Category Archives: Uncategorized
Reject Trump This Tuesday!
Donald Trump is a proven serial liar. He has no business being the President of the United States.
We’ve simply got to check Trump’s power on November 6th!
Young voters! This will be your world long after I’m gone – and your future will be far better if you VOTE this coming Tuesday for Democrats.
I believe Wednesday morning, November 7th, will bring good news. Let’s make sure of it!
VOTE!
Filed under History, Politics, Truth, Uncategorized
A Mid-Term Message to Young Voters
We hear it over and over from the pundit class: Democrats have a chance to take over the House (and maybe the Senate) this year — but younger voters can’t be relied upon to turn out on Election Day.
In fact, many older Democrats that I know agree with the pundits. They don’t think you’ll turn out and vote on November 6th.
They don’t think you’ll vote in big numbers because that’s what history tells them. Statistically, older voters are more likely to vote.
Some older Democrats think that younger voters are not realistic, or too impatient, or too easily swayed by fringe candidates on the extreme left…
But I have three bright daughters between the ages of 38 and 23 – and I know that all of you young people are going to vote this Election Day.
I know you’re going to vote because Donald Trump must be stopped.
I know you’re going to vote because Climate Change is real.
I know you’re going to vote because the Parkland students have inspired us all to fight for sane gun laws.
I know you’re going to vote because GOP white supremacy and misogyny is off the charts.
I know you’re going to vote because GOP state officials are always coming up with legislative schemes to keep college voters and people of color from casting their votes – and that should piss you off!
I know you’re going to vote because Brett Kavanaugh is an embarrassment to the Supreme Court.
I know you’re going to vote because our future depends on it.
And you have a lot more future ahead of you than we do.
So, prove the old farts wrong. Show up at the polls on November 6th– and vote for a better future for America by kicking Republicans out of office. There are lots of exciting, progressive Democratic candidates to support. They need your votes.
But it’s not enough to vote. I know you’re going to vote. But you’ve also got to volunteer – and help get the vote out.
To volunteer, go to: https://multiplyyourvote2018.paperform.co
See you at the polls!
Filed under History, Politics, Uncategorized
Countering GOP Bullsh@t with a Song…
This young woman’s song deserves to be heard — over and over — until Election Day, November 6th!
Filed under Music, Politics, Uncategorized
Don’t Just Vote. Volunteer!
I had the privilege of producing this PSA along with my good friend, Brad Hall. It’s part of a social media campaign to encourage folks to volunteer to work for Democratic victory in the midterm elections on November 6th. Progressives must mobilize for these midterms like never before. Every vote counts. Give Democrats the gavels in those House committees and we’ll have a real check on the Mango Mussolini and his enabling GOP cohort in Congress.
Filed under Comedy, Politics, Uncategorized
Eva’s First Single Drops!
My singer-songwriter daughter Eva’s first single has just been released. You can hear the tune, entitled “Messy”, by clicking this link that takes you to Spotify.
https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3e182j1EkeH2cYXx6HNxs3
In my day you went to the local record store, plunked down your $1.25 and took home the vinyl 45. But the modern world saves you the trip!
So, check it out.
It’s a wonderful song: great vocals, witty lyrics, fun harmonies — and you can dance to it!
To see the video — check out this link:
You can also get the song on Apple Music!
Filed under Uncategorized
DUMP TREASONOUS TRUMP!
My wife and I were privileged to join the march in San Diego a few weeks ago in protest of Donald Trump’s heinous policy of separating immigrant families at the border.
We were proud to be among the thousands of marchers of all ages, races and economic classes who turned out in defiance of the Trump regime’s institutional inhumanity.
But now, less than a month after we hit the streets to protest the sad, un-American fact that asylum seekers and those hoping for a better life in the U.S. were having their children torn from their grasp and sent to parts unknown, that awful policy is practically old news.
Because during the past week, Trump managed to make our horrible national nightmare even worse than it’s been. And now the rest of the western world hates the Mango Mussolini as much as we do.
Trump’s shambling, shameful trip to Europe – from his awful, insulting performance at the NATO meeting, to his bone-headed, bumbling meet and greet with the Queen, his obtuse abuse of the British Prime Minister, and his treasonous prostration before his man-crush, Vladimir Putin – have pushed all the other Trump scandals to the back pages.
But we must not let Trump scandal fatigue wear us down.
We must get back in the streets — again and again.
And we must keep our eyes on the prize: the mid-term elections.
Trump’s solid wall of GOP support cracked a bit after the shock of Helsinki.
But the Republicans won’t truly abandon Trump until we prove he’s a loser at the ballot box.
Write. Talk. Protest. Blog. March. Demonstrate.
But – above all – vote.
Register people to vote.
Remind them to vote.
Drive them to vote.
Drive the GOP out of their Congressional majorities – and put the brakes on the treasonous Trump train.
Bruised and battered as it is — America is worth saving.
And there are a LOT of good, progressive patriots standing with us!
Filed under History, Politics, Uncategorized
LeBron James Comes to Los Angeles: It’s Good vs. Evil.
Those who follow this blog know that I’m a Cleveland, Ohio boy, born and raised – and a LeBron James fan. Just as I was a Jim Brown fan in my boyhood days. What else can you possibly be when the greatest player in a particular pro sport plays for YOUR hometown team?
But unlike many in Northeast Ohio, I continued to be a LeBron fan even after he left town to pursue championship rings in Miami.
Then, like everyone in Cleveland, I rejoiced in King James’ homecoming – and the fact that he took the Cavaliers to four NBA finals appearances in a row. And, oh yeah, the glorious moment when he brought Cleveland it’s first pro sports championship since Jim Brown led the Browns to the NFL title in 1964.
So, when LeBron decided to take his talents to Los Angeles this summer, I did not waiver in my fandom.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I’ve lived in Los Angeles since 1990 – but that’s not the reason I’m still a loyal fan of The King.
In fact, the reasons that I approve of LeBron’s move to Los Angeles have been best expressed by the passionate words of a native of L.A., the son of a great friend of mine – and a wise young man who plays varsity basketball for my alma mater, Northwestern University.
Charlie Hall says it better than I could myself. (In bold italics below)…
I am a LeBron James fan. I am a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. Despite being from Los Angeles, I have NEVER been a Los Angeles Lakers fan. That being said, this is bigger than me. There is a larger mission here. That mission is simple: restore good in the universe.
In other words: Beat the Golden State Warriors. The 73-9, adding Kevin Durant, dancing, gaslighting, EVIL Golden State Warriors.
Perhaps shooting threes is more efficient than a hard drive into a contact layup. It’s worth more points and it takes less energy. I get it.
However, jacking up a three point shot from damn near half court and shimmying your way to your bench to high five Kevin Durant? That lacks heart. That lacks integrity. That lacks ANY of the qualities that are consistent with why we love basketball. The grit. The strength in the face of adversity. It’s all gone.
If we’re being honest with ourselves, the Warriors are going to win. Again and again. Forever. Or until a core member leaves or gets injured.
Now, there is ONE other factor that can derail the Warriors. His name is Lebron James. The philanthropist, family man, forceful inside presence. The man that brought a championship to the city of Cleveland. The GOOD GUY.
He needs guys around him and didn’t have that in Cleveland. Let’s get one thing straight, he doesn’t have it in Los Angeles either. However, he CAN attract the talent. The talent needed to dethrone evil. Horrible, horrible evil.
A part of me wishes LeBron stayed. The little kid from Akron, bringing championships to his hometown, with little to no help? It’s picturesque. It’s gorgeous.
But he’s 33 years old. His time is running out. The chances of him bringing more rings to Cleveland were zero. ZERO.
I’m not sure how much time we have left with this legend, the greatest ambassador the league has ever had — this role model for so many. But I do know one thing: His work isn’t done. We need him to give us one more unforgettable moment. One more.
That moment could’ve happened in Philly, Houston, Boston, San Antonio, anywhere. But now it has to happen in Los Angeles.
So please Mr. James. Whatever you have left. Use it to dunk on Stephen Curry. Use it to defend Kevin Durant. Get Draymond a tech. Do what you have to do. But let’s be clear: You HAVE to do it. There is no other option.
Forever a Cavs fan.
Forever a LeBron fan.
And for the sake of all things good: A newfound Los Angeles Lakers fan.
Charlie Hall
Gowdy Goes Off The Reservation
“When you are innocent — act like it.”
Is Trump just a cynical serial liar? Or is he something even worse?
Let’s be clear. Trey Gowdy is no friend of Democrats and progressives. And he looks kinda like the infamous “Bat Boy” of tabloid fame.
But lately he’s been an unlikely hero for the truth.
Very unlikely.
A deeply conservative House member from South Carolina, it was Gowdy who chaired the committee that spent over two and a half years and $7.8 million investigating Hillary Clinton’s role in the 2012 Benghazi embassy attack. And he barely put up any honest, objective resistance while House Intelligence Committee Chairman (and traitorous weasel) Devin Nunes turned that formerly bipartisan body’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election into a Republican whitewash of Donald Trump’s role in that affair.
But in recent days, Gowdy, who served as a federal prosecutor before he became a politician, is taking positions that few Republicans have dared to take. Of course, Gowdy is not seeking re-election to Congress, so like GOP Senator Jeff Flake and a precious few others, he no longer has to sacrifice every ounce of his integrity to satisfy the prejudices of the rabid Trump/GOP base.
Thus, unlike the vast majority of Republicans who are in the thrall of Trumpism, Gowdy is free to speak the truth.
Having been given access to classified info during the controversial May 24 meeting between GOP Congressmen and members of the Justice Department regarding an anonymous FBI informant who contacted certain members of the Trump campaign in 2016, Gowdy told FOX News that “I am even more convinced that the FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do when they got the information they got, and that it has nothing to do with Donald Trump.”
Trump has been using his bully pulpit – with an accent on the word “bully” – to make wild claims that President Obama ordered the FBI to spy on his campaign. But in the days after that May 24 meeting, Congressman Gowdy has been busy throwing cold water on Trump’s spurious “Spygate” claims.
Undeterred by the facts, as usual, Trump insisted during a rally in Nashville last night that his campaign had been “infiltrated” by the FBI under Obama – as his Trumpist minions in the audience booed lustily.
But Gowdy has stated that the FBI is only following Trump’s own orders by investigating his campaign’s ties to Russia. “President Trump himself in the Comey memos said, ‘If anyone connected with my campaign was working with Russia, I want you to investigate it.’ Sounds to me like that was exactly what the FBI did.”
Gowdy’s refutation of Trump’s “Spygate” bullshit hasn’t stopped the Mango Mussolini from continuing his Goebbels-like assault on the truth. He and his bug-eyed TV lawyer Rudy Giuliani have doubled down on their “Spygate” lies – and aren’t likely to stop.
So, what are we to make of Trump as this point? Even when a loyal member of his own party goes on FOX News to tell the truth – Trump clings to (and amplifies) his disproven lies.
Is Trump just a cynical serial liar? Or is he something even worse: a delusional despot for whom the truth is whatever he wants to believe? Whatever works for him.
Either way, Trump is a clear and present danger to our democracy.
We need many more Republicans to have moments of honesty like Trey Gowdy, who has also said of Trump’s anti-Mueller antics, “When you are innocent — act like it.” 
We need more bipartisan candor in both houses of Congress – and a big turnout for Democrats in the upcoming midterms!
And, by the way, Kim Kardashian made a visit to the White House today. We’re told she was there to discuss prison reform with Trump.
Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better.
Filed under Comedy, History, Politics, Uncategorized
Amid “Roseanne” Fallout, USA Cancels “Trump”
USA FINALLY SAYS, “YOU’RE FIRED!”
Following ABC’s swift decision to cancel its hit series “Roseanne” in the wake of a firestorm over racist Tweets by the show’s star, Roseanne Barr – USA moved quickly to stop production on “Trump”, the absurdist political tragi-comedy which launched to mixed reviews in the Fall of 2016.
Unlike “Roseanne” — which drew 18.2 million viewers for its debut in March 2018 and established itself as ABC’s highest-rated and most watched new series of the 2017-18 season – “Trump” had suffered from historically poor ratings from the outset.
Savaged by the critics, “Trump” relied on relatively strong numbers among its core demographics: poorly educated whites (ages 50-105), white evangelicals (ages 45-Rapture) and racists and xenophobes of all ages.
“Roseanne” was a re-boot of Ms. Barr’s popular blue-collar family sitcom, which ran from 1988 to 1997. “Trump” was the unlikely spinoff of “The Apprentice”, the NBC reality competition series in which Donald Trump played a business mogul who knew how to run a successful organization.
Trump became famous for whittling down the contestants by firing one of them at the end of every episode. “You’re fired” became its host’s trademark line.
Now, ironically, “Tump” has been fired by USA.
Unlike the format of “The Apprentice”, which required its host to project an image of an executive endowed with high business acumen, core competency, wisdom and intelligence, “Trump” turned that model on its head. In “Trump”, Donald Trump’s petty, vulgar and narcissistic “President Trump” character lurched from one chaotic episode after another, displaying none of the admirable executive qualities he’d shown in NBC’s long-running reality series.
Though Trump still fired one or more employees at the end of every episode, the “Trump” series format was confused and convoluted — made even more so by a drawn-out subplot in which Trump was investigated for various sinister activities ranging from money laundering and paying hush-money to porn stars and Playboy bunnies to conspiring with Russian agents to steal the 2016 election. Though these plot twists made headlines, they failed to lift his sagging ratings beyond his core demo of greedy sociopaths, hypocritical self-styled Evangelicals and angry, aggrieved white people.
In a statement announcing the cancellation, USA noted that “’Trump’ was never a ratings winner, but we hoped that it would improve over time and widen its appeal to a larger, more inclusive audience. It failed to do so.” Left unspoken but resoundingly clear in USA’s statement was the fact that “Trump” attracted a negligible audience among blacks, Latinos, and other minorities – nor was it a hit with large majorities of women, educated whites and religious people with a moral conscience.
USA’s statement went on to say that, “Over its less than two-year run, “Trump” presented an increasingly skeptical public with a revolving cast of ever more bizarre characters and outrageous plot lines that defied credulity and provoked confusion and disgust among the wider audience we had hoped the series might someday attract.”
USA insiders say that the final nail in the “Trump” coffin may have been driven in by its titular star’s recent Tweet wishing Americans a “Happy Memorial Day!”
Said one USA executive who spoke on background, “That ham-handed, insulting Tweet represents the kind of lousy writing, poor editorial judgment, low character, and hostility toward American norms of decency, dignity and honesty that ultimately doomed “Trump”.
For some inexplicable reason, USA plans to run the remaining episodes of “Trump” until the mid-term elections in November 2018.
Filed under Art, Comedy, History, Politics, Uncategorized
Paul's Voyage of Discovery & Etc. 