Time for the Democrats' Moment of Truth

Rally 'Round the Nominee? Very Soon We Shall See!

For many months now we have heard leading Democrats say how important it is to beat Donald Trump at any cost. This is the number one goal. It has become a daily hue and cry.

Very soon they will all have their chance to put their support where their mouths are. As is always the case in both parties, the remaining nominees have the axes out against each other. The latest victim is of course Bloomberg.

The same Democrats and for sure yours truly were all over Republican Senators for selling out during the impeachment trial. You heard it all - no backbone; no conscience; letting down their voters; placing themselves first etc. I still agree with all of that.

Now however, the remaining Democratic Nominees will have to be reduced to one. Then we will see who has the courage of their convictions in the donkey party. They all want to win. Last night Erin Burnett on CNN tried to pin down Warren on whether she would support Bloomberg if he wins. I did not hear any resounding "Yes". (Burnett also tried to pin her down on accepting a large campaign contribution from a "Super PAC" which she has said she was against but Warren failed to say she would renounce the group.) Lack of backbone or just a little backtracking?

So will they all throw their support behind the winner - even if it is Bernie or Michael? Or will they continue the infighting and walk right into the Trump bear trap?

If they fail to support each other at the critical moment they will look like real Jackasses and not true Donkeys.

#Brewsterblock

Pardon Me Mr. President?

Pardons: Strength or Weakness?

Today we heard that President Trump has used once again his power to pardon individuals of his choice. This can be regarded as either a highly admired refinement to a system of government, or a leak in the hull of a great ship that needs repair. Wisdom or folly?

You can Google about all major pardons made by U.S. Presidents. I am restricting this to the Presidential power which can only apply to federal crimes against the United States. Take note: the one exception is impeachment, thank goodness. Similar powers belong to State Governors.

Many people are all over Trump for this and expecting him to do it again with Roger Stone. In fairness, many Presidents have used this power and often in controversial ways. Here is a list of past Presidents and their numbers of pardons, most to least:

https://www.thoughtco.com/number-of-pardons-by-president-3367600

This varies from Franklin D. Roosevelt with 2819 to George H. W. Bush with 74. Obama granted 212 of them.

I see it as a very visible black eye in the system. In my opinion the process should be changed. One person can be just too biased and often for the wrong reasons. Any pardon is usually preceded by a lot of study and assessment resulting in advice to the President. This is only reasonable. Apparently however, he or she can ignore all of this and you know who is famous for this.

My suggestion would be to have a vote in the Senate - one which is deliberately brief. It should also require a substantial majority - more like 80% in favour. From what I can see the last majority in the Upper House over 80% was back in the 1800s. This should ensure some representation on both sides. This way it would indeed be a combination of many opinions. Surely genuinely deserved cases could find a bipartisan audience.

Here is another approach and possibly a backup to the case where a party has a more than 80% majority. This would entail the Chief Justice simply drawing randomly an odd number (no ties) of Senators' names. Each person must vote either yes or no on each case. The details of each pardon would already have been defined. A committee would bear witness to the ballads being legitimate before any draw.

Changing the constitution is not easy as most anti gun people know. Surely there would be more of an even split on this change?

The Brewster

The Founding Fathers (and Don McLean)

I Hope THIS Music Never Dies!

This post will be one of the easiest I have ever scribed. I only have to refer you to another website to hear a bit of brilliance. 

There you will hear and see a semi-animated song performed to the tune of Don McLean's "American Pie". The lyrics are apparently by one or more people who call themselves The Founding Fathers. This is very clever.

Every American should listen to this - even Republicans. Even HIM - no, not God, just the one who thinks he is God.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2pn1G66uCQcGx_3750vUnIeBsI1zSutOGV5aoHiACuYFosy8l9KRTN96w&v=-Ue5F57dZMU

The website is below where you can also find the tune under "Videos"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ue5F57dZMU

Finally a bit of self-promotion. I wrote a video BEFORE the election in 2016 which I include here. I was actually golfing in Myrtle the night of the election, where I showed this to my golf partners. Mine uses "The Ballad of New Orleans".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uagnasd_lqY&feature=youtu.be

Me Elton John

From His Own Eyes

My better half bought me the book "Me Elton John" (Henry Holt and Company, 2019) for Christmas. We both enjoy a lot of his music, especially the classic ones from his earlier years. This is my first very informal book review.

I hated doing them in school because I didn't read anything other than text books. I used to choose a book which had a "Classic Comic Book" version and do my review based upon that! I always got a passing grade. Today I enjoy reading but this is probably my first biography, auto or otherwise.

I was introduced to Elton's music when I worked in England from 1972 to 1974 and he had become very popular. There everyone watched "Top of the Pops" somewhat like American Bandstand but a lot more flamboyant. Elton fit right in.

Before any notion or indication (to me anyway) that he might be gay, he was just an over the top showman, perhaps a more modern Liberace. (Yes, there is also another parallel.) The wild outfits, boots, hats and glasses were just for show or so it seemed.

It is for certain very insightful and candid. He gets into all of the topics that might me considered taboo by many. He does not really address his gender or sex life until well into the book. I had no idea what he was going through when I lived there or for many years after. Now I do. He covers his many addictions from drugs to drink to shopping and hoarding, clothes, dominating those around him and football to name a few. It would appear that the costumes were just another.

He dwells a lot on his family and upbringing and you can understand how this drove him to fame. His mother was a huge factor in his adult life but not his father. They remained estranged with rare exception, until his father's death. There are also lots of tidbits about other stars he came to know with just enough detail to astonish. Although outspoken about many of these, where he made a commitment to secrecy as was the case with his short term female wife, he honours such trusts. One of the world's favourite celebrities - Lady Di - is featured later in the book. There are some great stories.

To be honest I have not yet finished it. I certainly will. My only real criticism - and again I have read no other biographies with which to compare his - is the somewhat rambling nature of the flow. It goes back and forth chronologically a lot. I would have preferred a more organized journey through his life. Then again his entire career and temperament were all over the map so perhaps that is just his true character coming out.

I would recommend it although the $38 Canadian is a little steep. I have no doubt there will be a movie so if you prefer you can wait for that. He will profit either way.

Don't worry Mr. Dwight. The sun will not soon go down on you.

The Brewster

AG William Barr and President Trump

Pushback or White House Distraction

My last post received more views than any other. It was about DJT and General John Kelly. I'm not sure if it was just the search engines catching the names in the title or that my reference to God Bless America struck a nerve.

I hope it was the latter. So this time I hope a reference to AG Bill Barr accomplishes the same.

He has recently made public statements about his feelings that any President should not interfere with the DOJ. It sounds brave. It sounds like someone close to the President is actually showing the kind of courage exhibited by Mitt Romney. Is it true? If so he deserves credit.

Many say this is just another clever White House distraction to both lend some badly needed credibility to the AG and to take attention away from more nebulous White House activity. Either way I refer once again to the powerful emotions stimulated by music.

This time look up and read the lyrics to "America the Beautiful", especially the rendition by Ray Charles. Focus on "And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea". Do you think Katharine Lee Bates would write the same words today? I doubt it.

Here is another thought for November 2020:

DOJ normally stands for Department of Justice. Justice is supposed to be impartial. The image that depicts it involves a figure holding a balance or scale. It is even. Perhaps DOJ now has a new meaning?

How about "Donald's Own Justice" or "Department of Jury-rigging"?

The Judiciary is supposed to be one of three main elements of the US system of government from the Supreme Court on down. Allow POTUS and any of his Republican cronies to re-define that and you have just re-defined America. 

The rest of the world sees this. We hope the vast majority of Americans do also - especially in November!

The Brewster