Joe Bauer

13 hours ago, Douglas Caddy said:

The Coronavirus Is Coming for Trump’s Presidency

Will a nationalist president be undone by his underreaction to a foreign threat?

 

By Ross Douthat

Opinion Columnist

The New York Times

March 7, 2020,

From the article:

But right now we are headed for a scenario of rising death rates and overwhelmed hospitals, shuttered schools and empty stadiums and cancellations everywhere.

Combine this scenario’s inevitable economic consequences with the optics of the president’s blundering and solipsistic response, and the coronavirus seems very likely to doom Trump’s re-election effort, no matter where he casts the blame.

 

This coronavirus event is quickly turning into a social and economic national disaster beyond anything we have seen in our lifetimes!

And more and more it's looking like Donald Trump

just doesn't have the emotional, intellectual and historical perspective make up and mature leadership skills to competently handle it.

It's just cringing to see and hear Trump impulsively spouting out personal thoughts, comments and claims on the situation ( he literally makes things up! ) that are so scientifically unfounded ( a hunch?!) and are often clearly contrary to the facts and even his own expert's findings.

As he has done several times in his 3 1/2 years as President, when Trump perceives that the "true facts" of any important national situation could threatening his image as a competent leader and re-election chances ... he starts promoting "alternate facts" false realities.

In this particularly frightening crisis, the effect on the public anxiety mind set by Trump's irresponsible off-the-cuff self-serving / downplaying proclamations is one of added confusion and even more anxiety!

We have two disasters happening right now. This scary, no antidote virus...and Trump's inherent ego driven image insecurity and leadership skill incompetence in dealing with it.

The public is literally terrified and Trump seems totally confused himself as to how he should handle this massive crisis and the national anxiety it has created except to manipulate it to try to minimize any perceived damage he thinks it may be doing to him personally.

And attacking Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and calling him junior high school taunting names "a Snake" at a time when a President should be the most unifying, calming and mature figure in the country is beyond words appalling. It's personal insecurity to a disturbing degree.

It's taking a crisis this impacting to reveal the "true" extreme image insecurity and leadership incompetence of Donald Trump.

6 hours ago, Bart Kamp said:

SSC - Robert Maheu.

Ominous dark stuff regards Maheu.

His involvement with Howard Hughes ... wonder if he did gain control of the man those last years?

6 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

Ty Carpenter: I always had Mathews pegged as more of a plain idiot than some sort of sell out or useful stooge.

I have to reply to this.

If you read the article, I make the argument that Matthews rode up the ladder on the back of Oliver Stone.  With his column on the film Nixon, disputing the Haldeman book Bay of Pigs reference, and then his crapola book Kennedy and Nixon. 

Many people have noted that Matthews went out of his way to rail against those who disagreed with the Warren Report numerous times on his show.  At times he did so out of nowhere, just to attack the critics and make them out to be a bunch of fruits.  

If you  read the article, you will see that he took special care to deny what i consider the main thesis of the film JFK.  Namely, that Kennedy was withdrawing from Vietnam at the time of his death.  And that this was reversed after his assassination.  I mean, when you write a  book and a half about Kennedy, and you fail to mention NSAM 263, that puts you in the class of Bob Dallek.  Well Matthews did that.  Clearly, Matthews saw Stone's film so he had to be aware of it.  He ignored it.

IMO, this is why Stone's film was so radioactive to the Power Elite.  On two counts.  First, the MSM did not really question Johnson's nutty Vietnam escalations.  The Washington Post for example backed him on this. Their correspondent even tried to say that the Tet offensive was a failure.  It was not until the period of about 1969-71 that they began to change their tune, that is with the publication of the Pentagon Papers.

Secondly, virtually no one noted the fact that Johnson was lying his eyes out when he said he was continuing Kennedy's foreign policy.  Today, it is just about impossible to deny that Johnson reversed Kennedy's foreign policy and HE KNEW HE WAS LYING WHEN HE SAID HE WAS NOT.

In other words, Stone, Prouty and Newman were correct.  Even the Ny Times had to admit that Kennedy had a plan to withdraw when the ARRB declassified the Sec Def records from May of 1963 in 1997.

But yet, Matthews was arguing the opposite in 1999, as i note in that article, when he interviewed Ventura.  Sorry, I don't think you can do that accidentally.  The vast majority of the MSM does not want to admit that Vietnam would not have happened if Kennedy had lived.  Because they completely missed that story, and its one of the biggest ones in the second half of the 20th century.  It lead to the deaths of 4 million Vietnamese, and if you add in Cambodia--under those great foreign policy leaders Nixon and Kissinger--about 2 million more.   The equivalent of an American holocaust.

One man does make a difference.  The MSM does not want to admit that they were asleep at the switch for all of this.

Jim, how do you arrive at the 4 million death number PLUS another 2 million?

I had always read that 2 million Vietnamese died during our action there.

Are you including all the Vietnamese who died in fighting before we got involved?

And those Pol Pot killed of his own people?   2 million there?

These numbers are important in their accuracy.

2 million is a massive number alone.

We lost what, 55,000 in Vietnam?

That's a 40 to 1 death casualty ratio.

4 minutes ago, Bart Kamp said:

What I have shared here is an absolute pittance as to what will eventually be available..

You'll see.

 

Wow!

Can't wait.

36 minutes ago, Denny Zartman said:

Bart, for all your hard work, I would like to present you and Malcolm with the 100% officially authorized, endorsed, certified and approved Education Forum Official Honorary Degree Award: the Doctorate Of Outstanding Excellence.

If anyone else would like one of these awards and has PayPal, please feel free (well, almost free) to contact me.

Ha!

But seriously, I agree they deserve some type of special recognition.

These documents being shared here on the forum are amazing.

How about starting a new Mark Zaid/JFK/Trump thread and insisting contributing posters stay on that one single subject?

This thread has admittedly become quite compromised and scattered, yet many members posting here have expressed their enjoyment appreciation for this one (just one) open, current event relief thread besides the more serious JFK research mission ones.

My apologies to those who feel upset by this off-JFK-topic thread but I would still like to share some observations about Americans now hesitating going to Chinese restaurants.

I live on the Northern California Coast. 1 1/2 hours drive to the Bay Area from the South.

San Francisco's most numerous ethnic group is Chinese. That's hundreds of thousands.

We must have one or two thousand Chinese restaurants in just the Bay Area alone. We have 12 within 5 miles from our home 90 miles South of San Jose.

Just took out food from one of them last night.

One of my best friends is Chinese. He has a large extended family living mostly in San Francisco with some in the South Bay.

My friend and his family and extended family regularly travel to China about once or twice a year to visit even more family.

My friend's wife just went to Canton in the middle of last December. His sister-in-law went there too and came back in January.

Tens of thousands of Chinese Americans fly back and forth to China from California all the time and have done so for many years. 

Many new immigrants from China take jobs in Chinese restaurants here in Calif.

Most Chinese/Americans who own Chinese Restaurants have huge extended families here and back in China. They get together often. They fly to China often.

I am just now considering not going to our Chinese restaurants for awhile out of pure common sense caution because of these facts.

I grew up with Chinese American kids. I am friends with several now in my old age.

I love so much about them. Their honesty, morality, work ethic, self-respect, family and friend loyalty, their respect for the law and even their appreciation for the opportunities given them here in our country.

Cutting back on going to Chinese restaurants for the immediate future will be hard for them.

However, I am sure they will not take this business downturn personally. They understand the reality of the fear sweeping our West Coast states right now about this new virus.

3 hours ago, David Andrews said:

Joe, add to that a "snowless" Europe this season due to climate change, and (based on where I live) greatly reduced snowfall in the northern US, and the winter sports and tourism industries take hits on top of Coronavirus fear losses:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2020/mar/06/a-snowless-winter-around-europe-in-pictures

https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/03/coronavirus-diaries-travel-agent-halt.html?via=homepage_taps_top

https://slate.com/business/2020/03/airlines-are-getting-walloped-by-the-coronavirus.html

This past February was the driest on record for Northern California.

California's number one industry is agriculture.

Tourism is one of the top 5.

Even without the coronavirus hit, without tourists and enough water California could suffer major economic losses.

DJ.

Just to the left of the older Cruz inset picture is a seated dark haired younger woman with her head turned to her left.

When I first noticed her I swear I was looking at Sylvia Odio.

Odio is easy to remember after seeing her in pics and in a You Tube interview video.

She was a very attractive women as the seated woman in the photo is also.

Small world if Raphael Cruz is in the same meeting with Odio here.

Cruz is a shifty character from what I have read. None-the-less, I wish someone could interview him on tape and ask him about his political doings in Texas at that time...and whether he knew who Sylvia Odio was?

If Biden is the final Democratic party candidate, the wealthiest 1 to 5% ruling class in this country wins either way regardless who wins the election between him and Trump.

It's that simple.

The ever growing control of this extremely small minority oligarchy over the rest of us continues.

The middle class will remain the more and more powerless class and their losses and stresses economically and politically since Reagan will continue to increase.

Yes, good article Jim Di.

10 minutes ago, Kirk Gallaway said:

I like that Ron,

Ok, no I don't find Elizabeth Warren that physically attractive. Ha ha boys!

 

I do agree with Joe. Elizabeth Warren is as young as a 70 year old person as I could imagine. I think she wakes up in the morning sincerely believing in justice and the struggle to better conditions for everyday people. I think she has an indomitable spirit that drives her and a refusal to let life set her back that some may see as a naivete, but I think it's the secret to her youth that many could learn from her, and I don't know what's lurking in her medical records, but I could see her living a long time.

Well, I do find Elizabeth Warren attractive.

It's her super healthy youngish 70 year old looks ( and body ) combined with her passionate spirit and strong will and courage to stand up for what's right and fair for everybody. A U.S. Constitution and Bill Of Rights defender. She's not afraid to confront bullies.

3 hours ago, Douglas Caddy said:

Biden is really more of a Republican than a Democrat. He is from Delaware, the legal home of banks and credit card companies. His years in  Congress show that he is an opportunist. In the Senate confirmation hearing on Clarence Thomas over which he presided, he made the calculated decision that putting a black man on the Supreme Court would ultimately pay off for his political ambitions. He shafted Anita Hill because she offered his political ambitions little.

I watched daily the Senate hearings that Biden held on going to war in Iraq and once again his political ambitions told him to support the war, which is now approaching its second decade of useless warfare with the only thing to show for it is the vast numbers of deaths of American soldiers and the people of Iraq. President George W. Bush, now considered a war criminal in Europe for that war, publicly thanked Biden for providing key support in Congress for the war when it was needed.

America is a different country that it was two decades ago or even four years ago. If elected president, Biden may find it difficult to effect compromises that reward the Right like he did in the past because Democrats in Congress and rank-and-file won't stand for it.

Totally agree Doug.

This is why Bloomberg was willing to spend almost 1/2 BILLION DOLLARS to get Biden in over Sanders and Warren.

The Oswald photo is too vague for me to see anything David. But that right arm extended with hand on the hip does seem familiar in other Oswald stances I think.

20 hours ago, W. Niederhut said:

We won't all be dead by November, but I suspect that some of us may be.

As a 60-something Boomer with borderline diabetes I'm in a higher risk category, and I'm currently facing the daunting task of trying to convince my daughter to cancel her spring break trip to Southern California.

As for Daniel Craig, is it a mere coincidence that Bond resembles Vladimir Putin nowadays?

"Bond resembles Vladimir Putin" ?

Hmmm - my first major disagreement with you there W.N.

But talk about a higher risk category candidate for the worst case scenario reaction to this coronavirus?

I'm 68 and have many immune system issues.

Hope I don't get it. 

2 hours ago, Douglas Caddy said:

Biden rigged confirmation hearing in favor of Supreme Court Justice Thomas

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/elections-2020/bernie-backer-tlaib-invokes-anita-hill-to-undercut-biden/ar-BB10MVud?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=UE07DHP

Doug, I was really surprised Biden's competitors didn't make this truth about Biden a much reported issue in the states with large black voting numbers.

Biden is the person most responsible for Clarence Thomas getting confirmed for the Supreme Court imo.

Biden's hearing was an unjust slap in the face for Anita Hill.

Most black Americans hate C. Thomas as he sides against them on most SC decisions.

17 minutes ago, David Josephs said:

The photos of Cruz reminded me of someone I had seen in a photo of an ALPHA 66 meeting on Harlendale...

Is that him?

 

 

What a remarkable likeness between the early Cruz arrest mug shot and the Alpha 66 chair sitting young man.

Same face shape, expression, mouth and lip and space between the nose and upper lip, thin chin, thin neck, high forehead and of course those big sticking out ears.

And Cruz himself has stated he was very active politically while living in Texas. The meeting man also looks to be the right age of Cruz during his time there. Great find David.

1 hour ago, David Andrews said:

This is the most ghastly Coronavirus news, though it could be a cover story for post-production problems, or to secure a release date in the holiday season:

https://slate.com/culture/2020/03/coronavirus-james-bond-no-time-to-die-release-delayed.html

 

David, this is what I am talking about. 

10's of millions of Americans go to theaters every month ( including my wife and I ) and to close even half of these nationwide will impact the film industry like nothing we've seen before since WWII. 

And this is just ONE major American industry that will take a massive hit in income and profit.

And multiply this singular industry impact many times "world wide!"

Same thing with professional sports.

Postponing the latest Bond film premier for "7 months" seems a long, long time to do so.

Guess they are so unsure how bad this event may get they don't want to risk a major ticket sales loss by releasing it too early.

I am a Bond film addict. Have been since they first began.

I love to catch them as soon as they come out.

What are we going to do if things get this bad? Stay at home and watch Net Flix movies I guess. I am sure this is a concern for millions of others in America right now who have at least considered such a situation.

This coronavirus event may trump even the economy as far as impacting the coming election.

I am sure none of us has seen anything as potentially broadly impacting to our entire society daily lives since WWII.

One one hand Trump's camp is telling everyone the situation isn't so bad, yet every day we are seeing every level of government and corporate management taking drastic action that we have never seen before such as shutting down all schools ( Washington State ) curtailing hundreds if not thousands of large public events and meetings.

Major city news talk radio station expert commentators mention hygiene warnings, travel warnings, basic needs shopping warnings that are being immediately adhered to by millions of citizens.

Major retailers are running out of everything from toilet paper, disinfectants and even TOP RAMEN!

Working parents are scrambling as far as maybe having to pull their kids from schools and their participation in outside activities such as sports or music etc.

How can they work without stress emotionally and financially with a situation like this?

People aren't taking long trips. They are looking at every activity with the coronavirus fear in mind.

My guess is Chinese restaurants will take a huge beating in this fear area just because people would think that maybe their staff has relatives that may have come from infected areas? Personally I would hate to give up one of my favorite pleasures of eating Chinese restaurant food. Panda Express is a regular indulgence.

But seriously, the impact on the economy is beginning to look unprecedented enormous and if it gets worse, it could literally change our daily way of life like we have never seen in our lifetimes.

The aids epidemic was small peanuts in this regards. Ebola was contained to Africa.

Sars and our regular flu cycles didn't effect us this strongly.

JFK's assassination didn't effect us economically like this situation could.

If this coronavirus event gets worse to widespread degrees, it may turn out to be the most important political issue of all this election.

I sure won't miss Mathew's incessant almost manic cutting off and talking over his guests, especially ones he was trying to confront or counter.

Complete with that peculiar spittle laced lisp of his.

This interview manner of his was so irritating and unprofessional to me, my stomach would tense up at times to where I would have to change the channel.

I get the same cringing feeling watching arrogant and condescending Trump motor mouthpiece Kelly Ann Conway doing the same thing whenever she is interviewed by any political talk show hosts outside of Fox news.

I only watch her occasionally because of my odd attraction to her S&M dominatrix good looks.

Bloomberg's 500 million dollar three month campaign project is finished.

Warren is no longer a threat.

Sander's looks like he can't catch Biden.

Mission accomplished.

Our wealthiest 5% ruling class can breathe a sigh of relief.

Pretty obvious a calculated back room deal was worked out between Biden and Mayor Pete and Amy Klubuchar.

If Butti and Klubu had kept their campaigns going through Super Tuesday and then dropped out...their endorsements of Biden wouldn't have done much to help Biden.

They had to do this dropping out quickly and before today, with enough time to even go on national exposure stage with Biden.

Their endorsements would then have an immediate impact in the Super Tuesday elections to hurt Sanders and Warren.

My take anyway.

I agree about Biden's loss of cognitive faculties.

I watched the video the link provided. 

Biden has lucid and even fairly energetic spurts. But also clearly addled senior moments as well. 

Sanders is only 1 year older, but he at least seems much sharper mentally than Biden.

Elizabeth Warren seems to still be in her cognitive prime. Quick, sharp, steady and game for a verbal debate challenge.

Some thoughts on the different Democratic Party candidates and how they would look debating Trump ( just the visual physically ) if each were the final nominee.

Sanders and Biden would make Trump look young.

Physically fit like a daily jogger, fresh eyed, good natural skin and face color and nice hair Elizabeth Warren would make Trump look old, puffy, bloated, unnaturally tanning bed orange and she would out debate him and probably frustrate him into an angry bully emotional state. Trump couldn't get away with badgering and taunting Warren as a woman like he could a male adversary. 

Bloomberg would make Trump look taller and with his 60 billion dollar wealth, make Trump seem more working class poor.

Obviously, Warren would be the best choice by far against Trump from a visceral comparison point of view.

This is a real factor with millions of voters.

JFK looked healthier, tan and more vigorous than the pale sweaty Nixon in their televised debates.

Bill Clinton looked better than older, watch checking Bush senior and hyper high pitched Texas twang Ross Perot.

Barack Obama same thing with John McCain.

Physical looks of Presidential candidates on the national stage does have an influential effect.

Fox News is hosting a Michael Bloomberg Town Hall tonight ( nationally broadcast ) on the eve of the Super Tuesday voting? 

What?

Fox News?

Since when does Fox News give a Democratic primary presidential candidate ( not even a top two leading contender one) such a great, perfectly timed and apparently positive promoting huge exposure platform the night before the most important primary voting day in the entire campaign?

What is going on here? 

If Fox News is promoting Michael Bloomberg over the other Democratic candidates you gotta wonder why?

Like Bloomberg may not be a Democrat after all?

On the eve of Super Tuesday, anchors Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum and the former New York City mayor plan to focus on issues important to voters, Fox News said in a press release.

The event is sold out, but for those with tickets, doors open at 4:30 p.m. and will close promptly at 6 p.m., approximately 30 minutes prior to the show. The town hall will be televised live on Fox News Channel from 6:30-7:30 p.m. 

“I could not be more proud that FOX News Channel continues to be a critical platform for all key candidates in the 2020 presidential election," Fox News President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace said in a statement. "With the largest TV news audience in the country, we are eager to continue offering viewers a robust conversation with the top players in contention for the Democratic nomination."

Mike Bloomberg. The 60 Billion Dollar Man.

Like he needs the exposure help after spending a mind boggling half billion dollars already trying to rest the Democratic party presidential nomination from the progressive primary vote leaders.

These Democrat progressives are his most feared political ideological enemies.

Not Republican Donald Trump.

Last night Bloomberg gets national exposure coverage on CBS's 60 Minutes.

Tonight it's Fox News.

Both within just 48 hours of Super Tuesday?

Sanders, Biden and Elizabeth Warren would give up sex for such fortuitous and perfectly timed national exposure coverage.

In this 60 Minute TV interview Bloomberg won't admit making crude misogynist comments about women. He claims ( or pretends? ) he "doesn't remember" saying them. But yet, he keeps saying he is sorry if his comments hurt anyone.

He also claims he understands the daily struggles of working class and poorer Americans because his father only made $6,000 in yearly income in the late 1940's and early fifties.

Equivalent to $60,000 to $70,000 in today's income.

His boyhood home in Medford, MA ( which he still owns) looks like a $750,000 home today.

His father mortgaged their home for $11,000 ( huge amount back then ) to put Bloomberg and his sister through college.

Yes, it sure sounds like Bloomberg's "extremely rough" childhood does qualify him to truly understand the stresses of today's everyday working Americans living on middle class and lower level incomes and who more and more can't help their children pay the now astronomical costs of college without their children feeling pressured into assuming usury, life long payback stress levels of student loan debt .

60 BILLION dollar personal wealth, three time "Republican" mayor of NYC Bloomberg ( who voted "against" raising the minimum wage ) is the antithesis of a truly sympathetic working middle and lower income class representing Democratic party candidate.

In just a short 3 month time period, Michael Bloomberg has committed to and carried out an unprecedented, mind boggling 1/2 BILLION dollar "all out war" spending/running effort to defeat the progressive Democratic candidates ... not Donald Trump.

"The gentleman doth 'spends' too much, me thinks."

And if Bloomberg ends up running against Trump and loses the election to Trump, Bloomberg wins regardless.

Because his greatest fear is not Trump and his 1% priority policies which benefit Bloomberg. It is his stated fear of progressives winning the White House.

We see this truth clearly printed in black and white in a previous post link of Bloomberg speaking to his Wall Street bank buddies Goldman Sachs at Yankee Stadium.

And now, (Hello!) late comer Bloomberg is already featured on the nationally broadcast CBS interview show "60 Minutes" tonight.  Just two days before "Super Tuesday?"

I just watched the interview on the internet. It's softball questions through out.

Talk about a perfectly timed, free advertising, huge audience exposure, poll boosting coup!

How in the heck did Bloomberg score this prized huge exposure bonus gig "just before" the Super Tuesday voting over all the other Dem candidates? 

A coincidence? Oh, please!

Liz Warren has been in the primary campaign since Feb 19th, 2019.

She's been in the cross country travel , press scrutiny and crowd greeting grind, fighting the battles and facing the heat through every debate for one solid year since. For most of this time she was considered a leading candidate. In that entire year CBS never once considered her worthy of their national audience interest?

Yet, Bloomberg avoids all that work, personal scrutiny and heat, saunters in 9 months later than Warren, and after only 3 months of campaigning, scores the perfectly timed extra national exposure effect 60 Minute gig?

I really wonder about what is going on with CBS and 60 Minutes with this Bloomberg exposure gift at the perfect time to help his Johnny Come Lately campaign over the entire rest of the much longer running, greater sacrificing Dem candidate field.

Seems too easy fishy to me.

Bloomberg has now spent 1/2 BILLION to defeat the Dem field in his brief 3 month long run? How obscene. How un-American.

If Bloomberg wins the Dem candidacy, we'll have to tell our kids... Yes Sammy and Susie, in our country, if you're rich enough, you really can buy the presidency.