The Political Siren's Song Nabs Two More

My upcoming trip to Yellowstone to photograph wolves and bears can't get here too soon.  For me, whether we actually see any or not, it will be pure, blissful escapism!

I need the break from the political soap opera that is now taking place.  It goes to show that even the "outsiders" will succumb to the siren song of politics.

It also shows that I'm a pretty poor judge of character.  I thought Carly Fiorina would be a great candidate for president but her campaign never caught on.  Mostly because the press is liberal, I think, and Hillary is their female of choice thus little coverage of Carly.

As for Ben Carson, his low key personality couldn't make any inroads against his more flamboyant competitors.

Carly disappeared for a time.  Carson stayed in until last week when he finally admitted the handwriting was on the wall and it didn't favor him.

Now it seems they both want to be players if not viable candidates.  How do they do that?  Apparently the easiest way is to endorse a candidate and become a surrogate campaigner.  Oh my.  Who to support and what was their price?

Carly chose Cruz.  Does she have any idea who this man is?  To me he's more frightening than Trump.  Now I understand her rational.  After what Trump insinuated about her I wouldn't expect her to jump on his circus train, but still, Cruz? Maybe she's vying for that V.P. slot after all. She denied that as a goal as long as she was an active candidate, but now who knows?  She'd be powerful at keeping the negatives about Hillary front and center.

Now, what about Carson?  He endorsed Trump.  Two more opposites would be hard to find.  What was his price?  Health and Human Services would be a good fit.  Is that the deal?  When asked how he could endorse Trump after what was said about him he brushed it off as it just being politics.

Well, there you have it.  Two candidates  of whom I thought highly were lured by a siren song only politicians can hear.  It seems this time around the more incomprehensible you are the better you do. The lust for power and the lure of the adoring crowds is as much of an opiate as opium itself.

Now what?  I've lost my optimism.  I may be spending more and more time in Yellowstone or photographing petroglyphs in the southwest.  Thinking about them, as a sort of newspaper of the ancients, I wonder if being able to decipher the markings would be great or not. We might learn that back hundreds of years ago people had the same disillusionment with their leaders as we have today.

Maybe it's better we not know.  We'd not have leared from it anyway. People are people and we continue to make the same mistakes over and over.  It is probably one of our greatest shortcomings.

The "Full Measure" Of Women

I have a tough time finding news sources I  trust whats more respect.  It's probably because I don't read much on line but prefer actual newspapers or broadcasts which certainly have limitations.

That being said, I bit the bullet yesterday and watched the e-cast of "Full Measure" anchored by Sharyl Attkisson. What a good decision.

I was transported back to the time when a news broadcast actually did a story rather than merely a series of soundbites. I hope this isn't a kiss of death for the endeavor.  I'm sure my demographic isn't the one they seek but then we elders really shouldn't be discounted because we do tend to pay attention. And learn. And vote. The advertisers can figure it out.

Aside from the substance of her reporting, I must say I really admire Sharyl Attkisson.  For much the same reason I really like Carly Fiorina.  Though it may be merely superficial, it's their appearance and demeanor.  Both are the personification of professionalism.  No emphasis on cleavage, legs or impossibly high heels.

I often look at the women who scream the loudest about women rights and wonder if they ever look in the mirror. This is, of course, a generational thing instilled in mine at an early age.  We were taught by ladies to be ladies.  Somewhere along the line it seems to have gone out of style or just plain gotten lost.

Then again, many things are cyclical and I can hope the standards of professionalism are coming full circle.  I see it in Ms. Fiorina.  I see it in Ms. Attkisson.  Somehow when it shows that they care for how they appear in public and how they speak, it gives the impression they care about what they're doing and want us to care too.

That one of the better news programs I've seen of late and one of the more impressive presidential candidates is such a woman gives me confidence that the "glass ceiling" will be broken, the shards swept up, thrown away never again to see the light of day.

Both have had their struggles professionally.  Neither has succumbed to pressures exerted against them. They continue with grace and dignity; their success determined by  both ability and perseverance. I admire both.

I welcome the return of professionalism, class, a darn good investigative reporter and a candidate I can't yet count out.  Both women. Their roar is their substance and ability, not merely the sound of their voice nor their sense of entitlement.

Time To Dump The Sacred Cow

No, I don't mean Donald Trump.  Though I must say he's taking care of it all by himself.  I think it's time to divorce ourselves from the notion the President has to come from the ranks of the previously elected.  Why not a solid business executive?

Why?

Most have no managerial experience what-so-ever.  What about governors?  It's all within the realm of politics thus stifling the creativity and innovation needed in the private sector to succeed.

Let's face it, corporate leaders are far more likely to know world leaders or their representatives than the average member of Congress or most governors. They know how to delegate, negotiate, make decisions and reason in a non-partisan manner.  Their obligation is to their stock holders, not themselves.

While I like Ben Carson; he is a good and brilliant man but I've yet to see he can manage.  Trump?  What does he do well other than bully, deprecate his opponents and speak in generalities touting how great he would be?  But nothing yet about how.

Carly. Look beyond HP. What happened to her there is not uncommon and we need to understand that. What we also need to consider is she is bright, quick, assured, informed and unafraid. She is woman, hear her roar.  She has substance based on experience, homework and tenacity.

Can she handle Congress?  I'd rather ask if they really think they can roll her.  I doubt it. World leaders?  She's no shrinking violet.  Manage?  Heads and tails above anyone who shared that debate stage including Trump.

She may not win.  We may listen too much to the negativity that is beginning to ramp up but she deserves our consideration.  If you're willing to consider Hillary you should be willing to consider Carly. It's no longer about petty party politics but rather the very substance of our nation.  Who we are and what we want to be.  Are we content with the things as they are?  Trump's rise would indicate we are not.

Let's get serious about who can best serve the country as a whole; who has the skill, the temperament and the background.

If there were other top tier business executives in the race I'd be giving the same pep talk about any of them. What we don't need is another untried, manipulated and beholden politician.

Enough Already!

I had just settled down to watch some before dinner TV last night when all programming on the cable channels turned to New Hampshire and Trump.  Please.  Is he the only one running for President?

I listened to his aggrandizing opening one more time then a bit longer when he announced he was going to something different - take questions.  Really!  He did.  But he never answers them.  Not one while I was listening and some were indeed quite specific.  Just the same old "I guarantee you when I'm President that won't happen..."

What he did do is savagely attack Carly Fiorina.  He must be worried about her burgeoning popularity.

Neither of them are perfect by any manner.  Both have had business successes and failures but I see the beginnings of the "Romneying" of Carly. She's to blame for everything that went wrong with HP and Lucent and now everyone who lost their job in shake ups is coming out of the woodwork. Oh, she ruined my life!  And how long  ago was was that?  Haven't you done anything since?  Stuff happens.  Hub lost more than one job due to corporate turmoil. We didn't like it but we didn't wallow in it.  We moved on.

Okay.  That's a prejudiced paragraph because I like Carly Fiorina. That being said, to date other than Ben Carson, she and Trump are getting all the press.  And Carson darn little at that other than poll results.

Frankly, I would like to hear about other candidate rallies and speeches.  From both parties.  I don't care about network ratings, I care about information and I'm not getting it. Where is Jim Webb?  Where is Martin O'Malley and Lincoln Chaffey and what issues are they campaigning on?  I haven't a clue.  Do you?

The same holds true for Rick Santorum and George Pataki.  They certainly aren't sitting at home twiddling their thumbs waiting for Trump to topple.

The media has an obligation to cover all the candidates, not be the determining factor of who has the right to move up and who doesn't. It's no wonder politicians have a love/hate relationship with the media.  They have the power to make you or break you depending on their own personal ideology.  That's wrong.  They're supposed to be objective but with the lines blurred between punditry, reporting and entertainment, we the public are being ill served.

I shouldn't have to watch FOX to hear about the Republicans nor MSNBC to hear about Democrats.  I should be able to listen to either and get the same perspective.  Objectivity.

We rightfully put a pox on both political parties; the media deserves the same.

Huff and Puff All You Want, Trump!

Trump can huff and puff and deny all he wants his implication about Megan Kelly.  I figure he protests too much and that once again, Carly Fiorina's assessment of what was said was spot on.

Crude men, and Trump is crude, often think women, during their time of the month, makes them irrational and thus can and should be dismissed.  Up yours, Donald.

Of course Trump immediately dismissed her. Like her losing the top job at Hewlett Packard was reason to dismiss her.  Any one who knows how the business world works at the executive level knows CEOs are often dismissed by petulant boards.

If you were a CEO and Trump an employee, how long would you keep him?

Fiorina also questioned whether Trump has the temperament to be President.  I think not.  That he tells it like it is in his opinion is great.  It's why people love him.  They love his candor.  He doesn't temper anything, however, and I think that will be his downfall.

Every time someone disagrees with him he tries to bluster his way out of it and if that fails he starts name calling and insults.  Somehow I don't imagine other world leaders will have any of it.

Mr. Trump is a narcissist much like Obama.  It's all about him.  We have one in the White House now.  We don't need another.

Dream Team # 1

I'm going to do this now and then.  It will be interesting where I stand when the primary season is over.

Fiorina for President.  She has the most business acumen and understands economics and jobs.  She'll bring class back to the White House. She's not shrinking violet.  She's tempered, not volatile.  And last but not least she's a she.

Rubio for Vice President.  To give him the opportunity to shed the 1st term Senator albatross.  He identifies with everyman.  He's the best versed on current foreign policy. He represents the future.

I wonder what I'll think next month!

Fiorina Is Something!

I'm still recovering from eyelid surgery.  No, not for cosmetic purposes but because the droop was affecting my vision.

Anyway, not so much I haven't been watching the news.  Have you been watching Carly Florina?  You talk about a straight shooter.  I hope she gains traction because she would give Hillary a run for her money. And a lot of her Republican competition.

I think what I like best is she doesn't sound like a politician.  She sounds like a business woman.  I relate to that much more than I relate to politician-talk. Mostly because there is substance to it. I would hope it would resonate with other women too since so many are working women. Also, she earned her success without riding on a husband's coat tails.

The street corner news conference was brilliant.  She answered every question clearly and precisely.  What would she do about this or that?  She answered explicitly. She took her lumps too but you don't hear her complaining about it or blaming some sort of conspiracy.

Okay.  I just wanted to touch base.  Things around here are getting back to some semblance of normal. In other words, I'm back.  Posts may be a bit brief while yard work gets finished up, but hopefully on a more regular schedule. 

Random Thoughts

I got sidetracked as I was beginning to prepare for this post.  I could not find a group photo of the expected Republican candidates that included Carly Fiorina! That irked me to a degree.

Wow, look at all those people. For the Democrats, there is of course only one no matter how tarnished.  Wishful thinkers, however, are hoping at least one or two of the others get in the race.  There is one I would actually consider voting for.  Strongly.  Jim Webb.  No one else thinks he would have much of a chance but I am never sure the pundits who make such pronouncements are really all that savvy.

The Republicans are getting the most attention at the moment if you discount the Clinton scandals.  The talk seems to be mostly about their coming out parties.  Bashes.  Lots of supporters and cheering in a filled hall of appropriate dimensions.  Except for the only woman, Ms. Florina, who plans a low key on line announcement much like Hillary's though she's made it perfectly clear she's in.

The major thing lacking in all of the hoopla is talk of positions and policy.  I'm uncomfortable with broad strokes of the brush.  Always a lot of words with little actually being said.

One thing Carly Fiorina has said is that she'd reinstitute the missile defense system in eastern Europe that Obama killed and that she would rebuild the 6th fleet. Both strong defensive moves meant to forewarn the likes of Putin that someone new and strong is in charge.

One of the criticisms about her is she's never held elective office.  My thought on that is the ones who have aren't doing such a great job themselves. She'll be interesting to watch.

True, it's early.  Very early. But since everyone is throwing their hat in early I'd like to see them defining their positions rather than their campaign strategies. We all know their all going to be dirty at some point in time anyway.

Well, Carly and Ben Carson are due in May 4th and the rest will straggle in as time and money raising potential proves appropriate.

In the meantime, if we get bored, we can pay attention to the nuclear talks with Iran or the nuclear meltdown of the Clinton empire.