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If I had known that by being a superfan of The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice that my embrace for a couple of television shows would eventually become an instrumental factor in the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, I would have never watched the programs. In fact, I would have boycotted them and panned them through my written editorials and on-air broadcasts. But as guilty as I am, so are millions of you who also helped to make the two NBC series popular for fourteen seasons, beginning with The Apprentice in January 2004, followed by the premiere in January 2008 of The Celebrity Apprentice.
As a result of my "boob-tube" viewing habits...and yours...(at least a good amount of you)...we are responsible - Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike - in great part...for contributing to the creation of a megalomaniac monster who is mentally and morally unfit to sit behind The Oval Office desk. Yes...we the long ago fans of the aforementioned shows are the "Dr. Frankensteins" who built him...and who skyrocketed his national notoriety.
Trump's boardroom antics were entertaining and fun, and I have never denied my support for the pair of TV series that he hosted. Trump's catch-phrase, "You're fired!" - which loyal groupies of his shows waited for him to utter every week - has become the punchline of a joke that is Donald Trump's White House administration. Trump has fired more people - since taking the oath of office on January 20th, 2017 - than any other president in U.S. history. And when I opt for the word "fired" in my description of Trump's actions, I not only include people who have departed because he gave them the boot, but I also include others who Trump pushed out, therefore, the official designation was that they "resigned." In reality, though...they too were fired. Then there are those individuals who simply quit so they could run away from a nutjob, as they could no longer be party to Trump's lying, his deceit, his disturbing threats, and his alarming and unstable behavior.
Think about it. There are 41 members of Trump's administration - in less than 24 months - who have made their exit. The list of names is too long to detail in this column, but it includes (in no particular order) two national security advisers, an F.B.I. director and an F.B.I. deputy director, three White House communications directors, a White House press secretary (who was also communications director for a time), a White House counsel, a United Nations Ambassador, two White House chiefs of staff, a Secretary of Health and Human Services, a Secretary of Veterans Affairs, an Attorney General, a Secretary of State, and a Secretary of Defense, among many others.
The Defense Department chief - retired U.S. Marine Corps General James Mattis - basically told Trump "I'm outta here" (my words not the General's) because he disagreed with Trump's decisions. In his resignation letter on December 20th, 2018, Mattis was crystal clear as to why he was leaving. "One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships." Mattis continued in his letter to Trump..."Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours...I believe it is right for me to step down from my position." Essentially, however...Mattis skedaddled in protest to Trump's announcement that he would withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, along with a drawdown of American military in Afghanistan. The retired four-star general and now former Pentagon boss also
opposed Trump pulling out of the multi-nation, Iran nuclear deal, that was orchestrated by President Barack Obama and his administration. Furthermore, Mattis reportedly objected to the manner in which Trump has treated our NATO allies.
As year two of the Trump administration comes to a close later this month, I believe it's inevitable that more and more people who Trump once "hired" will end up "fired." Many others will jump ship on their own because the handwriting is on the wall and Trump's future does not look promising for 2019.
As this column is published, Trump's shutdown of the federal government - which began at midnight on Saturday, December 22nd, 2018 - is entering its third week. And...on Friday, January 4th, 2019, America's "bully-in-chief" threatened to possibly keep "Uncle Sam" from opening his doors (those that are currently closed) for "months or even years" if Congress doesn't give Trump 5.6 billion dollars so that a barrier can be built on the U.S./Mexico border. In addition, Trump warned that he could declare a national security emergency and, therefore, construct - what I label - his "racist and xenophobic wall of hate" without Congress giving him the green light. Trump told reporters..."We can call it a national emergency because of the security of our country." But Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff of California stated on January 4th..."Not in America, he doesn't."
But for Trump to suggest that he can merely dictate that the wall is a "national emergency" and that "I can do it if I want"...may not be as easy as he may think. NBC News - on January 4th - reported the following facts.
"Legal experts said it might not be as simple to bypass Congress - which ultimately controls the federal budget. A president can declare that the country is in a state of national emergency at his discretion." But..."Experts in executive authority told NBC News that while Trump can declare an emergency, his powers - and the funds he has access to once he's done so - are unclear. Any moves like the one Trump teased on Friday would certainly meet with a legal challenge and the courts have stopped presidents from using states of emergency before." NBC's "expert in presidential power" also told the "peacock network" that Trump "will run afoul of the courts because in order for Trump to be clear, Congress legally still needs to earmark any federal funds for a border wall." However, another "legal expert" for NBC News noted that "The Department of Defense has funds in its account that are not specifically designated for anything. DoD has a big pile of money for military construction. The question is whether DoD would use that money and might even cancel other construction projects just to build the wall. The assumption has been there are political safeguards on such things, that doing it would be so politically unattractive that even if you had the bare legal authority to do it, the political costs would be too high."
In any event, Democrats - led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer - will in no way back down. Even though the Republicans control the Senate... the Democrats hold the purse strings in the House. So as I have written since candidate Trump first broached the subject of a wall three years ago...there will be no wall. Never...not ever! Donald Trump can make his threats all day long. But attempting to intimidate Democrats isn't going to fly. Trump's actions are those of a madman...and he is proving more and more everyday that he is a danger to the United States of America...to all Americans...and to the planet Earth.
Continuing with Congressman Schiff's statement..."I've never seen anything like this. Trump is punishing Americans for the sake of a wasteful wall that he promised they would never pay for, and threatening to declare a national emergency like some tinpot ruler. Trump can keep fear-mongering about the border and making promises he can't keep to his base, but it's about time Republicans in Congress gain the courage to join us in ending this shutdown."
I won't use the profanity that Democratic freshman Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan used on Thursday night, January 3rd...but yes, yes, yes... the U.S. House of Representatives must impeach the 45th president...Special Counsel Robert Mueller needs to drop the proverbial "other shoe" already... and the U.S. Senate must remove Trump from office. Or...they all need to force him to resign as was the case in 1974 with Richard Nixon.
Republicans in the Senate - and hopefully nationwide - are soon going to realize that they have been hoodwinked and snookered by Trump, and they're not going to take anymore of his chaotic and reckless shenanigans. Enough is enough. Constitutionally and legally, it's time for "The Donald" to be sent back to Trump Tower in New York City...to Mar-a-Lago in Florida...or to anywhere else but The White House in Washington, DC. Donald Trump cares about nobody but himself...and Congress needs to do its job. NOW! Otherwise, America may never recover from his narcissistic habits...his lunatic temperament...his incendiary conduct...and his evil demeanor.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The Controversy.
Photo credits: NBC and Mark Burnett Productions (Donald Trump #1), NBC and Mark Burnett Productions (Donald Trump #2), Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images (former Secretary of Defense and retired General James Mattis), Reuters (former President Barack Obama), New York Amsterdam News (Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer), Joshua Roberts/Reuters (Representative Adam Schiff), Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press (Representative Rashida Tlaib) and Reuters (Donald Trump #3)
Copyright 2019 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.
As a result of my "boob-tube" viewing habits...and yours...(at least a good amount of you)...we are responsible - Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike - in great part...for contributing to the creation of a megalomaniac monster who is mentally and morally unfit to sit behind The Oval Office desk. Yes...we the long ago fans of the aforementioned shows are the "Dr. Frankensteins" who built him...and who skyrocketed his national notoriety.
Trump's boardroom antics were entertaining and fun, and I have never denied my support for the pair of TV series that he hosted. Trump's catch-phrase, "You're fired!" - which loyal groupies of his shows waited for him to utter every week - has become the punchline of a joke that is Donald Trump's White House administration. Trump has fired more people - since taking the oath of office on January 20th, 2017 - than any other president in U.S. history. And when I opt for the word "fired" in my description of Trump's actions, I not only include people who have departed because he gave them the boot, but I also include others who Trump pushed out, therefore, the official designation was that they "resigned." In reality, though...they too were fired. Then there are those individuals who simply quit so they could run away from a nutjob, as they could no longer be party to Trump's lying, his deceit, his disturbing threats, and his alarming and unstable behavior. Think about it. There are 41 members of Trump's administration - in less than 24 months - who have made their exit. The list of names is too long to detail in this column, but it includes (in no particular order) two national security advisers, an F.B.I. director and an F.B.I. deputy director, three White House communications directors, a White House press secretary (who was also communications director for a time), a White House counsel, a United Nations Ambassador, two White House chiefs of staff, a Secretary of Health and Human Services, a Secretary of Veterans Affairs, an Attorney General, a Secretary of State, and a Secretary of Defense, among many others.
As year two of the Trump administration comes to a close later this month, I believe it's inevitable that more and more people who Trump once "hired" will end up "fired." Many others will jump ship on their own because the handwriting is on the wall and Trump's future does not look promising for 2019.
As this column is published, Trump's shutdown of the federal government - which began at midnight on Saturday, December 22nd, 2018 - is entering its third week. And...on Friday, January 4th, 2019, America's "bully-in-chief" threatened to possibly keep "Uncle Sam" from opening his doors (those that are currently closed) for "months or even years" if Congress doesn't give Trump 5.6 billion dollars so that a barrier can be built on the U.S./Mexico border. In addition, Trump warned that he could declare a national security emergency and, therefore, construct - what I label - his "racist and xenophobic wall of hate" without Congress giving him the green light. Trump told reporters..."We can call it a national emergency because of the security of our country." But Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff of California stated on January 4th..."Not in America, he doesn't."
But for Trump to suggest that he can merely dictate that the wall is a "national emergency" and that "I can do it if I want"...may not be as easy as he may think. NBC News - on January 4th - reported the following facts.
"Legal experts said it might not be as simple to bypass Congress - which ultimately controls the federal budget. A president can declare that the country is in a state of national emergency at his discretion." But..."Experts in executive authority told NBC News that while Trump can declare an emergency, his powers - and the funds he has access to once he's done so - are unclear. Any moves like the one Trump teased on Friday would certainly meet with a legal challenge and the courts have stopped presidents from using states of emergency before." NBC's "expert in presidential power" also told the "peacock network" that Trump "will run afoul of the courts because in order for Trump to be clear, Congress legally still needs to earmark any federal funds for a border wall." However, another "legal expert" for NBC News noted that "The Department of Defense has funds in its account that are not specifically designated for anything. DoD has a big pile of money for military construction. The question is whether DoD would use that money and might even cancel other construction projects just to build the wall. The assumption has been there are political safeguards on such things, that doing it would be so politically unattractive that even if you had the bare legal authority to do it, the political costs would be too high."
Continuing with Congressman Schiff's statement..."I've never seen anything like this. Trump is punishing Americans for the sake of a wasteful wall that he promised they would never pay for, and threatening to declare a national emergency like some tinpot ruler. Trump can keep fear-mongering about the border and making promises he can't keep to his base, but it's about time Republicans in Congress gain the courage to join us in ending this shutdown."
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The Controversy.
Photo credits: NBC and Mark Burnett Productions (Donald Trump #1), NBC and Mark Burnett Productions (Donald Trump #2), Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images (former Secretary of Defense and retired General James Mattis), Reuters (former President Barack Obama), New York Amsterdam News (Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer), Joshua Roberts/Reuters (Representative Adam Schiff), Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press (Representative Rashida Tlaib) and Reuters (Donald Trump #3)
Copyright 2019 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.
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