On Banned by HWA, Earl commented about some remarks which I had made about Trump:
"Quick thing Miller, how in the world can someone such as yourself not distinguish between bombast and actions, and sadly, the deception of Biden in hiding his real views (or having them determined by others) and in such immorality as the Ukraine/China Hunter Biden self enrichment schemes?
In what world does one identified person, one identified vote not equate to voting rights? You know what doesn't support voting rights? Not taking a reasonable effort such as picture ID to verify a legit voter. And no, I don't think it matters whether the election results would have been different for it to be wise to require voter ID.
The Dems want to court pack-- you must see the cut-throat political and immoral nature of this. Biden lied about his stance up until the election.
Are you kidding me...who has gone after whom they dislike? The Dems prosecuted and prosecuted and indicted and indicted throughout Trump's tenure, person after person associated with Trump. They continue to. Show me the line of people Trump did this to.
Free Press? When did Trump prevent the media??? Are you kidding me? The Media is left wing; this has been shown repeatedly-- look it up if you are brazen enough to doubt this. Yet, that is not enough as they continue deplatforming opinions they don't like. And, the government has done nothing against this monopoly (which I am fine with if evenhanded), but if Foxnews said they would not carry any stories about BLM (which I would disagree with) I guarantee Biden would be on them in no time flat.
There is no question which party supports government's heavy hand. I suppose you would throw out law and order, but that is one of 5 specific functions as found in the Constitution and listed in the Preamble."
Earl,
In politics, perception is often more important than reality. For better or worse, a president's words matter. And, sometimes, it is more prudent for a president to not say anything or keep his hand close to his vest. In short, it is NOT a virtue for presidents to say whatever pops into their mind or share everything that they are thinking with the public or other politicians.
As for voting rights, anything that makes the exercise of one's franchise more difficult is by its very nature anti-democratic. To pretend that people of color (because of their educational, economic and geographical circumstances) don't have a harder time acquiring official picture identification or other appropriate documentation is insensitive, disingenuous or both.
I am not a fan of court-packing schemes (and a number of Democrats share my view). Why are some Democrats advocating such a scheme? Have you forgotten the hypocrisy displayed by Republicans in the matter of Merrick Garland and Amy Coney Barrett? And, yes, I know that it all goes back to the Democrats treatment of Robert Bork back in the Reagan years, but (as the old saying goes) two wrongs don't make a right!
As for the rule of law, Trump's disdain for the independence of the Judiciary and Department of Justice is legendary. Over and over again, he sought to squelch and/or interfere with investigations of him and his administration. Over and over again, Trump attempted to have the folks whom he regarded as his minions to investigate and/or prosecute his enemies. And, as his final act as president, he attempted to overturn the results of a lawful election and have his vice president subvert the procedure for certifying those results. He openly encouraged a mob to storm the capital - a move which resulted in the death of some of his supporters and a capitol police officer.
The fact that the news media has a liberal bias is certainly NOT a new development - it's been that way for years. Even so, this does NOT justify attacks on the press or efforts to curtail their access to information or the seats of power. Moreover, for the last 25 years, conservatives have had Fox News and talk radio to give voice to their views and advocate on behalf of their policies and candidates (so it's hard to argue that conservative views have less representation today than they did 40 or 50 years ago).
As for the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, there are six broad areas listed (1. to form a more perfect union, 2. to establish justice, 3. to insure domestic tranquility, 4. to provide for the common defense, 5. to promote the general welfare, and 6. to secure the blessings of liberty) as the reasons for promulgating the document. Each one of them covers a whole lot of territory. The promotion of the general welfare alone justifies a great deal of activity on the part of the government. We have argued over the scope and reach of the federal government since the foundation of the republic, and I don't see that argument going away anytime soon. Moreover, if there was a clear answer, the question would have been resolved/settled long ago.
Finally, as a former Republican and someone who still holds many traditionally conservative positions on a number of issues, I respect your right to promote the priorities, policies and candidates which seem to you to be the most efficacious for this republic which we both obviously love (I served honorably in the United States Army - Infantry). Neither my disdain for Trump or your support for him are grounds for either one of us to question the other's intelligence or patriotism. We are the republic, and the occupant of the Oval Office (Democrat or Republican) is a temporary occupant who works for us.
