Author: Mike

This is on the second day of the Trump presidency. Imagine what this might be like when Donald Trump names his Supreme Court nominee. No longer will I disparage Daily Thunder groupies calling them Trekkies. I need that moniker elsewhere moving forward….Trump Trekkies. In the first two days in the existence of the Alternate Trump Universe two of his paid Trump Trekkies basically lied on camera to save themselves from the cry of “You’re Fired!”. So note to readers…my future Trekkie references moving forward applies only to those meandering in the Alternate Trump Universe. Please note.

Additionally…please note from this point moving forward Kellyanne Conway is Leni Riefenstahl. Google if need be.

I won’t lie, Gregg Popovich is my favorite coach in all of professional sports. He reminds me of my father-in-law, who’s a retired United States Air Force General. They even look alike. Popovich is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and served in covert intelligence before becoming an iconic NBA basketball coach who’s won five NBA championships in the collective bargaining era of the NBA. From my viewpoint, he’s the greatest coach in NBA history. But more than that, he’s an extremely smart guy who wants smart players both on and off the court. He and his players trade books, they talk about the world, they talk about the most recent episode of Anthony Bourdain. If I were an NBA player, he’d be the guy I’d want to play for because I know he’d extract the maximum out of me as both a player and a human being. Just ask Tim Duncan.

Steve Kerr loves mocking our idiot president, whereas Gregg Popovich is attempting to educate those who voted for George ‘Caligula’ Costanza. I don’t want thisto sound racist or anything in suggesting Oklahoma City is a market too dumb to have this kind of dialogue, but I’m wondering if and when Clay Bennett and/or Billy Donovan might if he ever engage in our national discussion. Basically, 75% of NBA players are black, you know, so it might be interesting to know if Bennett and Donovan are politically progressive enough to comment on any of this. I would guess no even though their star player was completely honest in that like me, he thinks Donald Trump is a piece of shit. Just saying.

Just a horrible day for my Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers was fine, it’s just that every other member of the team basically sucked. The Packers were just awful and our Super Bowl in Houston is set with the Patriots vs. the Falcons. Tom Brady was very, very good yesterday as were his teammates. Without looking I’d think New England is probably around a six point Vegas favorite.

But I’m okay because my mom called and told me to google the Steve Kerr presser where’s he’s mocking both Trump and his trained gargoyle Sean Spicer. I guess she figured it would get my mind off the Packers’ woeful performance. Isn’t it ironic in that three NBA coaches, Gregg Popovich, Doc Rivers, and Steve Kerr are all more politically tuned in with more honest political insights than Donald Trump.

Amidst all my angst related to Caligula Lite, a great day on tap in Deer Creek for my family with a Green Bay Packers watch party/son’s birthday party later today. Gotta get this Donald Trump shit outta my mind and get my game face on. The AFC Game should be excellent as well with Pittsburgh at New England in the first game. Packers are my favorite team period, but the Steelers are my favorite AFC team…it doesn’t get much better for me. Best four QBs in the NFL all playing today…Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Big Ben, and Matt Ryan. Karma is good today as we had five deer on the back of our lot this morning. Time for the Aaron Rodgers rap…..LET’S GO PACKERS!!!

You would think the leader of the free world would have ‘larger’ things on his mind than his ‘crowd’ size. This wasn’t a case of misreporting because the crowd was actually somewhat small compared to Obama’s record crowd of 2009. And what’s hilarious is this was an obvious attempt by the NY Times to just basically screw with Trump and he completely fell for the Twitter pic bait.

So…as I’m sitting here visualizing the days ahead I’m thinking to myself if I’m Isis, North Korea, Iran, Russia, or China and things are getting tense just Tweet something in reference to Caligula Lite’s very small womanly hands, his small you know what (Little Marco knew), and his inaugural crowd size and then just sit back and watch the POTUS become unhinged. Pray for Generals Mattis an Kelly should be the mantra, Trump supporters. Pray for their wisdom and maturity.

It was an interesting day in America and the world. Historic protests against Donald Trump one day into his presidency popped up everywhere, even in reddest of the red Oklahoma City. If I’d known they were doing this I’d have joined them. I didn’t know things like this actually happened in a one party state. All told three million people or so displayed their solidarity against and disgust for Caligula Lite for probably a multitude of reasons which go beyond just the Billy Bush sex chat video. Please note one day in and I’m already writing things like this. Color me cynical of thinking Donald Trump will go the distance. I’m actually proud women stood up to this piece of shit and didn’t back down. Unfortunately, it appears a great number of white men in our country don’t quite have the courage these women do. Three come to mind immediately…Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Mike Pence.

The day was made even more pathetic when Trump ventured over to CIA headquarters to you would think apologize for his overall fourth grade level behavior. But instead, it denigrated into Trump whining how the media distorted the sparse attendance for his inauguration yesterday. Even worse, Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer was obviously ordered to do the same to the White House press corps and then walk out without taking a single question.

Combined all of this made me start to think of Richard Nixon’s unraveling ending in 1973. So–just to refresh my own memory if nothing else, I thought I’d put this up even before the whole story on Paul Manafort’s involvement in Russia acting as a fiduciary on behalf of Donald Trump’s business and political interests in Russia comes out in whole. There’s obviously some smoke to this and probably the reason America has yet to see Donald Trump’s tax return. I mean, it’s not like this is as hard as figuring out the Da Vinci code. Always follow the money.

Just in case you only watch Fox to get your geopolitical views, it’s not just in America in various cities today in which several million people will march in protest of Donald Trump. It’s happening in various locales across the world as well. You see here’s the thing, when you win World War II, then win the Cold War, then profess to be the champions of freedom–the rest of the world looks to you for leadership. They look for you to lead, not to retreat to the 1920’s. This is one of the reasons history is important. You’re supposed to learn from it, not hide from it and become dumber. You either lead the world in the quest for freedom or you eventually risk your own freedoms and the quid pro quos which come with that leadership.

The first book I’d like Donald Trump and maybe some of his more ‘ardent’ supporters to read is a book by Thomas Friedman entitled Thank You For Being Late. There’s something like 7.5 billion people in the world and I’m almost certain they’d like a decent standard of living as most Americans do. You simply cannot retreat to the robber baron days of almost a century ago or you’ll lose yourself as a democracy. The world has changed. Some of it good, some of it bad, but that’s the basic nature of human nature–nothing remains stagnant. You don’t revert in history, you adapt, morph, and move forward. But never backwards.

As I sit here typing this, I actually have a few tears in my eyes. My son turns twenty-nine today and after listening to Donald Trump’s vision of America moving forward I’m not sure what advice I’d give parents of a young child other than to just say love your child unconditionally and do the best you can. Again, I’m not a liberal or a conservative, but more of just a survivor. So there’s nothing political about this.

As I listened to Donald Trump’s nationalistic white trash bullshit yesterday, I actually felt sorry for both him and the people who voted this dumbshit into office. I thought back to the beginning of his candidacy… the stupid ball caps, the Make America Great Again slogan, and his complete and utterly libelous pandering in evoking the name of Ronald Reagan. If Ronald Reagan heard the Trump Doctrine as described yesterday, then I’m certain he turned in his grave along with FDR, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, and General George Marshall.

Jimmy Carter, Bush 41, Bill Clinton, Bush 43, and Barack Obama all had to be cringing as well as Donald Trump attempted to share his vision of America moving forward. I’m almost certain somewhere in a Washington D.C bar–John McCain and Lindsey Graham are both in a state of utter drunkedness to the point of near death after listening to the 45th president’s address to the world. It was that bad whether you love FDR or Ronald Reagan. It was the possible death knell of the doctrine of American exceptionalism and a complete and utter insult to the legacies of previous courageous Americans who sacrificed everything so as a guy like me can even be blogging this in the middle of the night. American exceptionalism just took a complete and literal backseat to Caligula Lite’s Doctrine of Self. I know, I know—ninety percent of the people who voted for Trump don’t even know who Caligula was, but I do it for me. I do it for me.

What Trump ascribes to is American isolationism and the cease and desist of free trade. A clue to Donald Trump and his supporters, please google Herbert Hoover’s presidential wiki profile, it might help you to understand the world when FDR entered office and what we are eighty something years later. Do it now, I’ll wait and then continue.

Okay, we tried isolationism and protective trade measures in a time where people in America weren’t connected to people in Europe, Russia, India, China, and the Middle East by way of the internet. It didn’t work then and in a world wide information sharing age it would be the absolute worst thing to do now. More to the point, it worsened the Great Depression and America’s almost too late intervention into World War II. Just so we’re clear…America stopping Adolf Hitler was a good thing. The Marshall Plan was a good thing. The formation of NATO was a good thing. Winning the Cold War was a good thing. The Berlin Wall coming down was good thing. Just so Donald Trump and his supporters understand, fucking freedom is a good thing. Because without freedom and economic opportunity America is absolutely nothing. It’s why people all over the friggin’ globe aspire to the American Dream. Jesus fucking Christ what part of this do Donald Trump supporters not actually ‘get’?

Who were the big winners yesterday? I’d start with Vladamir Putin and Xi-Jinping (I’ll pause for Trump supports to google Xi-Jiping). Got it? Wait,still waiting for Gary Johnson, okay now he knows. Because what Donald Trump said yesterday was that America’s billionaires can’t be bothered with things like Russian and Chinese expansion. Really– who needs China to service our debt? Who needs NATO to keep Putin from taking the Baltics? Who needs alliances with Canada and Mexico when you’ve got Montana, Oklahoma, and Alabama? Who needs any of this when there’s money to be made by being the first multi-international privately held corporation to hold the U.S. presidency? And the reason Trump and his billionaire cabinet won’t have time to worry about China and Russia is because they’ll be too busy looting what’s left of the U.S Treasury.

In closing, I don’t really know what to write other than goodbye to the Era of American Exceptionalism and hello to the Trump Era of Self. And to you Trump supporters a word of advice, turn off Fox, read some books , and at least understand how you just got your asses snookered.

Just in case you didn’t google the Herbert Hoover profile.

The Barack Obama presidency ends in a few hours. He leaves the White House with a 60% approval rating while Donald Trump enters the White House with a 38% approval rating. Character matters, as does the lack of it. As I wrote earlier, I’m not an ideologue, not even close. I’m more what I’d describe as a pragmatic survivor who thinks things like character and honesty still somewhat matter. In my adult voting life, I’ve voted in eleven presidential elections. Six times I’ve voted for a Republican, four times for a Democrat, one time for an Independent. Of the four votes for a Democrat, two went for Barack Obama, and the truth be known, he would have gotten my vote a third time if the constitution had allowed given that the GOP nominated Caligula Lite as their nominee.

As time passes, historians will view Barack Obama favorably in spite of what transpired in Syria and in spite of the world being a complete mess. U.S. foreign policy has been a mess since Bush 41 left the White House in 1992 as America has struggled with its own role after ‘winning’ the Cold War. Maybe there’s something to be said for actually being qualified to assume the office as surely Bush 41 was given his resume included two terms as vice-president, a stinct as ambassador to China, and head of the CIA before ever ascending to the White House. Before I continue further with Barack Obama, pray for George Bush senior, he and his family could use our prayers right now. And, yes, Bush 41 got my vote twice. I told you I wasn’t an ideologue. Character matters.

Now back to Barack Obama’s legacy. There was not a single scandal, but instead genuine grace and dignity displayed by the First Family. He didn’t sleep with any White House interns and to date he hasn’t surfaced on any videos with Billy Bush. Not one single time was the country plagued with the thought of a special prosecutor as was the case with Nixon and Bill Clinton. Conversely, who amongst us thinks Hillary Clinton if elected or Donald Trump now elected would/will escape the examination of a special prosecutor tearing the country apart even further.

Barack Obama, Michelle, and their two daughters were always available to the country and to the country as role models white America should strive to emulate. The press corps were never asked to be moved from the White House. There was complete access when things were going well and when things weren’t going well.

To me at least, the contrast in Barack Obama and Donald Trump is simple. Barack Obama entered the White during the darkest period of American history in my adult life. He inherited two tragically misguided wars.Even Donald Trump said as much towards the Bush family in the GOP primaries. He inherited an economy which was losing 800,000 job a month as he entered the White House. He inherited a Dow down in the 6,000s. He inherited a U.S. auto industry on the virtual edge of collapse. And he inherited a health care system which was already broken and in need of new ideas on how health care should be addressed in this country. Keep in mind, during those years of complete Republican rule from 2000-06 none of this was addressed. Not once can I recall the remembrance of Cheneycare. Not once, even though even then health care in America was already in need of new ideas.

So here’s how Obama leaves office in just about two hours…. he leaves with the unemployment rate at 4.5% instead of 10%. He leaves with the Dow at 19,000 and change instead of in total freefall as it was when John McCain literally suspended his presidential run in September of 2008 because of the worldwide economic meltdown. He leaves with the U.S. auto industry still here and Donald Trump actually being able to deal with Ford on keeping more jobs in the U.S. He leaves with the legacy of seriously addressing health care even though the Affordable Health Care Act will probably be repealed if indeed the Koch Brothers have a replacement plan and tell McConnell and Ryan to go ahead and repeal Obamacare.

He leaves with the U.S. being the world leader in addressing climate change instead of ignoring it. He leaves with Bin Laden dead. He leaves being the president who had the compassion to recognize gay marriage and treat all people with equal compassion. But most of all he leaves with his character intact.

So what was Donald Trump doing during this tumultuous period of American history when our country was groping (no pun intended) to rise to all of these challenges? Again, I repeat, what was Donald Trump doing to help the America he now says he wants to make great again?

This is what he was doing. He wasn’t paying any individual federal income tax because of a carryover loss mechanism loophole which isn’t even allowed any longer. But most of all he was being a Birther for almost five years. Let’s be clear, this in no way was an intention to help America, but rather another example of Donald Trump being divisive and at the same time pandering to the segment of our white population which still lives in the year 1957 instead of 2017. That’s pretty much what he was doing and he now becomes president in two hours. How ironic and sad for our country. How sad for some of those who voted for Trump, yet have been hit the hardest by globalization and tragically will be the hardest hit by what his presidency will be mostly about.

My family will be fine. We’ll be okay, but I worry about the significant part of America who maybe won’t be okay. Pray for Donald Trump and the hope that possibly the weight of the office will change him in some way as a human being. Pray hard, America. Pray hard.