Donald Trump violates the Constitution yet again launches illegal war against Iran but Republicans have their fingers up their asses

Donald Trump’s Attack on Iran Is Reckless

Echo editorial published in The New York Times editorial:

In his 2024, presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised voters that he would end wars, not start them. Over the past year, he has instead ordered military strikes in seven nations. His appetite for military intervention grows with the eating.

Now he has ordered a new attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran, in cooperation with Israel, and Trump said it would be much more extensive than the targeted bombing of nuclear facilities in June. Yet, he started this war without explaining to the American people and the world why he was doing so. 

Nor has he involved Congress, which the Constitution grants the sole power to declare war. He instead posted a video at 2:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, shortly after bombing began, in which he said that Iran presented “imminent threats” and called for the overthrow of its government. His rationale is dubious, and making his case by video in the middle of the night is unacceptable.

Among his justifications is the elimination of Iran’s nuclear program, which is a worthy goal. But Mr. Trump declared that program “obliterated” by the strike in June, a claim belied by both U.S. intelligence and this new attack. The contradiction underscores how little regard he has for his duty to tell the truth when committing American armed forces to battle. It also shows how little faith American citizens should place in his assurances about the goals and results of his growing list of military adventures.

Trump’s approach to Iran is reckless. His goals are ill-defined. Trump failed to line up the international and domestic support that would be necessary to maximize the chances of a successful outcome. He disregarded both domestic and international law for warfare.

The Iranian regime, to be clear, deserves no sympathy. It has wrought misery since its revolution 47 years ago — on its own people, on its neighbors and around the world. It massacred thousands of protesters this year. It imprisons and executes political dissidents. It oppresses women, L.G.B.T.Q. people and religious minorities. Its leaders have impoverished their own citizens while corruptly enriching themselves. They have proclaimed “Death to America” since coming to power and killed hundreds of U.S. service members in the region, as well as bankrolled terrorism that has killed civilians in the Middle East and as far away as Argentina.

Iran’s government presents a distinct threat because it combines this murderous ideology with nuclear ambitions. Iran repeatedly defied international inspectors over the years. Since the June attack, the government has shown signs of restarting its pursuit of nuclear weapons technology. American presidents of both parties have rightly made a commitment to prevent Tehran from getting a bomb.

We recognize that fulfilling this commitment could justify military action at some point. For one thing, the consequences of allowing Iran to follow the path of North Korea — and acquire nuclear weapons after years of exploiting international patience — are too great. For another, the costs of confronting Iran over its nuclear program look less imposing than they once did.

Iran, as David Sanger of The Times recently explained, “is going through a period of remarkable military, economic and political weakness.” Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, Israel has reduced the threats from Hamas and Hezbollah (two of Iran’s terrorist proxies), attacked Iran directly and, with help from allies, mostly repelled its response. The new recognition of Iran’s limitations helped give rebels in Syria the confidence to march on Damascus and oust the horrific Assad regime, a longtime Iranian ally. Iran’s government did almost nothing to intervene. This recent history demonstrates that military action, for all its awful costs, can have positive consequences.

A responsible American president could make a plausible argument for further action against Iran. The core of this argument would need to be a clear explanation about the strategy, as well as the justification for attacking now, even though Iran does not appear close to having a nuclear weapon. This strategy would involve a promise to seek approval from Congress and to collaborate with international allies.

Trump is not even attempting this (professionally responsible) approach. Instead, Trump is telling the American people and the world that he expects their blind trust. He has not earned that trust.

He instead treats allies with disdain. He lies constantly, including about the results of the June attack on Iran. He has failed to live up to his own promises for solving other crises in Ukraine, Gaza and Venezuela. He has fired senior military leaders for failing to show fealty to his political whims. When his appointees make outrageous mistakes — such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 🤢 sharing advanced details of a military attack on the Houthis, an Iranian-backed group, on an unsecured group chat — Trump shields them from accountability. His administration appears to have violated international law by, among other things, disguising a military plane as a civilian plane and shooting two defenseless sailors who survived an initial attack.

A responsible approach would also involve a detailed conversation with the American people about the risks. Iran remains a heavily militarized country. Its medium-range missiles may have failed to do much damage to Israel last year, but it maintains many short-range missiles that could overwhelm any defense system and hit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other nearby countries. Mr. Trump did acknowledge this in his overnight video, saying, “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties.”

He should have had the courage to say so in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, among other settings. When a president asks American troops and diplomats to risk their lives, he should not be coy about it.

Recognizing Trump’s irresponsibility, some members of Congress have taken steps to constrain him on Iran. In the House, Representatives Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, and Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, have proposed a resolution meant to prevent Trump from starting a war without congressional approval. The resolution makes clear that Congress has not authorized an attack on Iran and demands the withdrawal of American troops within 60 days. 

Senator Tim Kaine, 😇Democrat of Virginia, and Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, are sponsoring a similar measure in their chamber. The start of hostilities should not dissuade legislators from passing these bills. A robust assertion of authority by Congress is the best way to constrain Donald Trump.  #ImpeachTrumpNOW 

Donald Trump has "many sides" none of them is leadership

Heartfelt condolences to the family and colleagues of the young demonstrator who was deliberately killed by the pro-Nazi white supremacists , on August 12, 2017, in Charlottesville VA, during heinous KuKluxKlan riots.  

Charlottesville Virginia is the area where Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello is located.

Obviously, the KuKluxKlan targeted one of the iconic symbols of the US Constitution, because Jefferson wrote most of it.

Charged with the murder was Alex Fields Jr., 20, of Ohio, who was arrested on one count of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count of hit and run attended failure to stop with injury.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is blaming "many sides" for the tragedy, although it was the racist side that caused the death and injuries. 

Rather than demonstrate compassionate leadership, Donald Trump read an ambiguous statement and then retreated to his Bedminister New Jersey luxury hide out.  Honestly, "ambiguity" was never a problem for Donald Trump in the past, even as recently as when he publicly criticized Attorney General Sessions or Senate President Mitch McConnell.  But when publicly addressing racism in Charlottesville, Donald Trump accused "many sides" of being complicit in the loss of life and the injuries caused by the demonstrations. I'm accusing Donald Trump of having many leadership weaknesses, because he criticizes anybody he apparently wants when projecting blame for his own shortcomings, but won't condemn the evils rooted in racism.

Violence erupted in Charlottesville, when hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members — planning to stage what they described as their largest rally in decades to “take America back” — clashed with counter-protesters in the streets and a car plowed into crowds, killing one young person and injuring more than a dozen others.

In his late and tepid response to the incident, Donald Trump called on the "many sides" of the deadly incident to stop the violence.
Rather than condemn racism, Trump made a "many sides" tacit attempt to neutralize the the root cause of the tragedy.

If Donald Trump really cared about this incident and wanted to bring peace, his "many sides" response would've been to acknowledge the compassionate leadership of Virginia's Governor Terry McAuliffe. In fact, the Virginia Governor responded differently and appropriately to the racist incidents. 

In anticipation of escalating violence, McAuliffe had already called for a state of emergency, even before the deliberate killing of the innocent counter-protester. Moreover, as any competent leader would do, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe will attend churches in Charlottesville, VA, on Sunday morning, where he will speak about Saturday’s chaos and violence that turned to tragedy, leaving one person dead and 19 others injured.

Rather than to give emotional support to Governor McAulliffe, instead, Donald Trump is hiding in one of his "many places". This time, he's holding up at a golf resort he owns in Bedminister, New Jersey.

In one of the "many responses" to Donald Trump's statement about the August 12, racism riot, the former KKK leader David Duke caustically reminded the "hiding in many (golf resort) places" president that,  "It was white Americans who put you in the presidency'.

Thankfully, many other responses to the Charlottesville tragedy came from leaders who bravely identified racism as the root cause of the incident.

Senator Tim Kaine, D-Virginia

Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, who was a Vice Presidential candidate in 2016, wrote:

"Virginia has come so far in recent decades to put division behind us. Both Anne and I are so proud of this progress. It's sickening to see the displays of violence and bigotry that were brought to Charlottesville by white nationalists over the last 24 hours, which tragically led to injuries and at least one death today. This is not who we are. Charlottesville is a vibrant community that recognizes the deep scars from our past and has rejected hatred in favor of inclusion.

"The fact that people like David Duke cited the President to justify their views is a disturbing reminder that divisive rhetoric has sadly contributed to a climate where individuals who espouse hate feel emboldened. As they seek publicity through their hateful tactics, let's pull together--regardless of party, race or religion--to reject hatred in no uncertain terms and stand together. I'm encouraged by the words of leaders on both sides of the aisle who have spoken out forcefully against what has occurred today, and it's critical that we follow up those words with action that builds a more inclusive future. We call ourselves a Commonwealth because the word signifies community. It's who we are and we won't go backwards."

Donald Trump's many racism and anti-patriotic sides (ie #TrumpRussia_gate), also includes an inability to demonstrate compassionate leadership.

He should not be learning "many sides" leadership from Governor McAuliffe and Senator Tom Kaine. Rather, Trump must condemn racism and denounce the KuKluxKlan leader, the evil David Duke.

American Roman Catholic Bishops - leadership and political transition

American Catholic Bishops have political explaining to do. How could they not oppose Donald Trump? Shame.

These Bishops did nothing to oppose the draconian anti-immigration policies proposed by the election of Donald Trump. 

Yet, the faithful Roman Catholic Senator Tim Kaine, a social justice supporter and Jesuit missionary, was a qualified candidate running as Hillary Clinton's Vice Presidential nominee.

Nation's Catholic bishops, in Baltimore, to choose their own new president in wake of divisive U.S. election.

America's Catholic bishops return to Baltimore for their annual fall assembly — their first such gathering since a presidential election that split the church as it divided the nation.

It's unclear whether or how the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will address the election and consequences of  Donald J. Trump, who won the 2016 electoral college vote for president. .

The Republican appealed to traditional Catholics with his opposition to abortion and promises to protect religious organizations from government directives that would violate their teachings.

But his rhetoric against Obama administration policy on refugees drew criticism from church leaders, and his signature policy — a promise to build a wall along the southern border to curb illegal immigration — drew an implied rebuke this year from Pope Francis.


Republican Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton on Tuesday with 52 percent of the Catholic vote, according to exit polls. 

The details reveal church divisions along ethnic lines: Trump won the support of 60 percent of white Catholics, but Clinton won 67 percent of Hispanic Catholics.  Now, leaders and observers say, the prelates will look for ways to move the church forward, together. (As a Roman Catholic woman, I advise the US Bishops to read the article in The New Yorker- "The Moral Minority". Read the article and pay attention to what it says.)

"The bishops will not do a postmortem on a presidential election in the way one might see on CNN or read in The Baltimore Sun," Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said. 

"The bishops will certainly look at the results through the lens of our social teaching. We anticipate there will be some bright spots but that there will also be some challenging spots.

"There will also be things we simply don't know, because our new president does not have a governing track record."

The bishops conference has held its annual assembly in Baltimore, the first diocese in the United States, since 2006.

All active and retired bishops in the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands — nearly 300 members from more than 170 dioceses are among the American Catholic Bishops.

The church leaders will convene on Monday and attend four days of meetings at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Harbor East. Topping the agenda: choosing a new president, vice president, and key committee chairs.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the archbishop of Galveston-Houston and the current vice president of the conference, is expected to ascend to the presidency, by tradition. Should that happen, other candidates, including Lori, will be considered for vice president.

The bishops rarely deviate from the overall goal of the conference, which is to share what's going on in their dioceses and to ensure unity on possibly divisive matters.

The conference generally avoids making headline-grabbing policy changes.

"To be perfectly honest, they come together and continually do the same thing," said Chad C. Pecknold, a professor of theology at the Catholic University of America, "which is to ask: 'How can we coordinate our efforts to make the church's witness beautiful and believable in the world?'

"There will be disagreements. We'll see that next week. But to every bishop in that room, there will be the sense that 'We want to communicate a common message.'"

That said, this year's message will contain new elements.

For the first time, the bishops will hold their opening Mass at a historically African-American church, St. Peter Claver in West Baltimore. 

Saint Peter Claver in West Baltimore- where Roman Catholic Bishops will celebrate Mass.

Also, for the first time at the bishop's meeting, the slate of 10 presidential candidates will include two Hispanic bishops.

Observers say the decision to hold the Monday afternoon service at a predominantly black parish in Baltimore reflects the bishops' interest in furthering the priorities of Pope Francis, who has said the church should be "a house of comfort" for all people.

"This is the first time in memory they're not holding that service in a cathedral or the largest church in the city," says Rocco Palmo, the editor of the insider blog Whispers in the Loggia. 

"Part of the formal business of this meeting will be really drilling in on a task force that has been working on the issue of 'peace in our communities.' As far as optics go, that's huge."

Palmo believes the decision reflects the priorities of DiNardo, who is known for working closely with African-American Catholics, a group of 4 million people Palmo says have at times felt marginalized within the church. (HELLO? Just try being a faithful Roman Catholic woman!)

And the inclusion of Jose H. Gomez, the archbishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, and Daniel E. Flores, the bishop of Brownsville, Texas, among the presidential candidates, Palmo said, reflects a church embracing the influence of its rapidly growing Hispanic population.

The bishops nominate candidates during the summer preceding an election. The 10 who garner the most nominations are added to the slate.

Gomez, 65, and Flores, 55, have long emphasized church teaching on welcoming immigrants. Trump won a majority of Catholic voters, and the election, in part on promises to build the border wall, step up deportation of people in the country illegally, and cut federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities. (I plead with Roman Catholic Bishops and I'm assuming the Cardinals have some influence, to challenge this sinful policy.)

Bishops and priests are expected to remain above secular politics — their charge is to form consciences, not take up for candidates — but the contentious 2016 campaign drew some in.

(As a Roman Catholic woman, I  don't believe the above statement about supporting secular politics. The Roman Catholic Bishops are subject to political influence.)

In one incident that drew headlines, a parish in Southern California asserted in church bulletins that it's "a mortal sin to vote Democrat." Clinton and other Democrats support abortion rights; the church opposes abortion.

San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy sent a message to his 100 parishes that while church leaders are obligated to discuss how the teachings of the faith are relevant to public policy, they should eschew partisan politics.

"We must not and will not endorse specific candidates, use parish media or bulletins to favor candidates or parties through veiled language about selectively chosen issues, or engage in partisan political activity of any kind," McElroy wrote.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia drew criticism when he said Catholics, including Vice President Joe Biden, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy — all supporters of abortion rights — had transferred their deepest loyalties from Catholic teaching to "the new 'church' of our ambitions and appetites.'"

National Catholic Reporter columnist Michael Sean Winters said Chaput's statements flew in the face of the recent admonition by Francis that church leaders should guard against being "argumentative or aggressive" in their ministries.

Chaput is one of a handful of perceived traditionalists on the presidential ballot. Others are Lori, who chairs the conference's Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, and Archbishop Allen Henry Vigneron of the Detroit Archdiocese. Perceived centrists such as Archbishops Gregory Aymond of New Orleans and Thomas Wenski of Miami are also on the slate.

The churchmen will cast their presidential votes Tuesday. The first candidate to gain a simple majority is to take over for current president Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., at the close of business Thursday.

They'll then use the same method to elect the new vice president from the remaining nine names.

That leader will likely be the one to take over in 2019, at the end of a three-year term.

To Lori, there could be no better venue for choosing those leaders than the assembly, an event he says always concludes in a way that amplifies the values of the Catholic Church.

"Are there differences of opinion, legitimate differences of opinion, on many fronts? Certainly," Lori said. "But my experience is that the conference works very well together, that we are striving to embrace the priorities and the spirit of Pope Francis.

"This is not a conference that is against a lot of things. It's a conference that is for many good things. I think that whatever else happens next week, we'll be working very, very hard."

As a practicing Roman Catholic woman who probably risks sanctions for criticizing the US Bishops, I can't understand how the church can possibly justify the lack of support for Senator Tim Kaine. Shame on all of you! Your mothers taught you better!
jonathan.pitts@baltsun.com

As a practicing Roman Catholic, I believe the American Catholic Bishops must show leadership and stand up to the Donald Trump's draconian social policies, opposing Church social justice teachings about immigration, access to universal health care and opposing racism.

Obviously, the Bishops are ineffective in support of moral leadership.  I'm proud to challenge the American Roman Catholic Bishops to respond to this blog. Hugh Hewitt alert.

Hillary Clinton on "our" way to first woman President!

"I'm with her!"

It's not only me, but, apparently, Americans are finally waking up to the amazing progress we can experience under the leadership of Hillary Clinton as our nation's first woman president. In fact, Secretary Clinton has a lifetime of leadership experience to bring to the Oval Office in the White House. Moreover, her political leadership is respected throughout the world.

Let's put an end to political partisanship and rally around Hillary Clinton, because she's the best qualified to lead the free world. Adding to Clinton's resume are the qualifications of her hand picked running mate Senator Tim Kaine, a man who is dedicated to improving the well being of others, and focused on improving our human condition in America and in the world.

Secretary Clinton has dedicated her life to public service. When she and her running mate Senator Tim Kaine had the opportunity to join highly successful law firms because of their law school resumes, they chose, instead, to follow their hearts.  Secretary Clinton because an advocate for children in Arkansas. Senator Kaine joined the missionary work of the Jesuit Religious Order in Guatamala.  Both Clinton and Kaine are world respected humanitarian and political leaders, who proved their qualifications through the choices they made in their lives and the well deserved recognition they received from their peers and political leaders.
Early voting has already started in many states. It is imperative for Americans to vote against partisan rigor and support the progressive leadership of Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator Tim Kaine.

Check Senator Tim Kaine on the issues at this link.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Tim_Kaine.htm

Indeed, Americans are on "our" way to experiencing real progress with "our" first qualified, intelligent, experienced and competent woman president.

Mike Pence continues to make no sense- supports Putin and defends Trump lies

It's impossible to understand how the professed Christian, Governor Mike Pence, could straight face debate before the American people, by supporting Trump lies about what Trump said, that was clearly said and Trump said it- but lied about what he said. Makes no sense, right? No, seriously, it's what Mike Pence really said!

It seemed to me that Mike Pence was setting up his own presidential campaign rather than trying to bail Donald Trump out of all his serial lies.  But, for a professed Christian, obviously, the Ten Commandments didn't seem to matter in the national political debate. "No, seriously!"

Although our Judeo-Christian courts and many laws are rooted in the fundamental tenets found in The Ten Commandments, it nevertheless seems evident to Governor Pence that the one about "bearing false witness" doesn't count.

Senator Tim Kaine was a credible surrogate for Secretary Hillary Clinton; but Governor Mike Pence? Well, not so much....

JOHN PRESTA-
Mike Pence threw Donald Trump under the bus as he prepared for his own 2020 presidential run- Pence refused to defend Trump's 1995 tax return (he lost $1Billion), insults of women, calling Mexicans 'rapists' and coziness with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Senator Tim Kaine put Mike Pence on the defensive and he defended Secretary Hillary Clinton during his animated 90 minute Vice-Presidential debate presentation.


Congratulations to Senator Tim Kaine.

Donald Trump illegally encourages Russian hacking- unqualified to lead

Okay political campaigns, it's going to be "post Labor Day" in a few days and the campaigns must admit, the candidacy of Donald Trump is in a quagmire. He's unable to politically fix himself, his credibility was never evident, his surrogates are even contradicting his messaging. Will he release his taxes? Will Mexico pay for an anti-immigraition wall? Clearly, candidate Donald Trump is unqualified to lead the free world. Even worse, Trump is encouraging sedition by inviting Russia to hack into Americans private emails.

Vice Presidential nominee Senator Kaine compares Donald Trump's Russian Hack Comments to Watergate in Huffington Post:


Russian President Vladimir Putin says it doesn't matter who hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC). By calling for Russia to do more hacking disqualifies candidate Donald Trump, in my opinion and apparently a lot of other people agree, like Senator Tom Kaine, too.

Washington- Democratic vice presidential nominee Senator Tim Kaine compared rival Donald Trump's comments on Russian hacking to Watergate, on Sunday September 4th.

Intelligence officials indicated that a July hack of the Democratic National Committee's servers was the work of the Russian government. Donald Trump responded to the email release with suggestions that the Russians should look for additional emails from Mrs. Hillary Clinton during her time at the US State Department.  

"He openly encouraged Russia to engage in cyberhacking to try to find more emails or materials, and we know these cyber attack on the DNC was done by Russia," Kaine said on an appearance on ABC's "The Week with George Stephanopoulos". 

Kaine compared Trump's response to the scandal that forced Republican President Nixon to resign from office. "A president was impeached and had to resign over an attack on the DNC during a presidential election in 1972,"  Kaine said.  "This is serious business. So contrast the Hillary situation, where the FBI said there was no need for legal proceedings, with an attack that is being encouraged by candidate Donald Trump on the DNC by Russia similar to what led to the resignation of a president 30 years ago."

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied his country's involvement in the hack earlier this week, but he praised the release of the emails. "Listen, does it even matter who hacks this data?," he asked Bloomberg News. "The important thing is the content was given to the public."

Meanwhile, Donald Trump's kind words for Russia's President Putin raises concerns as does some of his advisers connections to the Russian government.  (Editor's Huffington Post note:  Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar.)

Religion & faith in politics - the good and "not so much"

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”- John Wesley/Hilary Clinton

The Apostle Matthew wrote (Matthew 7 1-3): For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged....

But, if a political candidate puts faith in their biographies then it's fair for us to comment on their qualifications to do so.

In other words, I'm not qualified to make a judgement about the spiritual life or religious faithfulness of political candidates, even when they happen to include their faith beliefs in their biographies. On the other hand, when this information is released in their political press releases, then I feel it's okay to provide my opinion about the depth of their religiosity. Obviously, I don't want to offend St. Matthew, but if he were alive today, I'd take a chance that he would, likewise, have an opinion about how political candidates represent their faith.

"Romney 'Good'..." weeeelll, in the end he didn't carry the majority:

In my opinion, Governor Mitt Romney, for example, proudly represented the sincerity of faithful Mormons, or members of the Church of Latter Day Saints.  

Probably, what lost Romney the 2012 presidential election, in my opinion, was his inability to garner the confidence of the right wing radical Republican base. They are fanatics and, in my opinion, certifiable "wackos".  If they had supported Governor Romney, he might have won the election but we'll never know for sure.

"Biden is 'Good'"

In 2008, Joe Biden said that while others may talk about his faith, he seldom does, instead driven by his Irish upbringing to allow his actions to speak for themselves. Vice President Biden and his family are proud to live their Roman Catholic faith and I believe he would have been an exceptionally well qualified President. Unfortunately, family bereavement, following the untimely death of their son "Beau", precluded him from running for President.

"Ryan 'not so much'"

Four years later, Paul Ryan was greeted with a chorus of criticism in 2012, for his interpretation of Catholic social teaching to justify a budget proposal that included deep cuts in programs assisting the poor. (Speaker Paul Ryan is the same Catholic VP candidate who washed clean dishes in a St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen, when they were already clean, just for the photo op.)

"Senator Kaine - 'Excellent'!"

Senator Tim Kaine is the third Catholic to appear on a presidential ticket in the past two election cycles, all VP nominees. (Current Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence was raised Catholic but now identifies as an evangelical Christian).  Senator Kaine gave up a potentially lucrative law career to serve the poor in Honduras. He chose to be a dedicated public servant, rather than a highly paid lawyer.

Senator Kaine received his B.A. in economics from the University of Missouri in 1979, completing his degree in three years and graduating summa cum laude. He entered Harvard Law School in 1979, interrupting his law studies after his first year to work in Honduras for nine months from 1980 to 1981, helping Jesuit missionaries who ran a Catholic school in El Progreso.While running a vocational center that taught carpentry and welding, he also helped increase the school's enrollment by recruiting local villagers. Kaine is fluent in Spanish as a result of his year in Honduras.

After returning from Honduras, Kaine met his future wife, first-year Harvard Law student, Anne Holton. He graduated from Harvard Law School with a J.D. degree in 1983.Kaine and Holton moved to Holton's hometown of Richmond, Virginia, after graduation,and Kaine was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1984.

"Governor Pence: 'not so much'" (In fact, gets a "D")

Anybody who claims to be "evangelical" but then doesn't follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, can't be considered Christian, just because he says so. Clearly, Jesus accepted the poor, the humble masses, healed the sick and did not discriminate based on a person's socio-economic status ie "immigrants".  

"Hillary Clinton:  'Good'": In my opinion, I admire Secretary Clinton's faith motto, a quote from John Wesley (1703-1791), the Anglican cleric and theologian who, with his brother Charles and fellow cleric George Whitefield, are credited with the foundation of Methodism: 

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”

When candidates talk the religious talk and "walk the walk", it's a testament, in my opinion, to their sincerity. Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator Tim Kaine, in my opinion, are a duo of "good" religious politicians who outshine the others who lined up in recent campaigns, because they live their core spiritual values and they do not pander to the "wackos" on either side of the political spectrum of self righteous people who want to force their extremism on the general population.  Of course, Secretary Clinton and Senator Tim Kaine must motivate their followers to vote in mass, plus, at the same time, convince others to follow their progressive leadership. Otherwise, they can be among those who are "good", but not good enough to be elected. Let's convince voters to elect Clinton, and Kaine, two highly qualified candidates, who bring progressive religion and faith into their admirable political values. 

Why do people believe Donald Trump?

I have no idea how right wing voters, especially women, can support Donald Trump when he's a demonstrated incompetent political wannabee. I can only surmise that these misguided people must have a genetic deficit that prevents them from understanding when a lie is a lie. Nevertheless, they vote.

They believe Donald Trump.

As Governor Jennifer Granholm says, "Donald Trump, I bet you think this song is about you...." But her tongue in cheek comment was to ridicule Trump's consistent obsession with himself.

"Most people, when they run for president, they don’t just say ‘believe me'"- Senator Tim Kaine. Trump is a pathological liar.

"...does anybody in this massive auditorium believe that Donald Trump has been paying his fair share of taxes?"-SenatorTim Kaine of Virginia.  (Donald Trump alert! "Virginia" ! 100 x's on the chaulk board.)


Just heard a "man on the street" sound bite on NBC Nightly News, where a Republican "Joe Six Pack" stereotype voter (a real person) said his "take away" from President Obama's rousing Democratic National Committee (DNC) speech was to scare Republicans, so they wouldn't vote for Donald Trump.  

In other words, the person who was interviewed said, in spite of a loving endorsement, that he didn't believe President Obama, who made a magnificent case for electing Hillary Clinton to succeed him in the White House.

Nevertheless, the "man on the street" didn't seem convinced to change his opinion, in spite of the inspiring endorsement.

Will "Joe Six Pack" voters put Donald "Trumpy-Dumpty" (builder of the hateful wall) in the White House? 

Unbelievably, for unexplained reasons, these vulnerable, nearly all white, voters believe "Putin-hugger" Trump, rather than Secretary Clinton, without regard for the preponderance of the evidence in support of a litany of Trumping lies. They are not creating their opinion based on facts but, rather, on latent emotions of unknown origins. In other words, Trumponians quickly believe lies because they obviously don't care about truth. 

In my opinion, "Joe six pack" voters believe Donald Trump because they fall victim to the psychological phenomenon known as "The Big Lie". In other words, like the Nazi Hermann Göringfigured out, people will believe a lie, even when they know it's not true, because they hear it too often.

Clearly, Trumpy-Dumpty voters have made unwarranted assumptions about Secretary Clinton, because Republicans continue to tell Big Lies about her.

In my opinion, Senaror Tim Kaine, who is Secretary Clinton's bi-lingual Vice Presidential running mate, gave an accurate immitation, providing a preponderance evidence, describing how Donald Trump is a pathological liar.

Tim Kaine made his solo national debut as Hillary Clinton’s running mate at the Democratic national convention Wednesday, sharing his life story and sharpening his attacks on Donald Trump.

The Virginia Senator argued that Trump has not spelled out his plans, unlike Clinton, who has detailed proposals on her campaign website.

“Here’s the thing. Most people, when they run for president, they don’t just say ‘believe me,’” Kaine said, mimicking Trump. “They respect you enough to tell you how they will get things done.”

“Not Donald Trump,” he added. “He never tells you how he’s going to do any of the things he says he’s going to do. He just says, ‘believe me.’ So here’s the question. Do you really believe him? Donald Trump’s whole career says you better not.”

Read More: How Tim Kaine’s Record On Guns Helps With Women Voters

Read his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Thank you everybody. Hello, Philadelphia!

Hello Democratic families.

I want to start off by thanking my beautiful wife and my three wonderful children, Nat, Woody, and Annella. They are sitting right up there.

You Know my son, Nat, deployed with his Marine battalion just two days ago.

KAINE: He deployed overseas to protect and defend the very NATO allies that Donald Trump says he now wants to abandon.

Semper fi, Nat! Semper fi!

My parents and my in-laws are here. Our siblings and their spouses. Our nieces and nephews, and hundreds of friends from Virginia and beyond.

I love seeing you front and center. Including my friend of 37 years, senior Senator Mark Warner. My great Governor Terry McAuliffe.

And my great friend and Congressman Bobby Scott.

We love you all.

Today, for my wife Anne and every strong woman in this country, for Nat, Woody, and Annella, and every young person starting out in life to make their own dreams real, for every man and woman serving our country in the military at home or abroad, for every working family working hard to get ahead and stay ahead, for my parents and in-laws and every senior citizen who hopes for a dignified retirement with health care and research to end diseases like Alzheimer’s.

KAINE: For every American who wants our country to be a beloved community where people are not demeaned because of who they are but rather respected for their contributions to this nation, and for all of us who know that the brightest future for our country is the one that we build together, and for my friend, Hillary Clinton, I humbly accept my party’s nomination to be vice president of the United States.

Thank you.

Can I be honest with you about something? Can I be honest with you about something? I never expected to be here. But let me tell you how it happened, I was born in Minnesota and grew up in Kansas City.

My folks were not much into politics. My dad ran a union iron- working shop in the stockyards.

And my mom was his best salesman. My two brothers and I pitched in to work during summers and weekends. And, you know, that is how small family businesses do it.

My parents, Al and Kathy, here tonight and going strong, they taught me about hard work and about kindness and most especially, about faith. I went to a Jesuit boys high school, Rockhurst High School.

Wow, that’s a big line for the Jesuits.

Now we had a motto in my school, “men for others.” And it was there that my faith became something vital. My north star for orienting my life. And when I left high school, I knew that I wanted to battle for social justice.

Like so many of you. Like so many of you.

That is why I took a year off from law school to volunteer with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras. I taught kids how to be welders and carpenters. (SPEAKING SPANISH), faith, family, and work. Faith, family, and work. (SPEAKING SPANISH).

And let me tell you what really struck me there, I got a firsthand look at a different system. A dictatorship. A dictatorship where a few people at the top had all the power and everybody else got left out.

Now that convinced me that we have got to advance opportunity for everybody, no matter where you come from, how much money you have, what you look like, how you worship or who you love.

Back in 1970, in Virginia, a Republican governor named Linwood Holton believed exactly the same thing. He integrated Virginia’s public schools so that black and white kids could finally learn together. And then the family enrolled their own kids, including his daughter, Anne, in those integrated inner city schools.

Many years later Anne went off to college and she brought those lessons from that pivotal time with her. And then one day, in a study group, she met this goofy guy who had been off teaching kids in Honduras.

Well, Anne and I have now been married almost 32 years and I am the luckiest husband in the world.

You know, let me tell you something, Anne’s parents, Lin and Jinks, are here today, 90-plus and going strong.

Ninety-plus and going strong. Linwood Holton, he is still a Republican but he is voting for an awful lot of Democrats these days. An awful lot of Democrats.

And here is why, he is voting for Democrats because any party that would nominate Donald Trump for president has moved too far away from his party of Lincoln.

And I’ll tell you, if any of you are looking for that party of Lincoln, we have got a home for you right here in the Democratic Party.

Linwood’s example helped inspire me as a civil rights lawyer. Over 17 years I took on banks, landlords, real estate firms, local governments, anybody who treated anybody unfairly.

I had a six-year case against an insurance company that was discriminating against minority neighborhoods all across the United States in issuing homeowner’s insurance.

Folks, Democratic friends, these are the battles that I have fought my entire life.

And that is the story — and that is the story of how I decided to run for office. My city of Richmond was divided and discouraged in the early 1990s. We had an epidemic of gun violence that was overwhelming our low-income neighborhoods.

People were pointing fingers and casting blame instead of finding answers. And I couldn’t stand it. So I ran for city council and I won that first race more than 20 years ago by a landslide margin of 94 votes.

And I’ve said ever since, if I’m good at anything in politics, it’s because I started at the local level listening to people, learning about their lives, and trying to get results. I see a mayor here who knows what I’m talking about.

Later I became mayor of Richmond, lieutenant governor, and then the 70th governor of Virginia.

Now, I was a hard times governor. I had to steer my state through the deepest recession since the 1930s. But hey, tough times don’t last and tough people do. And can I tell you that Virginians are tough people? We are tough people.

And we are smart, too . We achieved national recognition for our work, best-managed state, best state for business, best state for a child to be raised, low unemployment, high median income.

We shed tears along the way. We shed tears especially together in the days after that horrible mass shooting at Virginia Tech that killed 32 people from beautiful 19-year-old students to 70-plus-year- old Romanian-born Holocaust survivors, and we shed tears and held each other up, but afterwards we rolled up our sleeves and we fixed the loophole in the background record check system so that we could make our commonwealth safer. And we got have to do that in the nation.

We invested in our people expanding pre-K and higher ed., because we all know in this room that education is the key to all we want to be, all we want to be.

And now I have the honor of representing my commonwealth in the U.S. Senate. I work on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees to keep us safe at home and strong in the world.

I work on the Budget Committee with our great Democratic leader of that committee, a spectacular senator who used to be a mayor, Vermont’s Bernie Sanders.

KAINE: And, everybody, we all should feel the Bern and we all should not want to get burned by the other guy.

On that Budget Committee under Bernie’s leadership, we fight for investments in education, health care, research, transportation. And I also serve on the Aging Committee to make sure that seniors like my folks have a secure retirement and don’t get targeted by rip-off artists who will scam them out of their savings or overcharge them for prescription drugs.

Can I tell you a funny thing about the Senate? Can I tell you a funny thing about the Senate?

That sounds like a yes. I spend a lot of time with Republican senators who, once they have made sure that nobody is listening, will tell you how fantastic a senator that Hillary Clinton was.

Now, look, this journey that I’ve told you about has convinced me, has convinced me over and over again that God has created in our country a beautiful and rich tapestry, an incredible cultural diversity that succeeds when we embrace everybody in love and battle back against the forces, the dark forces of division.

KAINE: We are all neighbors. And we must love neighbors as ourselves.

Now Hillary Clinton and I are companeros de alma.

And we share this basic belief, it’s simple. Do all the good you can and serve one another. Pretty simple. Pretty simple.

That is what I’m about. That is what you are about. That is what Bernie Sanders is about. That is what Joe and Jill Biden are about. That is what Barack and Michelle Obama are about. And that is what Hillary Clinton is about.

AUDIENCE: Si se puede!

KAINE: Si se puede, si se puede, si se puede.

AUDIENCE: Si se puede! Si se puede! Si se puede!

KAINE: Yes we can. Yes we can. Yes we can.

Hey, last week, last week in Cleveland we heard a lot about trust. So let’s talk about trust. Let’s talk about trust. I want to tell you why I trust Hillary Clinton.

First, she’s consistent. She has battled to put kids and families first since she was a teenager. In good times and bad. In victory and defeat. In and out of office.

Through hell or high water, fighting for underprivileged kids working at the Children’s Defense Fund. Fighting to get health insurance for 8 million low-income children when she was first lady. Fighting for the well-being of women and children around the world. Hey, can offer you a little tip? When you want to know something about the character of somebody in public life, look to see if they have a passion that began long before they were in office, and that they have consistently held it throughout their career.

Do they have a passion? Did it start before they were in office? Have they held on to it consistently? Folks, Hillary has a passion for kids and families.

Donald Trump has a passion too, it’s himself.

And with Hillary, it is not just words, it’s accomplishments. She delivers. As senator, after 9/11 I got my New Yorkers right here and my Virginians right here. She battled — she battled congressional Republicans to care for the first responders who went in to the Towers, who went in to the Pentagon and saved the victims of those terrorist attacks.

As secretary of state, she implemented tough sanctions against Iran to pave the way for a diplomatic breakthrough to curtail a nuclear weapons program. And she wasn’t afraid, she wasn’t afraid. She was not afraid to stand up against thugs and dictators, and as a key part of the Obama national security team, they decided to go to the ends of the earth to wipe out Osama bin Laden.

Hey, do you all remember Carla (ph), the little girl that we heard from on Monday night, who was worried that her parents would be deported? Carla said she trusts Hillary to keep them together.

And do you remember the Mothers of the Movement last night?

They said they trust Hillary to keep other mothers’ sons and daughters safe.

And on a personal level, as he is serving our nation abroad, I trust Hillary Clinton with our son’s life.

Now you know who I don’t trust? Hmm, I wonder. Donald Trump. Donald Trump. Trump is a guy who promises a lot but, you may have noticed, he has got a way of saying the same two words every time he makes his biggest, hugest promises.

“Believe me.” It’s going to be great, believe me. We are going to build a wall and make Mexico pay for, believe me.

We are going to destroy ISIS so fast, believe me.

There is nothing suspicious and my tax returns, believe me.

By the way, does anybody in this massive auditorium believe that Donald Trump has been paying his fair share of taxes?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: Does anybody here believe that Trump ought to release his tax returns just like every other presidential candidate in modern history?

(APPLAUSE)

Of course he should. Hey, Donald, what are you hiding? And yet, Donald still says, believe me. Believe me.

Believe me? Believe me? I mean, here’s the thing, most people when they run for president, they don’t just say, believe me, they respect you enough to tell you how they will get things done.

(APPLAUSE)

I mean, that is what most people who run for president do. In fact, you can go on hillaryclinton.com right now and find out exactly how she will make the biggest investment in new jobs in a generation.

How she will defend and build on Wall Street reform. How she will reform our immigration system to create a path to citizenship. How she will make it possible to graduate from college debt-free.

You can see how she will protect Roe V. Wade, guarantee equal pay for women, and make paid family leave a reality.

(APPLAUSE)

KAINE: All it takes is one click. All it takes is one click. And we can see how she will do it, how she will pay for it, and how we will benefit by it.

Not Donald Trump. Not Donald Trump. He never tells you how he is going to do any of the things he says he will do. He just says, believe me.

So here’s the question, here’s the question, do you really believe him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: I mean, Donald Trump’s whole career says you had better not. Small contractors, companies just like my dad’s believed him, believed him when he said that he would pay them to build a casino in Atlantic City.

They do the work. They hung the drywall. They poured the concrete. But a year after opening, Trump filed for bankruptcy, he walked away with millions, and they got pennies on the dollar.

Some of them went out of business. All because they believed Donald Trump.

(BOOING)

Retirees and families in Florida, they believed Donald Trump when he said that he would build up some condos. Thousands of them. They paid their deposits but the condos, they were never built. He just pocketed their money and walked away.

They lost tens of thousands of dollars all because they believed Donald Trump. Charity after charity believed Donald Trump when he said they would contribute to them. And thousands of Trump University students believed Donald Trump when he said he would help them succeed.

They got stiffed.

He says, believe me. Well, his creditors, his contractors, his laid-off employees, and his ripped-off students did just that and they all got hurt.

Folks, you cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth.

Not one word. Not one word. Not one word.

AUDIENCE: Not one word! Not one word! Not one word!

KAINE: And I will tell you, and I will tell you, to me, it just seems like our nation, it is just too great to put in the hands of a slick-talking, empty-promising, self-promoting one-man wrecking crew.

But don’t take it from me, don’t take it from me. Take it from former first lady Barbara Bush. Barbara Bush said she doesn’t know how any woman could vote for him after his offensive comments about women.

Any woman. Any woman. Or John McCain’s chief economic adviser during the ’08 race, who estimates that Donald Trump’s promises would cause America to lose 3.5 million jobs.

Or the independent analysts who found that Trump’s tax plan given to the wealthy and the biggest corporations would rack up $30 trillion in debt.

Or how about this? How about this? John Kasich, the Republican governor who had the honor of hosting the Republican Convention in Cleveland, but he wouldn’t even attend it because he thinks Donald Trump is such a moral disaster.

Or take it from the guy who co-wrote Donald Trump’s autobiography, here is what he said about Trump, quote, “lying is second nature to him.” So do you believe him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: I don’t know, how about on this side, do you guys believe him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: I mean, do you guys believe him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: Is there anyone in this building who believes him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: The next president will face many challenges, we had better elect a candidate who has proven she can be trusted with the job.

The candidate who has proven that she is ready for the job. And when I say ready, I use ready for a specific reason. When I lived in Honduras, I learned something. The best compliment that you could pay to somebody was to say that they were listo. Ready. Not inteligente, smart. Not amable, friendly. Not rico, rich. But listo, listo.

Because what listo means in Spanish is this, it means prepared, it means battle-tested, it means rock solid, up for anything, never backing down. And, friends, Hillary Clinton, she is listo!

Hillary Clinton is listo.

She is ready. She is ready, she is ready because of her faith. She is because of her heart. She is ready because of her experience. And she is ready because she knows that in America, we are stronger when we are together.

My fellow Democrats, this week we start the next chapter in our great and proud story. Thomas disclaimed all men were equal and Abigail remembered the women. Woodrow brokered the peace and Eleanor broke down the barriers. Jack told us what to ask and Lyndon answered the call.

Martin had a dream and Cesar y Dolores said si se puede. And Harvey gave his life. Bill, Bill built a bridge into the 21st Century and Barack gave us hope. And now Hillary is ready! She is ready to fight! She is ready to win! And she is ready to lead!

God bless all of you, onto victory. And thank you, Philadelphia!