"A historian once told me that the presidency would distill Donald Trump to his essence. That essence, it turns out, is trillions of microscopic organisms that suck up all the oxygen and endanger life around them.
That essence is slimy, stinky and unrelenting, as reflected
in the mass of algae that infests the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln
Memorial. The president had pledged an “American flag blue” sheen, but the
algae created green streaks that mar the $14 million makeover of the water
mirror.
The algae is a perfect metaphor to reflect on our
unreflective president and his impulsive and solipsistic style of governing".-
Maureen Dowd, ‘Creature From The Green Lagoon’, NY Times
The ACA was no 'disregard' of voters, but rather a veritable lifeline. The law has transformed the American health care system by expanding health coverage to 20 million Americans and saving thousands of lives. The ACA codified protections for people with preexisting conditions and eliminated patient cost sharing for high-value preventive services
As for your complaint about 'cancellations' mayhap you forgot it mandated that all individual and small-group health
plans meet specific essential health benefits (e.g., maternity care, mental
health services, preventative care). Plans in existence before the law that did
not meet these criteria were canceled. But the Gooniper doesn't mention any of that.
The fool also evidently forgot that the enhanced premium tax credits introduced during the pandemic expired under the GOP, resulting
in massive premium spikes for millions of Americans. Without these beefed-up
subsidies, out-of-pocket premiums for the average subsidized household more
than doubled.
Never mind, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has provided more net benefits
than drawbacks for Americans, primarily by cutting the national uninsured rate
in half to an all-time low and protecting millions from pre-existing condition
discrimination.
The delirious twit then really goes full tilt blind, 'pot-kettle-blackie', ranting how:
"Mr. Obama took executive actions that required neither congressional approval nor democratic consent."
— from Robert Reich's Substack
Friends,
Referring to the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, Minnesota governor Tim Walz commented on X: “Found an imaginary problem, said only they could fix it, didn’t listen to experts, hired buddies who grifted millions, failed miserably, bragged how great it went. The entire Trump presidency in a nutshell.” (Walz could have added: “blamed others for his failure, conjured up a conspiracy, then prosecuted them.”)
One remarkable aspect of Trump’s horrendous reign is how many crises and problems he’s brought on himself — created them out of thin air. Then he brags about how well he’s handled them. And when they go wrong — as they inevitably do — he casts blame on others or on his political opponents.
Four examples from the last few days:
Former First Lady Michelle Obama issued strong praise for her husband at the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center on the south side of Chicago on Thursday. And in that profound speech, she criticized President Donald Trump without mentioning his name.
After words of thanks, she turned to her husband to talk about watching him serve eight years in the White House.
"I know it hasn't always been easy, but there hasn't been a single second through this experience that standing by your side hasn't left me in awe," Mrs. Obama said. "Eight years in the crucible. And not once did you melt from the heat. Not once did you let it harden you. Instead, you used it to reveal your truest essence, your stubborn optimism and unflinching courage. Your dazzling brilliance and unpretentious decency, your ferocious work ethic and absolutely unshakable moral fiber. And to do it all as a first and the higher standard that comes with all that."
The Memorandum of Understanding, which ostensibly ends the four-month war between the US and Iran, illuminated the profound US defeat. In addition, a Quincy Institute webinar on military lessons from the war, shortly before the MOU’s release, enumerated numerous ways in which the US failures in its misbegotten war reveal how drastically US military dominance has been undermined for the long term.
On the subject of the relative decline of US power and influence, the impacts of the war on world energy supplies—especially in Asia—will reinforce political and economic pressures for alternative—non-fossil—energy sources. China is already light years ahead of the US in clean energy production technologies, while President Donald Trump thinks only in the very short term as he maximizes oil and gas production and exports while attempting to revitalize filthy coal mining.
Years before he ran, the throughline that would define Donald Trump’s presidency was set: his racist, unhinged obsession with Barack Obama. Trump could have gone down in history with a minor but positive reputation, remembered vaguely but fondly by most Americans as the goofy New York character who hosted “The Apprentice.” Instead, he fell into a spiral of outrage that a Black man who was smarter, more handsome and more beloved than he could ever be had been elected president.
Trump famously spent much of 2011 pushing the racist conspiracy theory that Obama could not be a native-born citizen. This resulted in Obama mocking him while Trump seethed at the White House Correspondents Dinner, a narcissistic injury that clearly stings Trump to this day. Trump spent the next decade-plus trying to destroy Obama’s legacy, which he hasn’t been able to do, despite two presidential wins. If anything, Trump’s malevolence and clownishness have only served to heighten the nation’s nostalgia for the Obama years.
