It's Time for You to Go!

 I was surfing around late yesterday to see what was happening in Ukraine when I came across Donald Trump holding forth at CPAC.

I wish I hadn't. One thing for sure, he hasn't changed except for being a bit more overweight and having a bit more scalp showing through his hair.  Other than that, he doesn't seem to have changed a bit.  Everything that's wonderful with the country is because of him and everything that isn't is due to the stupid people who oppose him.

Do you have any idea how old this has become? He's still on the kick the election was stolen.  He's still on the kick that he 'understands' and admires Putin. Whew.  What a time to be expounding on that theme!

To my way of thinking, the dumb in the room was him! I'd like to think it would so upset the Republicans, they'd take him aside and tell him the party is over - and over him! Yet, I doubt that will happen. For some reason, people still seem to fear him. Oh sure, he can be nasty and can belittle you, but whatever happened to the old defense mechanism from when I was a kid? "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." Ha. 

He did have some policies I agreed with.  He had many I did not agree with. His management style was chaotic. So where are the pluses in him running again? I can't find one.  Not a single one.

He's old. He's boorish and divisive. Perhaps the biggest minus of all is that he would be a lame-duck from the day he takes office because he's already served a term.

I'm sure there are some good Republicans testing the waters. Hopefully, there are also some Democrats who are willing to quit the lockstep routine with their leadership and step forward.

Only time will tell.  I can only be cautiously optimistic, but I for one would sure like to see a whole lot of new faces on the political scene.  Ones who reflect a love for our country and a determination to right the wrongs we've been made to endure because of personal or party agendas.

There was a time when the goal was what's best for the country and let's work out the best way to get there.  A little from one side, a little from the other, and a huge willingness to compromise. That was way back when we were truly the leaders of the free world. Does anyone besides me remember?

Trump's Disservice

You'd think we'd learn.  The second term of a man with no practical experience relating to governing.  Now we're being asked to elect another one.

I've long thought business experience would be a plus but not when the candidate is a buffoon. All politicians have egos, but those we're supposed to choose between beat anything I've ever seen. Trump will set back the possibility of an outsider ever having a chance again for a decade or more.  That leaves our choices to the politicians which are the problem in the first place. It can't get any more complicated can it?

Today, however, is about Trump.  The FOX talking heads tell us the few times Trump actually acts like an adult is the "real" Donald Trump. I'm not convinced.

I'm surprised his ego hasn't clued him in on the fact that he is probably going to lose the election.  At one point I thought he really wanted the job but as gaffes continue and he says he'll just go back to a very good life, I'm wondering if it all started as a joke.  That he was as surprised as many of us that he began winning primaries.  Now his refusal to act "presidential" indicates he really wants out or he's not the smart guy his colleagues would have us believe.  That his personality is the end all.  Forget about policies and country.

If he does lose he'll blame it on all of us.  We'll be bad people, really bad people.  I don't expect him to drop out, he'll just continue blaming others for his drop in the polls.

The curious thing is I don't think Hillary is a shoo in.  Between her health and the e-mail/Clinton Foundation mess, I'm thinking there is a bombshell coming sometime around the end of September or early October.

The Democrats are lucky.  They at least have some viable people to step in.  I don't know the rules for either party but I could see either Tim Kaine or Joe Biden stepping up to the plate.

On the Republican side, who knows?  I'd see a battle between Pence  and probably Cruz who had the second most votes in the primaries.  The fact that he isn't well liked by many in his party would make for another fine mess. With little time to sort it out.

Wrapping up the rambling, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see  that one or the other is out before election day.

Sons of Liberty - What Manner Of Men?

I watched the last episode of Sons of Liberty last evening, the story of the men who came together to form our country.

In real life they were pretty ordinary looking folk.  Certainly not the good looking actors who portrayed them and in some respects raised them to super hero level.  No, they were men like my husband or father or brother.  But those ordinary men did indeed become super heroes.

I wonder if we shall ever see their kind again.  Oh sure, they are out there.  The military  who are pledged to our country in ways many of the rest of us seem to have forgotten.  Ordinary men from a multitude of backgrounds yet embracing one single vision.  Country. America.  All that it was meant to be.

How is it that out of 350 million people in this country we've chosen the most implausible candidates to choose from to be our President. Yes, the government has lost its focus.  It has become more ideological and party oriented than is acceptable.  Yes, things are not getting done and pettiness and nastiness has risen to new levels. It is painful to witness.

I can understand wanting change.  I do too.  But not the change theses two candidates offer.  Both are narcissistic and mean spirited.  Both exaggerate their accomplishments.  Both are integrity challenged.  Neither has the temperament to lead; only to strut and posture and whine.  Neither has any depth of character.

Why did we choose them?  Any one of the other candidates who ran in the primaries would have been far more acceptable if not exciting. We want change?  Not more of same?  Well, with either of these two you get exactly more of same.  Lying, obfuscating, patronizing empty suits who will do anything to elevate themselves rather than the country.

This isn't independence the way our founding fathers envisioned it.  It certainly isn't liberty. The people we're choosing today couldn't hold a candle to the original sons of liberty.  For that we should be ashamed.

Just Wondering

I've pretty much retired from political commentary but on occasion I just have to chime in.  All those who have demanded "change" from the status quo of government should have been more careful about what they wished for.

I agree changes need to be made in both parties but gee whiz folks, this?  We're either going to get Hillary who's credentials are slight and character even more so. Or Trump.  Who has no credentials nor character.  At least not the kind I'd like to see in our president.

So what happens now?  The Republicans never took Trump seriously and now are running scared he might upset their cushy apple cart.  But the people want him.  But do they?  Only 10% of eligible voters even voted in the primaries; divide that among all the candidates  proportionally and he got far less than that.  Yet those votes have given us Trump as the nominee.  It's unsettling.

It's hard to believe any one could have worse negatives than Hillary but Trump does.  In spades. So I'm wondering what he's going to do when he realizes he's likely to lose and lose big.  He doesn't like to lose.  Will he drop out citing the unfairness of it all?  Then what will the Republicans do for a candidate?  I've heard no viable names put forward,  nor can I think of one I would suggest.

So I'm bracing myself for a Hillary presidency.  She doesn't deserve it but the Democrats have no one else either.  The whole mess says a lot about us; how much we haven't cared nor paid attention. We'll pay dearly for it.

Except for a few ramblings like this  on occasion I'm divorcing politics.  Now I have to decide where to go with my blog or if I should just close it down.  Decisions, decisions.

Trump And The Rest Of The Republicans

Every once in awhile when I take a step back from the insanity of politics I try to make some sense of it.  My question to myself today is when did the Republican Party surrender to the conservatives? Especially since the front runner, Trump, is anything but.

He's constantly being given the litmus test and he fails in so many categories I'd think the Republicans who rebuke him would take a step back themselves and try to figure out why.  Maybe, just maybe, it's because for the most part he  and the people who support him aren't as conservative as the powers that be want him to be.

In my day lots of Republicans were socially liberal and fiscally conservative.  That makes me today an independent. Republicans are no longer socially liberal.  Anything but. And not unlike those we fight in distant lands if you don't agree with their point of view you're the worst of the worst and no attention what-so-ever should be paid to you. So far they aren't killing us physically though they are in many other ways.

There used to be a time, after having decided against being a Republican and becoming an Independent, when I could vote a split ticket.  No more.  I understand why so few people vote.  They're expected to march in lock step with the dictates of their parties and many just cannot do so with good conscience.  When the choice is one extreme or another, fewer and fewer are holding their noses while they vote.  They just don't bother. This is true of both parties.

I think Mr. Trump gives a voice to these people.  The more the overpaid and intellectually challenged voices like those of Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck preach their sermons of moral purity the more people turn to a Trump or a Sanders who tell it like it is from their point of view.  No ducking nor dodging.

I don't think Sanders will win the nomination.  If he does I don't think he can win the general.  I hope not anyway.  Not because I don't like him as a person but I do not like what he preaches.  Socialism.

Trump is more centrist than Sanders and that's part of what the people like.  So his demographic is the middle class without a college education. Guess what?  That's a sizeable number of the voting population.  He talks to them.  He gets them feeling like this man can make it better.  He isn't resented for his wealth but admired for how he got it.  He worked for it and his kids are working for their share.

So he's rude and crude.  Yet he runs in circles where that isn't the norm.  Pit him against Mitt Romney and he'll still win because he's the easier to identify with.

To the Republican hierarchy who so wants him to go away be careful what you wish for.  If it isn't what the voters want you lose.  Big time.  Just for once cease your behind the doors conniving and let the people who pay you make the decision.

Will they come out and vote?  For the right candidate I'm betting they will.

On The Brink

We're seeing in real time what happens when the United States relinquishes its position of power in the world.  Forget this leading from behind rubbish.  It's an oxymoron, emphasize the moron.

Another more convoluted one would be negotiating a nuclear agreement with a terror state while the terror state continues to cheat on a current agreement. It is also spreading its tentacles into a multitude of countries in a scheme which will ultimately bring it face to face with ISIL, both wanting the same end.

The Arab States are coming forward.  The U.S. is nowhere to be seen in a leadership role anywhere. A civil war is brewing between Shites and Sunnis and it won't be pretty.  It isn't pretty now.

What's also puzzleing is why are we having these negotiations in the first place if Iran isn't looking to make a bomb, as they insist?  That seems to have gotten lost in the rush for a deal.  They're contridicting themselves by their actions.

This is a lead up to a concern I have about the next Presidential election and the Democrats in particular.  We currently have a President who thinks and behaves as though he is above the law.  He isn't but there is no recourse.  I don't think the founding fathers ever imangined such a person would ever assume the Presidency meaning the people would be to smart to elect such.  Wrong.  We elected him twice for all the wrong reasons.  The first time we misunderstood what he openly told us about his goals.

The second time, why? We didn't think Romney 'understood' the little guy?  We didn't trust his religion?  We knew Obama was on shaky ground with his Benghazi story although the bulk of it didn't come out until after the election.  The suspicions were there never-the-less.

We knew of the escalating flaws in Obamacare.  We knew trouble was brewing at the IRS, along with several other issues. Yet we re-elected him. Like a TV show, were we curious to see how it would play out? Well, we're seeing it.

Now we face 2016 and Hillary.  She expects no challengers yet she has a sack overflowing with ethics questions, misdirections and a paper trail destroyed by her own hands.  We'll soon be free of one who has treated the office of President as his own personal dictatorial pedestal.  Why on earth would we want another to occupy it?  For that is exactly what Hillary wants. We should topple it, never to allow it to rise again.

Come on Democrats.  Harry Reid is retiring.  Hillary will have to groom her own personal savant willing to blindly do her bidding.  I'm sure she will have that in Chuck Schumer if he assumes the leadership.  Promise him face time before a camera and he'll be putty in her hands.

Isn't there anyone wearing the Democrat brand who sees this for what it is and will challenge her for the sake of the country?  Please?

Let's Try For A Governor

The more I look at the potential candidates for the presidency for 2016 the more I find myself waiting for a governor or former governor.  And not Jeb Bush.

Not that I don't like Bush, it's just that I think we need to introduce some new blood and there are plenty to choose from that don't share his name.  He would, however, be better than Hillary who seems to have little more than celebrity to offer.

I look at Ted Cruz, among others, and his grand standing and see that he doesn't want to follow how the game is played in Washington. It is a game and there's little we can do about it except elect people who will ease it back to where it works well for us.  Slash and burn doesn't cut it.

That's why I lean toward a governor.  Someone who has experience in running a multifaceted entity.  That gives us a record to look at.  What does he or she know about trade, environment, education and so forth.  They can be grilled on foreign and defense policy for they will all have to have a policy to offer especially since our current President doesn't and the lack thereof is painfully obvious.

We will be able to see if they delegate or micro manage.  Whether their policies as governors were successful or not and why.  Maybe all states should pass laws that if you hold one office and want to run for another you have to give up the one you hold.  No more going back to the Senate or House if they fail.  That should force them into adopting strong enough positions to give them a chance to succeed rather than merely trying to promote a personal agenda.

It would be nice, too, if we'd adopt regional primaries so the same two or three states don't get to choose the candidates who pander to them then change their positions once nominated or even worse elected.  I won't hold my breath on this one.

It seems we're doomed to have professional politicians running our country.  At least let's choose ones who have some practical experience.  

The Faces Have Changed But Will The Game?

Finally, the mid-term madness is over!  At least the balloting is finished. Now we await the results and I don't mean who won or lost.  It's how the game will be played under new majorities and leadership.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Mitch McConnell's press conference this morning.  He seemed to be a calm voice of reason.  If I've judged his leadership abilities too harshly, however, remains to be seen.

By in large I'm happy with the results - except in my home state.  More on this later.  I liked the fact that the new faces are a relatively young lot.  Perhaps with a calming and experienced hand at the helm progress on a variety of fronts will be made. Perhaps too he will be able to hold the boisterous rebels at bay.

A lot will depend on whether or not the President has an epiphany. I'm not betting on it.  It goes against his nature.  Perhaps, though, the remaining Democrats, as well as certain Republicans, will realize the folly of marching in lockstep with any agenda.  One can hope.

What is discouraging are my home state results.  Idaho is one of the most red states in the nation.  It is claimed if you paint an R on a rock it will get itself elected.  Well, Idaho painted an R on a lot of rocks this go round and sure enough they got elected.  I expect we shall remain near the bottom in just about everything. This is how dysfunction at the national level begins. Cream rises to the top. Even if it's sour it's deemed something special and like dysfunctional schools where children are passed through because it's easier than educating them, we pass our politicians ever upward.

Why is that?  You'd think we'd learn.  Those of us who do are left to suffer the results of those who don't because for some reason they win more elections than we do. If it's because we're too contemptuous to vote than we deserve what we get. The irony is staggering.

It will be a few days before the dust has settled and we get back to what's left of this year.  There is limited time left to get much of anything resolved.  Perhaps that's a good thing.

The cycle begins anew.  Those looking to 2016 will ramp up.  A couple of new faces for the Republicans are beginning to emerge thanks to their victories.  It has also been shown that the Clintons are a force to be reckoned with in not much more than their own minds. For that I am thankful.

Strategists Are The Weather Forecasters Of Politics

After all the dust has settled Wednesday morning will we know what we've gotten?  I don't think so.  Otherwise the tight races wouldn't be anywhere nearly as tight.

It's the strategists, stupid! They're just like weather forecasters.  They're so busy looking at their charts and graphs and trends they forget to look out the window.  Sunny and clear all day. Look out the window.  It's pouring!

Not that it's any comfort, but I think it explains a lot.  Why else would Greg Orman, a professed Independent in Kansas, say he would caucus with which ever party wins.  There's a man with convictions!  Which way is the wind blowing?  In circles like a tornado.  It leaves nothing behind but destruction.

The Republicans have been running a stealth campaign.  Why?  Because their strategists say if they say anything their opponents will be able to take shots at them.  I ask, "So what?"  If you believe in something, say so!  As of right now I have no idea what the Republicans believe in.  There aren't enough true Independents running to make a difference and they couldn't anyway unless they formed their own caucus and stuck with it.

As for the Democrats.  They've had the last six years to show that their vision and policies were what's best for the country.  They have been proven mistaken.  Any one can make a mistake.  It becomes problematic that you refuse to admit it and double down rather than admit you didn't get it right and amend the path.

Basically we're left with the blind leading the blind.  The politicians wall themselves off from the wishes of their constituents for the sake of their lucrative careers.  The strategists are too busy with their charts and models to take the real pulse of the public.  They might be surprised to find that where a tsunami, or at least a decent wave, is predicted the truth is the voters don't see it that way.

They've looked at the rising cost of health car, the lack of really good jobs or  the lack of change in their take home pay and the ever increasing cost of essentials and say, "Hey, those Democrats haven't done so well."  Then they look at the Republicans for a new direction and are met with silence.

The politicians may be facing a tsunami all right.  A tsunami of disinterest and resignation.  It isn't apathy.  It's discouragement.  It will be interesting to see what trickles out to the polls. The strategists should look out the window if for no other reason than to save face over the next couple of days.  I think they'll find most people think they're all wet.

November 5 More Scarey Than October 31

I really fear November 5th. We will then know who will be serving in the House and Senate, with maybe a couple of exceptions waiting for a run off, for at least the next two years.

I have no idea how to make an intelligent decision any more.  From the top down it seems no one is willing to take a stand and stick with it what's more explain it.

Take all the issues the President is going to make decisions on after the election.  Immigration.  What to do about ISIS.  The Keystone Pipeline and on and on.

We really have no idea what we'll be getting.  If the incumbents that have been running from Obama are returned than so will their voting practices and nothing will have changed.  If their opponents win will they keep their campaign promises or succumb to party pressures and become one more sheep doing the bidding of even dumber sheep?

I have seen absolutely nothing in this long and dirty campaign season that gives even a hint that somewhere within the myriad of candidates someone actually gets that the voters are not happy.  They parse the problems into silliness like the War on Women.  Please.

One thing they haven't seemed to grasp is that the policies now in place aren't working.  Unemployment is still way up if you do the math properly and factor in those who have left the workforce.  Unwillingly.  That those great job numbers haven't even brought employment up to what it had been when Obama took office.  Nor are salaries. No truth in advertising here.

I could go on and on but suffice it to say I see nothing much changing. If we oppose the President we'll still be racists.  If we oppose his policies we'll still be un-American.  No one can voice a personal opinion any more without being sullied for having it.

As we trivialize domestic issues into no more than name calling and half truths we still have the rest of the world to contend with.  A world that sees us in a continually diminishing light.  Adversaries are taking advantage of every minute of every day as we flounder with a lack of leadership and therefore direction.  If this weren't bad enough the sophomoric insiders have taken to insulting those who once were our allies and even some of our own high level officials.

With the prevailing attitudes we have much to worry about.  So busy are those in high places at strutting our own self-importance, essential details of mere existence are being ignored.

We can hope the new faces that show up in Congress are of a different ilk.  We can hope the pendulum is swinging back to the side of decency, common sense and cooperation. We can hope.
Unfortunately I don't have much. 

There Are Good Democrats

There are good Democrats just like there are good Republicans.  I'm banking on it because my ballot this year leans heavily Democratic on the local level.  That's saying something in a predominantly Republican area.

The Republicans here, in large part, have gotten lazy and sloppy and too sure of themselves.  It's time for some change.

That being said, back to the Democrats. It angers me that so many are running from the President's policies only because those policies have become detrimental to election or re-election.  If they were so against said policies why didn't they stand up to be counted when it counted?  We know why.  Fear of repercussion.  This is not a Democratic issue alone.  The Republicans do the same thing in order to get their members to march in lock step.

It's wrong, just plain wrong. It's no way to govern. It is expected these protestations are going to fall on deaf ears and the Republicans will be running both houses of Congress come January.  Will we then see compromise?  Will the new Senate majority leader bring bills to the floor for a vote?  So what if the President vetoes them?  A statement will have been made for which only the President will have to answer.

The President has shown in no uncertain terms he has no interest in leading the government nor the country.  I would wonder why he ran in the first place except the answer is obvious. To leave race out of it I'll leave it at ego.

In that vacuum there will be new opportunity for the parties to come together and find workable answers to our many problems.  Hopefully enough like minded people will be elected to make this possible. I hope it's not just wishful thinking. Ideology still holds too much sway.

It's time too to begin looking and listening to those who have been positioning themselves for 2016.  Who is saying what they really believe versus who is trying to please everyone depending where they are speaking.

When Hillary tells us to not believe that businesses create jobs that would only be the truth if she carried it one step further.  Consumers create jobs because then businesses need to hire to keep up with demand.  That is no where near what she was saying.

That's what happens with candidates who expect to be elected on the strength of soundbites rather than substance.

It's time to start listening.  Let's see if we can do a better job of it than the politicians do.

What If The Republicans DO Win?

The news cycles have calmed down a bit over the week end.  The U.S. has finally started sending much needed relief to the Kobani Kurds even though Turkey is not happy about it. What's going on around Baghdad is for another day.

The Ebola hoopla has settled thanks to a lot of people being able to leave quarantine.  Imagine.  Who would ever have thought that our advanced methods of care would be more dangerous to the care givers than what's being done in West Africa.  There's a lesson to be learned there and I think we've learned it.  At least I hope so.

So the news cycled back to the mid-terms and who was likely to win the tight races.  While some say the Republicans are a slam dunk, just as many aren't so sure.  Even the Republican wonks.

There is good reason for this.  It's like they are the stealth party.  Where are they? Who do we know?  Let's see.  McCain, Graham, Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz, Paul, Gowdy.  These are names that just pop into my mind.  None of them are in leadership.

Maybe a Dogwalk solution is needed for the last weeks of campaigning.  If the Republicans win the Senate every leadership position in the House and Senate would be up for grabs.  No more shoo ins because of seniority. They need some leadership with a firm grasp of House and Senate rules along with a personality! Not fire brands, mind you, just a personality.

Toss in an actual agenda for the new leadership to articulate and I'd feel a whole lot better about a lot of things.  Unfortunately, as with most of my Dogwalk solutions, this one has as much of a chance of becoming reality as the Democratic Senate producing a budget.

I'm beginning to relate to partisanship.  There is a lot I'm willing to compromise on but these two items are not negotiable and with most things approached in such a manner I expect gridlock. In other words, if the Republicans win the only change I predict will be the faces.

I'd Like To See Ben Carson Run

I've been following Ben Carson for some time now.  I have a great deal of respect for him.  I would like him to get in the race for President..

Actually the Republicans could use a whole slate of Ben Carsons.  Why?  Because when he talks he actually says something, means what he says and knows what he's talking about.

What I really like about him is he's the least political, in manner, of any of the Presidential wannabes. While not the most dynamic of speakers, he begs you to listen by what he has to say. He's not afraid to address issues.  He's not afraid to criticize when criticism is due. He speaks common sense.  He readily admits he's not all knowing but seems willing to listen to a broad base of ideas, not just a close inner circle. He has ideas on how to get things done. And he loves our country, he doesn't disdain it.

Do I think he can win?  I don't.  Still, we really need him to prod those more likely to win to quit spinning and in lieu of that make them defend their stand or lack thereof.

I feel bad that I don't think he can win.  Hopefully my mind will be changed after the mid-terms are over and 2016 comes more into focus. Should he be able to win, however, he'll still find before him a mighty challenge.  A Congress so inured with their own way of doing things they'll be hard pressed to know how to follow a real leader.

That's where we come in.  Maybe there's not much hope for elections this year. The incumbents and unfortunately their challengers have yet to hear us. Perhaps we're not speaking clearly enough or they figure polls are meant to be manipulated.  However, if we nominate a strong candidate for President, a man like Carson, who is much more than a personality, perhaps better people will run for office knowing they'd have a leader of ability and integrity to follow.

That's where we come in, yes.  To find those people and encourage them to run.  For us.  For the country.  It's time.

Republican Senate?

For a time it seemed a sure thing.  The Senate would go Republican.  Now it isn't so sure.  Maybe.  Since no politician nor consultant speaks from only one side of their mouths I'm never quite sure if the woe is more political than truth.  Underdogs do better.

On the other hand, if it is true and the Democrats maintain control the Republicans have no one to blame but themselves.  Mostly because they don't listen to their constituents if they even hear them.  Nothing has changed since the discontent with the administration reached its peak.

There is still no cohesive voice, if any.   Rand Paul is doing his thing.  So is Ted Cruz along with the other mavericks.  The message however seems to be more of the what's wrong mode than the this is how we'll fix it mode.  To paraphrase, silence is not a strategy!

It was a sad day when political careers became more important to the office holders than the good of the country.  Nothing other than holding on to office seems to penetrate their consciousness. They personify the latest trend in Zombie movies.

I wonder if it really matters.  We have two very difficult years to navigate before we get a new administration.  If the Republicans do manage to win there still won't be much they can do because of the President's veto power. Unless they win by such a margin that they can over ride a veto.  Doubtful at best.  If they lose it will be more of the same with Harry Reid refusing to bring important issues to the floor for a vote to protect the Democratic ranks.

If this is the case I'll expect Obama to go full speed ahead with executive orders.  The only tool the Republicans have with which to fight is the purse.  Close it.  Put a lock on it.  But they won't.  The consequences might damage their chances in 2016.

It has been usual for a two term President to be followed by one of the opposite party due to party fatigue if nothing else. When that hasn't held true it's because of really bad candidates put forward by the opposition.  I think Romney would be a good President but he sure ran a terrible campaign.  I'm not at all sure McCain would have made a good President because he's pretty much a one trick pony.  Plus he chose a really poor running mate.  None of which made good sense; it had only to do with politics.

Still, I await November with anxious anticipation. No matter which way the election goes, it will tell me a lot about where the voting public is at a whole.  Apathetic? Naive? Frustrated or angry?  The last would be my preference.  If we want the country to be what it has been in the past, if we want it to be respected around the world and yes, even feared by our enemies, it is up to the voters.  The voters have to put the right people in office. If they don't nothing will change and the country will be ruled by the whim of Washington.

That would be end.  The new normal.  As we oldsters fade away this dysfunction is all that will be remembered. It will be the guiding principle. It will be the fatal blow to a once great nation.