The Democrats Are Evil But Smart, While The Republicans Are Neanderthals And Dumb

 By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

The title of this article is the conclusion that I reached when I was leaving the U.S. Senate, after having worked with both American political parties for years.[2]  As I wrote several months after this blog began in December of 2009:

Politically, I am an Independent, and have been for several decades, since leaving the U.S. Senate where I witnessed firsthand the shortcomings of both major political parties. I was a member of the National Democratic Club and the National Republican Club of Capitol Hill, simultaneously. I felt it was good business to entertain our clients and others at whichever club they preferred, and I felt comfortable at both of them. In fact, when I worked in the Senate, there was a spirit of bipartisanship and congeniality in both the Senate and House, which I believed was healthy and beneficial for the country.[3]

Many in the GOP are pathetically weak and spineless today.  Some are “RINOS,” or “Republicans In Name Only,”[4] like the despicable Paul Ryan and his running mate, the carpetbagger Mitt Romney.[5]  Lots of us voted for them, inter alia, because the alternative was the racist, anti-Semite Barack Obama.[6]  Many more of us have been Trump supporters from the beginning; and we have watched the treasonous pattern of misconduct unfolding, perpetrated by Obama and others—like peeling skins off an onion, one by one.[7]

Our great nation is at a critical juncture in its history, and seems poised on the edge of its second Civil War.[8]  And there are threats from adversaries globally, who may seek to destroy our great nation and kill most Americans.  No, these are not radical or crazy statements or fantasies:

Launched from a barge off the U.S. coast, an EMP attack consisting of one nuclear warhead attached to a single missile might shut down much of the country and kill all except 30 million Americans. Such an attack has been described as “a ‘giant continental time machine’ that would move us back more than a century in technology to the late 1800s”—and effectively destroy our great nation.[9]

I never realized fully how much President Donald Trump is hated until I attended a college reunion recently, where the lovely wife of a dear college friend shared her feelings with me.  It was like the mood changed from cordial to “icy” within the blink of an eye, when I told her that I was a Trump supporter—and that I began as a Democrat, but would never vote for one again.

In a very real sense, Donald Trump is America’s first Independent President. Thus, he garners detractors from both ends of the political spectrum (e.g., “Trump derangement syndrome”).[10]  Also, people in other countries have hated American “brashness” for decades, and are repulsed by it; and then there are our adversaries and enemies.  Some detractors and their countries have been living off the United States’ financial and military largesse—or the “dole”—and do not want to have it end.

Perhaps an editorial of The New York Sun puts the future American political climate in stark relief:

The showdown that is brewing between Attorney General William Barr and the House Judiciary Committee poses enormous dangers for President Trump. It might not look that way at first blush. The feud, after all, is ostensibly over the terms under which Mr. Barr is to testify before the House about the report from the special prosecutor, Robert Mueller. It has yet to ripen into a formal impeachment proceeding.

Mr. Barr might be able to win this fight. He is merely resisting the idea that he is to be questioned not only by the honorable congresspersons but also by lawyers for the committee. It looks to us like he should never have agreed to share the Mueller report with the Congress in the first place. It’s an internal executive branch document. Even so he might be able to prevail against the House.

Particularly because of the Holder precedent. Mr. Holder is the only attorney general in history to have defied a congressional subpoena and to be found in contempt. Not just any nickel-plated civil contempt but criminal contempt of Congress. President Obama’s Justice Department balked at prosecution, and Mr. Holder walked. He claims to have been embarrassed, but he’s a free man.

Mssrs. Trump and Barr might be able to get away with that. We’re not inclined to draw a lot of distinctions between the goose and the gander. If what’s going on in the House ripens into an impeachment investigation, though, all bets are off. That’s because of distinctions that have been drawn in our republic all the way back to Presidents George Washington and James Polk.

Both Washington and Polk acknowledged that once an impeachment process is started, the House becomes essentially irresistible. A study in 2001 by the Congressional Research Service recalls the fight over the Jay Treaty that President Washington struck with Britain. Washington denied the House access to his papers, saying they could be legitimately requested only in a case of impeachment.

President Polk, CRS reported, went further. He said that in an impeachment, “the power of the House” would “penetrate into the most secret recesses of the Executive Department. It could command the attendance of any and every agent of the Government, and compel them to produce all papers, public or private, official or unofficial, and to testify on oath to all facts within their knowledge.”

Plus, too, mark this: Refusal to comply with a subpoena is charge that was laid against President Nixon in the third of the articles of impeachment voted out by the Judiciary Committee in 1974. Article Three charged that Nixon had “failed without lawful cause or excuse to produce papers and things as directed by duly authorized subpoenas issued by the Committee on the Judiciary.”

In the case of Nixon, the House never sent articles of impeachment to the Senate. Instead, Republicans in the Senate panicked and sent a delegation to the White House to tell Nixon they were going to vote against him. It was a shocking default by weak senators. It would be as if jurors, acting before charges were handed up, told the suspect to plead guilty. It did, though, precipitate Nixon’s resignation.

We’re not suggesting Mr. Trump should be impeached. He has been cleared of the underlying charge of colluding with the Russ camarilla. The obstruction being investigated is, at best, ambiguous. That doesn’t mean, though, that the president is out of danger. Once the House moves to a formal impeachment proceeding, the constitutional afterburners kick in and Mr. Trump could easily be bound over to a trial in the Senate.[11]

Regardless of exactly how future events unfold, having lived through Watergate—beginning just before, and culminating after I left the U.S. Senate—the human toll and national tragedy that might befall Americans and our great nation again cannot be minimized, underestimated or appreciated fully.  And yes, our enemies globally are salivating.

This was all unleashed by Barack Obama, Robert Mueller and others, who must pay the ultimate price for their treasonous conduct.  Unless and until this happens, no American should believe in our legal system—or that justice exists in the United States—ever again.[12]

 

 

© 2019, Timothy D. Naegele

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[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass). He and his firm, Timothy D. Naegele & Associates, specialize in Banking and Financial Institutions Law, Internet Law, Litigation and other matters (see www.naegele.com and Timothy D. Naegele Resume-19-4-29). He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service). Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., www.naegele.com/whats_new.html#articles), and can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/the-state-of-our-union-2019/#comment-16133 (“The Real Scandal Of The Trump Presidency Unravels”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/20/the-real-russian-conspiracy-barack-obama-the-clintons-and-the-sale-of-americas-uranium-to-russias-killer-putin/ (“The Real Russian Conspiracy: Barack Obama, The Clintons, And The Sale Of America’s Uranium To Russia’s Killer Putin“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/should-barack-obama-be-executed-for-treason/ (“Should Barack Obama Be Executed For Treason?“)

[3]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/about/#comment-861 (“What Is This Blog All About?”)

[4]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_In_Name_Only (“Republican In Name Only”)

[5]  Romney was Massachusetts’ governor.  Then he switched, and became Utah’s U.S. Senator.

See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/the-state-of-our-union-2019/#comment-16193 (“Republican Neanderthals”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/29/it-is-time-for-trump-supporters-to-fight-back/#comment-15494 (“Paul Ryan: The GOP’s Devil Incarnate”)

[6]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/is-barack-obama-a-racist/ (“Is Barack Obama A Racist?”) (see also the extensive comments beneath the article) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/should-barack-obama-be-executed-for-treason/ (“Should Barack Obama Be Executed For Treason?”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/ariel-sharon-is-missed/#comment-12626 (“DEMOCRATS ARE ANTI-SEMITES”)

[7]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/boycott-the-gop-and-ignore-foreign-naysayers/ (“Boycott The GOP And Ignore Foreign Naysayers“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/the-president-and-first-lady/ (“The President And First Lady“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/americas-newest-civil-war-2017-and-beyond/ (“America’s Newest Civil War: 2017 And Beyond“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/20/the-real-russian-conspiracy-barack-obama-the-clintons-and-the-sale-of-americas-uranium-to-russias-killer-putin/ (“The Real Russian Conspiracy: Barack Obama, The Clintons, And The Sale Of America’s Uranium To Russia’s Killer Putin“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/robert-mueller-should-be-executed-for-treason/ (“Robert Mueller Should Be Executed For Treason“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/06/what-atrocities-did-robert-mueller-commit-in-vietnam/ (“What Atrocities Did Robert Mueller Commit In Vietnam?“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/should-barack-obama-be-executed-for-treason/ (“Should Barack Obama Be Executed For Treason?“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/15/the-department-of-injustices-inspector-general-is-complicit-in-the-deep-state-cover-up/ (“The Department Of Injustice’s Inspector General Is Complicit In The Deep-State Cover-Up!“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/20/the-american-lefts-feeding-frenzy/ (“The American Left’s Feeding Frenzy“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/29/it-is-time-for-trump-supporters-to-fight-back/ (“It Is Time For Trump Supporters To Fight Back“) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/09/17/has-jeff-sessions-harmed-america-irreparably/ (“Has Jeff Sessions Harmed America Irreparably?“)

[8]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/americas-newest-civil-war-2017-and-beyond/#comment-17018 (“The Second American Civil War”)

[9]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/emp-attack-only-30-million-americans-survive/ (“EMP Attack: Only 30 Million Americans Survive”) (footnote omitted); see also https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/18/the-mueller-report-a-monumental-travesty/#comment-16961 (“Media Madness Is Crippling America”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/the-mueller-witch-hunt-is-over/#comment-16628 (“White House Warns of Nation-Ending EMP Attacks On USA”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/the-next-major-war-korea-again/#comment-16203 (“While The Democrats Seek To Destroy President Trump, He Tries To End The Threat To Americans Of A North Korean Nuclear Holocaust”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/emp-attack-only-30-million-americans-survive/#comment-15839 (“Will The United States And Israel Cease To Exist?”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/emp-attack-only-30-million-americans-survive/#comment-15354 (“Military Warns EMP Attack Could Wipe Out America, Democracy, World Order”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/the-death-of-putin-and-russia-the-final-chapter-of-the-cold-war/#comment-14472 (“America’s Politicians Fret Over Russia And Our Elections, Instead Of Real Threats To Our Power Grid”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/emp-attack-only-30-million-americans-survive/#comment-12535 (“North Korea Won The Battle Against America’s EMP Commission”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/emp-attack-only-30-million-americans-survive/#comment-11760 (“We Must Move NOW To Protect America’s Power Grid From A Nation-Ending EMP Attack!”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/the-next-major-war-korea-again/#comment-10807 (“South Korean Banks Brace For EMP Attack”)

[10]  See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_derangement_syndrome (“Trump derangement syndrome”)

[11]  See https://www.nysun.com/editorials/trump-is-entering-the-danger-zone/90664/ (“Trump Is Entering the Danger Zone”)

[12]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/18/the-mueller-report-a-monumental-travesty/ (“The Mueller Report: A Monumental Travesty”)

Jefferson, Lincoln And America

By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

Three books are worth reading about Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and America: the “Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson,” which was edited by his great-granddaughter, Sarah N. Randolph[2]; “Lincoln” by David Herbert Donald[3]; and “A History of the American People” by Paul M. Johnson.[4]

Jefferson was a giant, and the first book chronicles his extraordinary life through his letters and the letters of others, lovingly assembled and edited by Randolph.  At various points, the book is moving and tearful; elsewhere it is joyous and humorous. At all times, Jefferson’s seemingly-unlimited talents and brilliance, as well as his qualities as a decent human being and his erudition, shine forth.

The greats of American history come alive through their correspondence and Jefferson’s letters to George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison, James Monroe, Patrick Henry and Alexander Hamilton, to name just a few—along with the Marquis de Lafayette and Napoleon Bonaparte of France.  We witness firsthand the American Revolution, this nation’s founding, Jefferson’s years in Paris, the French Revolution, and his presidency.

Perhaps three things stand out most of all: the depth of his love for his family and the meticulous care with which he nurtured each family member; his love for Monticello and his desire to return there and be rid of the burdens of public office; and his relationship with Adams that, once breached, is finally restored at the end of their lives.

Remarkably, both presidents died on the 4th of July, 1826.  To paraphrase the words of Jefferson, two “Argonauts” sailed on, leaving this country forever changed and better because they had passed here.  “I steer my bark with Hope in the head, leaving Fear astern,” Jefferson wrote to Adams in 1816.  From being Secretary of State and Vice President to two terms in the presidency, involving the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Jefferson never lost his love for or his belief in this great country.

He was a farmer, scholar, scientist, diplomat, a leader and a politician.  He was an accomplished horseman who was faithful to his belief in the need for at least two hours of exercise each day.  He was a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather; and he loved music, birds and his gardens in Albemarle County, Virginia.  And he was an American.

In the second book, “Lincoln,” Donald writes brilliantly, and truly spans Lincoln’s life and gives one a sense of being there.  Perhaps most striking is how the tide of events carried Lincoln and changed his views (e.g., with respect to the slavery issue alone, from colonization to emancipation).  Also, Donald describes Lincoln as a master, very calculating politician, not unlike the politicians of today.  He was certainly not the folksy backwoods caricature that often is presented, although he used that to his advantage (e.g., to disarm opponents and garner support).

Despite being wonderfully researched, and spreading out the facts for all to see, one gets the sense that what truly made Lincoln “tick” was unknowable, from a deeply personal standpoint.  Having worked on Capitol Hill, my sense is that most senators are that way, possibly because they have been compromised again and again to reach high offices, and to be all things to all people.

Also, it was interesting how Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman “saved” Lincoln politically, while many of his other generals were either indecisive or utter buffoons.  Lincoln knew that changes were needed, but he was often hesitant to “rock the boat” and make them.  After his reelection in 1864, he seemed much more self-confident, which was cut short by his tragic death.  The reader is left to wonder what he might have accomplished during his second term.

When the book ends somewhat abruptly, one’s interest has been whetted.  It is only too bad that Donald did not do an appraisal of “what might have been.”  There is no question that Lincoln was brilliant, and he was really maturing as a political leader when he was killed.  What a remarkable four years might have followed.  Also, with essentially no protection at all, it is surprising that more leaders of that time were not killed by the John Wilkes Booths of this world.  Lincoln, God love him, was fearless and a true fatalist—or at least that is how Donald depicts him.

One is led to think about Lincoln’s law partner, William Herndon, who was so important in Lincoln’s life, and his thoughts about Lincoln’s life and death.  Also, Grant’s memoirs—which are said to be the finest done by an American president—are wonderful to read, along with books about Reconstruction, the diaries of Lincoln’s two male “secretaries,” etc.

Years ago, I read an article about how one could only understand the Southern “mentality” by appreciating how conquered peoples—or the vanquished—have been able to survive throughout history under the rule of the victors; and Donald’s book sets the scene for that to take place.  Also, one cannot help but be impressed by what a monumental struggle the Civil War represented, and the human carnage that it left as well as the deep scars that remained.  This book is truly fascinating, and Donald provides a brilliant “birds-eye view,” which is well worth reading.

The third book is “A History of the American People” by Johnson.  For all of us whose ancestors came from distant shores, or however we ended up as “Americans,” this book is rich in details, events and trends that have been woven together to describe our history and what it means to be an American.  This reader gained a new sense of pride in what America is and how our history has evolved, and where we are apt to go as a people in the future.

The United States is a melting pot, or a rainbow of different colors, religions and ethnicities, and therein lies its soul, strength, creativity and diversity, and yes tensions.  Johnson’s weaving of minute facts into a tapestry that is “us” deserves to be read and reflected on by all.  We may not agree with each and every observation or conclusion, but we cannot help to be impressed by the sweep of history that Johnson chronicles and how he methodically marshals the facts into a remarkable and coherent whole, of which each of us is an integral part.

I only hated to see this book end—which was true of the other two books as well—and I wished that that I could read about the next 100 years of this “grand experiment” called democracy, but those pages are being written in history with each passing day, month and year.  While it took the arrival of a new millennium for Johnson to share this monumental undertaking with us, let us hope that similar brilliant works are forthcoming.

© 2010, Timothy D. Naegele

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[1] Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass), the first black senator since Reconstruction after the U.S. Civil War.  He practices law in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles with his firm, Timothy D. Naegele & Associates (www.naegele.com).  He has an undergraduate degree in economics from UCLA, as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He is a member of the District of Columbia and California bars.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal.  Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years.  See, e.g., www.naegele.com/whats_new.html#articles

[2] See http://www.amazon.com/Domestic-Thomas-Jefferson-American-Classics/dp/0804417598/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

[3] See http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-David-Herbert-Donald/dp/068482535X/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

[4] See http://www.amazon.com/History-American-People-Paul-Johnson/dp/0060930349/ref=cm_cr-mr-title