You've Been Trumped

Video starts around 4:00  - Long intro
You've heard what he SAYS. Now see what he DOES.
A Film by Anthony Baxter

Full credit goes to 
https://www.facebook.com/youvebeentrumpedtoo/

The Best Democrat Strategy - From here out

The Best Democrat Strategy

Bernie Sanders has no chance of winning. The Math is against him.

He has run a hard game, and surprised many with his strength at the polls, but it was not enough.

Unfortunately, Bernie failed to keep up a clean campaign by simply reading a headline and making the assumption that his opponent had said something she didn’t. In that moment, instead of finding out what actually happened, he unloaded all his frustration on Hillary and broke his own promise. I am sure that frustration, loss of sleep, and exhaustion played a role in his reaction.  But it didn’t stop there, he just kept going!!  No one likes to lose. But part of being President is holding your tongue at the right time, controlling your anger, and responding with intelligent dialogue, not with vicious tongue wagging and spiteful rhetoric. At that moment, Bernie lost everyone torn between the two candidates. 

But all is not lost. There IS a remedy, and EVERYONE can be a winner.  Here is my proposal:

Senator Sanders could announce that the toll of the election is too much for him physically, and because of his health, he must withdraw. He will have run a good race, and by withdrawing, he did not lose, therefore, he can still feel good about himself, and his followers have no reason to blame Hillary.

Then, Bernie can endorse Hillary, and wish her the best.  

Hillary can accept the endorsement, say what a contribution Bernie has made to the campaign, and invite him to join her on the trail “on his good days”

Bernie could still hold rallies at college, and give his stump speech, leaving out his attacks on Hillary. He could teach the young people the things they don’t know about how our government works, and encourage them to vote every election, to consider public service, and to volunteer to help Bernie and the Democratic Party fix the issues he stands so strongly for. He could be the Chairman for "Get Out the Vote" on Hillary's team.

The DNC can bring Senator Sanders as a speaker at the convention, and use some of the things he has brought out as major concerns, to be considered for the Party Platform.

Hillary & Bernie could make some appearances, together, showing the Democratic Party, and the World, that the Democratic Party is forgiving, compassionate, and ALL INCLUSIVE.  Together, between now and the convention, they can keep telling people how important it is to TURN CONGRESS BLUE. They can fund-raise, invite Independents that agree with the platform to change their party affiliation to Democrat, and make the DNC so strong, the GOP can never take control again.

By not spending money on Hillary or Bernie, there will be MORE money to help Congressional candidates, state candidates and governors who are running.

Together, Hillary & Bernie could turn the U.S. Map BLUE.  

Let’s stop the bickering, face the truth, come together and do what’s RIGHT FOR AMERICANS!

Bernie, I love you. Hillary, I love you.   Let’s do something Together.

 Inclusion, not exclusion; Love, not Hate; Triumph, not defeat; Blue, not Red; Together, not apart

It’s time for the adults to show the world how cooperation works.


And if Bernie plays his cards right, he could end up being the Hero that helped put the first Female in the White House!!

Smooth Move, Bernie

Bernie’s had an interesting week, which culminated with his announcement that he has been invited to the Vatican by the Pope.  Wow – he is riding high!  

This week, Bernie finally found out how a candidate is “vetted”

Let’s look at the timeline of this week:

Questions arise about Bernie’s tax records and why he hasn’t released them yet.  He replies “Of course, we have released them - in the past.” Fact checkers showed that, in fact, he only released “summary pages” of his 2014 taxes. WaPo gave him 4 Pinocchios for that statement. They pointed out that for a candidate who claims he is more honest and transparent than all other candidates, he appears to be avoiding releasing his taxes. The info he has released shows that he paid 19% on his “taxable” income (after deductions).  When asked to release his returns, his excuse was, “My wife does our tax returns. We’ve been a little bit busy lately.”

Bernie did an interview with New York Daily News. When the interview was published, it became clear that Bernie had either completely forgotten everything he is campaigning on, or, as he said, “It's something I have not studied”

  Then, on foreign affairs, “ Look, why don’t I support a million things in the world? I’m just telling you what I happen to believe…” and “I don’t know the answer to that” 
Concerning Guantanamo, “Actually I haven’t thought about it a whole lot.”

When asked how he would break up banks (his promise is to do that within 100 days of taking office) he was unclear, hesitant, and appeared confused on the details.  When asked about the consequences, Bernie did not appear to have ever given that any thought. It is all about breaking up the big banks. When pressed further about breaking up the banks and who and how it could be done, he responded with “It's something I have not studied, honestly, the legal implications of that.” At this point, all questions about big banks and Wall Street resulted in his stump speech rhetoric, regardless of the question.                                        

When asked about Israel and Palestinian settlements, his first response was, “ Well, again, you're asking me a very fair question, and if I had some paper in front of me, I would give you a better answer.”

Asked if he rode the subways in New York, he stated that Yes, he rode the subway about a year ago, and then proceeded to say that it took tokens to ride the subway. (Note: I have never been to NY, and have never ridden a subway, but I know that NY has a Metro Card and has had it for more than 10 years) 

Talk turned to gun control where he has been promising a “comprehensive program”,  however, there is NOTHING on his campaign website, and he was unable to give details.

So, not surprisingly, when the transcripts were published, there was a LOT of criticism. Headlines such as:
 
“This New York Daily News interview was pretty close to a disaster for Bernie Sanders”

“Sanders feeling media heat after new interview”

“Did Bernie Sanders Botch An Interview With The Daily News?”

“This New York Daily News Bernie Sanders Interview Is So Amazing”

Next, Bernie was publicly confronted by a Sandy Hook family member about his history on gun laws.  And New York Daily News posted a

Front Page headline: “BERNIE’S SANDY HOOK SHAME”

All this happened in just a few days, and Bernie was feeling the heat.

Tuesday night, Bernie won the Wisconsin primary. Hillary immediately tweeted congratulations to him

On Wednesday, April 6, on Morning Joe, Hillary was speaking with Joe & Mika. FOUR times, Joe asked Hillary if she thought (or if the interview proved) that Bernie was “unqualified”.  Hillary stated that he appeared to have “not done his homework”, but even with repeated questioning, Hillary did not agree with Joe, fall into Joe’s trap, or say Bernie was “unqualified” to run as President

So,this week, Bernie is taking heat about his Income Taxes, his poor delivery on an interview, his record on gun legislation, and he is obviously, for the first time, feeling the kind of pressure that Hillary, Cruz, and Trump have been facing for months. What does a candidate do when so they are getting so much negative press?

Wednesday night, at a rally in Philadelphia, “Bernie’s Revenge” escaped. Speaking about Hillary, he said, “She has been saying lately that she thinks I am quote-unquote ‘unqualified’ to be president. Well, let me just say in response to Secretary Clinton, I don’t believe that she is qualified .. . . . . “

The next day was all about the media and the electorate trying to convince Bernie to walk back his statements about Hillary being unqualified. It was pointed out to him that Hillary NEVER said he was unqualified, and his response was that the headlines said so.

Bernie later claimed that “She attacked me first”  (Haven’t we heard

this before? Oh, yeah! The feud between Trump & Cruz)

After being confronted about him being wrong, that Hillary had not called him “unqualified” he apologized and all was forgiven, right?  WRONG. He doubled down, kept blaming Hillary, and then “corrected” his statement by using “Wall street ties, corporate contributions, her vote on Iraq” ad nauseum.  He finally admitted she was qualified, if only to quiet the press.

On Friday morning, Bernie announced that he had been invited to the Vatican to give a speech about income inequality, and what an honor this was, and he was on a new high. 
Once again, he was optimistic and smiling.  Immediately this became a controversy over who invited him, whether he solicited the invite, and the fact that the 

invitation came from Vatican City, but NOT the Vatican, and the Pope will be out of town. And then, when the negativity started again, he started claiming Hillary’s lack of qualification again.

Finally, his whole campaign - Bernie, his campaign manager, and Jane, his wife, have all been interviewed and started claiming that they were personally attacking Hillary because her “new campaign strategy is “Disqualify Bernie, defeat him . . .  “ 

  The problem that I see with this explanation is that it is ONLY Bernie’s campaign that has used this terminology. There has been no reporting about Hillary and her campaign saying that. In fact, I personally, have seen Hillary state that their goal is to “Defeat him, win the nomination, and unite the party.”  Bernie’s campaign is the ONLY one to add the “disqualify” term into that plan. What a nice “sound bite” to anger his supporters.

So, Bernie has decided to play “dirty politics”?  As usual, Bernie has blamed Hillary for his negativity. 
When Hillary was confronted with his accusing her of being unqualified, she laughed it off, and did not get nasty with Bernie.  So, who is taking the high road?

Bernie is once again playing the victim. Just like when his team was caught stealing campaign data, he was the “victim” and is still suing the DNC even though he lost use of the database for less than 24 hours on the weekend before Christmas (Not a lot of people were concerned about politics that week”.

When the media is finally “vetting” him, he is once again the

victim.

So, why do I say, “Smooth Move, Bernie”?   Because he successfully pulled the attention away from his incompetence in the interview, his gun legislation record, and his tax returns. And, it’s All Hillary’s fault!! Even though she did NOT bring up the tax returns first, she did NOT send out the Sandy Hook family member to confront him, and she did NOT call him “unqualified” Bernie has managed to blame Hillary for his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.

If you don’t have any questions about Bernie’s ability to serve with dignity, under pressure, as President, after this week, you are not being objective. Has his behavior been Presidential this week?  If being objective, you have to say NO, unless you believe that Trump & Cruz’s fight over whose wife was the hottest was Presidential behavior.

To Bernie, I say:
Welcome to the REAL World of Politics. Get Used to it, or GO HOME.

One little thing I came across. I have no verification, it keeps coming across my feeds, and has been presented to me by numerous people, just something to contemplate:

Candidate's wife confesses

Media = Propaganda How the Media Created a Monster and Hurt the American People

     I remember the days when the “News” could be trusted to be honest, factual, and reliable.  BREAKING NEWS was something that might affect every life, or was truly a spectacular moment in history.  TV programs were only interrupted for historical things like the death of a President, the First man on the moon, a devastating earthquake, a horrendous plane crash, or War. 

     I remember when an “opinion” stated on the news always had a disclaimer at the beginning and end of it, telling us that it was an opinion, and perhaps not even the opinion of the very news program that was expressing it.  I remember when you could repeat something you saw on the news, and KNOW that it was the truth; that it had been fact-checked and verified by more than one person before permitted on the air. I remember when, in those rare instances when the news got something wrong, they corrected it, several times, to make sure everyone knew. And then, they apologized for “letting us down”.

     I am a person who believes in progress, but I also acknowledge that not every change is a change for the good.

     News 24/7/365 seemed like a great idea at the time. You could get your news any time you wanted, rather than having to wait for a specific hour.  But with progress, came more channels, and more competition for each channel. Ratings became more and more important to a news organization, rather than getting the facts right. It became more important to be the “first” to report an incident, instead of being the one with the true story. Then the news channels needed more and more information to fill those 24 hours.

• What happens to a society when truth takes a backseat to fame, fortune, and ratings?
•  How can justice prevail in a country when news channels jump to conclusions, offer misleading or incorrect information, give their own opinions, and don’t verify before reporting?
•  Who suffers when the “News” oversimplifies a situation, fails to correct misinformation, reports opinions as facts, or reports false information because it suits the reporter’s opinion?
•  What good is a news source if it creates a divide within its viewers by reporting biased views, and ignores the opposite view? 
• What happens to a country when the news is complicit in not only sharing a lie, but perpetuating that lie to the point that it is believed by the majority of its viewers?
•  What happens when the very word News becomes synonymous with gossip, when a news channel perpetuates lies, refuses to separate fact from opinion, does not allow the views, or even facts, that don’t agree with their biased views? 
• What happens to a country that cannot trust the news to give the facts? What happens when the very same stories are completely different, depending on which channel you turn to?

     The United States doesn’t have NEWS stations any more. We have “spin doctors” and editorializing. We have whole channels devoted to serving one side of the political divide, and “to Hell with the Truth”!

We have a large population of people falling victim to the lies of a few, to raise support for their own desires, regardless of the consequences of their behavior. We have stations that call themselves news, who have become the  Department of Propaganda for a political party.

     What happened to the 5 Ws and H?  Who? What? Where? Why? When? How? And Why doesn’t’ every report follow that form? It is basic journalism 101.

     Did you know that there is actually a “code of ethics” for professional journalists? You sure couldn’t tell by watching the news. When did news anchors stop being journalists and start becoming “entertainment”? 
     If you were to read the journalist’s code of ethics, you would agree. Gossip has no place in the news. We have gossip channels. Sensationalism is not news. Again, it is entertainment, but sadly, because of the very channel it is viewed on, people accept it as gospel.

Here is just one section of the “ethics”
Be Accountable and Transparent

Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one’s work and explaining one’s decisions to the public.
Journalists should:

– Explain ethical choices and processes to audiences. Encourage a civil dialogue with the public about journalistic practices, coverage and news content.

– Respond quickly to questions about accuracy, clarity and fairness.

– Acknowledge mistakes and correct them promptly and prominently. Explain corrections and clarifications carefully and clearly.

– Expose unethical conduct in journalism, including within their organizations.

– Abide by the same high standards they expect of others. 

     When was the last time any channel could claim to have followed this section of their ethics for even one day??

Now, the day that the Media started to create a monster:

     Donald Trump announced he would run for President of the United States. Two years earlier, he had explained how he would do it. He told the news media what he would do. He followed his plan, and they fell for it, EVEN THOUGH he had warned them.

     Donald Trump is a “reality show” star.  We all know that even “reality shows” are badly manipulated and faked, but for some reason, they get great ratings. Donald Trump has turned our nation's primary season into a reality show, and the Media has been the willing participant in it. 

     Donald Trump announced he would “self-finance” his campaign, just like he had said 2 years earlier.  So the very first day, he came out saying outrageous, ugly things, and, in the name of ratings, the news channels RUSHED to report it. Over and over and over again. For days, his comments became THE news. Every movement the man made was watched. And he knew he had them hooked. He KNEW that he could get free publicity - all he had to do was keep the Media on the hook.

     Every time Trump saw that he was no longer #1 on the news cycle, he would say or do, something outrageous, and the cycle would start again. The media, who has been entrusted to bring Americans the important news of the day, was being played and they fell for it. Remember, he warned them, and they still gave him hours and days of free publicity. The American People deserve to be repaid for all of that. We were manipulated, too, because the media turned attention away from the important things happening. 

     In the meantime, other candidates were ignored. Speeches were being made, and no one heard them, except those in attendance. All the news was about Trump.

People complained, in large numbers, but the news media was hooked. They couldn’t get enough of this man’s antics. They were appalled by his comments and actions, but, like a car wreck, they just couldn’t turn away. They were being drawn like a moth to a flame.  Donald Trump had the media wrapped around his little finger, and they were trapped. They could not pull away. Why?  Because of ratings!!  The almighty dollar overtook the “responsibility” of honest journalism. Donald Trump knew this, and used it to his advantage. 

     Donald Trump said he would ban all Muslims, even shut down mosques. But, instead of pointing out that 

1. This is not within the power of a President   

2.  It is Constitutionally illegal   

3.  It would be Dangerous for international relations    

4. Technically impossible to do; 

the news channels played his speech over and over again, without any reminders to their viewers that these statements were immoral, unethical, and illegal.

Another article of the Ethics in Journalism is to DO NO HARM

-Balance the public’s need for information against the potential harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license to arrogance or undue intrusiveness.

     Did the NEWS follow this ethical standard?  NO!! And how do we know this? Mosques were burned, or vandalized. When he spoke negatively about Mexicans, Hispanics were beaten. 

Violence at his rallies became a ‘normal’ part of them. The news picked up on the story, and yet, the actions of violence were never condemned. When Trump stated that maybe a protester “deserved” to be beaten, the news reported it. And ACCEPTED this kind of behavior from a man running for the most powerful position in the world!!!

Another code of ethics violation:-Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity, even if others do.

     News agencies decided to moderate political “debates”.
      I remember when a debate meant that the viewers would get to learn about the policies and ideas that each candidate wanted to implement, and for the candidates to point out where they differed. 

     The first debate this season started out attempting to hold a candidate accountable for his previous comments, and the candidate attacked back. Instead of continuing to maintain control of the debate, it became a circus. It should have been an embarrassment to the party being represented, but nothing was done. Rules weren’t changed, and each debate ended up turning into shouting matches, and mud-slinging. No candidate was asked the HOW of their plans.  And rarely was a candidate asked to return to the topic. If a candidate won’t answer the question at hand, maybe their mike should be turned off and their time up!! They aren’t there to make stump speeches, they are supposed to be there to inform the voters of their platform.

      Apparently, the Media loved the ratings this circus brought, so they did nothing to prevent it. They could have threatened to turn off mikes, refuse to ask questions of those who refused to follow the rules, and stood their ground. 
        I once ran a daycare and if my two year-olds acted like these candidates, they would have been sent to “timeout.”  Instead, every moderator has become a laughingstock, and the political party has lost credibility.  In the meantime, primaries have started, and voters still have no idea what the candidates stand for.  What happened to those 5 Ws and H????

     The place where the Media REALLY let down their viewers is when the media, itself has been censored.  Donald Trump has shattered the First Amendment Rights of EVERYONE that doesn’t agree with him, or those who could expose him, and that has NOT become the number one issue of news about his campaign.

•  Reporters are confined to within a small, area of his rally. Actually forced to stand within a barricaded section, AND beaten if they try to film something other than what Donald Trump wants!!  So much for Freedom of the Press!!!
•  Protesters are beaten, forced out, and in the dead of winter, with extreme temperatures outside, protesters’ coats taken from them and forced them outside without them.  AND THE NEWS REPORTED IT as a something funny!   So much for right to assemble.
•  A Muslim woman did not say a word, and was forced out of his rally. So much for freedom of religion.
• A young Black woman protesting was physically manhandled by the crowd, called names, spit on, jostled out the door, while Trump, himself, encouraged the behavior

     This man is violating Constitutional Rights of the American people and the News is NOT holding him accountable, and they keep flocking to report his antics as “entertainment”.

Once again, a violation of their code of ethics:
-Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable. Give voice to the voiceless.

Where is the Media holding Donald Trump accountable?   While the media ignores other candidates, or worse, spread lies and “hints” at impropriety of others, they have given Donald Trump carte blanche. 

     I, personally, have taken to recording all news, so that I can fast forward through anything that has to do with this man, because I saw on the first day that he was incapable of being President. The man doesn’t even know what the Constitution says!! His behavior is an embarrassment and a danger to our image to the World.

   The media has controlled this Presidential election, deciding who can debate, whose rallies will be seen, which speeches are “worthy” of being viewed by those who can’t attend. The Media has reported “scandals” about some candidates, and completely ignored major campaign law violations and scandals, of others. They have failed to vet every candidate. They jump at sensationalism, and ignore candidates with a positive message. They do not explain that certain actions promised cannot legally be done. And when they report incorrectly, or edit a video to make it "newsworthy", they do not 'correct the record'.

     The Media is subtly telling the American People how to vote.  To keep things exciting, they have extended the primary season by picking and choosing who’s in the spotlight, and who is ignored. They have helped keep people in the race who might have fallen out long ago, had their campaigns been reported fairly. Some candidates might still be in the race, had they been given some coverage.

     Donald Trump has manipulated the Media, and received Billions of dollars-worth of free commercial time simply by being a carnival barker. He has turned the election for the next President into a reality show, instead of the solemn occasion that it should be. The media gained viewership at the expense of integrity and truth. 

     The Media has allowed the encouragement of bigotry, xenophobia, Islamaphobia, intolerance, and even violence, by making it “entertainment” instead of the abysmal ugliness that deserves to be reported just as harshly as a terrorist attack.  

     It is sad when Donald Trump’s latest “antics” have become so entertaining and exciting for the media to report, it has come to the point where they ignore mass shootings in Kansas (where a man’s trail of terror covered miles), several school shootings, and the return of an astronaut who has been in space for a year. They have ignored the death of several police officers killed in the line of duty, including an officer who has killed on her first day on the job, on a domestic violence call. How pathetic!!!  While they play over and over bad cops’ behavior, they won’t take the time to show what happens to real, heroic police officers, just doing their job.

     Donald Trump is a dangerous man, and the nation’s leaders know this. But the Media helped to make this man an idol in the eyes of those who have been waiting for a leader to tell them that their darkest thoughts and hate is OK, and that violence and violation of human rights is the way to handle those ugly beliefs. The Media released a monster among the people, and helped to catapult him beyond a reality star. They have legitimized him as a real possibility as The President.

     Once upon a time, the media would have done their job. They would have vetted his comments. They would have given equal time to all candidates. They would have kept “We the People’s” best interests in focus, and done the “right thing”.  Instead, today’s Media is controlled by politics, manipulated by sociopaths, completely ignoring the very ethics of their profession. 

     When are We, the People, going to DEMAND better from the Media? When are we going to hold them accountable?  When are we going to stop letting them divide us, as a country, by producing conflicting “facts”?  When will We, the People, stop letting the Media allow politicians to stand in front of their cameras and LIE to the American People?  When will it stop???? 

     People of the United States – We MUST stand together to DEMAND that the Media be held to the very ethics that they should have learned in school.  We must DEMAND that those who provide “news” to the American people take an oath to follow those ethics, and promise to be held accountable.  We must DEMAND that opinions be limited and EXPLICITLY labeled as such.

     When the Media allows politicians to say that our President has violated the Constitution of the United States, when they know it isn’t true (because if it WAS, they would have started impeachment proceedings, and we all know that), the media must be held accountable. When a politician makes such a statement, follow-up questions MUST be asked, and they MUST hold that person accountable. It is time to demand that if a politician is going to be in front of the camera, they be forced to answer the questions, not what they want to say, but actually answer the questions.

And let’s start with Donald Trump.  Demand he answer those ‘difficult’ questions, like “HOW are you going to do this?” Make him prove that he actually understands what a President is capable of. Correct him, and ask again. Stop the stupid phone-ins and make him look into the camera while he lies to the world.

And, finally:
To the Media:

The World is watching. They are not only mocking those you report, they are appalled at the unethical, immoral, harmful behavior of our “news”  Europe is watching, and remembering the last time the Media became propaganda and the leader was not held accountable.

“History repeats itself. As do the methods used by those specializing in the elimination of leaders who unite people into a strong force for dignity, justice and self-determination.” 
― S.M. Sigerson, The Assassination of Michael Collins: What Happened at Béal na mBláth?

Link to Society for Professional Journalism "code of ethics"