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?

A Man Among Boys

 

Justice Scalia is gone.  May he rest in peace.  He sure wasn't going to get any in court!  There was a ton of air time given to him hallowing him as both man and Supreme Court Justice. What I take away from it is that he was a good, devout man and maybe more importantly a Constitutionalists, where  words matter more than personal philosophies.  We're not likely to see the likes of him again, whether or not you agree with his decisions.

Then there is the Republican presidential field.  I couldn't watch it. It was like a bunch of grade school kids having a squabble on the play ground. C'mon guys.  You're trying to convince us you can lead the country back to greatness?  Well, I've got a hot flash for you, trying to out shout and out besmirch your fellow candidates, you're in danger of losing your audience.

If I never saw Donald Trump smirk again I don't think my world will fall apart. If Cruz and Rubio don't cut it out I'll file them in my "Don't even bother" file.   

Sure I understand why they are behaving the way they are.  They want to oust their opposition.  But at what cost?  Will it get more civilized?  I doubt it. Will people really tune out?  They may continue to watch for the entertainment value if nothing else is on but to choose a candidate from the singed earth doesn't cut it.

I have some friends who are staunch Democrats who vow to vote for Hillary or whoever the nominee is.  I'm not so staunch in my beliefs.  I find myself moving more and more to the center, leaving most of these guys behind.  Maybe it is time for "None of the Above" on the ballot.  Or that ever elusive third party.

Both parties would do well to revamp their debate format.  I haven't yet seen one where the candidate defends his own policy rather than demonizing their opponents.  They are not debates in the true sense anyway so why give them a platform to have screaming matches?

Tomorrow is Presidents Day.  It makes me think of Mount Rushmore.  What giants of American politics have been immortalized in that stone. None of them perfect to be sure, but as a whole they're a heck of a lot better than the current batch of want-to-bes.