Michael Cohen described to the nation in the Congressional hearing today what most people in this country already knew:  Trump is a racist, a cheat and a con man.  Deep down, even Trump supporters know this even if they won't admit it.  This man has no regard for this country.  He is all about himself.  I would think even those GOP Congressmen at the hearing know this.  That is why they never defended Trump, only attacked Cohen's credibility.

Since Cohen has admitted lying, the GOP points out why we should believe him.  I think the conservatives have no problem believing a mobster's top assistant when he flips for the prosecution.  The mobster boss will not be the one who actually pulls the trigger.  He only orders the hit.  So of course you need his foot soldiers to flip on him.  These "witnesses" are never your clean cut model citizens.  But I bet the law and order conservatives see no problem of convicting the boss based on the crooks who flipped him.  But in this case, instead believing a person who was very close to Trump, they chose to attack him. 

I think Trump may try to distract from Cohen's testimony by making a deal with Kim.  I think he will declare the official end of the Korean War, which had only been suspended all these years.  I won't make much of the difference in reality for now except Trump can say that he got peace.  He hopes that will detract from all these hearings and legal problems.  I doubt that Kim will get rid of his nukes after that.  For now, nothing changes.  But if the war is officially over, how long before Kim demands that the U.S. troops leave Korea?   I think he sees this opportunity to play Trump again.  Noticed he had a sly smile when reporter asked Trump about Cohen.  By the way, Trump touts that he has great relationship with Kim.  Well, so does Dennis Rodman!

I was not surprised that Trump declared a national emergency so that he can manipulate money to fund his wall.  Since he lost big in the shutdown and he showed his inability to get deals done, he had to do something to show what a tough guy he is.  After all, conservatives like Ann Coulter were calling him a wimp, one even weaker than Bush.  So it was inevitable that he declares emergency to show that he has the power.  Hopefully law and history will prove him wrong.

The thing that surprised and irritated me was the announcement that McConnell supported the declaration of emergency.  It shows what a weakling he is.  He was against the declaration and stated as such before.  But faced with Trump not signing the bill to avoid the shutdown again, he caved.  The truth is Trump had no leverage.  The bill had bipartisan support, Trump would have been on an island by himself with his extreme conservative supporters.  But I guess McConnell was too afraid of a fractured GOP senate trying to decide if they want to override Trump's veto.  By supporting the declaration of emergency, there is little chance of the Senate overriding Trump's declaration.

I am not even going to bother to put up arguments why the declaration is wrong.  If you think putting a wall is an emergency and more urgent than various problems in this country, there is no argument that will persuade you.  After all, you would have believed that Mexico will paid for the wall.  I will say that with this declaration, Trump has cemented his reputation as a dictator wannabe.  Although that should have been obvious before with his firing of the man who was investigating him and his fondness for Putin and other dictators.  The question is, will the Congress and the Supreme Court have the spines to stop him.

Watched Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s program "Finding Your Roots" yesterday.  Three politicians:  Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Senator Marco Rubio and former House Speaker Paul Ryan were the guests.  All three came from immigrant families even though they knew little about their immigrant ancestors.  Gabbard, being a Democrat, obviously has been outspoken about anti-immigrant rhetoric from Trump.  The two Republicans have been much quieter on the subject.

At the end of the program, I think both Rubio and Ryan were touched by the stories of their ancestors' hardships in coming to America.  I think it was Rubio who summed it up by saying that people will do anything to get to a place where their family will have a chance for a better life.  He said that we are a country of go-gettors.  Well said, Senator.  I hope they will keep those things they learned in the program in mind next time when they are confronted about a political decision involving immigrants.

I have to say that the Trump administration is doing a good job with the Venezuela situation.  Like many bad situations in the world, there are no good or easy answers.  But unlike most of his foreign policies, Trump is actually trying to do something good.  Since his so called America first agenda, Trump has been pulling away from the world.  America has been losing its leadership in the world.  But in this situation in Venezuela, Trump has been able to get allies around the world to support his policy of demanding that Maduro leave office.  It is not sure that this will work.  But by leading a multiple national effort, it is more likely to succeed and critics can't say anything about American imperialism as a goal here.

The Democrats has been rather silent on this issue except for some left leaning members of Congress who called for the U.S. to stay out of it.  How can we not try to do something about this humanitarian crisis?  By not coming out strongly against Maduro, it also will let the GOP claim that the left is socialist.  At this time, I think centrist Democrats should support what Trump is doing because there isn't any good choices here. 

Russia and China are supporting Maduro.   But there is a difference in their support.  Moscow wants a thorn on the U.S. side close to our shore.  So Russia will support Maduro no matter what.  China has invested a lot of money in Venezuela.  It wants return in oil and money.  But if China can be convinced that a new government will honor all previous contracts, it can change its support.  For Russia, it is a political issue.  For China it is a financial issue.  So if Guaido can convince China that under him Venezuela will be stable and export oil to China, I think the tide may change.

I don't see how Virginia governor Ralph Northam can stay in office.  After revelation of a picture from his medical school yearbook surfaced showing a man in black face and another in KKK outfit.  At first he admitted that he was in the picture, although he didn't say which person was him.  Then he said that it wasn't him and that he had not seen that picture before.  This all sounded like Trump when the Access Hollywood tape came out.  First he apologized, then he said it was just locker room talk.  Then later on he questioned whether that was his voice in the tape at all.   To both Northam and Trump, I ask:  If it wasn't you, why did you admit it at first?  So you thought you did something that you didn't do, only to remember later that you didn't do it?  Yeah, right!

I will admit that I did not know that there was this racist thing called black face until maybe in my thirties or forties.  So if at my medical school someone with black face had stand next to me and someone took a picture of us, maybe I would not react.  But then I would not be wearing a KKK outfit.  So there was no reason for Northam to be in this kind of picture.  Certainly I can't think of any legitimate, non-racist reason to post that picture in your yearbook.  His clumsy defense makes things worse. 

If he refuses to resign.  I think the GOP will call for impeachment.  The GOP may not do this so that they can use this issue in 2020 elections.  But I don't think that would be productive for them because then they would be blasted for condoning racism.  Now they can force the democrats to renounce one of their own.  Once the GOP move for impeachment, the Democrats will go along since this is indefensible for them even if no crime had been committed.  So I think Northam cannot ride out the storm.  If doesn't resign, he will be kicked out of office.

The Democrats have to take the high and right road on this.  They cannot be like the GOP base who gives Trump a bye every time he says something racist or sexist.  So what if this is a victory for the conservative site which reported this.  It also exposes the hypocrite they are when they do not call out Trump.

The Evil Empire wins again.  I rooted for the Rams, not just because they are from LA, but also I don't want Brady and the Patriots win again!  But give them credit, even if they might have cheated in the past, their consistency and excellence are just tremendous.