Trump Is Blocking A Pandemic Relief Package To Prevent Congress From Keeping The Post Office Alive

On Wednesday, Trump, lying, tried stampeding Congress and bending it to his will by declaring there won't be a pandemic relief package. The Washington Post reported that " A new attempt to restart economic relief negotiations between the White House and Democrats ended just minutes after it began on Wednesday, with President Trump appearing to cast doubt on the whole process by announcing a deal is "not going to happen." The sociopath in the White House said "The bill’s not going to happen because they don’t even want to talk about it, because we can’t give them the kind of ridiculous things that they want that have nothing to do with the China virus."

The Reuters story made it clear what he's up to: trying to wreck the U.S. Post office in the hope of being more easily able to steal the election in November. Patricia Zengerle and David Morgan reported that on Thursday he said "his team was rejecting Democrats’ bid to include funds for the U.S. Postal Service and to shore up election infrastructure in a new coronavirus relief bill, as he vowed to block money to facilitate mail-in voting. Señor Trumpanzee: "The items are the post office and the $3.5 billion for mail-in voting. If we don’t make the deal, that means they can’t have the money, that means they can’t have universal mail-in voting. It just can’t happen." Zengerle and Morgan reminded their readers that "Roughly one in four U.S. voters cast their ballots by mail in 2016, and Trump himself has voted by mail. But Trump and his fellow Republicans have criticized state efforts to make voting by mail more widely available, saying without evidence it could lead to widespread fraud. Election exerts say mail voting is as secure as any other method."

Pelosi said any coronavirus relief bill should include billions of dollars to protect not just Americans’ right to vote but also essential services, like mailing prescription medicines, during the pandemic.

“You would think they’d have a little sensitivity, but so obsessed are they to undermine absentee voting that this is their connection there,” Pelosi told reporters. “So the president says he’s not putting up any money for absentee voting and he’s not putting up any money for the Postal Service, undermining the health of our democracy.”

...New Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who has donated $2.7 million to Trump and his fellow Republicans since 2017, has ordered operational changes and a clampdown on overtime in a bid to fix the financially troubled Postal Service, which reported a net loss of $2.2 billion in the last quarter.

Cost-cutting measures put in place by DeJoy have led to mail delays across the country, raising concerns that they could complicate mail-based voting. State election officials have scrambled to expand mail-voting capacity as experts say the pandemic could prompt up to half of all U.S. voters to cast their ballots by mail.

The Postal Service in recent months has encouraged election officials to send their ballots using regular first-class mail, rather than the cheaper and slower bulk mail rate that many states use, to ensure ballots are delivered in a timely manner.

In the past, the Postal Service has generally treated all election and political mail as if it were first-class, the service’s internal watchdog said in a 2019 report. That has caused some Democrats to accuse DeJoy of trying to undermine mail-in voting.

GOP sleaze-bags Steven Mnuchin and Mark Meadows are leading the charge for Trump. Lisa Mascaro reported for AP that "With talks stalemated, Trump has resorted to bypassing Congress, issuing the executive actions that Meadows warned would come if the White House failed to reach a deal. The president’s orders for jobless aid and other actions are only expected provide modest relief to some 20 million Americans at risk of eviction and even more who are out of work, halving unemployment assistance to $300 a week. On a conference call with Republican senators, Meadows and Mnuchin left the impression there are no new talks scheduled with Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi."

CNN went right to the point: Trump "opposes much-needed funding for the United States Postal Service because he doesn't want to see it used for mail-in voting this November. By directly linking USPS funding to mail-in voting, Trump is fueling allegations that he is trying to manipulate the postal system for political gain. The pandemic has led to record-shattering levels of voting-by-mail, but Trump has tried to restrict the voting method because he says it will hurt his re-election and Republicans across the board."

Biden's campaign manager, Andrew Bates: "The President of the United States is sabotaging a basic service that hundreds of millions of people rely upon, cutting a critical lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines, because he wants to deprive Americans of their fundamental right to vote safely during the most catastrophic public health crisis in over 100 years."

This is a highly unpopular stance by Trump and Democratic congressional candidates are increasingly using it to beat up on the Trump enablers they're running against. Few members have been more slavishly devoted to Trump than Omaha's Donald Bacon and progressive Democrat Kara Eastman took him to task yesterday for his refusal to denounce Trump's efforts at sabotaging the post office (and the election). She noted that The US Postal Service employs over 600,000 Americans, including almost 100,000 veterans and that people of color comprise 40% of the USPS workforce. "Congressman Bacon, this continued attack on the Postal Service is undermining workers and serving to promote voter suppression," Eastman said. "The US Postal Service is an American institution, protected by the Constitution. Donald Trump and Republican politicians like Don Bacon have been trying to undermine it for years and are now sabotaging it to rig the election. This attack on the USPS is an attack on American service and values. It’s time for Bacon to stand up to his party and stop these attacks on one of our most basic and fundamental institutions."

"We cannot allow this administration to sabotage the Post Office so they can cheat the election. Folks across the nine counties of the Texas 10th district need the Post Office to safely vote by mail, get prescription medications delivered, or run their small business," said Mike Siegel, a public school teacher turned civil rights attorney running in the gerrymandered central Texas district to unseat Republican corporate crony Michael McCaul, an unabashed Trumpist. "My opponent has taken over $50,000 from corporate PACs with a direct interest in gutting the post office. I am not taking a dime of corporate PAC money."


Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) sits on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where he serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and is on 2 other subcommittees-- the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus and the Subcommittee on Government Operations, which is where all the action is on the Republican Party play to destroy the post office. "The GOP attack on the Post Office," he told me today, "is definitely a sinister attack on the 2020 Election itself and we must do everything we can to stop it. But it’s also more broadly an effort to kill American democracy. The Post Office has been a central crossroads and symbol of American communications, culture, and political community from the beginning of the Republic. In the name of our first postmaster Benjamin Franklin and all the other great Americans who worked for the Post Office, including Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman, we must take down the campaign to destroy the Post Office. This is the struggle of our lifetime."

Southern California congressman and realist Ted Lieu wasn't sugar-coating the dire nature of this disaster. He told me today that "This election is too important for me to promise things to make you feel better but won’t actually happen. The stark truth is the House cannot adequately fund the Post Office without the consent of Trump. The only option is a veto override with the Republican controlled Senate. That is not going to happen. That means our only solution is to empower the voters. We need you to spread the word that if people are going to vote by mail, they need to mail their ballot at least 10 mailing days out from Nov 3, which would be Oct 22. That’s how we win."

Adam Christensen is the progressive Democrat trying to flip Ted Yoho's north-central Florida district blue. Much of that district is rural and dependent on the post office. "This attack on one of governments best run and organized agencies," he told me, "is an attack on rural America. It is an attack on small business owners and those that rely on USPS everyday for shipping. It is an attack on our towns and our neighbors who are tired of paying outrageous fees for basic services. Attempting to destroy good paying jobs in our community and replace them with corporate monopolies is what has killed our town centers for the last 30 years. The Republican party is dying but it appears that they want to finalize the destruction of the middle class on their way out."

Trump Declares War-- On Transgender Men And Women Serving In The U.S. Armed Forces

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the above early morning Trumpanzee Adderall-fueled tweet storm was the first time officials in the Pentagon heard of the Regime's bigoted-- and probably unconstitutional--  transgender service ban. Philip Bump, immediately writing for the Washington Post, reminded his readers that Trump’s argument against transgender soldiers echoes one used against gays, women and blacks

The question of costs-- presumably referring to procedures like gender reassignment surgery-- was addressed in a Rand report that estimated a 0.04- to 0.13-percent increase in military health-care expenditures should transgender people be allowed to serve. Trump has proposed a 10 percent bump in overall military spending, which could certainly absorb that increase.

That latter point, though, the “disruption” that integration of transgender troops would spur? That is an argument we’ve heard before. When gay Americans sought the right to serve in the military, that was a central argument against the change. When women sought combat roles, a central argument. When blacks were integrated into the military? Warnings about disruption.

In 1948, President Harry Truman moved toward fully integrating black Americans into the military. At the time, members of his own party spoke out against the plan. The Washington Post reported on the objections in June of that year.

Former Tennessee U.S. senator Tom Stewart proposed “allowing men in the services to choose whether or not they would serve in mixed units” to avoid offending the sensibilities of those determined to maintain segregation. U.S. Sen. Lister Hill of Alabama argued that integration would “seriously impair the morale of the Army at a time when our armed forces should be at their strongest and most efficient.” He called Truman’s move “unfortunate.”

Andrew Duck is primarying right-wing Maryland Democrat John Delaney. He served over 2 decades in the U.S. Army, 4 tours of duty in Bosnia and Iraq. He told us last night that "Trump’s tweet banning transgender personnel from service is wrong, both morally and militarily. Our Army needs to recruit and retain Soldiers who can shoot, move and communicate. It damages our military to reject high quality personnel solely because of their gender identity. Many of these Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines have been serving their country honorably, risking their lives for our Nation. Denying them the right to serve is just wrong." Wherever there is fear and ignorance, bigotry never seems to die... but today it's very much thriving inside the White House and throughout our government's executive branch. As far as I know, no members of the Trump Regime have resigned over this yet. Anger, though, exploded on social media where Trump announced his "policy."

Ted Lieu was an active duty Air Force officer and still serves as an Air Force Reserve Colonel today. He immediately communicated with his Los Angeles constituents about what's wrong with Trump's decision: "The President's exclusion of Americans who happen to be transgender from serving in the military is not based on facts, it is based on naked bigotry. I know because I served on active duty. The military doesn't care what your sexual orientation or identity is, or who you love. It cares about whether you can shoot straight and complete the mission. The President's discriminatory decision harms our military readiness for our volunteer-based military. Thousands of Transgender Americans are already in the military. Why? Because they are qualified, patriotic and willing to die for their country. There is zero evidence a Transgender sniper would be any less qualified than a gay sniper or a straight sniper. Today is a sad day for America."

New Hampshire progressive Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter ousted a Republican incumbent last year despite her district going for Trump over Hillary. She's not afraid of him and, a member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Military Personnel, she was a leader in the successful 2009 effort to overturn the bigoted Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy and still prioritizes fighting for fairness for all American military personnel. Her response to Trump's tweet storm didn't pull any punches: "This morning’s tweets from the President are a disgraceful slap in the face to the thousands of transgender troops who are actively serving our country, and to all transgender Americans who aspire to serve. These troops are patriots who deserve to be appreciated for their service, not used as political props by their Commander in Chief. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will fight to prevent President Trump’s ugly rhetoric against our troops from becoming reality, and to make sure these troops know that Americans appreciate their service and sacrifice." BOOM!

Vote Vets, the most active political action committee run by military veterans was out with a letter to their members immediately:

Sixty-nine years ago today, President Harry Truman issued an executive order desegregating the military, declaring "equal treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services." With the same stroke of a pen, he established the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services.

This morning, on the anniversary of that historic step toward equality, our current president, Donald Trump, did the unthinkable: placed a ban on transgender Americans from serving "in any capacity in the U.S. Military."

Here is the truth: right now, there are up to 7,000 openly transgender service members on active duty, with thousands more in the reserves-- all of whom wake up having served with more distinction than Donald Trump could ever dream of. When Trump had the chance to serve, he received multiple deferments because of a "foot thing." He said that avoiding STDs was his own personal Vietnam.

Veterans, military family members, and civilian supporters have an important voice in this fight. Let's make it heard right now.

...This decision by the president puts our national security at risk. There are active units who depend on these decorated service members. But as much as that matters, imagine how it would feel this morning to be a trans service member who volunteered to defender their nation, only to be told that their service wasn't good enough... and to be told that by a man who never had the courage himself to serve.

Kristin Beck, a transgendered woman and former 20 year Navy Seal-- who I'd give odds could knock Trump cold with one hand tied behind her back-- once ran for Congress against corrupt Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer. Yesterday she was challenging someone else. "Let's meet face to face and you tell me I'm not worthy," she suggested to Señor Trumpanzee, the serial draft-dodger and gross pervert. "Being transgender doesn't affect anyone else. We are liberty's light. If you can't defend that for everyone that's an American citizen, that's not right. Transgender doesn't matter. Do your service." Beck, a decorated former member of the elite Team 6, signed up for over a dozen tours of duty and served in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq, while Trump claimed his version of military serve was an epic decade-long battle against syphilis, gonorrhea, genital herpes and all the other STDs he was spreading around New York in the 1970s.

Did you know that Blue America has an ActBlue page dedicated to progressive military veterans running for Congress? You can access it by tapping on the thermometer on the right. We reached out to the vets running for House seats this year in California, Kansas and Wisconsin, an all-star cast we are very proud to be supporting in their races against Darrell Issa, Ron Estes and Paul Ryan. Doug Applegate, a former Marine colonel: "As unusual, President Trump went on a twitter tirade this morning. If you don't use twitter you will be sure to see the tweets on the news. The difference about these bunch of tweets compared to those of recent times is that he attacked U.S. military personnel instead of mainstream media or the left. Today, our draft-dodging President banned the transgender community from serving in the US military. This is discriminatory, stupid, and an absolute disgrace. This makes our country weaker and dismantles some of the progress we have made within the LGBTQ community over the last 8 years. We will continue to fight for our trans brothers and sisters, and I thank you for your bravery and service to our country, one thing our President could never find the courage to do."

Randy Bryce is the progressive iron worker campaigning for the southeast Wisconsin congressional seat held by Paul Ryan. Unlike Ryan and unlike Trump, Bryce is a U.S. Army veteran who seems offended that Trump chose to use transgender service members as a political diversion. "As a veteran, I am offended by the President's insulting actions. He knows nothing about the military or what it means to serve. It's time Donald Trump start focussing on things he does know about-- if that includes anything other than golf and twitter rants-- rather than trying desperately to tear us apart. What makes us different is what makes us special. I was honored to serve in our Military along side some of the most diverse, interesting, hard working people I had ever come across. Donald Trump makes us less safe by today's actions, and he should be ashamed of himself."

Jim Thompson is the Blue America-backed progressive running for the Wichita-based 4th district congressional seat in Kansas-- and a U.S. Army veteran. He was tweeting up his own storm today... and then sent us this:

Wow. In yet another erratic early morning tweet, our draft-dodging President attacked the United States military and the brave men and women that stood up to defend their country. This morning, the President unilaterally decided he would no longer allow transgender servicemen and servicewomen to join or serve in our military. The reason for this sudden announcement remains officially unspoken; however, I think it’s blatantly obvious that, once again, President Trump is trying to distract from his terrible healthcare policies. After attacking Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska for voting against the Trumpcare bill, the President then proceeded to make his indefensible Twitter proclamation. He stated the following:

“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.

“Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you.”

No, thank you Mr. President. Thank you for once again showing us your true colors as a bully with no guiding moral compass. You’ve shown you will attack anyone who falls in your sights in order to distract from your complete lack of legislative accomplishments. We know for a fact President Trump did not consult with the Pentagon, because they stated they never spoke with anyone at the White House about this sudden policy change.

I served in the United States Army Infantry with the understanding the Commander in Chief protected and defended the Constitution of the United States, just like I did. I always felt safe in the knowledge that Presidents Bush and Clinton kept the military’s best interests in mind. I no longer possess this same confidence in our current President given these statements-- and many others-- he issued both on the campaign trail and since his inauguration.

President Trump lacks any idea of what it means to serve anyone other than himself. He used his family's power, money and position to obtain five-- yes, five-- draft deferments during the Vietnam War. This allowed him to avoid serving in the military while others fought and died answering their country's call.

Ultimately, the test for military service is whether or not a person can do the job required of him or her. I side with Sen. John McCain on this issue. Lest we forget, President Trump attacked the Senator on the campaign trail for being a prisoner of war. Sen. McCain’s office released a statement today in response to the President’s tweets that reads as follows:

“The President’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter.

“The statement was unclear. The Department of Defense already decided to allow currently-serving transgender individuals to stay in the military, and many are serving honorably today. Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving. There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military-- regardless of their gender identity. We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so-- and should be treated as the patriots they are…” 

Sen. McCain’s words ring true. I cannot understand how the President can justify a policy that saps needed talent from our military based solely on a person’s gender identity. These men and women wrote blank checks to the United States military just like every other person serving. If someone is willing to step up and fight to protect American values and they possess the courage, bravery, and skills necessary to complete the mission, then nothing should stand in the way of them serving their country. Period.

Trump proves time and again that he wants the Presidency to serve his interests those of the rich elite first. This attack on transgender service-members is disgusting, indefensible, and just one more drop in the flood of bullying and bigotry emanating from the White House. He continues to create problems rather than solve them. I’ve grown sick and tired of it and I’m sure you have too. Please, join us in this fight and help us protect the rights of every American-- especially members of our military.

Ms. Foundation president Teresa Younger eloquently voiced the Martin Niemöller sentiments that all decent Americans are thinking today: "We cannot forget that many of the freedoms we hold dear as Americans can be stolen away in a moment by any president. Trump's cowardly decision to reinforce state-sponsored discrimination against transgender Americans is an affront to our country’s values and a tremendous blow to LGBTQ equality. We will not stand idly by as Trump rolls back our rights-- first for our Muslim sisters and brothers, now for our LGBTQ family. One can only wonder-- who will be next? The only American thing to do now is to lock arms against this takeover and systematic dismantling of our democracy and let the administration know that we won’t go back."

Ryan Unilaterally Kills Barbara Lee's Amendment To Repeal To AUMF, Which Has Already Passed Overwhelmingly

Over the last month, Randy Bryce's now famous @IronStache twitter account has gone from 7,000 followers to 121,000 followers. And he's already using it to promote other progressive candidates as well as policies and actions he believes in. Wednesday I saw him reacting to Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee's anger at Paul Ryan's decision to secretly-- in fact, in the dead of night-- remove her amendment to the 2018 Defense Appropriations Bill, which had passed overwhelmingly in committee, to repeal and replace an outdated Bush-era Authorization for the Use of Military Force.

In explaining her disagreement with the Speaker to her constituents, her office released this statement:

In a desperate and undemocratic attempt to kill Barbara's AUMF repeal amendment, Speaker Paul Ryan stripped it from the Appropriations bill in the middle of the night without even bringing it up for a vote.

This shows the extreme tactics Ryan will use to uphold the status quo and avoid debating endless wars. It shows an underhanded move to make Barbara's amendment vanish into thin air. And it shows a new low for the Speaker that requires us to come together and take action.

...Congress has been missing in action on matters of war and peace for nearly 16 years. What is Paul Ryan afraid of? Why won't he let members of Congress honor their constitutional responsibility to debate and vote on U.S. military intervention abroad?

Paul Ryan should be ashamed of himself. This isn't leadership, this is autocracy.

If we are going to continue to send our brave servicemembers into battle zones to fight endless wars, Congress must have the courage to take up this debate. With your help, we'll make it clear to Paul Ryan that the American people want Congress to act to stop endless war.

Nor is Bryce the only candidate for Congress pissed off at what Ryan has done. Another progressive veteran running for Congress, Kansan Jim Thompson, sees eye to eye with Barbara Lee on this. "Our founding fathers, in their wisdom," he told us today, "vested Congress with the power to declare war as a check on the President being the Commander-in-Chief. For far too long, Congress has abdicated their responsibility, allowing the President power far in excess of anything our founders envisioned. Whenever we send our sons and daughters to war, Congress should engage in vigorous debate before sending them into harm's way. Congress has not declared war since World War II, but rather passed Authorizations to Use of Military Force. The last Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed 16 years ago on September 14, 2001 in the wake of 9/11. The new law authorized force against anyone responsible, or any country that harbored those responsible, for the 9/11 attacks. Congress drafted the law with such broad language that Presidents Bush, Obama, and now Trump used this law for attacks on many different countries in multiple situations. The House Appropriations Committee recently approved a bi-partisan Amendment canceling the authority for the 2001 AUMF. Rather than allow a debate, Speaker Ryan pulled the Amendment in the middle of the night and never allowed the Amendment to reach the floor for debate despite its bipartisan support. Congress owes it to our men and women in unform to debate and authorize any military use of force. Since Speaker Ryan never served a day of his life in uniform, he may not realize the weight of his responsibility to our armed forces. Maybe he does not understand that his decisions have very real life and death consequences for our troops. The men and women of our armed forces perform their duties every day, you would think Speaker Ryan could at least fulfill his."

Vote Vets is backing Lee up in a big way and contacted their own members, telling them that "Last Tuesday night, in the middle of the night, Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan took unilateral action to pull Congresswoman Barbara Lee's bipartisan bill to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force from the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill.

"Here's the truth: We have troops in Iraq and Syria who were in diapers when the original AUMF was passed in 2001. Congress must do its Constitutional duty and have a new debate about the use of our troops in operations that could never have been foreseen in 2001.

"It is unconscionable that Speaker Ryan has decided to block this bipartisan effort. Our men and women who put their lives in the line for America deserve so much more. They deserve the Speaker of the House of Representatives to do his job.

"Sign VoteVets petition calling on Speaker Ryan to allow debate and vote on Congresswoman Barbara Lee's bipartisan bill to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force.

"Frankly, this is the kind of debate that the founders intended-- because war powers to rest with the Congress, not the President, and not the Department of Defense. It's time to allow a debate and vote on where and when the President is authorized to put troops in harm's way."

Throwing It Back In Trump’s Face

-by Noah

Donald J. Trump has run his life as a bully. He shoots off his mouth as a bully. He sues as a bully. He refuses to pay contractors agreed amounts for work and threatens them if they don’t take less. He bullied his way through the 2016 campaign season. He encourages violence at his rallies. He hangs up on prime ministers. He shoves them aside. He recently insulted the country of Qatar when they wouldn’t rubber stamp his family’s business plans in their country, even heightening diplomatic pressure on them. He thinks he can use Twitter to bully the people investigating him. He thinks he can bully his way past the Constitution. He’s not alone in that, but, he is currently pre-eminent in it. The stories are numerous. He’s a taker. He’s a user. He’s a bully.

Too many people never realize that the way to stop a bully in the playground is to just walk up to them and drive your fist through their face. They then start crying and running home to mommy. It’s a joy to behold. In baseball, if a pitcher throws at your head, you can’t get away with running out to the mound bat in hand, but you do have options. You can try to line the next pitch right at him, or, if you get on base, you put a little extra into taking out the second baseman. Message delivered. More sophisticated variations of the fist in the face happen in the corporate world every day.

With all of this in mind, I cheered and was amused by the actions of the VoteVets organization (VoteVets.org) a few days ago. Vote Vets.org has the motto “Country. Service. Action.” They obviously support veterans causes and they support democratic veterans who want to run for office. When Señor Trumpanzee recently launched a tweet decrying the 9th Circuit Court’s decision on his failing travel ban, Will Fischer, Vote Vets’ Director of Government Relations threw the tweet of the orange fascist right back in his face for all to see. Fischer is an Iraq War veteran, so, he knows something about fighting back. Here’s the succession of tweets. First, the tweet from Señor Trumpanzee, After that, came a fusillade of tweets from Fischer.

• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump-
Well, as predicted, the 9th Circuit did it again- Ruled against the TRAVEL BAN
at such a dangerous time in the history of our country. S.C.

Fischer, sick of Trump’s tweets, tweets that he somehow thinks will bend people, even courts to his will, struck back with the truth about just who is dangerous to our country.

• VoteVets @votevets-
B/c your Muslim ban is unconstitutional, immoral, & a threat to our nat’l security.
You are a threat to our nat’l security, @realDonaldTrump

• VoteVets @votevets-
While we’re on it, @realDonaldTrump, the way you treat our allies is a threat to
our nat’l security.

• VoteVets @votevets-
The way you @realDonaldTrump, praise homicidal maniacs like Duterte is a
threat to our nat’l security.

• VoteVets @votevets-
The way @realDonaldTrump fawns over and fan dances for Putin is a threat to
our nat’l security.

It brings a smile to my face just imagining that at this point, the Trumpanzee is on the ropes, whining and sweating in his bathrobe, seething, reaching for a bottle of pills or bottle of fine Russian vodka left behind by the Russians who visited him in the oval office. Maybe he’s even reaching for his desk phone to call Putin to ask what to do. Fischer wasn’t through telling off the orange idiot.

• VoteVets @votevets-
The cavalier way @realDonaldTrump speaks about sending young women and
men to war (not HIS kids) is a threat to our national security.

• VoteVets @votevets-
@realDonaldTrump’s climate change denials (despite the opinion of SecDef
Mattis) are a threat to our national security.

And, lastly

• VoteVets @votevets-
@realDonaldTrump, the way you and your family violate the Emoluments Clause
is a threat to our nat’l security.

After that last tweet, Señor Trumpanzee wilted. He crumbled. He could take no more. He did what bully does when you strike back. Like any bully eventually, his weakness had been found, so he blocked Fischer’s votevets twitter account. Like a beaten Roberto Duran, he said “No mas.” He could answer the call no more.

• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump-
@realDonaldTrump blocked you
You are blocked from following @realDonaldTrump and viewing
@realDonaldTrump’s Tweets

Using twitter as a fist may seem like a small thing. It may even seem as childish as the target, but, remember, this is Trump we’re talking about. The Trumpanzee has a fragile psyche and a very thin skin. He’s no Obama, and he’s certainly no Ike or FDR. He’s not built for the job. He can’t take the abuse that comes with it. That’s why he resorts to the only thing he can, bullying like any bully, even trying to bully the courts.

By now, I’m sure Will Fischer has another phone and a new twitter account, just for one purpose. During WW2, there were posters of Rosie the Riveter, doing her small bit for the fight against fascism. Maybe we can get a Rosie the Tweeter poster for this war, and it is a war. It’s a war that has been fought against the American people for too long. Trump is merely it’s loudest and weakest bully. Senor Trumpanzee can dish it out but he can’t take it. He is a man-child, locked in the playground of the mind: not a good thing at all for a president to be. Twitter is a small weapon but every little bit helps save the country. Use it freely. One mosquito is irritating. Waves and waves of mosquitoes are a force of nature. You can’t block them all. It would take you all day every day. Send this bully back crying to his mommy, a peeing Russian whore, or whatever, maybe just his little golden security blankie.

Mark Takai Proposed Testing Homeless Veterans For Drugs

"I am proud to support Stanley Chang for Congress. Stanley knows what needs to be done to fix Wall Street and protect the rights of consumers. He has declared his support for the Better Off Budget, which would create 8.8 million jobs by 2017 and reduce our deficit by $4 trillion over the next ten years. Stanley is a champion for civil rights for all and will work toward a more secure and peaceful world. The Progressive Caucus and its members will work hard to support Stanley to see that he joins us in the 114th Congress."
- Keith Ellison, co-chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus

"Stanley Chang is the clear choice to represent Hawaii’s first district in Congress. His Agenda for Change calls for universal early childhood education, which has been a key focus of my work as a member of the Committee on Education and The Workforce. Stanley has proposed a bold job creation plan and is fighting for an increase in the federal minimum wage. I look forward to working with him on important environmental priorities such as preserving wilderness and protecting endangered species. We need more bold progressives like Stanley in Congress."
- Raúl Grijalva, co-chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus

Congressional candidate Mark Takai wants to subject homeless veterans to drug tests.

Ironically, he’s campaigning as a supporter of military veterans. Takai, who is running for the open seat in Hawaii’s First Congressional District, campaigns in his National Guard uniform-- which isn't legal-- and recently secured a Vote Vets endorsement. More identity politics, like EMILY's List endorsement of the other conservative in the race, Donna Mercado Kim.

As the Vote Vets PAC has highlighted for years, unemployment and homelessness have long been rampant among veterans.

As a Democratic back bencher in Hawaii’s legislature for the past 20 years, Takai has compiled precious few legislative accomplishments. Takai is a former athlete at the University of Hawaii, and much of his work has focused on raising money for the school’s athletic department (notably, not for its libraries). But over the last three years, his other pet cause has been imposing warrantless, suspicionless drug tests on anyone seeking public benefits.

Served your country in Iraq and Afghanistan, but returned home to face difficulty finding good work and feeding your kids? Takai wants you tested for drugs.

He introduced legislation for that purpose in both 2012 and 2013. The 2012 bill would have imposed the most stringent drug-testing program in the country, requiring all applicants for temporary assistance for needy families to pass a drug test as a prerequisite to receiving any benefits. A failed test would result in the applicant being denied benefits. That bill went nowhere. The 2013 bill had an even more far-reaching policy goal: “to ensure that only those who choose not to use illegal drugs” would be eligible for any “public assistance programs.” The proposal was mitigated by the prerequisite of cost-benefit analysis. Takai’s colleagues recognized suspicionless drug testing of welfare recipients is not only cruel, but also inefficient, and also defeated this bill.

In Wednesday night’s debate-- the final candidate forum before the August 9th Democratic primary-- Takai had the nerve to express concern for the more than 800 homeless veterans in Hawaii. But it’s clear he’s much more of a pro-military candidate than a pro-veteran candidate.

He’s been most comfortable in debates talking about the need for more Pentagon spending. It’s a topic he turns to again and again-- often including strong critiques of President Obama (despite this being Obama’s birthplace and a 70-percent Obama district)-- even giving exclusive interviews to right-wing blogs and talk shows.

Takai’s use of his military uniform while campaigning and constant defense references are attempts to give him some foreign-policy gravitas. But he in a recent debacle, he showed he’s over his head when it comes to foreign affairs, while also committing a serious ethical breach.

Takai took a free trip-- valued at $8,000-- to Azerbaijan last year to participate in a conference sponsored by oil companies. He came back home and promptly introduced two resolutions drafted by the Azerbaijan government-- expressing anti-Armenian viewpoints-- and actually scheduled them in his committee. An international embarrassment was narrowly avoided as Armenian-Americans from Hawaii and U.S. Mainland expressed outrage and convinced Takai’s colleagues to defeat the resolutions.

Ben Lowenthal, a local newspaper columnist has more on the story:

And what about an oil-company sponsored holiday? Is that an ethical problem? No way, says Takai. Civil Beat reported that Takai explained to its reporters that at the time of the trip, the Hawaii Legislature had not addressed any relevant issues that directly would benefit Azerbaijan so there was no ethical problem in going on the trip.

But that may not be the case for the future. Taka and Cabanilla introduced in the House this session two resolutions addressing a very touchy subject in that part of the world.

House Resolution 13 states a number of facts that you would not expect to find floating around our legislature. It addresses an armed conflict that broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia as the Soviet Union collapsed. The countries have been (and continue to be) locked in a territorial dispute for some time.

According to the resolution, the town of Khojaly in Azerbaijan was the site of a massacre on February 25 and 26, 1992. There, the resolution states that six-hundred men, women, and children were killed, and thousands were wounded and captured by Armenian and Russian forces. The resolution marks the twenty-second anniversary of the “Khojaly tragedy.” The other resolution urges the United States to strengthen ties to Azerbaijan in coming up with some kind of settlement with Armenia over this disputed region.

The factual claims in the resolutions have been hotly disputed by our local Armenian-American community and the greater Armenian population.

. . . Mark Takai doesn’t seem to have a problem with taking sides. Last year he-- along with other American legislators-- signed off on a birthday note to the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Takai congratulated Aliyev in his efforts to reduce crime within the country and promoting allegiances abroad.

Aliyev has been criticized by many diplomats and those that follow international relations as an autocrat. After taking office in 2003, he eliminated term limits for himself from the constitution. He’s been accused of running a corrupt government, clamping down on a free press, and rigged elections. The infamous Wikileaks website released a cache of diplomatic cables in 2012 that compare him to a mafia crime boss. Surely, Takai was aware of this before congratulating him on reducing crime in his country eight time zones away, right?

With just over two weeks left in what figures to be a close election (with seven candidates), Takai is scrambling for support and even reaching out to gun guys. The Hawaii Rifle Association recently lauded him for his “supportive record,” which the organization noted contrasts with his two main rivals in the congressional race, Donna Kim and Stanley Chang. A Hawaii-based gun rights blog last week featured this entry: “I have been personally been contacted by Mark Takai requesting my vote and monetary contribution toward his campaign. . . He claims to be the closest one that will get an endorsement from HRA.” On his campaign website, Takai goes out of his way to voice his support for hunting and notes he’s only concerned about regulating “military grade weapons.”

Courting the Right has been part of Takai’s campaign strategy throughout his tenure. For instance, he’s repeatedly bragged to the Hawaii Family Forum that he opposes the right of rape victims to receive emergency contraception at all hospitals.

Amazingly, Takai is being touted in some circles as the progressive choice in this race. But how could anyone who pays attention to his record possibly fall for that one?

Thankfully, Chang provides an actual liberal alternative.

He’s been winning the debates with clearly stated progressive views-- he was the only candidate Wednesday to state concern about children refugees at the border-- as noted in real time via social media:

Chang: It’s our responsibility to facilitate open, transparent consensus building process with Native Hawaiians #KITVdebate
— Honolulu Civil Beat (@CivilBeat) July 24, 2014

Could be just me but Stanley Chang has the clearest platform and clearest message delivery. #KITVdebate
— Cedric Duarte (@cedricduarte) July 24, 2014

RT @CivilBeat: Chang: Create new industries to move economy forward. Clean energy is a great example #KITVdebate
— Climate Hawks Vote (@ClimateHawkVote) July 24, 2014

So pleased that the people of HI-1 got to hear from @stanleypchang tonight on @kitv4 #hipol #kitvdebate pic.twitter.com/X6VtsEPskS
— Alina Meltaus (@alinacm) July 24, 2014

You won. RT @stanleypchang: I will not only protect, I will expand social security. What did you think of the debate? #HI01
— Jeff Melland (@Jeff_Melland) July 24, 2014

A committed environmentalist and civil libertarian, Chang has been endorsed by People for the American Way, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, the new Climate Hawks Vote and Blue America. With absentee voting already underway, Chang needs help in getting out the vote to ensure the only progressive candidate emerges as the victor in this crowded field, and that neither of the two conservatives from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, Kim and Takai, pulls the wool over voters' eyes and succeeds as passing themselves off as progressives.

Stanley with Juan Antonio Vargas

Supporting The Troops-- For Real

Bumper stickers & flag pins are not as good as body armor

Below is an ad that VoteVets made and deployed to help Virginia voters get to know the real Senator George Allen. Allen is a very reactionary Republican who could never screech "Support the troops" loudly enough... but his voting record against our troops spoke even more loudly than his hype machine. This ad was widely credited for helping force George Allen to give up his Senate seat to Jim Webb.

But it wasn't just George Allen who voted against body armor for the troops who he voted to send to Iraq. Among the other Republican senators up for re-election in November who stood with George Allen, George Bush, Dick Cheney and John McCain-- and against our troops-- were Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Ted Stevens (R-AK), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Liddy Dole (R-NC), Mitch McConnell (R-KS), John Sununu, and Gordon Smith (R-OR).

Gordon Smith? The guy who claims to have broken with Bush and opposed the war? Well... once he started seeing polls that showed that Oregon voters planned to dump him for his rubber stamp posture towards Bush's war agenda, he started voting with the Democrats-- but only on non-binding resolutions and once it was too late to do anything about it. As for the troops he voted to send to Iraq... his position was that they could buy their own damn body armor. It was the same position as all the far right extremists. As I mentioned earlier, I got to spend some time yesterday seeing Jeff Merkley, Smith's opponent. I asked him if Smith ever justified any of these bizarre votes. “The problem with Gordon Smith and George Bush is that they were far too fast to go to war and far too slow to take care of our veterans and men and women in uniform when they returned home. On this vote and on so many others, Senator Smith stood with Republicans and George Bush and our troops paid a price. We need to change Washington D.C. so that our government always gives our troops the resources they need in battle and the services they deserve when they return home.”

Suppose we can get VoteVets to re-do the ad for another senator this year. Who would you vote for?

Let the nitpickers pick away at Senator McCranky. Real Americans know a winner when they see one. (Just look at that Bush feller.)

During their recent Iraq visit, the Senate's national-security brain trust of (l-r) "BBQ John" McCranky, "Holy Joe" Lieberman, and Lindsey "Shop Till I Drop" Graham drank to the next 100 years of our Iraqi occupation.

"You folks excited about the presidential race? What do you think of John McCain? I like John McCain. He looks like the guy at the bakery who doesn't hear his number called. ... He looks like the guy who likes to watch the plumber work."
--David Letterman, the other night on Late Night

It's become fashionable lately to make fun of Sen. "BBQ John" McCranky, for no better reason than that he doesn't have a clue in heck what the hell he's talking about. I mean, what kind of standard is that? if we applied it literally, think how easily it could be twisted around to claim that George Wacko Bush isn't the greatest president these United States have ever had, at least since the late Warren Gonzo Harding.

Now it's Brandon Friedman, a vice chairman of VoteVets and editor of VetVoice, "the online home of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans." Just because he has actual military command experience in both Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention having a working brain, he thinks he knows more about national security than America's favorite straight-ish talker:

This just keeps getting worse and worse for John McCain. The wheels are coming off of this whole idea that he's some sort of foreign policy expert. Instead, clips are coming out of the woodwork now--clips showing him to be a bit of a bumbler when it comes to international affairs. The common theme throughout these instances is that John McCain has no idea who we're fighting in Iraq.

In fact, we now know that he has consistently conflated Iran with al Qaeda. Here's another one from just last month:

[video clip that includes the Crankyman saying, "Al Qaeda is there. . . They're functioning. They are supported in--many times--in many ways by the Iranians"]

National Security Network has got the goods on this guy. McCain did it before the Iraq War and now he's doing it for Iran.

It's about time McCain lost his free pass as a foreign policy "expert."

And so on and so on. Blah, blah, blah.

Well, what's so all-fired important about knowing who we're fighting in Iraq? Or knowing who supports who there (wherever the heck "there" is)? Do most Americans know? Do most Americans care? Of course not. All real patriots know is that we've gotta stay the course so we can eventually win.

Americans know that McCranky is a winner. And I don't mean just the media whores who gobbled down all those ribs "BBQ John" served up for them recently at his Arizona spread, Casa McCranky. No, real Americans. The ones who cheered their president's call for us to go and bust up Eye-raq, wherever the heck that was, on account of the Eye-raqis wuz about to nuke us just like they done on 9/11.

If McCranky isn't the best person to preside over the third term of the Bush regime, why did Sen. Hillary Clinton, who has talked about running for the job herself, endorse him? (OK, she might not actually have come out and endorsed him just yet. But she definitely said that she and him were the two people best qualified to be Bush III, on account of their superior phone skills.)

So I say enough of this nitpicking.

Though I have to admit, McCranky really does look like the guy at the bakery who doesn't hear his number called, doesn't he? And yeah, he does look like the guy who likes to watch the plumber work.

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