Is The 2018 Election A Referendum On Trump? YES!

(Cartoon image is by Adam Zyglis in The Buffalo News.)

Is the 2018 election a referendum on Donald Trump, or is it to be decided on local issues (or some message devised by Democrats)? The cable news media, and the talking heads they interview, would have you believe the latter. They want voters to believe the Democrats can't win unless they find a party leader and a unified message, or that some kind of local issues will decide which party controls the next Congress. I have one word for that view --

BULLSHIT!

There is no Republican Party anymore. It has been replaced by the party of Trump. No Republican running for re-election has spoken out against Trump and his odious policies. They are afraid of his deplorable, and having in effect, kissed his ring -- falling in line with and supporting anything he wants to do. And they have abandoned longstanding Republican beliefs to do so.

Republicans used to be the party wanting small deficits (or no deficits). But they have happily helped Trump ballon the federal deficit, sending the national debt to record highs. They have traditionally supported free trade, but have allowed Trump to impose tariffs and start a trade war with some of our best allies. They have watched him cage children and separate them from their parents, abandoning their "family values". They have been silent as he flaunts morality. They have ignored his enriching himself by being president. In short, there is nothing Trump could do that congressional Republicans would oppose.

And the voters know this. They know if they vote for a Republican running for the House or Senate, they are voting for Donald Trump (and a continuation of his disgraceful policies and actions). And they know if they vote for a Democrat, they are voting against Donald Trump (and his odious policies and actions).

Political pundits (and the tiny number of moderate Republicans still existing) may not know that -- but the voters certainly do. Democrats don't need a unifying message. They already have one -- opposition to Donald Trump!

Don't be fooled. This mid-term election, more than ever before, is a referendum on the person living in the White House. American voters will be giving a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on Donald Trump, and that's bad news for Republicans.

Irish Public Votes 2 to 1 To Allow Abortion In Ireland

(Graphic is from The Irish Times.)

Ireland is a very Catholic country, and the Catholic church has always had considerable influence on what happens in that country. That is undoubtably why the country had an amendment to their constitution that gave unborn fetuses the same rights as women (the 8th Amendment). That amendment effectively outlawed all abortions in the country, and forced Irish women to travel to the United Kingdom to get an abortion.

But Ireland is changing. There were forces wanting to give Irish women control over their own bodies, and give them the choice of whether to have an abortion or not. But the first step had to be removal of that 8th Amendment to the Constitution. Last week, a referendum was held on removing that amendment.

The vote was overwhelming in favor of giving Irish women a choice -- the ability to control their own bodies. A whopping 1,429,981 people voted to remove the amendment, while only 723,632 voted to keep the amendment. That's 66.4% voting for choice and 33.6% voting against it -- about a 2 to 1 advantage.

There is now a bill being prepared in Ireland's legislative body, and by the end of this year, Irish women could have the right to choose.

 Éirinn go Brách!

Russia Puts Its Best - And Worst - Foot Forward

(The top picture is from paralympic.org, and the bottom one is from The Independent.)

Yesterday Russia put its best foot forward as it closed the Paralympic Winter Games with an original and creative ceremony. As with the Winter Olympic Games last month, Russia did a superb job of hosting the Paralympics. The face Russia showed the world was one of competence, peacefulness, integrity, and friendliness. In short, both the Olympics and Paralympics showed Russia in a very good light, and served as excellent public relations for that country.

Unfortunately, while they were putting their best foot forward they were also putting their worst foot forward. At the same time they were hosting the Paralympics, they were also invading and occupying the Ukranian province of Crimea. And yesterday, they oversaw a referendum (which they encouraged) in the Crimea -- a referendum over whether Crimea should leave Ukraine and become a part of Russia.

With about 75% of the votes counted, it is claimed that 96% of voters want to become a part of Russia.  This vote was already very suspect since the streets of Crimea are controlled by Russian troops and tunic-Russian paramilitary thugs, and the nearly unanimous vote makes it pretty obvious this was not a fair and free election. After all, only slightly more than half of Crimean people are ethnic Russians.

This is obviously just a reemergence of the old aggressive and expansionist tendencies of Russia (formerly the Soviet Union). While they mouth the right of the former Soviet States to be independent and go their own way, it is becoming clear that those are just words, and Russia has no intention of letting those countries leave their orbit and influence. It is already evident that Russia has taken the Crimea -- and that they may well be planning to take other parts (or all) of Ukraine. I think I'd be very nervous if I was a former Soviet State.

It is clear that something must be done to show Russia the rest of the world will not let them once again become an expansionist bully. The most reasonable reaction at this point is economic sanctions -- but these sanctions need to be more than just window dressing. They need to hurt, and make Russia think twice before pulling this kind of stunt again.

And a new CNN / ORC Poll (taken between March 7th and 9th of 801 nationwide adults, with a margin of error of 3.5 points) shows the U.S. public may well be ready for action to be taken against Russia. About 81% say Russia's action against Ukraine was a violation of international law, and 72% say there was no justification for it. In addition, 69% of Americans now view Russia as a threat (from a low of 31%).

NOTE -- I do think the U.S. should take part in economic sanctions against Russia. But in light of the U.S. history of aggression against many other smaller countries (both economically and militarily), I believe the sanctions should be designed by the European nations (and just joined in by the U.S.). I'm just not sure the U.S. has the moral high ground here.