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:

• 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.

Richard Brunt, the Canadian who authored this list, asks if we Americans want "to vote for the [Republican] party that got you into the mess that Obama just dug you out of?  This defies reason," he goes on.  "When you are done with Obama, could you send him our way?"

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.

So, Republican presidential candidates, don't try to convince us that up is down and down is up.  We know better.  Barack Obama has been our legitimate and outstanding President for almost eight years, overwhelmingly voted in twice.  His accomplishments are legion.  You should be so lucky!

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"