GAMES PEOPLE PLAY, especially politicians
I'm a second-time around candidate for State House in Montana. I'm in it again because no one else will run in my district as a Democrat. I don't mind researching and arguing my side of an issue (although my debate skills leave something to be desired). And I can't bear not being represented during this particular presidential election year.
Puzzling situations develop. This is one.
A phone call from a friend asks a question. "Are you going to the Town Hall meeting?" Since I didn't see the notice in our local paper, she explains where and when it will be held and names the sponsor: one of the three Republicans running for the same office as I.
I have had somewhat-friendly dealings with this person who has a part-time job at City Hall. I call him, leave a message on his answer machine. "I'd like to attend your meeting [professional courtesy call, so to speak]. I could introduce myself and say a few words."
His response is recorded on my machine. "The simple answer is 'No,' he says. "This is my political event sponsored by me to get support for my campaign. Your coming would be irregular at best if others got you confused as one of my supporters." I'm taken aback.
Next morning, I call another Democrat friend. He will be attending the meeting that evening and suggests I do as well. (The meeting will be held in a room at our public school.) However, I remember viewing gatherings of other candidates and see that the candidate has the right to have a protestor removed. I would prefer not to be removed. Maybe my competitor gets the wrong message from me on his phone. I can make clear that I don't have to say a thing. Instead, I can observe and listen. Isn't that a compliment?
I call my competitor and this time he answers the phone. I clarify my intent (to listen and learn) and again he responds, "No. I'm spending money on this meeting and want to get support for my campaign." I'm actually struck by the imperiousness of his tone and attitude. Is this typical of all Republicans or only those like Donald Trump?
I don't attend. Two Democrat friends do and report back. It seems to be an unusual "town hall". Introductions are made of three other Republican candidates (for other offices) as well as himself and a few words said by each one. No discussion or questions are elicited from the small group who attends. Some refreshments are provided.
I ask myself: What is he up to? Is he trying to hide something? Or is this just a "Republican thing"? Maybe I'll find out tomorrow. He is scheduled to speak 10 minutes at the Senior Citizen luncheon. Although I will be late to another noon meeting, I will stop by -- to observe, learn, and listen.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
UNLEASHED: We Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!
[Elizabeth Warren says "there's no virtue in remaining silent" when it comes to Donald Trump. I take her at her word. Thus, as part of my run for MT State House District 40, I presented the following to about 40 Senior Citizens at lunch on Thursday this week.]
There's been huge unrest lately: mass shootings, shootings of young, unarmed African-Americans by police, disrespect shown to the President of our country to his face. Donald Trump precipitates the "birther" movement; he questions the birthplace of our President and accuses him of being Muslim rather than Christian. Is this Donald's first try as a Presidential candidate? If so, it falls flat.
But, in 2015, the time for a presidential bid comes around again and, just like starting a fire, all Donald has to do is strike a match. He calls Mexicans rapists and killers; promises a high wall that Mexico will pay for; wants to deport millions of immigrants; wants to prevent Muslims from entering our country; he will force military to follow his commands whether they're legal or not.
Donald attracts followers by the thousands. They are more angry, less educated, all white. He calls his competitors names, mocks them for their low poll numbers, brags on his poll numbers incessantly. He wants to "make America great again" and demands supporters raise their right hand and pledge to him (where have we heard that in the past?). When protestors speak up, Donald screams, "Get 'em out! Get 'em out! If you want to punch a protestor, I'll pay your legal fees! Get 'em out!" Violence erupts; protestors are surrounded, pushed, kicked, shoved. With each new rally, violence escalates. "Aren't we having fun?" he yells at the crowd with a wide grin on his face. "We're having fun!"
Donald's delegate numbers increase greater than that of all other competitors. Fear clutches hearts of Republican leadership (is THIS what we've created?). Donald can't be their nominee; he will never become President, will he? He has mocked Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, Muslims, even the disabled -- everyone different from himself. They will not vote for him. Are there enough whites-only to vote him in? Consider women. Videos show Donald calling women all kinds of disgusting names. His disdain knows no bounds. Will women stand for that?
Republican leaders discuss rules for the Convention in Cleveland. Maybe it will be a contested convention. Donald threatens that if he isn't named the Republican nominee, his supporters will riot. The seed has been planted. More fighting, more blood. Is this what we want in our President of the United States? Do we want to repeat European history, like in Germany with the Brown Shirts?
Donald preaches it's "Us versus Them": "He points to the protestors and yells, 'These are not the people who made our country great. These are the people that are destroying our country.' Somehow, it's the collective Us that must defeat the Them -- and the stakes are high. The future of the greatest country the world has ever known depends on the outcome. The idea of 'Us versus Them' leads so easily to violence."
Donald tells his supporters at his rallies that "America is no longer great. He tells them whom to blame. He tells them the reason these losers are dragging America down is we have become too politically correct, too scared, too weak to stop them. He tells them he will pay their legal fees if they want to do what's necessary. 'There used to be consequences,' he says. The crowd knows exactly what he's asking: Make consequences real again."
This is ugly but it is understood. "There's an explanation and there's a solution. It's dangerous, it's violent but not unclear. That's why Donald is something different and more dangerous in American life. He is a man who wants to suppress dissent with violence, a man who believes America's problem is that it's too gentle on its dissidents. He wants politics to be backed by force. He wants a security force unleashed from political correctness. And he wants a country where protesting has consequences." I wonder to myself how Donald would have played here in Roundup back in the 1930's when coal miners went out on strike. What would he have done with them?
I leave you with this quote from Martin Niemoller:
First they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.
Make no mistake. Donald Trump is dangerous.
You may ask yourself, "But what can I do about this?"
1. You can talk to friends, family, neighbors. How were the coal miners treated when they went out on strike in the 1930's?
2. You can follow Trump's rallies on TV. Watch what happens. Are his rallies becoming more violent?
3. Last but not least. YOU CAN VOTE!
Reference: Matt Yglesias and colleague
[Elizabeth Warren says "there's no virtue in remaining silent" when it comes to Donald Trump. I take her at her word. Thus, as part of my run for MT State House District 40, I presented the following to about 40 Senior Citizens at lunch on Thursday this week.]
There's been huge unrest lately: mass shootings, shootings of young, unarmed African-Americans by police, disrespect shown to the President of our country to his face. Donald Trump precipitates the "birther" movement; he questions the birthplace of our President and accuses him of being Muslim rather than Christian. Is this Donald's first try as a Presidential candidate? If so, it falls flat.
But, in 2015, the time for a presidential bid comes around again and, just like starting a fire, all Donald has to do is strike a match. He calls Mexicans rapists and killers; promises a high wall that Mexico will pay for; wants to deport millions of immigrants; wants to prevent Muslims from entering our country; he will force military to follow his commands whether they're legal or not.
Donald attracts followers by the thousands. They are more angry, less educated, all white. He calls his competitors names, mocks them for their low poll numbers, brags on his poll numbers incessantly. He wants to "make America great again" and demands supporters raise their right hand and pledge to him (where have we heard that in the past?). When protestors speak up, Donald screams, "Get 'em out! Get 'em out! If you want to punch a protestor, I'll pay your legal fees! Get 'em out!" Violence erupts; protestors are surrounded, pushed, kicked, shoved. With each new rally, violence escalates. "Aren't we having fun?" he yells at the crowd with a wide grin on his face. "We're having fun!"
Donald's delegate numbers increase greater than that of all other competitors. Fear clutches hearts of Republican leadership (is THIS what we've created?). Donald can't be their nominee; he will never become President, will he? He has mocked Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, Muslims, even the disabled -- everyone different from himself. They will not vote for him. Are there enough whites-only to vote him in? Consider women. Videos show Donald calling women all kinds of disgusting names. His disdain knows no bounds. Will women stand for that?
Republican leaders discuss rules for the Convention in Cleveland. Maybe it will be a contested convention. Donald threatens that if he isn't named the Republican nominee, his supporters will riot. The seed has been planted. More fighting, more blood. Is this what we want in our President of the United States? Do we want to repeat European history, like in Germany with the Brown Shirts?
Donald preaches it's "Us versus Them": "He points to the protestors and yells, 'These are not the people who made our country great. These are the people that are destroying our country.' Somehow, it's the collective Us that must defeat the Them -- and the stakes are high. The future of the greatest country the world has ever known depends on the outcome. The idea of 'Us versus Them' leads so easily to violence."
Donald tells his supporters at his rallies that "America is no longer great. He tells them whom to blame. He tells them the reason these losers are dragging America down is we have become too politically correct, too scared, too weak to stop them. He tells them he will pay their legal fees if they want to do what's necessary. 'There used to be consequences,' he says. The crowd knows exactly what he's asking: Make consequences real again."
This is ugly but it is understood. "There's an explanation and there's a solution. It's dangerous, it's violent but not unclear. That's why Donald is something different and more dangerous in American life. He is a man who wants to suppress dissent with violence, a man who believes America's problem is that it's too gentle on its dissidents. He wants politics to be backed by force. He wants a security force unleashed from political correctness. And he wants a country where protesting has consequences." I wonder to myself how Donald would have played here in Roundup back in the 1930's when coal miners went out on strike. What would he have done with them?
I leave you with this quote from Martin Niemoller:
First they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.
Make no mistake. Donald Trump is dangerous.
You may ask yourself, "But what can I do about this?"
1. You can talk to friends, family, neighbors. How were the coal miners treated when they went out on strike in the 1930's?
2. You can follow Trump's rallies on TV. Watch what happens. Are his rallies becoming more violent?
3. Last but not least. YOU CAN VOTE!
Reference: Matt Yglesias and colleague
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
GIVE_ME_A_BREAK!
My world is upside-down -- on purpose. People are trying to tell me something is true when it is actually false.
Take Donald Trump. Donald tells the world he's a unifier. In actuality, he pushes his supporters to fight with protestors ("Throw 'em out! Throw 'em out! Throw 'em out!" he screams through curled lips in a purple face, "Aren't we having fun!")
Donald tells the world he talks to police in Chicago and follows their advice to shut down his rally. In actuality, the police chief tells us that Donald's campaign makes the decision to shut down the rally after all supporters and protestors are inside, then they notify the police. After the announcement that the rally is cancelled, violence breaks out on the floor.
Donald tells the world it is the protestors at his rally who are hitting his (Donald's) supporters. In actuality, we see a Donald supporter smash the head of a protestor as the protestor walks by on the stairs -- and the protestor is handcuffed while the perpetrator is told to go back to his seat.
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich each tell me they would make a much better president than Barack Obama because President Obama is so horrible -- over and over and over again. Then I read the following achievements of President Obama, listed no more than 15 months ago (by a Canadian no less!)
Under President Obama's watch:
And that isn't all. Another list of 340 accomplishments, every one of them with a citation so no one can dismiss them out of hand, is also available. These are just a few:
Sources:
Detroit Free Press, "Americans don't know how good they have it with Obama"
PCTC*: "President Obama has done a LOT! A List of 340 Accomplishments So Far, With Citations"
My world is upside-down -- on purpose. People are trying to tell me something is true when it is actually false.
Take Donald Trump. Donald tells the world he's a unifier. In actuality, he pushes his supporters to fight with protestors ("Throw 'em out! Throw 'em out! Throw 'em out!" he screams through curled lips in a purple face, "Aren't we having fun!")
Donald tells the world he talks to police in Chicago and follows their advice to shut down his rally. In actuality, the police chief tells us that Donald's campaign makes the decision to shut down the rally after all supporters and protestors are inside, then they notify the police. After the announcement that the rally is cancelled, violence breaks out on the floor.
Donald tells the world it is the protestors at his rally who are hitting his (Donald's) supporters. In actuality, we see a Donald supporter smash the head of a protestor as the protestor walks by on the stairs -- and the protestor is handcuffed while the perpetrator is told to go back to his seat.
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich each tell me they would make a much better president than Barack Obama because President Obama is so horrible -- over and over and over again. Then I read the following achievements of President Obama, listed no more than 15 months ago (by a Canadian no less!)
Under President Obama's watch:
- Corporate profits are at record highs
- The country's adding 200,000 jobs per month
- Unemployment is below 6% [currently below 5%]
- U.S. gross national product growth is the best of the organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries
- The dollar is at its strongest levels in years
- Stock market is near record highs [at the time]
- Gasoline prices are falling
- There's no inflation
- Interest rates are the lowest in 30 years [at the time]
- U.S. oil imports are declining
- U.S. oil production is rapidly increasing [at the time]
- Deficit is rapidly declining
- The wealthy are still making astonishing amounts of money
- America is leading the world once again and respected internationally -- in sharp contrast to the Bush years. Obama brought soldiers home from Iraq and killed Osama bin Laden.
And that isn't all. Another list of 340 accomplishments, every one of them with a citation so no one can dismiss them out of hand, is also available. These are just a few:
- On his first full day in office, [Obama] froze White House salaries for the duration of the Great Recession.
- He created the massive TARP financial banking and rescue plan and forced banks and other entities to pay back virtually all of the bailout money.
- As of January, 2016, a record 64 consecutive months of overall job growth.
- Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their own pay until they paid back all bailout money.
- Tax rates for average working families are the lowest since 1950.
- Created a Presidential Memorandum to restore scientific integrity in government decision-making.
Sources:
Detroit Free Press, "Americans don't know how good they have it with Obama"
PCTC*: "President Obama has done a LOT! A List of 340 Accomplishments So Far, With Citations"
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
What is Insanity?
Is it, as a friend says, doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result? Is that me? Is that what I'm doing?
I sign up for a nine-week substituting gig for a first-grade teacher on pregnancy leave -- I make it through five weeks successfully before bowing out. I can't wait until I start training for a volunteer position at a nonprofit near where I live -- I make it through long days and half the training period before I become both physically and emotionally exhausted. I see dear friends and, without any encouragement on their part, I abuse their hospitality. I say "yes" to a phone call asking me to repeat a community service that I'd provided two years earlier without any apparent success.
What is wrong with me? I don't seem to be getting anything right.
Turn around. Take another look. Think again.
My first-grade substituting gig seems to be overwhelming for many who follow me. Maybe it just happens to be a difficult job for most of us who try it.
My volunteer training is created for young people. Since I'm no longer a younger person, maybe there is good reason for my physical and emotional exhaustion.
My friend gives me a high-five and a grin. Maybe we're still friends after all.
When I attend a lunch meeting today, at least three people tell me how much they appreciate my taking on the community service that no one else wants to do. Maybe there's a good reason for taking on the service, even when others may view it as a failed undertaking.
And, most surprising, I return home from a month's absence and find people in my community greeting me with, "You're back", "You're home already", and "Good to see you made it back safely".
Insanity? Maybe. I just think it's the human condition. There are bad times; there are good times. Given the choice, however, I'll take the good times over the bad any day of the week!
Is it, as a friend says, doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result? Is that me? Is that what I'm doing?
I sign up for a nine-week substituting gig for a first-grade teacher on pregnancy leave -- I make it through five weeks successfully before bowing out. I can't wait until I start training for a volunteer position at a nonprofit near where I live -- I make it through long days and half the training period before I become both physically and emotionally exhausted. I see dear friends and, without any encouragement on their part, I abuse their hospitality. I say "yes" to a phone call asking me to repeat a community service that I'd provided two years earlier without any apparent success.
What is wrong with me? I don't seem to be getting anything right.
Turn around. Take another look. Think again.
My first-grade substituting gig seems to be overwhelming for many who follow me. Maybe it just happens to be a difficult job for most of us who try it.
My volunteer training is created for young people. Since I'm no longer a younger person, maybe there is good reason for my physical and emotional exhaustion.
My friend gives me a high-five and a grin. Maybe we're still friends after all.
When I attend a lunch meeting today, at least three people tell me how much they appreciate my taking on the community service that no one else wants to do. Maybe there's a good reason for taking on the service, even when others may view it as a failed undertaking.
And, most surprising, I return home from a month's absence and find people in my community greeting me with, "You're back", "You're home already", and "Good to see you made it back safely".
Insanity? Maybe. I just think it's the human condition. There are bad times; there are good times. Given the choice, however, I'll take the good times over the bad any day of the week!
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Once Again, into the Fray
The phone rings on a weekday morning in early March. After exchanging greetings, the question comes: "Will you run for state representative for House District 40? Will you help us out again?"
I hem. I haw. I whine. Three Republicans are running. No Democrats. Yes, I understand. Without any contesting Democrats, it seems like we Democrats really don't care. How can that be during the year of the Trump?! If any year Democrats can shine, this should be it.
"I'll check with a friend who'd said he'd help me the next time around. Maybe he will run."
Nope, he won't. I think all weekend. What if I don't? There'll be this gaping hole in our District where there is absolutely no Democratic representation for state rep. It's not surprising. This is one of the very reddest areas in the state. This past December, I'm asked if I would run for state representative again -- only this time as a Republican. It didn't take too long to realize I'd be embarrassed beyond belief if I tried the RINO path. Be a Republican in Name Only? No way, not even for that. No thanks.
"What you'll be doing is helping other Democrats have a ballot with a name they can mark," she tells me. (Last time around, all Democratic candidates in this District end up getting about the same number of votes: Democrats voting for Democrats.) "It's very unlikely you'll be voted in. However, over time, change can begin to happen. Small inroads can start to make a dent."
I understand that change must start somewhere, even if it's just one voice. I vow, however, after the 2014 election that there will not be a second time. It isn't fun, particularly because I am not the schmoozing type. But it is a challenge. I take pride in my brochure created with help from a Billings Republican. I push myself back then to participate in two local candidate forums. Although mistakes are apparent in public speaking ("I can't believe you people can't see this..."), I do learn where improvements can be made.
I've already done it once, for gosh sakes. I can do it again (and with a lot less nervousness I hope). No more brochures this time, though. Just do what comes more naturally. Write Letters to the Editor, meet people through eliciting voter registrations at the local grocery, listen to concerns residents raise in conversations, read the newspapers, take notes, do some research. Enjoy myself. After all, this is old hat -- challenging myself all over again. It's really the only way to go/grow. (I_keep_reminding_ myself!)
The phone rings on a weekday morning in early March. After exchanging greetings, the question comes: "Will you run for state representative for House District 40? Will you help us out again?"
I hem. I haw. I whine. Three Republicans are running. No Democrats. Yes, I understand. Without any contesting Democrats, it seems like we Democrats really don't care. How can that be during the year of the Trump?! If any year Democrats can shine, this should be it.
"I'll check with a friend who'd said he'd help me the next time around. Maybe he will run."
Nope, he won't. I think all weekend. What if I don't? There'll be this gaping hole in our District where there is absolutely no Democratic representation for state rep. It's not surprising. This is one of the very reddest areas in the state. This past December, I'm asked if I would run for state representative again -- only this time as a Republican. It didn't take too long to realize I'd be embarrassed beyond belief if I tried the RINO path. Be a Republican in Name Only? No way, not even for that. No thanks.
"What you'll be doing is helping other Democrats have a ballot with a name they can mark," she tells me. (Last time around, all Democratic candidates in this District end up getting about the same number of votes: Democrats voting for Democrats.) "It's very unlikely you'll be voted in. However, over time, change can begin to happen. Small inroads can start to make a dent."
I understand that change must start somewhere, even if it's just one voice. I vow, however, after the 2014 election that there will not be a second time. It isn't fun, particularly because I am not the schmoozing type. But it is a challenge. I take pride in my brochure created with help from a Billings Republican. I push myself back then to participate in two local candidate forums. Although mistakes are apparent in public speaking ("I can't believe you people can't see this..."), I do learn where improvements can be made.
I've already done it once, for gosh sakes. I can do it again (and with a lot less nervousness I hope). No more brochures this time, though. Just do what comes more naturally. Write Letters to the Editor, meet people through eliciting voter registrations at the local grocery, listen to concerns residents raise in conversations, read the newspapers, take notes, do some research. Enjoy myself. After all, this is old hat -- challenging myself all over again. It's really the only way to go/grow. (I_keep_reminding_ myself!)
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Front-runner TRUTHINESS #3
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
In school, Hillary is a motivated, hard-working, and all-round good student. She participates in several sports, like swimming and baseball. She's involved in Brownies and Girl Scouts winning different awards. At her high school, she is active in the student council, student newspaper, and is selected for the National Honor Society. After changing schools in her senior year due to redistricting, she becomes a National Merit Finalist and graduates in the top five percent of her 1965 graduating class.
Hillary's family background is politically conservative (although her father is an "outspoken" Republican, her mother is quiet and leans toward Democratic views). At age 13, Hillary helps canvass Chicago's south side "following very close 1960 Presidential election, where she finds evidence of electoral fraud against Republican candidate Richard Nixon". While a junior in high school, she campaigns for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. Her greatest political influences during this time come from her high school history teacher (who like her father is strongly anticommunist and who encourages her to read Goldwater's The Conscience of a Conservative) and her Methodist Youth minister (who like her mother is very concerned with social justice). It is due to this minister that Hillary, as a sophomore, first sees and meets Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Chicago's Orchestra Hall.
DONALD JOHN TRUMP
Donald begins his education at Kew-Forest School where his father, Fred, sits on the Board of Trustees. At age 13, because of behavioral problems, Donald is removed from Kew-Forest and enrolled in the New York Military Academy. It seems, as his father states in 1983, Donald "was a pretty rough fellow when he was small". His parents hope "the discipline of the school [NYMA] would channel his energy in a positive manner". He finishes eighth grade and high school at the New York Military Academy. Donald participates in marching drills, wears a uniform and attains rank of captain in his senior year.
He attends Fordham University, a Jesuit school in the Bronx, for two years then attends University of Pennsylvania for two years. He studies economics and graduates from University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's degree in 1968. While there, Donald takes undergraduate courses at Penn's famed Wharton School of Business. He is NOT, however, enrolled in Wharton's prestigious MBA program.
How is Donald able to get into the University of Pennsylvania? His grades from Fordham "had been respectable". He is also interviewed for acceptance into Penn by "a 'friendly' Wharton admissions officer who was an old classmate of Trump's older brother".
Donald would have us believe that he graduated from Wharton "first in his class". However, "careful examination of the commencement program from 1968 'does not list him as graduating with honors of any kind' even though 'just about every profile ever written about Mr. Trump states that he graduated first in his class at Wharton in 1968'...In 1988, New York magazine reported that the idea that Trump had graduated first in his class was a 'myth'."
Comments:
Sources: Wikipedia; 2011 Salon magazine; Valerie Strauss, July 17, 2015; New York Times magazine, William Geist, 1984
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
In school, Hillary is a motivated, hard-working, and all-round good student. She participates in several sports, like swimming and baseball. She's involved in Brownies and Girl Scouts winning different awards. At her high school, she is active in the student council, student newspaper, and is selected for the National Honor Society. After changing schools in her senior year due to redistricting, she becomes a National Merit Finalist and graduates in the top five percent of her 1965 graduating class.
Hillary's family background is politically conservative (although her father is an "outspoken" Republican, her mother is quiet and leans toward Democratic views). At age 13, Hillary helps canvass Chicago's south side "following very close 1960 Presidential election, where she finds evidence of electoral fraud against Republican candidate Richard Nixon". While a junior in high school, she campaigns for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. Her greatest political influences during this time come from her high school history teacher (who like her father is strongly anticommunist and who encourages her to read Goldwater's The Conscience of a Conservative) and her Methodist Youth minister (who like her mother is very concerned with social justice). It is due to this minister that Hillary, as a sophomore, first sees and meets Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Chicago's Orchestra Hall.
DONALD JOHN TRUMP
Donald begins his education at Kew-Forest School where his father, Fred, sits on the Board of Trustees. At age 13, because of behavioral problems, Donald is removed from Kew-Forest and enrolled in the New York Military Academy. It seems, as his father states in 1983, Donald "was a pretty rough fellow when he was small". His parents hope "the discipline of the school [NYMA] would channel his energy in a positive manner". He finishes eighth grade and high school at the New York Military Academy. Donald participates in marching drills, wears a uniform and attains rank of captain in his senior year.
He attends Fordham University, a Jesuit school in the Bronx, for two years then attends University of Pennsylvania for two years. He studies economics and graduates from University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's degree in 1968. While there, Donald takes undergraduate courses at Penn's famed Wharton School of Business. He is NOT, however, enrolled in Wharton's prestigious MBA program.
How is Donald able to get into the University of Pennsylvania? His grades from Fordham "had been respectable". He is also interviewed for acceptance into Penn by "a 'friendly' Wharton admissions officer who was an old classmate of Trump's older brother".
Donald would have us believe that he graduated from Wharton "first in his class". However, "careful examination of the commencement program from 1968 'does not list him as graduating with honors of any kind' even though 'just about every profile ever written about Mr. Trump states that he graduated first in his class at Wharton in 1968'...In 1988, New York magazine reported that the idea that Trump had graduated first in his class was a 'myth'."
Comments:
- Note the difference between Hillary and Donald during the period they were each 13 years of age.
- "Trumped-up" seems to be an accurate description of Donald's educational achievements
Sources: Wikipedia; 2011 Salon magazine; Valerie Strauss, July 17, 2015; New York Times magazine, William Geist, 1984
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Front-runner TRUTHINESS #2
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
Hillary is born on October 26, 1947, at Edgewater Hospital, Chicago. She is raised in a United Methodist family and, from the age of three on, lives with her parents and two younger brothers in Pine Ridge, Illinois. While her father, Hugh, is successful in the textile industry, her mother, Dorothy, is a homemaker. With Hillary as her oldest child and only daughter, Dorothy encourages Hillary to pursue an independent and professional career. Her father, even though traditional, feels "his daughter's abilities and opportunities should not be limited by gender." In other words, both parents encourage Hillary to follow her star.
Hillary's parents come from similar European roots. Hugh comes from Welsh and English roots. Dorothy originates from English, Scottish, French-Canadian, and Welsh backgrounds.
DONALD JOHN DRUMPF/TRUMP
Donald is born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, a borough of New York City. He is fourth of five children. (There are currently four children living since one passed away of complications due to alchoholism.) His mother, Mary Anne, is a homemaker and philanthropist while his father, Fred, is known as a real estate developer. The family lives in Jamaica Estates in Queens. Mary Anne's philanthropy includes Women's Auxiliary of Jamaica Hospital and Jamaica Day Nursery (a pavilion at the Hospital bears the Trump name), Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America, Lighthouse for the Blind. Fred and Mary Anne also give buildings to National Kidney Foundation of New York/New Jersy, and Community Mainstreaming Associates of Great Neck, New York, which provides home for the disabled (one has to wonder if this is where Donald began at an early age to mock the disabled). Fred passes away in 1999 and Mary Anne in 2000.
Donald's brother, Robert, is president of his father's property management company. Maryanne, sister, is a federal judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and another sister, Elizabeth, is an executive with Chase Manhattan Bank. Donald is known as the developer and casino operator.
Donald's mother is born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in 1912 (Donald, on his mother's side, is second-generation immigrant). Fred is living in America when Mary Anne visits; they meet and marry in the 1930's. It is Fred's parents who come to the United States from Germany in 1885; they are both of German descent. Fred's father is a Klondike Gold Rush Restaurateur and a brothel keeper. Fred always claims his father is of Swedish descent. It comes to light later, however, by a family historian that Donald's paternal grandfather is actually German. Fred changes his origins because he has "a lot of Jewish tenants" in his buildings and knows "it wasn't a good thing to be German".
Donald claims Swedish heritage in his book, The Art of the Deal, but when confronted, eventually owns up to his German heritage (rather than Swedish) and serves as grand marshal in the German-American Steuben parade in 1999. Since then, however, he mocks Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2013 for claiming some Native American heritage, stories of which are passed down in her family (Warren was running for U.S. Senate). "'She's caught a little wave. Maybe it's her Indian upbringing,' Donald tells Maureen Dowd. He retweets a tweet that refers to Elizabeth Warren as "Pocahontas Warren.'"
Sources: Wikipedia; The New York Times, August 9, 2000; and Andrew Kaczynski, Buzzfeed News Reporter
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
Hillary is born on October 26, 1947, at Edgewater Hospital, Chicago. She is raised in a United Methodist family and, from the age of three on, lives with her parents and two younger brothers in Pine Ridge, Illinois. While her father, Hugh, is successful in the textile industry, her mother, Dorothy, is a homemaker. With Hillary as her oldest child and only daughter, Dorothy encourages Hillary to pursue an independent and professional career. Her father, even though traditional, feels "his daughter's abilities and opportunities should not be limited by gender." In other words, both parents encourage Hillary to follow her star.
Hillary's parents come from similar European roots. Hugh comes from Welsh and English roots. Dorothy originates from English, Scottish, French-Canadian, and Welsh backgrounds.
DONALD JOHN DRUMPF/TRUMP
Donald is born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, a borough of New York City. He is fourth of five children. (There are currently four children living since one passed away of complications due to alchoholism.) His mother, Mary Anne, is a homemaker and philanthropist while his father, Fred, is known as a real estate developer. The family lives in Jamaica Estates in Queens. Mary Anne's philanthropy includes Women's Auxiliary of Jamaica Hospital and Jamaica Day Nursery (a pavilion at the Hospital bears the Trump name), Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America, Lighthouse for the Blind. Fred and Mary Anne also give buildings to National Kidney Foundation of New York/New Jersy, and Community Mainstreaming Associates of Great Neck, New York, which provides home for the disabled (one has to wonder if this is where Donald began at an early age to mock the disabled). Fred passes away in 1999 and Mary Anne in 2000.
Donald's brother, Robert, is president of his father's property management company. Maryanne, sister, is a federal judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and another sister, Elizabeth, is an executive with Chase Manhattan Bank. Donald is known as the developer and casino operator.
Donald's mother is born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in 1912 (Donald, on his mother's side, is second-generation immigrant). Fred is living in America when Mary Anne visits; they meet and marry in the 1930's. It is Fred's parents who come to the United States from Germany in 1885; they are both of German descent. Fred's father is a Klondike Gold Rush Restaurateur and a brothel keeper. Fred always claims his father is of Swedish descent. It comes to light later, however, by a family historian that Donald's paternal grandfather is actually German. Fred changes his origins because he has "a lot of Jewish tenants" in his buildings and knows "it wasn't a good thing to be German".
Donald claims Swedish heritage in his book, The Art of the Deal, but when confronted, eventually owns up to his German heritage (rather than Swedish) and serves as grand marshal in the German-American Steuben parade in 1999. Since then, however, he mocks Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2013 for claiming some Native American heritage, stories of which are passed down in her family (Warren was running for U.S. Senate). "'She's caught a little wave. Maybe it's her Indian upbringing,' Donald tells Maureen Dowd. He retweets a tweet that refers to Elizabeth Warren as "Pocahontas Warren.'"
Sources: Wikipedia; The New York Times, August 9, 2000; and Andrew Kaczynski, Buzzfeed News Reporter
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Front-runner TRUTHINESS* #1
Starting today, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, and from time to time during this presidential political campaign, there will be facts provided about each of the front-runners. At this time, the front-runner for the Democratic Party is Hillary Rodham Clinton and, for the Republican Party, it is Donald Drumpf (previous iteration of the name of "Trump" researched by John Oliver). One fact per post. This is the first.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON*
"Hillary grew up in a middle-class home in Park Ridge, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Her dad, Hugh, was a WWII Navy veteran and a small-business owner, who designed, printed and sold drapes. Hillary helped with the family business whenever she could.
Hugh was a rock-ribbed Republican, a pay-as-you-go kind of guy, who worked hard and wasted nothing.
Hillary's mother, Dorothy, had a tough childhood. She was abandoned by her parents as a young child and shipped off to live with relatives who didn't want to raise her.
By age 14, Dorothy knew the only way she'd get by was to support herself, and she started working as a housekeeper and babysitter while she went to high school. Her mother's experience inspired Hillary to fight for the needs of children everywhere."
DONALD DRUMPF*
How did "Drumpf" become "Trump"?
Donald's German ancestors were wine-growers named "Drumpf" and decided during the Thirty Years' War to change their name (1618-1648). Fred C. Trump, Donald's father, introduced the "Trump" name to America (Donald is a second-generation immigrant). He had grocery stores and a real estate company, and drove a navy blue Cadillac that had an FCT license plate.
Why change the last name?
(1) Research says sound of the name is important. A "ph" at the end sounds almost comical in English; "dr" isn't as sharp and reminds us of "drug" and "drop"; and people with easily pronounced names are seen as more likeable.
(2) Research says meaning of the name is important. "Trump" carries associations, like a name whose definition is uniquely appropriate for someone's profession (kind of like a urologist last-named "Chopp", or a Cardinal last-named "Sin".) The name Trump "...implies victory and dominance". It conjures up "'trump card'...and is derived from 'triumph'". "Trumpet", in its shorter version of "Trump", seems to fit.
(3) There's also another side to the coin. "Trump" can mean "fabricate or deceive". "To trump up" can mean "forge" or "invent", like "trumped-up charges" or "trumped-up rhetoric, or "trumped-up politics".
Washington Post reported last fall that "Trump is a compulsive golf cheat, 'the worst celebrity golf cheat,' according to Alice Cooper". It would seem "trumped-up" is spot-on all the way around.
*Hillary Clinton.com
*Britt Peterson, Boston Globe correspondent, 9/9/2015
*Stephen Colbert's creation
Starting today, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, and from time to time during this presidential political campaign, there will be facts provided about each of the front-runners. At this time, the front-runner for the Democratic Party is Hillary Rodham Clinton and, for the Republican Party, it is Donald Drumpf (previous iteration of the name of "Trump" researched by John Oliver). One fact per post. This is the first.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON*
"Hillary grew up in a middle-class home in Park Ridge, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Her dad, Hugh, was a WWII Navy veteran and a small-business owner, who designed, printed and sold drapes. Hillary helped with the family business whenever she could.
Hugh was a rock-ribbed Republican, a pay-as-you-go kind of guy, who worked hard and wasted nothing.
Hillary's mother, Dorothy, had a tough childhood. She was abandoned by her parents as a young child and shipped off to live with relatives who didn't want to raise her.
By age 14, Dorothy knew the only way she'd get by was to support herself, and she started working as a housekeeper and babysitter while she went to high school. Her mother's experience inspired Hillary to fight for the needs of children everywhere."
DONALD DRUMPF*
How did "Drumpf" become "Trump"?
Donald's German ancestors were wine-growers named "Drumpf" and decided during the Thirty Years' War to change their name (1618-1648). Fred C. Trump, Donald's father, introduced the "Trump" name to America (Donald is a second-generation immigrant). He had grocery stores and a real estate company, and drove a navy blue Cadillac that had an FCT license plate.
Why change the last name?
(1) Research says sound of the name is important. A "ph" at the end sounds almost comical in English; "dr" isn't as sharp and reminds us of "drug" and "drop"; and people with easily pronounced names are seen as more likeable.
(2) Research says meaning of the name is important. "Trump" carries associations, like a name whose definition is uniquely appropriate for someone's profession (kind of like a urologist last-named "Chopp", or a Cardinal last-named "Sin".) The name Trump "...implies victory and dominance". It conjures up "'trump card'...and is derived from 'triumph'". "Trumpet", in its shorter version of "Trump", seems to fit.
(3) There's also another side to the coin. "Trump" can mean "fabricate or deceive". "To trump up" can mean "forge" or "invent", like "trumped-up charges" or "trumped-up rhetoric, or "trumped-up politics".
Washington Post reported last fall that "Trump is a compulsive golf cheat, 'the worst celebrity golf cheat,' according to Alice Cooper". It would seem "trumped-up" is spot-on all the way around.
*Hillary Clinton.com
*Britt Peterson, Boston Globe correspondent, 9/9/2015
*Stephen Colbert's creation
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