Trump or Hillary - Grim

"It's no longer what sort of man is Trump but what sort of people are we?"  I read words to that effect on a blog recently. It's a question worth asking but I'd include Hillary in the equation.

To feel the same you probably need to be following the Wikileaks and the tawdry exhortations with equal zeal.

Both candidates are equally repulsive to me though for different reasons. It isn't the tape of Trump's vulgarities alone that make me cringe; it's his constant belittling of any and all who oppose him.  He promises to hit back harder and does. Nasty, mean spirited and vulgar. Can we afford a President who cannot take criticism without insulting he or she who uttered it?

 Can we afford a President who listens to no one because he won the nomination by battering the other candidates on his way to the top and now thinks he knows it all? And I mean battered with comments especially hurtful about McCain and Fiorina and, to lesser degrees, Bush, Carson and eventually all the rest.

Then there's Hillary.  The Wikileaks release of e-mails that circulated among her campaign staff are chilling in their  contempt for the people of this country regardless of their status. To her its all about power and money.  How much money do she and Bill need?  They'll never live long enough to spend it all unless they buy themselves a country.  Maybe that's exactly what they want to do.  The problem is it's OUR country for which they lust.

Never-the-less, one of my greatest fears will come to be.  One of them will be elected.  At the moment I'd be putting my money on Hillary but that can change in a nano second.

I fear too if Hillary has both House and Senate behind her; it will make achieving her goals easy.  Even though divided it's possible the Republicans can thwart at least a few of her grand ideas. If Trump should win I see him running roughshod over everybody.

That brings about another fear.  The rampant use of executive orders by either side.  Obama has set a bad precedent.  Don't expect Hillary or Trump to not take advantage of the door opened for them.

Every evening I sigh "I don't know..." so often Hub is calling me on it.  But I don't know. We'll have one of them.  What kind of people does that make us indeed!

Amoral Hillary Is Not Entitled

I'm one of those detested political animals who claims no party loyalty.  I believe high office, the governance of our country, deserves more; it deserves the best people that can be found regardless of party.

That's one reason I do not understand blind loyalty to either Trump or Hillary.  Today it's Hillary.

Maybe you have you be of my generation to remember the Clinton years and the accompanying shenanigans.  Bill, with his sexual indiscretions, demeaned the office of the Presidency.  Hillary was complicit; an enabler.   And that's only the tip of the iceberg if you go back to Whitewater, Vince Foster, Ron Brown, cattle futures, her chuckling over the case of a child predator among the better known issues.

There is of course debate on the accuracy of all these stories.  You know: her side, my side and the right side.  What there is no argument about, however, are the shenanigans that have gone on and continue to since she was Secretary of State. Plus her unwillingness to tell the truth about them.  She is as unable to tell the straight forward truth as Donald Trump is unable to stay off Twitter. This time it would seem Bill is her enabler such as having a little chat with the Attorney General at an airport in a successful effort to have her call off the FBI then suddenly she appears on Hillary's short list for the Supreme Court.

Maybe there is no fire under all the smoke that comes from the Clinton camp but something is causing it.  And since such effort is made to tell us all is well it should make one wonder at the very least.

I'm certainly not against  having a woman as President.  The female perspective on issues should shake up the establishment to a fare thee well. I just don't think that woman should be Hillary Clinton. The woman who holds the office should deserve it.  That would preclude one who has no major accomplishments from her times in office, one who has a litany of failures because of either incompetence or plain not caring.  One who has no convictions but positions that shift with the wind or which ever group she's speaking to.

That would be her strength.  The ability to present herself as all things to all people, but that she cannot be and stand for anything.

It is sad to know that as the world becomes more chaotic, at least for the upcoming four years as has been the previous eight, it will be missing the leadership of the United States.  It is any ones guess as to what will become of us - our country, our world.

Hillary The Hypocrite

She who shall not be crossed! Sigh. I've come to the conclusion that Hillary will be the next President of the United States.  The problem is she shares too many of Trumps traits.  She just isn't as childish as he is.  At least publicly.

The most obvious similarities is their very large egos and narcissism.  The second is both have trouble with the truth. They can't seem to tell it.

They both scare the devil out of me.  As my dearly departed Mother used to say, "I won't be around for the fall out, thank heavens!" I won't be either and since I have no children or grand children I guess I too am glad.  I'm not particularly worried about future generations.  What is happening now is the new normal.  This will be their good old days. I can't imagine.

Back to what I will have to deal with.  Assuming it will be Hillary we will have a President who's lust for power far outweighs her love for country. What compass she will follow is any one's guess.  I would guess it will be the most expedient for which ever master she most needs to placate. Hopefully they will have a direction, unlike Obama's, that will bear some benefit for the country no matter how remote.  It's obvious she has no such thoughts of her own.

I've struggled over Trump as you who read this know.  He reminds me of a kid turned loose in a bouncy house.  He's all over the place and never the same place twice. The largest factor that disturbs be, though, is his refusal to rein himself in. We're already hearing the beginnings of excuses for a failed campaign.  The election is rigged.  Right.

We still have a ways to go.  He could quit before hand to stave off humiliation and the infamous e-mails in Julian Assange's possession may yet be released.  Oh happy day.

I wonder what would happen if both candidates were discredited to the point of having to withdraw before the actual election.  Neither back bench is particularly strong nor inspiring but maybe that's what we need.  Some staid old politician who still believes being pragmatic is the preferred way of getting things done.

Ah.  Those days are gone forever I fear.  I don't much care for the new normal.  It's a generational thing.  Too bad.

One Down, One To Go

Much to my surprise I listened to the entirety of Trump's accpetance speech last night. Actually I wanted to hear Ivanka's introduction of her father because I hadn't heard her speak before.

She did a good job. As did her brothers.  Someone said his family is the best thing Trump has going for him and that may be true.  I also don't think we should forget who set them on their current paths.  Trump.  He, along with their mothers, deserves a thumbs up for that.

His speech was barely finished before the media critics started ripping it apart.  I actually thought it was quite good.  He didn't make any glaring errors that I am aware of and as for it being "dark"; well that's how he and many of us see the times we are now living in.

Am I suddenly a Trumpster?  Not quite.  I'm far too cynical to buy into all the accolades that came from personal friends and family.   He is, however, now the official Republican nominee and we have to live with it.

I wish for two things.  That he surrounds himself with the best people  available regardless of party and listens to their advice before acting and two, that the party, no matter how skeptical, work with him in the spirit of defeating Hillary if for nothing else.  There must be some adults in the room somewhere though they've kept pretty well out of the picture up to this point.

Next comes Hillary. I guess I find Trump less objectionable because he's not yet lied to us as blatantly  as has Hillary nor has he thumbed his nose at our national security while reaping profits for a "foundation".

I'll vote.  I'm seriously looking at the Green Party or the Libertarians.  Of course they can't win; it would be no more than a protest vote.  I worry about that too because I do buy in to the theory that every protest vote against Trump is a vote for Hillary.

Not to worry.  There's quite a bit of time between now and November.  Maybe Trump will show he can be "presidential" or confirm that he is nothing more than egotistical jerk. Either way, my vote will not be going to Hillary.  To me our first black President has been a huge disappointment because of his own ego and tin ear.  I expect no more from she who would be our first female president. She has been tarred by scandal her entire public life.  I'd rather someone more deserving have the honor she so covets.

I'll remain in a state of flux for awhile yet.  Trump yea or nay? Hillary.  Nay. That's a definite.

Justice Prevails? Only For The Privileged

Did any of you listen to or read James Comey's report on the Clinton e-mails today?  It was scathing.  He laid out in detail all that was done that should not have been. Then he ignored the most important part of the statute concerned - the one that doesn't mention intent, but rather the criminality of carelessness. Just carelessness.

For months judges and prosecutors have been articulating the rule of law concerning her actions.  She should be guilty under several counts. Never mind the constant lying about the number of devices she used and the markings or lack thereof on the documents under question.

Yet she's given a pass.  Obama said she did nothing wrong.  Well, by his standards that would be true.  He who picks and chooses which part of laws on the books he wants enforced and which parts not.  Or he takes executive actions bypassing Congress to advance his own agenda.

Then husband Bill has a little visit with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the FBI finally interviews Hillary on Saturday and the result of that lengthy investigation is wrapped up by today.  They came to their conclusion that fast after so long.  Wow.

I think Mr. Comey is not the stand up guy he's been described as. I think he caved to Presidential pressure.  I think his career with the FBI is probably stained enough that it might as well be over.

But what I think matters not.  What does is that Hillary's mishandling of government classified, sensitive and top secret information were laid out with damning detail. And the FBI could see no reason to indite or even call for a grand jury to see if charges were warranted.  The FBI then became judge and jury going against the very essence of their findings.

You wonder why I'm having trouble doing this blog?  I just cannot get my head around what our government is doing or why.  The deceit, the lies - not as an exception to the rule.  It is the rule.

This is no longer the country in which I grew up.  It has become as foreign to me as so many other countries in the world that operate for the well being of those in charge rather than the well being of their citizens.

It's tough to write about when I can make no sense of it.

The Cream Of The Presidential Crop Is Sour

I cannot recall ever seeing two more disagreeable people vying to be our President.  Hillary has always skated on ethically thin ice and is still doing so.  She is, however, a known quantity and if enough people think she is worthy of the job she will get it.

Mr. Trump is another case all together.  He is certainly being helped along by FOX news who unabashedly support him and the Republican Party which seems unable to keep from tripping over their own feet in trying to oust him.

I have a theory for them to consider.  Let him alone and he will implode all on his own.  If the Republicans persist in their quest for a brokered or contested convention Trump will have someone to blame.  If they keep their mouths closed they have the chance to regain some sense of dignity.  Not that I expect it from the current crop of Republican leadership.  I use that term loosely.

Something every one need consider with Mr. Trump is that he is not a known quantity.  If he can't act with decorum during the campaign what is he likely to do when a foreign leader disagrees with him or even tries just to get a straight answer? Generalities bound in bluster isn't governing.

I may be mistaken, but Trump is on overload with me and hopefully a lot of other voters.  He is rude. He is crude. Worst of all he seems to be addicted to Twitter and that I think will be his downfall.

Surely he must realize that all of his opposition follow his Tweets religiously and are johnny on the spot to broadcast any thing and every thing that can make him look bad.  Well, maybe not, he's making himself look bad.

Actually it's who and what he is.  He says he can act presidential but he has yet to show it.  Not even a smidge.  I think somewhere in the deep reaches of his ego he thinks he has a perfect right to spew whatever venom that comes to mind in any particular moment. Frankly I'm tired of it and embarrassed by him.

I'm also tired of Ted Cruz taking every opportunity that presents itself to perpetuate Trump's childish behavior and thus his own.   I guess he doesn't think he is damaged by doing so but at least with me he has diminished himself as candidate.  Not that I particularly liked him in the first place.  He still reminds me of  the self rightous and totally insincere Elmer Gantry.

Hillary the Shrill and The Donald. Wow.  And in second place Bernie and Cruz. What a choice!

The Crude And The Corrupt

Sounds like a title for a good soap, doesn't it?  Well, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction and these two are proof positive.

As I've said on many occasions I understand Trump's appeal as well as Hillary's lack of same.

With Trump there's no pulling punches, you know exactly what he's thinking because he says it.  Not that it won't change in 5 minutes.

With Hillary it's much the opposite.  She's mastered the art of dodging - and the accompanying cackle when she thinks she's gotten away with it.

Let me ask, is either of them what you want as the face of our country?  Hillary is a shoo in for the Democrat nomination.  Democrats have decided she's due her due.  Why I have no idea except that perhaps they've bought into the sanctity of the party rather than the country.

With that as a given we have to look at the Republicans.  With 12 candidates still in the running is there not one of them who can articulate Republican frustrations in a more civilized manner than Mr. Trump?  I find it hard to believe that at least one of those candidates can't match his understanding of the electorate's frustrations and able to voice them with a modicum of personality and what Trump is missing ~ charm.  No, not all the love and joy malarkey, that doesn't cut it.  Neither does Trump's broad brush srtokes, truth be said.

The pundits I habitually listen to, be they old timers or of another generation, all are students of politics and haven't yet grasped that this cycle shows the evolution of the process.  Not necessarily in a good way, but it is evolving. No longer is what has been going to be.

With Iowa getting ever closer perhaps a cold winter night in Iowa will knock Trump down a peg. Don't expect him to be gracious about it if he doesn't win and who ever does win had best don a suit of inpenatrable armor.  I would expect him to bluster his way through New Hampshire and if he behaves he could even win Nevada but from there it's any ones guess.

I have no resolutions this new year; only what is probably misguided hope.  Hope that those who care enough to vote in the primaries also care enough about their country to let it be known rude and crude isn't enough.

As far as a corrupt self-serving candidate is concerned, the Democrats are stuck. You'd think that after 7 years of Barack Obama they'd know better and have the courage to turn away from a nearly mirror image.  Not in appearance, obviously, but in ideology, respect for the people, the Constitution and our laws and devotion to the country.  They get none with Hillary.  They do get the latter half of Crude and Corruption.

And so it begins in earnest.  What more can I hope for?  An outlier in both parties.  A hope that I'm afraid will never come to fruition!

Birth Right, Squeaky Wheel Or Universal Apathy

The coronation is back on.  The only viable, though mostly invisible, challenger to Hillary has departed the race.  Jim Webb, disgusted with the way the debate was held has said to heck with it. There is no way to get a fair hearing.

Much the same can be said for the Republican debacle.  The only way for a candidate to get any press time is to be in a squabble with Trump.

This is one hell of a way to choose a President when the entire world is in turmoil and Islamist extremists, no matter to which wing they belong, are making inroads into the west with fearsome speed and effectiveness.

So what to do?  Hope that the American voter actually starts to take notice?  Not that it will do much good.  So far all you hear if you hear anything is the same old pat answers to the same old pat questions.

Hillary has moved left to contend with Sanders and between the both of them we'll end up with all our earnings going directly to the government which will then dole out our allowance depending on what we do to earn it - or not.  Equality at all costs you know.

The Republican side seems frozen in time. Little of substance is being said, even less is being heard. Will anything change this?  It doesn't look like Trump is going to fade anytime soon.  Carson is maintaining his place in the polls, such as they are, because people like him.  Not necessarily because people would vote for him. Carly is fading yet of the outsiders has the best experience to actually lead the country.  That she is a woman, though certainly not in the same vein as Hillary, doesn't seem to matter or is a negative from the Republican point of view.

Other candidates are just as capable but who would know? John Kasich is probably the most well rounded.  Rubio is great on foreign policy.  The others have their strong points but seem not to be multi-dimensional. Will the media, however, give any of them a hearing?  When?

Okay.  Most probably all is lost for the remainder of the year.  Unless Hillary's testimony Thursday in front of the Benghazi committee produces some bombshell truths I expect all will go quietly into the holidays.  Thanksgiving comes fast after Halloween then Christmas for those of us who still use the word.

Maybe after the first of the year when football has wound down and the February doldrums set in, those candidates who still have money and are still in the race will begin to be heard.  One can hope.

Meanwhile I've been wracking my brain to come up with something about which to write. So far so little. Not to worry though. The horror which is the middle east will continue to worsen.  The war on police is sure to continue and of course, with political correctness running rampant, Christmas is sure to spark controversy.

All I can do is watch and wait. The political class is the gift that keeps on giving. You know, I'm not so big on gifts these days. Not even with Christmas coming.

Confusion Reigns, Not Hillary

According to Hillary women in politics are supposed to be both strong and vulnerable and it isn't easy to do.  That's nonsense.  What women are supposed to appear as, not that it's hard to do.

Thinking back on women in politics from Barbara Jordan to Ann Richards to Condi Rice to Madeline Albright to Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and even relative newcomer Carly Fiorina, all are strong and not a one seems or seemed the least bit vulnerable.

Hillary's problem is that she isn't strong and that's what makes her vulnerable.  Forget all the scandals since she first appeared on the national scene, just look at her positions and how they shift to whatever is expedient.  That's not strength.

The aforementioned women and many others came in all shapes and sizes.  Some were sharp, others were dowdy.  Some had acid tongues, others were true intellectuals.  What they had in common was they had something to say and said it with conviction.  Hillary shouts.  Tone of voice isn't conviction.

We're going through a political upheaval in this country and I can only hope that the voters have the savvy to sort it out.  It isn't going to be easy.  At least today there is no clear path to sanity.

Hillary tops the Democratic polls because other than a bad alternative no one else has risen to the top.  Maybe the debate will begin to change that but I'm not holding my breath.

The Republicans have a similar quandary. Bluster is reigning supreme even over non-political candidates though they are beginning to give Trump a run for his money.  Change doesn't come easy over ingrained and lucrative practices.  Power is surrendered reluctantly and new power isn't always what we hope.

Change is in the wind, however, and the future of this country is at stake. A candidate who says everyone opposed to him or doesn't treat him as he feels he deserves or a candidate who insists her opposition is at war with everyone and everything shouldn't prevail.

If either does it will because we just don't get it.  Not them.  Us.  They're playing to our emotions, not the other way around.

If you think we and the country deserve more only we can make it happen. Politics is dirty and no doubt always will be but it shouldn't be a blood sport with the victor making his or her loyalists wondering what int the name of God they have done.

Too many haven't gotten to that point with Obama.  Is it too much to hope that in the interim we may have learned something?  To at least pay attention?  All I know is if it is time for a woman president that woman should not be Hillary Clinton.  We don't need vulnerable in the White House.

Monumental Egos

Donald Trump and Barack Obama have one very disturbing trait in common.  They both are narcissists.  Every thing has to be about them.  Those who don't see it their way are totally insignificant.

The difference between that trait within each is how it manifests itself.  Obama is distant, aloof.  Trump can't keep from running off his mouth.

His disparagement of John McCain this past week end may have closed that mouth that roars.  Had he couched his statement by saying getting shot down doesn't make McCain a hero but what he did after capture certainly does, he might have gotten away with it. Alas, he didn't couch it at all.

One cannot continually back pedal and yet get ahead.  I don't think, but then I've been wrong before.  News cycles don't last all that long and soon Trump's error in judgement will be old news.  Think of all the fool hardy things said by others running for the presidency.  Can't think of any?  Point made.

As for egos in general, all politicians have them.  It's the nature of the beast.  Some just handle it better than others. Trump is likely to have hoisted himself on his own petard. But what about Hillary?  Look at the way she enters a stage.  The strut.  The smirk.  The air of entitlement. It's part of what makes her unattractive.  A little humility would be nice, but I don't believe it's in her genetic make up.  If anything she oozes the victim card with ridiculous regularity.

When I want to cry out,  "Where oh where is dull and boring," I can't help but remember how uninspiring those candidates are.  Where is the happy medium?  Strength and humility.  Enough ego to inspire confidence of leadership in others and wisdom to know one should also listen. There are a couple like that running but so far they aren't getting the press needed to move forward.

Sensationalism may sell, but for God's sake we're electing a President!  The media needs to get real too and give all the candidates coverage and let the voters decide, not themselves.

Again, it's not the nature of the beast.  It is one way to eliminate the less than worthy.  Cover the most egregious of faux pas and let them eliminate themselves.  It, of course, pays no attention to policy issues but then that's what the Internet is for isn't it?  You know the mantra.  "Go to our web site for more information."  Most people won't. So will we elect a president on the basis of which candidate has been able to avoid inflicting  or absorbing the most wounds to him or herself?

Well, it would figure.  We seem to be at war with everything but that which deserves it so mortal wounds to candidates might as well be part of the process.

Hillary Has Spoken

For some time now we've been waiting not only for Hillary to speak but to also say something.  Now she has.

There had been a question as to where she would fall when it comes to Obama's policies.  She approves.  She has promised to double down and add on.

I so often remember Obama saying, for instance about our embargo on Cuba, it hasn't worked so it's time to try something new.  I wish Hillary would recognize the same about our economic woes but she proposes more taxes and more regulations and then it will work. Never mind that we'll all have been taxed into the poor house. And, by the way, those policies still won't work.

That creates another problem she has yet to address.  What happens when the people are in fact taxed into the poor house?  How are all those policies and regulations going to be paid for?  I hear Iran is about to come into some really big money.  Maybe, since China's economy is also faltering, we can get the Iranians to fund us. Or maybe not since they have vowed to destroy us.  Oh well, maybe they'll change their minds.  Why destroy what they will own?

So that's where Hillary is.  The Elizabeth Warren/Bernie Sanders left.  And it is said this is the real Hillary.  Is there a counter balance?  I had hoped it would be Jim Webb but he has turned out to be less than inspiring.

The Republicans?  Have any of them said anything yet other than Trump?  Not that he has made any comprehensive policy statements but at least is is saying what a lot of us think and won't say because it's politically incorrect.

If they don't quit pussy footing around in order not to offend we're sure to have a Hillary presidency.  All her baggage will be forgiven.  Heck it already has been.  As has Bill's.  When you think about it, about the only one who at this point can out talk her is a Donald Trump. Lordy.  What has this country come to?

Remember though, a few years back Minnesota elected a one time professional wrestler for governor.  Jesse Ventura.  Remember him? Stranger things could happen than having Trump as the Republican nominee.  He could win.

Finally, A Race!

I was beginning to wonder if it would happen.  A real contender would join the Democrat field for the presidential nomination.  And so it has.

Jim Webb is a good man and I think he'll give Hillary a real run for her money.  She's been inching left to keep Elizabeth Warren out of the race but I don't think Ms. Warren ever intended to run.  I think she sees herself being more effective as a power in the Senate.  If so I agree.

Webb will now pull Hillary back toward the center or he will own it.  It will be interesting to see how she handles it and what her minions have planned for Mr. Webb.  I doubt it will be fair nor truthful.

For the moment anyway, I'm elated.  Not only does Hillary have some real competition, Jim Webb is a man I could vote for.  I hope that doesn't jinx him!

Hillary

So we're now supposed to address Mrs. Clinton as Madam Secretary or Senator when referring to her.  No more Hillary.

Personally I would think she'd like Hillary.  After all it puts her in league with Oprah, Madonna or Cher.  Personalities so famous in their own right no last name is needed.

What?  It isn't respectful enough? After all she's running for President, not just a show biz personality.  Huh.  Hillary it is for me and always will be.

How can you take seriously a person who is going to announce her candidacy by Twitter?  Please.  What are we devolving to?  Is she going to be a stealth campaigner just as she has been a stealth pre-campaigner tease?

Is she going to make all her views on policy in tweets?  140 words?  Boy, that would really be laying out well defined positions.

Okay.  Whatever.  I don't want to see Hillary Clinton as President. Period. Because she doesn't deserve it and being a woman isn't enough.  We gave one inexperienced candidate the benefit of huge doubts and look at what we have.  I don't want to see a trend of overlooking doubts as the way we choose our candidates.  I want their positions to be clear, truthful and what the candidate actually believes, not what a cast of 200 or more tells  them. Whether you agree or not at least there would be no doubt where they stand.

We've also spent the last 6+ years with a President who is loose with the truth.  Do we want that again? I don't and I see no proof  from Mrs. Clinton that her truthfulness scale is any higher than Obama's.  Truth as expedience should not be a position.

C'mon O'Malley, Webb, Cuomo and the rest of you who think you should bow to Hillary's mandate that you not run against her. She deserves the challenge you would give her and so does your country.  I'd like to rely on the Republicans to know how to play the hand given them but so far I don't see evidence of that as a possibility.  Sad but true.  Maybe they'll surprise me.

Would I like to see a woman President?  Why not?  But there are far more important things necessary to be Presidential material.  Being a woman isn't one any more than being black was for Obama.  It worked for him in his community.  I hope woman aren't as biased and realize that this is not the time for a woman if it isn't the right woman.

Hillary isn't.  Trust me on that.  You sure can't trust her.

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?

Hillary. Please Explain!

I have two questions.  Why does Hillary Clinton reap such high poll ratings?  And why do Democrats seem to be in lockstep behind her?

All the past Clinton shenanigans are coming to light once again with the emergence of her most recent faux pas.  Isn't that enough to give voters pause?  Especially Democrats.

Or does this allegiance tell us something about Democrats we'd rather not believe.  That a person with the character of a Hillary Clinton is their leader of choice?

I don't understand my country any more.  I do understand more every day what being a dinosaur is like and I'm continually looking for the tar pit lest I get swallowed up by it.  Even after the mid-terms when the voting public let it be know they were tired of smarmy politics it continues.  On both sides I might add considering the comment Lindsey Graham made about Nancy Pelosi's many surgeries.  But why?

What ever happened to good manners? Open mindedness? Compromise? They're already in that tar pit!

Frustration?  That's no excuse.  That's when self discipline is most important! But it all stems back to mind set.  I worry that the Democrats are so enthralled with Hillary.  A candidate who needs advisers to tell her what she is to think does not strike me as leadership material.  This is a time when we sorely need it and we have a disturbing visual what the world is like it without.

I don't know if a Martin Oralle or Jim Webb can wrest the nomination away from Hillary or if there is someone yet to appear, but I hope someone does.

What appears to be a game of wits, and I mean game, against all opposition with the Clintons is deadly serious business to the rest of the country.  Or at least it should be.

I don't know in whose camp I will land at this point but I do know it won't be Hillary's.  I hope that's true for a majority of Democrats too.

Is Hillary The Inevitable

I've been watching the polls on potential presidential candidates.  I chuckle over the Republicans because in this climate I don't think money is going to run off a lot of them just yet, a lot have yet to emerge, what people want is far different from the last go round and it's far too early for them to be meaningful anyway.

What I'd really like to see is a poll from the Democrats supposing that neither Elizabeth Warren nor Hillary Clinton would be in the mix.  Who would they most like to see run against the Republicans?  Any Republican.

I haven't heard word one.  I really think they need to look at their circumstance.  Warren insists she won't run.  Hillary keeps acquiring baggage that is going to be more and more difficult to shed.  Plus, does she really need two hundred and some odd staffers to tell her what she should think?

I do think she will run.  I don't think her ego will allow her to say no.  But she brings little to the table other than being Hillary and there's a whole lot of us that don't think that's anywhere nearly enough.

So who should challenge her?  The only two names that have surfaced other than Warren are Bernie Sanders and Jim Webb.  Of the two I would seriously look at Jim Webb .

While I would prefer to see a Republican win I'm not naive enough to think the Republicans can't blow this opportunity.  As an alternative I would like to see a Democrat I can live with.  Jim Webb could be the man.

What's the biggest thing he has going for him?  He's been both a Republican and a Democrat.  He has political experience.  He is a highly decorated war hero and best of all he's just ~ well, different. How refreshing would that be?

The 21st Century Way

Without intending to Hillary Clinton has proven herself unworthy of the presidency.  Why is that?  Remember not too long ago when during a speech she talked of how we must understand our enemies and even empathize with them?

Wrong-o, Hillary.  Today five terrorists stormed the offices of a satirical magazine in Paris and killed 12 people for daring to publish satirical cartoons about the terrorist's precious Mohammad. What a guy.  Such marvelous actions he inspires.

We need neither understand nor empathize with these barbaric miscreants.  We need to eliminate them from the top down. Or the bottom up.  What ever works. Anyone who thinks otherwise is living in a fool's paradise. Do you really think they care if we understand them?  No.  Besides, what's to understand?  They hate us, they want to annihilate us and take over the world according to their own accords. What?  Do we want them to spell it out in English so we can understand it?

The more we placate them the worse they get.  We're just giving them more time to work toward their ends.  Just like the negotiations with Iran over the nuclear program they insist they don't have.  Right.

When will moderate Muslims band together and condemn these people? When will the west get more aggressive in fighting them? When will this administration get real with the world?

It won't.  The President will continue following his own drummer no matter the consequences.  It has become apparent he has no interest in jobs nor economic reform nor anything else except what he deems in his own little netherworld to be desirable.

The worry is today it's Paris.  It's getting closer.  Where next?  Coming across the pond isn't all that difficult these days. The last thing we need looking forward is another president who agrees with this one.  That is if we're still here to look forward!

Couldn't We Do It Right Just Once?

Will the political parties that represent us ever grow up?  Better yet, will we demand that they do?

I was reading headlines on Drudge a few minutes ago.  Jeb is seriously considering running.  We know that.  The next one read Democrats already digging up dirt.  Please.

Let's look at this.  If it's Hillary versus Bush we know the Republicans will dig up tons of dirt on Hillary.  There is plenty going back to their days in Arkansas, Bill's moral shortcomings, Hillary's tenure as Secretary of State and so on. I wonder too, in this moral client where women are coming out of the woodwork to accuse Bill Cosby of indecencies, how Hillary tolerating Bill's peccadilloes will wash.

On the Bush side, it is known Jeb's wife had some issues with custom's over some shopping items while he was governor.  I have no idea what else there may be to be found or manufactured but you can be sure there will be something.

So what do we have without the dirt?  Two people vying for the presidency. One has a great deal of experience having been a two term governor of Florida.  The other has a great deal of experience being the wife of a former President.  Which looks better?  Forget who you'd like to have a beer with.

Bush has some perceived drawbacks.  One being his support for common core, the other being his support for a legal path to citizenship for certain illegals.  He has said he will run on what he believes which I would like to take to mean he will not pander.

Hillary?  I don't know.  I have heard her parrot other's opinions but has claimed none for her own. Wanting to be President shouldn't be enough. She is pretty good at pandering.

No matter.  Other's will in time enter the race because these two in their individual ways are vulnerable.  It would be nice, though, to have them all be judged on the merit of their ideas for regaining the stature of the country and moving the economy so we can all get back to living what used to be normal.  A decent job, good wages, a future and respect around the world shown toward our President and our country.

I know negative advertising works.  Only because we allow it.  We should dig, not for dirt, but truth.  If we don't we'll end up once again mired in nothing but mud. 

Will Hillary Be Relevant In 2016?

I've watched Hillary move about the country campaigning for mostly lost causes and wonder if her star power has already faded.  She is over weight and not aging well.  Botox shots only last so long and the natural aging process becomes more and more difficult to hide.

She has had one transient ischemic attack already, that is known.  It is suspected she may have had more as indicated by her changing speech patterns. The knowns, much less the unknowns, will become an issue.  Especially if she ends up being challenged by a kinetic fireball like Elizabeth Warren.

She isn't the best of speakers being strident in manner.  It's not the most positive of images.

All that perhaps can be excused because after all she is Hillary.  But will it be enough?  In 2016 will she even resonate with the voting bloc or will they be seeking a younger, more energetic individual with a vision? That's another thing Hillary lacks though she's certainly not alone. That vision thing.  Voters are beginning to demand their candidates present solutions to their problems, not just an admission that they exist.  Finally, having been beaten down enough, voters are waking up.

Who else do the Democrats have?  That's a good question if they don't want to move as far left as Elizabeth Warren. Joe Biden?

I look at the potential Republican field and see the same uninspiring faces.  Cruz whose rhetoric is sometime suspect.  Rand Paul who is still figuring out what he stands for.  Marco Rubio is still too wet behind the ears.  Chris Christie is too bombastic. Jeb Bush.  Another Bush?  Not likely.  Other than Bush, none have ever run anything.  Nor has Hillary.  But they are all younger and exude energy.

A couple of fresh faces are now emerging.  Ohio's John Kasich and Wisconsin's Scott Walker retained their governorships.  They are politically astute and they've experience running large state governments.  They could be formidable competition for a former Secretary of State who had a less than stellar tenure marred with still unanswered scandal.

So the question is whether or not the Democrats can recognize damaged goods and gently ease someone else to the forefront or if they will be forever be beholden to Hillary because she is - well - Hillary.

Time will tell.  If the Republicans manage to get their act together over the next two years I'm thinking voters, especially the up and coming young ones, will be asking Hillary who?

No Guts, No Glory

Hillary, you haven't seen anything yet!  The shoe toss was merely an indication of what you're likely to face in a run for the presidency.

Sure you laughed it off.  You have presence of mind enough to do the expedient thing. But did it bother you more than you let on?  Is that why you canceled your speech to the Western Health Leadership Academy in San Diego?

Or is it because Sean Smith's mother was planning to be part of a protest?  Remember Sean? One of the four Americans killed in Benghazi on 9/11/2013?

C'mon, what difference at this point does it make now? Well, to a lot of people it makes a huge difference and if you think you're going to be able to evade the "what really happened?" question for an entire campaign season you're sorely mistaken.

I know it was tough having to face the families of our fallen Americans as they arrived in flag draped caskets at Dover. Was it hard to lie to them about a really bad YouTube video having been the cause? You did lie, didn't you? All the evidence seems to point that way.

It's going to be a tough campaign.  You have no experience at running anything what's more a nation as complex as ours.  Your time in the Senate was merely marking time for more ambitious pursuits. You had to settle for less than first prize and yet you've been having trouble listing any accomplishment what-so-ever in that lesser position.  Secretary of State.  Unless you consider having the word 'overcharged' in place of 'reset' on the button that was to be symbolic with our new U.S./Russian relationship.

It's too late to alter the outcome of your tenure at State, but you could do a lot by coming clean about Benghazi.  If you insist you were no more than an innocent bystander, don't be surprised if the voters think you should remain a bystander to the presidency.

The truth though.  Well, it would give you a whole new image, something unique in the world of politics, and the American people are a forgiving lot.  Think about it.