The Mueller Report does not produce a “gasp moment “ in the country

I have written a few times that the only way for Trump to be impeached is for the Republicans to impeach him, and that would only happen if something came out that caused a majority of the country, including Republicans, to gasp in horror and disgust.  The Mueller Report apparently has no such revelation, at least according to the Trump appointed Attorney General, William Barr, who issued a four page synopsis and conclusion yesterday after a 48 hour review of the Mueller Report.

Did the Russians try to interfere with the election?  Apparently Mueller says yes, there is enough evidence that says that is true.

Did Trump conspire with the Russians in that effort?  Apparently Mueller says there is not enough evidence to prove that to be true.

Did Trump attempt to obstruct justice?  Mueller says the evidence neither condemns nor exonerates him.

“According to Barr, on the obstruction of justice front, the Special Counsel wrote that “while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” “

Barr then stated that he would not be pursuing an Obstruction of Justice charge because there was not conclusive evidence of intent on the part of Trump to obstruct.  Seems clear to me that Trump’s actions were obstructive, but proving intent beyond a reasonable doubt is too hard, according to Barr.   Barr wrote:

“Generally speaking, to obtain and sustain an obstruction conviction, the government would need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person, acting with corrupt intent, engaged in obstructive conduct with a sufficient nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding.”

Will the Mueller Report be released to Congress and the American people?  The House voted 420 – 0 demanding it, so I don’t see Barr refusing to do so, but there are likely to be some redactions – not implicating people who have not or will not be charged with a crime, and not revealing national security secrets, I suppose.  But I would expect to see the report pretty fully exposed.  Trump will try to stop it, so fights to come, I expect. 

Was the president “fully exonerated” as he claimed?  No.  Mueller explicitly said the evidence could not conclude that he committed a crime but also could not exonerate him.  Trumpsters will believe Trump, of course, because that is what they do.

Was/is Pelosi right in saying the House should not impeach Trump unless something comes to light that makes it necessary?  Yes.  We did not get a “gasp moment” yesterday that turned the Republicans against him. 

Is Trump still in legal jeopardy? Yes.  Not from conspiracy charges, but investigations into his current and deep history of corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion will continue.

What sweethearts Trump and the Republicans are

The Trump proposed Budget is dead on arrival in Congress, of course, thank goodness. But his Budget reveals a lot about him and his Republican Party.  He breaks a number of promises that he made to his gullible Trump voters in 2016 - he said he wouldn't cut Social Security or Medicare.  Of course that was a lie.  Sorry his voters didn't see who he was when they voted to help the Russians install him in the White House.


Here are some of the cuts.  Over ten years:

• Medicare - cut $845 billion - aren't most Trumpsters old white folk?
• Social Security - cut $25 billion - again, old folks being hurt?
• Medicaid - cut $1.5 trillion - these people really hate poor folks!
• Food stamps - $220 billion - punish the poor for being poor?
• Student loans  - $207 billion - we have a generation in debt, serves them right for not being rich!
• Education - $8.5 billion - let them all go to private schools like good Republicans should!

Plus shots at Public Broadcasting (they say bad things about el Duce you know), and stop heating subsidies for low income people - just cruelty for the sake of cruelty, I guess.

Of course, these are the same folks who pull brown children from the arms of their parents - and then lose track of them.
What sweethearts these people are.....

Deficit grows as planned after Trump tax cut

The "good" Trump economy has a dark side - growing deficit spending.  Not a surprise, of course.  When Trump and the Republican controlled House and Senate passed their super wonderful tax cut to transfer money from the middle classes to the upper classes the economy improved because it was a good old fashioned Keynesian stimulus.  So, what's wrong with a Keynesian stimulus?  Well, it is something you do in a recession, not when the economy is going well, which it had been for years after the Great Recession of 2009.  It is a tool that you can't use all the time because when you use it up it has no room to be used again when it will actually be needed, during the next economic downturn.


So, Trump and the Republicans, blinded by the Supply Side Economics of Reagan, apply lower taxes to stimulate the economy and just forget about the fact that doing so will balloon the deficit.  How much?  an increase of 21% in fiscal 2018. 

"America’s deficit is rising sharply and will surpass $1 trillion per year by 2020, a gap that has grown since Congress cut taxes and increased spending, the Congressional Budget Office reported Monday.

The federal deficit — the gap between how much the government takes in and how much it spends — will hit $804 billion in fiscal 2018, up 21 percent from 2017, the CBO said".

This is simple mismanagement of the economy by the remarkably ignorant president, but it is quite a deliberate manipulation by his heartless Republicans in Congress - they want the deficit to grow so they can use it as an excuse to cut social programs, which they despise - helps poor folks you know, and they really don't like that.- kick 'em out into the streets, that'll show them for being poor! 


So, for my conservative friends who know that Trump is a monstrous fool but still support him because of the "good economy", it's a sugar high at best, and is a cynical ploy to attack the poor and middle classes.


Social Security and Medicare are on the chopping block.