PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TIME = TIME TO GET BACK ONLINE

The ascension of one DONALD J. TRUMP to the point of standard bearer for the once off-putting but essentially mainstream REPUBLICAN PARTY is both mystifying and terrifying. Despite a constant barrage of Republican contender ads worth over 25 Million Dollars detailing the constant lies of “The Donald” we have come to the 100 days to go mark with polls (not as of today reflecting the DNC “bounce”) showing a virtual dead heat in National votes and Hillary Rodham Clinton with a lead in states that give her 206 Electoral Votes to 154 for Trump. Current trends show a final EV tally of HRC 322 to 216 Trump.

This election is one of historic firsts:

Number One being the woman as a major political party nominee - the “glass ceiling” that makes history on top of the history of Barack Obama as the first black American candidate and President of the USA.  And

Number One A being a candidate who lies with almost every statement. A candidate labeled PATHOLOGICAL LIAR by opponents both Republican and Democrat.  A candidate David Brooks –the Conservative voice of the New York Times – calls “a morally untethered, spiritually vacuous man who appears haunted by multiple personality disorders.”

But the extremist fringe that threatens to take over the Democratic Party seems less menacing than the lunatic fringe that has already taken over the Republican one.
This week I left the arena here each night burning with indignation at Mike Pence. I almost don’t blame Trump. He is a morally untethered, spiritually vacuous man who appears haunted by multiple personality disorders. It is the “sane” and “reasonable” Republicans who deserve the shame — the ones who stood silently by, or worse, while Donald Trump gave away their party’s sacred inheritance.
The Democrats had by far the better of the conventions. But the final and shocking possibility is this: In immediate political terms it may not make a difference.

This Brooks description of Trump is not the usual political posturing and name-calling of past campaigns. There are literally 100’s of sites and youtube videos online devoted to an attempt to keep up with the sheer number of blatant lies the candidate knows are lies and knows we know are lies. Verifiable lies, documented lies, lies about unimportant things and big YUUGE lies concerning serious issues that are central to competent government in a dangerous World that requires a serious honest person holding the reigns of power of the most powerful country on Earth.

This development is so far beyond the bounds of anything ever seen in a modern political contest, it has baffled a media seemingly unable to get a grip on how to handle the problem. With hundreds of media outlets and even more weblogs like this one, there has been a dedicated effort to detail the lies – but there  seems to be a minimal effect. This list of 101 OF TRUMPS GREATEST LIES is a good example.  A favorite of mine in this list of 101 is #45:

45. February 7 and constantly after that: "If we competitively bid drugs in the United States, we can save as much as $300 billion a year.” As the Washington Post pointed out,“Total spending in Medicare Part D (prescription drugs) in 2014 was $78 billion. So Trump, in effect, is claiming to save $300 billion a year on a $78 billion program. That’s like turning water into wine."

Trump incorporates lies like this in his stump speech and delivers it with conviction week after week. Despite being told repeatedly that only $78 billion a year is spent on the drug prescription plan he continues to insist that he will save US $300 billion a year on that alone.

Most candidates for public office are actually fearful of being caught in a lie. Trumps plan seems to be to tell so many lies so often that the charge of “LIAR” will lose any meaning. And the awful truth is that it seems to be working.

And so it begins - 100 days to do what I can online to stop the horrifying possibility of a TRUMP Presidency.