elections

Fox vs. CNN

by Dave

The news reporting is frequently the same on both networks. If there is some big event, like a plane crash, the content on both networks will be pretty much the same.

The difference is in commentary. Fox News supports conservatives, including Donald Trump. CNN supports Kamala Harris but will report on news damaging to her campaign. The difference is apparent on their websites.

Fox Example

Today on the FOX News website is the headline “Melania Trump releases new video with warning to all Americans ahead of a 100 million dollar lawsuit.” This is a teaser headline. The key words are “ahead of.” Trump hasn’t filed a lawsuit.

Seriously, who is he going to sue? The FBI? Filing a frivolous lawsuit can backfire. If search is illegal, then all evidence is thrown out. This is the case law since the 1961 “Mapp” Case by the US Supreme Court. Note, that the three more conservative justices did not want to extend the protection to searches by state and local authorities.

Fox News headline https://www.foxnews.com/us/melania-trump-blasts-fbis-mar-a-lago-raid-serves-warning-all-americans

The news of a pending lawsuit, was posted on Twitter (I know it is now called “X”).

CNN critical of Pro-Harris Twitter account (@HarrisHQ).

Today CNN reports on news damaging to Kamala Harris campaign on their website.

Fact check: Harris campaign social media account has repeatedly deceived with misleading edits and captions

This is a case of more false information on Twitter, but this time, in support of Kamala Harris. There is a second Twitter account which is uncovering all the lies this Twitter account.

Video clips of Trump or JD Vance have been edited to make them deceptive or false. As stated in the CNN article, this was done recently. They cite eight different examples including one where the post infers that Trump was confused on the name of the state of the rally was occurring. It is a complete lie. CNN calls these hacked videos misleading. I would call them a complete lie.

My take

Fox News is more likely to post misleading “news stories” which are really commentary. Fox News headlines of a 100 million dollar lawsuit, which does not exist. And if Trump’s lawyers say they will sue Biden, they are forgetting they just won in the Supreme Court on presidential immunity.

CNN commentary is often biased, but they are doing a better job with fact checking. This includes fact checking pro-Harris twitter posts.

Don’t go to Youtube, Twitter, Facebook or any other social media. It is mostly political entertainment. It is not reliable information.

Stay tuned,

Dave

The Disqualification Lawsuits

by Dave

The efforts to disqualify Donald Trump from running for president, under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment are not succeeding. It has been in the news recently, as the Colorado Supreme Court heard oral arguments on December 5, 2023. The Court can either uphold the lower court ruling, and keep Trump on the ballot, or reverse the decision, and then Trump is off the ballot. Appeals to the Supreme Court for an emergency hearing would be immediately submitted if he is taken off the ballot. Otherwise, I believe this will end the challenge in Colorado and the dismissal will be permanent.

Colorado’s district court dismissed the lawsuit, stating Section 3 of the 14th Amendment did not apply to the president. But, the ruling likely pleased petitioners in part, as the judge opined that the violence on January 6, 2021 did qualify as an insurrection.

Other lower court dismissals (Minnesota, Michigan, Florida and New Hampshire) offered a chance for re-filing. Minnesota district court considered that Section 3 did not apply to primaries. Michigan district court considered disqualification a political question, not one to be decided by the courts.

The two other cases (Florida and New Hampshire) were rejected quickly on a demonstration of actual harm if Donald Trump ran for president. In New Hampshire, an attorney, John Anthony Castro, registered to run for president, and tried to convince the court, that allowing Donald Trump on the ballot, would cause his candidacy harm. The courts didn’t buy it.

The courts in other states will take notice of the many ways to dismiss legal challenges. Certainly ruling that a case has no standing, is the most efficient one, as the court does not need to get into the more nuanced arguments of whether Trump encouragement of the January 6 violence was “engaging in insurrection.”

The basis of democracy is we select our president at the ballot box by having all eligible voters being able to cast their ballot. Excluding a candidate from even one state, could be decisive in a close election. I have posted an opinion previously that these lawsuits run counter to our democratic processes. The courts should lean towards narrow interpretation of rules and laws and restrict their role in deciding whether to exclude both voters and candidates in the election process.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Trump’s Court Cases

by Dave

Trump is named in two civil cases and four criminal cases. I have created two short pages to summarize these cases.

It is easy to identify websites tracking the developments in each case. The NY State civil case is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 2 in Manhattan, NY. It is a non-jury trial and the judge has already established that the Trump business is guilty of fraud. It will not be televised.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Part II: The legacy of Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump

by Dave

This post will be more meaningful if Part 1 is read first.

Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro greatly admired Donald Trump, and his form of right wing populist politics. It was a very passionate love of country and religion, an emotional attachment that voters could easily embrace. Bolsonaro attacked the socialist views of Lula da Silva, comparing him to Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, who wrecked the economy of Venezuela and Cuba, respectively.

He continued his attack on the Federal Election court and the election in which he lost. While still in power, Bolsonaro met with foreign ambassadors in July 2022, in which he spread false information about Brazil’s electoral system. Thus he was laying the foundation to challenge the entire election process. The meeting was livestreamed by official television channels and on YouTube.

A lawsuit was filed by Brazil’s Demcratic Labor Party. On June 30, 2023, the federal election court barred Jair Bolsonaro from running for president until 2030. Bolsonaro plans to appeal the judgement. Per the CNN link:

Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the court, cast his vote last. “Let us reaffirm our faith in our democracy and the rule of law,” he said after voting in favor of the guilty verdict. Moraes added that with the vote Brazilian authorities would show they do not tolerate “criminal extremism attacking the powers of the state, fake news, disinformation to try to deceive voters.”

There are many other cases pending against Bolsonaro. Most recently has been the Saudi rolex watch scandal. The accusation is that Bolsonaro gave the watch to an aide to sell and then deposit the money back into his account. It is not a lot of money ($70,000) but the Superior Court has now permitted inspection of Jair Bolsonaro and Lt. Col. Mauro Cid bank accounts in the US on August 18, 2023.

This is a rapidly developing story, as on August 18, 2023, seven high-ranking military police officers were arrested in connection with the Jan. 8 attacks. I suspect more will follow, including possible connections between the violence on January 8, 2022 and ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. Also, there is considerable speculation in the media, that Bolsonaro and his son, Flavio were enriching themselves through government graft. It will be the court that have to decide whether guilt based on facts, not speculation in the media.

Link: ABC News: Brazil’s Bolsonaro accused by ex-aide’s lawyer of ordering sale of jewelry given as official gifts

What if Bolsonaro’s comments were not livestreamed and broadcast, and also captured on You Tube? Perhaps the Superior Court would have acted differently.

There is no equivalent in the US to the 7 member panel overseeing the election and corruption in Brazil. Some may consider it gives too much authority, as only a simple majority can deny a candidate from running for office. Our First Amendment rights are very broad, while a president is in office. However as Donald Trump has discovered, defamation lawsuits against an ex-president can be won as in the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit.

___

Trump at present has four criminal cases against him. The Federal January 6 case and Georgia case involve his direct involvement to interfere with the results of a fair election, before the election and afterwards, leading up to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The classified documents case relate to actions after he left office on January 20, 2021. Trump will be formally arrested in the Georgia election interference case on August 24, 2023.

A commonality of the US and Brazilian system is, no matter how high or low a person’s social status, there is equal justice and accountability for all. We have no privilege class. The prisons of our country and Brazil, were not created to house the poor or illiterate, but those found guilty of crimes by a jury in court of law where the rights of the defendant are enforced. A second principle is that the electorate decides who will govern the country in free and fair elections. Every four years, in the US and Brazil, only the electorate who can be their president.

Both Bolsonaro and Trump have legal rights and can petition a higher court to appeal their sentences. This is another example of

I feel no matter, what occurs, their legacy will be that they truly believed that truth did not matter. Everything depended on the dissemination of false information via social media and cable stations to maintain their base.

Trump in particular has portrayed his legal problems on a corrupt legal system, but this is another lie. He is the cause of the four criminal indictments.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Patriot Legal Fund

by Dave

Attention Patriotic Americans: Donald Trump needs you to pay for his legal fees. The Patriot Legal Fund is a charity solely devoted to paying Trump and others legal fees.

He has an incredible track record of losing trial cases, so this requires extra cash to fund the appeals. So, if your initial reaction is, you’ve got to be kidding, that’s exactly right.

His legal problems are something he brought on himself. And Trump has been skirting the law for decades. It took a long time for the law to catch up with him.

Recently, he tried to move the Stormy Daniels hush money case to federal court. So, trying to connect hush money payments to his official duties of president failed.

Trump will have his day (or really months) in court, to defend the accusations against him. He has already siphoned off millions of dollars from the Save America superpac to hire the best lawyers in the country to defend him.

No one should break the law, and pressure government officials to find roughly 11,000 votes to change the election results in Georgia. No one should take then and hide classified documents. Obstruction of justice is a real crime.

So, do not send money to this fund. Let him pay for his own legal defense.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Going beyond the Jan 6 Hearings

by Dave

People involved in the violence of January 6 need to go to jail. I don’t ever want our Capital police to be afraid of a mob. One death of a police officer and over 150 people injured. Unfortunately, some of those who stormed the Capital, were thinking they were patriots and doing something in the national interest. A patriot does not break the law and threaten police. There have been 884 individuals arrested. There is a constitutional right to assemble and protest, but violence can never be condoned.

People involved in the planning of the storming of the Capital and other activities aimed at illegal actions to overturn our elections, need to be tried and go to jail. I hope the efforts of the Department of Justice will result in convictions of the top echelons in the Trump campaign organizers.

Those individuals who think subpoenas for documents and testimony are optional, will need time to rethink their decision behind bars. That includes Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon. I’d like to see more convictions.

Others will suffer the consequences of making false claims in court by actions taken by Dominion voting machines. This includes Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani. These are civil cases, which are tough to prove. Rudy Giuliani’s law license has been suspended in New York, and similar proceedings are occurring in Washington.

Whether Donald Trump or his closest allies will be charged with crimes, remains to be seen. The latest scandal is the apparent erasing of text messages by the Secret Service, and likely connected to the leadership in Homeland Security. Obstruction of justice is a criminal offense.

New laws need to be enacted, so there is not the slightest doubt that State legislatures can never override the outcome of elections. Claims of election fraud are always serious, and the courts are the proper place to address any irregularities. After the Safe Harbor date of December 8 has passed, lawsuits which challenge the results are frivolous

Within new laws, the role of the Vice President on January 6 should be made absolutely clear, his role is strictly ceremonial.

New laws will not be enough. The electorate needs to help clean house. Yes, “Drain the Swamp” if you like the phrase. I have a long list of Senators and Congress representatives who I’d like to see gone after their election.

The January 6 committee has shown us so clearly that Donald Trump did not care at all for the orderly transition of government or respect for decision of the electorate. Mike Pence did what every Vice President has done. He stood at inauguration day with President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

The White House was an open door to people who had no respect for the rule of law. The President sat there on December 18, while “outside advisors” (aka, the crazies) suggested he fire his entire staff, and direct the military to seize voting machines. This was simply to stop the next administration from being sworn in on Jan 20. His actions immediately after this meeting, was to tell everyone to come to the Capital on January 6, because “it’s going to be wild.”

The message was clear, that although the electorate had spoken, Trump had no reservations on breaking the law, so he could stay in power. This is by definition a planned coup. He nearly fired the acting Attorney General, Jeffrey Rosen, because he would not sign a memo to be sent to Georgia, filled with false statements on election fraud.

Trump and his supporters encouraged a riot that they knew would be violent. This was brought out so clearly in the hearing as Trump’s security detail wanted metal detectors to protect the president, but he did not, as he said these were “his people.” He targeted his own vice president in his speech on January 6.

A good first step, would be the “firing” by the electorate on election day of the coup supporters, namely Rep. Pat Gosar, Senator Ted Cruz, Rep. Jody Hice, Rep. Josh Hawley. Rep Mo Brooks, Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Scott Perry and Rep. Louis Gohmert.

Of course, it is not who is voted out, but who comes in to replace this group of election deniers. We need senators and representatives who strongly believe we settle our differences at the ballot box.

Stay tuned,

Dave

https://ballotpedia.org/Counting_of_electoral_votes_(January_6-7,_2021)

Trump’s Legacy

by Dave

Three organizations (APSA, Siena and C-Span) provided rankings of US presidents. These rankings were based on surveys of historians, generally from well known universities. The APSA (American Political Science Association) and Siena (Siena College Research Association) were done in 2018, so they do not reflect the last two years of Trump’s term in office.

Donald Trump was 45th president of the United States, however since Grover Cleveland was the 22 and 24th president, it means there were really 44 presidents. It is convenient to divide these rankings by quartiles, as ranks 1 to 10 are the top ranked presidents and 34 to 44 are the lowest ranked presidents. Wikipedia has consolidated these surveys and also provides a breakout of the ranking of various factors, such as integrity and leadership of each of these surveys.

Trump is considered one of the five worst presidents in these three surveys. C-SPAN rates Trump as the fourth worst president in history.

SurveyTrump (#45)Pierce (#14)Buchanan (#15)Andrew
Johnson (#17)		Harding (#29)
APSA (2018)4441434039
Siena (2018)4240434441
C-SPAN (2021)4142444337
Ranking of Donald Trump in the lower fourth quartile

Since Harding’s term was from 1921 to 1923, the surveys rank Trump at a level not seen about 100 years. So, what qualities are lacking in Trump and the other presidents in this table? Siena ranks Trump as the worst (rank = 44) in the areas of background, integrity, ability to compromise and executive appointments. Interestingly, he has high rating in “luck” and is in the third quartile in “willing to take risks.”

Similarly, C-Span (2021) puts Trump last of all presidents in the category of moral authority and administrative skills. He is in the bottom of the fourth quartile as are Pierce, Johnson and Buchanan in all categories (crisis leadership, economic management, international relationship and relations with congress) with the notable exception of public persuasion, where he is the ranked in the third quartile.

His continual stream of lies did not go unnoticed by the scholars. Getting the lowest ranking of any president in integrity (Siena) and moral authority (C-Span) reflect this. Donald Trump was never very interested in the truth, as his narratives were generally built on a stack of lies.

Being ranked lowest in “background” is pretty bad, but I believe accurate, as he never held office prior to being president.

The president is elected to do what is best for the country and not himself. This is part of the moral authority that great presidents have displayed. The January 6 committee will have public hearings in the spring, and will, I am certain, show Donald Trump had total disregard for the constraints of presidential power in his attempt to alter the outcome of the 2020 election. It is unprecedented in American history.

So what is this quality missing from these surveys? I guess it is “humility and respect” which Trump was not. He was arrogant and disrespectful of the system.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Wikipedia: Historical Ranking of US Presidents

Siena College US President Study Historical Ranking

Transition begins

by Dave

I said the transition to the Biden administration would begin sometime between November 25 to December 1, 2020. It started yesterday, November 23, 2020. What was holding up the transition was Trump’s lawsuits in key states. Losing his lawsuit in Pennsylvania and certification in Michigan were critical to the General Services Administration’ consent to begin the transition.

My predictions going forward: The recount in Georgia will confirm that the last two recounts were right, Joe Biden won the election. Similarly, nothing will change in the partial recount in Wisconsin, except the Trump leadership PAC will pay 3 million dollars.

“The President can sue a ham sandwich, he can send a thousand lawyers to Pennsylvania, but it’s not going to change the basic fact of the matter.”

John Fetterman, PA’s lieutenant governor, responding to a question on the lawsuit to stop counting later arriving ballots, Nov 6.

I am hoping we are seeing a wind down of frivolous lawsuits from Trump. In Pennsylvania, Trump’s legal team appealed Judge Brann’s scathing dismissal. They are not looking for a reversal, but instead claim Judge Brann erred in ignoring the second amended lawsuit. My prediction here, is the court will let stand Brann’s opinion very quickly.

Judge Brann’s called Trump’s PA case “Frankenstein’s monster. ” Dr. Frankenstein, in bringing a corpse to life again, had to patch together various body parts in such a way that his monster could barely walk.

I am on Trump’s emailing list, and receive about 15 emails a day (all go to my spam folder) claiming how they need funds to protect election integrity and prove to the courts, that the election of Joe Biden was rigged. This is a lie. Now the fine print. “Save America” PAC is set up as a “Leadership PAC”, there’s nothing stopping Trump from having fundraisers, say at the Trump Doral Golf Resort and enriching himself, the Trump organization and anyone employed by the PAC. High paying jobs for Donald, Jr, his girlfriend, Eric, Ivanka, Lara, Jared, and the rest of the gang. Save America, Save Doral Golf Resorts, Golf Club West Palm Beach, National Golf Resort, Sterling, VA, Trump’s Jupiter Golf Resorts.

Yes, Save America is to put Trump and his organization and their needs ($$$) above the Republican Party. Save Trump and his billions (soon to be millions after the IRS audit) and his resorts.

Yes, this is Trumpism! On top of every other problem, real or imagined, we have this enormously huge conspiracy against America, that somehow alluded the FBI, the CISA and some 30 courts around the country – Election rigging by evil Democrats, and Rino (Republicans in name only).

Rinos are those that still cling to old Republican ideals of balancing the budget and maintaining a strong defense. Now totally outdated by saturating social media with slogans, like Save America. A massive coordinated and evil conspiracy to steal the election is the only way that Donald Trump could have lost.

Let’s forget this post election Trump sideshow. Trump has already kicked out of his administration anyone with an ounce of integrity, with the latest victim being Chris Krebs. Amazingly, the DHS has not disabled the “Rumor vs Reality” webpage. Unfortunately, I believe Trump supporters and of course the president, reject reality and embrace the rumors. Reality vs Rumors. This is how we save America, or the Republican Party, by being the most gullible and misinformed party in existence.

Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20, 2021. We have failed miserably in containing Covid-19. The real challenge is an incredibly difficult one, and that is to restore confidence in government and our institutions, such as the CDC, FDA and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It is desperately needed now, as we need all Americans to get vaccinated.

When the vaccine is available where I live, I will be first in line. Every time someone is not vaccinated, they likely will spread it to others before it is discovered. Take a good look at the people you associate with or just pass by, acquaintances and loved ones. You can be part of the chain in spreading the disease because you don’t know you have it at first.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Trump tells his donors they’re paying for recounts. They aren’t.

Pennsylvania counties certify election results despite isolated pushback from Trump allies

How many times has President Donald Trump played golf while in office?

Election Recounts – Deal or No Deal!

by Dave

If Trump wants a recount in Wisconsin, he’s got to pay 7.9 million dollars for it. If the recount shows he won, the state has to refund the money. Biden leads in Wisconsin by 20,470 votes. Deadline to request a recount is tomorrow, Dec 18.

In 2016, Jill Stein requested a recount in Wisconsin. As a result, Clinton gained 713 votes, Trump gained 844 and so Trump ended up ahead by 131 votes. Whoopie doo!

If the recount doesn’t cost 7.9 million dollars, Wisconsin gives Trump a partial refund.

Nevada has the same deal for Trump. I don’t know the deadlines or the cost of a recount. In 2016, Jill Stein requested a partial recount, and it ended in a net gain of 3 votes for Trump.

Deal or No Deal? If Trump goes for the recounts, the only thing that will come out of it is the count is off, perhaps a couple hundred votes. It will further legitimize the initial count of votes.

Deal or no deal. We shall see.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Biden is best for Global Problems – Part 3

by Dave

North Korea

The threat of North Korea obtaining deliverable nuclear weapons is real. Trump campaigned as a tough negotiator, with the skill set needed to have North Korea cease in development of nuclear missile.

From John Bolton’s book, Trump had no coherent strategy. He liked to be the center of attention. He went for the photo shoots. He liked to talk about eventual nuclear disarmament, but was unable to do any better than President Obama.

And in the end, President Kim Jong-Un played to Trump’s vanity and won.

It will be a major problem to be passed to Joe Biden. There will be no big summits, or photo ops. It will take immense cooperation from all our Asian partner to cause nuclear disarmament. It will be a lot of behind the scenes diplomacy.

Stay tuned,

Dave

I am tired of our erratic president

by Dave

If there is a common tread of everyone who has worked closely with Donald Trump, it is his erratic actions and his inability to work within the system. It is what caused General Mattis, our former Secretary of Defense e to quit. Similarly, Rex Tillerson, our former Secretary of State, also resigned. His long time personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, describes Trump’s total disregard for ethics and honorable and looks simply at what is best for himself. Similarly, our former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, describes Trump as highly impulsive and self-serving.

The long awaited stimulus package negotiations was obviously going too slow for Donald Trump, so in a tweet, the negotiations were ended. It is likely Steven Mnuchin didn’t even see this coming. It was likely that the only way to get the bill passed in the Senate, would be with the help of Democrats.

Passage of the stimulus bill was vital to keeping certain sectors of our economy from failing and helping those affected by Covid-19 regulations get by with rent and basic essentials until there is a vaccine, likely to happen in 2021.

So, passage of Stimulus II was only going to be a bipartisan victory, not an exclusive Republican victory like the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, which I believe will happen. It might not be completed by election day, but she will be soon on the Supreme Court.

Please do not elect Donald Trump to another four years. Joe Biden could have gotten Stimulus II through both houses of congress, because he understands the process and has the patience.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Florida – Vote for Biden

by Dave

I fear time is running out for this simple message. I live in Florida. Unlike most states, the sea water really surrounds us, so we have our choice of beaches. I guess I could include Hawaii another incredibly beautiful state. It is something very precious.

We share something else with the gulf coast states – hurricanes. Not just in frequency, but also in their ability to destroy homes. Scientists will tell you that climate change does not cause hurricanes, because a lot of factors influence the development of hurricanes. What climate change does, with the warming of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico waters, is allow tropical storms and hurricanes to intensify. So, with climate change, a tropical storm can go to a Category 1 hurricane or from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5. The Category 5 hurricanes are extremely destructive and deadly.

The immense forest fires recently in California are the result of many environmental conditions, and I would never blame a forest fire exclusively on climate change. The ignition of the fire can come from multiple sources, including lightening strikes and human activities. The buildup of dry material can also be blamed the difficulty of conducting periodic control burns. However, the inescapable reality is that climate change increases the size of the fire, to the extent where it is incredibly difficult to control. Climate change means a longer dry periods in the western states where the fires can start.

Pulling out of Paris Climate Accords was one of the worse mistakes made by Trump. He said it was grossly unfair to the US and many developed countries, as we would have to bear more of the burden of reducing our carbon emission. In 2016, he said once we left, everyone else would wake up to see what a mistake the US had made, and the European countries would join us in leaving.

It was true Trump, this great deal maker, to sell the public, that he could make America great, by telling everyone how clean our air is, and we have no problem. Yet, as I write, there’s talk about Hurricane Delta coming. Hurricane Delta is right, as this year, we’ve had all 24 named hurricanes and now are going through the Greek alphabet with alpha, beta, gamma, delta.

It is exactly what the scientists predicted – more extreme weather events. Why are there extensive fires in the Amazon? Why in Australia? Why in the artic regions of Alaska, Canada and Siberia?

Climate change is a global problem, solved by working together with all nations. It isn’t going to be solved easily – our carbon emissions are very high and our dependence on fossil fuels very strong. Biden is the right person to lead this country through a transition to less reliance of fossil fuels and more international cooperation in the developing countries – such as Brazil, India, China and Russia.

Vote Biden for Florida, California, the US and the rest of the world. Our house, where we live, is in trouble and it will only get worse under Trump.

A greener planet is possible but we need new leadership now.

Stay tuned,

Dave

September 29 debate – Part II

by Dave

The presidential debate was a mess, with excessive rudeness and interruptions. Wallace is trying to be neutral, but Trump felt he could overpower Wallace. Midway through the discussion, Wallace makes his frustrations clear to President Trump,

“I’m the moderator of this debate and I would like you to let me ask my question and then you can answer your –” and before he’s finished, Trump interrupts.

See below the discussion on health care. Wallace’s question was preceded by three statements of fact: (1) The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Nov 10, 2020 on the challenge to the Affordable Care Act, (2) There is no comprehensive to replace it, contrary to Trump’s repeal and replace campaign promise and (3) You signed a largely symbolic executive order to protect people with pre-existing conditions five days before this debate (Direct quote from Wallace).

The question to Trump was mired in interruptions. Wallace asks, “So my question, sir, is what is the Trump health care plan?”

Here’s the discussion from the transcripts. Note, towards the end, I have included only comments from Chris Wallace.

WALLACE: Mr. President, the Supreme Court will hear a case a week after the election in which the Trump administration, along with 18 state attorneys general are seeking to overturn —

TRUMP: That’s right.

WALLACE: — Obamacare, to end Obamacare. You had spent the last —

TRUMP: Because they want to give good health care —

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: If I may ask that question, sir.

TRUMP: Go ahead.

BIDEN: Good health care. (– Biden interrupts)

WALLACE: Over the last four years, you have promised to repeal and replace Obamacare but you have never in these four years come up with a plan, a comprehensive plan —

TRUMP: Of course, I have.

WALLACE: — to replace Obamacare.

TRUMP: Of course, I have.

WALLACE: Well, I’ll give you an —

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I got rid of the individual mandate.

WALLACE: — when I finish, I’m going to give you an opportunity —

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Excuse me. I got rid of the individual mandate which was a big chunk of Obama —

WALLACE: That is not a comprehensive plan.

— Trump wants to talk about Obamacare, Wallace is looking for Trump to talk about his plan, and he doesn’t want to do this.

TRUMP: That is absolutely a big thing. That was the worst part of Obamacare.

WALLACE: I didn’t ask —

— Trump interrupts Wallace, to redirect the discussion to Obamacare.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Chris, that was the worst part of Obama —

WALLACE: Sir, you’re debating him, not me. Let me ask my question —

— Trump interrupts Wallace

TRUMP: Well, I’ll ask Joe.

— Trump now wants to be moderator! Wallace response is simple.

WALLACE: No —

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: The individual mandate was the most unpopular aspect of Obamacare. I got rid of it. And we will protect people with preexisting condition.

— Trump interrupts Wallace

WALLACE: I’m the moderator of this debate and I would like you to let me ask my question and then you can answer your —

— Trump interrupts Wallace.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Go ahead.

WALLACE: You, in the course of these four years have never come up with a comprehensive plan to replace Obamacare and just this last Thursday, you signed a largely symbolic executive order to protect people with pre-existing conditions five days before this debate.

So my question, sir, is what is the Trump health care plan?

Trump talks about future plans to bring down cost of prescription drugs, and fails to discuss “pre-existing conditions.”

WALLACE: What about pre-existing conditions?

WALLACE: As I say, this is open discussion. Let me ask you about…

— Trump interrupts Wallace again.

WALLACE: Sir, you’ll be happy, I’m about to pick up on one of your points to ask the vice president, which is, he points out that you would like to add a public option to Obamacare, and the argument that he makes and other Republicans make is that that is going to end private insurance and will…

BIDEN: It is not. Sorry.

WALLACE: If I can ask you the question. It will end…

— Trump interrupts Wallace as he asks Biden a question. Trump is turning Wallace’s question as a statement of fact. Trump feels it is his turn to talk even as Wallace says this is a question for Biden to answer.

TRUMP: Not what your party says, by the way.

WALLACE: It will end private insurance and create a government takeover of health care.

BIDEN: It does not. It’s only for those people who are so poor they qualify for Medicaid, they can get that free in most states except governors who want to deny people who are poor Medicaid. Anyone who qualifies for Medicare — excuse me, Medicaid would automatically be enrolled in the public option.

The vast majority of the American people would still not be in that option. Number one. Number two…

— Trump interrupts Biden.

TRUMP: Joe, you agreed with Bernie Sanders’s far left on the manifesto, we call it.

— Trump now is asking the question, trying to redirect the question away, to an attack on Bernie Sanders.

===== From this point forward, I will only show Wallace’s comments.

WALLACE: Mr. President, can you let him finish, sir?

WALLACE: Please let him speak, Mr. President.

WALLACE: Mr. President… (Trump cuts him off)

WALLACE: Gentlemen, you realize that you are both speaking at the same time. Let the president — go ahead, sir.

WALLACE: I’ve got to… (Trump cuts him off)

WALLACE: I have to give you roughly equal time. Please let the vice president talk, sir.

======

So, there are a number of tactics going on. First, Trump knows oral arguments will be on November 10, so above all, he wants immediately to change the subject to what was so horrible about Obamacare. He interrupts Wallace’s question eleven times.

Trump is pushing his own accomplishments and ignores the fact that the Supreme Court case is being asked to rule that the entire law is unconstitutional because it no longer contains the individual mandate.

So, the tactics are to pre-emptively interrupt the moderator, and then answer a question more to one’s liking. Also, since the question was posed to Trump, he feels it is his time, and can interrupt Biden. A statement of fact from a moderator for Trump is a question in terms of a point of dispute.

Part III on the debate is in preparation.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Sept 29 debate

by Dave

I will skip over the usual commentary on the back and forth interruptions and name calling.  The statements made, and their truthfulness are listed below.  In some cases where a rating was not provided, but from the context, it was clear that the statement was false, I have labeled it so, followed by an asterisk.   Others might label some statements as misleading or taken out of context.  Statements are sometimes is included in congressional reports for political purpose.

On climate change, I will follow up with a summary on the differences between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.  One clear take away from the debate was that Joe Biden’s approach to climate change is not the “New Green Deal.”   It was too bad that Donald Trump seemed fully prepared to ridicule a plan that wasn’t Biden’s.

Trump “I brought back 700,000 jobs. (Obama and Biden) brought back nothing.”   FALSE

Trump is wrong about the job gains on his watch; the actual increase is about 450,000 prior to the pandemic.  As for Obama and Biden, they saw gains of 916,000 if you start counting with the recovery from the Great Recession, which is the fairest comparison if you also ignore the losses under Trump during the pandemic.

Trump [Joe Biden] “had 308,000 military people dying because you couldn’t provide them proper healthcare in the military.”  FALSE

Donald Trump falsely says 308,000 military people died waiting for care on Biden’s watch.  The number comes from a VA inspector general report that found the VA’s data “virtually unreliable.” The figure includes people who had been dead for many years, some before 1998.  It includes people who never applied for benefits.

Trump “You said you went to Delaware State but you forgot the name of your college.” FALSE

Biden once said that he got his “start” at at the school because he received support there when he announced his bid for Senate on the campus.  Trump is taking his comments out of context.

Trump “The mayor of Moscow, his wife, gave your son (Hunter Biden) three and a half-million dollars.”  FALSE *

This was not rated by Politifact, however in their summary they state:  “A Republican Senate committee report said a Russian widow sent $3.5 million to a partnership co-founded by Hunter Biden. Biden’s lawyer says he did not co-found the partnership and had no stake in it. Democrats say they reviewed the Republicans’ documentation but did not find a specific link to Hunter Biden.”  It has been labeled false because the Republicans were given an opportunity to support the link between Hunter Biden and the partnership by releasing the documents  and failed to do so.

Trump:  Numerous statements concerning potential fraud with mail-in balloting. FALSE *

Washington Post “As usual, Trump offered a baseless conspiracy theory that widespread use of mail ballots during an infectious-disease pandemic would lead to massive voter fraud. There is simply no evidence for these claims. The Department of Homeland Security says Russia is spreading the same kind of disinformation to sow doubts about mail balloting and the integrity of the U.S. election.”

Trump:  He falsely claimed that Biden supports the Medicare for All plan. He never did.  Reference: Factcheck.org FALSE *

Biden/Trump:  Trump said “I don’t think” Kellyanne Conway, his former White House counselor, said “riots and chaos and violence help his cause,” as Biden claimed.   I’m going to rule in favor of Trump on this one, and give Biden a FALSE.

Conway’s actual statement was, “The more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who’s best on public safety and law and order.”  Conway is clearly saying that Trump’s handling of the existing situation shows he is the better leader.

Biden:  He said billionaires have gotten $300 to $400 billion wealthier during the pandemic, but he is referring to a study that ignored the financial losses by wealthy stockholders early in the pandemic.  Reference Factcheck.org FALSE *

Biden  “We have a higher deficit with China now than we did before.”  MOSTLY FALSE

The most inclusive measurement, for goods and services, shows that the U.S. trade deficit with China was smaller under Trump in 2019, the most recent full year, than it was in any of the final three years of the Obama administration.  Looking only at goods shows the trade deficit was generally higher under Trump than it was in the Obama years, but it declined in 2019 to around the level as the final year of the Obama administration.  [Note: Politifact presents a graph which does not show much difference between Trump and Biden on China trade deficits].

Biden: Biden got it wrong when he claimed there was “15% less violence” during his time in office than today. The violent crime rate dropped under Trump. FALSE *

Ref: Factcheck.org

Biden:  Biden falsely charged that the Trump administration did not try to send experts to Wuhan, China — where the novel coronavirus outbreak emerged late last year — during the early stages of the pandemic. (Ref Factcheck.org)  FALSE

It’s a pretty outrageously false statement, given HHS Azar’s statement.  On January 6, we offered to send a CDC team to China that could assist with these public health efforts,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said at a Jan. 28 press conference.   China made public the discovery of a new virus, and Azar within a week wanted to send CDC experts to Wuhan.    It was China that did not want CDC experts in Wuhan.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Presidential Debate September 29, 2020

by Dave

I will both watch the debate and tape it.  I will review what the fact checkers reveal.  I am interested in both policy and truthfulness.  If it turns out that Biden lied the most during the debate, I will say so.  I will post my comments on Wednesday.  I suggest those who have not made up their minds, this debate should be watched carefully.   Politifact and factcheck websites will likely catch many of the misinformation.

Stay tuned,

Dave