Covid-19 virus poses

dire threat to his presidency

Donald J. Trump, Liar-in-Chief

The Covid-19 virus pandemic – a veritable Black Swan event – poses the single greatest threat to the presidency of Donald Trump in his 38 months in office.
The total bungling of the exploding outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the US by his administration may not in itself damage this teflon pathological liar whose unshakable MAGA followers will believe any lies he tells them.
But the cascading economic damage it causes – as evidenced by the meltdown in the stock market on Monday – has the potential to make a Democratic victory in the November election almost inevitable.

TORRENT OF LIES SPEWING FROM PUBLIC OFFICIALS CARRIES NO CONSEQUENCES
Truth is so far the most serious casualty of the Trump era.
The torrent of lies coming from the White House and Congress seems to have no consequences for the liars.
If we, the voters, don’t know or care about the truth, what hope is there that we can make intelligent choices at the ballot box?
Alas, there is little, and what remains of hope is diminishing every day.

EXODUS BUILDS TO A STAMPEDE FROM TRUMP BRAND
Few global businesses would dare lose over a billion potential customers in a week.
The Trump family empire just did.
The list of famous firms distancing themselves from the Trump brand is growing daily, and could soon become a stampede.
Upending the lives of thousands of aspiring immigrants may not move the US president.
But the budding economic backlash is bound to get the attention of this egomaniac, who plastered his name on everything from steaks, to wine, buildings and even a fake “university.”
Perhaps the only good outcome for the US from its 45th president will be when the Trump brand disappears into oblivion.

SILENCE IN CONGRESS AFTER ORLANDO MASSACRE IS A NATIONAL DISGRACE
There is no reason whatsoever that the deranged misfit in Orlando or anyone like him could have legally purchased the killing machine he used so ruthlessly.
With its stranglehold on the majority in Congress, the National Rifle Association is the most dangerous organization in the country today. It doesn’t have to be this way.
There has been ample opportunity to make it more difficult for anyone who would slaughter innocent victims with weapons of mass carnage like the one used in Orlando.
Congress has been paralyzed by its fear of the gun lobby.
Silent.
It is a national disgrace.

BERNIE SANDERS FOR VICE PRESIDENT!
With presumptive Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton’s place in the history books now assured, her focus must turn to preventing the disaster that would be a Republican victory in the general election.
Clinton has three major items on her to-do list in the six weeks before the Democratic National Convention: unite her party behind her candidacy; pick a running mate; and launch her strongest attack yet on her Republican opponent.
She can forthwith accomplish the first two by quickly picking Bernie Sanders as her vice-presidential running mate. She should waste no time; the choice is obvious.

AFTER 100 YEARS, IT’S TIME TO REDRAW THE MAP
As the hundredth anniversary of the French-British-Russian pact that carved up the Middle East approaches, it is time to acknowledge that Sykes-Picot led to the creation of several failed states.
In most of them, partition has become a fact on the ground. The sooner this is politically recognized, the sooner we can find a way out of endless war costing hundreds of thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.
Redrawing the map will take statesmanship not seen in generations and serious goodwill from disparate parties. But it is becoming increasingly obvious that doing nothing is not an option. Realignment of national boundaries might be the best possible outcome.

GOP LOOKS INCREASINGLY LIKE HUMPTY DUMPTY
Just days from the first balloting in the 2016 presidential race, it is beginning to look increasingly possible that Donald Trump might destroy the Republican Party. There are several scenarios, perhaps the most likely being a brokered convention in which Trump loses, then runs as an independent a la Ross Perot.
If something like this does happen, it will take a generation for the party to recover – if it ever does – after handing the 2016 race to the Democrats.

FRIGHTENING MASSACRES BOOST EXTREMIST IDEOLOGUES
As mass shootings pile on top of each other in the US, and the pathetic US Congress remains paralyzed like a deer caught in headlights, a growing number of Americans is flocking to extremist ideologues who prattle only meaningless drivel in response to genuine public outrage.
The root cause of the paralysis is the corrupting influence of big money in politics.
We will remain an outcast among civilized countries until campaign finance reform rises to the top of the political agenda in the US – an unlikely scenario given the current crop of candidates.

BIG MONEY BLOCKS ALL ATTEMPTS AT GUN SAFETY REFORM
The paralysis of America in the face of an epidemic of mass shootings is shameful and disgraceful.
It was best captured by the president in his reaction to the latest tragedy at a community college in Oregon. He was frustrated and angry at his inability to enact sensible gun safety laws.
It is a sad commentary on the state of US politics that one special interest group can exert such a stranglehold despite an overwhelming majority of Americans agreeing that something urgently needs to be done.
It will take a tidal wave of voter discontent to dislodge such big-money influence over Congress.

GOLD IS THE NEW GREEN AS WE LEARN TO LIVE WITH LESS WATER
Mother Nature’s paradoxical “gift” of record rainfall in mid-July is not going to alleviate the water shortage in California any time soon.
The recent storm was not only in the wrong place at the wrong time; its bounty was far too little to make a real difference.
A green front lawn is no longer a badge of pride here, however. In fact, it has become a downright embarrassment. Gold is the new green. We are having to learn to live with less water.