Huge Support For Competency Tests For Politicians Over 75

The chart above reflects the result of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between September 2nd and 5th of a nationwide sample of 1,500 adults (including 1,329 registered voters). The margin of error for adults is 3.3 points, and for registered voters is 3.1 points.

Trump Compares Very Poorly With Other Modern Presidents

It seems that the American people don't think Donald Trump compares favorably with the other presidents since World War II. About 55% say he is less organized, 44% say he makes more mistakes,  42% don't think he works as hard, 45% don't think he's as intelligent, and 47% don't think he's as competent. Only a tiny percentage thinks he compares well (or better) than the other presidents.

That shouldn't be any surprise. As the charts below show, the public has a very low opinion of Donald Trump. Only 39% think he's doing a good job as president. And majorities rate him poorly on all the qualifications for being president. In addition, 49% say his administration has not been competent and effective, while only 30% say it has been.

These are terrible numbers, and as I have said before, I believe that paint the picture of a presidency in deep trouble.

These charts were made using information in a new Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between May 20th and 23rd of a random national sample of 1,500 adults (including 1,276 registered voters), with a 3 point margin of error.

Picking Joe Lieberman As FBI Director Would Show A Serious Lack Of Judgement (And Competence) By Trump

(This photo, from Politico, is of Joe Lieberman appearing at the 2008 Republican National Convention with Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham.)

Donald Trump showed a serious lack of judgement in firing James Comes as FBI Director. While he just did it to impede the FBI's investigation into his administration regarding ties to Russia (which he as much as admitted both to NBC's Lester Holt and to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador), he actually thought Democrats would see it as a bipartisan reaching out to them.

He was shocked when both congressional Democrats and rank-and-file Democrats across the nation blasted the Comey firing. Democrats, while they were not happy with Comey, knew he wasn't fired because of that. They understood it was just an effort by Trump to impede the investigation of him and his aides -- and they didn't like it a bit. It showed that Trump has a fundamental lack of political judgement, and that calls into question his competence to serve as president.

Now he seems poised to repeat that same lack of judgement. He will soon pick Comey's replacement as FBI Director. And the strong rumor from White House sources is that the pick will be former senator Joe Lieberman.

Once again, he seems to think this would be a choice that would please Democrats (since Lieberman was elected to the Senate as a Democrat), and be viewed as a bipartisan choice. He is WRONG!

Joe Lieberman is not respected within the Democratic Party. In fact, he is almost universally despised by most Democrats. They remember that as a senator he could not be depended upon to vote to uphold Democratic Party ideals and beliefs. And they remember him as a turncoat, who appeared at the 2008 Republican National Convention to support John McCain -- showing a lack of respect for the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama.

What would Democrats really want? They want the new FBI Director to be a career law enforcement person, who has not shown a preference for either political party. Democrats would view that kind of pick as bipartisan. They don't want any politician (of either party) chosen.

If Trump chooses Lieberman, it will be another serious lapse of judgement -- and it will further call into question his competence to be president.

Ethics Doesn't Seem To Be A Trump Family Value

Michelle Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.

And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.

Melania Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention:

My parents impressed on me the value of that you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise. That you treat people with respect. Show the values and morals in in the daily life. That is the lesson that we continue to pass on to our son.

We need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. [Cheering] Because we want our children in these nations to know that the only limit to your achievement is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.

That is blatant plagiarism, and plagiarism is theft. It is unethical. Some Republican apologists are trying to say it was not plagiarism (a ridiculous assertion), while others are blaming Melania's speech writers. This is silly. Melania told NBC News that she wrote the speech (with as little help as possible).

Which is it? Is Melania Trump a plagiarist, or is she a liar? Maybe it's both. But one thing seems clear -- that she is just like her husband (devoid of ethics).

Perhaps even more troubling is that the Trumps didn't think they would get caught stealing Michelle Obama's words. Did they truly not know there is an app on the internet to check for plagiarism -- one commonly used by college teachers to keep their students honest? Did they really think no one would notice?

It shows not only a lack of ethics in the Trump campaign, but also a lack of competence. Donald Trump is not competent enough to be president. He would be a disaster, and his wife would be an embarrassment as First Lady.

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And lest you think Melania's plagiarism was an anomaly -- a one time mistake -- note the graphic below. She's not averse at all to stealing from others.

Thoughts On The Police Attack On James Blake

(Photo of the attack on James Blake is from YouTube.)

I had not planned to post anything about the police attack on James Blake in New York. That's because the video of the incident, and the media coverage, seemed to sum it up pretty well -- that it was ridiculous and unnecessary. But since Patrick Lynch, spokesman for the NYPD police union, felt it necessary to issue his idiotic statement, I feel it necessary to comment.

Here is what Lynch said:

"If you have never struggled with someone who is resisting arrest or who pulled a gun or knife on you when you approached them for breaking a law, then you are not qualified to judge the actions of police officers putting themselves in harm’s way for the public good." 

"It is mystifying to all police officers to see pundits and editorial writers whose only expertise is writing fast-breaking, personal opinion, and who have never faced the dangers that police officers routinely do, come to instant conclusions that an officer’s actions were wrong based upon nothing but a silent video. That is irresponsible, unjust and un-American."

I doubt this blog qualifies as "media", but I do know something about law enforcement -- and I have "struggled" with criminals many times during my nearly 30-year career (as a corrections officer, a patrol officer in a high crime area of a large city, and as a parole officer). And I believe those criticizing the New York officer's actions are correct. I was personally shocked at his actions, and believe they were indefensible.

One of the first things I was taught upon entering the law enforcement field was to never take an action by yourself when you can call for back-up. Having sufficient back-up not only protects the officer, but also the person he is confronting.

Where was the back-up for this officer? He obviously had time to call for back-up, since the victim did not seemed to be leaving the area. If the officer was in danger, it is because of his own actions (making the attack without sufficient back-up).

And once the back-up arrived, it was still not necessary to attack the victim without warning. They could have approached the victim and asked him for identification. He would have provided it, and no struggle would have happened. And if he did struggle with offers, there would have been enough to take him down without anyone getting hurt (or he could have been tased and then handcuffed).

This incident was badly mishandled. Instead of showing the officer's bravery, it shows his incompetence. It should never have happened. And it could have easily been avoided if the officer had called for back-up, and then treated the victim with the respect that all American citizens deserve from their police.

It is this type of silly (and dangerous) behavior that gives police a bad name in this country -- and makes people think the police are incompetent and unfair. And that's a shame, since there are many thousands of competent police officers who do their job the right way.

And let me add one more thing -- it is never un-American to criticize a government agency. That is the right of every citizen (even those in the media).

Competence Is Required Even In Crime

As with most other things, crime requires at least a modicum of competence. Consider the case of this ill-fated criminal, who I'm sure thought she was a master thief.

In Cape Coral, Florida, a woman goes into T.J. Maxx with the intention to steal some designer purses. But she's not very good at it, because store security watches as she stuffs five of the Dooney & Bourke purses into her pants and walks out of the store.

As security confronts her outside the store, an accomplice pulls up in a car. The woman tries to get into the car, but falls and is run over by her accomplice. But she's not through. She gets up and jumps on the car's hood, but falls off and is run over again by her accomplice. On her third try, she is able to get in the car, and they speed off.

But by that time, store security has the car's license plate. In addition, they woman has dropped a check with her name and address on it.

Frankly, this woman (and her accomplice) are not very good at crime. When they finally get out of jail, they really need to look for a new line of work.

NOTE -- The picture above is of a couple of Dooney & Bourke purses.