trump
-
Trump Goes All In With Putin, Bets Against Western Democracy
Donald Trump’s embrace of Vladimir Putin raises a fundamental question about America’s role in the world: Is the United States still committed to defending democracy, sovereignty, and the Western alliance—or is it prepared to sacrifice those principles for a deal with the Kremlin? There has never been any doubt among a large segment of the… Continue reading
-
A Blond Joke Behind The Podium In The White House Press Room
“She had to pause to sound out in her head how to pronounce ‘Venezuela,’” That’s not the joke… that actually happened. Today was another Romper Room moment in the Donald Trump White House. His new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, proved unable, in her first time behind the podium, to meet even the very low expectations… Continue reading
-
From Nixon’s Press Blacklist to Trump’s Media Bans, The Old Lessons Still Apply
On Friday, when I read that Donald Trump had banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from accessing the White House, I instantly thought of how President Richard Nixon ordered reporters from The Washington Post to be kept out of daily press briefings. I need not write that The Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl… Continue reading
-
Let Us Talk About Maine Lobsters, And Trump’s Trade Wars
On Saturday, part of the running portion of the half Ironman competition took place on our street on Madison’s isthmus. To greet the runners, we flew a lobster flag. We had taken down the Canadian flag we had been flying in sympathy with our northern friends. But both the Maple leaf and the lobster underscore… Continue reading
-
Ethics, Professionalism, Common Sense Tossed Away In Donald Trump White House
“These young beautiful girls, these young beautiful girls, these young beautiful girls in the White House, they come in. Now I’m not supposed to say beautiful, but what the hell. These young, these gorgeous, beautiful girls, they want to be safe and they come say Mr. President, thank you, sir.” There’s a particular creepy chill… Continue reading
-
Observation About July 4th, Interesting Response
I wrote the following on Facebook today. I was taken aback that Good Morning America, on the 250th birthday of our nation, pretended it was a day for veterans and went sappy. Reports from Pearl Harbor and pablum about soldiers. No Thomas Jefferson, stories about the Declaration of Independence, or reports from the storied locations… Continue reading
-
Why Germans Fled Hitler, And Americans Fear Trump, Dane County Dinner Conversation Hits The Mark
It was shortly after ten o’clock Sunday night when one of the nine people gathered around the large dining table posed the question. With a deliberative style, the question was asked about what criteria were used by German citizens who felt it necessary to leave their homeland as they witnessed the rise of Hitler and… Continue reading
-
Russia And China Have Plans For The Future
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed their nations’ partnership during a two-day summit. They were linked rhetorically and with broad policy goals as they will use combined energy to undermine Western institutions and values. The chemistry between those leaders was much different from how Xi and Trump interacted at… Continue reading
