous politician in U.S. history —
is not allowed anywhere near the White House after January 20, 2021.</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-85742512669516133872019-12-25T11:12:00.001-05:002019-12-25T11:12:17.370-05:00What Would Jesus Say?<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="70e0">
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Donald Trump tweeted “Merry Christmas” this morning and then issued the following statement:</div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="70e0">
<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="04a5">
<i class="kt">“…Together,
we must strive to foster a culture of deeper understanding and respect —
traits that exemplify the teachings of Christ.”</i></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="04a5">
<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b059">
Excuse
me, but I think I’m gonna vomit…because Trump and his First Cohort
Melania are the very antithesis of everything Christ lived and died for.
<i class="kt">Everything.</i></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b059">
<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0279">
I often wonder what Jesus would think if he were here today. What he’d say if he witnessed Trump’s vile behavior.</div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0279">
<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5f45">
I
think about the deliciously satisfying scene in ANNIE HALL when, on a
movie line in the lobby, a pseudo-intellectual standing behind a clearly
irritated Woody Allen waxes arrogantly to his date about the
philosopher Marshall McLuhan and gets emotionally pulverized when Allen
brilliantly has McLuhan step out from behind a poster to school him on
his work. But in my fantasy, it’s <i class="kt">Jesus</i> who’d step forward and tell Trump…</div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5f45">
<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cba9">
<i class="kt">“I heard what you were saying. You know nothing of my work…”</i></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="cba9">
<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="771c">
So what would Jesus <i class="kt">actually</i>
say to Trump? I suspect he’d begin by reminding him of the obvious:
love, honor, respect, decency, compassion, empathy, faith, forgiveness,
sacrifice.</div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="771c">
<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="694d">
But perhaps he’d take it a step further. He’d assure Trump that he’s not <i class="kt">The Chosen One</i>. That he’s not a <i class="kt">prophet</i>. That there’s only <i class="kt">one</i> Jesus.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0417">
He
might even get angry and excoriate Trump, and the evangelicals who
enable him, for the specific sins he commits on an hourly basis…</div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0417">
<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="26fa">
<i class="kt">“How
dare you defile my name in furtherance of policies, positions,
attitudes and behavior that directly contradict everything I stand for.
You sexually assault women. You covet thy neighbor’s wife. You cheat on
yours. You mock and bully the aged, the sick, the disabled, the poor,
the needy, minorities. You steal from the poor to give to the rich.You
foment hate and violence against your opponents. You attack and ignore
those escaping persecution and who desperately seek refuge. You cage
children. You separate families. You self-enrich at the expense of
others and your country’s safety. You break laws, shatter norms and
dismantle institutions. You’re a pathological liar. You respect no one,
cannot be trusted and are a threat to civilization. And, you constantly
take my name in vain as justification for spreading your cancer on
mankind. So please…stop…talking…about…my…teachings. Just STOP.”</i></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="26fa">
<br /></div>
<div class="kf kg cm ar kh b ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d3dc">
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, everyone…</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-44345742762924103162019-11-28T21:57:00.002-05:002019-11-28T21:57:52.366-05:00Why I'm Supporting Joe Biden<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0a71">
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I woke up with an epiphany this morning. I saw into the future, and I didn’t like what I saw.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1e22">
It’s
November 4, 2020. Donald Trump has been re-elected president. My
America, and the beloved democracy on which it stands, was officially an
autocracy. Maybe even a dictatorship. Trump now controlled the
presidency, the Justice Department, the Senate and the military….without
the fear and worry of impeachment, removal or another election.
Chilling.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1e22">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c728">
I
woke up feeling sick to my stomach. Kinda like that same feeling I had
the night of November 8, 2016. Except worse. Much worse. Because that
night I started putting my faith in the American people and the rule of
law. I set my sights on the next presidential election and the
expectation that once we experienced four years of Trump the last thing
we’d want is four more.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="c728">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f83f">
But
I no longer have faith. I no longer believe my fellow Americans will do
the right thing. I am terrified that Trump will somehow survive all of
his massive political and legal crises and achieve his dream of totally
destroying America.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f83f">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2634">
(I’ll get to Joe Biden in a second…)</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2634">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f8a2">
I
believe Trump was elected because of racism, not “economic anxiety” or
any other bogus motivation. I believe he knew that white, uneducated
working-class men (and many women) were angry that America was becoming
an even bigger patchwork of blacks, Hispanics, Gays, Jews and immigrants
who were taking away what was ‘rightfully’ theirs. And where women had
the audacity to want equality instead of being barefoot and pregnant
while fetching them a beer as they adoringly gaze at ESPN.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="f8a2">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1843">
I
believe Trump’s master plan was to remind these disenfranchised men
that they are the master race. And that together they could <i class="gv">Make America White Again</i>.
I believe Trump was right when he shockingly declared in 2016 that he
could literally shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose his supporters.
Because <i class="gv">that’s</i> how angry these white folks were…and <i class="gv">still </i>are.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1843">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dc8e">
(Biden’s coming, I promise…)</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="dc8e">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2da4">
And that’s why these angry white folks are not just<i class="gv"> ok </i>with Trump being the most self-serving, corrupt, treasonous president in history, they <i class="gv">empower</i>
him. They attend his rallies and shower him with the love, adoration
and validation he craves because of crippling insecurities and
staggering self-loathing. They assure him they’re behind him as he
pathologically-lies, spreads propaganda, shatters norms, dismantles
institutions, attacks the media, name-calls his detractors, incites hate
and violence and ushers us to the precipice of dictatorship like a
megalomaniacal sociopath (remind you of anyone else?).</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2da4">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7234">
They’ve
lost all sense of decency. Of right and wrong. Of law and order. Of
even to protect their own self-interests.
Because…they…don’t…like…blacks…Hispanics…immigrants…Gays…Jews…and uppity
women. Period. End of story.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7234">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0256">
(We’re almost at Biden, believe me…).</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0256">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d2c7">
So
now Republicans demand that we not overturn the 2016 election by
impeaching and attempting to remove Trump. That we should instead let
the public decide. That we should let voters punish Trump and hold him
accountable at the ballot box next year. To be clear, Trump is under
investigation for conspiring with foreign nations to interfere in the
2016 election and is publicly, brazenly doing it again for ’20. And
we’re supposed to accept that the best, wisest solution is, <i class="gv">‘try another election?’</i></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d2c7">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fcd0">
“It’s
like, if you’re accused of cheating in Monopoly and your solution is,
oh, well, let’s just play a game of Monopoly and see who wins to decide
who’s right,” said Neal Katyal, celebrated Supreme Court attorney and
former United States Acting Solicitor General, and author of the
just-released book “Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump.”</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="fcd0">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="51ac">
(Ok, it’s Biden-time…)</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="51ac">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="472d">
Next
year’s election is the most important and consequential in American
history. Oh sure, you’ve heard that warning before. But this time it’s
real. It’s not simply about red vs blue, low taxes vs high taxes, big
government vs deregulation. It’s about democracy vs autocracy. It’s a
choice between a 234-year-old system of checks and balances or Herr
Trump.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="472d">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4449">
I
like to gamble as much as the next guy. A little blackjack is my jam.
But when it comes to this election, I’m not in a gambling mood. That’s
why, barring some bombshell news, I’m supporting Joe Biden.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4449">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e42b">
Don’t
get me wrong. I love many of the current candidates, especially Pete
Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and, yes, even Mike
Bloomberg. I believe in many of their progressive policies and that each
would be an incredible president. But I don’t believe, after years of
Trump’s far right-wing fanaticism, that America wants another revolution
where we swing too far to the left. At least next year.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e42b">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7aab">
Why
am I so scared? Democratic turnout is typically around 60%. That’s not
enough to beat Donald Trump, especially if, with the help of Putin,
another fix is in. While it’d be fabulous if democrats show up at the
polls at 65%, 70%, 75% or more, I’m leaving nothing to chance. Which
means we need to convert an appreciable amount of Trump supporters,
moderate Republicans and independents. And in my opinion, Joe Biden is
the only candidate who can do just that.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7aab">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d391">
Full
disclosure: if not for this extremely strategic calculation, Biden
would not be my first pick. To be sure, I have nothing against old white
guys (I <i class="gv">am</i> one). But I much prefer a woman
(Warren), a person of color (Harris, Patrick) or a young gay man
(Buttigieg). I also appreciate Bloomberg’s pro-biz / socially liberal
positions and think he’s a valid alternative. But truthfully, I would
prefer a <i class="gv">gnat</i> over Trump, and I would lay down in
traffic for that gnat should it win the nomination. But, unfortunately, I
don’t believe the gnat would win in the general.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="d391">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2d02">
Biden
is our bridge back to sanity. To decency. To normalcy. He’s the
green-thumbed gardener who can help cultivate a fertile new landscape so
that we <i class="gv">could</i> see a woman, black, Hispanic, gay or
progressive president in ‘24 or ‘28. He can win back the critical Blue
Wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin (because… it’s the e<i class="gv">lectoral college</i>,
stupid). He appeals to an overwhelming majority of blacks, especially
in the critical Southern states. He appeals to white, working-class,
non-college men and women. And like it or not, we need them to kick
Donald Trump’s ass to the curb.</div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2d02">
<br /></div>
<div class="gh gi bz at gj b gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5a57">
Which is why I’m supporting Joe Biden…</div>
The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-55573858504563117202019-01-23T12:31:00.001-05:002019-01-23T13:13:33.533-05:00Dear Trump Supporters: It May Be Just a Red Hat to You, But to Us It's So Much More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59ggu8A0ZP31g3iWMs0Q-7F6e67NDqk6upKOYip_ADmDIq6aeDtxfMDaMZplP6WE_rruSvf7BcUcGMwMZTt6K9azBFWXTZQF_57IVI7ys7QGy9Pm0G-8o6kWSEUWFp39IWGFMAg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-01-22+at+10.13.20+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1262" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59ggu8A0ZP31g3iWMs0Q-7F6e67NDqk6upKOYip_ADmDIq6aeDtxfMDaMZplP6WE_rruSvf7BcUcGMwMZTt6K9azBFWXTZQF_57IVI7ys7QGy9Pm0G-8o6kWSEUWFp39IWGFMAg/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-01-22+at+10.13.20+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Donald
Trump burst onto the political scene in 2015 spewing anger, hatred and racism.
As a 3rd-rate real estate "developer " and reality TV
host he was utterly ill-equipped and unqualified to be president. But he understood
<i>branding</i> more than all of the other candidates combined. He stole the <i>"Make America Great Again" </i>slogan from Ronald Reagan, slapped it on a red baseball hat and the rest is history.</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The controversial
hat garnered worldwide attention again over the weekend when many MAGA hat-wearing students from a Kentucky Catholic school, attending a pro-life
march in Washington, DC, got caught up in a viral media spectacle outside the
Lincoln Memorial which found 16-year-old Trump-supporting white student
Nicholas Sandmann and 64-year-old Native American activist Nathan Phillips in a tense face-to-face standoff. Phillips </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">was attending the Indigenous Peoples March.</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On the
left there are accusations that the teens mocked and disrespected Phillips in
an aggressive, racially-insensitive manner. (i.e. simulating Tomahawk chops). On the right there's been
unequivocal support from the boy's mother, conservative media and even the
president, who on Tuesday posted this self-serving tweet:</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Nick
Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of Fake News and how
evil it can be. They have captivated the attention of the world, and I know
they will use it for the good - maybe even to bring people together. It started
off unpleasant, but can end in a dream!"</span></i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sandmann's
own defense is that he did nothing wrong, was not acting aggressively and was
merely trying to "defuse" an explosive situation as he and his fellow
students were under verbal assault nearby by four Black Hebrew Israelite protestors. He
and his supporters, including his mother, have disingenuously used this verbal
assault as justification for his and his pals' behavior towards Phillips. They claim the real victims are the kids. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But the
tape doesn't support that contention. Video of the entire roughly 90-minute episode, while indeed
proving the kids were targets of vile homophobic, racist verbal attacks, also
shows as many as 50-75 Covington Catholic High School students, many
recording the encounter on iPhones, loudly and excitedly shouting, jeering and
egging on a smirking Sandmann like hopped-up frat boys at a midnight rave. They could've simply walked away. They chose to engage.</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These weren't just 'innocent teens.' They were <i>MAGA-hat-wearing </i>teens. And
that changes the entire dynamic of the situation. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To non-Trump supporters, the red MAGA hat is
a symbol of divisiveness. Of intolerance. Of sexual, gender, ethnic and racial
animus. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To non-Trump supporters "Make America Great Again" really means "Make America <i>White </i>Again." </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To
non-Trump supporters the MAGA-hat stands for:</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*oppression
of women</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*oppression
of Muslims</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*oppression
of minorities</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*oppression
of immigrants</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*oppression
of #LGBTQ</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*attacks
on the media</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*attacks
on the FBI & DOJ</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*attacks on the judiciary</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*attacks
on the rule of law</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*attacks
on decency</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*anger</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*hate</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*bullying</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*violence<br />
*white supremacy</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To non-Trump supporters, the red MAGA hat is the modern-day version of the white
KKK hood. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That's because Trump
is a racist. There's no disputing that, especially against decades of unequivocal bigoted behavior including housing discrimination, the Central Park
Five fiasco, his birther campaign, embracing David Duke, verbal attacks against people of color, the Muslim ban, defending neo-Nazis and his relentless campaign against black
and brown immigrants. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To be sure, the </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">red MAGA hat is <i>Trump's</i> white hood. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And <i>MAGA
</i>isn't just a slogan. It's a movement. Or as many believe, a <i>cult. </i>And as a cult, the <i>Cult of Trump </i>shares most of the overall characteristics with
other typical cults, as outlined by <a href="http://www.csj.org/infoserv_cult101/checklis.htm"><span style="color: blue;">researchers</span></a> Janja Lalich Ph.D and Michael D. Langone Ph.D. For
example: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*The
group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader
and regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Questioning, doubt, and dissent
are discouraged or even punished.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*The leadership dictates,
sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel... leaders
prescribe what types of clothes to wear...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*The group is elitist, claiming
a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example,
the leader is considered the Messiah...on a special mission to save humanity). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*The group has a polarized
us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*The leader is not accountable
to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders or
ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*The group teaches or implies
that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary.
This may result in members' participating in behaviors or activities they would
have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for
example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*The group is preoccupied with
making money.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Trump and his cultists proudly wear the red MAGA hat like a family crest. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So when a bunch of
rowdy teens surround a Native American elder while wearing this hat they're
bringing to the encounter everything it's come to stand for. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's not...just...a...hat. It's offensive, its insensitive and it's intimidating. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Perhaps
we can't ascribe the underlying racism of Trump's MAGA credo to
these kids. Perhaps they're just dopey teens who 'didn't know better.' But now they do. And if they don't want to be associated with the ugliness that this hat represents, they should immediately apologize to
Phillips. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And they should begin to understand and appreciate what the phrase "Make America Great Again" might mean to indigenous peoples who for centuries had been robbed, slaughtered and are still clearly disrespected. People whose experiences throughout history weren't so "great." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Otherwise, if the hat fits... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
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-->The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-37076958707111478712019-01-16T18:19:00.002-05:002019-01-16T19:24:15.030-05:00A Preview of Trump's State of the Union Speech<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqZkNSp8E2HiAiHXKhA_C33iC352LcoKP41sNMQjsJ1dbjA_f3DHLqhlb6H9QM80-bNVki-Ei1tK5UEoDzqUhVKZ9YJGe33UzUyxw5zGhhLJd1U6pAvN51R945Ms2x9uDYFofeg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-01-16+at+6.11.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="1042" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqZkNSp8E2HiAiHXKhA_C33iC352LcoKP41sNMQjsJ1dbjA_f3DHLqhlb6H9QM80-bNVki-Ei1tK5UEoDzqUhVKZ9YJGe33UzUyxw5zGhhLJd1U6pAvN51R945Ms2x9uDYFofeg/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-01-16+at+6.11.55+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
My fellow Americans...esteemed Republican members of Congress, Democrats, the five good Supreme Court Justices, any generals who still like me, and the <i>fake-news enemy-of-the-people</i> media. I'm excited to be here tonight to tell you, quite frankly, of all the amazing things I'm doing. And believe me...there's many bigly accomplishments. More than any president ever. Especially Obama.<br />
<br />
Let's start with the government shutdown. Or, as many people are calling it, and this is true, and they're right,..the Schumer/Pelosi shutdown. It's all the Democrats' fault. Now when I said weeks ago that I would "own" the shutdown"...that I'd take the "mantle"...that I wouldn't blame "Chuck" and the Dems...that's not what I meant.<br />
<br />
Look, I'm a builder...and, everyone knows this, but nobody likes to talk about it, I'm the biggest most successful builder...nobody builds buildings like Trump...everyone loves my buildings...the Chinese, the Saudi's...the Russians...and by the way, there was NO COLLUSION!...the <i>real </i>collusion is with Hillary and the Dems...and so I build things. I 'own' things. And, Mickey Mantle was always my favorite baseball player. The Mick! Ya gotta admit, they don't make 'em like The Mick anymore, am I right! A bit of an ugly drinker though...but we won't talk about that. Lastly, when I said I wouldn't blame Chuck, I actually meant that I <i>would </i>blame Chuck.<br />
<br />
We need a wall, people. And I'm not talking about the one between me and Melania. I'm talking about a big beautiful wall. A barrier. Or steel slats. Or Levolor blinds, beaded curtains, Roman shades. Maybe some hanging bamboo. I love bamboo! I love the way it sounds...<i>bam-BOO!</i> Those brown people from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador...and many people don't like using this word...<i>invading</i> America. They're thugs, gang members, terrorists. Millions and millions of terrorists. They're BAD HOMBRES! They dress like hungry women and children to fool us. It's gotta stop. And it's gonna stop right here and right NOW! It's a <i>national emergency!</i><br />
<br />
This emergency is so strong, so severe, so dangerous that I'm willing to wait days, weeks, months even years to stand firm against Nancy on this. Gonna wait to see what she does. Then I'll see what Mexico does. Then I'll see what Rush, Laura, Ann and Sean think. Then I'll read Breitbart. Then maybe see what Bobby Knight and Kimye think. Then I'll wait some more. And then, if everything else fails, I'll declare a national emergency. I can totally do it. Totally legal. I maybe definitely think I can probably do it for sure. And Brett and the SCOTUS boys will back me up, believe me.<br />
<br />
Shall we talk about the stock market? It's the <i>greatest</i> market ever. It's done <i>so</i> well since I became president...if you don't count last year, which was all the Fed's fault. But I think it's already up 7,000 points in January. <br />
<br />
How about Syria, huh!? We won! We beat ISIS! Don't believe the fake news disgusting fake awful fake FAKE FAKE FAKE news when they tell you ISIS just killed US troops in a suicide bombing. It's all fake. Fake fake fake. What was it that George Bush said...<i>"Mission accomplished!"</i><br />
<br />
And let's not forget that North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat.<br />
<br />
And how I got MBS to admit he had nothing to do with Khashoggi's murder.<br />
<br />
And how I strong-armed Putin into his very strong, powerful denial of election meddling.<br />
<br />
I <i>so</i> got this shit, people!<br />
<br />
America first! <br />
<br />
Lastly, let's talk about the 800-lb orangutan in the room. No, not me... the big fat witch-hunt. The hoax. Let me tell you, and this is the truth, and nobody knows the truth like me...everyone is lying! <i>All</i> of them! The Department of Justice, the FBI, the CIA, Mueller and his 49 angry Dems, the Southern District of NY, the local state AG's, the courts, the media, Democrats, Flynn, Cohen, Manafort, Comey, everyone else...they're all just part of a very bigly massive conspiracy to take down your president. They're just angry that we beat Hillary so badly...by 8-million popular votes I think. I am the <i>only</i> one telling the truth, believe me...<br />
<br />
So in closing, everything is just wonderful. It's a beautiful administration. The fake fake double-fake ugly fat disgusting lying lying fake news ugly doodyhead media keeps telling you there's "chaos" in the White House, but that's a bigly lie, folks. A bigly, bigly lie. Everything's...running...smoothly!<br />
<br />
My administration's <i>great.</i><br />
<br />
The stock market's <i>great.</i><br />
<br />
The economy's <i>great.</i><br />
<br />
Our standing in the world is <i>great.</i><br />
<br />
We made America <i>great </i>again!<br />
<br />
God bless me...then you...then America. <br />
<br />The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-12917146685948222592019-01-08T11:41:00.000-05:002019-01-08T11:41:01.209-05:00What Trump Will REALLY Be Saying Tonight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Everyone but Donald Trump's brainwashed base knows that his "address" to the nation Tuesday evening regarding the "crisis at the border" will be a reprehensible performance piece of lies, deception, misinformation and fascist propaganda. Here's what he'll <i>really </i>be saying...<br />
<br />
My fellow Americans. Three years ago I launched my campaign for the presidency. I never thought I had a chance, believe me. I'm a 4th-rate real estate "developer", former realty tv host and fake billionaire. I have no political experience, no vision or core beliefs and all I care about is myself and money. And, I have the temperament of a 5-year-old. To say I was unfit for the job is a gross understatement. But what I quickly understood, that my 16 opponents <i>didn't,</i> was that millions of Americans are stupid and racist. And I used that to my advantage. Bigly.<br />
<br />
Let's face it: my base doesn't give a shit about politics. They'd rather watch paint dry than listen to a discussion on infrastructure, the economy or foreign policy. They're Jerry Springer fans. Adrenaline junkies. They like drama and excitement. They go to hockey games just for the fights. They're small-minded, and like watching bullies taunt the weak and helpless. Especially if they're black, brown, Muslim and Mexican. They're angry white people who believe minorities and immigrants have taken away their American dream. Bingo!<br />
<br />
Welcome to <i>"Make America Great Again." </i>Which of course means "Make America <i>White </i>Again.<i>" </i>I turned these racist fools into an army of red-MAGA-hat-wearing mental zombies. <br />
<br />
So I promised to build a wall. A "big beautiful wall" which would keep out those horrible criminals. And I promised them that Mexico would pay for it. It became our mantra. I whipped 'em into a frenzy like Freddie Mercury at Live Aid. I'd say <i>"Who's gonna pay for the wall?" </i>And like pathetic sheep they'd scream <i>"MEXICO!!" </i> I did this over and over and over again at all my rallies. And when I'd see them getting bored or ready to leave I'd whip 'em up again with it. <i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>"And who's gonna pay for the wall??!!"</i><br />
<br />
<i>"MEXICO!!"</i><br />
<br />
Of course, it was all just a lie. I knew there'd be no way Mexico was gonna pay for it. But I knew <i>somebody</i> would ultimately have to.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to tonight. My big "crisis at the border" address. Obviously, there's no crisis. Not now, and not before the midterms when I fear-mongered non-stop about the "dangerous caravan" about to "invade America." It's all bullshit. But you already know that. But like I said, <i>somebody's</i> gotta pay for that wall.<br />
<br />
Yes. I bullshitted the base. Now I'm fucked. My legacy, and hopes for a 2020 reelection, are flushed down my gold-plated toilet if I don't build that damn wall. So I need to lie again about "thousands of terrorists crashing through the Mexican border"...blah blah blah. You know the drill: MS-13 gang members, thugs and terrorists coming to kill your kids and rape your women. IT'S A CRISIS I tell ya!<br />
<br />
And if Congress doesn't give me the money to fulfill this idiotic campaign promise then I'm gonna declare a "national emergency" and just <i>take</i> money from the military and use it for the wall. An abuse of power? You bet. A Constitutional crisis? I really don't care, do you? Let them sue me. It'll go to the Supreme Court...where Brett and the boys will cover my ass.<br />
<br />
No one's gonna tell me what to do. No one. I am above the law. I <i>am </i>the fucking law. I'm Trump, dammit, and I'm gonna run America like I run my businesses: sloppy, chaotic, incompetent, dysfunctional, dishonest, drowning in debt, bankrupt, law-breaking and dictatorial.<br />
<br />
And no one's gonna stop me...NO ONE!<br />
<br />
<i>(breaks out into loud, uproarious maniacal laughter)</i>The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-90082199250437090022018-12-21T10:32:00.000-05:002018-12-21T10:40:19.524-05:00'The Wheels Have Come Off': The Trump Administration Plunges Into Full-Scale Crisis <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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CNN's Jim Acosta reported Thursday that he'd received an ominous text from a <i>“top House Republican who supports the president”</i> and <i>“is in a national security role up on Capitol Hill.” </i>The text, in response to the sudden resignation by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, warned <i>"the wheels may be coming off”</i> the Trump administration. <i>May</i> be?<br />
<br />
Let's be clear: Mattis's departure isn't a <i>resignation</i>. It is a blistering protest. A stinging public rebuke of the Unites States president--his Commander-in-Chief--by a four-star Marine Corps general who served his country admirably and honorably for fifty years.<br />
<br />
It was without any shred of ambiguity Mattis finally telling Trump, <i>'You're a moron....and I'm outta here.'</i><br />
<br />
There's no doubt Mattis's resignation <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/20/politics/james-mattis-resignation-letter-doc/index.html">letter</a> was intended as a harsh slap to a president he believes is woefully ignorant of geopolitics and lacking the intelligence, temperament, discipline and strategic thinking required of the job. A president who's consistently undermined America's allies while emboldening its enemies. <br />
<br />
<i>"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about
both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and
informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," </i>Mattis said.<br />
<br />
In his closing sentence Mattis made clear what he thought of Trump:<br />
<br />
<i>"I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform." </i><br />
<br />
He did not mention his boss.<br />
<br />
Mattis is now the third former general to jump off the Trumptanic, following former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and most recently White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. It is the latest in an unprecedented legion of senior-level departures which have included former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (who's reportedly called Trump a <i>"fucking moron"</i>).<br />
<br />
The proverbial shit is hitting the fan.<br />
<br />
The investigation into Russian collusion by special counsel Robert Mueller is intensifying, creating a existential crisis for Trump in every aspect of his personal, political and business life. The president is fending off bi-partisan condemnation over his sudden and unilateral <i>decision-by-tweet </i>to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. The government is on the verge of a shutdown over the budget. The stock market is crashing. And the daily White House chaos is so dizzying it'll make your head spin, <i>believe me. </i> <br />
<br />
At the most perilous time in his presidency, Trump is increasing isolated, rapidly becoming the <i>"I alone" </i>president he once bragged he was. The adults are gone. The guardrails are off. Forget the <i>wheels</i>...we're now scraping the road on <i>rims</i> here. And there's a sociopath madman driving us off a cliff.<br />
<br />
It's a BIGLY shitshow, and it's only gonna get worse unless Republicans join Democrats next year to remove this malignant disease before it totally destroys our Democracy.<br />
<br />The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-7007888119275820652018-12-18T13:53:00.001-05:002018-12-18T13:53:52.933-05:00Stick a Fork in Trump. It's Over<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Not even two years into Donald Trump's presidency, every aspect of his personal, political and business life is currently under massive Federal criminal investigation. Let that sink in for a moment.<br />
<br />
Trump's family, Foundation (which was dissolved Tuesday morning by the New York Attorney General), business, campaign, inauguration, transition and administration are all facing the long arm of the law.<br />
<br />
Trump's house of cards is crumbling. Finally.<br />
<br />
Trump's demise has been long overdue. We've longed for it from the early days of his reprehensible birther campaign against Barack Obama, to his June 2015 'Mexicans are rapists' explosion into the race, to his relentless attacks since on civility, decency, humanity, the rule of law, our democracy and everything America stands for.<br />
<br />
Throughout his entire life Trump has escaped accountability. Born with a silver spoon, he was handed everything by his rich daddy. He then spent decades at the helm of his grossly over-hyped 'real-estate development empire' (in reality just a small licensing business which threw it's name on everything including office buildings, hotels, casinos, airplanes, steaks, vodka, water, games, mortgages and magazines"...virtually all of which have been bankrupted and shut). It is a 40+ year-old family-run enterprise that, as we're now learning, more resembles a<i> crime</i> family. And The Donald answered to no one. <br />
<br />
Until now.<br />
<br />
Trump now has special counsel Robert Mueller, NY's Southern District, attorneys general in NY, DC, Virginia and elsewhere hot on his trail <i>and</i> a Nancy Pelosi-led House about to subpoena and investigate the shit out of him. For the first time in his life, when Trump barks <i>"JUMP!"</i> he's hearing <i>"sit down and shut the fuck up."</i> If his relentless manic, desperate<i>"WITCH HUNT! HOAX! NO COLLUSION!"</i> tweet-storms are an indication, it's driving him insane. As the one person who knows more than <i>anyone</i> the extent of his High Crimes and Misdemeanors, Trump surely knows the end is near.<br />
<br />
If you think Tuesday's dissolution of the Foundation doesn't signal the beginning of Trump's <i>presidency </i>ultimately
dissolving...I have some time-shares in Trump Hotel Moscow to sell ya... The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-2341516764288419112018-12-10T13:10:00.001-05:002018-12-10T13:19:01.040-05:00Re-Election? Trump Won't Even Finish His Current Term<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I laugh when I hear pundits talking about Donald Trump's re-election campaign, as if he's going to last that long. Let me make it very clear: Trump will resign sometime in 2019. I guarantee it.<br />
<br />
Trump, and at least one of his children, is in some very, very serious trouble. When you factor in the scale of his <i>High Crimes and Misdemeanors</i>, as well as his position in government, he is perhaps the most crooked, corrupt politician in American history. <br />
<br />
Some context is important here. Let's recap the two biggest presidential scandals of the last five decades. Richard Nixon left office disgraced by Watergate. He wasn't impeached but would've been (and likely indicted as well) had he not cut a deal to resign on August 9, 1974 in his second year of his second term. He threw his presidency in the toilet over a cheap, 3rd-rate break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and then obstructed justice in a bone-headed cover-up.<br />
<br />
Bill Clinton was impeached in December 1998 by the Republican-controlled House, but the GOP Senate couldn't muster enough of the 2/3's vote they needed to remove him from office. Clinton's impeachment was all about perjury. Lying about sex. Period. Clinton's biggest<i> crime?</i> He was, literally, an unapologetic horn-dog who simply wanted to <i>get off.</i><br />
<br />
Which brings us to Trump who, as we learned conclusively in court filings last week by Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, is a <i>felon. </i>A soon-to-be unindicted co-conspirator who directed his former lawyer-fixer-legbreaker Michael Cohen to commit campaign finance violations <i>twice </i>in paying off porn-star Stormy Daniels and former Playmate Karen McDougal just weeks before the 2016 election.<br />
<br />
To be sure, Trump wanted to <i>get off </i>too (the list of his sordid sexual conquests is quite long), but more importantly he wanted to influence the outcome of the presidential election. And that's the difference between his transgressions and those of his randy predecessors. <i> </i><br />
<br />
What we have yet to learn conclusively from special counsel Robert Mueller is whether or not Trump conspired with Russia to steal the election, and the extent of that conspiracy. But we will. And soon enough. If anyone out there still doesn't believe this, I have a building on 5th Avenue called <i>Individual-1 Tower</i> to sell you.<br />
<br />
The extent of that collusion/conspiracy appears likely to conclude that Trump, the 45th president of the United States of America, is a Russian puppet. A kompromised agent of an enemy state. A <i>traitor.</i><br />
<br />
Trump's political and legal troubles aren't about a blowjob or a picked lock and a busted filing cabinet. They're about the betrayal of America on the highest possible levels of government. Of threatening our national security. Of corrupting our free and fair elections, the bedrock of our democracy.<br />
<br />
As such, Trump, facing a bloodthirsty Democrat House come January, is a virtual lock for impeachment. Oh sure, Reps. Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff, who'll be taking over the House Judiciary & Intelligence Committees respectively, are downplaying the "I" word for optics' sake. But they're as horny for this as a sailor on weekend leave. <br />
<br />
Which is why Trump won't make it to 2020.<br />
<br />
Trump knows more than anyone what he did. He knows the extent of his crimes and the depths of his treason. He knows the involvement of his equally amoral, corrupt kids. His GPS is set to "Mueller" and so he knows exactly where the steely prosecutor is headed. Which is why he tweets <i>"NO COLLUSION!" </i>and <i>"WITCH HUNT" </i>non-stop, hoping that somehow the Founding Fathers will come back to life and make Twitter the overriding Constitutional power.<br />
<br />
One day soon the world will know beyond a reasonable doubt what The Manchurian President has done. And what his kids have done. And when that time comes, his heretofore enablers in the Republican Party will abandon him en masse. It'll finally be the point where they face the binary choice of <i>him or me</i>. And then the <i>"I alone"</i> president will get his wish. He'll be isolated, alone and with no one to defend and protect him.<br />
<br />
Trump is foolish if he thinks the Supreme Court will ultimately protect him. As previous decisions involving both Nixon and Clinton
demonstrate, the Court has made it abundantly clear that no one is above the law. Not even the president. <br />
<br />
Trump will then be facing his own choice of stay and fight (visiting Jr. and possibly Eric, Ivanka and son-in-law Jared <i>"I love Saudi Arabia!"</i> Kushner in prison) and face impeachment, indictment and possible imprisonment one day, or take a Nixon-like deal and walk. If he's lucky to be offered such a generous exit. <br />
<br />
Which makes the discussion of his <i>re-election</i> in 2020 truly laughable... <br />
<br />The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-3977408060846401002018-12-07T11:15:00.001-05:002018-12-07T11:15:35.903-05:00An Open Letter to Daddy From Ivanka, Eric & Donnie JrDear Daddy:<br />
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<br />
The boys nominated me to write this on our behalf because everyone knows I'm your favorite child (sorry Tiff!) and Donnie thinks I'm a better writer than he is... and Eric, well....anyway...<br />
<br />
So, we're <i>mad</i> daddy! Really mad! We'd be crying, but we don't have tear-ducts or human-like emotions (just like you daddy!)...so...anyway...<br />
<br />
...We had everything. Money, fame, power. We could lie, cheat and steal. No one cared. Uncle Mikey always took care of everything. Then you had to make everything messy-messy by running for president. And then throwing poor Uncle Mikey under the bus. Now look at us. Mueller knows <i>everything.</i> We're
ruined! Likely going to jail. And our very classy Trump brand is worthless. I think we <i>hate</i> you!<br />
<br />
Why did you do this to us? You never even <i>wanted</i> to be president. You always told us you <i>hate</i> all those dirty, lazy, blue-collar <i>"little people"</i> and just wanted all the free publicity we'd get so we could make more money (we <i>love </i>money!). And you'd get so much attention (we know how much you <i>loooove</i> attention, daddy!). But you never even thought you'd win. You <i>promised</i> us you wouldn't win. You gave us and mommy...I mean Melanie...your word. You <i>lied</i> to us! Do you remember how upset Melanie was on Election Night? It was <i>so</i> upsetting. I almost cried again.<br />
<br />
We are <i>so</i> mad at you (I'm stomping my feet right now!). We put up with all your warts all these years. I never said one word when you'd awkwardly and inappropriately put your hands all over me and tell people like Howard Stern you'd date me if I wasn't your daughter. How could you say that! How could you say you'd only <i>date</i> me not <i>marry</i> me! I felt so unappreciated!<br />
<br />
And all those times you called Eric <i>"stupid"</i> and called him and Donnie <i>"losers."</i> All of this was so unfair. We just took it all. We never said anything back to you (ok, I <i>do</i> remember the boys always yelling <i>"Stop it daddy...we're not stupid losers!"</i>).<br />
<br />
So what do we do now? What does our big strong tough incredibly physically-fit handsome <i>"counter-puncher"</i> do now to save us all? Do we hire someone to "take care of things" the way Uncle Mikey used to (wink wink...oh shit, my mascara's running...). Do we tell Corey to have Mueller's legs broken? Have Uncle Vlad poison someone? Get Uncle "M" to bone-saw the shit out of...oops...sorry...I forgot we're not supposed to ever talk about that!<br />
<br />
Just please <i>do</i> something, daddy, and do it <i>fast</i>! We're very scared. Time is running out. Donnie's already planning how he's going to escape from prison. This is bad. Very, very bad.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Your favorite child Ivanka (who's ass you really need to stop touching, ok?) & the los...I mean boys.The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11636447.post-39257087447022332582018-11-21T10:28:00.001-05:002018-11-21T10:34:11.141-05:00What If Trump Really DID Write Those Answers for Mueller Himself? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OAM_dyK-SoCpOVIurIgcvC4YWyuTC7_qsekhola1Gm17eDIhrEBA_4-rGfMeJ_otUhYdkF6upGxtbCBgZGYpMm08VAyf3-dn_kZY197tCs5O_OFxy2U4XVnqsmD5FSK8Z_9f9g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-11-21+at+10.27.25+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="1256" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OAM_dyK-SoCpOVIurIgcvC4YWyuTC7_qsekhola1Gm17eDIhrEBA_4-rGfMeJ_otUhYdkF6upGxtbCBgZGYpMm08VAyf3-dn_kZY197tCs5O_OFxy2U4XVnqsmD5FSK8Z_9f9g/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-11-21+at+10.27.25+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Donald Trump seemed especially agitated last week. Can ya blame him? I'm incredibly agitated just <i>watching</i> this chaotic shitshow on TV. He's <i>living</i> it.<br />
<br />
Trump and the Republican Party were trounced in the midterms. He was lambasted over his decision not to attend the WW1 ceremony in France and the Veteran's Day gathering at Arlington National Cemetery. The First Lady went rogue and publicly attacked one of his top national security aides, demanding her firing. The stock market continued to sink back to 2017 levels. And he and his lawyers were working on the written answers to special prosecutor Robert Mueller's questions into the campaign's possible collusion with Russia.<br />
<br />
Trump insisted all week that he wrote the answers himself. <br />
<br />
<i>"I write the answers. My lawyers don't write answers. I write answers. I
was asked a series of questions. I've answered them very easily -- very
easily." </i><br />
<br />
<i>Bullshit.</i> There isn't a lawyer alive who'd let an erratic, impulsive, delusional, pathologically-lying client like Trump write his own answers. Especially not on this level, about this subject matter and with the stakes so high. Plus, Trump can't string together two coherent sentences. <br />
<br />
But I can't help thinking...what if he <i>did</i> write them? What the hell would <i>that </i>look like... <br />
<br />
<b>Mueller Question #1:</b> Mr. President, did you know prior to June 9, 2016 that a meeting at Trump Tower would be taking place on that date between the Russians and your son Don Jr, son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort?<br />
<br />
<b>Trump:</b> I knew that a...look...and I'll tell you this...it was a nothing meeting. There was no collusion! You can't <i>do collusion</i> if nobody offers you anything. Don't get me wrong. And I'll...did we try? But...and believe me...no one cuts deals better than me. If you read my book you'd...everyone knows, frankly, it's a witch hunt. FAKE NEWS! We talked about...and let me tell you it was not easy...Donnie said they had stuff...it was a waste of...we talked about adoptions. Babies. <i>Little people. </i>No big deal. NO COLLUSION! But I never...was I there? I mean I could be. Maybe I was. <i>You</i> tell <i>me.</i>..<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Mueller Question #2: Mr. President: </b>Were you aware that, prior to the election, WikiLeaks provided hacked emails and other confidential documents from Hillary Clinton, John Podesta and/or the DNC to either Roger Stone or anyone else associated with your campaign?<br />
<br />
<b>Trump:</b> I <i>love</i> WikiLeaks! I mean...and no one had more access to them than me...you know I know a lot of people. I build...they buy my apartments. Spend thousands. Billions. The Chinese. The Russians. The Saudis. They all <i>love</i> Trump buildings! WikiLeaks...they're very good at what they do. Julian likes me. And I like him. We talked a lot. Met a few times. But I don't know him. He gave me...everybody knows...NO COLLUSION. It's a WITCH HUNT! 12 angry Democrats who...and Mueller and Comey were lovers. Nobody talks about that. There's no...look...it's not illegal to take hacked emails. Everyone would. It's called <i>op-po</i> research. Perfectly ok to...but Roger never gave <i>me</i> anything. He gave it all to Donnie. So I'm in the clear. But there was nothing useful in them...believe me.<br />
<br />
<b>Mueller Question #3:</b> Mr. President, did you fire then-FBI Director James Comey in order to stop the special investigation into collusion with Russia?<br />
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<b>Trump:</b> No. That's a stupid, stupid....I would nev...but let me tell you this...and, frankly, many people are saying the investigation is illegal. A total WITCH HUNT! There was NO COLLUSION! Did I want to stop the investigation? You could say that. But I'm not afraid of...look...did I think firing Comey would do that? I only hire the best people. Everyone wants to work for me. Comey, he was...people have this phony talk of chaos in the White House. FAKE NEWS! There's no chaos! It's Michelle Obama spreading lies, but nobody wants to talk about that. Comey? Yeah. I can tell you, frankly, I thought if he's gone I could put one of my guys in there...and I have a lot of friends who wanna help me...I should be protected....Rudy Giuliani...everyone knows he's the smartest lawyer in the history of the legal...and let me tell you...Rudy would've killed the whole disgusting, disgusting thing. And by the way, Jim Acosta's ugly and fat....<br />
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<b>Mueller Question #4: </b>Are you planning to fire me? <br />
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<b>Trump:</b> We'll see what happens... <br />
<br />The Ostroy Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04955421147082736335noreply@blogger.com0