Republicans Accuse Democrats of a Smear Campaign

 By Mildred Robertson

During the confirmation hearing on Pete Hegseth's nomination on Tuesday, January 14, Democrats raised serious questions about his fitness to serve as head of the U.S. Department of Defense. Not only did they address his lack of experience in managing an agency such as the DOD, but they also questioned his character based on numerous reports of drunkenness and sexual abuse.  Republicans responded by accusing the Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee of attempting to smear Trump's pick to lead the agency. In fact, the Democrats did not smear Hegseth but rather exposed the stains in his checkered past.  

Hegseth is accused of sexual assault, mismanaging funds excessive drinking, public drunkenness, and disorderly conduct. Among the allegations is that Hegseth paid a woman who accused him of physically blocking her when she attempted to leave a hotel room and then sexually assaulting her.  Although he paid her as part of a settlement agreement, he continues to assert his innocence. 

A report in the New Yorker magazine stated that a former associate at Vets for Freedom, where Hegseth served as executive director, accused him of charging inappropriate expenses such as parties and trysts. Former employees who worked for him at Concerned Veterans for America sent a letter to the nonprofit's senior management also citing excessive drinking and ill-treatment of female staff. He allegedly categorized female staff as either "party girls," or "not party girls." 

Similar allegations were raised by a Fox News producer, stating that Hegseth's drinking habit was an "open secret."  Hegseth himself previously acknowledged that when he transitioned from military to civilian life he drank heavily.  He pledges that if confirmed, he will quit drinking altogether. 

That would be laughable if it were not so scary. First of all, how many alcoholics have you heard make similar statements? Secondly, do we want to gamble with our national security on the promise of a man with a drinking problem?

Can you imagine the phone ringing at 2 o'clock in the morning regarding an urgent military matter? Would we want to entrust the control of our military to someone who might be passed out on the couch when an important call came in, or a pressing military issue needed clear-eyed attention? Do we want someone like Hegseth to be responsible for responding to a domestic or international emergency? Do we want an alleged drunken womanizer to represent us on the world stage? Well, I might not want the answer to that question, since a felony and a sexual assault conviction did not give the American public pause on Election Day November 5th. 

Those are some of the questions Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee asked during the confirmation hearing today. The questions appear fair to ask of someone seeking a position of such importance, and you cannot smear that which has already been stained. 

Trump Sentencing - Sounding Brass and Tinkling Symbols Representing Nothing

 Mildred D. Robertson

Equal justice under the law is a phrase engraved above the front entrance of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. It is also a societal ideal upon which the American legal system is founded. That tenet died today as Judge Juan Merchan treated Donald Trump differently from any other convicted felon in the United States. Merchan indicated about 10 days before the inauguration that he wasn't inclined to sentence Trump to prison and would likely give him an unconditional discharge. This means Trump will walk away a free man without further obligation to the court. 

Although he is now a convicted felon, found guilty by a jury of his peers, those of us who believe in equal justice under the law are left with the knowledge that American justice is neither blind nor just. The rule of law in America is decimated. 

It is breathtaking that the President-Elect is a convicted felon, who nonetheless is free of any accountability. It is farcical to assert that the U.S. judicial system metes out justice based upon the merits of the facts regardless of the individual being judged. The trope that our legal system is balanced and unbiased is just that...banal platitudes.

America's plummet from the apex of world leadership continues as U.S. politics chips away at the foundation of what made us unique and admired. No amount of media spin can make this look normal or acceptable, though they are currently making a valiant effort to do so. 

Just as Hans Christian Andersen's famed book, "The Emperor's New Clothes," exposed the emperor's nakedness America is unmasked...exposed. Everyone can see who we are.  And it is not a pretty sight. 

Champion Democracy - Adapt and Resist in 2025

 By Mildred Robertson

Well, 2024 has been a year. What started out as a year when left-wing politics appeared poised to take hold, we instead encountered a public that was sour on politics. While public reasoning, or lack thereof, may give you pause...many people viewed the four years under the Trump administration with longing. 

While numbers told us that President Biden's administration had done a good job of pulling us out of the COVID depression, our pocketbooks and bank accounts told us differently. The economy added more than 1 million jobs in the first three years of his administration. That is 4.9 million higher than BEFORE the pandemic. Unemployment dropped dramatically, almost reaching pre-pandemic lows. America boasted more jobs than job seekers. The nation's economy expanded by 2.5% in 2023, marking the third straight year of economic growth. The year 2023 showed a decrease in crime and the S&P increased 28.2%.  Crude oil production increased 12.7%. More people had health insurance in 2023, and Obamacare enrollment was at record highs. Fewer people were on food stamps and gun purchases declined. 

History will probably record Biden among Americas most significant and impactful presidents. But that's not what the American public responded to when they entered the ballot box on November 5th. They saw rising inflation and higher gas prices.  The real buying power of the average American declined by 3.4%, even with the expanding economy. So, despite America's rising economic tide, most Americans felt they were sinking below it.

So, as we examine the outcome of the 2024 election, it may be obvious to many how a clearly flawed nominee defeated a highly qualified candidate with both experience and a plan to use it. In the famed words of political strategist James Carville, "It's the economy, stupid."

As Americans wrestled with how to make ends meet, their focus turned inward. Trump promised to expel immigrants whom he charged stole jobs from deserving Americans and used up valuable resources. He said he would close the borders to immigrants and goods and services made abroad. He declared crime was rampant in America, and he would crush it. He said that America has been taken advantage of on the world stage and talked about increasing America's power through imperialistic takeovers of sovereign nations. 

While Trump's rhetoric is inaccurate, many Americans were comfortable with blaming those whom they have otherized for their economic instability. The economic climate is clearly improving and will likely afford Trump a robust economy come spring—an economy fashioned by his predecessor, an economy in which he will reap where he has not sown. His threats toward our northern and southern neighbors will end in the same embarrassment faced when Mexico DID NOT build the wall. But that is the nature of politics. 

So, while many of those who wished for a different outcome to the year 2024 lick their wounds, and turn off MSNBC and CNN, the world marches on. Trump is the rightfully elected president of the United States of America. As perverse as that is, it is a fact.  That is why the 50 percent of Americans who do not endorse the current turn of events must get back in the game. 

Many challenges lay before this nation in 2025.  Numerous vital decisions must be made in the next four years, with only a weakened Congress and court system to make them. Our democracy is in jeopardy, and someone must champion its cause. 

For those who love this country and mourn democracy's loss, it is time to discard the sackcloth and ashes. It is time to strategize, to commit, to work. In the words of my friend Glenn Newkirk, "adapt and resist." 

Be the champion! It is time!

Still Grateful - Despite November 6th

 Trump Won, But We Remain Blessed

By Mildred Robertson

As we celebrate Thanksgiving 2024, it may take some effort to come to a place where gratefulness can abide. Yet, God is still in control, even in the aftermath of perhaps the most disheartening election in my lifetime. I, and those who believe like me are still blessed. 

I don't know what 2025 holds for us. I am not sure whether democracy will stand. I don't know if I, my loved ones, and other like-minded individuals will be safe.  

I am apprehensive about how Congress, the military, and the courts will perform under authoritarian leadership. I fear that unchecked militants may maraud in the streets. I am concerned that some of my friends and neighbors may be dragged into internment camps, and that folks who have known no homeland other than America will be cast out onto some unknown shore.

I'm not sure the safety net will remain in place. I don't know if I will continue to receive my social security check at the end of the month. I don't know whether student loan payments will explode, or the economy will collapse under the weight of tariffs. I am uncertain as to whether the majority of Americans will continue to have healthcare.

I worry that our allies will walk away from us. I fear that Putin will run rampant and gobble up nations that cannot protect themselves. I am concerned that the end of vaccination programs will result in the proliferation of long-managed illnesses and millions will be sickened or die.

I am fearful that our society may become more dystopian, and that the strong will prey on the weak. I'm concerned that militarized police will begin knocking on the doors of those who, like me, voice their concern and opposition to an administration that I believe may destroy this country. 

I worry that the gap between the rich and the poor will widen. I wonder what the future holds for my children and grandchildren. 

Yet, I know that there is a higher power that can mitigate all these circumstances. While we may face trials in this upcoming administration, we will not face them alone.  "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." Psalms 121

That is a blessing. And I am grateful!

America Chooses Trump in 2024

By Mildred Robertson

I am forlorn, heartbroken, disappointed, confused, and yes, angry. I am not angry at Donald Trump. He did what he did, and he was his authentic self. I am angry with America because she showed herself to be just like him.  

I thought better of her. The 2024 campaign was the most mean-spirited in my lifetime, including 1988 when the "Willie Horton" ads flooded our television screens. I thought we had evolved. 

That America would choose a convicted felon insurrectionist who disrespects women, minorities, and the poor, who is an isolationist and who uses the presidency as his own personal piggy bank over a qualified, dignified woman of color who planned to put America first and bring us together as one, absolutely blows my mind. 

I will perhaps write a more coherent blog on this subject later. At this moment it is like your body rejecting a foreign object. You just have to get it out. 

I am going to be depressed today. I may drink wine and cry on my friend's shoulder. Then I will soldier on. There is much work to be done to salvage what is left of our democracy. 

There will be dark days ahead. I pray that we survive them and that our allies continue to stand with us to the best of their ability. I pray that the chaos I anticipate does not come to fruition, and if it does, that we who love this country, those who believe in democracy will continue to stand. 

But right now, I am overcome by the knowledge that, while I love America; she does not love me back. She has revealed herself, yet again. She looks just like Trump, and it is not a pretty picture. 

America is a Gumbo, Not a Melting Pot - VOTE!

 By Mildred Robertson

As we race toward the conclusion of, what is perhaps, the most consequential election in American history, the media is frantically trying to predict the outcome. It is also obsessed with determining who can elect a particular candidate or sink a nominee’s hope of capturing the presidency.

A common narrative is that black men will tank Kamala Harris’ chance to become the first woman of color to assume the highest office in this country. Charlamagne Tha God, who once seemed to disdain Harris, has become one of her most outspoken supporters. On Thursday the popular radio host reasoned with a black male caller who stated that while he will not vote for Trump, he may just not vote at all.

 “I’m not voting for Hitler Jr. and if I had to be honest with you … I don’t trust the Democrats, bruh. As a black man in America, we done been lied to so long. Promises have never been kept,” the caller said. “I’ma just keep it a buck. I’m not voting this year … I don’t trust the Democrats and I damn sure ain’t voting for Hitler Jr. Whatever happens gon’ happen.”

Charlamagne replied. “Well if you not votin’ and Hitler Jr. wins, then you know you gon’ have to blame yourself,” Charlamagne retorted. “You gon’ have to take some of the blame.”

This type of interchange is not uncommon in the black community. Charlamagne is right that those who choose to sit this one out will hold some responsibility if the worst occurs. It is good that we discuss this vital issue within the community. However, the current conversation that lays the possible defeat of Harris at the feet of black men is an unsupported one.

In fact, Harris enjoys the wide support of black voters. In an August 2024 report the Pew Research Center reported that Black registered voters overwhelmingly support Vice President Kamala Harris over the former president. That report stated that about three-quarters of Black voters lean toward Harris, with only 13 percent leaning toward Trump. That number was derived from 73% of black men and 79% of black women leaned toward Harris’ camp.

The narrative surrounding lagging Black support for the vice president likely grows from the extraordinary support Black voters gave Biden in 2016. He captured 92% of the black vote in that election. While Harris’ numbers fall below that watermark, it is still impressive. Nevertheless, it is good to continue to seek black voters at the rate we’ve seen in the past.

A less discussed issue is the support of white women for the Democratic candidate. In an October 2024 article, CNN reported the impact of working-class White women on the upcoming election. While pundits say that abortion issues will drive women to support Harris, CNN reports that many working-class White women are torn between their disdain for the Democratic Party’s economic policies and their contempt for Trump. Historically these middle-class White women without a college degree have trended toward republicans. Republicans won just under three-fifths of these working-class White women in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 races. Donald Trump won over three-fifths of these women in 2016 and 2020. So, several constituencies seem prepared to vote against their own best interest. 

America is not a melting pot. It is a gumbo. Rather than pointing fingers at various portions of the electorate, it is more important to continue to share information that may move people, whether Black or White, to reject political actions that are not in their best interest. 

America has all kinds of people with all types of community norms. It is outstanding that Charlemagne decided to have this conversation in the Black community. Similar conversations need to occur in other communities. Such conversation can have a major impact on the outcome of the 2024 election.

In fact, each individual has the power to make a difference in the upcoming election. Each of us has something to offer about the direction of our country. Each of us is a key ingredient in the making of this nation and its future. Let’s stir the gumbo. It is tastier when all the ingredients are in the mix.

Vote! 

The Truth about Third-Party Candidates

 By: Mildred Robertson

Let’s get serious about our two-party system. It is built upon a foundation of local, state, and national organizations pushing a particular agenda forward. In other words, the Democrat and Republican parties' political initiatives are systematically advanced on local, state, and national platforms. Third-party candidates have no such foundation and thus are unlikely to take the top spot in American politics. And even if a third-party candidate were to be successful in winning the presidency, they would not have a congress to help push forward their agenda.  So one must question what folks like Jill Stein, Robert Kennedy, and Cornell West are trying to achieve.

In an article published on August 23, 2024, by Statista Research Department, 40 percent of voters in America would consider voting for a third-party presidential candidate. About 24 percent of Republicans and 21 percent of Democrats outright rejected the idea of a third-party presidential candidate.

It appears that many believe giving voice to a third-party candidate highlights issues that major parties can’t or won’t address. They accuse majority-party candidates of aligning with Republican or Democratic Party platforms without addressing challenges that might alienate particular segments of voters.

There is some truth to that assumption. Ultimately, however, voting for a third party can only raise these issues with little hope of the selected candidate winning and legislating based on their agenda. With so many voters willing to make a statement rather than make a choice with their vote, they fail to participate in actually electing someone.  

As in most other U.S. presidential elections, there is a binary choice. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have clear platforms that are diametrically opposed.

While Trump has a dark, dystopian vision for America, he plans to finish the wall he boasted about in 2016 and to deport all undocumented individuals. It appears that he plans to build camps to house those he considers substandard aliens and eject them from our borders. He plans to increase tariffs, thereby increasing the cost of domestic goods. He also does not believe in global warming and would increase drilling for oil and gas.

More alarmingly, he plans to seek retribution against those people, institutions, and systems he perceives oppose him, calling for the death penalty and military tribunals for folks like Gen. Mark Miley and former Rep. Liz Cheney. Miley spoke with his Chinese counterparts following the January 6^th riot, assuring them the U.S. was not under threat, with the knowledge of members of Congress. Representative Cheney sat on the House Committee investigating the January 6^th insurrection. He also plans to purge federal employees whom he refers to as “the deep state.” He would take control of independent government departments like the Department of Justice, and replace career employees who counteracted his unconstitutional whims during his first term with partisans who would do his bidding.

While Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris has embraced many of President Joe Biden’s policies, such as providing tax credits to middle-class and lower-income families, lowering drug costs, and eliminating what she calls “junk fees,”  she is focused on building an “opportunity economy” which would lessen the burden of young people trying to buy a home or start a business, bring down the overall cost of living, and leveling the playing field by going after bad actors who unfairly raise the cost of living for the average American.

Harris is a staunch supporter of a woman’s right to choose and is concerned about Israel’s treatment of Gazans in its retaliatory strikes against Hamas. She supports Israel’s right to defend itself but also is mindful of the innocent Palestinians suffering through this humanitarian crisis.

The choice is clear. It's not the time to take performative stances to shed light on a particular issue of great importance to some independent voters. Trump has promised an authoritative government that acts harshly toward those who oppose him. He has threatened to be a dictator if only for one day.  

One day is one day too many.

If you are truly independent and wish to make a difference in America, build your party from the ground up. Establish yourself at the local and state levels. That is when you can meaningfully impact the country’s direction...one city councilor...one school superintendent...one state governor at a time. 

But until you build that structure, you have a binary choice. Even if you cast your vote for an independent contender, know that you are taking a vote from one of the two parties. Your choice not to vote for either is fruitless. One of THEM will eventually win the Whitehouse. Your independent candidate will not!

So let’s get serious.

_________________

SOURCES

Third-party voting presidential election by party U.S. 2024 | Statista
Third-party or independent candidates often fall short of early polls | Pew Research Center