Vote Like Your Life Depends On It

With 7 days left before election day, the popular vote loser in the White House claims COVID-19 is going away. Hospitals are once again reporting a surge in patients with COVID-19 all across the country, including in San Antonio. We’re into the third surge in infections while Republican elected officials continue their push to re-open everything and even relax mask requirements. Over 18,000 Texans have died of COVID-19 so far that’s 61 deaths per 100,00 residents giving Texas the 18^th highest rate of deaths in the country well ahead of Republican’s favorite punching bag California which has had 44 deaths per 100,000.

The U.S. death toll stood at 225,000 as of this weekend, that’s the ninth highest rate per hundred 100,000 worldwide. Sunday, contrary to the president’s remarks his own Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, said “We’re not going to control the pandemic”. That’s pathetic considering that so many other nations with much less to work with have done so much better at caring for their people.

Last week I listened to an interview with former National Security Advisor John Bolton in which he tore into the administration’s pandemic response. Bolton told the interviewer that the Obama administration developed a complete playbook on how to handle a pandemic and that document was left for future administrations to use, in addition the current administration had run its own exercise and developed its own playbook in 2019 yet the president didn’t bother to use either one. In the interview, Bolton referred to the president as “the empty chair behind the Resolute desk”; a reference to the desk nearly every president since 1880 has used which is made from the oak timbers of the British ship H.M.S. Resolute and presented as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria.

After his tantrum shortened interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl, the president’s staff provided Stahl a thick binder which they claimed held the present’s health care plan. When Stahl reviewed the binder, all it contained were copies of his executive orders and existing legislation. The president has been claiming to have a plan since he was running for president the first time in 2016 and still there is nothing. Republicans in Congress like John Cornyn have been talking about Repeal and Replace for years and still have not produced a replacement plan either.

In the midst of a worsening pandemic, Republican leaders have no plan to protect the health of the American public. Those same Republican leaders are suing to kill the Affordable Care Act which will cause 28 million Americans to lose their health insurance at a time when a million Americans have been hospitalized due to the pandemic. Even with insurance many of those who have been hospitalized have been left with large medical bills and men like John Cornyn and the president want to destroy what little protection many of us have from bankruptcy or death. Back in May, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Fox News “Those of us who are 70 plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the country”. The only people sacrificing the country are Republican senators who refuse to hold a vote on the HEROES Act that would provide aid to states, cities, and individuals during the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.

There are 6 days left until election day, and the race has tightened here in Texas. Your vote could be the deciding factor in throwing out John Cornyn in favor of MJ Hegar so make a plan to vote and then go VOTE.

Bolton Bombshell Requires Public Testimony

I’ve previously argued that the American people deserve a thorough and transparent senate trial. Such a trial requires that senators and the public hear testimony from former National Security Advisor John Bolton, Interim Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and others as well as the opportunity to review documents pertaining to the illegal withholding of military aid funds approved by congress. Bolton and Mulvaney among others are first-person witnesses to the words and actions of Donald Trump and therefore have direct knowledge pertinent to the trial. That should have been more than enough reason, but now that the New York Times has reported John Bolton wrote in his proposed book that Trump specifically told him that the funds were being withheld until Ukraine announced an investigation into Joe Biden and his son. Even those who still believe Trump should demand that Bolton publicly testify under oath so that we all have the opportunity to evaluate Bolton’s credibility.

Senator Cornyn voted 11 times on January 21st and 22nd to block first-hand witnesses from testifying and to prevent relevant evidence from being included. Voting against witnesses and evidence is like covering one’s ears and eyes to block out the truth.

Just over 45 years ago Richard Nixon resigned from the presidency when Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, Senator Barry Goldwater, and House Minority Leader John Jacob Rhodes met with him to inform him of failing support among Republicans in congress. Rhodes told Nixon he faced certain impeachment in the House. Scott and Goldwater told the president that he had 15 votes or less in his favor in the Senate, less than half the 34 needed to avoid removal from office. Those members of congress were no less partisan than those in congress today, but they did respond to pressure from the public.

With the current partisan split in the Senate it’s going to take 4 Republican senators to vote with Democrats in order to allow the public to hear that testimony. It’s going to take public pressure on Republicans to make that happen. There are several Republicans whose names are being bandied about as candidates for those 4 votes including Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine because of their perceived moderate positions or election vulnerability. While John Cornyn of Texas isn’t on the media list and unlike those who have been named he hasn’t made any public statements indicating any possible support for calling witnesses he is up for re-election and Democrats here have already shown the state is competitive which makes him vulnerable to public opinion.

This is much bigger than just President Trump. Preventing witnesses, evidence, and transparency in President Trump’s impeachment trial sets a dangerous precedent and potentially undermines the Constitution for generations. While impeachment might just seem like some abstract exercise, this process could affect Texans for years to come. It might be a Republican ignoring the Constitution this time, but it could just as easily be a Democratic president at some point in the future. 

Republicans and Democrats must put country over party to allow evidence and critical first-hand witnesses as part of the impeachment trial. Only public participation can keep our political process on track and that means you, your family and your neighbors need to take part. All it takes is a simple two minute phone call to Senator Cornyn’s office, (202) 224-2934. Just leave a message with your name, zip code and the fact that you want to hear what John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney have to say in public and while under oath.

Honesty and Transparency Demand Witnesses

I think it’s fair to say that most Americans believe that no one should be above the law and the overwhelming majority of us think justice is best served by a fair trial. It is generally accepted that a fair trial requires the ability of both sides to call witnesses and that evidence be presented such as documents that may be in the hands of the person on trial. That standard we held to in the Senate trial of President Bill Clinton and should apply to the Senate trial of President Donald J. Trump.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, aided and abetted by his second in command our own Senator John Cornyn, has made it clear that he wants to avoid hearing from witnesses and the presentation of documents. Since Trump withheld thousands of documents requested by the House impeachment inquiry team and instructed White House staff to ignore subpoenas the trial in the Senate is last chance the American people will get to find out all the details regarding the administration withholding congressionally approved funds for the defense of Ukraine.

In their efforts to provide cover for Trump, Republicans have claimed that all the witnesses in the impeachment inquiry were second and third hand witnesses. Now that the Senate is about to take up the case all indications so far are that will turn their backs on the opportunity to call first hand witnesses like former National Security Advisor John Bolton and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney among others. Sunday morning on Face the Nation Senator Cornyn was asked directly about this and he just dodged the issue claiming that the House shouldn’t have voted to impeach without all the necessary evidence. Cornyn’s claim relates directly to one of the articles of impeachment, abuse of power, since Trump refused to produce the documents and demanded that administration members not testify. Senator Cornyn’s circular argument shows the blatant dishonesty congressional Republicans have indulged in for months isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

Last week Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered an oath to all 100 senators which says in part "that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help me God." Given that Mitch McConnell stated weeks ago that he is coordinating with Trump on how the Senate will handle the trial it’s hard to imagine him acting impartially when it comes time to vote.

The American people deserve honesty from their elected officials that means a thorough hearing of all the evidence including that which has previously been withheld and the testimony of administration witnesses that have so far refused to testify anything less is a cover-up and we shouldn’t stand for that. It’s going to take our senators to vote for both of them and which means it’s going to take you to demand it of them. Call our senators this week and tell them you expect to hear John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney and others testify in the senate trial. Senator Cornyn’s office number is (202) 224-2934, Senator Cruz’s office number is (202) 224-5922.

Quid Pro Quo by Any Other Name

Around 43 years ago I was introduced to the phrase "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" in Shakepeare’s Romeo and Juliet by Isaac Musselwhite, my high school English teacher. Mr. Musselwhite often reminded us that being able to quote Shakespeare was an indicator of refinement and sophistication; he claimed it would impress girls.

I can’t say that I was an especially good student and I’m still unsure that even if I had been it would have improved my chances for a date. What I can say is that Donald Trump apparently never read Romeo and Juliet and I’ll bet he can quote even less Shakespeare than I can. I’m certain of it because while he has professed “no quid pro quo” since he released the readout of his conversation with Ukraine’s President Zelensky each new document and testimony proves that he was demanding a corruption investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden and withholding previously approved and promised military assistance until he got it. Trump’s demands smell just as sweet as “quid pro quo” no matter what he names it.

First there were rumors of a whistleblower report, then rumors of its contents. Next Trump released the readout of the call with Zelensky which he called perfect but anyone actually reading it saw as strong tactics or extortion and yes, quid pro quo. National Security Advisor John Bolton suddenly resigned. Then came further evidence in the form of text messages between Ambassador Gordon Sondland and Special Envoy Kurt Volker confirming the details of a larger, coordinated effort, dare I call it a conspiracy, that also involved Rudy Guiliani and Attorney General William Barr. Next congress heard testimony from former National Security Council member Dr. Fiona Hill who said Bolton warned her that he would not get caught up in what he referred to as a "drug deal" being cooked up on Ukraine by US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. Out of the blue news broke that two of Rudy Guiliani’s Russian cronies had been arrested on campaign finance violations involving channeling Russian money to Republican candidates and are also implicated in the effort to pressure Ukraine into providing dirt on Biden. Then there were rumors that our former governor, now Secretary of Energy Rick Perry was involved and within days he suddenly announced his resignation.

On Tuesday the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, testified in closed door hearings. Taylor’s fourteen page opening statement has been released to the public. I’ve read it and if there was ever the slightest doubt that Trump and his cronies were engaged in a conspiracy to extort political dirt on Joe Biden from Ukraine’s president in return for military assistance and a meeting with Trump that doubt has been removed. Taylor provides a very specific timeline and first person testimony regarding many conversations, verbal and written, with various members of the conspiracy. Media reports indicate that committee members and staff at the hearing gasped several times during Taylor’s testimony. I find it hard to imagine what could be more damning that Taylor’s opening statement.

Trump’s demands by any other name still smell like “qui pro quo” and since they involve him accepting a thing of value, dirt on an election rival, from a foreign nation those demands violate both the Emoluments clause of the U.S. constitution and federal campaign finance law. Attorney General William Barr’s efforts to stifle the investigation into the whistleblower complaint constitute a coverup.

It is past time for the House to impeach Trump.

Published in the Seguin Gazette - October 25, 2019

Trump's National Security Team Out to Make War

While the national news cycle seems focused on the Mueller Report and the Trump administration’s denial of its conclusions as well as access to the full version Trump and his handpicked advisors like National Security Advisor John Bolton, Special Representative for Venezuela Elliot Abrams, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seem to be shopping for a nice small war. Trump has been antagonizing Iran since his first days in office and last year unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. For the last several months he and his enablers have been escalating rhetoric and threats against the duly elected leader of Venezuela.

Elliot Abrams is best known for his involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal, which supplied weapons to right wing insurgents in Nicaragua, during the Reagan administration, and led to his conviction in 1991 on two counts of unlawfully withholding information from Congress.

John Bolton is also of Iran-Contra scandal alumnus and has worked tirelessly to undermine nuclear weapons reduction and biological weapons treaties. Until last year Bolton was chairman of the Gatestone Institute, a nonprofit organization that disseminated false anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim information, where Bolton published articles on Iran and other topics.

Mike Pompeo denies climate change and claims that reduced sea ice in the Arctic Circle is a good thing as it can lower the cost of international trade. Pompeo is known for making bombastic and false statements like claims that China is investing in facilities in northern Canada of which there are no such investments. He has also state strong support for torturing prisoners of war.

Trump has been talking about military intervention in Venezuela since the summer of 2017 including asking advisors why the US wasn’t at war with Venezuela, noting that “they have all that oil and they’re right on our back door.” Just last week Pompeo stated that American troops might be used in support of the overthrow of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

Earlier this week, Bolton announced that the United States was dispatching an aircraft-carrier strike group and bombers to the Middle East, saying that the U.S. is sending “a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime” and threatening “unrelenting force.” Actually the deployment has been scheduled for months as part of a rotation of forces. Nevertheless the unprovoked comments follow a yearlong campaign of threats and intimidation aimed at Iran, after the administration’s withdrawal one year ago from the Iran nuclear deal. Since then, the United States has instituted tough new sanctions aimed at crippling Iran’s economy and cutting off its oil exports.

Over the past few weeks, the campaign of threats and what the White House calls “maximum pressure” has intensified. In early April the administration took provocative action via the State Department announcement that it was labeling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Tehran’s main military arm, a terrorist group. Trump seems to be following Bush's pattern of manufactured false charges that Saddam Hussein had ties to Al Qaeda and 9/11, the Trump administration is painting the Iranian nation as a terrorist threat. In the two-decade history of the State Department’s terrorist listing no nation's entire armed forces have ever been designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

Watch for further sabre rattling as Congress pursues its investigation of the Mueller report and Trump’s financial dealings. Don’t be shocked if Trump starts a war in an effort to preserve his presidency.

Published in the Seguin Gazette - May 10, 2019