The Republican National Convention - Where Trump 'Reality' TV Mixes with Murdoch’s Fox Fake News
The Donald's Deceit, Disrespect & Demagoguery were on Full Display
Has Trump Taken America from 'Reality' TV to Staged Fiction?
August 28, 2020 / NYC Neighborhoods / U.S. Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
It was a garish experience, watching the Republican Convention on TV this past week. The scripted and repetitive misleading and false statements, combined with what appeared outright lies, were delivered by different genders and colors of people so as to seem like it wasn’t the choreographed theatrical production that it was. This is very much like what Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News seems to do every night, and what Joseph Goebbels did for over a decade as the minister of propaganda for the Third Reich.
Has Trump Taken America from 'Reality' TV to Staged Fiction?
What I found interesting about the Republican Convention, was how it showcased women and people of color, who were representing what has essentially been a nearly All White Male Administration. Of the 22 cabinet level positions, only four [18%] are filled by women [Education, Transportation, CIA & Small Business] and only one [5%] person of color [Housing].
But you’d never, ever know that by watching the Trump RNC mirage this week, as women were showcased between a third and half the time [rough estimate is 40%] and there were at least three people of color [9%] - meaning the Republican Convention didn’t look anything like the reality of the Trump Administration.
Trump Republicans of the Fox Nation Share Similarities to the Nazis of Goebbels Germany
I’ve been researching Goebbels, Hitler and the Third Reich since 2016. While investigating how Rupert Murdoch seemed to use his ‘news’ outlets as one big propaganda machine, I kept stumbling across references to all of them. Eventually I quit ignoring the references that popped up, and began following those threads, which have since led me to believe that the parallels between 1933 Nazi Germany and present day America are inescapable.
Some of the other shows appear biased, but I haven’t had the time to really tune into analyze them, as the primetime propaganda machine is already far more than I can stomach, of what seems Murdoch’s continuous demagogic deceit.
To legitimate the propaganda machine, Murdoch provides an hour of real news, the Special Report with Bret Baier weekdays, as well as Fox News Sunday which is another hour of real news hosted by Chris Wallace. Murdoch reportedly fired Shep Smith after Attorney General Bob Barr was sent on a Trump campaign errand to tell Murdoch to pull Smith because Smith wasn’t towing the Trump train party line. Murdoch appeared to oblige and Shepard Smith has remained silent.
I. Murdoch's Demagogic Press Manipulates People's Perceptions to Deliver Votes at the Polls - Goebbels Shaped Germans' Perceptions to Align with the Fuhrer's
Usurpation of power is the point of the propaganda machine posing as a news organization. If people know it to be a source of false information, it would be discredited and not believed. But by disguising it, by combining the propaganda with real news, Fox News is able to believably portray the world the way Rupert Murdoch wants his audience to see it.
In this manner he can deliver millions upon millions of Americans, Brits and Australians into the voting booth loaded with his propaganda machine’s manipulated perceptions of events and candidates, so that his audience will vote for those pols he favors and from which he, and by virtue of payola - his propaganda pundits - will profit. Since Trump became president, multi-millionaire Sean Hannity cut a favorable multi-million dollar low interest government loan deal with HUD Secretary Ben Carson related to Hannity’s $90 million property holdings.
Both Trump and Murdoch are demagogues which Merriam Webster defines as,
“... a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power ...”
Hitler and Goebbels were also demagogues and that is how they usurped and retained so much power in Nazi Germany in the 1930’s and 1940’s, which is why when I was doing my research, Hitler, Goebbels and the Third Reich kept showing up in my searches.
II. Trump Disrespects American Traditions & the American People by Personalizing Government Power - Hitler did the Same
The background for the Republican National Convention was a couple of taxpayer funded sites - the White House and Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. This represents yet another Trump break with American tradition of respect for the rule of law. Trump is using these taxpayer funded public sites for free, to accumulate more power. Not paying for the use of the White House lawn as a Convention site isn’t the worst of it - it’s the politicization of the public’s property - and the seat of power that I find most disturbing.
Again, Hitler did something similar after he was elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933. He started personalizing the buildings of the German republic by adorning them with Nazi flags. That was the beginning of the personalization of power, which culminated in Hitler becoming the sole decision maker for the entire nation on everything, on whatever level he wanted. Earlier this year I identified Trump’s abusive use of the Department of Homeland Security as a national police force as a disturbing parallel. Click this link a story detailing how Donald Trump has been personalizing the power of the U.S. government.
Our Founding Fathers instituted a system of checks and balances in the U.S. Constitution in order to prevent someone from personalizing power. The personalization of power, if left unchecked, leads right back to an authoritarian regime, which is exactly what the American War of Independence was all about. Kings are dictators, who have personalized all of the state power.
CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the Republican National Convention 2020 - where the Donald's deceit, disrespect and demagoguery were on display where 'reality' TV morphed into televised illusion.
The Republican National Convention - Where Trump 'Reality' TV Mixes with Murdoch’s Fox Fake News
The Donald's Deceit, Disrespect & Demagoguery were on Full Display
Has Trump Taken America from 'Reality' TV to Televised Illusion?
August 28, 2020 / NYC Neighborhoods / U.S. Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC. Continued.
III. Trump Replaces the RNC Platform with ‘The Pledge’ - Hitler Requires Oath in 1934
The third recent parallel with Hitler was the shelving of a party platform until 2024. In the Republican National Party platform which I obtained on the RNC website, they made several resolutions, as follows,
“ ... RESOLVED, That the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda; RESOLVED, That the 2020 Republican National Convention will adjourn without adopting a new platform until the 2024 Republican National Convention; RESOLVED, That the 2020 Republican National Convention calls on the media to engage in accurate and unbiased reporting, especially as it relates to the strong support of the RNC for President Trump and his Administration; and RESOLVED, That any motion to amend the 2016 Platform or to adopt a new platform, including any motion to suspend the procedures that will allow doing so, will be ruled out of order ... “
Just think for a minute about the last resolution - that anyone wanting clarity about what the Republican party stands for, will be ruled out of order. What happened to all of the Convention rhetoric about standing up for free speech, when even Republicans aren’t allowed to speak up about their party platform at their own convention? The Republican claims to free speech appears to be deceitful and their convention appears to be a nationally televised charade. Hitler did these sorts of things too.
According to Albert Speer, Hitler’s architect and eventually Reichstag Minister of Armaments and War Production beginning in 1942, the parallel is that Hitler required all of his top people to pledge their loyalty to him in 1934 following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg. Prior to that, German officials took an oath of loyalty to the German Constitution, which is similar to the oaths taken here in the U.S. by public officials, whereby officials pledge to uphold an agreed upon set of principles by which 'We, The People' will conduct ourselves and our affairs through rule of law.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum tells us,
“... Shortly thereafter, on August 20, 1934, the longstanding oath taken by state officials was changed so that they no longer swore loyalty to the German constitution but rather to Hitler as head of state...”
Trump has been corrupting the Constitutional oath required of all Cabinet Secretaries by maintaining them as ‘Acting’ Secretaries, unconfirmed by the U.S. Senate. In the case of Chad Wolf, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, he’s an illegitimate cabinet official as the time allotted an acting secretary expired months ago [June 2020].
Again, this is the personalization of power, which the Donald has been doing in a big way while in office, and why it’s important the American people stop Trump now, before he gets even more out of hand. Click here to see an earlier report on Trump’s personalization of American Constitutional power.
VI. Trump Tries a Legislative / Judicial Power Grab Using the CoVid Crisis - Hitler uses the Reichstag Fire of 1933 To Take Control of the Legislature
An April 15, 2020 report by NBC News tells us,
“ ... President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to adjourn Congress so he can unilaterally install nominees to federal positions that he said are pertinent to the coronavirus crisis, an unprecedented move that critics likened to a dictatorship ... “
It’s worth pointing out the parallel to Germany in 1933. After the Reichstag Fire, Hitler seized power by outlawing the right to assemble, and arresting and indefinitely detaining numerous elected officials from the Communist Party, so Hitler would have free reign. After President Paul von Hindenburg’s death, Hitler sought a plebiscite to legitimate his control of all of the state power.
Mary Trump, the Donald’s cousin, is a clinical psychologist who said that Donald Trump has sociopathic behaviors. I think she was being circumspect. Allowing a sociopath to personalize the power of the people as agreed upon in the Constitution is a bad idea, which history has proven out time and again.
V. Trump Attempts to use the Department of Homeland Security as a National Police Force - Hitler Nationalizes the German Police via the Gestapo
I published a report on July 20, 2020 which you can find by scrolling down the page showing how Hitler broke with German traditions [not sure about German law] and nationalized the police force, which prior to that, had - like in the U.S. - been overseen at a local level. This began in Portland, Oregon in late June / early July, and Trump has since backed off.
Major Republicans Supporting Biden to Save U.S. Democracy
It’s no wonder that Republicans John Kasich [frmr Gov / Ohio], Christie Todd Whitman [frmr Gov / NJ], Colin Powell [frmr Secy of State Bush Admin], John McCain [frmr Sen / Az] via a video authorized by his wife - all appeared at the Democratic Convention. All but Cindy McCain endorsed Biden as Cindy said she didn’t want to participate in politics. And former Republican Senator Jeff Flake, Republican Chief of Staff for Kristjen Nielsen former Trump Administration Head of Homeland Security, along with a couple of dozen other Republicans also announced their support of Biden during the Republican National Convention.
Monday RNC - Republican Convention Oxymorons - 'Republican Woman of Color', the Secret to Understanding 'Black Republicans' & Don Jr (oxy not required)
Trump TV - Fictionalized Reality Brought to you in 'Living Color'
Nikki Haley - A 'Republican Woman of Color' which Seems an Oxymoron
I was up in the Bronx a couple of years ago, in a discussion with a woman of color, and I remarked that Barack Obama is half white. She rolled her eyes and asked me, “Are you serious?” I paused and thought about what she was implying. She was right. Because Barack Obama looks like an African American, it doesn’t matter what his genetic composition is ... because people will respond to what they see / visualize. And likewise, I would apply that same litmus test to Nikki Haley. Genetically she may be of Indian descent, but she doesn’t look like a woman of color, so she’s not really in a position to declare that America isn’t racist, because she would know no more about being the target of racism on a personal level than I would.
All of America IS NOT racist. We know that because Barack Obama was elected president and there’s an increasing number of government officials of color. But some of America IS racist, and that’s what this national conversation is all about. Specifically, racism in some of the members of police forces across the nation. But that’s a discussion you’ll be hard pressed to find on Murdoch’s Fox News, Wall St. Journal and NY Post, because he doesn’t want you to see the whole picture. As described above in #1 that's the point of a propaganda machine - to decieve in order to personally profit.
If the audience has the full picture, many of Murdoch's propagandists' story lines would be ruined. And many - not all - of his audience wouldn't vote for the people the Murdoch machine promotes. These news distortions, combined with Murdoch's control or significant influence in the oversight of near 50% share of major corporate branded media in this nation, is the reason we’ve become so divided since Murdoch started meddling with our media beginning in the 1970's. Because of Murdoch's dominant share of media, Americans can no longer agree on even the facts. Why? Because Murdoch’s media appear to omit key facts needed to make an honest appraisal of the various key situations that make the news - like the rogue policemen shootings of unarmed African Americans. I’ve documented some of this in a report about an Editorial done by Murdoch’s NY Post on Eric Garner & Daniel Pantaleo as well as a report by Tucker Carlson on Murdoch’s Fox News about the shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, Georgia.
Is Fraud the Trump Family Profession?
Don Jr. also spoke on Monday night. His eyes appeared to be bloodshot. They’ve been bloodshot for a while now, as I’ve noticed what seems the glassy, reddish tint in his eyes in pictures shown of him on Fox News [see photos at right taken in March & August 2020]. Don Jr. delivered a litany of hot and steamy, which looked, sounded and stank ... just like his dad’s.
Don Jr. and Ivanka helped their Dad peddle Trump SoHo condominiums in NYC. According to an October 14, 2017 report by Business Insider,
“... The Manhattan District Attorney's office dropped a [Felony Fraud] criminal case against President Donald Trump's two eldest children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, after Trump's longtime personal lawyer made a hefty donation to the district attorney's campaign, according to a joint investigation by ProPublica, WNYC, and The New Yorker...”
Based on what I saw at the virtual Republican National Convention this week, I would say that it appears that these two Trump children are back at it again.
Why do 'Black Republicans' [like S.C. Senator Tim Scott] Seem to have Put Down Their American History Books after Lincoln's Death - Ignoring American History from 1865 / 1868 to the Present?
The next speaker was South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott. He told us that he became a Republican because Lincoln freed the slaves. I’ve met other African Americans who are Republicans, and I’ve also asked them how they came tp be Republicans given how it’s been the Democratic Party that fought for their rights over the past century or so. I suspect you can’t become an African American Republican without turning a blind eye to recent history, which isn’t a good trait for a legislator to have.
Democrat Woodrow Wilson supported the 19th Amendment beginning in September 1918 and it passed in May of 1919. Wikipedia tells us that the 19th Amendment says,
" ... prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex ... "
“ ... In June 1941, [Democrat] Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, which created the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC). It was the most important federal move in support of the rights of African-Americans between Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Act of 1964... “
Democrat President Kennedy tried passing the Civil Rights Act in the summer of 1963 and failed to gain passage. But following Kennedy’s assassination, the Obama White House archives tells us that,
“... [Democrat] Johnson Signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964...On June 2, 1964... which was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.”
And History.com tells us that the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
“... ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement...”
This was followed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which History.com tells us,
“... The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by [Democrat] President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution...”
The 15th Amendment, passed in 1869 by President Grant, was the last major push in the direction of helping African Americans by a Republican president. Since then the forward movement in race relations in this nation has been spearheaded by Democrats, which is why of the approximately 51 members of congress who are African American, only six of them are Republicans.
Tuesday - Melania Trump's Robotic Stepford Wife Performance at the Republican National Convention
Has Trump Taken America from 'Reality' TV to Staged Fiction?
Eric Trump, like Don Jr., said America was respected again [so that’s why the NATO leaders were caught on video laughing at Donald Trump in December 2019] and that we’re winning again. If having 27 million people unemployed is winning, I want to go back to whatever we were calling the U.S. before Trump became president, when the unemployed numbered between 7 - 8 million. Eric told us that his ‘daddy’ had defeated communism and fascism. I don’t know who writes Erics's speeches, but it seems terribly disconnected from a reality where the Donald appears to enjoy the company of dictators like Putin, Kim Jong-Un and the Saudi Prince more than the leaders of the free world like Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau.
The African American Attorney General of Kentucky, Daniel Cameron, spoke and told us that people shouldn’t tear down statues, even if those statues honor people who fought to divide this nation and maintain African Americans - like his ancestors - in slavery. Like Tim Scott, he also had to reach back more than a century and a half to validate his choice to become a member of the Republican party, claiming that Republicans are the party of Lincoln - ignoring the accomplishments and setbacks of the 29 presidents since then. Republican African American politicians really need to do some catch up on their homework, and at least come into the 20th century when they talk about their party. It’s annoying to listen to Black Republican politician speeches which seem a century and a half out of date.
The Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, addressed us from Jerusalem. He was visiting Israel on the taxpayers’ dime and seemed to be using state funds [his travel expenses] to fund a campaign photo op. He also appears to have been in violation of the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits members of the Executive branch from using their status / role to participate in political activities. Notice that the Hatch Act was passed just prior to America going to war with Nazi Germany, where we’ve been finding historical parallels.
Pompeo spun a nice tale about the Trump foreign policy, which is still an unknown to foreign policy experts and scholars. Standing up to China on trade, meeting with Kim Jong-Un of North Korea for a photo op, the assassination of an Iranian General and ISIS leader, and the normalizing of relations between the UAE and Israel, while simultaneously vacating troops from Germany which was a measure of Cold War containment of Russia, alienating our Western European Allies by endorsing Brexit which was also a measure of Cold War Russian containment, abandoning our Kurdish Allies in the Middle East, pulling funds from Latin America which exacerbated the human misery that has motivated thousands to migrate north to the U.S., and cozying up to dictators or authoritarian leaning leaders like Putin in Russia, Kim Jong-Un in North Korea, Prince Mohammad bin Salmon al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Bolsanaro in Brazil and Duterte in the Philippines is what the Trump Administration calls foreign policy. It’s worth noting that the UAE has a population of less than ten million, so it’s only slightly larger than the population of NYC and occupies a land mass about the size of Maine. By comparison, war torn Syria has about twice the population and about six times the land mass. The UAE does control a share of fossil fuels that is disproportionate to their size.
Melania's coup de grace came when she blatantly lied to the American people - after telling us four years ago that she never would. She told us that her husband has been an unprecedented promoter of women during his Administration. She also said that the American people deserve total honesty from their president and she said that we know what the Donald thinks. I think it’s worth noting that the Washington Post has documented some 20,000 lies by her husband while in office, so ‘total honesty’ isn’t how most people - even his supporters - would describe him.
Melania's kindness, humility and gratitude seemed scripted at best. I did enjoy watching George Stephanopolous talk about how Melania shared some of her personal story / struggle. In her speech Melania told us she wanted to come to America from Slovenia. She arrived here at age 26 as a model, met a billionaire and got married. But she had to study hard to pass the citizenship test. It was truly a moving tale of yet another great Trump American struggling to overcome great adversity ... and winning ... greatly ... again. Congratulations Melania on your Oscar Award winning performance.
Wednesday - The Liars Club Hosted by Mike Pence?
The Unsightly Spectacle of Using God as a Campaign Prop
On Wednesday night I tuned in while some unknown farmer was telling us how great the Donald is.
Lara Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, echoed the farmer and told us how great her father-in-law was. She was focused on winning over women voters it seems, as she noted the few positions where women are currently serving in the Trump Administration such as Aurelia Skipwith who is the head of the Fish & Wildlife Service. Who is what?
Lara Trump didn’t talk about the fact that Trump has only nominated women to be judges in 25% of the cases, versus the Obama / Biden Administration which appointed women to 45% of the judge slots. And only 15% of the Trump judicial appointees were minorities versus 36% for Obama / Biden Administration.
Lara talked about how Trump created so many jobs for women - up until the pandemic. They all seemed to leave that part out. It was like Herbert Hoover selling the American people on the first year of his Administration - not his last.
This was a Fox News-like presentation, where they leave out the tragic ending, because that completely ruins their storyline. Talking about taking a 4% unemployment and driving it down to 3% with trillions of Federal Reserve help and by giving trillion(s) in tax cuts to the rich, isn’t the same as talking about how you mortgaged the children of the nation’s future with those tax cuts. And they leave out the part where the unemployment rate went from 3% or 4% to above 10% and that there are 27 million people unemployed - of whom more are likely disproportionately women and people of color. No, those facts are omitted, like on Fox Fake News because they don't support what these people want their audience to believe. Goebbels did that for Hitler when the Germans were losing badly. They left that part out, cherry picking anedotal tales to keep up morale.
Republican Philistines: Taking God's Name in Vain?
Trump has used numerous musician's music at his rallies without paying them nor obtaining permission to legally use their work. This would seem to violate our copyright / intellectual property laws in the same manner as China has done in the past. Unfortunately for god, the legal limit on his trademark and copyright have long expired, which is why the RNC wasn't called to task by godly representatives following the convention.
The list of musicians who have asked Trump to quit using their music at his events includes, Adele, Aerosmith, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Guns N' Roses, Leonard Cohen, Linkin Park, Luciano Pavarotti, Neil Young, Nickelback, Panic at the Disco, Pharrell Williams, Prince, Queen, R.E.M, Rihanna, The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty [thank you Wikipedia who has a detailed page on the circumstances of each group's objections].
This would seem to prove that Trump is a thief whose disrespect for the law and other people's property knows no bounds. A good class action attorney should consider making a federal case out of this, because it's obviously a pattern of premeditated theft. What's worse is that the Trump campaign has already raised over a billion dollars, so it's not that they don't have the money - it's that they seem to be cheats and cheapskates.
I couldn’t listen to Richard Grenell, who worked for the Trump Administration in a couple of short stints and is now a media consultant. He was too ideologically propagandistic at what seemed to be a pure propagandistic event.
Mike Pence's Disingenuous 'Base' Hit Was a Propaganda Home Run
Pence, like Lara Trump, talked about the economy before CoVid, like CoVid didn’t happen and isn’t going to continue to happen. Pence talked about how America became energy independent, which it did in 2019. But he left out context, which is that America’s trend toward energy independence was a long term trend, for which most of the narrowing of the gap between imports and exports was accomplished during the Obama / Biden Administration.
But the best part of Pence’s speech was his sugar coating of the Trump Administration response to CoVid 19. The closing of our borders, the marshalling of resources for ventilators, PPE and testing supplies, and the promise of a safe and effective vaccine by sometime after election day. He promised that the ‘Trump Administration would continue to put Americans’ health first’. This whole section of his presentation appeared to be a bald faced lie.
Pence called Trump a proven leader - not a politician. Pence wasn’t the only one at the RNC to refer to Trump as the leader. Hitler liked that term too - fuhrer is the German word for leader.
Pence went on the attack when talking about the police, telling us that America won’t be safe with Biden in office. He didn’t acknowledge that unarmed African Americans are being killed at an alarming rate by rogue policemen, seemingly without consequences for the killer policemen. Fox News doesn’t mention or even seem to acknowledge this either. They skip over that part and talk about how the protesters are upsetting the community. The protesters generally appear to be peaceful, but that doesn’t stop other folks from taking advantage of the distraction to vandalize, rob or what seems in the case of the alleged Trump supporter, Kyle Rittenhouse, mass murder.
Do you want to know how to stop the violence and protests? Tell the rogue policemen to quit shooting unarmed African Americans without necessary cause. Trump’s answer was crush them. Based on my research, that’s exactly what Hitler would do and did.
Trump featured a Missouri couple who brandished their guns when confronted by protesters. One must ask if that isn't somehow an inspiration for the 17 year old youth, who aspired to be a policeman, who drove up to Kenosha, Wisconsin and shot two protesters dead?
Thursday RNC - Lynch, McConnell, Ivanka & the Donald
Patrick Lynch, Head of NYPBA Police Union Attacks Dems
Is the Law & Order Theme a Veiled Campaign of Racism?
As we all know, the social unrest this year was sparked by what appeared to be an unnecessary use of lethal force by a police officer in Minneapolis while apprehending an African American named George Floyd.
Amidst this controversy, the New York Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President, Patrick Lynch, gave an impassioned speech in favor of Donald Trump's candidacy as he simultaneously attacked the Democrats.
Union president Lynch has unapologetically supported the NYPD officers found guilty of shooting unarmed African Americans in well publicized reports in New York City since 1997, which is shortly before he became the police union president [see Blue Lives, Black Lives, All Lives Matter 8/23/20 report below]. On Thursday, August 20th, a few days prior to this report, protesters showed up at Pat Lynch's Bayside home to try to drive home the message that they wanted real police reform. Lynch - and police unions in general - have been identified as one of the major obstacles to creating a more equitable and fair justice system. Click here to read Murdoch's NY Post Editorial in support of NYPBA President Pat Lynch's plea to the NYPD to retain Daniel Pantaleo who held Eric Garner in a chokehold that appeared to kill him.
A June 2, 2020 report by City and State NY noted the following,
"... Pat Lynch is so famous for racist and vitriolic rhetoric, which fuels the fire, but it's overly simplistic and maybe even dangerous to make it seem like it's about Pat Lynch," said Joo-Hyun Kang, the director of Communities United for Police Reform. "When we look at police unions in other jurisdictions around the country, it's not that different from New York. Police unions block forward motion on police reform. We would argue that the police unions as an institution, as well as the NYPD, because they're not as separate as people say, have outsized political power..."
Since becoming the union president, Lynch has been at odds with all NYC Mayors including Giuliani, Bloomberg and de Blasio, as well as most NYC Police Commissioners [Safir, Kelly, Bratton, O'Neill]. The exceptions are Bernard Kerik who served for just a year and a half, and the recently appointed Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. And while Lynch has been effective in getting into the headlines, primarily of Rupert Murdoch's NY Post and Fox News, it's worth reminding folks of the old saying that "good headlines don't necessarily mean good governance" and "good governance doesn't make good headlines.".
It seems the one politician Lynch can get behind, is Donald Trump, as it's the first endorsement by the NYPBA since Lynch became its president in 1999.
Republican Majority Leader McConnell's Great Great Grandfathers were Slave Owners
According to a July 9, 2019 report in GQ entitled Of Course Mitch McConnell's Ancestors were Slave Owners,
"...NBC News has confirmed that two of his great-great-grandfathers owned a combined total of 14 slaves. According to the "Slave Schedules" of the 1850 and 1860 censuses in Limestone County, Alabama, James McConnell and Richard Daley collectively owned two men and 12 women... "
Apparently the folks at GQ didn't find these Mitch McConnell factoids surprising, which they noted in the headline I added to the photo.
"America, Have They Got a Deal for You"
Ivanka failed to inform us about the $2.5 trillion bailout package, where only 10% - 20% of the funds went to the people, the rest to special interests, and that her father fired FIVE Inspector Generals from various branches of government while he’s managing the largest government spending program in the history of the nation. And Trump has a long history of seeming to cheat employees, donors, contractors, customers, bankers and shareholders. Yes, it does seems like Ivanka is overpromising on her father's overpriced condos again.
Ivanka somehow, like many of the RNC speakers, described an alternative universe where her father saved lives by his incompetent response to the CoVid pandemic. Ivanka told the audience “you are the elite”. Hitler and Goebbels used to say that same thing to their audiences in their propaganda broadcasts and events.
And then came the Donald, who I struggled to watch, given how much time of my life he’s already wasted with his incessant, meaningless, rambling speeches. But, as predicted, he said nothing that he hasn’t said before. Seventy minutes all tolled, the second longest major party acceptance speech in modern history, the longest of which was Trump’s 76 minute speech in 2016.
Four years ago, Trump demagogically channeled racist anger against immigrants to rally Republican voters for his candidacy. This year it seems he's going to use racism thinly disguised under the veil of 'law and order' to rally Republicans.
I think Americans on both sides of the aisle agree ... this is likely the most important election of our lifetime. Only 67 days left to election day. Hang in there and stay tuned.