Fact checking

Well, here we go again.

Apparently, my last two blogs – one dealing with the 14th Amendment as a legitimate Constitutional remedy to prevent Mafia Don from seeking the United States presidency for a second time, and the other for exploring the miasma that is suffocating the Republican candidates running for the presidency (six candidates astoundingly indicated they still would vote for Trump for president even if he was convicted of criminal charges and serving time in jail.) – ruffled some Trumpian feathers.

Now, I know full well that my blogs aren't going to change any Trumpy minds, even though I still hold out hope that my perspective at least solicits an, "Oh, OK. Maybe. I didn't realize that." 

I write my blog in the spirit of traditional American political debate. That really used to be a thing, you know, going all the way back to the founding of the nation.

Instead, as it sometimes happens, I got thrown some shade, misinformation and what I consider to be conspiracy theories from the Trumpers. Rest assured, you are not going to change my mind, either. I'm sometimes labeled as a desperate hater who is suffering from Trump derangement syndrome and should stick to sports writing because clearly there's no place for such a biased and uninformed fellow like me to comment on politics. 

Hmm. So much for honest political debate. I'm still going to write my blog the way I see fit, armed with facts from the mainstream media as well as what I absorb with my own eyes and ears. If that bothers you, then don't read it. If you want to offer your view, at least respond with true facts. It's that simple.

I'm going to take a look at some of the Trump-supporting responses my last two blogs generated, and I will attempt to defend my views with links, where appropriate, to support my opinions. This could take some time.

Economy: This link is very inclusive and lengthy. It shows the economy was a mixed bag during the Trump years, but not nearly as great as Trumpers remember, either. This will take some time to read. Take note of the sources at the end. (See here).

"Biden crime family": There is no Biden crime family. The investigation into son Hunter Biden and the alleged bribes he took from China and Ukraine, along with his father, is in its fifth year with still no evidence that Joe Biden accepted bribes. There are no charges, either. So far, it's all been a Republican wet dream. (See here).

Fabricated charges: This one makes me chuckle. Some Trumpers think the current 91 charges against Mafia Don, as well as those charges against numerous Jan. 6 defendants, are phony, false and made up because Democrats/liberals are desperate to imprison Trump (the word "Desperate" comes up often). Here's a quick civics lesson: charges are not made up. Most potential charges, supported by evidence, go through grand juries first and are voted on prior to becoming indictments. It's the American system and it's worked pretty well for over 200 years. (See here).

Jan. 6: Some Trumpers still insist that the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was staged by the FBI, CIA, Capitol police and BLM, posing as MAGA Trump supporters. I'm pretty sure if that premise were true, recently convicted Oath Keepers, Three Percenters and Proud Boys now serving time for decades are wondering why the redeeming evidence (for example, a supposedly exculpatory video by John Sullivan) hasn't been floated on their behalf. The premise is so preposterous that I don't need a link for this one. Just common sense. Oh, and because these guys have been convicted, its OK to call them insurrectionists.

The Deep State: There is no deep state, but it makes a good excuse to serve as cover when all logic fails.

The Big Lie: This is why Trumpy is in legal trouble in the first place. He refuses to believe that he lost the 2020 election, claiming that it was rigged. He was claiming the election was rigged even before the election. It makes sense that The Big Lie is built on Trump's foundation of 30,000 little lies. (See here).

Secret documents: Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden (and Mike Pence) were found to be in possession of sensitive and/or secret government documents. But there is a difference in how they were handled. Biden immediately notified the National Archives and Records Administration, as well as the Department of Justice the day they were discovered on his property. Subsequent documents were found on later dates, Biden complied with consensual searches and the documents, on each occasion, were returned. Trump, meanwhile, maintains the documents are his personal materials (by law they are not), so he is looking at several charges, including violation of the Espionage Act. It all seems so unnecessary. All he had to do was return them to NARA. It's a false equivalency to compare Trump's outrageous handling of documents with Biden. (See here).

Ageism: Joe Biden is 80 years old. Trump is 77. But Biden is the one who attracts criticism for his stumbles, mumbles and implied mental decline, while Trump appears to be, um, normal. Or not. Time for a Trevor Noah humor break. (See here).

Covid-19 response: Depending on the matrix you use to measure these things, the U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic was pretty shaky for a highly developed industrialized nation. But Republicans, with their stubborn anti-science, anti-vaccine and anti-masking philosophy, almost single-handedly contributed to the nation's excess death rate, dying almost twice as much as Democrats from the virus. This is Republicans at their dumbest, willing to die for Trump. Are you surprised? (see here).

Hate: What I really hate is what Trump has done to the country that I love. I can't abide by a person who is serving in the most revered political office in the world who celebrates grabbing women by the genitals, being held liable for sexual assault, paying off porn stars, lying to the people on a clearly pathological level, separating nursing children from their mothers' breasts as national policy, stealing national secrets, intimidating poll workers, displaying deadly incompetence in the face of a pandemic ("Maybe you could use bleach. And lights."), and consoling hurricane victims with rolls of paper towels among a litany of other indignities and illegalities. Hate? Not really. Don't confuse hate with our desire for accountability.

Love: Under Biden, the rate of inflation fell from a national high of 9 percent last June to 3.3 percent today. He created 13.8 million jobs during his administration. But if he didn't accomplish anything else, his Inflation Reduction Act that allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices to provide lower costs for consumers is a game changer. What's not to love?