H.G. Wells and George Pal predicted part of the Trump Base in this clip from 1960's The Time Machine

Very prophetic clip from the 1960 movie adaptation of H.G. Well's "The Time Machine" directed by George Pal. The people in this clip reflect what most people associate with the President's base: Uncurious, uneducated, whites only,  and resentful of questions that challenge their warped view of reality.  A MUST WATCH and a warning that we must make sure people receive a well rounded liberal arts education that focuses on all the core areas (English, History, Science, Mathematics, and the Arts) and promotes inquiry and discussion as well as the acquiring of knowledge.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ4lDJs8skg

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Steve Benson

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Clay Bennett

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Joe Heller

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Patrick Chappate

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Marian Kamensky

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Randall Enos

Bernie Sanders vs Mike Mulvaney: Get out the popcorn

It was fun watching Bernie Sanders question Budget Director Mike Mulvaney. In the exchange (a link of which is below), the viewer gets to see the priorities of both conservatives and liberals. The Conservatives want taxes to be fair (and low) for ordinary people like the Waltons. To be fair, I am not a fan of the estate tax because I consider inheritances gifts. It is more preferable to hike the top income tax brackets for individuals in that income group. Liberals want the government to help people in need and provide ladders for potential success. Get out the popcorn. This is a must watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eP_peVbJ_g

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/sanders-argues-with-mulvaney-in-budget-hearing/2017/05/25/56deab50-4163-11e7-b29f-f40ffced2ddb_video.html

Why isn't the President tweeting about this?

Instead of tweeting about "fake news" which is fake only in his and his base's minds or how he is the victim of a witch hunt, President Trump should be tweeting about the bravery of three men, two of whom are dead, for defending two Moslems who were being terrorized by domestic terrorists. When Israelis commit barbarous acts against Palestinians, their Prime Minister and President are usually (not always) quick to denounce those grotesque acts because they know that terrorism is terrorism no matter who is committing it and who are the intended victims. Again, why is the President not tweeting about this?


https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/05/29/portland-hate-speech-hero-muslim-say/102301022/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/05/29/attacks-like-portlands-will-keep-happening-unless-we-all-fight-white-supremacy/?utm_term=.5401912db3ef

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Signe Wilkinson

Graphic from Progressives for the People

Editorial Cartoon from Steve Breen

Editorial Cartoon from Steve Benson

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Nick Anderson

Progressives should not be afraid when Conservatives speak

Very interesting excerpt from Fareed Zakaria's GPS show yesterday where he discusses how college campuses like UC Berkely have succumbed to student body pressure from its more liberal segments and postponing speeches from conservative figures like Ann Coulter.

This is a poor attitude from leftist groups. This is the United States of America and one of the golden nuggets of our University System is the free exchange of ideas in the political arena. Liberal Student Groups should embrace these opportunities, not thumb their noses at them. If anything, it will give audiences a chance to see how outlandish and out of the mainstream these extreme right views are. Progressives should not be afraid when Conservatives speak because, on most (not all) issues, progressives are on the right side of history.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/28/us/fareed-zakaria-liberals-cnntv/

It took almost 100 years but Germany is master of Europe

All it took was two World Wars, a Cold War, the formation of the European Economic Community combined with a stagnant Russia, Italy, and France along with a withdrawing and increasingly unreliable Britain (Brexit) and United States (America First) to give Germans what they always wanted: Mastery of Europe. Happy Memorial Day.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/05/trump-nato-germany/528429/?utm_source=atlfb

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/335494-pelosi-trump-disrespected-our-closest-allies-at-nato

https://www.axios.com/merkel-europe-can-no-longer-rely-on-u-s-2425031664.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4068485-german-economy-current-situation-trends-characteristics-may-2017

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Pat Bagley

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Steve Rogers

Graphic courtesy of American Reformers

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Tom Toles

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Dan Wasserman

Flint Michigan needs a Marshall Plan

What the hell is not happening in Flint Michigan? The water system is still not fully fixed. People are in danger of being foreclosed on because they rightfully refuse to pay their water bills. It is beyond reasoning why this area has not been taken care of. It has been four years since the water system became contaminated. What are the state and federal governments waiting for? Flint needs a Marshall Plan to rebuild it. This is the United States of America. This should not be happening in Flint or any other area news outlets have not given proper attention to in this country.

http://www.businessinsider.com/flint-water-bills-foreclosure-2017-5

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/flint-residents-unpaid-water-bills-foreclosure_us_5909e494e4b05c397684e4ec

Great Speech from New Orlean's Mayor Mitch Landrieu

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu gave a great speech earlier this week on why statues honoring heroes of the Confederacy should be taken down. Why should people who fought for a system that allowed slavery and secession from the union be honored? Landrieu was also right to challenge people in the audience to come up with justifications for the children why these people and the statues made to commemorate them should be revered? To date, no one has credibly come up with a good reason.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/05/confederate_monuments_watch_mi.html

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Gary Varvel

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Pat Bagley

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Clay Bennett

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Jack Ohman

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Patrick Chappatte

Progressive Idea of the Week

There are two progressive ideas this week.

1) Never ever forget the people who spend every day serving our country and protecting it and its people from all enemies foreign and domestic.

2) An interesting article from Third Way Below on three "simple" themes the Democrats, according to Senator and 2016 Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Kaine,  should promote when discussing how to promote growth. These ideas are better skills, better jobs, and better wages. Sometimes, Democrats and Progressives get bogged down in the wonky details and need to come up with relatable bullet points that people, most of whom, do not take the time, to win the well-crafted policy papers of the candidates, can grab onto.  While our side did win the popular vote, enough people were drawn to the slogan of "America First" then "Stronger Together" in the Rust Belt to help, along with other reasons, some under federal investigation, to make the difference there. Democrats and Progressives need to work on getting the "simple" positive message across to more people. We have won the idea war. We have won the people war. Unfortunately, with our electoral college system, we just need to do it at a higher level.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/05/24/tim-kaine-democrats-need-to-talk-to-middle-class-trump-voters/102009910/

Books of the Week

Stephen Ambrose Band of Brothers The TV Series is recommended as well.

Thomas Ricks: Orwell and Churchill

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Andy Marlette

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Clay Bennett

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Mike Luckovich

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Signe Wilkensen

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Andy Marlette

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Jeff Danziger

The Process of TRUMPCARE: Not like Obamacare

When Obamacare was making its way through Congress, there were numerous hearings through multiple committees where both parties participated. Policy experts from both parties were invited for input. Amendments to the bill from members of both parties were allowed to be voted on. What resulted was a health care reform resembling Romneycare in Massachusetts which was modeled from ideas from the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation.  The process also took 17 months. Not the case with Trumpcare where Democrats have been shut out, the plan has been drawn mostly in secret, the pace to put the bill on the floor for a vote has been supersonic, and virtually no amendments have been allowed to be offered. What we have here is a classic case of how to govern (the process that gave us Obamacare and over 20,000,000 more insured) and a sample of how not to (Trumpcare and the possibility of 20,000,000 losing insurance). This is not how to run a country and the rich are doing fine. They do not need the tax cut associated with the Republican plans.


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/senator-gop-writing-health-care-bill-secret-without-experts

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-09/senate-gop-plans-secret-health-care-debate-that-may-take-months

Sweet Irony

Sweet Irony: The man who led the Lock Her Up Chant at the Republican National Convention last year, General Michael Flynn,  might actually get locked up. Now while taking the fifth does not automatically mean someone is guilty of a crime, it does look mighty suspicious. With reports linking other people in the Trump orbit like Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, this probe into the campaign collusion with the Russians is not going away anytime soon. I do think the probe should also investigate Jill Stein. She was at the same dinner as Michael Flynn and her campaign did draw support from Clintons. They should ask what her contacts were with the Russian.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/23/if-youre-innocent-why-are-you-taking-the-fifth-trump-said-years-after-invoking-it-himself/?utm_term=.c81fa6ed26ee

Editorial Cartoons courtesy of Jim Morin

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Bob Englehart

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Jimmy Marguiles

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Phil Hands

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of RJ Matson

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Tom Jassnen

This war on the media has to stop

During the last campaign, the Trump people called news outlets purveyors of "fake news." It became so bad that one reporter from MSNBC had to get a security escort to her car. After coming to power, the new administration branded the press as "enemies of the people." Well yesterday, the Republican candidate for the vacant congressional seat in Montana, Greg Gianforte, apparently body slammed a reporter at an event in front of several witnesses. He has been charged with an assault misdemeanor. Should he still manage to pull out a win in today's special election (His opponent Rob Quist has run an effective campaign), Speaker Ryan should consider the long-term ramifications for his party if he seats him without any fuss. This war on the media has to stop. While there are accounts of overzealous journalists through the years, the great majority of journalists are trying to serve their readers by reporting accurate information. The great bulk of what they write is not "fake."However, a case can be made that the accusers of the media are the biggest sources of "fake news." out there.

http://www.npr.org/2017/05/24/529862697/republican-s-altercation-with-reporter-shakes-up-montana-race-on-eve-of-voting

Great News for Voting Rights in this country

The United States Supreme Court struck down the construction of two congressional legislative districts in North Carolina because it was done according to race demographics. This ruling will have an effect on other states  (like Texas) where other districts were drawn according to similar considerations. This is great news for voting rights and hopefully will be among the first nails in the racial gerrymandering coffin.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/north-carolina-gerrymandering/527592/

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Mitt Priggee

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Phil Hands

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Mike Luckovich

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Nick Anderson

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Chris Britt

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Jeff Danziger

More on the DOA Trump Budget and the Progressive Alternative

With even leading Republicans openly commenting that the President's budget is DOA, it is instructive to note that this fiscal proposal, cruel in its prescriptions for the most vulnerable, rely on a math "gimmicks" and hurt the people most likely to vote for the President. While it might be tempting for Progressives and Democrats to quietly hope this monstrosity passes and let the chips fall where they may, that is not a recipe for good governance and the Democrats should publicly publish their own budget proposal, perhaps drawing ideas from the progressive caucuses "People Budget" and the Center for American Progress's  "Marshall Plan for America." Voters need to know not only what we are against but what we are for.


http://time.com/4791113/trump-budget-math-mistake/

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-s-budget-will-hit-these-states-hardest-n763261?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_ma

http://cpcbudget.org/

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/reports/2017/05/16/432499/toward-marshall-plan-america/

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Gary Varvel

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Steve Benson

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Darrin Bell

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Kim Warp

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Nate Beeler

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Chad Crowe

President's Speech in Saudi Arabia: an opportunity and a blunder

The speech President Trump gave in Saudi Arabia to an assemblage of Sunni Moslem Nations was very well delivered. It is a speech his recent predecessors could well have given because the goal of wiping out extremist terrorism knows no party divisions in our country. It is a tremendous opportunity and the President mostly hit all the right notes. The one area where the President may have blundered was seeming to put most of the onus for the Middle East difficulties on Iran and the terrorist groups it sponsors. Now signaling out the radical Wahabi Saudi-sponsored terrorist groups (You know them by the Al Queda and ISIS groups they helped inspire) on Saudi soil may not have been advisable, the President may be should have struck a more neutral tone in his speech. President Obama knew this and the Saudis resented him for it. Unfortunately, in the Middle East, there are not very saints but there are a lot of sinners. The President and his team should keep that in mind.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/21/politics/trump-muslim-speech-saudi-arabia/

Budget for the Plutocratic Oligarchs

The Trump Budget is out and as the Clay Bennett cartoon below demonstrates, you are royally screwed if you are not a rich, pampered plutocrat. While this budget will never pass Congress (even Reactionary Republicans know what it takes to win reelection), it is a sad testamanet to the hyprocrisy of the Trump Administration who promised his base their lives would be better. Unfortunately, his base is the group that would be the most adveresly affected by these plans. Look on the bright side. It is less than two years to the midterms and less than four years to the next Presidential vote.


http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/22/news/economy/safety-net-trump-budget/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/us/politics/trump-budget-cuts.html?smid=fb-share

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Adam Zyglis

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Nomi Kane

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Kevin Kaullagher

Editorial Cartoon courtesy of Yaakov Kirsen