Since his death last Saturday, I’ve stayed pretty quiet about John McCain and the legacy he left behind, but wanted to share a few of my own thoughts about that legacy.  With 60 years of public service, which included 5 1/2 years as a POW in Hanoi, McCain certainly earned every bit of respect he’s now receiving by millions around the world.  He was a creature of the Republican party, but also stood against that party many times, especially when it was dead wrong and pushing some idiotic or cruel policy that helped no one except its base of bigots and special interests.  That part of John McCain I’ll miss greatly.

Having said that, there is one huge stain on his legacy for which I’ll never forgive him.  When he he ran for the presidency in 2008,  McCain abandoned the straight talk express and, as Stephen Colbert aptly put it, “climbed onto the the crazy train”.  Remember that?  McCain, always known for common sense and a fierce adherence to the truth, starting ranting like a teabagger and social warrior trying to get the base behind him instead of Romney (who was doing the same thing), and ideologues Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul.  It was shameful.  But the worst thing he did after winning the nomination?  He gave a voice and a face to the Know-Nothing Idiotic Wing of the Republican party by naming Sarah Palin to the ticket.  That one action opened the floodgates to a tsunami of bullshit, lies, and coded racist rants that the fringes of the party lapped up like spilled Boone’s Farm on a dance hall floor.  My God, what a disaster.  Palin would spout word salad about “death panels” or “palling around with terrorists”, and all of a sudden the airwaves were full of it.  Literally.  She inflicted a new low of stupidity and falsehood never before seen in American politics.

McCain gave the alt-right exactly what we didn’t need, which was a megaphone that has metastasized into the slow motion train wreck that now assaults our senses on a daily basis.  The GOP bears no resemblance to the business and freedom friendly party of the last half of the 20th century, having morphed into a Russian-loving, fascist movement that actually believes that Trump is some God-fearing messiah rather than the spray painted, hair weaved, lying shitbag that is reality.  The GOP of Lincoln is dead and has become the Trumpist Party which gushes about the beauty and grace of the nude model from Slovenia who is now the First Lady, and actually believes that the FBI, CIA, Justice Department, Homeland Security, and all non-Trumpists are corrupt conspirators out to get him.  They believe his denials about Russian interference in our elections and his campaign’s involvement in it, and support the convicted criminals who ran his campaign while refusing to honor McCain, who ironically paved the way for this rot that is coming from the head.

In total, McCain’s 60 years of public service is not totally negated by his selection of Palin, but that decision surely did a tremendous amount of damage to our country that will take decades to reverse (if ever), and history will not look kindly upon it.

There is a place for anger, and THIS is it.

The independence of the Federal Reserve is one of the key features of our economic system. To keep near term political pressure off of the Fed, the President NEVER publicly comments on monetary policy or meddles in decisions made by the agency.  Well, never until yesterday.  Yesterday, Trump (as usual) shattered another decades-long practice by publicly complaining to CNBC that he was “not happy” about the Fed raising interest rates, and that rising rates damaged “all the work” that he’s putting into the economy.

Jesus.  After careful consideration and years of observation, I have determined that Trump is an idiot.  His spouting off about interest rates on CNBC certainly demonstrates (for the thousandth time) that he has no understanding or respect for his responsibilities of the office he infests; worse, said spouting also demonstrates that he has no understanding about how interest rates actually work.  So, I’ve decided to help; let’s talk to Trump about Interest Rates 101:

Dear Donnie…HEY! YOU!

First, sit down and shut up.  Zip it and listen.  You need to UNDERSTAND THIS.  You’re bitching about interest rates, but you clearly have the knowledge of a chimpanzee about the subject.  So, let’s talk interest rates; I’ll keep this simple so even you can understand it.  Why is it important that we get this concept through that big hair weave?  Because, dumbass, even as you complain about interest rates going up, YOU are making interest rates go up!  Your idiotic and unneeded tax cut to billionaires accomplished two things: 1) You overheated the economy, fueling inflation, and the Fed is having to raise the Fed funds rate to slow down spending, and 2) You exploded the deficit, forcing the Fed to sell more debt.  To sell more debt, INTEREST RATES HAVE TO GO UP TO GET INVESTORS TO BUY IT.  When you blew a gigantic hole in the deficit with your tax cut, YOU caused the problem.  Also, because of your idiotic and erratic leadership, demand for US bonds internationally is down, especially in China.  Again, dropping demand forces higher interest rates to get investors to buy US debt.  Simple.

A debt rate primer: US debt rates are determined by the demand for government bonds. US Government debt is how we finance deficit spending.  You remember that, right, way back when deficits used to matter when the Black Guy was in the White House? Right?  Anyway, I digress.  When demand for bonds exceeds the supply of bonds, interest rates go down until demand is reduced.  If demand for bonds is less than the supply of bonds, then interest rates go up until demand increases and the bonds sell. Interest rates are increasing now because we’re having to finance more debt.  So, here’s what YOU can do, Donnie, (I know your orange head is going to explode) to lower interest rates, you should:

1. RAISE TAXES.  This will raise revenue and lower the need to issue more US debt.  Interest rates will go down.
2. STOP YOUR ASININE TRADE WAR. Confidence and stability in the US increases demand for US debt, and interest rates will go down.
3. Stop commenting publicly on Fed monetary policy, labor numbers, and Hillary Clinton (Hillary comments have nothing to do with interest rates, but they do make you look like a moron.)

Now, go back up to the residence, but turn off Fox Noise and go play with your Legos.

Sincerely,

El Jefe, Interest Rates 101 Instructor

There is a place for anger, and THIS is it.

Reversing himself less than 24 hours after he reversed himself after siding with Vladimir Putin 24 hours before that, Trump inexplicably said today that Russian intelligence is no longer targeting the US.  That’s bullshit, of course, and NO US or European intelligence agency agrees with him.  Making the vertigo-inducing statement today before a cabinet meeting, Trump added that Putin was not happy because, “there’s never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been.”

Jesus, my neck hurts.

There is a place for anger, and THIS is it.

Dear John,

I’m writing this open letter to you today because you’re the only mature adult in the US Senate representing my home state of Texas.  I’m not writing to Ted Cruz, our other senator, because he is exclusively a self serving, narcissistic shitbag whose only goal in life is to continuously run for president, because, well, he’s Ted Cruz, and he is all that matters – to Ted Cruz.

That out of the way, let’s get to the point – When are you going to get up off your fat partisan ass and do your goddam job?  Today, the President of the United States denied colluding with Vladimir Putin while colluding with Vladimir Putin on television in front of the entire world.  This spray painted, hair-weaved star of cheesy reality television actually took the side of Russia against every single US intelligence agency and even your own Senate intelligence report about their interference with our elections.  Our elections.  While lavishing praise upon this murderer, Trump actually called the United States foolish and took RUSSIA’S side, idiotically harping on his election victory over a year and a half ago, babbling incoherently about why the FBI didn’t get “the server”, and insulting everyone from Hillary Clinton to the Democratic Party to the Justice Department.  I was personally humiliated and actually fought off the urge to vomit as I endured, along with millions of other Americans, the spectacle of a US President making a complete ass of himself in front of the entire world while siding against the American people.

I’m over 60, so am old enough to have witnessed the catastrophes of the Viet Nam War that tore the country apart, Watergate that eventually destroyed the Nixon presidency, Iran Contra that damaged the Reagan presidency, the sex scandals that nearly took down the Clinton presidency, and the invasion of Iraq based on trumped up (no pun intended) evidence that crippled the Bush II presidency.  However, those disgraceful scandals pale in comparison to the slow motion train wreck of this administration.  Donald Trump governs the US government as if it’s a reality television show.  He actually spews silly nonsense on an hourly basis on Twitter insulting everyone from television personalities to allies to political foes.  He continuously repeats demonstrably false statements that damage our reputation among friend and foe alike.  His conduct has degraded our political discourse to the point where his followers feel it’s open season on everyone not like them.

And the real tragedy?  The invertebrates in Congress, including YOU, have enabled this shameful chapter of our history.  Up until today, you and others have dismissed his shameful behavior, apparently afraid to attract his Twitter wrath or the anger of your mouth-breathing base which keeps returning you to Do Nothingville, DC to actually do nothing.  Enough is enough.  Trump has gone from embarrassing, to dangerous, to now treasonous.  Get off your ass.  Impeach this son of a bitch before he burns down the planet.

Sincerely,

An Old Texan Sick of Your Bullshit

Only college educated, though.  Anyone know where Wite Suburia is?

In a wide ranging interview where a number of subjects lies were covered, Trump issued a veiled threat to those of us who disagree with him.  Calling his opponents “dangerous for our country”, Trump said that those criticizing him and his staff “…better take it easy”.  He said that his base is different than any other president (that’s an understatement), implying that his supporters will resort to violence to defend him.  It was just another ugly moment in an entire era of ugliness.

On a side note, I have not seen Maria Bartiromo since she left CNBC.  I never thought to much of her business reporting, but I must say that her pandering to the worst president in US history was nothing short of vomit inducing.  Jesus, what a disgusting display.