Damnit, I hate it when I’m right.  Just five days ago, I posted a a blog entry, “Timing Is Everything.”  It concluded with a play on words directed at the growing number of hate motivated mass shootings in America.  It called for, “a limit on high capacity…….MAGAzines.”  Little did I expect that post to transform from prophecy to reality in less than a week.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s response to the massacre at an El Paso WalMart was predictable.  At yesterday’s press conference, a man who in 2015 chastised Texans for dropping to #2 nationally in the number of firearms purchased, chose once again to focus on the “mental health” of the shooter, ignoring his easy access to assault weapons or the rhetoric which motivates these gunmen.

Abbott offered the usual call for thoughts and prayers then in what can only be described as the Too Little, Too Late Act, urged members of the Texas Legislature and citizens to come together “…to begin to work immediately on swift solutions to prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again.”  When pressed for specifics, Abbott cited proposals that would “keep guns out of the hands of those who pose an immediate danger to others,” and more resources to address “the mental health issues that are seemingly behind so many of these shootings.”

Oh, wait!  I’m sorry.  My bad.  Those statements were not from yesterday’s press conference.  They were from the governor’s May 18, 2018 press conference following the mass shooting deaths of 10 people at a Santa Fe, Texas school.  Yesterday, Abbott again called for “thoughts and prayers” and “for all Texans to unite” in the wake of this tragedy.  Sorry, you had your chance 15 months ago.  Governor, don’t tell me…

…a ban on assault weapons would have no impact.

Axios periodically publishes a list of the deadliest mass shootings in America.  Yesterday, they updated the list as the massacre in El Paso, now ranks as #8.  The current list includes 22 incidents in which more than 10 deaths occurred.  While they are ranked in order of people killed, it is more enlightening to consider their chronological order.

• Prior to 1994/7
• 1994-2004/1
• After 2004/14

Even Greg Abbott might wonder, “What is it about 1994-2004 that might have contributed to this low number?”  Governor, before I answer your question, let me also point out, of the 22 instances, the shooting at Columbine High School during this 10 year period, is the only one in which there were two gunmen, neither of which had high capacity firearms.

On September 13, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed H.R. 3355–Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, introduced by Congressman Jack Brooks of (drum roll) Texas.   Title XI, Subtitle A–Assault Weapons includes:

• Section 110102. Restriction on manufacture, transfer, and possession of certain automatic assault weapons.
• Section 110103. Ban of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.

Support for the ban included former President Ronald Reagan.  And the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the constitutionality of federal, state and local restrictions on assault weapons contrary to the objections of the NRA and so-called Second Amendment purists.

Unfortunately, the act included a 10 year sunset provision by which the provisions expired in 2004 unless re-authorized.  Based on the empirical data above, one can only imagine how many victims of high-capacity assault weapons would still be attending churches, synagogues, college, outdoor concerts, taking in a movie, enjoying local festivals and buying school supplies if the assault weapons ban was still in effect.

And while that soaks in, don’t tell me..

…Donald Trump does not have blood on his hands.

The shooter, a resident of Allen, Texas, a Dallas suburban where 64.9 percent of his fellow residents are white, drove  650 miles to El Paso, Texas where the population is 83 percent of Hispanic or Latino origin.  Nineteen minutes before opening fire the gunman posted an anti-immigrant manifesto which included reference to a “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”

Now where could he possibly get such an idea?  During a June 4, 2019 joint press conference in London with then prime minister Theresa May, Trump urged Mexico to, “step up and stop this onslaught, this invasion at our Southern border.”  Referencing his record approval among Republicans at the same event, he said, “I love records.”  Well congratulations, Donald, you now hold the record for inspiring the greatest number of hate-fueled mass shootings in United States history.

So, don’t tell me…

…impeaching Trump is politically risky.

To hell with politics.  Ask families in Charleston, Parkland, Pittsburgh, Gilroy, El Paso and Dayton if it is more risky than going to school, houses of worship, a food festival, shopping for back-to-school supplies or a Saturday night date.  Trump once told us, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay?”  The August 4, 2019 version of that declaration should be, “I could spew hatred from the Oval Office contributing to the deaths of dozens of people and I won’t lose the support of any Trumpist members of Congress, okay?  Call it my itchy Twitter finger.”

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

One of the campaign slogans on which Donald Trump seeks re-election in 2020 is, “Promises Made, Promises Kept.” And I expect any Democratic candidate for president would jump on this immediately.  All he or she needs to do is echo sportscaster Warner Wolf, “Let’s go to the video tape.”  At every campaign rally, Democrats should remind voters of the litany of Trump’s unfulfilled pledges.  Just imagine if every Democrat included the following at every campaign venue.

You know, if Donald Trump was capable of telling the truth, here’s what one of his campaign rants would sound like.

I promised to repeal and replace Obamacare with better and cheaper health insurance.  Sorry, I did not.

I promised to reform the tax code so the wealthy paid their fair share and the middle class got a sorely needed tax break.  Sorry, I did just the opposite.

I promised to balance the federal budget in eight years.  Sorry, I’m afraid that isn’t going to happen and I pity the fool who succeeds me because I’ve made it much worse.

I promised to “drain the swamp.”  Sorry, how was I to know so many of my appointees would have to resign due to corrupt behavior, incompetence or both?

I promised to revitalize the coal industry and bring back thousands of coal-related jobs.  Sorry, I guess I was wrong.

I promised to de-nuclearize North Korea.  Sorry, but all I have to show for my efforts are three photo ops.

I took an oath to protect the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  Sorry, but I realized acknowledging Russian interference in our elections would raise questions about the legitimacy of my presidency.  Or that white supremacists and neo-Nazi were a significant percentage of my base.

I could go on and on, but this is only half the story.  On November 2, 2018 at a rally in Columbia, Missouri, Trump went one step farther telling his supporters, “I’ve kept promises I didn’t even make.”  Despite the fact this statement defies logic, I have to agree.  Thus, the second half of every Democratic campaign address should also include the following.

Donald Trump is now telling us he has kept promises he never made.  I have to admit, for once he is telling in the truth.

He did not promise to force more and more owners of small farms to file bankruptcy due to his trade wars, but he has.

Nor did he promise a $31 billion redistribution of federal funds, mostly to international agribusiness conglomerates to compensate them for lost revenues due to his tariffs.  But he did.

He did not promise he would politicize the Department of Justice or appoint his personal Roy Cohn to be attorney general, but he has.

He did not promise he would take the word of Vladimir Putin over that of the U.S. intelligence community, but he did.

He did not promise he would be named an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Stormy Daniels cover-up, but he was.

He did not promise he would overturn security clearance recommendations for his son-in-law and other administration staff, but he did.

He did not promise that he would separate infants and children from their parents seeking asylum in the United States nor incarcerate them in overcrowded and inhumane conditions, but he did and continues to do so.

He did not promise he would make Americans pay for his golf outings, but as of July 2019 he has spent over $340 million for 193 trips to Trump properties. (Source: Forbes)

He did not promise he would ignore Article I of the Constitution, but he has by re-appropriating federal funds without congressional approval or ignoring Congress’ efforts to perform oversight of the executive branch.

He did not promise he would continually violate the emoluments clause of the Constitution with foreign officials and lobbyists lining his pockets by patronizing Trump Organization hotels and resorts.  But he does including recommending that the next G7 meeting be held at Trump Doral in Florida.  [NOTE: Will Trump request congressional approval as required under Article II?]

He did not promise he would promote racial division by verbally attacking people of color, but he does.

He did not promise he would give white supremacists and neo-Nazi cover to spew hatred and commit acts of domestic terrorism, but he has.

And most recently, he did not promise he would rush to help Russia deal with wildfires in Siberia, but not California.  Yesterday, he did.

Yes Donald, you have done many things you did not promise to do. Which begs the question, what other non-promises do you have up your sleeve over the next 18 months or the next five and a half years, if re-elected?  If nothing else, like the Hokey-Pokey, that is what the 2020 election is all about.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

Following each effort by Donald Trump to take down one more pillar in the foundation of American democracy, we hear the same question, “When are the Trumpist members of Congress (formerly known as Republicans) going to put country before party?”  Do they really believe the racial animus promoted by their leader is good for the nation?  How can they honestly deny our electoral process was attacked in 2016 and is still under siege today?  Do they consider Moscow Mitch’s refusal to bring election security legislation on the Senate floor a wise political strategy?  Do they not understand their silence as Trump embraces dictators and alienates our democratic allies will eventually come back to bite us?  “Country Above Party” should be a winning rallying cry for Democrats in their effort to send Trump back to Mar-a-Lago and take control of the Senate in 2020.

But as Will Rogers most aptly said, “I am not a member of an organized political party.  I am a Democrat.”  And last night, the 10 participants in round two of the “Debate in Detroit” demonstrated Rogers’ adage is as true today as it was in November 1930 when he first uttered those words.

If any of the contenders or pretenders to the Democratic nomination for president want our support, it is time they put “Party Before Self.”  What does that mean?  Unlike last night, you do not take the bait when debate moderators “stage” fights during which participants use a still popular Democratic president as a punching bag to bring down his vice president.  As Barack Obama would say, “You can disagree on policy.  But at the same time, you can tell voters that what Democrats have traditionally done and stood for is head and shoulders above ANYTHING Donald Trump has done.  How hard is that?”

Take immigrant deportation as a prime example.  Yes, removal of undocumented immigrants rose during the Obama years.  But the overwhelming majority of those cases were individuals who had been picked up by state and local police for other offenses.  At the same time, individuals turned away from entering the United States dropped from 1.7 million in 2000 to less than 100,000 in 2017.  And those individuals were not held in overcrowded cages awaiting asylum hearings or separated from their children.  And the decision to return them to their country of origin was made following due process or formal court orders.  And Obama championed DACA despite failure by a Republican Congress to support a more permanent solution and Republican controlled statehouses to challenge Obama’s executive order in the courts.

Or the Affordable Care Act.  Joe Biden was right when caught on a hot microphone.  “This is a big fucking deal.”  Obama and the Democratic Congress did something that NOBODY else could achieve.  Not perfect, but it reduced the number of uninsured Americans from 40 million to 10 million.  Universal health care is still the goal and “Medicare for All” may be the answer.  But we were a lot closer on January 20, 2017 than we are today.  How hard is it to make that comparison?  If one of the progressive candidates becomes our next chief executive, there will be time for him or her to make the case, not in a 15 second debate rebuttal but in a White House address or in the state of the union.

Ironically, there is one Democratic contender who has a unique opportunity to demonstrate her commitment to party AND country.  That is Elizabeth Warren.  She is in the unfair position that her ascension to the presidency or vice-presidency could significantly harm the Democrats’ effort to retake the Senate.  Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker is a Republican.  Which means, if Warren has to resign her seat following the election, Baker would appoint her replacement until a special election in 2022.  As noted above, this is not fair, but it is the reality.

If Warren believes she has a real shot at the nomination or being on the ticket, she should vacate her Senate seat now.  Yes, Baker would appoint a Republican, but what difference would that make when Moscow Mitch and the Trumpists already have a majority until January 2021?  More importantly, there would be a special election in 2020 to fill the seat until 2022.  And chances are a Democratic candidate like Congressman Seth Moulton has a better than average probability of prevailing thus avoiding a net loss for the Democrats.  Even if Warren is wrong about her chances for national office, she could run in the special election to reclaim her seat.

Which brings me back to Will Rogers.  In his 1924 book The Illiterate Digest, Rogers wrote, “The American people are a generous people and will forgive almost any weakness, with the possible exception of stupidity.”  Trump has spent the greater part of his life hoping to disprove Rogers’ theory.  Democrats should not help him in this quest by being equally or more stupid.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP