Donald Trump, A Convicted Criminal Wins The Republican Presidential Nomination.

 Donald Trump's supporters on  so called "super Tuesday" traveled the lowest road possible and clinched the Republican Presidential nomination for Donald Trump over his opponent Nikkie Haley who suspended her campaign after the votes came in.  Now the GOP and their supporters have a Presidential nominee whose company has been convicted of fraud and Trump himself convicted of sexually attacking E.Jean Carroll who sued him successfully before a jury of his peers, not once but twice.  And Trump still faces multiple additional felony accounts and trials to be set at a later date.  New York's trial against Trump for alleged payments to Stormy Daniels is set to start March 25.

Trump's supporters have allowed themselves to believe that criminal Trump represents the best America can do to represent them as President of the United States, the greatest country in the world.  They, along with the media have also allowed themselves to push Trump's lies and misinformation about a stolen 2020 election and other toxic lies that divide the country.  Trump and his supporters believe the oath of office the President swears to, to uphold the constitution and the rule of law do not apply to their ideology, especially when President Trump tried to over turn the 2020 Presidential election and obstructed the peaceful transfer of power to the Biden administration.

American leadership and democracy has stood the test of time for over 249 years because we are a country and people who believe in the constitution and the rule of law and we do not elect criminals as President and Commander in Chief to destroy the process that has made the U.S. the greatest country in the world.  Donald Trump had four years to prove his worth as an American President who took the same oath of office our forebearers took over 200 years ago and failed the test to protect the democratic process and the rule of law.  To Trump, the oath was only words. 

It was reported in the  New Orleans Advocate of 3/7 that six of the seven Louisiana GOP delegations in the U.S. congress endorsed Trump for the nomination.  Louisiana's U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy had no comment but he had said long ago he would support the Republican nominee.  In other words, he does endorse Trump's nomination.  

The Republic Party, the Republicans in Congress and those who support Trump at the voting booth are willing to take the lowest road and return a criminal to the highest office in the land.  A sad situation since they know he would, if elected, continue his assault on democracy, the constitution, the rule of law, the courts, his oath of office and the morals of America and its people.  

The only real choice for America is to return President Biden to office in November 2024.  That will continue the stability of the federal government and the sanity in the White House that has prevailed for the past three years in spite of the negative voices and toxic rhetoric of lies, misinformation and division.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Clancy DuBos's Commentary and "PolitiDose" Commentary Are On The Same Page.

 Columnist Clancy DuBos's commentary in the New Orleans Advocate of 3/5 titled, "New concealed-carry laws won't make state any safer" and "PolitiDose commentary dated 3/1 titled, "The State of Louisiana: An Invitation for Gun Violence" were on the same page concerning Senate Bill 1 which allows 18 years olds to carry concealed firearms without permits.  Both commentaries recognize the elementary fact that more guns on the streets in Louisiana means more violence and deaths.

Mr. DuBos in his commentary and to his credit never mentioned the concealed-carry laws as "tough on crime" like the GOP love to throw around and which some in the media enable as fact.  The record of gun violence and deaths can be backed up with stats that states with the weakest gun laws are the ones with the most gun violence and deaths per capita.  

As an experienced journalist, Clancy DuBos understands the issues and the negative outcomes that will take place with the new concealed-carry law that goes into effect on July 4.  His words of wisdom should be taken seriously. 

This commentary was written by Joe Lorio

The State of Louisiana: An Invitation For Gun Violence.

 The passage of Governor Jeff Landry's crime package by the Louisiana Legislators was reported in two articles in the Advocate of 2/29 and 3/1.  The paper used the GOP's BS phrase, "tough-on-crime" to describe the package.  The phrase is familiar and the media embraces the BS even though the GOP has a terrible record on crime prevention.

Part of the package will allow 18 year old and older to carry concealed firearms without a permit.  In other words, more guns on the streets of Louisiana.  That is a prescription for more gun violence because we know from stats, states with the weakest gun laws have more gun violence deaths than those states with strict gun laws.  And those stats come from FBI reports, The gun violence archive's report and Statista reports who keep gun violence records.

We are also aware of the facts that the New Orleans Police Dept., worked with the federal government to remove guns from the streets of New Orleans were successful in removing hundreds of guns and that help contribute to  lower the murder rate the past 4 months and as of this date it is still working.  If the media would check the facts they would know the GOP's "tough-on-crime phrase they love to ape is just one big lie.

The two most recent years for gun violence deaths per capita 100,000, the ten states with the most deaths were:

In 2022, eight of the ten worse states were governed by Republicans.  #1 was Alaska (R),  #2 was Miss. (R),  #3 was Wyoming (R),  #4 was New Mexico  (D),  #5  was Alabama (R)  #6 was La. (D),  #7 was Missouri (R),  #8 was So. Carolina (R),  #9 was Arkansas (R),  #10  was Montana (R).

In 2023 eight of the ten worse states were governed by Republicans also:  #1 was Miss. (R),  #2 was Louisiana (D)  #3 was New Mexico (D),  #4 was Alabama (R), #5 was Wyoming (R),  #6  was Alaska (R),  #7  was Montana (R),  #8 was Arkansas (R),  #9 was Missouri (R),  #10 was Tennessee (R).  

Keep in mind the media loves to enable the GOP when they talk about crime in democratic California and New York.  Well, year in and year out, Florida and Texas, two GOP controlled states have more gun violence deaths per capita than California and New York.  Evidently the media is ignorant about the weak gun laws created in Florida and Texas and the more strict gun laws created in California and New York.  

If any one in Louisiana thinks the weak concealed carry gun laws without a permit that puts more guns on the street meets the tough-on-crime standard you can be sure they are GOP ditto heads.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio   

Good News for The City of New Orleans and The New Orleans Police Department.

 In a New Orleans Advocate story of February 22, the City of New Orleans received some good and positive news from the Judge over seeing the Federal consent degree the city has been operating under for the past decade.  The Federal court said it was clear that cooperation improved dramatically and progress accelarated dramatically the past few months due to the hard work of people in the courtroom and other officials.  

According to the article, NOPD's new superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick was given credit for the department working closely and together with the Federal monitors for the improvements.  Because of the plan by Kirkpatrick and her deputy Chief Nicholas Gernon, compliance with the degree is a step closer.  This writer believes what we have here now is elementary, that means the right people are in the right positions to handle a problem that has been long running.

That piece of good news for the City and NOPD goes hand in hand with a earlier January report in the Advocate where the murder rate in New Orleans in 2023 fell 27% from 2022 and that the down trend began 3 months before the New Year.  That downward trend was the subject of a PolitiDose commentary in January.  And once again this writer reminds it's readers that the improvements and good news began months before Jeff Landry was elected governor, months before Landry appointed a New Orleans Crime Commission and months before Landry authorized the State Police to work with New Orleans.  

Why is it important to remember that?  Well, it's because the GOP has a history of trying to take credit when good things take place on the democratic watch.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio   

Louisiana's U.S. Representative Garret Graves: Sour Grapes Comments About His Own Party.

A New Orleans Advocate report by Mark Ballard of 2/13 titled, "Lies Kept House GOP From Wins" tells the story of Graves comments in a speech before the Ripen Society, a GOP think tank when he says his own party misled the American people with lies and mis-information that took off in social media.  Those lies and mis-information by his own party also took place on Fox News, the GOP's leading source of lies and mis-information.

Graves indictment of his own party comes too late and his party is still engaged in such actions and still support Trump's lies and mis-information on a daily basis.  His party, 3 years after the 2020 election still can not say in public that Joe Biden won the Presidential election and the legal President of record.  This writer does not recall Graves challenge to his party's position of election fraud and in fact the same lies and mis-information Graves talks about were spread on social media against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election while Mr. Graves was silent.

Graves comment that the GOP controlled House's failure to enact successful legislation incrementally because they have the attitude of "all or nothing" is really one of their staple positions and nothing new.  Maybe if Graves would have stepped up to the plate earlier, he could have done something about it, especially if he would have said it on the House floor to his own members and for public consumption.  The party has been Trump's party for the past 8 years and no one in the GOP has the character to call him out for what he is.  

Nothing will change with the GOP being the party of lies and mis-information until the party dumps Trump and the Fox News as being their spokesperson.  The GOP allowed Trump to kill the democratic process and become the un-American party and it is being played out in the Courts.  And recently, the public was exposed to the dangers of Trump and the GOP, when Trump told his GOP stooges in congress to kill the latest immigration reform legislation that was surely going to pass.  And his ditto head stooges did just that.  

The GOP is a sick party and the sickness grows every day.  PolitiDose commentary back in 2016 pointed out that Trump and the GOP were one and the same.  The general news media never recognized that fact and the party's lies and mis-information was never challenged by them.  Mr. Graves violated his own expressed concern about the GOP not accepting incremental wins when he voted against President Biden's infrastructure legislation, a good piece of legislation for America and for the people of Louisiana who Graves represents.  The legislation did pass congress despite Mr. Graves no vote.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio  

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and the Unemployment Rate for January 2024.

The U.S. Labor Department reported that the economy created 353,000 jobs in January and that the unemployment rate came in at 3.7%, same as it was in December.  It was the 36th straight month of positive job growth and the 24th consecutive month of unemployment in the 3% range.  The last time that took place was during the Kennedy-Johnson administration.  The Department also reported that wages were up 0.6% in January over December and that year to year were up 4.5%.  The Department also noted that November and December's job numbers were increased 129,000 from the previous reports.  The economic pundits were wrong again when they predicted January's job numbers to be around 170,000. 

When the Labor Department announced the numbers some of the negative voices of doom and gloom had to admit and eat their words and said this is a good economy and the numbers were amazing.  The negative voices never bothered to check out the economic facts all along since Biden took office.  They were only concerned with dealing out mis-information to influence the voting public.  

Why did so many express shock at the good January job numbers?  After all in January of 2022 513,000 jobs were added to the economy and in January 2023, 510,000 jobs were added to the economy according to the Labor Department reports.  President Biden's administration has accomplished in 3 years what past democratic administrations accomplished in creating a good economy, job creation and lower unemployment.  They set a precedent of good government that enabled the voters to expect progress and that is what President Biden has done since day one.

The business community's ad advertising for job openings are still holding steady and have actually increased lately in an earlier report.  In other words, the business community are still hiring and obviously pay no attention to the negative voices of doom and gloom.  The media seems to be changing its tune on the economy also.  They are responsible for enabling the negative voices for the past two years and lack understanding of the economic facts.  They should be ashamed of themselves and their failure to inform.

And for the past three years, PolitiDose commentary has been there reporting on the economic facts before they unfold and thereafter.  The same is true on economic facts the past 10 years and counting.  So stay tuned to PolitiDose, your daily dose of political commentary.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

                                        

The Media's Opinion Writers Finally Conclude The U.S. Economy Is Working.

 It took a report concerning consumer sentiment by the University of Michigan in November to grab the attention of opinion writers to report the U.S. economy is doing very well indeed and that consumers were upbeat about the economy.  The Michigan report indicated the largest cumulative consumer sentiment had risen 29% and consumer sentiment at its highest level since 2021 concerning the economy.

For the past 21 months (that is when the negative voices first predicted an economic recession would begin in the 2nd quarter of 2022) opinion writers ran with the negative voices of doom and gloom even though they knew there existed no data to back up such false claims to support a recession.  They simply choose to ignore the true facts on the economy that was working and had been working since President Biden took office.

President Biden was right recently when he took the media on for failing to tell the true story about the economy and how it has been working and producing good numbers all along.  The media failed big time in over looking the President's priority of raising American wages which his policies have accomplished through a growing economy and the President's steady push to raise those wages.  

PolitiDose commentary was there from the very beginning and told the true story why the economy would do well during Biden's administration.  And the story was followed up each month in commentary.  Opinion writers never bothered to study the past record of democratic administrations and therefore had no clue or desire to follow the facts.  They even failed to grasp the importance of consumer spending on the economy.  And for the President's first 3 years in office PolidiDose commentary has called the shot that took place and the consumer has had the last word with their spending.

For the past 3 years the Biden administration put forward an economic plan that has worked, kept America safe and guarded our democratic form of government.  That is an achievement that escaped the previous traitorous President.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio    

Quin Hillyer's Column About Former President Donald Trump Is Seven Years Too Late.

 Mr. Hillyer, a conservative writer for the conservative newspaper the Washington Examiner, in a New Orleans Advocate article dated 1/21/24 titled, "Only one way for GOP opponents to defeat Trump" lists over two dozen reasons why Trump's presidency was a failure.  He uses that failure to write that the only way Trump's GOP opponents can defeat him is to talk about those failures as a past President.

Of course, the GOP as a party and in congress along with the conservative media which Mr. Hillyer is a part of, never talked about Trump's failures while they were taking place or thereafter until now.  The article points out how the GOP under Trump are the record spenders especially in creating debt.  The GOP has always pushed the big lie that the democratic party are the big spenders and the conservative media enabled those lies forever.  This is the first time this writer has heard Mr. Hillyer finally correct the record.

It took Mr. Hillyer seven years to discover the failures of Trump and his presidency, but PolitiDose commentary told the real story from the very beginning about the Trump failure and how democratic administrations govern better for the country and its people.  It was the conservative media who created the fairy tale about Trump with their mis-information, lies, with the idea of dividing the country.  And in another election year it is still the conservative media overall who are still supporting the traitorous actions of the former President.   

The GOP and the conservative media enabled Trump to destroy the republican party by willingly accepting his intimidation and move toward anti-democracy with his attacks on the constitution, our nations institutions and law enforcement.  A complete reversal of what America stands for.  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The U.S. Economy Ends December 2023 and The Year With Good News.

 The U.S. Economy should remind all who remember the old Timex commercial, it just keeps on ticking.  In fact it has been ticking since President Biden took office 3 years ago.  Those who follow the official numbers know that, those who do not, just don't care.  And those who do not care and instead follow the negative voices will never admit being wrong.  

The U.S. Commerce department reported that in December retail sales increased 0.6% from November and were up 5.6% from December 2022.  The WSJ as usual predicted a smaller increase would take place.  Online shopping for December reported sales for December were $222 billion, up 5.6% from December 2022 and that online prices were down 5.3% from 2022.  Inflation continues to go down and is just 1.5% off from the Feds. target of 2%.  216,000 jobs were created in December and the unemployment rate was 3.7%  and was in the 3% range the whole year.  Over 2.9 million jobs were created in 2023.  The good numbers have been ongoing despite the negative voices of doom and gloom who try to manipulate the voters with mis-information and outright lies.  

The media in general and the conservative media in particular continue to enable the negative voices and at the same time project the negative voices as spokesmen for the negative voices.  The new year 2024 is also an election year so the President and his party will start campaigning and inform the people what has taken place the last 3 years and what will take place in the next democratic administration. The race to the White House is just beginning and the true story will be told.  

PolitiDose commentary in December 2020 and January 2021 told the story that would unfold in the past three years.  The consumers who are spending their money know the score and the democratic party will once again prevail in the 2024 elections.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio   

The New Orleans Saints End The Season On a Winning Note But Fail To Make The Playoffs Once Again.

The Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons to give head coach Dennis Allen his very first winning season as a head coach.  Beating Atlanta is nothing new for the Saints as they seem to have the Facons number over the years.  The win gave the Saints a winning season at 9-8 and was a big disappointment to those who fail to be objective in their evaluation of the team.  And the worse offenders are the local sports media and their reporters.  

In a New Orleans Advocate article of 8/19/23 twenty eight local sports media people predicted the fate of the Saints for the 2023 season and as usual most were off the money.  Most predicted a 10-7 or 11-6 won loss record.  Bobby Hebert who heads up a local sports radio show called "sports talk" said the Saints would go 11-6.  His show misses the mark often like the New Orleans Advocate sports writers.  It is a show business thing for the media and not really an honest evaluation.  

The bottom line did not change one bit for this year's team.  (1)  It was the third straight year that the Saints started the season with a quarterback that had not completed one full season as a Saints starting quarterback.  (2)  Saint's head coach Dennis Allen had never achieved a winning record as a head coach.  (3)  The Saints defense has not been a consistent defense for several years now.  They play great some times and some times they play poorly.  They can play great for 3 quarters and then fall apart at the most critical moment.  Picking a team to go 10-7 or 11-6 and not knowing, or having any idea how those above 3 issues will be improved, how can one pick those kind of numbers?

Being aware of those 3 problems, does not give this writer the confidence that the Saints are ready to turn things around any time soon. Sean Payton left because he could see what was unfolding, and he and the front office was responsible for allowing the quarterback situation to get out of hand before Brees retired and not having a capable replacement.  The situation is even worse now because the Saints are an aged team and no one yet knows if Carr is the answer at quarterback.  This is a franchise that has never fully recovered from "bounty gate" and the media has ignored the issue.  

With the right coaching staff and players there is hope for the future, mainly because the NFL has so many poor teams coached by many poor coaches.  It can hardly get any worse when a 9-8 team can win their division and or qualify for the playoffs.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

Note:  For the record, the Saints beat only two teams with a winning record this football season.