Upcoming Discussion Sessions:
· 9:30am Wednesday March 20 at the JCC on Revere Drive
· 10am Thursday March 21 at the Northbrook Library
· 9am Monday March 25 at the North Shore Senior Center
· 7:15pm Wednesday April 3 at The Lodge
Does Trump’s unflinching
support of White Nationalists embolden racist sectors of America? Is his Wall more
a symbol of “White Guys Fear of Others” than improving national security? Trump
dismisses White Nationalism as “a small group”. Yet it’s growing: all fifty “racial
murders” in 2018 came from the Far Right—double 2017. What motivates Trump to fan
flames that divide our country along racial lines? Why is his emphasis more against
Immigrants and Muslims as “bad guys” when the bigger problem is the dramatic
increase in “home-grown White Guys” racial terrorism?
How significant is
Social Media as a motivator and organizer of racial hatred? Consider the
fact that reasonable folks generally will not take extreme actions all alone—but
may readily “join in” when wrapped up as part of a “mob”. Can a “mob” be
mobilized more easily on line than “on the street”?
How important to our
nation are the words of our President? Is Trump saying there may not be a
peaceful transfer of power if he loses the 2020 election? Aren’t these words
we’d expect from an Authoritarian leader, like Mussolini: “If I lose in 2020, the election is rigged. I have the support of the police,
the military, the Bikers for Trump. I have the tough people. But they don’t
play it tough—until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad,
very bad.” What if 1% of Trump’s most strident supporters see his words as
a call to take up arms to retain a President who doesn’t really “lose” an
election but is “forced out illegally”? How
long can Republicans remain silent?
The head of the
RNC: “I look for moral leadership from my
church. I look for policies from my President”. What moral leadership
should Americans expect from the office of President?
Is Beto the second
coming of Kennedy, or a Democratic fool’s errand that Trump can easily beat? What is his
substance—what does he really stand for? Is “personality” enough to win?
Would an Ultra-Liberal
Democratic nominee allow Trump to ride “fear of Socialism” toward easy reelection? Regardless of nominee, how many Dem’s will sit
out 2020 as they did in 2016?
The House voted
unanimously to release Mueller’s report when done. Should Dem’s forget about
any report driving Trump out of office…and focus instead on beating him in
2020? Pelosi: “Impeachment is so divisive that unless there’s something so compelling
and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path
because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.” Will the new, Liberal rookie class of House
members still demand Impeachment? Is Trump hoping he is Impeached, believing
that would shore up his base before the election?
A dozen GOP Senators
joined all Democrats in rejecting Trump’s “Emergency Action” that negates Congress’
“purse-strings” authority. Will his action to build his Wall be Constitutional?
Trump’s budget asks for $8.6B to fund a Wall most of America doesn’t want. Another
shut-down?
Trump’s 2020
budget looks to implement tougher welfare requirements. He wants
Americans 18-65 to work at least 20 hours a week in a job, a job training
program, or a community service program to secure a range of benefits
federal programs like food stamps, Medicaid, and federal housing…and would come
with a hardship exemption. What are the pro’s and con’s?
Are there valid
reasons for America to see Trump’s tax records? Or is seeking his tax records a
form of harassment, done more for pure political purposes? What if tax records
trigger a primary challenge to the President? Should it be done now so Republicans
can decide?
Democrats won’t let
FOX host a Democratic Primary Debate claiming “extreme bias”. Is it smart to believe
all FOX viewers will vote only for Trump? Could FOX conduct it fairly?
California has ended
the death penalty. Should we discontinue executions nationally?
Pelosi would like to
lower the voting age to 16 and register kids in high school. Are kids old
enough to vote if they’re old enough to drive?
What Party would be helped the most? Why?
What action should the
Administration take if North Korea suspends nuclear talks?
How Conservative is the
Supreme Court? Should Roberts be considered a “swing” vote?
Democrats selected
Milwaukee for their 2020 Convention.
Your thoughts.
Trump, about Rep.
Omar: “Democrats hate Jews…and are the
anti-Jewish Party”. Does this
statement help Netanyahu? Does it move more Jewish Americans to vote Republican?
Why such a double
standard with sentences for white-collar crimes? Is it the “white” part?
Rockets fired at Tel
Aviv from Gaza. Israel responds bombing 100 Gaza sites. What now?
40% of Iowa
Republicans would like to see someone challenge Trump for the nomination. What
would it take for anyone significant to step forward?
What should we make of
chaos in Venezuela? What or who created this mess?
Brit’s Brexit
chaos—STILL zero consensus, and PM May is under siege. What now?
Hollywood stars
(and 50 others) are charged in a $25M college entrance exam cheating scheme. Scam focused on
getting students admitted to elite universities as recruited athletes,
regardless of athletic abilities, and helped them cheat on exams. What lessons are
learned?
Trump says he
likes making daylight saving time permanent.
What are pro’s and con’s?
Jerad and Ivanka received
highest security clearance at the orders Trump—but against the objections of
the Intelligence Community. Trump lied and denied this on TV. The
White House refuses to provide documents. What in their background denied
clearance? Why do we care?
Where is America’s
leadership role in the world under an “America First” foreign policy? How has
killing the Iran deal worked out for the U.S.? How is abdicating a
leadership role in the world helping the United States? Does a “go it alone”
policy embolden Russia and China?
The Administration
wants to add this question to the 2020 Census: “How many in your household are
not U.S. Citizens?”. How might this
question affect the count?
