Trump and His Republican Controlled U.S. Senate Fail To Pass Their Pandemic Stimulus Relief Bill.

Trump and his republicans in the U.S. Senate still can not get their act together to pass the stimulus relief they have been talking about since the "Cares Act" expired July 31.  They can not even agree among themselves what the cost should be.  First it was around $1-1.5 trillion dollars which sparked an outcry from their own party members, then they finally settled on $600 billion that was voted on and defeated 52-47. 

So the only stimulus relief legislation that has passed for the expired "Cares Act" was the bill passed by the democratic controlled U.S. House several months ago.  Trump and his party failed to even debate the bill with any counter offers and did what they always do, demagogue the issue.  After the Senate failed to act in good faith with the House's bill Trump had his Treasury Secretary deal with house speaker Nancy Pelosi on the bill but there is still no movement on the bill and Trump continues to fail at governing.  All the while the death total continues to climb over the 190,000 mark and the economy is in an anemic recovery stage. 

Nineteen years ago President George W. Bush, Congress and the nation dame together after terrorists killed over 3000 Americans on 9/11/2001.  There was a common purpose for the country to act as one and it did so.  Nineteen years later we have a virus pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 190,000 Americans  and we have a President, Donald Trump who divides the country, congress and the people, lies about the pandemic, fails to lead and take responsibility and uses division as a political tool.  The contrast is so un-American and extreme one could never predict such a happening would take place. 

And to top it off, the President is still using those tactics less than two months before the election while the pandemic is still raging.  America and its people deserve better and can change the status quo on November 3 with their vote.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The President of The United States Donald Trump Sinks To A New Low As His Traitorous Act Continue

The recent revelations published in the "Atlantic Magazine" concerning the President's disparaging remarks toward our men and women in uniform and especially those serving in combat, in war zones and those who died or were POW's are unforgiveable for a President and Commander in Chief.  The President's denial ring hollow and self serving since the "Atlantic" account has been verified by other sources and Trump himself has a history of using such remarks against individuals who have served and or still serve in the military.

The Commander in Chief by his remarks has dishonored, disrespected and belittled every man and women who wore the uniform of their country and the American flag they honor every day.  And once again, the President and Commander in Chief displays his failure to respect anyone, even those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  The sickness in the White House is a tragedy born by a President who continues to attack every thing democratic about America.  The ugly American President cares only about himself and personal gain.

This writer in a commentary dated 7/31/16 titled, A Traitor Among Us:  Trump, Vladimir Putin and Russia was one of the first and maybe even the first to call out the President for his traitorous acts and betrayal of America and its people early on.  There were also other commentary in PolitiDose concerning the subject matter during Trump's time in office.  But Trump's betrayal of our military stands out as tragic, especially his comments about those who paid the ultimate price and those who were POW's.  And to top it off he used a public comment to name U.S. Senator John McCain who was a POW during the Viet Nam war.

Donald Trump, President and Commander in Chief does not know the meaning of respect or service.  The millions of men and women who wore the uniform of their country deserve an apology and Trump's resignation.  His betrayal of America and traitorous acts deserve nothing less.  The mental unfitness of this President and Commander in Chief is historic.


This commentary written by Joe  Lorio

Protesters Are Not The Threat Trump and His Ditto Heads Would Like You To Believe In An Election Year.

Now comes a report by "Politico" that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has prepared three draft reports warning that white supremacists are currently the most significant threat to the U.S.  The first draft had the strongest language regarding white supremacists and said that among lone offenders and small cells of individuals, the department has concluded that white supremacists extremists, who increasingly are networking with like-minded persons abroad, will pose the most persistent and lethal threat. 

Politico also reported from the drafts that two subsequent draft also stated,  (1)  white supremacists extremists  will remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland through 2021.  (2)  That all three drafts warn that white supremacists represents an even greater threat than violence from foreign terrorists groups.  (3)  John Cohen, the department's counterterrorism coordinator from 2011-2014 said the draft document seems to be consistent with earlier intelligence reports from DHS, the FBI and other law enforcement sources.  That the most significant terror-related threat facing the U.S today comes from violent extremists who are motivated by white supremacy and other far-right ideological causes.  (4)  Russia probably will be the primary covert foreign influence actor and purveyor of disinformation and misinformation in the Homeland.

The draft notes that 2019 was the deadliest year for domestic violent extremists since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.  (this writers note:  It happened on Trump's watch) 

And as all should know by now, President Trump has a history of using white supremist groups to divide America and to fan the flames of peaceful protest.  White supremist and other extreme groups have come from out of state armed with weapons to Kenosha and Portland to disrupt peaceful protest and cause trouble.  Trump loves it and his attorney Kellyanne Conway told Fox News the more chaos, anarchy, vandalism and violence is good for Trump's reelection campaign.  Trump not only continues to be toxic to every thing he touches, he violates his oath of office by being lawless. 

The DHS reported drafts seen by Politico tell the story of the real threat to our homeland through 2021 and its not the protesters whom are overwhelming peaceful or the democratic party.  Its Trump's own extreme supporters who support his extreme rhetoric to dive America.  The American voter must change course on November 3 with their vote.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Unemployment Rate and Jobs Report for August 2020.

The U.S. Labor Department announced Friday that 1.4 million jobs returned to the work force in August, down from the 1.8 million jobs in July and the 4.8 million that returned in June.  The unemployment rate came in at 8.4%, down from the 10.2% in July.  But the Labor Department added a note that millions of the unemployed stopped looking for work because of the coronavirus and there fore not included in the unemployment number that the department uses because the department looks at them in a different light.

So as of August 31, only half of the 21.5 million jobs that were lost has returned to work.  And Trump and his party still has no stimulus relief plan to replace the one that expired July 31, over a month ago.  In fact, there is still no national plan to safely open the schools or make the work place more safely to speed up the economic recovery that is necessary to put the economy on a safe footing for growth.  The President's third fiscal year will end on September 30 and the financial numbers on the federal deficit  will be a disaster never before seen.

Every day, Trump's lack of an economic policy and his decision to ignore and then undermine the coronavirus pandemic response becomes glaring.  The economy, health problems and death rate would be less severe if America had a President who was capable of  governing.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

 

Another Big First For "PolitiDose" As The News Media Finally Catches Up.

"PolitiDose" continues to lead while the major news media and cable news hosts follow.  This time concerning the violence that has occupied the media and inflamed by President Trump.  Trump, as usual plays the blame game and blames democratic governors and mayors for the violence following the deaths of several black citizens by the local police.

But "PolitiDose" commented long ago it has all taken place on Trump's watch and that as a Presidential candidate in 2016 said all the violence would stop on January 20, 2017 when he took office.  Of course it has not stopped and Trump himself has fanned the flame of violence with his lawless attitude.  Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden addressed that issue in Pittsburgh this week and reminded the people what Trump said and his inaction.

Biden's comment opened the door and used Trump's own words to indict Trump's failure to act.  Then opinion writers in the New Orleans Advocate of Sept. 3 and a letter to the editors that takes Trump to task for trying to run away from his record and his past statements.  It now leaves one to ask how the debate moderators handle this issue concerning Trump's blame game on someone else when Trump himself failed to govern.

There are other elements to this issue that the news media and especially the cable news networks in particular who have allowed Trump  to over blow the Black Lives Matter protest.  If one listens to their reports and Trump's rhetoric one would think America is on fire.  But the so called riots and lootings are restricted to a few cities only and mostly agitated by out of state armed extremist groups who are egged on by Donald Trump himself.   But the news media has failed to tell that story and that the majority of protesters have been peaceful and without weapons. 

PolitiDose also exposed Trump's failure to keep America safe in a commentary in June 2017 like he  said he would  do when one of several mass killings took place on Trump's watch.  In fact the mass shooting and killing in Las Vegas in 2017 was the most deadly mass shooting since the FBI  began keeping records of such incidents.  Trump actually has no record of addressing crime or criminal activity.  He does have a record of lawlessness and encouraging extremist groups to cause trouble.  He also shows respect for no one or any thing American.  And the President's own actions serve as proof he is mentally unfit to be President and Commander in Chief.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Unanswered Question During The Coronavirus Pandemic.

The business community tells us about their employees who have been laid off, furloughed, offered early retirement, lost their matching 401K matching funds, their health insurance, lost wages and other employee benefits due to the coronavirus pandemic.  But as of this writing, the business community has left the most important question unanswered.

Did the business community's executives and CEO's suffer the same fate as their average workers?  It is probably safe to assume that they did not since the business community and the general news media has been silent on the issue.  And it comes on the heel of a new report that says executives and CEO's compensation in the last 40 years increased 320 times that of the average worker.  So it is obvious who needs the most relief during this pandemic.  And the people who need financial help the most are not receiving it from the business community they helped realize that 320-1 ratio advantage.

Trump and the republicans 14% corporate tax cut has done little to help out the average employee during the pandemic and as of this writing according to a report by the U.S. Commerce Department, America has 27 million people still on unemployment and the republican controlled Senate can not get its act together to pass an extended relief package even thought the democratic controlled House passed their relief package bill over two months ago. 

Its past time for the business community to step up to the plate and do more for their average workers production and contribution to the companies success.  And it is past time for Trump  and his party to represent America and its average worker instead of those only at the top.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Another Huge First For PolitiDose

Now comes Froma Harrop in a New Orleans Advocate commentary dated 8/27/20 titled, "Face it, MAGA-land, you did better under Obama."  In her commentary, Froma used facts against Trump's usual BS about the stock market and job creation are at record levels on his watch by showing how the stock market and job creation did much better on President Obama and President Clinton's watch before the COVID19 era and all through Obama's and Clinton's terms in office.

The commentary is a reminder how democratic administrations do a better job at governing and producing for the country and its people.  Frome also comments about the total economy, how President Obama did not push a deficit spending tax cut even though his administration inherited a severe recession and that the country did not have to suffer this level of sickness and death do to the coronavirus.

Froma's commentary contains information that PolitiDose has been talking about for years in putting to bed the republicans claim of superiority on every phase of governing, the stock market, the economy and fiscal matters.  And PolitiDose has laid out and explained the reasons why it has been predictable before it takes place.  Trump's fate was sealed the first day he took office because the republican party has a 100 year history of failures on the major issues that affect the country and its people.

This writer recommends its readers log onto the New Orleans Advocate and read Froma's commentary.  It will strike a cord to what you have been reading in PolitiDose.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Another Foreign Policy Failure For The Trump Administration: This Time Before The United Nations

The United Nations Security Council rejected the Trump administration's resolution that would keep in place the ban on weapons concerning Iran that is set to expire on October 18.  The Security Council approved the ban and it became a part of the nuclear agreement in 2015.  This was the nuclear agreement Trump walked away from by withdrawing the United States from the agreement. 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to convince the Security Council to vote and extend the ban.  Russia and China vetoed and voted against the U.S. resolution and only the Dominican Republic voted for it.  The weapons ban applied to conventional weapons imported and exported by Iran to and from their country.

It was a bitter defeat for Trump's foreign policy and after the resolution failed Trump said he would go back to the United Nations and demand a provision in the agreement called "snapback" which was placed in the agreement for safety purposes should Iran be in violation as authority to reimpose the ban be implemented.

Russia, China and a United Nations spokesman said the United States had no say in "snapback" since Trump withdrew the U.S. from the agreement in 2018.  And Russia and China added they would not vote or support such a resolution.  Its ironic that Trump falsely claimed the agreement was flawed and now wants to use the safety clause of "snapback" in the agreement.  It should also be noted that prior to Trumps withdrawal, Iran was in compliance with the agreement, were not a threat to shipping in the area as Trump says they are and were not enriching nuclear material to weapons grade.  But with the agreement in shambles since Trump pulled out, Iran is slowly and surely enriching nuclear material over and above what was allowed by the agreement.

Trump's decision to pull out of the agreement was and still is a major foreign policy blunder and now the U.S. and Iran are farther apart than ever and dangerously close to a warlike atmosphere as the rhetoric heats up.  Trump's trade war with China and his cozy relationship with Putin has destroyed any chance of a U.S. resolution reaching bipartisan support in the United Nations Security Council.  Putin continues to control Trump's foreign policy and  that is bad news for America.  Putin and Russia are actually more involved in that part of the world than the United States.

And as previously reported in PolitiDose, the U.S. and the world knows more about Iran's nuclear capabilities because of the agreement that allows inspections to take place of Iran's facilities.  But no one knows Israel, Pakistan or India's nuclear capabilities because they will not allow any outsiders inspect their nuclear facilities.  In other words those 3 countries are a greater threat for a nuclear event than Iran is in the middle east and that part of the world. 

The agreement kept Iran's nuclear program for domestic consumption and Trump's withdrawal was a foreign policy disaster made possible by Trump's mental unfitness to lead.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The U.S. Senate Intelligence committee's Final Report On The Russia/Trump Presidential Campaign Contact: A Devastating Report of Trump's Betrayal of America.

Those who can think for themselves know Donald Trump was lying the moment he called the Mueller investigation "fake news and a hoax."  Trump also said he did not believe our intelligence community finding that Russia and Trump's campaign tried to interfere in the 2016 Presidential election because Putin denied it.  And Trump, being the liar he is, continues to call the story "fake news and a hoax."

But now, after a three year investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee into the matter, the committee issued its report and the findings were devastating to the President of the United States.  Some of the findings and conclusions are as follows:  (1)  The Trump campaign's interactions with Russian intelligence services during the 2016 Presidential election posed a"GRAVE" counterintelligence threat.  Donald Trump's associates had regular contact with Russians and expected to benefit from the Kremlin's help.  (2)  Russia launched an aggressive effort to interfere in the election on Trump's behalf.  Trump's campaign chairman had regular contacts with a Russian intelligence officer and other Trump associates were eager to exploit the Kremlin's aid particularly the impact of the disclosure of democratic emails hacked by Russian intelligence officers.  (3)  Manafort, Trump's campaign chairman shared internal Trump campaign polling data with a Russian agent.  (4)  Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer in June 2016 with the goal of receiving information harmful to Hillary Clinton. 

The Senate report confirms what Mueller reported and leaves no doubt that Trump and his campaign was willing to work with a foreign power to help him win the 2016 Presidential election and was also willing for Russia to try and find dirt on Hillary Clinton.  Trump himself asked Russia to hack into Clinton's emails to find some thing that would harm her and promote his chances of winning the election.  Mueller's findings, the intelligence community findings and now the Senate committee's findings leave no doubt President Donald Trump tried to cover it all up with his "fake news and hoax" excuse. 

The Senate report and Trump's denials tell the story America has an un-American President willing to betray the country and its people with traitorous acts.  This final devastating report should be a warning to those who plan to vote for Trump in November because the betrayal will continue if he is re-elected. 

The College Football Season of 2020

As of this writing, it appears that college football will have a season.  However, no one really can say for sure or if teams will be able to play their full schedule.  But we do know several conferences cancelled their seasons an so did a few independent teams.  And when you consider the fact that the stadiums will be empty or at least half empty, the picture leaves a lot to be desired.

The cause of it all as every one knows happens to be the coronavirus pandemic that leaves no room for second guessing.  It is a silent enemy that can strike any where and any one, especially people who flock together without protection.  Short term thinking and planning won't work because it has proven to be a long term problem which brings up a lot of trouble for sports that immediately follow the football season if the football season starts and then becomes infected by the virus.

The question should be, what is the proper course.  Cancel football this season and let people heal so every one can gain time, heal and have the possibility of the virus diminish to the point where sports can be played in a healthier atmosphere with their fan base intact in 2021.  Or, play this football season, put the players health in jeopardy and prolong the virus which could affect the next sport baseball which begins in January.  This years college baseball season has already been cancelled once because of the virus.

This writer believes cancelling football this season is the best option under the circumstances and because of the unknown.  Football is a contact sport on every play and it remains to be seen if that can be accomplished safely. 


This commentary written by Joe Lorio