The Right Way to Resist Trump

Like many, I feel physically sickened at the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency and the parade of horrors likely to be unleashed on the country and which will be disproportionately targeted at minorities, including the LGBT community.  So how does one resist other than simply adhering to the mantra of #NotMyPresident?  An op-ed in the New York Times suggests that non-stop obstruction by Democrats could well prove counter productive and looks at the experience of Italy and Silvio Berlusconi, a man cut out of the same cloth as Mr. Trump.  The piece suggest that Democrats need to work where possible with Trump - e.g., rebuilding infrastructure and/or Wall Street regulation - while opposing toxic policies based on principled positions rather than merely attacking Trump personally.  Like Berlusconi, Trump will quickly provide all kinds of scandals for the media to pounce on, but by making arguments on policies that will harm the working and middle classes is how to win over voters.  Here are column highlights:

Five years ago, I warned about the risk of a Donald J. Trump presidency. Most people laughed. They thought it inconceivable.

I was not particularly prescient; I come from Italy, and I had already seen this movie, starring Silvio Berlusconi, who led the Italian government as prime minister for a total of nine years between 1994 and 2011. I knew how it could unfold.

Now that Mr. Trump has been elected president, the Berlusconi parallel could offer an important lesson in how to avoid transforming a razor-thin victory into a two-decade affair. If you think presidential term limits and Mr. Trump’s age could save the country from that fate, think again. His tenure could easily turn into a Trump dynasty.

Mr. Berlusconi was able to govern Italy for as long as he did mostly thanks to the incompetence of his opposition. It was so rabidly obsessed with his personality that any substantive political debate disappeared; it focused only on personal attacks, the effect of which was to increase Mr. Berlusconi’s popularity. His secret was an ability to set off a Pavlovian reaction among his leftist opponents, which engendered instantaneous sympathy in most moderate voters. Mr. Trump is no different.

Unfortunately, the dynamic has not ended with the election. Shortly after Mr. Trump gave his acceptance speech, protests sprang up all over America. What are these people protesting against? Whether we like it or not, Mr. Trump won legitimately.

These protests are also counterproductive. There will be plenty of reasons to complain during the Trump presidency, when really awful decisions are made. Why complain now, when no decision has been made? It delegitimizes the future protests and exposes the bias of the opposition.

Even the petition calling for members of the Electoral College to violate their mandate and not vote for Mr. Trump could play into the president-elect’s hands.

The Italian experience provides a blueprint for how to defeat Mr. Trump. Only two men in Italy have won an electoral competition against Mr. Berlusconi: Romano Prodi and the current prime minister, Matteo Renzi (albeit only in a 2014 European election). Both of them treated Mr. Berlusconi as an ordinary opponent. They focused on the issues, not on his character. In different ways, both of them are seen as outsiders, not as members of what in Italy is defined as the political caste.

The Democratic Party should learn this lesson. It should not do as the Republicans did after President Obama was elected. Their preconceived opposition to any of his initiatives poisoned the Washington well, fueling the anti-establishment reaction (even if it was a successful electoral strategy for the party). There are plenty of Trump proposals that Democrats can agree with, like new infrastructure investments.  . . . . Some details might be different from a Republican plan, but it will add credibility to the Democratic opposition if it tries to find the points in common, not just differences.

And an opposition focused on personality would crown Mr. Trump as the people’s leader of the fight against the Washington caste.

Democrats should also offer Mr. Trump help against the Republican establishment, an offer that would reveal whether his populism is empty language or a real position. For example, with Mr. Trump’s encouragement, the Republican platform called for reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act, which would separate investment and commercial banking. The Democrats should declare their support of this separation, a policy that many Republicans oppose.

Finally, the Democratic Party should also find a credible candidate among young leaders, one outside the party’s Brahmins. The news that Chelsea Clinton is considering running for office is the worst possible. If the Democratic Party is turning into a monarchy, how can it fight the autocratic tendencies in Mr. Trump?

Vatican Slams "Licentious Conduct" of Italian Elite

Hypocrisy has a name: The Vatican. After being implicated in a world wide plan of enabling and covering up the sexual molestation of tens of thousands of children and youths, the Vatican has slammed the behavior of Italy's political elite - including Benedict XVI's BFF Silvio Berlusconi- for their sexual improprieties. I'm no fan of Berlusconi who I consider to be a disgusting, nasty satyr (and homophobic bigot), but for the Vatican and/or the Catholic Church hierarchy to be casting stones in respect to sexual behavior is beyond ludicrous. Especially given the previous rumors about Benedict XVI and his personal secretary (pictured at right) who has followed Benedict everywhere throughout his rise in power. The New York Times looks at this Italian sh*t storm. Here are some highlights:

ROME — Over the last several years, the Roman Catholic Church in Italy has largely looked the other way as reports emerged of sex and corruption scandals among the country’s political elite, many of them centered on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. But a recent published account of a party at Mr. Berlusconi’s home, where one female guest was said to have performed a striptease dressed as a nun, might have been more than the church could stand.

This week the church lashed out, issuing its strongest reprimands yet of Italy’s ruling class, deploring “behavior that not only goes counter to public decorum but is intrinsically sad and hollow.” Italians “look on their public leaders with consternation, and the image of the country abroad has been dangerously weakened,” Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference

Though Cardinal Bagnasco did not single out Mr. Berlusconi — who is in court fighting several corruption charges and accusations of having sex with a minor, and has lately become embroiled in a scandal involving prostitutes paid to attend parties at his villas — the cardinal spoke of “licentious conduct and improper relationships that damage society.” And he blasted a governing class preoccupied with itself while Italian citizens struggled to make ends meet.

Critics like Mario Staderini, a member of the Radical Party who has been fighting to eliminate fiscal privileges for the church, say that the church has treaded lightly in past years to avoid alienating a center-right government that has continued to offer tax breaks for church-owned properties and commercial activities, while supporting Catholic schools and Vatican positions on questions like common-law marriage, living wills and some forms of assisted fertility. All of those practices are illegal in Italy.

Officially, the government has not responded to the church’s criticisms. But on Wednesday, Umberto Bossi, the leader of the Northern League and a crucial Berlusconi ally, said that instead of faulting the government, “bishops should say more Masses.”

I do not like either the center right government and Berlusconi or the Vatican. Hence, it's fun to watch the two factions go at each other. Neither faction, in my opinion, could give a damn about average Italians. The Vatican is pissed that the Berlusconi government hasn't delivered on promises and/or has set up conservatives and Vatican boot lickers for condemnation.

"Gay Outing" Campaign Rocks Italian Politics

Unlike many, I fully support "outing" conservative politicians who vote against legal protections for LGBT citizens and then hypocritically go out cruising for gay sex themselves. Historically, the press has been to reticent about exposing the hypocrisy and revealing these politicians for the sleazy bags that they are. This has long been the case in Italy - at least until now. A U.S. based website has named 10 prominent Italian political figures as closet cases and the proverbial sh*t has hit the fan in Italy. Frankly, it's entertaining to watch hypocrites get taken down and for the message be broadcast that anti-gay voting can and will have consequences. Here are some highlights from a Scotland Herald story:

With Italian newspapers awash with stories about the unorthodox heterosexual activities of Silvio Berlusconi, a group of gay activists have caused outrage by publishing a list of leading politicians accused of hypocrisy for opposing equal rights for homosexuals while being secretly homosexual themselves.

The 10 names published on a US-based website included a minister, a powerful undersecretary and a regional governor known for his taste in lively floral shirts. . . . All the politicians, some very close to the prime minister, are from parties that support the government and are blamed for stifling legislation that would recognize same-sex civil unions and increase penalties for homophobic violence.

Organisers of the website, which published a simple list of 10 names under the headline “Outinglist 23 September” surrounded by the rainbow colours associated with Gay Pride, said their action was intended to restore justice “in a country where people have no defence against the daily attacks and insults coming from a hypocritical and nasty political class”.

The anonymous bloggers said the Italian parliament was dominated by hypocrisy and discrimination and they were ready to publish the identities of other politicians, from all parties, whose real sexual orientation was known to them. “From now on whenever the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community comes under attack from the Catholic hierarchy, the media or politics we reserve the right to respond appropriately,” the organisers said.

Despite published allegations that the prime minister watched young women perform stripteases initially dressed as nuns and that he mockingly blessed their bodies while holding a crucifix in his hand, the Vatican has proffered no public words of moral condemnation. Yet the Catholic Church maintains its strong moral stance against homosexuality, condemning homosexual acts as “morally disordered” and exerting influence on parliament to prevent the passage of laws that would give equal recognition to same-sex couples as to the traditional heterosexual family.

With the psychological mindset that thrived under fascism still surviving to some extent even today, the accusation of being a closet homosexual is particularly damaging to politicians of the red-blooded right.

Italy Rejects Anti-Homophobia Bill

Italy apparently wants to tell the world that its not welcoming to LGBT individuals and supports anti-gay religious bigotry. Why so? Because the lower house of the Italian Parliament rejected a bill that would have protected lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans individuals from discrimination. I'm an advocate of boycotting countries that are not welcoming to LGBT people. Unfortunately, it's too late to change travel plans for a western Mediterranean cruise the boyfriend and I will be taking in October which has ports of call in Italy. However, I do plan to make sure we spend as little as possible in Italy and focus our purchases in Spain and France rather than Italy. For those unhappy with the support of bigotry in Italy, let the Italian tourism bureau hear about your displeasure (I have already done so). You can submit your comments here. Pink News has details on the vote. Here are highlights:
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Italy’s parliament has rejected a bill to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people from discrimination. The Chamber of Deputies voted yesterday 293 votes to 250 not to approve the legislation. Gay rights campaigners have called on the European Union to step in.
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Italy already bans discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, ethnicity and nationality but campaigners say rising numbers of homophobic and transphobic attacks means LGBT people need more protection.
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Nicola Duckworth of Amnesty International said: “In addition to passing the right laws, authorities and politicians should set the example. “They should promote equality and non-discrimination and refrain from and condemn derogatory and discriminatory remarks that foster a climate of intolerance.”
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Italy also bars gay couples from marrying or adopting children. Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is on record for opposing gay rights, although gay campaigners claim his alleged affairs with minors make him a hypocrite. Last year, the Italian leader brushed off criticism, saying: “It’s better to be passionate about beautiful women than to be gay.”
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If I wanted to have absolutely no non-discrimination protections, I could stay right here in the backwater known as Virginia.

Berlusconi Sex Scandal Embarrassing for Vatican

Personally, I find it hysterically funny that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi - a sycophant of the Vatican - has been indicted for having sex with an underage prostitute. The indictment underscores the fact that Berlusconi is of about the same level of moral bankruptcy as the current occupant of the throne of St. Peter. Berlusconi has happily pushed the Vatican's anti-modernity agenda and done all he can to frustrate sexual freedom for Italians, both gay and straight. Meanwhile, Berlusconi's personal conduct has been akin to a nasty old satyr and has made a mockery of the Vatican's supposed rules regarding sexual conduct. Berlusconi and the Vatican truly deserve one another and the fact that Berlusconi's morals are pretty much in the gutter clearly corresponds with those of the child rapist protectors within the Vatican's walls. A post at Huffington Post explores the well deserved embarrassment accruing to the Vatican Here are highlights:
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Berlusconi's stands against euthanasia, living wills, in-vitro fertilization and domestic partnerships have put his country in line with Catholic teaching, and out of sync with all other major countries in the region, including traditionally Catholic Spain. His government has also granted large financial subsidies to Catholic schools, and expanded tax breaks for church-owned businesses.
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Yet in Berlusconi's increasingly public personal life, the billionaire businessman-turned-politician is not exactly a model of Catholic values. After months of ever more graphic reports of wild parties and sex with young women, including several alleged prostitutes, a judge on Tuesday (Feb. 15) ruled that Berlusconi must face trial on April 6 on charges of paying for sex with a minor and obstruction of justice.
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Catholic bishops have several strong reasons to refrain from openly criticizing Berlusconi now. The most obvious is that the church needs the cooperation of his center-right government to pursue its legislative agenda.
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Another factor inhibiting Italian church leaders in the Berlusconi matter, Franco said, may be last year's controversies over clergy sex abuse in several European and Latin American countries, which undermined the church's moral authority in the eyes of many critics.
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Still, the pressure on church leaders to break with the prime minister may grow too strong to resist. An anti-Berlusconi demonstration by hundreds of thousands of Italian women on Sunday (Feb. 13) won the endorsement of the editor of the Italian bishops' official newspaper; one of the most prominent speakers at the rally in Rome was a 70-year-old nun who is also an activist against sex trafficking.
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Berlusconi bears a striking resemblance to the American GOP hypocrites who laud "family values" yet then commit adultery, troll for gay sex, vote for policies that undermine the finances of working families, and gay bash for politic points.

A Gay Prime Minister for Italy?

I recently wrote about the legal problems facing Italian Prime Minister Silvio "I Can't Keep My Zipper Closed" Berlusconi who cannot keep himself away from young prostitutes. Now Berlusconi - and his allies at the Vatican - may be facing some interesting Divine justice as a confidence vote approaches. Berlusconi's principal rival for the post appears to be Nichi Vendola, the openly gay governor of the southern Italian state of Apulia. Needless to say, a victory for Vendola (pictured above) would be sweet for many reasons, not the least of which is because it would drive the bitter old queens in dresses at the Vatican berserk. And given Berlusconi's unbridled sexual escapades, Vendola would look like a pillar of sexual morality in contrast. In addition, a Vendola victory would show that Italy is sliding out of the grip of the Church as has happened in Spain and Argentina where civil marriage is now legal for same sex couples. The Washington Post looks at the story and here are some highlights:
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Many of the frustrated Italians gathering in the surrounding squares hoped this gay, Catholic, ex-communist poet whom the media has dubbed - partly in jest and partly in earnest - "the white Obama" would take the premier's place.
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Improbably, Vendola is positioned to become the next leader of Italy. His ascent from regional governor to national phenomenon has coincided with what increasingly looks like the decline of Berlusconi. The media mogul barely survived the Dec. 14 confidence vote, and in the past few weeks he has suffered the erosion of his governing coalition and the evaporation of his cherished immunity from prosecution. This week, Italian papers published wiretapped phone conversations connected to allegations that the 74-year-old paid for sex with multiple young women, including Karima El Mahroug, a teenage nightclub dancer nicknamed "Ruby Heartstealer."
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In 2005, Vendola stunned the opposition establishment and then the right-leaning power structure to win election as the governor of the socially conservative Apulia. In March, he comfortably won reelection and has since sought to raise his national profile.
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In a rare moment of understatement, Vendola said his parents reacted "not well" to his coming out. The breakthrough came, he said, decades later, when, in 2000, he addressed thousands of gay demonstrators at the World Pride march in Rome. After his speech, he received a call from his mother. " 'It's a shame we are old and couldn't come. You know, your dad was saying, maybe we should ask your forgiveness,' " Vendola recalled her saying. "I don't think I ever cried like that in my life. I think I cried for a couple of days."
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Vendola argued that, in Italy, Catholicism is more cultural than religious. When everyone is nominally Catholic, there is a lot more flexibility and acceptance. "I have a lot of nuns among my fans," he insisted. "In Italy there are parishes that distribute my discourses."
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I hope Vendola wins - if nothing else so as to turn the political establishment upside down for a much needed shake up.

Italy's Anti-Gay Berlusconi Had Many Prostitutes

One can only assume that Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has been taking notes from Louisiana's prostitute loving U. S. Senator David Vitter in that Berlusconi is virulently anti-gay, apparently finds it impossible to keep his zipper up around women who are not his wife, and claims to be the champion of religious values and friend of the Vatican's anti-gay jihad. The hypocrisy is stunning - especially as reports are coming out that Berlusconi frequented many prostitutes, including one reportedly who was still a minor. If the later charge proves true, it would be Divine justice to see Berlusconi prosecuted and convicted. Time magazine looks at the bigoted Berlusconi's legal problems which I for one hope intensify. Here are some highlights:
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Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi had sex with a significant number of prostitutes, Milan prosecutors alleged Monday in documents seeking authorization to search some of his properties.
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The prosecutors are leading a probe aimed at determining if the 74-year-old media mogul paid for sex with a 17-year-old Moroccan girl nicknamed Ruby who attended parties at one of his villas last year. Prostitution isn't a crime in Italy, but exploiting or aiding prostitution with minors is.
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The scandal, which exploded Friday with word that Berlusconi was under investigation, gained momentum Monday with the arrival in parliament of a nearly 400-page dossier from prosecutors on the case.
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The teen, now 18, has said she was among a bevy of young women invited to parties at Berlusconi's Arcore villa near Milan. She has said in a TV interview that the premier last year gave her euro 7,000 ($9,000) to help her financially.
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Prosecutors want police to search an apartment complex in Segrate, near Milan, which includes the offices they alleged could contain documentation that young women were given money and rent-free apartments — in another residential complex — by Berlusconi in compensation for prostitution.
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Among those associates prosecutors alleged helped procure the prostitutes are a young woman who is now a provincial government official from Berlusconi's party; a longtime executive in the premier's private TV empire, and a talent agent for entertainment programs.

Prime Minister Berlusconi 's X-Rated Parties

One of the principal allies of the Vatican in the fight against gay rights in Italy is Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who claims to be a "family values" type of guy. I previously looked at his wife's announcement that she was divorcing him in part because of his affair with an 18 year old model. Now, the proverbial shit is hitting the fan as photos - like the one at left - from some of Silvio's parties have been printed by the news media. How do we spell HYPOCRISY?? Adding to the stink is the fact that Berlusconi has apparently been using government funds to transport his party crowds to his villa. I suspect the Vatican will pretend to know nothing about Berlusconi's partying habits. As America Blog notes:

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Spanish newspaper El Pais published a few photos of a party that Berlusconi was hosting at one of his houses. The photos include a few naked women as well as a former Czech prime minister who is, ahem, excited at the idea of taking a shower or whatever excuse Berlusconi tried to offer.

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It would seem that Berlusconi's about as much of a family values guy as Senator David Vitter who has a fondness to prostitutes. Hopefully, this scandal will help usher Berlusconi out of the Prime Minister post. Here are a few highlight from an English translation of the El Pais story:

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Zappadu's photo feature shows the atmosphere at Villa Certosa, the people with whom Berlusconi socializes and how he spends his spare time. The property covers 60 hectares and is near Porto Redondo, an area concentrating most of the tourism of Costa Smeralda.

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Those pictures have led to an investigation of Berlusconi?s alleged illegal use of flights financed by the State. The journalist says that "almost every weekend", official planes flown by the 31º Squadrone dell' Aeronautica Italiana delivered at the airport the prime Minister's friends, artists, dancers and velinas (television hostesses).

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On August 2008, Berlusconi passed a new regulation that broadened the official flights to include different categories of companions, based on the needs of the Prime Minister.Zappadu's pictures bear witness to the fact that four months before the new regulation came into effect, Berlusconi travelled to Olbia with his friend the Napolitanian singer Mariano Apicella and an alleged flamenco dancer.

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The pictures from Villa Certosa reveal that there is an obvious lack of inhibitions in the mansion, which is protected by strong security measures. Berlusconi himself said that one of the men in the pictures is the Czech ex-Prime Minister, Mirek Topolanek. This newspaper has not been able to check the identity of the man who appears naked in one of the photos.

Anti-Gay Prime Minister Berlusconi Sued for Divorce

Apparently, hypocrisy among supposedly "pro-marriage" politicians is not limited to those in the USA like thrice married Newt Gingrich or prostitute patron David Vitter. We can add Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has followed the Vatican's dictates and consistently opposed marriage or similar legal rights for gays, to the list of hypocrites. As the New York Times is reporting, Berlusconi's SECOND wife says she wants to file for divorce. It seems that Mr. "protect marriage" has been cavorting with other women. But then he met wife number two and commenced an affair was he was married to his first wife. So much for marital vows unless it's a same-sex couple that want to take them. Here are some highlights:

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ROME — Less than a week after writing an open letter that criticized her husband for cavorting with much younger women, the second wife of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says she wants to file for divorce, Italian newspapers reported Sunday.

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“I’d like to close the curtain on our married life,” Veronica Lario, 52, said in an interview with La Repubblica that was published Sunday. A secretary for Ms. Lario confirmed the report. Ms. Lario met Mr. Berlusconi, 72, in 1980, when she was a B-movie actress in Milan and he was a married, up-and-coming real-estate tycoon. They were wed in a civil ceremony in 1990 after having three children.

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She also was incensed at news reports that Mr. Berlusconi had attended the 18th birthday party in Naples of Noemi Letizia, who has posed for magazines semi-nude and has said in interviews that she calls the prime minister “daddy.”

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“That surprised me,” Ms. Lario told ANSA. “Because he never attended the 18th birthday parties of his own children, even if he was invited.” The Turin newspaper La Stampa quoted Ms. Lario as saying on Sunday that she had to begin divorce proceedings: “I was forced to take this step.”