Strong Right Wing Lineup; Some Americans Longing for Free Agency

I'm a bit of an anomaly in that I'm a black man in America that still loves baseball. There aren't too many of us anymore that enjoy, follow, or even watch the sport with any regularity. American football and basketball are the new big kids on the block, but, because I began watching baseball prior to the work stoppage in 1994, I still look forward to the first Monday in April with the childish glee of someone who grew up at a time where most little boys still wanted to grow up to play in the Big Leagues.

Baseball is more than an athletic competition. It's a game of strategy, a lengthy, leisurely chess match between two clubs, played out on a larger-than-life, irregular, diamond-shaped gaming board. There is strategy involved in every facet of the game, from how you use your starting pitching, to how you use your bullpen. There also is a massive amount of strategy involved in how one sets up the batting order. And this is where we veer off from talking about what used to be America's pastime to talking about our current President.

What in the world does baseball have to do with the Presidency? Admittedly, the two have naught to do with one another, unless you look at the president and vice president as the four and five hitters in your line up. O.K., bear with me for a minute. For the uninitiated, the top of the order's – the 1 and 2 hitters – jobs are to just get on base regularly, and advance the runners from the bottom of the order later in the game. The 3, 4 and 5 spots are your power spots. Their job is to bring the runners at the top of the order home. The 3 and 5 spots are used, in the modern game, as protection for the hitter in the 4 spot. If you don't protect that 4 hitter, aka the clean-up man, he won't be able to do his job (hit long balls) because the pitching staff of your opposition will intentionally walk the power hitter in the 4 slot to get to the hitter behind him that doesn't hit so well.

President Trump is currently batting in the clean-up slot for Team America, Mike Pence is the protection. I believe that this is completely calculated by the front office at Fascist Sporting USA, Inc. Already, there are people who balk at the idea of impeaching (pitching out) DJT because they view Pence as just as big a problem in this fictional lineup. Our metric will be the hot button issues of women's rights, civil rights, LBGTQ+ rights and immigration. Let's compare their power numbers, shall we?

Women's Rights

Trump and Pence are both a nightmare when it comes to women's rights. Pence has been openly quoted by the L.A. Times as saying in a Grand Rapids, Michigan town hall meeting, “I'm pro-life and I don't apologize for it. We will see Roe vs. Wade consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs.”

Pence also spoke at the March for Life, an annual protest against reproductive rights held in Washington, D.C.

Mr. President, how do you feel about women?

The President also recently reinstated, by executive order, the Reagan era “Mexico City Policy” which strips federal funds from overseas organizations that talk about abortion as part of family planning counseling. The World Health Organization posted a study that suggests that exposure to the MCP actually increased abortions in areas that had high exposure to the policy. The WHO concluded that, "With growing international emphasis on reducing maternal mortality, in keeping with Millennium Development Goal 5, our findings suggest that this United States policy may have unrecognized – and unintended – health consequences."

Civil Rights

Civil rights issues? The White House website removed the civil rights policy page within hours of the inauguration, replacing it with "Standing Up For Our Law Enforcement Community."

"The dangerous, anti-police atmosphere in America is wrong. The Trump administration will end it," says the web page. "Our country needs more law enforcement, more community engagement, and more effective policing," it later continues.

Anti-police? Really? How about, make sure I'm proven guilty before summary judgement on the street?

Mr. Pence?

In the video above Pence alludes to not believing that African-American police officers can have implicit bias. Studies by Project Implicit have shown that African Americans can have implicit biases toward other African Americans. I know, I took one of their tests and it was shown that I have a slight preference for whites over my own people.

LBGTQ+ Rights

How do Der Fuhrer and our VP compare here?

The following is an excerpt from a January 2016 Trump interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday:

WALLACE: But, Mr. Trump, let's take one issue. You say now that the Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriage is the law of the land and that any politician who talks about wanting to amend the Constitution is just playing politics. Are you saying it's time to move on?

TRUMP: No, I'm saying this. It has been ruled up. It has been there. If I'm a, you know, if I'm elected, I would be very strong on putting certain judges on the bench that I think maybe could change things.

But they've got a long way to go. I mean, at some point, we have to get back down to business. But there’s no question about it. I mean most -- and most people feel this way. They have ruled on it. I wish that it was done by the state. I don't like the way they ruled. I disagree with the Supreme Court from the standpoint they should have given the state -- it should be a states' rights issue. And that's the way it should have been ruled on, Chris, not the way they did it.

This is a very surprising ruling. And I -- I can see changes coming down the line, frankly. But I would have much preferred that they ruled at a state level and allowed the states to make those rulings themselves.

WALLACE: But -- but just to button this up very quickly, sir, are you saying that if you become president, you might try to appoint justices to overrule the decision on same-sex marriage?

TRUMP: I would strongly consider that, yes.

These are the President's own words. He would strongly consider justices that would overturn the Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage, in favor of letting the states decide. This goes along with the knowledge that some states would be quick to strike down the rights of the LBGTQ+ community to exercise the same rights to misery as any other American.

Pence spoke out against the repeal of Don't ask Don't Tell in a 2010 CNN interview, saying:

"There's no higher priority for the national government than to provide for the common defense. We ought not to use the American military as a backdrop for social experimentation or debating domestic policy issues. The focus ought to be on readiness, it ought to be on recruitment, it ought to be on retention, unit cohesion."

Pence also released the following statement in 2015 regarding the SCOTUS decision on gay marriage as reported by Fox affiliate WTHI:

“Like many Hoosiers, I believe marriage is the union between one man and one woman, and I am disappointed that the Supreme Court failed to recognize the historic role of the states in setting marriage policy in this country..."

Although Pence's statement included that his state would follow the law, the beginning portion clearly dictates his stance that the LGBTQ+ community does not deserve the same rights as other Americans.

Immigration

Trump recently signed an executive order that suspended visa issuance to citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia for 60 days. These Muslim-majority countries are on a list of state sponsors of terror, but this blanket ban on visas affects all citizens from these countries. The order also suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, and declares the admission of Syrian nationals as refugees detrimental to the interests of the United States indefinitely. When the country begins to accept refugees again, the order states that victims of religious persecution will be prioritized provided that their religion is a minority religion in that region (read Christians will be prioritized over Muslims).

What no one is talking about is the provision that says:

The Secretary of Homeland Security shall expedite the completion and implementation of a biometric entry-exit tracking system for all travelers to the United States, as recommended by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

That is scary stuff. I'm immediately suspicious of any program by which a government chooses to track the movements of people through biometrics. With our government currently teetering perilously on the edge of the precipice of fascism, this clause is of particular concern to me.

Continuing on, it is quite interesting that the conservative-leaning think tank, the Cato Institute reports,

"From 1975 to the end of 2015, 20 refugees have been convicted of attempting or committing terrorism on U.S. soil, and only three Americans have been killed in attacks committed by refugees—all in the 1970s."

I haven't seen any data that suggests our current vetting system is flawed enough to require a six month shut down.

Trump also signed an order that requested from Congress tax dollars to build his wall along the Mexican border. And former NYC Mayor, Rudy Giuliani was asked to set up a commission to figure out how to make a blanket ban on all Muslims a legal reality.

What does Pence say on immigration?

This tweet by, then Indiana Governor, Pence was sent in 2015. Hopeful right? Wrong. According to the Indiana state website, Pence issued this statement also in 2015:

“In the wake of the horrific attacks in Paris, effective immediately, I am directing all state agencies to suspend the resettlement of additional Syrian refugees in the state of Indiana pending assurances from the federal government that proper security measures have been achieved..."

So, again, the numbers are pretty even.

The two politicians see pretty much eye-to-eye on most policy issues. While Pence may be the more level-headed option, his policy leanings make him effective line-up protection for Trump. Meaning that if we get Trump out, we will have to still deal with Pence who is warming up in the on-deck circle. At this point our only hope is that the American people can get two quick outs and try to work with Paul Ryan (third in line of succession) across party lines to avert the looming crisis that is this presidency. What do I mean? Well...

The Ryan Effect

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is third in the line of succession to the Presidency which makes him the number 6 hitter in our line-up. Let's see how his power numbers measure up. For this purpose, unless otherwise noted, we will be using Ryan's record according to thepoliticalguide.com.

Reproductive Rights

• In 2011 Ryan voted to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood.

• During the Obama administration, Ryan voted in favor of keeping the Mexico City Policy.

• Ryan has a record of sponsoring or co-sponsoring pro-life legislation, including the Right to Life Act, the Sanctity of Human Life Act, and the Protect Life Act. All of the listed legislation were attempts at legally establishing that life begins at conception.

Civil Rights

• In 2012 Ryan voted in favor of the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act, which is the controversial legislation that set up what are now know as free speech zones. Detractors see this as limiting constitutionally-protected rights to protest. We should note that this legislation was passed in the house with only three representatives voting against.

• Ryan did vote in favor of the Free Flow of Information Act in 2007. This protected journalists from being forced to divulge confidential sources provided that the information leaked was not classified in nature

The above video is Ryan Speaking about Black Lives Matter and deftly avoiding a baited question.

LBGTQ+ Rights

• Ryan voted against the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.

• In 2004 and 2006 Ryan voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would have legally defined marriage as being between one man and one woman.

• Ryan also voted in favor of the Marriage Protection Act of 2004 which would have made same-sex marriage illegal, nation wide.

Immigration

• Ryan doesn't support a unilateral ban on all Muslims.

• He does, however, support Trump's travel ban, but believes that some of the rhetoric surrounding it could be used as a recruiting tool for terror organizations.

Now, I may disagree with Speaker Ryan on many issues, and still think that he isn't a great option. However, I can envision him as someone who is a better option at the 6 than are our 4 and 5 hitters because he seems willing to work across party lines and isn't as caught up in rhetoric.

Of course, this theory assumes that extreme right-wing Presidential advisor Steve Bannon, who is a self avowed Leninist and accused anti-Semite, doesn't pinch hit at the bottom of the 9th inning. If only politics had free agency.

What do you think? We welcome your comments.

#Government #CivilLiberties #trump #Immigration #LGBT #womensrights