A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Photo Credit: Pixabay This question was originally asked by conservative memberTrevor Hamlen on Quora as: Since President Trump was a lifelong Democrat before running for president and he polished his interpersonal skills during his formative years, would the Democrats take ownership for the very behaviors they claim him to possess? My reply:  Oh, boy. It is really sad to see just how ill-informed you must be about Donald Trump, based on the wording of your question. So many distortions, so many mistaken conclusions. So, as a public service, I’ll try to educate you on the realities of Donald Trump’s political affiliation and how he changes parties to suit his whims. Let’s get started, shall we? First of all, Donald J. Trump has  never been  a “lifelong” member of the Democratic Party. In the mid-1980s, for instance, Trump registered as a Republican voter with the Department of Elections in Manhattan. He remained a Republican until 1999 when he registered a...

© 2019 Salon.com On Quora, right-wing member and hater of all things liberal David Bolick asks this about Quora sponsor Salon : Why does Quora allow such offensive sponsors as this? I replied thusly: Well, for starters, because  Salon  is  not  what most rational and educated people would consider “offensive.” It is not, say, a site that peddles porn of any kind, incites violence, or promotes bigotry, misogyny, or engages in conspiracy theories. Of course, if you happen to be a self-identified conservative with what others might consider extreme right-wing views, i.e. all liberals are “evil” and “Democrats should all be shot,” then I can see - all too clearly - why someone might consider  Salon  offensive. For those Quora members who are scratching their heads as to why someone would consider  Salon  “offensive,” here are the basic facts about the website: Here’s Wikipedia’s description of  Salon: Salon  is an America...

American democracy is truly skating on thin ice if Trump supporters really believe they can react with gun-wielding violence if   "their" President is impeached.  On Quora, a Trump supporter with the unlikely name of "Anth Jesus" asks: If Trump is impeached and refuses to step down would you support his decision even if it meant armed conflict? This is my answer: A point that needs to be addressed before reading my answer: The term “impeach” does not mean “remove from office.” It means to “put an elected official on trial before a legislative body. Removal from office  is  the outcome upon conviction, but since there are two likely possibilities -  acquittal  and  conviction,  President Trump could be  impeached,  but not necessarily  removed from office  if he is  acquitted. First of all, Donald Trump is not going to be impeached. Based on what I’ve read in the official Mueller Report about Russian in...

Fox News seems not to dissect and interpret current developments in the Russia Probe like other channels do. Why? Are they intentionally limiting the information that their viewers receive? As I’ve said in my previous answers to questions about Fox “News” Channel, the reason for this is simple: Fox News Channel is  not  a dedicated newsgathering organization. It might have a news division with real journalists for “breaking news” or their off-peak hour news programming, but in reality, Fox News is a propaganda outlet for the post-Reagan Republican Party. For this reason, thoughtful, dispassionate, and honest dissection of such news stories as the Trump Organization’s connections to Russia and the conspiracy to basically use the Internet as a Psychological Operations (PsyOps) weapon to give Donald Trump an edge during the Presidential election in 2016 goes against Fox News Channel’s ethos. I mean, think about it. Fox News is a  propaganda  machine that would...