Stick with Your Prez

(Can be sung to the tune of "Stand by Your Man," by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill)

Senator Lindsey Graham soliloquizes about the president:

It can be tough being a Trump fan

When the man's completely lost his mind.

All your visions

And his decisions

Clash, but he's the one with whom you bind.

But you'll support him

And defend him,

Even though his worth is hard to find.

And if you neglect

Your self-respect,

He'll be the one to get behind.

Stick with your prez.

Though he disgusts you clearly,

Pretend you love him dearly,

Or ratings drop. My goodness!

Stick with your prez.

Even though you might despise him,

You'll do whatever the man says.

Stick with your prez.

Stick with your prez.

Even though you might despise him,

You'll do whatever the man says.

Stick with your prez.

-by Bob B (9-29-19)

Whistleblowers, Do Not Falter!

Whistleblowers, do not falter!

Blow those whistles! Sound the alarm!

Although your silence might be safer,

Ultimately, it does more harm.

Whistleblowers, keep exposing

Malfeasance where it occurs.

Even though you have to face

All the wrongdoers' smears and slurs.

Whistleblowers, point out corruption,

Abuse of power, fraud, deceit,

And widespread hypocrisy.

Apply some pressure; turn up the heat.

Whistleblowers, do not fear

Corrupt leaders who call you spies

Merely because you reveal

Their deceptive behavior and lies.

Whistleblowers, be for us

Courageous ones who do what's right.

Let the truth saturate

The findings that you bring to light.

Whistleblowers, do not falter!

Blow those whistles! Sound the alarm!

Although your silence might be safer,

Ultimately, it does more harm.

-by Bob B (9-28-19)

Phone Calls and Cover-ups

Phone calls and cover-ups…

Word to the wise:

Be on the look-out

For secrets and lies.

Betrayal of values…

Truths bite the dust

When a leader

Is one you can't trust.

Mob boss presidents

Running the show…

O how they love

To use quid pro quo!

Oath of office…

A meaningless pledge

For someone who's gone

Over the edge.

Empty promises,

Blame and threats…

What a monster

Corruption begets!

Snake oil for sale…

Ready to try some?

The president

Wants you to buy some.

A false leader,

Stirring up haters,

Says whistleblowers

Are nothing but traitors.

Democracy,

When under attack,

Suffers unless

The people push back.

Phone calls and cover-ups…

Word to the wise:

Be on the look-out

For secrets and lies.

-by Bob B (9-27-19)

Aboard the I-Train

Finally, you did it, Congress!

WHAT took you so long?

For almost three years you've dealt with a man

Who doesn't know right from wrong.

Lying to us and abusing his power

Since day number one,

The man has wreaked inordinate damage.

Can it be undone?

Asking a foreign power for help

To win the next election

Shows how his impropriety

Is carried out to perfection.

Of course he'll scream, "Witch hunt! Witch hunt!"

That's his usual ploy.

He'll play the martyr to his fans

And be the whipping boy.

His team's composed of so many lackeys

Nearly as base as he

Who are willing to lie to protect him

To the nth degree.

Some people were slow to come

On board the impeachment train.

Now the momentum ought to be

Easy to sustain.

Will Trump receive support from his toadies

In Congress? You bet he will.

Although they’ve drunk the Kool-Aid, they

Haven’t had their fill.

There are members of Congress who

Never will condemn

Trump’s devious behavior! Well,

Shame on all of them!

Hop on board the train when it

Reaches the nearest station.

It’s for the sake of all of us that

It reach its destination!

-by Bob B (9-26-19)

A Star's Mangled Manner

DJT:

Oh, look and you'll see that the Chosen One's me.

I just know I'll prevail 'cause my base does what I say.

Regulations must go, and my critics will see

That my tax returns will never see the light of day.

And I'll protect the rights that I've kept in my sights:

Breaks for the wealthy and more favors for whites.

I'll defy any who criticize my ways,

For I crave people's respect, and I want tons of praise.

Oh, look at me now and at all that I've done.

All the fake news won't say just how popular I've been.

Oh, worldwide I'm loved; they say I'm number one.

What's the problem if I make a few bucks now and then?

The emoluments clause is one of those laws,

That only restricts and is loaded with flaws.

I'll defy any who criticize my ways,

For I crave people's respect, and I want tons of praise.

You can call me a star; better yet, if you please,

You can call me your king, but the Second Coming's fine.

Just the thought gives me bliss, makes me weak at the knees.

I will do what I want; I think power's so divine.

So to boost my campaign, no way will I refrain

From making some calls to get help from Ukraine.

I'll defy any who criticize my ways,

For I crave people's respect, and I want tons of praise.

I might lie, cheat, and steal if they are a must.

My power's not up for grabs, and to keep it I must fight.

I will strive to defend all the rich upper crust.

I will sabotage all congressional oversight.

I'll create so much fear and I'll be so severe

That immigrants won't even dare to come here.

I'll defy any who criticize my ways,

For I crave people's respect, and I want tons of praise.

-by Bob B (9-24-19)

Duking It Out

The Dems duked it out last week.

The Democratic debate number three.

At the current time we have

Quite a political potpourri.

Cory Booker had his moments

Of passionate insight, charm, and wit.

Although his polling numbers are down,

Booker showed that he's got grit.

Klobuchar's our Minnesotan.

While sometimes others appear misguided,

She reminds us all what happens

To any house that is divided.

Warren has her plan for this

And her plan for that, which is fine.

Can she keep up the fight and maintain

The strength to toe the party line?

Harris displayed pluck and resolve.

When she speaks, she's on fire.

It's just curious as to why

Her polling numbers are not higher.

One surprise was Beto O'Rourke.

Beto fans have to rejoice:

This prospective candidate

Has all of a sudden found his voice.

Without a doubt, one of the best

Speakers standing there on the stage

Was our veteran Mayor Pete,

Extremely wise for someone his age.

Although Biden is high in the polling,

At times his answers seem disjointed.

I start with high expectations,

But end up feeling disappointed.

Castro went after Joe Biden.

But sadly Castro's condemnation

Appeared to come less from strength

And more out of desperation.

Yang has managed to keep afloat.

But what's this crazy idea he has

About wanting to buy your vote?

A little political razzmatazz?

Bernie, well…Bernie's Bernie.

But why does he have to be so gruff?

After his rants, one wants to say,

"Enough already, Bernie, enough!"

It's early still and hard to know

Who will advance and who will flop.

But I would vote for ANYONE

Over the current man at the top!

-by Bob B (9-15-19)

The Cup of Tea*

A university professor

Wanted to learn more about Zen,

A subject that he had never paid

Much attention to till then.

Of course, he had read many books

Explaining the various Buddhist sects

And figured that his overall knowledge

Would help him with Zen in many respects.

Meeting with the Zen master

Of a local Buddhist temple, he

Watched without speaking as

The master poured him a cup of tea.

The knowledge-hungry professor sat

Quietly, mentally exploring

The meeting room, while the sage

Sat before him, pouring and pouring.

Soon the cup was overflowing.

"Sensei,** when are you going to quit

Pouring tea into the cup?

It's full; no more tea will fit,"

Said the professor. The master looked

At the young professor and calmly said,

"Like this cup, you are full

Of preconceptions in your head.

"You have read and studied a lot;

On many subjects, you're well versed.

But how can I show you Zen

Unless you empty YOUR cup first?"

-by Bob B (9-11-19)

*An old Zen anecdote retold here in verse

**teacher

Madness in Trumplandia

Madness pervades Trumplandia

As Donald Trump basks in delusion.

Lies to cover up other untruths

Are being told in mass profusion.

Cover-ups require deceit.

We can observe how they smother

The truth, for daily we are seeing

One cover-up after another.

When Trump is wrong, heaven forbid

That he admit his gaffe or mistake!

His violent storm of lies will leave

Mass confusion in its wake.

To rally support, he needs his team

Of sycophants to back his tales,

Which looks even more absurd.

The man has clearly gone off the rails.

Then he calls his henchmen forth

To use all their ammunition

To pressure officials in agencies

To lie for Trump or lose their position.

All the corruption, all the abuse

Of power is madness in every sense.

The president is living out

His fantasies at OUR expense.

Investigative journalists

Seeking the truth, in Trump's eyes,

Are the enemy of us the people

When they point out all his lies.

The TRUTH will be HIS nemesis

Instead of being OUR enemy,

For when more people's eyes are opened,

The truth is what will set us free.

-Bob B (9-10-19)

My Sharpie!

(This can be sung to the melody of "Maria" from WEST SIDE STORY.)

DJT:

My Sharpie…

The most wonderful thing I've ever held:

My Sharpie, my Sharpie, my Sharpie, my Sharpie.

All the benefits surrounding it are unparalleled.

My Sharpie, my Sharpie, my Sharpie, my Sharpie…

My Sharpie! My Sharpie!

My Sharpie!

I love what I do with my Sharpie.

We can pull together

Changes in the weather.

You'll see.

My Sharpie!

I've just made a mark with my Sharpie,

And it can be arranged:

History can be changed

By me.

My Sharpie!

Hold it tight and there's no denying

That its power is so mystifying.

My Sharpie…

I'll never stop crying: My Sharpie!

My Sharpie! My Sharpie! My Sharpie! My Sharpie!

My Sharpie! My Sharpie! My Sharpie! My Sharpie!

My Sharpie!

Hold it tight and there's no denying

That its power is so mystifying.

My Sharpie…

I'll never stop crying: My Sharpie!

The most wonderful thing I've ever held:

My Sharpie!

-by Bob B (9-6-19)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyofWTw0bqY&t=10s

Mind Power

Mind power! That's what she says:

Mind power. Understand?

That's what made Hurricane

Dorian turn away from the land,

According to Marianne Williamson,

Candidate for the presidency,

Which makes one wonder whether she's gone

Bonkers with a capital "B."

After the hurricane devastated

The Bahamas with a deadly force,

Williamson claims that mind power

Was able to change the huge storm's course.

Mind power kept the storm

From hammering Florida's coast.

That is why the winds and rain

Inflicted minor damage at most.

But if the mind's that powerful,

What happened to mind power when

The storm headed toward the Bahamas?

It didn’t seem to help much then.

How often has the mind altered

Storms? Hmmm. Check the stats.

I guess this shows that there are wackos

Even among the Democrats!

-by Bob B (9-4-19)

Long Overdue

The rest of the world is totally shocked:

There is no refuting

That we have a serious problem here

With shooting after shooting.

Other countries attack the problem

By swiftly taking action.

Currently, Americans don't

Have that satisfaction.

Legislators beholden to

The gun lobby feel

That if they pass commonsense laws,

They won't have a deal.

A deal? What? Money? Donors?

The fear that they'll lose votes?

Look at all the deaths that their

Failure to act promotes!

Red flag laws? That's a start.

Background checks? A must.

Efforts to stop the violence

Must be more robust!

Assault weapons? They must go.

Instead of getting a boost,

High capacity magazines

Have to be reduced.

Strip the NRA of its power

And weaken its stranglehold

On politicians everywhere.

Weapons must be controlled.

Now THAT is what I call a start--

A commonsense response

To dealing with a deadly threat

And dangerous nonchalance.

We must wonder how many more

Shootings will take place

Before America deals with

The problem face to face.

-by Bob B (9-3-19)

On the Putting Green

A hurricane approaches--

One of the biggest we've seen--

And where's the president?

On the putting green.

Millions are preparing

For the storm to hit,

Still not knowing

What to make of it,

While the president

Spends his Labor Day

Hitting some balls around,

Which, needless to say,

Is his typical manner

Of showing his great concern.

(Just to hear him speak

Makes one's stomach turn.

Here's a man who said

On the campaign trail

He wouldn't have time to golf.

Talk about a tale!)

Think back two years

To Hurricane Maria.

Trump thought he had

The perfect panacea:

Once in Puerto Rico,

Facing a weary crowd,

He tossed them paper towels.

Ah, he felt so proud!

His mindless hypocrisy

Is a tour de force.

I guess each faux pas

Is par for the course.

-by Bob B (9-2-19)