Boys Behaving Badly

I have never been so disgusted in all my life.  The campaigns, both of them, are a pretty sorry example of what this country is supposed to be about.  It's down right embarrassing.

Trump is one thing.  He seems to relish having his foot in his mouth.  But now, in desperation according to some sources, both Rubio the boy wonder and Cruz the crusader  have stooped to his level of invective.  What happened to their campaigns?  How long has it been since they actually laid out policy instead of throwing dirt at Trump and each other hoping something will stick and save their ambitions?

To me they're not making their point.  They're whining.  And Cruz had best be careful insinuating Trump has ties to the mob.  When you think about it you have to wonder if any of them are actually running because they want to help the country or is it merely to fulfill their ambitions?  There is a huge difference.  Look at Hillary!

Last go round I really hoped Romney would win but as difficult as its been, I'm glad he didn't.  I never thought he would stoop to Cruz's or Rubio's level with insinuation without grounds. There might be a bomb shell in Trump's tax returns.

Cruz again, I could care less if Trump is actually as rich as he says he is.  Trump, I could care less how much Rubio sweats.  Rubio strikes me as a kid swinging madly at a much larger opponent who is holding him off with a hand on his head yet unable to strike a damaging blow.

The media doesn't get a pass either.  You'd think the debate moderators could aim some questions at Carson and Kasich and elicit something useful for those listening rather than feeding the verbal brawl.

I can't even begin to go after the Democrats even though there is only two of them.  I do not like nor trust Hillary and think there is yet another shoe to fall, maybe two.  Benghazi and the e-mails.  I know my Democratic friends will tell me nothing has been proven but evidence is mounting.  Does it matter?  To me it does.  It goes to character and  unwarrented privilege.

Sanders?  If you want the government involved in every aspect of your life he's your man.  I don't.

I'll be glad when Super Tuesday is over and done with.  The direction of the races will be pretty predictable at that point.

For the moment I'm in a quandary.  With the exception of Carson and Kasich, there is not one who rates my vote.  It's too bad the circus has come to town.  With the world situation such as it is I don't understand why none of the headliners have anything concrete to offer.  Does it matter?  Well, we can see now what seven plus years of disengagement has done. So will the adults in the room, assuming there are any, please stand up?

Have We Backed Ourselves Into A Corner?

Is this the best our country can do?  I've been trying to figure out why the better candidates haven't caught on and have already forfeited the game to one of these two?

First I look at Trump.  He says he can be presidential if necessary.  I'd like to see a bit of that decorum before hand.  He isn't a " true conservative" by any stretch of the imagination and to my way of thinking thats a plus.  It comes with being a moderate or a centrist or whatever you want to call it.

There are issues near and dear to the Democrats with which I agree; the same goes with the Republicans.  A leader, a true leader, should bring those sides together even if it means each loses a bit.  It's called negotiating and Trump should be a master of it.  What's a mystery however is whether or not he can actually govern.  There is too much at stake for another amateur in the job.

Hillary is another story.  Let's leave all the pending and past scandles aside.  Other than holding the office of Secretary of State what are her accomplishments? Being strident is not an accomplishment.
I ask, too, whether she has the ability to govern.  I see no indication she'd be willing to compromise on anything. Just besmirch those who don't agree with her.

One more thing about her worries me.  If the reports are true her health needs to be thouroughly vetted, to borrow a political term. The headaches, the falls, the cough and the glasses.   She looks her age and she looks tired and this is only the campaign.  Does she have the stamina to actually hold the office?

Neither of these candidates bring youth and vitality to the fore though Trump wins on that score by the power of his personality.

Those who did bring that youth and vitality have already moved on.  Rubio and Cruz are the same age but Cruz is an unknown element thanks to some serious goof ups already.  Rubio looks young and stiff as a board.  He is so scripted I wonder who will be writing it for him if he's elected.  Some would tell you it would be the Business Roundtable, the Chamber of Commercee and all the other monied suspects.

I probably pay more attention to foreign policy than a lot of people because as goes the world so go we.  For some reason the cream hasn't risen to the top, it's been filtered out and what we have left is sour.  Just look at them.

Talk About Inequality

South Carolina for the Republicans and Nevada for the Democrats has come and gone.  I'm guessing Hillary is taking the stance that a win is a win and Bernie probably feels that collecting delegates will get him something at the convention if not the nomination.

The Republican field has been winnowed but still has a way to go.  Other candidates either not having the funds or the following to go further bow out as it becomes necessary.  How long Carson and Kasich will remain for awhile though I think the window of opportunity for them has been closed.

Jeb Bush threw in the towel last night after not having gained ground in a state where he should have done well.  I almost felt sorry for him - but not quite.  I never thought he wanted to enter the race in the first place and those who poured millions into his campaign chest must be in mourning.

Let's take a look at that campaign chest.  According to an article in the New Yorker his acolytes had raised one hundred million dollars!  That's a lot of money for a losing cause!

I get on this kick every election cycle.  Think of how many student loans that could pay off, or repair infrastructure, or hire teachers, policemen and fire fighters.  Think of many of we seniors could get a Social Security raise.  Then take Bush's purse and add to it the war chests of all the other candidates.

Wow. How many of we folks have dropped out of the work force because there are no jobs.  The economy has yet to rebound unless you believe the skewed figures the government puts out every month. If Hillary and Bernie want to give us everything from universal health care to free education then let the candidates put all their surplus funds into government hands to be distributed equally among we poor folk who watch every cent we spend on life's necessities.

As for where I stand at the moment on those left in the race, I haven't a clue.  I'm not comfortable enough with any of them to lend support. I'm waiting to hear how they propose to institute their grand plans if they have a Congress that opposes them.  Don't tell me executive orders. But I wouldn't doubt some of them would use the device should they feel the need.  Obama has set the precedent.

The next shoe to drop (or not) will be what the FBI decides to do about Hillary and e-mails.  This campaign has become my addiction of choice.  I can't stay away from it.  It's soap opera at it's best.  Too bad it isn't fiction.

I'd Vote For Who???

A friend sent me one of those questionnaires that often circulate around the web.  It was  about which Presidential candidate matched most closely my way of thinking.  I take them for fun on occasion but half heartedly because there are always caveats to my answers.

Actually I don't know where I stand these days  but the questionnaire gave me pause. The candidate with whom I most closely mirror is Marco Rubio!

Well, at least it wasn't Trump or Sanders! I remember seeing Rubio with Trey Gowdy and Tim Scott and wondered if they are the faces of the future of Republican politics.  We could do worse.  I do like Gowdy and Scott a lot.

Having been away all day yesterday it was no comfort coming home to the news and seeing the nasties going at one another in clips, ad nauseam, off and on all evening.  One thing for sure, who ever gets the nomination won't be choosing cabinet members from the current crop of candidates.  This has gone far beyond typical election year antics. It's down and dirty and likely to get worse.

I keep telling myself to not let age be a factor in my judgement.  When you're my age anyone ten or more years younger look like kids.  I also try not to fall prey to the curse of one term senators or house members.   They aren't all dunces.  When Lindsey Graham endorsed Jeb rather than Cruz or Rubio he used the age factor by saying when he wasn't ready to take on the presidency when he was a mere forty four.  Well, truth be told, the voters didn't think he was at sixty either!

It's a far more complicated formula than age alone or time spent in national politics.  Now Rubio is a political animal for sure. He talks a good game but the question is can he deliver. The same can be said for Trump. He's pushing 70 as is Hillary and Bernie is over.  Maybe it is time to put the old war horses out to pasture and let the youngsters have a crack at it.

I think the most unfair thing I can do is look at how inexperienced Obama was when elected and judge all others by the same criteria.  What we did learn from Obama is that the Presidency is not the time nor place for on the job training. On the other hand the voting public seems to want outsider and that leaves Dr. Carson.  He's probably more intelligent than the rest of them put together but his soft spoken demeanor has been a drawback.  Oh how I wish that weren't the case. I just don't see things turning around for him.  Thank you Ted Cruz.

So much for my musing about the current choices before me.  The field will be whittled down to size soon enough.  One last shot at wishful thinking - that Trump grows up or just takes his ball and goes home.  I do understand why he's on this third wife. Who could put up with having to massage his enormous ego and insecurity 24/7?

Never Miss An Opportunity To Miss An Opportunity

It never ceases to amaze me that the Republicans continue to earn the title of this post.  Judge Scalia hadn't even gotten cold before they were informing the President no replacement would be considered until we have a new president.

It shows me several things about those nit wits.  The most serious is that no matter how hard we try to show them we're not happy even with a new House Speaker, they just don't get it.

They have no respect for the dearly departed or else they wouldn't have turned Scalia's demise into a political hot potato.  Disgusting.  This goes for the candidates too.

They are still ensnarled in partisan politics.  Sure, Obama would no doubt nominate a left leaning candidate but it is his right to do so and their obligation to do a non-partisan vetting.  Just bear in mind Scalia had very high praise for Justice Kagan.

Then too, the way they have been behaving, there is no guarantee they will win the White House.  They had best consider who they would rather have put forward a nominee - Obama, Clinton or Sanders.  Of course it would be helpful if Obama would be impartial but we know that won't happen!

I have a couple of long time readers who are diametrically opposed to me when it comes to politics, but in deference to them I will say this.  I understand why Obama has taken the executive order road.
Congress is so tied up with their own partisanship ways nothing ever gets accomplished.

Still wondering why Trump is doing so well considering his faults?  He isn't a part of the political process.  Should he be elected he'll need some political guidance to be sure but it will be a presidency such as we've never before seen.  I think the same scenario applies to Sanders and even though he is a sitting Senator he fits no mold other than his own.

What does it take to wake these people up?