First-time readers, this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020).  Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution.  More about Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  List and general description of entries to date.  Annual assessment whether Revolution plausible.

Note: most characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.  Profile of characters.  You’ll catch on quickly.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Jordan’s Washington office.  Conversation begins Entry #204.

Greenie:  “OK, I have my coffee.  Before we go back over the list, a sidebar.”

Jordan:  “That is.”

Greenie:  “Understand Gelly is going on another cruise.  Did I hear her correctly – Alaska?”

Jordan:  “Yeah, she’s going with some long-time female buddies.  Exactly where in Alaska I don’t know but she’s leaving in a couple of days.”

Greenie:  “Sounds like great fun.  How you going to get along without her?”

Jordan:  “I’ll struggle but get by.  She went on a cruise a couple of years ago…and I survived, barely.”

Greenie:  “Let me know if you need any help.  Now, back to the list from your fraternity brother of reasons to vote for the Donald.  Start at the top?”

Jordan:  “Yes.  We need to make sure we do ‘point’ and ‘counter-point’ for the items on the list.”

Greenie:  “You going to be the Trumpster or am I?”

Jordan:  “I’ll be the Trumpster.  #1 reason to vote for the Donald – ‘Make sure Hillary is accountable.’  At the time, I assume that meant accountable for Benghazi, email server and who knows what else they were claiming.”

Greenie:  “This might be one of the few points I agreed with the Trumpsters on…providing”

Jordan:  “…providing what?”

Greenie:  “Providing the rules for Hillary apply to the Republicans in Congress and members of the President’s cabinet.”

Jordan:  “Let’s take emails.  She used her personal server and she transferred classified info.  She committed a felony and should be sent to jail.  No need for a trial.  She admitted she was guilty.”

Greenie:  “Whoa, Bubba.  First, there’s no proof any classified information was compromised.”

Jordan:  “Doesn’t matter.  She’s guilty.  Off to jail.”

Greenie:  “A substantial portion of the material in question was not designated ‘classified’ when she emailed it.  The material was designated ‘classified’ sometime later.  How can you prosecute someone retroactively?”

Jordan:  “She never asked if she could use a personal server.  She broke the rules.  Jail time.”

Greenie:  “Do you agree that the President’s Cabinet officials should be subject to the same rules?”

Jordan:  “Of course.  But nobody in Reagan’s cabinet used a personal server.”

Greenie:  “Excuse me, Mr. Trumpster.  There wasn’t email when Reagan was president.”

Jordan:  “I know.  But Reagan was considered the gold standard among many Trumpsters.” 

Greenie:  “What about illegal activity by someone in Bush 43’s cabinet?”

Jordan:  “Nothing to the extent of Hillary.  She’s the absolute worst offender.”

Greenie:  “What about knowingly disclosing top-secret information to someone not authorized to receive it?  Should that be punished?”

Jordan:  “That’s why Hillary should do jail time.”

Greenie:  “If you feel that way, then let’s go find General Petraeus and put him in jail.  He disclosed secret info while head of the CIA.”

Jordan:  “We don’t know if he used email.  So there.”

Greenie:  “No, it was worse.  He gave away hard copy.  Since you don’t want to put Petraeus in jail, then give Hillary the same sentence the General got…nothing.  Now, move on.”

Jordan:  “Let’s pause for a minute.  How are we going to address all the points on the list?  We could be here all day, spout BS and not really accomplish much.”

Greenie:  “Jordan, I’m not spouting BS, just trying to point out the facts.”

Jordan:  “The arguments supporting the ‘Why Vote for Trump’ list remind me of the teenage son who was in an accident.  He tells his father the other person drove right out in front of him.  What he failed to tell his father is the other person had the right of way.”

Greenie:  “That story reminds me of a radio program from years ago.  Paul Harvey had a show titled, ‘The Rest of the Story.’  The show filled in the gaps on a variety of events and stories.”

Jordan:  “Maybe we should try the Paul Harvey approach.  Let’s try telling the rest of the story.”

Greenie:  “OK, then go back and start with Hillary.  I agree she made some decisions that in retrospect, could have used better judgment.  The email server was probably the classic.”

Jordan:  “As far as I know, the email server and all the actions the Republicans claimed to be illegal during the campaign had been investigated thoroughly.  No criminal behavior was found.”

Greenie:  “Obviously, some Republicans didn’t like the outcomes of the investigations but she was cleared of any criminal offense.”

Jordan:  “One of the murkier issues that kept cropping up before the election…and even after the election…was money being funneled to the Clinton Foundation for actions while she was Secretary of State. Republicans alleged she provided favors for certain individuals and the recipients then made contributions to the Clinton Foundation.  Republicans claimed that was illegal.”

Greenie:  “Let’s talk about the rest of the story.  I would like to know the difference between what she did…if it’s true…and what members of Congress do nearly every day either for someone who makes a large donation to the campaign or promises to make a large donation?”

Jordan:  “That doesn’t make such actions right.”

Greenie:  “I agree.  But look who’s calling the kettle black.  Or if that’s too subtle, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander…except if you’re a Republican.  What’s the difference?  In my view, there is no difference between what Hillary allegedly did and what Congressional Representatives and Senators do to this day.  C’mon, these guys need to get real.”

Jordan:  “Seems as if the Republicans are forgetting the rest of the story, which is a good segue to the Donald.  What about holding him accountable for previous actions?”

Greenie:  “You mean like defrauding investors and stiffing vendors.  Paying less to vendors than what you legitimately owe is called…ah, stealing.  Last I looked stealing was a felony that people do jail time for.”

Jordan:  “Greenie, you don’t understand.  For Trumpsters, stiffing vendors is a smart business decision.”

Greenie:  “It’s a smart business decision until you’re the one getting screwed.  Do the Trumpsters ever wonder why major banks and investment houses won’t deal with him?  Why many suppliers won’t sell to the Donald?”

Jordan:  “What about 3^rd parties that checked his claims made during speeches and his tweets…”

Greenie:  “…then giving him the ‘Pants on Fire Award.’  Why not make him accountable for what he claimed to be the truth?”

Jordan:  “You and I both know the Trumpsters didn’t care about facts.  Trumpsters were obsessed with hating Hillary.”

Greenie:  “OK, we’ve now spent time on the 1^st of 13 reasons why to vote for the Donald.  Have we made any real progress?”

Jordan:  “You tell me.  You’re writing articles about causes of the Revenge Revolution.  Is this type conversation helpful?”

Greenie:  “Let’s address a couple more items on the list, then decide.”

(Continued)  

First-time readers, this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020).  Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution.  More about Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  List and general description of entries to date.  Annual assessment whether Revolution plausible.

Note: most characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.  Profile of characters.  You’ll catch on quickly.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Jordan’s Washington office.

Gelly (Jordan’s assistant): “Jordan, excuse me.  You have a visitor you’ll be glad to see.”

Jordan:  “Greenie.  Great to see you and great to see you’re up and about the world.”

Greenie:  “Nice to see you Jordan.  Happy to be out of the house.  Recuperating was a pain in the you-know-what.”

Jordan:  “This a social visit?”

Greenie:  “Stopped by to thank you for all your help.  You and JC did a wonderful job in getting information for my upcoming articles on the causes of the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan:  “We had a fun and interesting time.  Been a while since I spent that much time with JC.”

Greenie:  “Like old home week, huh?  Anyway, I need one more favor, please.  When I look at information from 2016 – articles, surveys, etc. – I’m still confused by the rationale people used to justify voting for Trump.  I just don’t understand it.”

Jordan:  “I would characterize much of the justification as having no support or rationale.  Most of the Trumpites just didn’t want to listen.”

Greenie:  “Seems as if a fairly large group was so anti-Hillary that they were willing to throw all logic to the wind.”

Jordan:  “I hear you.  Even some seemingly well-educated people drank the anti-Hillary Kool-Aid.”

Greenie:  “I can understand why people might not like her.  But you want a president that’s smart, understands issues and has some reasonable solutions.  As far as the Donald…”

Jordan:  “Here’s a perfect example of what you’re talking about.  I’ve kept a copy of this email since receiving in mid-2016.”

Greenie:  “Is it from the RNC, NRA or one of those?”

Jordan:  “No.  From a fraternity brother in undergrad.”

Greenie:  “What’s the email say?”

Jordan:  “The email lists reasons why someone should vote for Trump.”

Greenie:  “And, #10 is?”

Jordan:  “Actually, there are 13 reasons and I’m not sure there in hierarchical order other than the last one.  Here goes: (1) Hold Hillary accountable for her previous wrongs.  (2) Put ‘GOD’ back in America. (3) Borders: closed or tightly guarded. (4) Congress: On the same retirement and healthcare plans as everybody else.  (5) Congress: obey its own laws, NOW!  (6) Language: English only.  (7) Culture: Constitution and Bill of Rights.  (8) Drug Free: Mandatory drug screening before and during welfare. (9) Freebies: None to non-citizens.  (10) Budget: Balance the damn thing.  (11) Foreign Countries: stop giving them our money!  Charge them for our help!  We need it here.  (12) Fix the TAX CODE! (13) And most of all, Respect our military and our flag.”

Greenie:  “Was there any explanation of what these statements were intended to mean?”

Jordan:  “No, just proclamations.  ‘I’m in charge and this is what I want.’  Like someone with a pair of six shooters…plus one.  Rapid fire, no reasoning.  Want to go back to the beginning and discuss each one further?”

Greenie:  “Yes, but I need some coffee first.  I’ll check with Gelly.  Want a cup?”

Jordan:  “Yes, please.  Thanks.”

(Continued)

First-time readers, this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020).  Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution.  More about Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  List and general description of entries to date.  Annual assessment whether Revolution plausible.

Note: most characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.  Profile of characters.  You’ll catch on quickly.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments. 

Scene: Jordan’s office in Washington.

Gelly: “Jordan, you have a visitor.”

JC: “Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Big Dog himself.”

Jordan: “First of all, nice to see you JC. And what’s with the Big Dog stuff?”

JC: “Gelly tells me you had dinner at the White House – just you and POTUS.”

Jordan: “Yeah, so?”

JC: “So? That makes you a big dog, a really big dog.”

Jordan: “The dinner and $3.00 will get me on the subway. But the dinner was great fun.”

JC: “What’d you talk about? No, first, tell me what was for dinner? Some fancy, schmancy food?”

Jordan: “Texas BBQ.”

JC: “You’re kidding. Really? Texas BBQ?”

Jordan: “Really. And it was great. Couple of guys, some good wine and a fun evening.”

JC: “Normally I don’t put Texas BBQ and wine together.”

Jordan: “When no one else is around, guys can eat and drink what they want. Besides the wine was a favorite of mine from Sonoma County.”

JC: “So what’d talk about? Anything really juicy you can tell me?”

Jordan: “We talked about the creation of the universe.”

JC: “C’mon, you’ve got to be kidding. With all the gossip and scandals in Washington and you guys talked about the creation of the universe? What’s wrong with you two?”

Jordan: “POTUS wanted a break from politics so we picked a topic that interested both of us.”

JC: “You guys are boring.”

Jordan: “Actually it was an enlightening evening away from the DC fray.”

JC: “Alright, I’m here to talk politics with you.”

Jordan: “Thought this was a social call. Do we have an appointment?”

JC: “Cut the Big Dog BS. Yes, the call is mostly social…and some business. No, we didn’t have an appointment. Gelly told me you had a break in your schedule so she let me in.”

Jordan: “That’s OK. Always nice to see you. What’s the business part? You’ve not become some kind of journalist or lobbyist have you?”

JC: “No. I’m doing a favor for Greenie. She’s starting a series of articles about the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan: “And I take it she wants my help? How?”

JC: “The first article is about nominations of Supreme Court Justices. Remember she covered the Supreme Court in her journalism days, right?”

Jordan: “I read her articles regularly. She always had great insight for the non-lawyer types.”

JC: “Her premise is the thinks that any chance for fairness from the Supreme Court was jilted following the death of Antonin Scalia. All the hullabaloo by Republicans about refusing to even consider the nomination by President Obama made the public aware of how political the Supreme Court had become. That cynicism was yet another prod for the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan: “But politics on the Court started at least 25-30 years before that.”

JC: “True but she thinks the public really didn’t pay much attention. For example, the confirmation of Clarence Thomas was juicy but people were less concerned about how Thomas would vote on certain cases than whether he put a public hair on a Coke can.”

Jordan: “I also think that even without the nomination hullabaloo, after 30 years of Scalia’s logic, agree with it or not, the public became more aware of the importance of selecting a Supreme Court Justice.”

JC: “Some of the logic was a bit convoluted to say the least.  So Scalia dies and before the body is even cold, Republicans…led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell…state that the Senate will not consider any nominee to the Supreme Court put forth by President Obama.”

Jordan: “And why?”

JC: “Because, according McConnell, the people should elect the Supreme Court Justice. Excuse me, Mitch, have you ever read the Constitution? Voting on the nominee is the Senate’s job, period.”

Jordan: “I do find it ironic that the Republicans were demanding that the successor for Scalia, who considered himself a “Constitutionalist,” be elected by the people. The claim by the Republicans was completely contrary to the Constitution.”

JC: “So when did some facts and a few pieces of paper called the Constitution get in the way of a good argument in Washington, especially by Republicans?”

Jordan: “Now, now aren’t you being a bit harsh on your Republican friends in DC?  Don’t forget the whacko Republican legislators in Kansas who wanted to impeach judges who decisions they didn’t agree with.  OK, guys, let’s throw out the state constitution.  Talk about stupid is as stupid does.  Anyway, how does Greenie think I can help her?”

JC: “You know a lot of the players involved…but know them outside their usual environment. I mean you and POTUS had a private dinner together, right? You’ve played golf…or at least I think you have…with Mitchy, right?”

Jordan: “Yes, I do know a few of them. And, yes, I’ve played golf and had drinks with a few. Still not sure I can be of any help, but I’ll try.”

JC: “OK, great. I’ll let her know.”

Jordan: “When is she coming back?”

JC: “Don’t know. She might want to talk to you by Skype if that’s OK.”

Jordan: “Fine. Now, what were you up to while I was gone?”

(Readers: The assumed chronological date for most of the entries in this blog is after the expected 5^th revolution in the US.  For more background about  the expected revolution – labeled the Revenge Revolution – and the author, please view entry #01.)

Scene: Jordan having coffee with friend, Helicopter Man, aka H-Man.

Helicopter Man: “So, Jordan, now that we’ve had the so-called Revenge Revolution, when do you think the tipping point was?”

Jordan: “Good question, H-Man.  Most people might think it was an event immediately preceding the start of the revolution.”

H-Man: “Like the Boston Tea Party just before the American Revolution.”

Jordan: “Right.  But, most of the time the real tipping point is before those events.”

H-Man: “So the tipping point is when?  When the dynamics of the situation changes?”

Jordan: “Think about a football game,  The tipping point is when the momentum in the game changes…”

H-Man: “…and not the touchdown or field goal when a team takes the lead or wins the game.  The momentum probably changed much earlier in the game, even if the team did not score right away.”

Jordan: “Take that same idea and apply it to Revenge Revolution.  I think the tipping point for the revolution was the 2014 mid-term elections.  That’s when the momentum changed to a very small group of people.”

H-Man: “Why do you say the 2014 mid-terms?  Nothing really happened right after that.”

Jordan: “I agree that no changes were obvious to the general public.  But that does mean there weren’t some significant changes.”

H-Man: “Tell me more.”

Jordan: “A major change, albeit subtle, was the elimination of checks and balances the country’s founders designed into the Constitution.”

H-Man: “C’mon, Jordan, you sound like some pointed-headed academic spouting gibberish.  Whadda mean elimination of checks and balances?”

Jordan: “Hear me out.  What changed was the check of power in checks and balances switched to a check book.  Whoever could write a check for the largest amount of money had the power.”

H-Man: “I assume you are talking about Republicans.  But least we not forget the Democrats spent a great deal of money too.”

Jordan: “The difference was the Republicans were very targeted and basically bought the US Senate.  Buying the Senate in and of itself was not such a big deal.  But, you H-Man, being a former history teacher, know what the Senate controls.”

H-Man: “The approval of Federal judges and especially the approval of new Supreme Court Justices.”

Jordan: “Republicans knew for some time the core of the party was becoming a minority of voters.  I don’t know exactly when they started but for a number of years they worked to control the courts with special emphasis on controlling the appointees to the Circuit Courts and the Supreme Court.”

H-Man: “You think the 2014 mid-term election put them in control?”

Jordan: “Think about what Republicans were able to do.  If they were able to control the House of Representatives, and the White House, OK.  But what the Republicans really focused on was controlling Senate and therefore the Supreme Court.”

H-Man: “You’re right.  If they get only 5 of 9 justices to vote their way, they win, no matter who controls the House, the White House, or the Senate for that matter.”

Jordan: “Let’s see.  Five people have as much…actually more power…than the Legislative and Executive branches combined.  Not only that but the 5 Supreme Court Justice never stand for re-election.  If the Republicans can get the Senate to approve judges who are in their 40’s, then the Republicans can effectively control the country for 30-40 years without any concern over who wins the elections.”

H-Man: “You really think that was their strategy?”

Jordan: “Absolutely.  And I have to hand it to the Republicans.  It was brilliant.  Even most Democratic strategists missed their real motive.”

H-Man: “Clearly the general public didn’t understand, especially those who voted Republican.  Looking back many Republican loyalists had their real earning power eroded by Republican legislation…and never did understand what happened.”

Jordan: “If you think about what the Republicans did  – and I’m talking about the 1.0% group, more like 0.1% group and not the run-of-the-mill Republican — they bought 3-4 talk radio hosts who then convinced many people the Republican platform was the road to salvation.”

H-Man: “What’s even more ironic is when the country elected Obama president it made the Republican’s job easier.”

Jordan: “If I had to pick a different tipping point, the election of Obama would be it.”

H-Man: “True.  Here you have a black man in the White House…in and of itself an interesting contrast…with an Islamic middle name.  What a perfect set up for a feeding frenzy by ultra-right wing Republicans.”

Jordan: “I never quite thought of the situation in this context, but seems to me the 0.1% Republicans were able to brainwash many less-educated white voters.”

H-Man: “Brainwashed to do what?”

Jordan: “Brainwashed to support ideas and economic policies that were directly against their best interest…and, at the same time, have the voter believe he or she is…or at least was…right.”

H-Man: “You saying lower-income people really voted against their own interest?”

Jordan: “Not just lower-income but many middle-income people were brainwashed as well.”

H-Man: “Whatever the case, many people finally woke up to the real Republican agenda – me included – and started the Revenge Revolution.”