TGIF 2/7/20

It's list-making time again.

Religion had a bad week, I think - or maybe it was a good one, I'm not sure. I'm not religious, so it's hard for me to tell on these things.

But we do know the president, The Chosen One, according to a former Cabinet member and countless evangelicals, the guy who alleged to be a member of church but hadn't been seen in it for years, who so loves the Bible he can't even pick  a favorite verse or even say whether he's an Old Testament or New Testament guy, denigrated prayer and religion in general, at the National Prayer Breakfast.

And then went on to laugh about it with some of the same people a few hours later.

Hail to the Chief had a bad week. Sadly, because the president decided to re-celebrate Festivus - actually, every day is Festivus for him - in the East Room at the White House, he was given this ceremonial musical honor before babbling for over an hour in what the White House website refers to as Remarks By President Trump to the Nation. He described it much better himself, I think.

And this is really not a news conference.  It’s not a speech.  It’s not anything. 

Truer words, and whatnot. But he did spend time on the bodies of Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, so I'd say they had a bad week.

Nancy Pelosi had a bad week, and I'm not going to be convinced otherwise, even given that she was attacked at the breakfast by Trump and responded appropriately, I think, after that. The rest of her week is not wiped away by that.

Susan Collins? Yeah, bad week. I mean, what on earth was she thinking, saying that she believed the president "has learned from" the impeachment? I mean, that's a 'When Harry Met Sally' moment right there - I want whatever the heck she's having, for sure.

Who else is on the list? It's not a person, but payback, the b*tch, is having a very good week. Let's see: Mitt Romney (who had a great week, by the way)? Attacked at the aforementioned prayer breakfast.  Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman?  Removed from the NSC, escorted out of the White House, and transferred to the Department of the Army - as was his brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, guilty of being his brother's twin. Gordon Sondland? Recalled as Ambassador to the EU. Expect more of that.

Let's see, what else. Iowa had the worst week ever as the first-in-the-nation vote; results from the caucus were delayed, the app was bad, Republicans supposedly jammed the phone lines (all that took was a Google search to find the number), and the vote is so close, it's almost truly a dead heat. That Guy From Vermont (TGFV) and Mayor Pete 'won', but TGFV 'lost' because he did much more poorly than expected.  The Des Moines Register had to kill their last poll before the caucus, which didn't help. And, really, nobody showed up to vote. Not nobody, really, but way fewer bodies than many (including TGFV) had hoped. That's likely bad for Democrats - not just in Iowa but more broadly.

And speaking of TGFV, there are a number of reports floating around that Republicans are planning on turning out in droves in open primary state, and planning on voting for TGFV - which shows you who the president isn't afraid of (in case you missed that in his SOTU.)

Ah yes, the SOTU, forever stained by the presentation of the presidential Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh.

TGIF everyone - TGIF.

POTUS and the National Prayer Breakfast (Pt. 2)

Remarks by the President at National Prayer Breakfast

Washington Hilton

Washington, D.C.

9:37 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Well, thank you very much.  I’m working very hard for you, I will tell you.  (Laughter.)  And sometimes you don’t make it easy, and I certainly don’t make it easy on you.  (Laughter.)  And I will continue that tradition, if I might, this morning.  And, Arthur, I don’t know if I agree with you.  (Laughter.)  But I don’t know if Arthur is going to like what I’m going to say.  (Laughter.)  But I love listening to you.  It’s really great.  Thank you very much.

And thank you, congressmen, for the great job you’ve been doing and the relationship and the help.  You’re a warrior.  Thank you very much.  And, Kevin, you’re a warrior.  Thank you.  The job you’ve done is incredible.  It wasn’t supposed to be that way.  A lot of extra work.  Unnecessary work.

It’s wonderful to be with the thousands of religious believers for the 68th annual National Prayer Breakfast.  I’ve been here from the first one, where I had the privilege of being asked.  I’ve been with you for a long time before then.  And we’ve made tremendous progress.  Tremendous progress.  You know what we’ve done.  I don’t think anybody has done more than all of us together during these last three years.  And it’s been my honor.

But this morning, we come together as one nation, blessed to live in freedom and grateful to worship in peace.  As everybody knows, my family, our great country, and your President, have been put through a terrible ordeal by some very dishonest and corrupt people.  They have done everything possible to destroy us, and by so doing, very badly hurt our nation.  They know what they are doing is wrong, but they put themselves far ahead of our great country.

Weeks ago, and again yesterday, courageous Republican politicians and leaders had the wisdom, the fortitude, and strength to do what everyone knows was right.  I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong.  Nor do I like people who say, “I pray for you,” when they know that that’s not so.

So many people have been hurt, and we can’t let that go on.  And I’ll be discussing that a little bit later at the White House.

We’re joined today by two people whose faith inspires us all: our amazing, wonderful friend, Vice President Mike Pence — (applause) — and his wonderful wife, Karen.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.

Thank you to all of our great political leaders out there — so many that I’ve been working with so hard over the last three years.  And we’ve accomplished so much.  And to members of my Cabinet in attendance — Secretary Mike Pompeo, Mark Esper, David Bernhardt — (applause) — Gene Scalia, Alex Azar, Ben Carson, Dan Brouillette, Betsy DeVos, Robert Wilke, and Administrator Jovita Carranza.

Joining us — (applause) — for this cherished tradition are a lot of friends in the audience.  And many, really, have become friends.  They are political leaders.  They’ve become great friends.  That’s all I get to meet anymore.  (Laughter.)  That and the enemies and the allies.  And we have them all.  We have allies.  We have enemies.  Sometimes the allies are enemies, but we just don’t know it.  (Laughter.)  But we’re changing all that.  But thank you all, and thank you all for being here.

I also want to welcome foreign dignitaries from more than 140 countries.  That’s something.  (Applause.)  That’s something.  Everyone here today is united by a shared conviction.  We know that our nation is stronger, our future is brighter, and our joy is greater when we turn to God and ask him to shed his grace on our lives.

On Tuesday, I addressed Congress on the state of the Union and the great American comeback.  That’s what it is.  (Applause.)  Our country has never done better than it is doing right now.  Our economy is the strongest it has ever been.  And for those of you that are interested in stocks, it looks like the stock market will be way up again today.

According to the latest Gallup poll that just came out a little while ago, a few minutes ago, American satisfaction is at the highest level ever recorded.  Can you imagine?  And that’s from Gallup — no friend of mine.  (Applause.)  Ninety percent of Americans say they are satisfied with their personal lives.  How about that?  Isn’t that something?  Just came out today.  (Applause.)  They must have known I was going to be here.  (Laughter.)

In everything we do, we are creating a culture that protects freedom, and that includes religious freedom.  (Applause.)

As I said on Tuesday in the House Chamber, “In America, we don’t punish prayer.  We don’t tear down crosses.  We don’t ban symbols of faith.  We don’t muzzle preachers.”  We don’t muzzle pastors.  “In America, we celebrate faith, we cherish religion, we lift our voices in prayer, and we raise our sights to the Glory of God.”  (Applause.)

So much of the greatness we have achieved, the mysteries we’ve unlocked, and the wonders we’ve built, the challenges we’ve met, and the incredible heights that we’ve reached has come from the faith of our families and the prayers of our people.

Before America declared independence, patriots in all 13 colonies came together in days of fasting and prayer.  In the bitter cold of Valley Forge, Washington and his men had no food, no supplies, and very little chance of victory.  It reminded me a little bit of 2016.  We had very little chance of victory.  (Laughter.)  Except for the people in this room and some others believed we were going to win.  I believed we were going to win.  But what they did have was have an unwavering belief that God was with them.  I believe that too. God is with the people in this room.

Before a single skyscraper rose up in New York City, thousands of poor American families donated all they could to build the magnificent St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  (Applause.)

When Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon, he said, “Houston, I would like to request a few moments of silence.”  Then, he read from the Bible.  (Applause.)

At every stage, our nation’s long march for civil rights was inspired, sustained, and uplifted by faith, prayer, and devotion of religious believers.

To protect faith communities, I have taken historic action to defend religious liberty, including the constitutional right to pray in public schools.  (Applause.)

We can also talk about the Johnson Amendment.  We can talk about Mexico City Policy.  We’ve done a lot.  But I also recently took executive action to stop taxpayer dollars from going to colleges and universities that spread the poison of anti-Semitism and bad things about Christianity.  (Applause.)

We are upholding the sanctity of life — sanctity of life.  (Applause.)  And we are doing that like nobody has ever done it before from this position.  You better get out and vote on November 3rd — (laughter) — because you have a lot of people out there that aren’t liking what we’re doing.

And we’re pursuing medical breakthroughs to save premature babies because every child is a sacred gift from God.  (Applause.)

Together, we are building the world’s most prosperous and inclusive society.  We are lifting up citizens of every race, color, religion, and creed.  We are bringing hope to forgotten communities.  And more Americans are working today — 160 million.  A little bit short.  Just a little bit.  One hundred and sixty million.  We’ve never been even close — than ever before.  Think of it: More Americans are working today — almost 160 million — than ever before.  Our unemployment numbers are the best in the history of our country.  (Applause.)

A more specific number and numbers that you hear me say, if you listen: African American, Asian American, Hispanic American — the best unemployment numbers in the history of our country.  Women — best in 71 years.  Sorry.  We’ll have you there soon.  Soon, it will be “historic.”  I have to apologize to the women; it’s only 71 years.

But the best unemployment numbers, we have — we’re doing things that nobody thought possible.  We’re setting records that nobody thought achievable.

And to give former prisoners a second chance at life, which so many people in this room have worked on for so long — (applause) — we passed criminal justice reform into law, and I signed it nine months ago.

And it’s proving more and more that America is indeed a nation that believes in redemption.  What’s happened with prisoners is a miracle.  Prisoners would come out and nobody would give them a job.  And oftentimes, most of the time — almost all of the time — they’d go back into prison.  They’d get caught doing something bad.  They had no money.  They had no hope.  They had no job.  Now they’re coming out into a booming economy.  And employers are hiring them, and to a certain extent, maybe because they’re having a hard time getting people.

First time in our country’s history, actually, we’re running out of people.  We have plants moving in by the thousands.  We have car companies coming from Japan and from Germany, from lots of other places, and we need people.  And employers are hiring prisoners, and they would have never done it, except for what we’ve done with criminal justice reform.  But even before that, because the economy has become so powerful.

And these prisoners have done an incredible job.  The employers are saying, “Why didn’t I do this 20 years ago?”

So it’s an incredible thing what’s happening to people that are given a second chance, and sometimes a third chance, in all fairness.  And it’s something that everybody in this room should be very proud about, because you’ve always felt that way long before it was fashionable.  So I want to thank you for that.  (Applause.)

As we revive our economy, we are also renewing our national spirit.  Today we proudly proclaim that faith is alive and well and thriving in America.  And we’re going to keep it that way.  Nobody will have it changed.  (Applause.)   It won’t happen.  As long as I’m here, it will never, ever happen.  (Applause.)

Something which wasn’t done nearly enough — I could almost say wasn’t done at all — we are standing up for persecuted Christians and religious minorities all around the world — (applause) — like nobody has ever done.

Last year, at the United Nations, I was honored to be the first President to host a meeting of religious freedom.  It was based all on religious freedom.  That was the first meeting of its kind ever held at the United Nations.  There I called upon all nations to combat the terrible injustice of religious persecution.  And people listened.

And countries that we give billions of dollars to, they listened because they had to listen.  (Laughter.)  It’s amazing how that works, isn’t it?  (Laughter.)  That nobody ever played that game before.  (Laughter.)

Weeks ago, a 21-year-old woman, who goes by the name of Mary, was seized and imprisoned in Iran because she converted to Christianity and shared the Gospel with others.

In Venezuela, the dictator Maduro has arrested church leaders.  At the State of the Union, I was honored to host the true and legitimate President of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó.  (Applause.)  Good man.  I told him that all Americans stand with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom.

Yesterday, our administration launched the International Religious Freedom Alliance, the first-ever alliance devoted to promoting religious liberty.  It was something.  Really something.  (Applause.)

More than 25 countries have already joined our campaign.  I want to thank Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, along with Ambassador Sam Brownback, who are both here this morning, for leading this historic initiative.  Thank you very much.  Thank you, Mike.  (Applause.)  Thank you.

All of us here today reaffirm these timeless truths: Faith keeps us free.  Prayer makes us strong.  And God alone is the author of life and the giver of grace.  (Applause.)

With us this morning is a pastor who embodies the miracle of faith and the power of prayer: Reverend Gerald Toussaint from Louisiana.  Reverend Toussaint is an Army veteran, a truck driver, and a pastor.  He leads the same church that his father led, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, which has been a pillar of the community for more than 140 years.

Last year, Mount Pleasant was one of three African American churches in Louisiana that was destroyed in a fire set by a wicked, hate-filled arsonist.

Yet, in the wake of such shocking evil, America witnessed the unshakable unity, devotion, and spirit of Reverend Toussaint and his entire highly spirited, beautiful congregation.  Families quickly came together in prayer.  Soon, people from all across Louisiana came to help any way they could.  Americans in all 50 states and 20 different countries heard about it and they donated more than $2 million to help rebuild Mount Pleasant — (applause) — and the other two churches that were (inaudible).

On Easter Sunday, just days after he lost his church, Reverend Toussaint preached about what it all meant.  What does it mean?  “The Easter season,” he said, “is a fitting metaphor for recent events.  It was dark the day that Jesus was crucified.  It was dark [at] night when they burned our church.  What has happened since is like a resurrection.”  Old things are gone, but it’s going to be a brand-new start, and it’s going to be better than ever, Reverend.  (Applause.)  Better than ever.  Fantastic.

And today, just 10 months later, the ground is cleared.  Careful plans have been made, and they’re beautiful plans.  And construction is about to begin on the new and very, very magnificent Mount Pleasant Church.  Congratulations.  (Applause.)

You know, the Reverend says that we’re rebuilding because that’s what Jesus does.  He rebuilds, he lives, and he breathes.  It’s what he does.  He wants it to be rebuilt.  It was torn apart, but it’s being rebuilt again, and I’ll bet you it will indeed be bigger, better, and nicer than before.  What do you think, Reverend?  Yes?  And it’s going to have your mark on it.  It did have and now it will have even great.  And your father is looking down on you right now and he’s very, very proud of the job that you’ve done.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Very much inspire us, Reverend.  Thank you.

Well, I want to just thank everybody.  This has been very special.  Tell your congregation that — and all of your people — that we have 350 million people in our country.  They’re proud Americans.  And they respect what we’re doing, even those that you don’t think so much like us, respect us, want to be with us.  They’re respecting our fight, and we are in a fight.

Religion in this country and religion all over the world — certain religions in particular — are under siege.  We won’t let that happen.  We are going to protect our religions.  We are going to protect Christianity.  We are going to protect our great ministers and pastors and rabbis and all of the people that we so cherish and that we so respect.

America is eternally in the debt of our nation’s African American churches all throughout this country.  That’s why it’s so fitting and so — it’s one of the reasons we chose this particular church in Louisiana.  For generations, they bravely fought for justice and lifted up the conscience of our nation.  And we’re grateful beyond any measure.

But I can say that going beyond that, we’re grateful to the people in this room for the love they show to religion.  Not one religion, but many religions.  They are brave.  They are brilliant.  They are fighters.  They like people.  And sometimes they hate people.  I’m sorry.  I apologize.  I’m trying to learn.  (Laughter.)  It’s not easy.  It’s not easy.  (Applause.)
When they impeach you for nothing, then you’re supposed to like them?  It’s not easy, folks.  (Laughter.)  I do my best.

But I’ll tell you what we are doing: We’re restoring hope and spreading faith.  We’re helping citizens of every background take part in the great rebuilding of our nation.  We’re declaring that America will always shine as a land of liberty and light unto all nations of the world.  We want every nation to look up to us like they are right now.  We were not a respected nation just a few years ago.  We had lost our way.  Our country is respected again by everybody.  (Applause.)

This morning, let us ask Father in Heaven to guide our steps, protect our children, and bless our families.  And with all of our heart, let us forever embrace the eternal truth that every child is made equal by the hand of Almighty God.

Thank you.  God Bless you.  And God bless America.  Thank you all very much.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END

9:37 A.M. EST

POTUS and the National Prayer Breakfast (Pt.1)

Remarks by the President at National Prayer Breakfast

Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.

9:27 A.M. EST
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  You’re very kind.  Thank you very much.  Well, good morning. 
 
AUDIENCE:  Good morning.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Giving all praise and honor to God for bringing us together here this morning.  
 
I want to thank everyone who helped organize this breakfast, especially our co-chairs, Robert and Juan, who embody the tradition of friendship, fellowship, and prayer.  I will begin with a confession:   I have always felt a tinge of guilt motorcading up here at the heart of D.C.’s rush hour.  (Laughter.)  I suspect that not all the commuters were blessing me as they waited to get to work.  (Laughter.)  But it’s for a good cause.  A National Prayer Brunch doesn’t have the same ring to it.  (Laughter.) 
 
And Michelle and I are extremely honored, as always, to be with so many friends, with members of Congress, with faith leaders from across the country and around the world, to be with the Speaker, Leader.  I want thank Mark and Roma for their friendship and their extraordinary story, and sharing those inspiring words.  Andre, for sharing his remarkable gifts. 
 
And on this occasion, I always enjoy reflecting on a piece of scripture that’s been meaningful to me or otherwise sustained me throughout the year.  And lately, I’ve been thinking and praying on a verse from Second Timothy:  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
 
We live in extraordinary times.  Times of extraordinary change.  We’re surrounded by tectonic shifts in technology and in our economy; by destructive conflict, disruptions to our climate.  And it all reshapes the way we work and the way we live.  It’s all amplified by a media that is unceasing, and that feeds 24/7 on our ever-shrinking attention spans.
 
And as a student of history, I often remind people that the challenges that we face are not unique; that in fact, the threats of previous eras -- civil war or world war or cold war, depressions or famines -- those challenges put our own in perspective.  Moreover, I believe that our unique strengths as a nation make us better equipped than others to harness this change to work for us, rather than against us. 
 
And yet, the sheer rapidity of change, and the uncertainty that it brings, is real.  The hardship of a family trying to make ends meet.  Refugees fleeing from a war-torn home.  Those things are real.  Terrorism, eroding shorelines -- those things are real.  Even the very progress that humanity has made, the affluence, the stability that so many of us enjoy, far greater prosperity than any previous generation of humanity has experienced, shines a brighter light on those who still struggle, reveal the gap in prospects that exist for the children of the world. 
 
And that gap between want and plenty, it gives us vertigo.  It can make us afraid, not only of the possibility that progress will stall, but that maybe we have more to lose.  And fear does funny things.  Fear can lead us to lash out against those who are different, or lead us to try to get some sinister “other” under control.  Alternatively, fear can lead us to succumb to despair, or paralysis, or cynicism.  Fear can feed our most selfish impulses, and erode the bonds of community. 
 
It is a primal emotion -- fear -- one that we all experience.  And it can be contagious, spreading through societies, and through nations.  And if we let it consume us, the consequences of that fear can be worse than any outward threat.
 
For me, and I know for so many of you, faith is the great cure for fear.  Jesus is a good cure for fear.  God gives believers the power, the love, the sound mind required to conquer any fear.  And what more important moment for that faith than right now?  What better time than these changing, tumultuous times to have Jesus standing beside us, steadying our minds, cleansing our hearts, pointing us towards what matters.  (Applause.) 
 
His love gives us the power to resist fear’s temptations.  He gives us the courage to reach out to others across that divide, rather than push people away.  He gives us the courage to go against the conventional wisdom and stand up for what’s right, even when it’s not popular.  To stand up not just to our enemies but, sometimes, to stand up to our friends.  He gives us the fortitude to sacrifice ourselves for a larger cause.  Or to make tough decisions knowing that we can only do our best.  Less of me, more of God.  And then, to have the courage to admit our failings and our sins while pledging to learn from our mistakes and to try to do better.
 
Certainly, during the course of this enormous privilege to have served as the President of the United States, that’s what faith has done for me.  It helps me deal with the common, everyday fears that we all share.  The main one I’m feeling right now is that our children grow up too fast.  (Laughter.)  They’re leaving.  (Laughter.)  That’s a tough deal.  (Laughter.)  And so, as a parent, you’re worrying about will some harm befall them, how are they going to manage without you, did you miss some central moment in their lives.  Will they call?  (Laughter.)  Or text?  (Laughter.)  Each day, we’re fearful that God’s purpose becomes elusive, cloudy.  We try to figure out how we fit into his broader plan.  They’re universal fears that we have, and my faith helps me to manage those.
 
And then my faiths helps me to deal with some of the unique elements of my job.  As one of the great departed heroes of our age, Nelson Mandela, once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it… The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
 
And certainly, there are times where I’ve had to repeat that to myself while holding this office.  When you hear from a parade of experts, just days after you’re elected, that another Great Depression is a very real possibility -- that will get your attention.  (Laughter.)  When you tell a room full of young cadets that you’ve made a decision to send them into harm’s way, knowing that some of them might not return safely -- that’s sobering.  When you hold in your arms the mothers and fathers of innocent children gunned down in their classroom -- that reminds you there’s evil in the world.  And so you come to understand what President Lincoln meant when he said that he’d been driven to his knees by the overwhelming conviction that he had no place else to go.
 
And so like every President, like every leader, like every person, I’ve known fear.  But my faith tells me that I need not fear death; that the acceptance of Christ promises everlasting life and the washing away of sins.  (Applause.)  If Scripture instructs me to “put on the full armor of God” so that when trouble comes, I’m able to stand, then surely I can face down these temporal setbacks, surely I can battle back doubts, surely I can rouse myself to action.
 
And should that faith waver, should I lose my way, I have drawn strength not only from a remarkable wife, not only from incredible colleagues and friends, but I have drawn strength from witnessing all across this country and all around this world, good people, of all faiths, who do the Lord’s work each and every day, Who wield that power and love, and sound mind to feed the hungry and heal the sick, to teach our children and welcome the stranger. 
 
Think about the extraordinary work of the congregations and faith communities represented here today.  Whether fighting global poverty or working to end the scourge of human trafficking, you are the leaders of what Pope Francis calls “this march of living hope.” 
 
When the Earth cleaves in Haiti, Christians, Sikhs, and other faith groups sent volunteers to distribute aid, tend to the wounded, rebuild homes for the homeless.
 
When Ebola ravaged West Africa, Jewish, Christian, Muslim groups responded to the outbreak to save lives. And as the news fanned the flames of fear, churches and mosques responded with a powerful rebuke, welcoming survivors into their pews. 
 
When nine worshippers were murdered in a Charleston church basement, it was people of all faiths who came together to wrap a shattered community in love and understanding.
 
When Syrian refugees seek the sanctuary of our shores, it’s the faithful from synagogues, mosques, temples, and churches who welcome them, the first to offer blankets and food and open their homes.  Even now, people of different faiths and beliefs are coming together to help people suffering in Flint. 
 
And then there’s the most -- less spectacular, more quiet efforts of congregations all across this country just helping people.  Seeing God in others.  And we’re driven to do this because we’re driven by the value that so many of our faiths teach us -– I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper.  As Christians, we do this compelled by the Gospel of Jesus -- the command to love God, and love one another. 
 
And so, yes, like every person, there are times where I’m fearful.  But my faith and, more importantly, the faith that I’ve seen in so many of you, the God I see in you, that makes me inevitably hopeful about our future.  I have seen so many who know that God has not given us a spirit of fear.  He has given us power, and love, and a sound mind.
 
We see that spirit in people like Pastor Saeed Abedini, imprisoned for no crime other than holding God in his heart.  And last year, we prayed that he might be freed.  And this year, we give thanks that he is home safe.  (Applause.)
 
We pray for God’s protection for all around the world who are not free to practice their faith, including Christians who are persecuted, or who have been driven from their ancient homelands by unspeakable violence.  (Applause.)  And just as we call on other countries to respect the rights of religious minorities, we, too, respect the right of every single American to practice their faith freely.  (Applause.)  For this is what each of us is called on to do:  To seek our common humanity in each other.  To make sure our politics and our public discourse reflect that same spirit of love and sound mind.  To assume the best in each other and not just the worst -- and not just at the National Prayer Breakfast. To begin each of our works from the shared belief that all of us want what’s good and right for our country and our future.
 
We can draw such strength from the quiet moments of heroism around us every single day.  And so let me close with two such stories that I’ve come to know just over the past week.
 
A week ago, I spoke at a ceremony held at the Israeli Embassy for the first time, honoring the courage of people who saved Jews during the Holocaust.  And one of the recipients was the grandson -- or the son of an American soldier who had been captured by the Nazis.  So a group of American soldiers are captured, and their captors ordered Jewish POWs to identify themselves.  And one sergeant, a Christian named Roddie Edmonds, from Tennessee, ordered all American troops to report alongside them.  They lined up in formation, approximately 200 of them, and the Nazi colonel said, “I asked only for the Jewish POWs,” and said, “These can’t all be Jewish.”  And Master Sergeant Edmonds stood there and said, “We are all Jews.”  And the colonel took out his pistol and held it to the Master Sergeant’s head and said, “Tell me who the Jews are.”  And he repeated, “We are all Jews.”  And faced with the choice of shooting all those soldiers, the Nazis relented.  And so, through his moral clarity, through an act of faith, Sergeant Edmonds saved the lives of his Jewish brothers-in-arms.  (Applause.)
 
A second story.  Just yesterday, some of you may be aware I visited a mosque in Baltimore to let our Muslim-American brothers and sisters know that they, too, are Americans and welcome here.  (Applause.)  And there I met a Muslim-American named Rami Nashashibi, who runs a nonprofit working for social change in Chicago.  And he forms coalitions with churches and Latino groups and African Americans in this poor neighborhood in Chicago.  And he told me how the day after the tragedy in San Bernardino happened, he took his three young children to a playground in the Marquette Park neighborhood, and while they were out, the time came for one of the five daily prayers that are essential to the Muslim tradition.  And on any other day, he told me, he would have immediately put his rug out on the grass right there and prayed. 
 
But that day, he paused.  He feared any unwelcome attention he might attract to himself and his children.  And his seven year-old daughter asked him, “What are you doing, Dad?  Isn't it time to pray?”  And he thought of all the times he had told her the story of the day that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rabbi Robert Marx, and 700 other people marched to that very same park, enduring hatred and bigotry, dodging rocks and bottles, and hateful words, in order to challenge Chicago housing segregation, and to ask America to live up to our highest ideals. 
 
And so, at that moment, drawing from the courage of men of different religions, of a different time, Rami refused to teach his children to be afraid.  Instead, he taught them to be a part of that legacy of faith and good conscience.  “I want them to understand that sometimes faith will be tested,” he told me, “and that we will be asked to show immense courage, like others have before us, to make our city, our country, and our world a better reflection of all our ideals.”  And he put down his rug and he prayed.  (Applause.) 
 
Now, those two stories, they give me courage and they give me hope.  And they instruct me in my own Christian faith.  I can’t imagine a moment in which that young American sergeant expressed his Christianity more profoundly than when, confronted by his own death, he said “We are all Jews.”  (Applause.)  I can’t imagine a clearer expression of Jesus’s teachings.  I can’t imagine a better expression of the peaceful spirit of Islam than when a Muslim father, filled with fear, drew from the example of a Baptist preacher and a Jewish rabbi to teach his children what God demands.  (Applause.)
 
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  I pray that by His grace, we all find the courage to set such examples in our own lives -- not just during this wonderful gathering and fellowship, not just in the public piety that we profess, but in those smaller moments when it’s difficult, when we’re challenged, when we’re angry, when we’re confronted with someone who doesn’t agree with us, when no one is watching.  I pray, as Roma* so beautifully said, that our differences ultimately are bridged; that the God that is in each of us comes together, and we don’t divide. 
 
I pray that our leaders will always act with humility and generosity.  I pray that my failings are forgiven.  I pray that we will uphold our obligation to be good stewards of God’s creation -- this beautiful planet.  I pray that we will see every single child as our own, each worthy of our love and of our compassion.  And I pray we answer Scripture’s call to lift up the vulnerable, and to stand up for justice, and ensure that every human being lives in dignity.
 
That’s my prayer for this breakfast, and for this country, in the years to come.
 
May God bless you, and may He continue to bless this country that we love.  (Applause.)

Email of the Week (v9)

Thursday is 'Email of the Week' day, when I plow through a hundred or so emails from the handful of Democratic presidential candidates I'm following to see what's going on.

I received 160 emails this week from the gang of eight candidates I'm following.As usual, Mayor Pete led the way with 48 emails,  followed by Elizabeth Warren (29) Amy Klobuchar and That Guy From Vermont (24 each), Andrew Yang (20) the new guys, Mike Bloomberg and Deval Patrick (7 each) and Tom Steyer (1).

Fundraising, Iowa (pre- and post-caucus), upcoming debates, and New Hampshire were hot topics, as were pointed barbs at each other. 

There were even a couple of emails from Cory Booker, who's now running for his Senate seat instead of for President.  Here's one of them, with the subject line Trump is tearing our country apart.

I just walked out of the President’s State of the Union address.

What we heard from Donald Trump tonight was more of the toxic division that we’ve become accustomed to. He’s tearing us apart instead of bringing our country together.

I’ve always believed that the ties that bind us are stronger than the lines that divide us. As we work to elect a President and members of Congress this fall, it’s important that we choose candidates who will help unite us instead of pushing us further apart.

That’s where you come in, Sue.

I’m running for re-election to be one of those leaders. Please send in a donation now so I can keep a message of unity at the forefront of our national politics.

Our country is deeply hurting right now -- and the past three years of Trump’s hatred and bigotry have only added to the pain that millions of Americans are feeling.

As I said often during my campaign for president, defeating Donald Trump is only the floor -- not the ceiling. Once he’s out of office, we’ll then have to begin the hard work of healing a country so wounded that it elected someone like him in the first place.

I’m ready for the challenge before us, but I’m going to need your help. Invest in our campaign today to send me back to the Senate for another term.

Let’s also do everything we can to ensure that this was the last State of the Union address Donald Trump will deliver as our president.

Sincerely,
Cory

That was almost the winner, but since Booker is no longer running for president, I went back through everything, and that's when I found this one Andrew Yang. Short and sweet, it earned the coveted Email of the Week recognition.

Sue --

Last night during the Iowa caucuses, the entire nation realized something the Yang Gang has known since the beginning -- we desperately need a president who actually understands technology.

This is a HUGE opportunity for our campaign to win over every single voter who saw what happened in Iowa last night and is now looking for a president who is ready to lead us into a future that is already here.

If we act now, we can make sure all these voters know that Andrew will be that president. So make a rush donation before the end of the day to help us reach these voters!

Sure, he's asking for money - but in that first sentence, he hit the nail on the head.

We don't need someone who merely knows how to tweet and who thinks that Rudy 'The Butt-Dialer' Giuliani is a tech security expert - we need someone who understands that whatever the heck ends up being the result from Iowa, whenever we get it, we can't have leaders who don't understand how critical it is that our election technology is both world-class and works as intended.

And, honestly, that whatever we do, it cannot fall victim to something as simple as a bunch of goofballs calling in, jamming the lines, and preventing votes from being reported.

Users on a politics-focused section of the fringe 4chan message board repeatedly posted the phone number for the Iowa Democratic Party, which was found by a simple Google search, both as screenshots and in plain text, alongside instructions.

"They have to call in the results now. Very long hold times being reported. Phone line being clogged," one user posted at about 11 p.m. ET on Monday, three hours after the caucuses began.

"Uh oh how unfortunate it would be for a bunch of mischief makers to start clogging the lines," responded another anonymous user, sarcastically.

Some users chimed in, posting alleged wait times on hold, imploring others to “clog the lines [and] make the call lads.”

Because if the goofballs can take us down so easily, can you imagine what the professionals can do? 

Wondering on Wednesday (v196)

Ready... Set... Wonder!

So, we heard from #IMPOTUS last night about the State of the Union - and what a production it was. 

It started out with Trump not shaking Nancy Pelosi's hand, moved to her not giving him the  traditional introduction, and then got into the heart of Trump's real or imagined accomplishments, many of which the Republicans have never been in favor of before, and really aren't in favor of today. But those things, including all that talk about women and blacks and Asians and stuff- and sucking up to the president, or course - keep them in office, so it's all good. 

At the end of it all, after some 90 or so sniff-free minutes,, there was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tearing up her copy of Trump's speech. 

People are unlikely to remember the numbers and lies and misstatements and alternative facts, and even the truths he recited, They'll be unlikely to remember the guests, including Venezuela's Juan Guaido, a Philly fourth-grader, the obligatory families of crime and terror victims, and a family reunification in the balcony? No, not *that* kind - don't be silly. It was a four-times-deployed soldier and his family. People will probably remember the centenarian Tuskegee Airman and his great-grandson. But will they remember 

• chants of "four more years" and "USA USA USA" but surprisingly, not "Lock Him Up" - I wonder if that's because there could be confusion on who 'him' was, Trump or Biden? Nope.
• Lots of women in suffragette white (ADD fact: Bowie's 'Suffragette City' was recorded on 2/4/72);  some walked out; others chose not to attend at all. Maybe, but not for more than a couple of days.
• chants of "H.R. 3" from the Dems, telling the Senate to do something with their bill on prescription drug costs instead of waiting for Trump to do one? Again, probably not, since that's just one of some 400 bills that the Senate is ignoring;
• or a Parkland parent being escorted out, and later, apologizing. I hope he gets remembered. 

People should long remember the gag-inducing presentation of the Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh, misogynist-racist-birther-rude guy extraordinaire - because that should go down in history as one of the worst moments in SOTU history, I think.

But people will definitely remember Pelosi's stunt. About that, I don't wonder a single bit.

Because every Republican running for re-election will have that video clip in their ads. The president will be showing it at his rallies, probably with unlicensed music blaring in the background. He'll mention it in his daily calls to his personal news network. 

It will be tweeted hundreds of thousands of times, in this kind of context, ludicrous as it is. 

Trump's base is in an uproar, and will continue to be, especially since he was just officially acquitted on both counts of impeachment, and because they are looking for red meat to chomp on until November. And he's got way more advocates - and money - and experience - for that kind of thing than anybody else. 

The Dems and Independents and non-affiliateds? Well, no surprise there - three camps:

• "Whoo hoo, Pelosi rocks, that was awesome!" Or
• "Well, she probably shouldn't have done it, but come on, Trump has torn up the Constitution and is a con man and just invited election interference from a foreign country and and and...", Or
• "What the actual hell was she thinking?" 

No need to wonder where I stand on that.  Or where this guy stands.

A couple of other things this week? First, you don't need to wonder if SecState Mike Pompeo watches The Simpsons. Clearly, with his hopelessly wrong tweet, sent from his personal account, the answer is no. 

Trying to clap back at Pelosi for her speech-tearing move, he thought this was a good meme. Sadly, for him at least, she tore up her speech because, as she saw in person, 

The city of Washington was built on a stagnant swamp some 200 years ago, and very little has changed. It stank then and it stinks now – only today it is the fetid stench of corruption that hangs in the air.

And finally, on the day that Utah's Senator Mitt Romney became the first person to vote in favor of convicting his own party's president in an impeachment trial, you don't have to wonder - at all - what the reaction would be from said party. 

It seems they're calling for him to be kicked out of the GOP. 

#MAGAMA

Sunday School 2/2/20

The remaining 2020 Dem candidates - John Delaney dropped out a couple of days ago -  are busy, busy, busy, with the Iowa caucuses happening today. 

Three senators are making up for lost time, having been in DC under punishment of imprisonment for the impeachment; one candidate seems to be getting grumpier by the moment; they're taking harder shots at each other; their fans are taking shots at the past and apologizing for it, with the hope of preserving the future, and it seems everyone's taking shots at the DNC for one reason or another. And there's that polling debacle, too. 

Three candidates were in the classrooms - Andrew Yang and Amy Klobuchar each made an appearance, but Mayor Pete was in four classrooms:  Meet the Press, CNN's State of the Union, This Week, and Face the Nation. Here are some highlights from his appearances.

Two from his visit to MTP, first on impeachment:

Well, I think that the critical thing was to take the step of seeking to hold the president accountable... It looks like the Senate GOP has always viewed this as a foregone conclusion. And the most important thing that I'm sharing, especially with voters, with caucus-goers as I travel through Iowa, is I understand the sense of exhaustion that can come from watching this whole process play out. Where actually SNL's mockery of the trial almost seemed like it was a process that had more integrity than the actual trial, having no witnesses at all. And it beats you down. But, if the Senate is the jury right now, we are the jury tomorrow. And however frustrating it is to watch that process, you can't switch it off, you can't walk away, and you can't give up because this is actually the year where there is accountability for the president and for a lot of these senators because it's an election year.

And on fighting someone like Trump:

Well, for one thing, I'm not afraid of the kind of nonsense he's going to throw around. I've seen worse forms of incoming than a tweet full of typos...

But the thing about Donald Trump, he's kind of like a Chinese finger trap, where the harder you pull, the more you get stuck. He has this way of changing the subject. And so in dealing with him, it's very important if he tells a lie, you correct it. If he does something wrong, you confront it. If he attacks you, you push back. But then, you've got to very quickly return to what this election and every election is actually about, which is the voter asking the question, "How's my life going to be different if you're president instead of you?" And we've got the best answers on all of those questions. 

Two from SOTU, starting with whether or not Joe Biden can beat Donald Trump.

Here's my concern.

If you look at the lessons of history, over the last-half century, every time that we have won, every time my party has won the White House, it has been with a candidate who is new in national politics, who doesn't work in Washington or at least hadn't been there very long, and who was opening the door to a new generation of leadership...That is the best way to win.

And at a moment like this, why we -- why would we take a chance on anything else? Let's put together the best campaign to beat Donald Trump.

On choosing in a running mate:

Well, I don't want to say anything that would disqualify anybody from being considered.

 But what I will say is that a top consideration, not only for a running mate and for a vice president, but in building a Cabinet, is making sure that we have the gender, racial, professional, and regional diversity to really reflect this diverse country that we are.

Two from his conversation with George on This Week, starting with whether he knows what happened with the Des Moines Register poll.

Not completely but my understanding is that there was an issue, it was raised and they decided to respond by withdrawing the release of the poll and -- I do think at a moment like this where you got a president routinely attacking the press, it’s worth remembering the integrity and the seriousness with which reporters and press take the work that they do and wanting to make absolutely sure that it’s accurate and strong. 

And on the economy:

 Well, first of all, let's ask what it means to have a good economy. If one job is not enough, if wages, even when they go up, aren't going up as fast as the cost of long term care and prescription drugs and retirement and education and the cost of housing, something is wrong. When I'm president, we're not going to measure the performance of the economy by how the Dow Jones is doing. 

I get that if you have a building with your name on it not far from Wall Street, maybe the Dow Jones and the economy seem like one in the same. But, here in Iowa, and in South Bend, Indiana, where I live, and in most neighborhoods in big cities and small towns across this country, folks want to know when this good economy is actually going to start making their lives better. And we're going to measure the performance of the economy by the income growth of the 90 percent. 

And finally, two from Face the Nation, starting with why it's a challenge for him to grow support in the minority communities.  

Well, I'm competing against some candidates who have had years or decades to demonstrate who they are and how they can win. I recognize that I am newer on the scene and we're at a time when no one is feeling the pain of living under this administration more than Americans of color. It's one of the reasons why there is such a focus on making sure that we are the campaign that can bring an end to that and that can turn the page. But the process of proving that begins right here in Iowa. And this is our best first chance to demonstrate the kind of organizational strength that will help build credibility with folks I've talked to, especially when we're in the south who may appreciate and like our plans, but also want to know that I'll be in a position to actually deliver, to defeat Donald Trump, and to make good on those plans.

And the last word, on how he feels today compared to how he felt when he was 18 about Bernie Sanders.

Look, I still admire the qualities that I admired about him when I was in high school, but we're at a moment right now where our country is dangerously, frighteningly polarized and divided and we're at a moment where we have an amazing historic majority to do big things. I mean, even more than the majority that was available to President Obama, let's say 10 years ago. Among the American people right now, there is a strong appetite to step up and, for example, solve the health care issue. It's just that people aren't crazy about the idea of being kicked off their plans. There's a huge appetite right now to do the biggest transformation we've had on college affordability since the G.I. Bill. It's just that some Americans aren't crazy about the idea of paying even for the tuition of the children of millionaires and billionaires--

I think I'm the best candidate to bring people together now. And what we're seeing on the trail, including as I traveled to counties here in Iowa that swung in a big way from supporting President Obama to supporting President Trump, is that not only do we have Democrats dyed-in-the-wool progressives at our events, but we're seeing independents and a lot of people who self-identify as those future former Republicans I like to talk about in my speeches coming together, not pretending we agree on absolutely everything, but ready for a change. And actually, as united in what it is we're for, as what it is we're against. 

If you're eligible to caucus tonight in Iowa, please participate. Those of us not in Iowa, many of whom are envious of your unique opportunity to shape the presidential contest, await the outcome of your deliberations.

See you around campus.

My Middle-aged White Lady Perspective: I Can't "Keep Silence, on Pain of Imprisonment"

Danger. Danger. Danger.

In thinking about what has happened so far with the impeachment of Donald John Trump, I keep going back to that oft-repeated refrain above, given to us by president Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow. And no, I cannot maintain my silence, under any circumstances.

Danger. Danger. Danger.
Because what people said in the past on a completely unrelated impeachment is NOT more important than the impeachment sitting in front of the Senate right now. I get it - these folks have been around too long, and have said too much - but they are not on trial here. And while there's a certain smug satisfaction to be gained from repeating the conflicting opinions over and over (I'm guilty of that myself), it's distracting and it annoys the heck out of who you're criticizing, and it annoys the heck out of me.

Danger. Danger. Danger.
Because the Dems have been their own worst enemies in this process, in many respects.

• Not including bribery - an actual impeachable offense under the Constitution - in the articles, but arguing that you can prove bribery occured...
• Inviting Lev Parnas to the hearing, instead of putting him on the witness list...
• Holding the articles while arguing the urgent need to impeach was driven by an urgent issue raised by a whistleblower... 
• Not immediately disclosing that the whistleblower contacted the House Intelligence Committee, and was directed to the Intelligence Community Inspector General, and then making it worse by not being forthcoming when the issue arose... 
• Smiling and handing out pens when the articles were signed...
• Creating a story to illustrate what happened, when what actually happened was damning in and of itself...
• Insulting the people you're trying to get on your side while making your case...
• Spending time defending staffers, instead of quickly and forcefully making the point that the ICIG addressed potential bias and still determined there was an urgent need to address the complaint, and that everything had been corroborated by multiple witnesses...
• And finally, taking too long, spending too much time saying the same thing over and over, and, I think, using too many managers to do it.

Danger. Danger. Danger.

Because the Republicans have handled themselves no better than the Dems have, and in many cases they've handled themselves even worse, in that their behavior is based on fear of the president. They are so beholden to him and his largesse, and his endorsement; they are so afraid of losing that, afraid of his relentless attacks being turned on them. And afraid of the wrath that comes from his devoted followers: personal attacks, attacks on family members, and more. This is not in any way a joined ideology - Trump has none, really - it's a survival instinct. 

Danger. Danger. Danger.

Because knowing that every question (except for Rand Paul's whistleblower attacks) would be read and answered on national television, how could the Senators - fine people on both sides - waste so much time on patently ridiculous nonsense? They might have well as been reading Green Eggs and Ham as asking a question about Joe Biden's parenting style or the integrity of the Chief Justice...  and the Seuss would have been better received, I can assure you.

If what we saw was the best they can do on something as serious as impeaching the president, even if the outcome is a foregone conclusion, we're in trouble.

If that's how little respect they have for their constituents, shame on them.

And shame on us for our poor choices.

Danger. Danger. Danger.

Because politicians were just given carte blanche to say and do whatever they want, regardless of how abusive it is, if they think their election is in the national interest. And a president need not worry about abusing his or her power, even to invite foreign interference into our election - because unless a crime is committed they cannot be impeached... Except that they can't be charged with a crime - apparently including murder or attempted murder - while in office...  Add to that the opinion that impeachment can't happen during an election year...  Add to that the opinion that a president has carte blanche to obstruct Congress, and there are now no known limits to presidential power.

Danger. Danger. Danger.
When the president is acquitted on Wednesday, as he surely will be barring a meteor falling from the sky, what are we left with?  A deeply divided union, with the one person who's most happy about that sitting at the helm.

It will get better, but it will surely get worse first.

Danger. Danger. Danger.

In Case You Missed It (v21)

Another long week in the books - and a not-as-productive-as usual week, at that.

Here's all the stuff I could dump out of my head, and it wasn't much, I admit. I spent too much time starting (and not finishing) posts - a big ADD week, for sure.

Anyway - we had both Amy Klobuchar and Andrew Yang in the Sunday School classrooms. Here's a snippet from each of them, starting with Klobuchar's take on That Guy from Vermont and which of them should be the nominee.

I think Senator Sanders' idea of kicking 149 million Americans off their current health insurance in four years is wrong. That's why I don't think he should be leading the ticket. I think I should be leading the ticket because my ideas are much more in sync with bold ways of getting things done... and the experience of getting things done. 

And here's Andrew Yang countering an argument that his freedom dividend (universal basic income) won't go far enough.

Americans know instinctively that if you put a thousand dollars a month into our hands, it would find its way right back into our main street economies, make our families stronger, healthier, mentally healthier. It would create hundreds of thousands of jobs. It would improve the buying power, increase the buying power of over 90% of Americans.

I'm glad they're both still in the race. I don't agree with everything they propose, but it's still a good time to have some policy disagreements.

I got my head out of DC for a bit on Tuesday with this Meanwhile Back in Albany entry, taking a look at what New York's Sonofa Gov had on his mind during his 10th State of the State address. Among other things, he's concerned about the disheartening hate crimes that have hit us not just here in NY, but across the country. And he's planning on us taking the lead.

He said hate crimes would be subject to the "first-in-the-nation domestic terrorism law" and there'd be funding to expand the capacity of the Hate Crimes Task Force and for security grants to schools and places of worship. And, he wants schools to teach civic values and our history on diversity, as well as how immigration was driven by religious freedom. 

For Wondering on Wednesday, it was back to DC for much head shaking, including this bit about a suggestion from the Republicans that they hunker in a bunker of their own and read the transcript of John Bolton's book.

Remember, whatever he said in the book is a lie, the president told us - and there's nothing better than putting a person on the stand and making them lie under oath, or to try and prove that they're not. Well, nothing better than that - except hiding in a secure bunker, out of sight from the press and from your constituents...

These are the same Republicans, natch, who have been up in arms about the Democrats deposing various government officials in the SCIF.... sigh.

Our Email of the Week brought us to an unexpected place. While there were a number of noteworthy things in my inbox, including the ones mentioned below. 

• Sanders threw three of the Squad members at us in one email, and he's already focused on NY's April primary;   

• Mayor Pete went on Fox News for a town hall, the only one to do so, I guess;

• Deval Patrick got an endorsement from a NH State Senator; and

• Andrew Yang qualified for the February debate, after missing the January one - maybe the best news of the week.

But the winner was not in that mix - in fact, even I was surprised with who landed on top.

So there you have it -- four posts, to go along with the ten I have in draft right now, that are alternately fighting with me or taunting me. I'll get to work on those, I promise. 

Remember, you can always drop your email in the Instant Gratification box on the right sidebar to catch all the posts when they're fresh.

See you tomorrow for Sunday School.