Friday, February 12, 2016

What's Next?

A reader asked me recently where I've been and hoping all is well.  It brought home the point I haven't been posting on a regular basis for some time.  Partly because of obligations other than tapping away on a key board and partly because this year's political scenario has become foreign to me and likely to get worse.

In some ways I'm elated.  The voting public has been telling the "establishment" they don't much care for how we're being governed.  A lot of the candidates still don't get it either or don't know how to function outside the mold.  It has left an open field for the mavericks.

Take Bernie Sanders.  Though a sitting Senator he really had'nt been in the public eye until he decided to run for President.  Having lit a fire under a huge part of his Democrat/Independent/Socialist followers he has becom a threat to behold. It mazes me how popular his stands seem to be.  Maybe it isn't that at all but rather his energy and sincerity as to what he'd like to see.

Okay.  I can't vote for him.  Nor can I vote for Hillary.  For very different reasons. With Bernie it's his tax to the hilt policies and Hillary is self-explanatory, she's too self serving to be polite boyut it.

On the Republican side I'm equally disturbed. Trump has now said he can change his rude and crude ways.  That remains to be seen. I've written a lot about his appeal and that hasn't changed, but the rest of the field doesn't say much for the Republican party.  First I don't care for all the referrals to how much they pray and what good people they are.  Save it for church. Secondly no one is explaining exactly how they plan to put in place their policies if they have a Congress that is not friendly to them.  I don't know anyone who feels the new Republican dominated House and Senate have come close to delivering on their promises.  Even with a new Speaker, they as a whole remain weak.

I don't know how Trump plans to do what he says either but I think voters who form his base think he can and will.  He could use executive fiat as much as Obama has.  I cringe at the thought.  I do think you'll see a whole lot of new faces at Cabinet level positions who are not politicians.  People who actually have experience in the fields which they would manage.

Other than Trump and Carson I see more of the same cronyism as we have always had - on both sides.  Carson isn't going to get the nomination I'm sure.  I can't say the same about Trump so I'm constantly looking for the good side.  My candidate bowed out after New Hampshire because she couldn't catch on.  The same is true with Carson.  He has his base but it just isn't big enough.

Cruz , modern day Elmer Gantry that he is, Rubio the robot, and Kasich have lost me. I think Trump has really said more than any of them, but then he's getting the press.

Then there's Jeb.  You know, the other Bush.  Running as Jeb to downplay the Bush name is now bringing in older brother George and 90 year old Mom to push his case.  Sorry, I think it's pretty weak to ask your 90 year old mother to stump for you.  In Jeb's case I don't think all the money in the world can make him appealing.

Long story short this is pretty much what I've been weighing when absent from here.  Everything is still up in the air because the candidates, except Trump and in some cases Sanders,  are too scripted.  If I want adherence to a script I'll go to legitimate theater.  I don't like it in politics.


3 comments:

Linda said...

Oh my, it's gotten so bad I'm in agreement with you, except on your choice of a candidate. Everything else, I hear you. It's bad, real bad. I see why Bernie is doing so well, he has passion and enthusiasm. He's a new voice. I think a lot of us Democrats are Hillary weary. It's like the party can't move on until Hillary gets off the stage. The other thing I'm not looking forward to is all the White House investigations & calls for impeachment the minute Hillary walks through the door. I can hardly bear to think about it. I am a Democrat and I always vote. I may have to vote for her but it won't be with any passion or enthusiasm. The Republican side is equally bad. Cruz is frightening. We actually have two third party candidates in Trump & Sanders. What a mess.

Word Tosser said...

could not agree with you more... NONE OF ABOVE is looking better every day..
I know it won't make any difference and won't change anything.. but it will
make me feel better than trying to find the lesser of the two evils..

Betty said...

I'm with you, Mari. I am disgusted with the whole bunch. I usually have a lot of fun watching all the candidates vie for position, but, this year, I can't get excited about ANY of them, Republicans and Democrats alike. Bernie has a large following among young people, but, if they manage to make him the candidate, I feel they'll do what they always do. Vote in the primaries and not show up for the general election. I'll vote for Hillary, but I'm not out beating the bushes for her. And, speaking of the Bushes (lol), we've had enough of them in office. It's not a monarchy.

Trump is really making a showing. All this interest in Sanders and Trump makes me wonder if we aren't having that voter revolution we've been predicting for years. This could get interesting.

I also wonder if I'm just too old for all this foolishness.