The Art of The Resistance

Love or hate him, Donald Trump has turned the body politick of the United States upside down.

In the span of three short weeks he has managed to alienate, insult, offend, attack, lie, and disrupt the status quo like no POTUS in history. 

Here are some quick highlights: scrubbing the White House website of any mention of climate change, declaring war against the media, nominating unqualified ideologues for senior cabinets positions, issuing gag orders on the EPA, claiming without any evidence, that there was massive voter fraud in the 2016 Presidential election, reportedly hanging up on Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a recent phone call, issuing executive orders to gut the ACA and banning immigration from predominately Muslim countries.

If nothing else, the Trump administration has managed to piss off a lot of people in a very short time, and there is no reason to believe that they will take their foot of the gas peddle. However, in the process, the new regime has faced fierce pushback, and from all indications, they are starting to realize that signing executive orders and claiming that alternative facts exists, doesn’t cut it with the American people, the federal courts and our allies in the global community. 

The ebb and flow of political discourse in our country is such, that the govern, or “We The People” will peacefully assemble and demand redress from elected officials, when government oversteps its constitutional authority or attempts to trample the inalienable rights of its citizens. In other words, the American people will lay the smack down on any politician that dares to get out of line. And Trump and his merry band of robber barons are squarely in the cross hairs.

It’s a very sad thing to admit, but Donald Trump has confirmed my worst fears, he is a pathological liar that is ill equipped, emotionally and intellectually to be POTUS. And worst still, despite many warning by conservatives and liberals alike, he has refused to divest himself from his business holdings, which will invariably led to some sort of political scandal that in turn will led to a constitutional crisis. The recent twitter attack on Nordstrom department stores for treating his daughter Ivanka Trump "so unfairly" for discontinuing  her fashion line  is a pretty good indication of where all this is headed. 

On a much brighter note, the resistance against the new regime is growing and becoming more vocal with each passing day. The events of the last three weeks have been dramatic, and the response by men and women across our nation has been equally dramatic. The women’s march, the protest at airports in response to the travel ban, the lawsuits filed by four U.S. states regarding said travel ban, protest rallies against repealing ACA, the boycotts of companies that endorse the Trump brand, directly challenge the “alternative fact” and executive orders of the POTUS. For all intents and purposes, Trump and GOP are witnessing the birth of the Tea Party from the left.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the pendulum is always in motion in politics. The feeling of despair that many felt with the defeat of Hillary Clinton has grown into anger, which in turn has reinvigorated the democratic and independent base.  A populist movement, from the center left is coming to the forefront and the energy is clearly surging. And if the liberals and independents stay engaged, the GOP is looking at a loss in the 2018 mid-term elections. If that turn out to be the case, Trump and his agenda are done.

Yup … the pendulum is always in motion.

This is what Democracy looks like!

Two seismic events shook the body politick of America within the span of twenty four hours.

The first event was the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as POTUS.

The second, and much more important event, was the women’s march that took place across many cities in our nation and in other countries. According to many published reports, more than a million protesters gathered in Washington D.C. and around the country and the world Saturday, sending a loud and unequivocal rebuke of the incoming administration.

In typical alt-right fashion, the White House Press Secretary Sean Spice had his first official press briefing and never mentioned the marches, but instead berated the media for supposedly misreporting the size of the crowd at Friday’s inauguration.

The complaint, while bordering on extremely trivial and bizarre, showcases the authoritarian impulses of the new administration, and more alarming, the pathological, unabashed distortions and outright lies that Donald Trump and his lackeys will spew to divide and conquer. Case in point, Chuck Todd on Meet The Press called out senior adviser Kellyanne Conway when she tried to explain away Sean Spice press briefing falsehoods as “alternative-facts.”

The new regime is showing its hand, and its built on lies, propaganda, and good ole fashion Stalinist demagoguery.

Yes to be sure, the next four years will test our democracy and national resolve. However, the marches and protesters have sent the GOP and Gropenfuhrer in Chief a very loud message: business as usual will be challenged and soundly rebuked. Men and women across this nation and around the world are appalled and disgusted by the new regime and its early attempts to roll back eight years of progress.

The fact that the new administration scrubbed the White House website of any mention of climate change, LGBTQ rights, and Trumps first action as POTUS was to sign an executive order to undermine ACA or Obama care, is a clear indication of the priorities and mindset that will not make America Great Again.

Of particular note, the Trump era begins with the POTUS entering office with a deeply divided nation and with historically low approval ratings. According to a FOX news poll, 37 percent of the American people had a favorable view of Trump. In the world of Washington politics those numbers are a huge liability not only for the new regime, but also for the GOP itself. Political capital is very important for any new administration, and the new guy on job has none.

The Donald Trump honeymoon is clearly over before it actually began, and the GOP is looking at the very real prospect of a dismal defeat in the mid term elections of 2018. As I said, in one of my earlier blog’s, the pendulum is always in motion. For the time being, the resistance needs to stay the course, and fight Comrade Trump and the GOP every day until their agenda is thoroughly defeated.

This is what Democracy looks like.

One Term or Bust

Recently, one of my neighbors admitted that he found Hillary Clinton so odious as a candidate that he actually voted for Donald Trump.

He gave me all the standard talking points about her past misdeeds and how she could never be trusted. Then he asked me to give the president-elect “a chance.”

I was incredulously to put it mildly and response was immediate and straight to the point: Not going to happen.

Truth be told, I gave Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt for the last 16 months. And in all that time he confirmed my worst fears: he is a xenophobic narcissist that is equal parts snake-oil sales man, egomaniacal robber baron and petulant sociopath. The president-elect is the gift that keeps on giving, but ultimately the joke is really on the American people.

In the last 16 months, Trump has made a mockery of our electoral process and has prevented any kind of serious political debate about the real issues that our nation must contend with. And worst still, he has successfully divided our country with his fear mongering and late night tweet storms.

However, my greatest grievance against the usurper-elect is the four years he is going to steal from America. Four years that our country cannot afford to lose. Four years of GOP maneuvers that will attempt to undo all the gains of the last eight years. Four years of trying to check the attacks on our constitutionally protected rights, and freedoms. Four years of trying to make Trump a one-term aberration in our nations history. Four years of fighting for the heart and soul of our nation.

Perhaps we’ll get lucky.

Perhaps the GOP will come to see Trump as a severe liability and decide to impeach him. Or perhaps, in an uncharacteristic moment of clarity, Trump comes to the realization that he really is unfit to do the job and resigns. I seriously doubt that would ever happen, but who knows, stranger things have happened.

Or perhaps a huge asteroid suddenly appears out of nowhere, smashes into our planet and wipes out human civilization and the universe takes no notice. Admittedly this last point is purely wishful thinking on my part. 

At any rate, I have no reason to give Donald Trump “a chance.” In the last 16 months he has made himself perfectly clear … people like me are not a part of his vision of America. Inclusion and tolerance are foreign concepts to the tweeter-elect, and all his supporters would do well to remember that point. Instead of draining the swamp, as he pledged during his campaign, Trump as been filling his cabinet appointments with a rogues gallery of deplorable’s that would give the villains of Batman a run for their money.

 One doesn’t need a crystal ball to guess what a Trump presidency will bring to the poor and working class in this country. However, a perfect example of what is to come can be seen in North Carolina, where the Republican controlled legislature staged a political coup, undermining the incoming Governors power, and refusing to repeal House Bill 2, or the “bathroom bill,” a discriminatory law that has led to an economic boycott of the state by many business organizations and artist such as Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam. 

I and all the other people that Trump has spent the last 16 months attacking and vilifying can take comfort in the following thought: for the next four years, barring any impeachments, WE THE PEOPLE get to tell the Usurper in Chef that he is not a part of our vision of America.

Democracy in action … gotta love it.

The Art of the Denial...

17 intelligence agencies have confirmed that they believe, with a high degree of certainty, that Russia, under the direct orders of Vladimir Putin, hacked our election systems in order to affect the outcome of the presidential race. In layman terms, when intelligence agencies use the words, “high degree of certainty” that translates into, “we know beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

Donald Trump and his lackies have denied, and ridiculed the intelligence reports, taken to twitter to cast blame on President Obama, claiming that its some sort of liberal plot designed to overturn the election results and subvert the will of the people. Obviously the modus operandi of the President-elect and his team is when in doubt, and you have no facts to back up your wild claims, bludgeon the messenger, and deny, deny, deny.

Putting aside partisan politics,  17 intelligence agencies are sounding the alarm loudly and clearly, the sovereignty of our nation and our democratic institutions have been attacked by a foreign government. By launching a cyber attack on our election systems, Russia at the behest of Vladimir Putin, has declared war on our nation!  

Why you may ask?

Submitted for your consideration:

The Russian president is a very rich man; his fortune is estimated at $85 Billion! And he amassed that fortune by robbing, killing and destroying anyone that has dared to get in his way. Hillary Clinton spoke out against Putin in 2011 and from that moment she became his target. The hack of our election systems was meant to deny her the presidency and more importantly, show the world that America was weak and couldn’t be depended on.

Needless to say, hacking our election systems with the intent of undermining our democracy is a deliberate act of war!

And no amount of political double-talk by Kellyanne Conway, or incoherent, conspiracy-laden tweets from Donald Trump are going to change that fact. The strategy of deflect and deny is not going to cut it. The 3 a.m. tweets about the biased media and liberal democrats is not going to change the situation. The “Make America Great Again” slogan is not going to stop our enemies from attacking our nation.

This might come as a complete shock to Trump and his stunningly overblown ego, but the President of the United States works for 300 million citizens. He swears an oath to uphold our constitution and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats. The job of the POTUS is to put the interest of the nation before that of himself and his family.

Real leaders take the world as it is and implement policy according to verifiable information rather than hiding their heads in the sand. Real leaders don’t disparage our intelligence community when they are sounding the warning bell. Real leaders see Vladimir Putin as a threat and call him out when he actively tries to destroy the sovereignty of your nation.

The United States of America is indeed a great country and we need a great man or woman to lead us starting January 20^th …

Sadly, we got saddled with Donald Trump and his twitter account.

Enemies At The Gate

For many years going forward, academics, political scientist, historians, media consultants and average working men and women are going to debate the dismal Presidential election of 2016. However, for the time being, we must focus our attention on two very real threats to our democracy.

 The first threat is the fact that a foreign government influenced the Presidential election of 2016. The Soviet Union successfully launched a series of cyber attacks that undermined our political process. Make no mistake, Vladimir Putin is a stone cold killer and he views America as a sunset power that must be neutralized and Donald Trump as simple-minded, political opportunist that can be easily manipulated.

 The second threat is internal and ideologically driven. The rise of the alt-right media machine is dangerous and seriously undermines the tenets of our democracy because at its core it predicated on racism, xenophobic fear mongering, sexism, white nationalism and anti-Semitism.

Propaganda websites like Breitbart News, the Drudge Report, and conservative radio hosts like Alex Jones and Rush Limbaugh have systemically engaged in conspiracy theories, trafficking in fake news reports and attacking and demonizing Democrats, Independents and principled Republicans that are not radical or conservative enough.

The first threat is unacceptable and must never be allowed to happen again. Homeland security, and all the other security agencies that are suppose to protect our nation, fell down on the job. Hard questions need to be asked and changes need to be made. Foreign governments (and the FBI) should never be allowed to influence our elections. EVER!

The second threat is equally troubling, but it must also be confronted and defeated.  

To be sure, propaganda is not a new phenomenon in American politics. Case in point: President Woodrow Wilson used the Creel Commission to manipulate the American people into marching off to World War I, which resulted in over 37 million military, and civilian casualties!

If allowed to continue on its merry way, the alt-rights media machine could easily derail our democracy and push this country into another great depression or another war to end all wars.

Sadly, the new incoming regime has shown its disdain for real journalism, fact checking, and freedom of speech. As a way of calming fears and showing what “making America Great Again” will consist of, President-elect Trump decided to appoint Steve Bannon, CEO of Breibart News, as his chief strategist and senior counselor.

Yes, that’s right, a white nationalist is the new White House Chef Strategist!

Suffice it to say, the enemies are at the gate and the American people can expect no help from the anti-Christ of NY and his administration made up of gazillionaires and white supremacists. 

The fight for the heart and soul of our nation is going to be long and costly, but in the end, the American people will answer the call, rise up against the forces of intolerance, fear and hate and protect our democracy from threats, both foreign and domestic.

Truth, justice and liberty will not quietly go off into the night.

Buyers Remorse

Most establishment elites and media pundits have called Trump supporters a bunch of angry, mostly white, uneducated racist. To be sure a vast majority of them fall into that category, but a lot are simply working class voters who have been left behind by globalization. In the rust belt states, factories have closed and moved their operations to less developed countries, high levels of unemployment and drugs have decimated thriving communities, and the American dream has become a month-to-month hardship.

Needless to say, many people are really hurting, and the powers that be, Democrats and Republicans have been tone deaf to all the warning signs.

Donald Trump got elected because many people wanted change, and they were desperate. They believed his bold promises and his outrageous lies. After all, a completely incompetent businessman, with no political experience, and no sense of human decency is a far better choice to be our 45^th President than an establishment candidate like Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton.

So therefore, Trump supporters voted to burn down the house. In the short term it feels good, however, in the long run they will come to realize that they have been bamboozled.

This is what Trump supporters have to look forward to.

One Trillion dollars in infrastructure spending. Sounds good, but his plan, which is nonsensical, depends on private investors footing most of the bill. The GOP is already baulking at the cost while the Democrats are cheering it on.

Tax reform. His tax plan is estimated to reduce government revenues by $9. 5 Trillion over a decade. The rich will get huge benefits, meanwhile the poor and middle class will get stuck with the bill. The national debt will explode out of control.

Getting rid of TPP or NAFTA. Protectionism sounds good, but his plan would lead to a trade war. Going after China for its trade polices could up end costing the United States 7 million jobs! Also, this type of trade policy would most likely lead to an economic recession.

Building the WALL! First, Mexico is not going to pay for it. Second, the 2000 mile long Wall would cost around $25 Billion to build, and at least $750 million annually to maintain.

Deporting 7 million illegal immigrants. Mass deportation would cost the American taxpayer between $400 and $600 Billion. Also, mass deportation would reduce our economy by 6 percent, or $1.6 Trillion dollars, over 20years.

My point is this: Trump supporters are going to get royally screwed!

Their return on investment will result in higher taxes, fewer jobs, higher prices on goods and services. Oh … lets not forget, if Obama Care is repealed and not replaced, the loss of health insurance coverage for millions of Americans and much higher premiums.

Lets not even talk about our moral standing on the world stage and what our partners in NATO are thinking.

Buyer’s remorse is not going to be fun or pretty. A lot of people across America are going to wake up a year from now and realize that they burned down the house in which they live in.

However, there is some good news.

Every two years Americans get to go to the ballot box and throw the bums out. If the last ten years are any indication, the American people will get angry again, and the House of Representatives will flip from red back to blue.

Democracy in action is not boring.

The Pendulum Is Always In Motion

Victories in politics are short-lived. The pendulum is always in constant motion and the joy of victory today turns to the anguish of defeat tomorrow. 

The election victory of the anti-Christ of NY has caused many people a lot of sleepless nights and severe anxiety. To be sure, losing the election hurt and stings but let’s dry our tears, moblize, and take back our governement and restore our standing among the global community.

Quick reminder, in 2004 President Bush was reelected with a huge majority. At the time, he said that his victory  had given him a lot of political capital that he intended to spend. In short order, he decided to try to privatize Social Security and make his Bush era tax cuts permanent.

So what ended up happening? 

The Democrats and the American people mobilized and faster than you can say “round 'em up and smoke 'em out” they defeated the attack on Social Security. And two years later, Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House followed two years later by the election of Barrack Obama. By the way, the Bush ear tax cuts never became permanent.

The take way from all this:  the pendulum is always in motion and defeat turns to victory and vice versa.

The GOP and the alt-right won huge on November 8^th. Even though I hate the outcome, I congratulate them. To the victor goes the spoils, etc, etc.

That being said, the thrill of victory will be short-lived. The agenda of the anti-Christ of NY and the GOP is DOA!

And no amount of feel good, political correctness by President Obama, Hillary Clinton, the DNC or media pundits on cable TV is going to change that. 

If the protests that are sweeping across our nation are any indication, the American people are horrified and disgusted, and they are going to mobilize, and they are going to be relentless, and they are going to give the Congress back to the Democrats in 2018 and the White House in 2020.

Don’t believe me?

Consider this … in the last ten years the American people have changed governments every two years. Democrats to Republicans, back and forth.

Nothing in politics is permanent.

The tears and anguish of today will turn to laughter and joy tomorrow.

Love him or hate him, Donald Trump and his ideology of intolerance and hate will eventually be replaced.

And America will keep marching forward.

And the pendulum will keep swinging.

FIGHT!!!!

The American people have decided to vote against their best interest and make the anti-Christ of NY its 45^th President. Yes I know, Hillary Clinton was a flawed candidate that many people, myself included, didn’t want in the race, but she was also, the most educated, dignified and qualified person for the job.

But instead we got a xenophobic, racist that has the intellectual curiosity of a monkey and is complete failure as a businessman. But he is going to make America Great Again, so I guess that makes all his hate and intolerance acceptable.

Much to Hillary Clinton and President Obama’s credit they have said that we are not Democrats or Republicans, but Americans, and as such, we need to support the President elect. WE need a peaceful transition of power. Nice sentiments and very sensible and classy. But it’s that type of gutless thinking that has consigned the Democrats and America to the shame and horror of a mean-spirited, poor excuse for a human being getting the nuclear launch codes in January 2017.

Let’s be clear … now is not the time to be doves, and engage in political correctness. Now is the time to stand up to all the bullies, liars, conmen, haters, and idiots and FIGHT!

In case the election results haven’t sunk in, America has taken a huge step backwards. Instead of moving boldly into the future we have decided to go backwards and have shown the world how to destroy a great nation from within. In case Democrats and the media pundits don’t get it, WE ARE AT WAR! 

And we better start fighting to win, because the heart and the soul of our nation are at stake! The anti-Christ of NY will make good on all his campaign talking points if we don’t stop him.

To everyone who truly loves this country and is disgusted by the events of November 8^th, I urge you to channel your anger and FIGHT! Dedicate yourself to the cause, mobilize, protest, and take no prisoners. In the short term, to paraphrase Sen. Mitch McConnell, our job is to make Donald Trump a one term President! We need to show him and all his “birther” lackeys the same level of compassion and respect that they have shown President Obama and the American people for the last eight years.

However, the long-term goal needs to be: the COMPLETE defeat of the GOP, to drive them out of power in State Houses and in Congress. The party of Lincoln has become the party of obstructionism, hate and intolerance. America needs to be rid of the alt-right and anyone who breaks bread with them.

America and our way of life is being threatened by neo-conservative/fascist and we must answer the call and defeat them.

Yeah, we lost the election, and that really doesn’t feel good. But here is the good news … were going to mobilize and win the war!

America is bigger and better than one election or President elect.

Time to take back our country.

Lets get to work!

Star Trek: 50 Years Into the Final Frontier

Hate to show my age but I grew up on Star Trek TOS, the theatrical movies, and all the spin-off series that have gone to the final frontier.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the franchise and Paramount Pictures decided to release a new movie, “Star Trek Beyond,” directed by Justin Lin (from the Fast and Furious movies) and featuring the actors from the first two J.J Abrams movies. The third entrée in the series is a fun, visceral, action pack ride, heavy on BIG ASS explosions, and short on the moral allegories and philosophical debates of TOS. Casual movie goers will appreciate the action set pieces and the witty interplay between the characters. However, long-time Trekkies will have to make peace with the fact that J.J Abrams and Justin Lin favor action over introspection. 

The 50^th anniversary and “Star Trek Beyond” comes with some heart-felt sadness, as Leonard Nimoy, the only actor of the seminal TV series to join the rebooted film franchise as Spock Prime died in Feburary 2015 at age 83, and Anton Yelchin, 27, who reprised the role of Pavel Chekov in the rebooted movies died in a freak car accident in June 2016.  

The credit tributes for “Star Trek Beyond” read simply “In Loving Memory of Leonard Nimoy” before going to “For Anton.”

The critical reviews and box office numbers for “Star Trek Beyond” have been universally favorable and a fourth installment has already been greenlit. Also in the works, a new CBS TV series, Star Trek Discovery will debut in 2017. However, Star Trek’s domestic box office appeal appears to be slowing down, as “Star Trek Beyond” did substantially worse than its predecessors when it debuted in the United States this weekend. “Star Trek Beyond’s” $59.6 million haul was down 15% from “Star Trek Into Darkness” $70.2 million debut and off 20.7% from the $75.2 million debut of 2009’s “Star Trek.”

With a hefty budget of $185 million, “Star Trek Beyond” will need to perform well overseas if it wants to make a profit.

The Star Trek franchise might be drifting and losing some of its  mojo, but unlike many franchises that have been cosigned to the dustbin of history, Star Trek is the unlikely series, with the unlikely cast of characters that refuses to go away and die. J.J Abrams has taken the franchise and made it fresh and relevant enough that Paramount has officially confirmed a  fourth entry in the reboot series. There is no release date set yet, but the studio confirmed that Chris Hemsworth will reprise his role of George Kirk.

To be sure, Star Trek is 50 years into its journey to the final frontier, but the iconic characters of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc,  still resonate with old and new fans alike. The franchise is still a global phenomenon and shows no sign of pulling into dry dock. The future of Star Trek is to keep moving forward and evolve with the entertainment landscape, but never lose sight of its core beliefs and positive view of humanity.  

Live long and prosper. 

A Brave New World and the GOP Nightmare

A seismic shift has taken place in American politics and its repercussions will be felt for years.

Against all odds and conventional political wisdom Donald Trump, aka, the anti-Christ of NY, has become the presumptive republican nominee. It was a long laborious process involving, a lot of bombastic tweeting, disparaging remarks about immigrants and women, simplistic slogans; penis size comparisons on national TV and ugly fear mongering. And many people in America and around the world are shaking their heads in disbelief, wondering how did it all go wrong.

The first impulse is to simply dismiss the average Trump supporter as an uneducated, gun-totting, beer drinking middle age white men or women who are simply uninformed voters. However, there is a more readily apparent explanation at hand, and some political pundits simply dismissed it altogether, or just didn’t think it was a major factor in the 2016 presidential race. The 800 hundred pound gorilla in the room that is roaring at the top of its lungs is comprised of equal parts voter disgust in our political system and good old fashion anger.

Donald Trump, much to his credit, has managed to tap into this voter anger, and has ridden the wave to unprecedented political heights. And sadly, if he goes on to win the general election and become the next POTUS, the political landscape, and the modern GOP will be forever changed. Gone will be the days of substantive debates and political correctness, and in its place, we will get flim-flam men like the anti-Christ of NY, unapologetic fear mongers that will conduct themselves like school yard bullies and shout stupid inflammatory insults during staged rallies.

The brave new world that the anti-establishment movement has ushered in will be a backward looking, divisive, mean-spirited animated corpse. The future of this movement, if it indeed it has a future beyond the general election, will be short lived and aimless. The party of Lincoln is bruised and battered, and it will need to become more inclusive and hopeful if it wishes to survive. Until the GOP collectively comes together and decides to stop playing the role of “the stupid party” winning the white house will remain an illusive dream.

For the time being, the establishment wing of the party will have to formulate a workable strategy to distance themselves from the inevitable anti-Trump backlash in the coming months. If the Republican Party is lucky they will merely lose the general election, and keep control of the House and Senate. If lady luck deserts them, then the GOP might really feel the burn and lose the congress and have a democrat in the Whitehouse.

On a good note, the 2020 presidential race is right around the corner …

Harlem not feeling Bern!

In the last few days, Hillary Clinton and her campaign staff have descended on New York hoping to deny Bernie Sanders a win in the big apple.

Hillary Clinton and New York have a long-standing relationship, and it can be argued that the relationship is not mutually beneficial. In certain political circles, Hillary Clinton is seen as a fraudulent transplant that only moved to New York in order to further her political ambitions. To be sure, Hillary Clinton’s real road to the white house began in earnest when she became a senator representing New York State. Needless to say, New York has been very good for secretary Clinton. Harlem, more than any other neighborhood in the five boroughs, has a special relationship with the Clintons. It was here that Bill Clinton opened his presidential office after leaving the White House.

Now, team Hillary is making the rounds in Harlem hoping to avoid taking a loss in their own back yard. According to political pundits Bernie Sanders has virtually no chance, however the Brooklyn-born Vermont senator isn’t ready to concede Harlem. Admittedly, team Sanders has tapped into a progressive enthusiasm in his home borough, but nonetheless, the campaign has struggled to make inroads in the historic neighborhood in Upper Manhattan that is considered the heart of Clinton Country.

Hillary Clinton kicked off her New York campaign at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Wednesday. The Democratic presidential candidate emphasized her roots in New York, where she served two terms as a U.S. senator. She lives in Westchester County and her national campaign headquarters is in Brooklyn. The former secretary of state, who leads Sanders in pledged delegates (1,243 to 975) in New York polls, stressed that she would deliver where her primary rival Bernie Sanders could not.  

The Sanders campaign, fueled by an unstoppable stream of small donations that is enabling it to compete in New York, said it is looking to open an office in Harlem over the next few weeks. But so far, there’s little evidence the neighborhood is ready to embrace the Vermont senator. The campaign is even having difficulty nailing down a venue for a rally. Rev. Charles Curtis of Mount Love Bapist Church on Lenox Avenue confirmed that a minister working with the Sanders campaign reached out to rent the church for a campaign event and that he turned down the offer. Curtis admitted that he turned down the Sanders campaign primarily because of a packed schedule of community events; however, he was hesitant to say he would be willing to host the senator even if the church was free.

“Right now, based on what I have seen, and the people I have spoken to, I doubt seriously if he going to do well in Harlem. Clinton has the support of most of the African-American clergy.”

Ouch!

Obviously, trying to harness votes or a venue in Harlem is a near impossible task for the Sanders campaign. The chief criticism of team Sanders is that they do well with white voters in states like New Hampshire and Wisconsin, but are unable to expand their voter base in ethnically diverse states like New York. Sadly, even in the democratic presidential race, it all comes down to black and white voter enclaves.

Despite the fact that Harlem isn’t feeling the Bern, the Sanders campaign is holding a rally on Thursday at Saint Mary’s park in the South Bronx.

Batman v Superman … The Battle for Super Mediocrity

In going to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I  kept my expectations exceedingly low. I am happy to report that my lack of faith was amply rewarded. That being said, I will forego the traditional review and potential spoilers and instead share a few thoughts and let the fanboy war play itself out.

Is the movie good?

That depends.

If you to liked the 2013 reboot of Superman: Man of Steel, then its more of the same thing with Batman shoehorned into the story. However, if you didn’t like director Zack Snyder’s retelling of Superman’s origin, then this movie is not going to win you over.

The problems that were inherent in Man of Steel still remain in Batman v Superman: the run time (2 hr 33 min) is too long and the pacing is off, at times the movie seems to be going nowhere. The action scenes come from the Michael Bay school of explosions. The destruction and death count in this movie exceeds Man of Steel, which I didn’t think was possible. Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons did a good job with the material they had to work with. Jesse Eisenberg was a horrible and annoying Lex Luthor and he should never have been cast in the role. The musical score is intrusive and bombastic.

Most problematic of all, the movie is essentially a Batman love-fest co-starring Superman.

Lets be clear, for all intents and purposes, Batman v. Superman is first and foremost a Batman movie with the obligatory scene (yet again) of the murder of his parents and his subsequent tumble down a bat-infested shaft. Unfortunately, this iteration of Batman has no moral constraints and he straight up kill’s bad guys with reckless abandon. To be sure, the comic book Batman always walked a very thin line between being a vigilante and a costumed criminal, but Snyder’s Batman is a sadistic savage who tortures criminals by branding them with his bat symbol, and has no compunctions about mowing them down en mass with advanced artillery fire. 

Sadly, the character of Superman doesn’t fair any better. For the most part, the Man of Steel is reduced to being a full Christ Metaphor, condemned to a life of endlessly rescuing people (mostly Lois Lane). He is essentially a god incarnate, with Earth benefiting from his benevolence, but helpless before his whims. The likable and optimistic Richard Donner Superman has been replaced with Zack Snyder’s chiseled and simplistic Superman who is majestically removed from the very society he hopes to protect.

After the lack luster box office results of Man of Steel, Zack Snyder clearly showed himself to be a tone deaf director that didn’t seem to understand and respect the character of Superman. Instead of giving us a Superman that is interesting and inspirational, he makes his Superman a grim, super powerful alien threat that must be stopped by Batfleck. To be completely honest, Snyder’s version of Superman is a seriously flawed depiction, and sadly, the character is worthy of so much more. Unfortunately, the version we got is “Superman” in name only.

Does the movie works as a stand-alone story.

No … absolutely not.

At best, Batfleck vs. Psuedoman is a movie intent on selling the audience advance tickets to a future installment. Yes, that’s right; BVS is nothing more than a 2 plus hour trailer for a Justice League movie that will be released a few years down the road. In other words, this whole movie is a cash grab promoting another movie that will continue the cash grab.

Warner Bros. wanted to emulate the success of Disney/Marvel and instead of taking their time and building up a DC cinematic universe, they decided to take the easy route and release a big budget action movie devoid of soul and wit. To that end, Batman, as always, is grim, dark and moody, Superman is equally grim, dark and moody, and subsequently, the world that they inhabit is grim, dark and moody. So in essence, BVS is layer upon layer of grim, dark and moody. Abandon all hope and forget about laughter, Batman vs. Superman is super serious and they don’t let your forget it, not even for minute. Basically, it’s all a bit depressing.

Is the movie a must see event?

If you’re a die-hard fanboy, then the answer is yes. Batman fighting Superman is a wet dream come true. However, casual moviegoers might find themselves somewhat bored and a little disappointed with the vast majority of the film. Luckily for Warner Bros. Batman vs. Superman has a built in audience that will see it no matter what anyone has to say, but I suspect its window of box office opportunity might be very small. Despite all the hype, many moviegoers might decide to spend their time and money on the eagerly anticipated Captain America: Civil War or X-Men Apocalypse, when they are released in a few weeks.

Reality TV and the Politics of the Poorly Educated

America has a love affair with reality TV shows. On any given day the entertainment industry provides a buffet of shows that run the gamut from ratchet and ghetto to outright educational. For instance you can feast on "Love & Hip Hop," or "Married At First Sight" during primetime and then wash it down with a nice helping of "Alaskan Bush People" or "Treehouse Masters."

Admittedly, some of the programs are pretty entertaining. I have spent to many hours watching "Alaska The Last Frontier" and imagined myself to be a tough frontier man, hunting and trapping wild game to put food on the table for my family before the onset of winter. Yeah, that’s right, man vs. nature from the comfort of my coach.

Guilty pleasures not withstanding, there is a dangerous and often unnoticed downside to reality TV. For better of worse, the American viewing public believes what they see on TV, and more troubling, they see reality TV celebrities as trust worthy and knowledgeable.  

Who can forget “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertso, and his infamous GQ magazine interview? His definition of sinful behavior:

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.”

The LGBT community was understandably upset and A&E Networks (which produces Duck Dynasty) quickly went into damage control mode and suspended Robertso. In the same interview, the reality TV celebrity also said cotton-picking blacks — back in the good old days — were singing and happy. It should be noted, that many fans of the show, conservative politicians and political pundits agreed with Robertso’s comments and defended him.

Obviously, reality TV celebrities are very knowledgeable and the viewing public can wholeheartedly trust their expertise and views on modern immorality, history, and  slavery.

 The best and most extreme example of this phenomenon is the ascension of reality TV celebrity Donald Trump  as the frontrunner in the 2016 Republican presidential race.

Putting aside fact that the Antichrist of NY is making a mockery out of our political process, and he is completely unqualified to be our next President, he is also, like it or not, a glaring example of America’s downward spiral in terms of civility, critical thinking and education.

To be sure, race, income level, religious afflictions, and gender all play a crucial role in voting tendencies, however, voter education level is the glaring eight hundred pound gorilla in the room, that no one wants to acknowledge, let alone talk about.

The Pew Research Center released data in August of 2012 about the GOP gains among working class voters that found: “Lower-income and less educated whites also have shifted substantially toward the Republican party since 2008 election cycle.” Moreover, among white voters without a college education, the GOP holds a 54 percent to 37 percent advantage among non-college whites.

After winning the Nevada caucus, Donald Trump, attributed his victory in part to the poorly educated that supported him, “We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated.”

And the poorly educated love him.

According to an entrance poll conducted by CNN, Trump polled highest in Nevada among those with a high school education or less. To be clear, Donald Trumps recent surge has less to do with his “Make America Great Again,” campaign slogan, and more to do with "poorly educated" Americans voting against their best interest.

Nine months ago, the thought of a reality TV celebrity actually becoming President of the United States was completely laughable.  Fast forward nine months later and laughter has turned to outrage and disbelief. The Antichrist of NY is having a good laugh at our collective shock.

 To recap:

The presidential race of 2016 is actually a political I.Q. test, and much to the dismay of most people with half a brain cell, we are failing gloriously.

And here comes the punch line…

The American electorate, comprised of — overwhelmingly but not limited to — poorly educated, white Republicans might make a reality TV celebrity our next Commander in Chief, who by the way, will have the nuclear launch codes. 

Pretty funny, right?