Stealth Trumpers

The world is an odd place. In a sane world if you like something or someone, you'd shout that from the rooftops and proudly embrace such a thing. Not so with Trump. No, I'm not calling him Pres. Trump. To me, he's just Trump or 45. Anyway...

Loving or even liking something means admitting that without a disclaimer. I love chocolate. I have no issues saying this. I own my love of chocolate and I don't care if you like chocolate or not. It's not my job to convince you to love chocolate too. Taking a leap from the chocolate, I've noticed that many Trumpers feel a deep need to constantly add a disclaimer when professing their approval of Trump.

A great example of this would be a recent comment from a coworker. She admitted she didn't vote at all. She said she didn't like political debates. She explained that no one likes everything about everyone and that she didn't agree with everything Trump says or does. However, she likes what he is doing because he is "getting things done." What things? Apparently she is referring to insulting other countries and world leaders, name calling and all the personality traits most people would consider vile. I got the impression she feels Trump's behavior and hostility prove he's a man who won't take crap from others who are giving America crap.

Another person I recently spoke with said Trump was putting America first and honoring God. Asking him "How?" never got an answer, but this man instead insisted that Trump is superior to Obama. He also suggested I am a 'heathen' because I quoted the Bible regarding how to treat a guest in your land after he said toss out the 'illegals'. I also asked him to show me the Bible verse that said grabbing women's genitals was OK. He replied that the women wanted Trump to grab them.

While all that is disturbing on its own, what is more troubling is these two clearly see the flaws, but are more interested in defending and protecting Trump. They refuse to hold him accountable for anything. They have an attitude that the ends justify the means so whatever Trump does is fine as long as they get the end result they desire. But at the same time, they hedge their support with qualifiers.

"I don't agree with everything he says."

"I only watch what he does. I don't pay attention to everything he says."

"He didn't mean that the way you are taking it."

"You just hate him, that's why you think he can't do anything good."


The qualifiers serves many purposes but one thing they do is attempt to derail your argument.

You say, "Trump is saying people come from sh*thole countries." They say, "He didn't mean it that way." You get derailed into an argument about what Trump actually meant, which is pointless. We have to go by what he says, not what that person claims he meant.

Instead of heading down that pointless road, stick with your point and ask the hard questions, not what they think he meant.

Ultimately, if a person likes Trump, he/she should be able to say so proudly, right. Scream it from the rooftops just as I would proclaim my love of chocolate. However, they instead offer this talk salad of misdirection to derail anything you say about Trump while hedging their on arguments of support. Don't eat the talk salad. Stick to your point and you will learn a lot more about the person making excuses for the 71-year-old POTUS who should be able to speak clearly for himself.

Steep Climb Ahead

I have tried to blog about this administration so many times and just as I have thoughts formed, something happens that derails the entire blog. It has been a rough week for me just sitting here up to my neck in "red" watching the events churning out from the White House. The consensus today is, Trump loyalists love what has happened, Trump opponents are up in arms, or at the very least concerned. I'm more than concerned when I see activity that could be unconstitutional, specifically the Muslim ban, which has been blocked for now. They can try and put "lipstick on that pig" but that's what the executive order was, a ban on Muslims.

I strongly support the ACLU's efforts to halt this action by Trump. What saddens me is that it appears Trump will not listen to reason or even compromise to work with those with different opinions. He tends to call those with a different opinion his "enemies." That's a problem by itself. We are NOT enemies just for having a different opinion. We are all Americans who deserve a voice. That voice is also protected by the Constitution.

But despite this mess from D.C., I also believe the comments from Robert Reich are correct. He recently posted on Facebook a conversation with a Republican friend who confirmed what I already suspected. Republicans will allow Trump to do as he pleases to further their own agenda -- tax reform, repealing Obamacare, deregulation and any other pet projects. Once Trump "goes too far" they will impeach him and put Pence in his place because they "like Pence." The silence from senate Republicans in the light of the mess of Trump's first week seems to support what Reich's conversation says. It's all very troubling that Republicans are willing to allow so much damage to this country to further their agenda instead of actually working with Democrats to improve our country.

It is not a wonder that people have taken to the streets in protest. More protests are planned and I am encouraged by the Women's March. I support any peaceful protests, including the March for Life, although I am staunchly Pro-Choice and think the Pro-Life movement needs some serious refocusing. Despite all this, I am hopeful that protests will move our country in a better direction and I hope that shift happens quickly. Right now, it appears our Democracy is dangling by a thread. Repairing the damage being inflicted right now will be a long, steep and ugly climb.

Trump's Appeal, My Opinion

I realize I haven't blogged much this election cycle. It's not for lack of interest. It's because I've been profoundly baffled by the popularity of Trump. I have pondered and wondered why seemingly intelligent people have come out of the woodwork to not just support Trump, but to be entrenched in their support of Trump. What is his appeal? I've asked and I don't get many answers so I'm left to ponder on my own and I think I have a reason. Most Trump people fear change that would give minorities an advantage in this country more than they fear Trump having no plan to actually "Make America Great Again." What other reason is there to ignore his many transgressions, refusal to be transparent and lack of experience? Evan evangelical Christians are dismissing Trump's bad behavior, turning hypocrite, to support Trump. Here's why I think this is the case.

The U.S. Census has shown a continued decrease in the number of white people in America. In 2008, whites were 79.80 percent of the population, despite that, Obama still won the white house. In 2010, whites made up about 69% of the U.S. population. That's a steep drop. In 2012 whites made up 63%. In 2013, whites were at 62%. There is a clear drop in the number of whites in America. But just because someone is white, does not mean they are Republican or they will vote "red." Among that 62% are Liberals, meaning that clear "red" vote is reduced even more. Of course there are some minorities who vote "red" but let's be honest, there aren't many. Even FOXNews admits that is a steep hill to climb for Trump.

So, with white people at just 62% of the population six years ago, this being a steady drop since 2008, it's safe to guess that the white population continues to drop. Factor in that some whites are Liberal and always vote Democratic or Third Party and some Republicans have turned their backs on the Republican Party for a variety of reasons. That "noose" on white, evangelical, working class Republicans is tightening and they already feel left out. Trump is an effort to protect what they hold dear and give the Republican Party establishment the "middle finger." Hillary Clinton could be anyone. The love of Trump is fueled by people hearing what they want to hear, desperately grasping this and rejecting Clinton as a person who will continue to ignore their needs, hence the Confederate Flag.

To me, the Confederate Flag is a symbol of racism. It represents slavery to me and when I see a white person with this flag, I immediately think that person is racist. However, my opinion of the flag matters little because many white Americans feel the flag represents rebellion. If so, these Trump supporters are rebelling and I don't think it's about Hillary at all. I think it's about their own party. This would explain why supporters completely ignore things in Trump they never would accept from Pres. Obama or any other candidate. This is why evangelicals can look at nude photos of Melania and call it art while they said it was indecent for Michelle Obama to wear a sleeveless dress. The truth is, these people are angry at Republicans, not Democrats, not Hillary. Ask one of them why they hate Hillary and people will mention emails, she's "crooked" or Benghazi. Press them on these and they really have no substance behind the accusations. Then ask them about Congress, which is controlled by Republicans.

Trump is a symptom of a very broken political party.

Millennials Need A Lesson On Real Life

At the risk of pissing off the most entitled group of voters and coming across as an "crabby old woman," I have to say this, Millennials need a lesson on real life. If I'm wrong, correct me, but this is my impression of the younger generation.

These people grew up getting "participation trophies" and now they feel the simple act of participating in anything means they should be rewarded. While this is viewed as harmless and possibly a good thing when you play a sport, it translates to something horribly bad in politics. The ugly truth about society is people win and people lose and most of us end up losing at some time in life. How we deal with the loss is very revealing and these people seem to short-circuit when they don't get their way or their participation trophy. That's called real life.

When I was in high school, I joined our tennis team. I loved playing tennis and every year the teams got rankings according to wins/losses. One year, we were tied for third place and it all came down to one match. My sister was playing and doing OK, not fantastic. The entire team knew she had to win or we would be tied for third. The whole team sat on the bench with clenched fists, hanging on every point. My sister remained calm and her opponent missed a point, got angry, threw a tantrum and this breakdown led to my sister winning the match. That win cleared our bench and we celebrated, not because the other team lost, but because we won. It was not simply handed to us. It was hard work. Millennials don't appreciate the super sweet taste of such a moment because their "wins" have been handed to them. If we had won third place and looked over to see the team we beat getting a trophy just for showing up, that would have deflated our victory enormously. Victory is sweet, defeat can be bitter. Millennials haven't tasted the bitterness of loss, until now.

Many Millennials wanted Bernie Sanders to be the nominee. Well, he is not and that's just a bitter pill to swallow. Say the Democratic selection was rigged. Perhaps it was. Should I be outraged? Maybe, but I'm not. The DNC is a private organization and after working most of my life I know life is not fair and neither are most selection processes. Better qualified people are passed by every day for multiple reasons. That's the unfortunate nature of human beings.

But when I felt defeat, unlike Millennials, I got up, dusted myself off, reorganized and fought another day. It seems to me that Millennials are so entrenched in wanting their way that they reject Hillary as the nominee and plan to throw a tantrum, just as that tennis player did years ago against my sister. That girls tantrum led to her loss. Millennials' tantrums could lead to a Hillary loss and Trump win.

Millennials need to ask themselves how many of Trump's policies do they like. Do they want a Supreme Court slanted against everything Bernie stood for? Do they want a president with the temperament of a spoiled brat? Do they want a man in the White House who feels women exist for his personal sexual pleasure and really, do we want a president who is empowering racists and divisiveness in the country?

I know people speak of the "lesser of two evils" but honestly, I do not see Hillary as evil. She is establishment and whatever corruption she has participated in was in existence before she was nominated. One could criticize everyone in both parties for the corruption because all, Democrats and Republicans, have willingly participated...including Trump. He's too rich to have clean hands when it comes to corruption. Therefore, if Millennials hate the system so much, they need to stop waiting for their "participation trophy" and get up and work for real change. If they aren't willing to do that, then they have no leg to stand on and complain.

Get Out And Vote...ESPECIALLY If You Are A Minority

Most days, after listening to the comedy morning show on the radio, I switch over to talk radio. I do this usually because I just want to hear people discussing the issues of the day. Usually it's mildly amusing or just interesting. This 'Blue Girl' also sometimes gets an insight into most of the local 'Red People'. In most cases, I just think something is interesting. In other cases I think those people are insane to think a particular way. But then there are days like today when I become livid and really need to vent. So, what happened? "Encouragement." I put that in quotes and I realize it sounds odd but there are reasons I shall explain.

Let me explain that the radio show has said many times most working there are white people. However, they do have an African American man working there too. He seems to be the "go to guy" for anything "black" they want to discuss. That's an issue but possibly for another day. So, the two hosts were discussing voting and if the debate has swayed anyone. They asked the resident black guy who he planned to vote for and his answer was that he had never voted. He then explained the reason is because he is uneducated about politics and and didn't want to vote just because "someone told me who to vote for." I expected the hosts to encourage him to get educated because voting is super important. Instead, they encouraged him to NOT vote until the day he magically decides to educate himself. They enthusiastically encouraged him to NOT vote and my reaction was simple....

This went on for several minutes with the two white hosts complimenting the black guy for not voting and encouraging him to take his time to self-educate for voting in the future. He's 26, has never voted and has been interviewed regarding police shootings and being racially profiled in this area. But they encouraged him to take his time getting politically educated and voting. Yup, reference the stunned stare again.

First off, if this were a young, white person, I doubt they would have applauded him not voting. I have never heard older white people advising younger white people to not vote. I've witnessed white parents, especially middle class and rich white parents, actively teach their children to go out and vote If they are Republican, they are rather happy to hear black people say they do not vote so this advice from the two white hosts didn't just trouble me, it made me angry.White people encouraging a black man to stay ignorant should anger everyone.

Second, how in the world does a member of a minority group allow members of a dominant group encourage him to not vote? As a black man living in Kansas, he is subject to an entirely different life reality than two middle-class white people. They have the luxury of ignoring voting, ignoring racial profiling and basically taking their time to get educated. They have a little thing called 'white privilege' that helps them through life. He does not. Let me add that both the hosts are not only educated about the issues and candidates but they are both registered to vote and plan to vote even though they dislike the major candidates. So, the 'good white folk' will vote while telling the black guy it's best he does not. Am I missing something?

Black people fought and died for the right to vote. There is a man who has been endorsed by the Klan running for president. Trump has encouraged violence against black people at his rallies. Unarmed black men are being shot by police. The racial divide in this country seems to be widening and this black man is taking the advice of two middle-class white people who plan on voting that he should not vote and remain uneducated. I was rather disgusted by the entire situation.

I have to ask myself, what did this man's parents teach him, if anything, about voting? He's 26 and never voted because he's not informed? He's not informed because he chooses not to be informed and that baffles me. At 18 I was not only informed, I was registered and anxious to vote.

The bottom line is, if this guy (and anyone else) is too lazy to educate himself enough to vote, then sit down, shut up and embrace things like racial profiling. You just told those working to implement such things that it's not important enough for you to care. You don't vote so they, the powers that be, can put laws on the books to keep you in your place. As a black man, they definitely have a place for you to be and that's usually in jail or the grave. He needs to stop being lazy, get educated, get registered and vote. There is no excuse to not be educated on issues and candidates today. Information is spoon fed to us through the Internet. If this guy isn't educated, it's because he's lazy, nothing more. If he doesn't care enough to vote, he needs to stop getting on the air to complain about his life in America as a black man.

'Silent' White Trump Supporters Are Worse Than The Racists

Donald Trump asked this question several weeks ago. I'm not sure exactly who he was asking. I believe he was speaking to a mostly white crowd in a mostly white neighborhood. But the question was presented, it's valid. I have no intentions of answering him as a representative of anyone but myself but as an African American, I think I can voice an opinion.

What do I have to lose? I'd ask Mr. Trump what do I have to gain by voting for him? I'm not asking for free college. I have two college diplomas. I'm not asking for money from a social program. I earn enough to not qualify for programs like Food Stamps. I'm not asking for a way to get a home loan. I already own my home. I really am not asking the government for anything. I'm listening to what Trump has to offer the African American community and so far I haven't seen him offer anything. Trump's entire campaign to all voters can be summed up in a simple sentiment: Your lives all suck. You should try something different and new. I'm something different and new. Only I can fix this mess and all my opponents suck.

Trump offers no concrete plans for how he will fix anything. He is offering angry people an empty solution to what they hate.

Speaking of angry people, I can't ignore the fact that Trump is basically in bed with every racist organization in this country. How can any self-respecting African American (or any other member of a minority race, GBLTQ, or faith other than conservative Christian) can support Trump when he clearly has no issues with the disgusting views many of his supporters have. There is a simple reason he doesn't denounce them. They are votes in his pocket while the others are questionable at best. His outreach efforts to black churches/communities are for those white people who don't wish to be called "racist" for supporting Trump. This group, in many ways, are worse than the people who openly wear their racism on their sleeves.

The reason the silent people are worse is because they stand to reap the benefits of any and everything the racists do by sitting back and pretending to agree with the racism. I've witnessed personally how racists will "test the waters" with racist jokes/comments. If other white people keep silent, that racist steps up the attacks, usually while professing to not be a racist and claiming to have "plenty of black friends, but..." Their "black friends" are what they describe as "the good ones" or these black people "know how to behave."

Years ago, when I was in college and relatively new to his "Red State," a white friend mentioned a party she wanted to attend. The party was at a pool hall and she was inviting the friend group. She then looked at me and said she wasn't sure if I wanted to go because she had never seen any black people there before. The comment gave me pause but being very naive to racism when I arrived here, I didn't think much about her comment. After all, black people could go to the pool hall when she wasn't there, right. I didn't give it much thought, until the subject kept coming up. The party was a few weeks away and she kept bringing up the issue until one day she said she had spoken to her friend, the host of the party, and he said I could attend...IF I didn't cause any problems and I couldn't demand what kind of music was played. He wasn't going to play any Rap, etc. It was only then that my "friend" gave me the time and location of the party. I didn't attend.

The reason I didn't go to the party was simple. I knew I was not welcome there, would not be welcomed and if I had gone, I would have been watched and expected to "behave." I may have been subjected to snide, racist remarks. I may have been subjected to physical attack. I think I definitely would have been questioned about whether or not I was at the right place. My friend was rather upset with me that I did not attend and asked me why. I told her what I said here, that it was clear her friend did not what a black person attending. She claimed not to understand but I think she understood perfectly. White people know which of their white friends are racist but they hope their black friends can't see this. We can see better than you realize. If you remain silent while your white racist friend spouts things you claim to disagree with, you are part of the problem and no better than those who sat quietly benefiting from the horrors of Nazi Germany when Jews were murdered and their belongings distributed to others.

That party was basically a junior version of a Trump rally for me. White people who most likely are not racist, tolerate and to a certain degree, accept the deplorable racists in their midst to get the benefit of their candidate winning office. This has been a common thing in the Republican Party and the reason I think most black people avoid voting for that party, even if that black person is a Conservative. Republicans turn a blind eye to the horrible racists while telling black people they wish to help us. FYI, you can't pull me into a hug with one arm and cradle the KKK with the other.

But non-racists whites have the luxury of ignoring the racists and remaining silently complicit in the vitriol being spat. They like Trump and they have the luxury of ignoring the insults Trump throws. These are the white people, like my friend from long ago, who will invite their "African American friends" to a Trump rally and vouch for their behavior to their racist friends. That promotes that black person to "one of the good ones who knows how to behave."

Given the choice, just like long ago, I'm not going to that party. What do I have to lose? My peace of mind in knowing that the person I'm standing near is not going to spout some racist remark and then grin in my face if I show a sign of pain. Racists exist, Trump has shown me that clearly. Like roaches in the dark, they have crawled out in force to feast upon the debris Trump is tossing around. But there is no point to exposing Trump. He has been exposed. What needs to be done is building up Hillary Clinton and building trust in her. Is that possible? I hope so because if Trump is elected, everyone who is not complicit with white racists will have a very rough four years. Trump will have a huge debt to pay to this ilk and owe nothing to people like myself. It's a terrifying thought.

I"m still Blue

Yes, it has been a long, long while since I posted anything on this blog. Perhaps I should remain silent but if anyone is paying attention, politics in America seems to have gone off it's rocker. Never in a million years would I have believed Donald Trump could win the Republican nomination. Nor did I ever believe Hillary Clinton would win the nomination from Democrats. What I really am stunned by is the massive amounts of hatred for both candidates. Well, I'll say this, maybe both deserve some hatred but only one deserves to be feared.

The things Trump has said, done and encouraged during this campaign are not only NOT presidential, they are dangerous. Telling followers to punch people in the face because they disagree, is not presidential. Making fun of the handicapped is not presidential. Showing zero concern or emotion for a fallen Muslim soldier and claiming that creating jobs is your sacrifice, is not presidential. A man who cares nothing for the death of one soldier will not care any more for the deaths of hundreds or sending thousands into harms way. His followers claim the terrible things Trump says is merely "sarcasm." I think they need to research the word.

As for Hillary, I don't say she is perfect but I will say she is no worse than any male politician. What she is accused of, and perhaps she has done it all, is no greater sin than any man who has held powerful offices. I don't mean just in America but all over the world. To me, Hillary is your typical politician, which means she is predictable to a certain degree. I have no worries that she will unleash nukes on another country just because she's pissed off at them.

I am with her and I agree with Obama. Trump is not the working people's champion. He has simply used fear and manipulation to rally up bigots, racists and others who have irrational fears. Other Republicans are party faithfuls who I believe can't understand what is happening to the values of the party. Inciting hatred has become the core of the Republicans when it used to be a fringe element. I think these types have been a growing cancer in the Republican movement for a long time. Now, it has metastasized. Only time will tell if other Republicans will agree to the proper treatment to rid itself of the growing menace. Right now, it seem to be spreading.