2015 Politics in America: Coping with The Invisible Hand, The Status Quo and Trumpmania
"America has always needed a Super Hero and a Villain; it's the reason why television wrestling is so popular". – TheodoreW.
Without a shadow of a doubt The United States of America is a very complicated country with a convoluted history. Protected by the girth of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and by a collection of underpaid uniform-wearing-patriots who proudly serve their country, often under great stress and with little complaint, it's safe to argue that the United States of America is a nation that's protected by the Grace of God, natural barriers and by the courage and unselfish service of a few good men and a few good women.
Bonded by a "ride or die" mentally that quickly transforms itself into a stronger-than-steel comradery, U.S. service members, police officers, paramedics and firemen could easily teach American politicians a lesson or two on how to successfully work together as members of a diverse team whose objective is to better serve the greater needs of all Americans.
The problem is most American politicians aren't interested in fixing what's broken until they receive the final blessing from their financial benefactors aka "The Invisible Hand".
There's absolutely no question that in the United States of America "The Invisible Hand" has access to every politician who has once-upon-a-time in their political career accepted a substantial amount of money and gifts from powerful campaign donors.
So why would anyone act surprised when they learn that it's indeed the super-wealthy political donors aka "The Invisible Hand" who are the puppet masters that hide behind "the red velvet curtain" and... with a greedy-evil grin, make the puppets [elected officials] dance?
In 2012 when Republican Mitt Romney unequivocally proclaimed during a political rally that "corporations were people", he spoke the simple truth.
Ancient European history proves that ever since men who wore togas figured out "the game of politics" and made a lengthy and wealthy career of it; the obsession for money, sex and power has always held more sway over elected officials than the vote and "the will" of the proletariat [the people]. As long as corporate money is allowed to influence elections, votes will be for sale to the highest bidder. {Hello U.S. Supreme Court Justices....are you listening?]
It's only when the proletariat [the people] unites as one collective voice do politicians momentarily forget about doing the bidding of their benefactors. Call it "God's will" or Karma, historically; a righteous social movement can never be ignored.
From the very beginning of the creation of The United States, the super-wealthy have always manipulated state and federal government in one way or another. It's what they do for sport and for economic gain [dominance].
So...it's no secret that in the year 2015 very few Americans, regardless of their brand of sociopolitical beliefs, don't trust politicians to honestly govern in a manner that fulfills "their needs" and the needs of the country.
It's widely believed in America that most laws that are passed aren't passed to protect the unalienable rights of each citizen to pursue their own "slice of Liberty and Happiness pie", but rather they're passed to fulfill the needs and wants of Big Businesses and special interests groups that are willing to spend a whole lot of money to ensure "their points of views" are being debated and ultimately being "addressed".
From where the average American "serf" [peasant] is standing, it appears that the Status Quo that governs our nation's institutions of political power is quite comfortable with their own personalized "retirement plans" and aren't in the least bit interested in changing it.
Indeed, in the minds of millions of voters who are constantly battered, besieged and nearly broken by "the game politicians play", it's all about fake smiles, kissing babies, shaking hands, taking pictures, and making lofty promises, and then....it's all about the politicians "getting paid".
So..."What does an American voter have to do to get some satisfaction in the upcoming 2016 Presidential elections"?
For millions of voting Americans the answer to this rhetorical question has become as clear as a bell.
American voters who are tired of being "played" by the status quo have had an epiphany, no longer are they willing to vote for the typical "Brand A" or "Brand B" politician who gives them nothing but empty promises and more student debt.
In coffee shops, college dorms, man caves, office break rooms, union halls and bowling alleys throughout the United States of America, the phrase, "Vote for Brand C" is dominating American conversations. Rumor has it that now Oprah is endorsing "Brand C".
It's been revealed...what America needs is a Super Hero who can magically erect 100 feet walls surrounded by a moat that's full of man eating piranhas and crocodiles that stretches over 2,000 miles long. Guaranteed to keep "job stealing Latin / Mexican immigrants" away, it's a sure bet that violent crimes will dissipate to record low 1955 Leave It to Beaver levels.
What America needs is a Super Hero with super vision and super intellect that can change the U.S. Constitution "at a glance" whenever the rules begin to favor "less desirable people".
And yes, America is definitely in need of a Super Hero who isn't afraid to tell the lame-stream media to shut up and sit down. Additionally America needs a strong leader who is willing to look European allies, Arab oil moguls, Chinese bankers and would be Russian czars straight into their eyes and tell them emphatically, "You're fired" !!
What this semi-satirical explanation for the "2015 Summer of Trump" , has been alluding to from the very beginning is that according to "the polls", what America desperately wants [not need] is the grown-up, egomaniac version of the cartoon, Richie Rich, to lead our very complicated Republic, with its convoluted history, in a very complex world; and the Super Hero's [cartoon's] name happens to be Donald Trump.
In closing, America has always loved a hero who also happens to be a TV star. Don't laugh...Ronald Reagan was once thought to be a political buffoon and he sold Baraxo Soap before being elected the 39th President of the United States.
So what does the latest "polls say" American want? A tag team wrestling match between "The Don", Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders? Don't count out the ticket, anything is possible when television ratings are involved.
"Trumpmania"....it's real, catch the wave... the media is depending on you. Am I lying? Think about it.
OBAMA and KOCH BROTHERS UNITE in CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
More shocking than the sudden news that upwards of 6,000 federal prisoners have been granted early release by the U.S. Sentencing Committee Program, is the fact that it was accomplished with the blessing of both the Obama Administration and Koch Industries!!!
David and Charles Koch (pronounced "Coke") are the fabulously wealthy scions of a family that controls a mighty network of diverse and very successful American industries. The shocking part of the sentence that includes, "Obama." "Koch" and "cooperation," is the fact that the Koch Brothers are longtime supporters of political right-wing causes, factions, institutions and politicians. That support was particularly heightened just before and after Obama became president. In left-wing circles, the Koch Brothers' reputation is that of spawns of Satan, dedicated to the destruction of Liberals/Progressives and the Democratic Party. The fact that these two gelt-weighted leaders of the "One-percenters" and the pitifully put-upon and "BHOo-hooed," eventually would find themselves harmonizing from the same hymnal, was just too preposterous for a proper Presbyterian. But, there she was, Valerie Jarrett, perennial Obama insider, having regular discussions with representatives of Koch Industries on this matter. "Will wonders never cease?!"
Ironically, as Obama readily admits, the "Kocksters" were there first. Barack is a relatively "Johnny-come-lately" to the longtime push of the Koch Brothers (no surprise) to reduce the cost of our international shame in warehousing humans. They provide the basic frame for the Obama push to ease draconian sentences for relatively minor drug offenses. Obama also glommed onto their proposals to reduce the dehumanization of ex-offenders with regard to employment and re-integration into society.
Obama was the first sitting-president to set foot in a federal prison. Much like the visiting Pope, who also took his ministry directly to the incarcerated, Obama engaged with prisoners in a personal way. He exhorted them to seek post-prison positivity, while assuring them that he would do his utmost to oil the skids for them in that regard. He is pushing to place incarceration questions at the bottom of employment application forms. The president is also quite keen to eradicate voting restrictions on ex-offenders. His philosophy on re-integration and enfranchisement is based on the logic of reducing the seeds of recidivism.
The more than 6,000 sentence reductions authorized by the commission does not mean that all of these people will be let out at the same time. Their sentence reductions are based upon a specific set of criteria. Sentences stemming from offenses outside of those guidelines will have to be settled prior to release. Approximately 2,000 of the releasees are foreign nationals, whose ultimate disposition will depend upon their immigrant status. It is notable that these early releases pertain only to federal prisoners. It is presumed that many states will follow suit.
As it is with most institutional problems in the U.S., the nexus is historical. Undergirding the entirety of U.S. history, while forever exalting its positive aspects, we continue to deny and kick dirt over the most salient of the negative – deep-rooted racism. While kicking and screaming against it, in this 21st century, finally we have reached a modicum of success in truly representing our stated goals. However, the headlines of this past year tell us we ain't quite there yet.
So it is with the criminal justice system. African Americans and Latinos represent 30% of the population. When it comes to prisons, that number jumps up to 60%. The current trend dates back to Nixon. That was the beginning of the, "Southern Strategy" and the pole-shifting of the Republican and Democratic Parties. Republicans found it very convenient to use crime and race to lure southern Whites away from the donkey and onto the elephant's back. Reagan found that strategy very effective, and improved upon it. Old Lib Clinton, caught in a political vise, was forced to go along with a Republican congress and complete the conversion of our prison system into a racially segregated, fifth estate of our society. The conversion to the solid Republican South was completed in these last elections.
Under these circumstances, it is indeed encouraging to see that factions as diverse as the Koch Brothers and Obama are able to sit at the same table and break bread together. Would that newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan were able to lead his cohorts to that same table. With the Senate there, that really would be a feast to behold. Reversing this senseless, expensive trend within the criminal system should be a national priority of the first order.
***** ***** *****
The old circuit judge came to town.
He made them release farmer Brown.
"The hogs must be fed,
"The cows milked," he said –
"Vittles don't come just from the ground!"
The View from the other side
I was having a typical day, sharing one of the IFZ’s author’s articles (linked HERE so you can see what started this) in different groups and websites and starting to respond to some replies... and then it changed. Not all of a sudden, but in steps. Seemed at first to be something that happens to me a LOT, I post stuff both from IFZ and many other sources, some of which can be considered controversial by many and some that can really light up those on the right. So I am used to going toe-to-toe with, uhm, hostiles. And it seemed this was going to be just another one of those... when it took an interesting turn.
I have done minimal editing so that you may be exposed to the voice of the “other” just as I was, in “real time” which turned out to be more than 3 hours.
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Keith Eidson
Jose Rosa Care to point to a specific issue you contest?
Keith Eidson No need....Any article that portrays our President in the Hannibal Lector mask, and is published by a Soros funded Secular Progressive web site called "IdiotFreeZone" is not worth my time reading.....
Jose Rosa If only "published by a Soros funded Secular Progressive web site called "IdiotFreeZone" were true...
But that’s ok... I understand your delusional paranoia, it is a product of many years of brainwashing by christian preachers, Fox News and the lie factories like Birghtbart, Alex Jones, and the rest of the crowd who were so easily manipulated by Putin.
Keith Eidson Says a guy suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome.....
Jose Rosa So, I’m curious and have few opportunities to talk to a real Trump supporter... How can you support a guy that has broken so many of his campaign promises? I don’t mean all the things I hate about him, but all the stuff he said in the campaign that got you to vote for him. You know stuff like “Mexico will pay for it”...
Keith Eidson Hello Jose!
Okay, I will try and answer your question since it is legitimate.
First, I don't think your statement that Trump has broken so many of his promises is accurate. Let's review:
In the first four months of the Trump Presidency and Trump Administration, President Trump has:
• Caused Illegal Immigration to decrease by over 70 percent!
• Seen the return of American jobs, to include the coal industry and U.S. Steel!
• The Stock Market is at an all time record high....Ever!
• The “Debt” has decreased by over $120 Billion!
• The U.S. Manufacturing Index has soared to a 34 year High!
• NATO announced that spending is up by our allies by over $10 Billion!
• Justice Neal Gorsich now sits on the Supreme Court!
• Attorney General Jeff Sessions has Justice focused in the right direction!
• The Obama Administration’s “Cap & Trade” crap has been eliminated!
• The White House web page is now only in English!
• The Trump Administration killed the “Trans-Pacific-Partnership”; (“TPP”)!
• The Dakota & Keystone Pipeline are now under construction!
• President Trump signed the “Veteran’s Choice Improvement Act”!
• The Trump Administration has focused the EPA back to their original mission: “Clean Water/Clean Air”!
• Trump has rolled back crippling debilitating regulations upon business!
• Trump Mandate that: For Every New Regulation; Two Old Regulations must be deleted”!
• Trump Ban on Administration Officials becoming Lobbyists!
• Repaired the U.S.’s friendship with Israel!
• Put North Korea’s Kim Jung “Crisco” Un on Notice!
• Bombed the Shit out of ISIS with the MOAB!
• Consumer Confidence is at a 30 year high!
• Has started taking bids on and planning the beginning phases of securing our southern border!
I’d say that’s a pretty good start Jose; and it’s a shame that Americans like you are not more supportive! Look at how the media has treated our President and the number of lies, misstatements of truth and prevaricate allegations have been levied against the President and the Trump Administration! I am now 60 years of age, and been active in politics my entire adult life....I've never witnessed the opposition literally so antagonistic as it has been since the election of Donald Trump, and I supported him because I have had a belly full of the proverbial "Uni-Party" where there's not a dime's worth of difference between a Republican and Democrat; where most all of the D.C. Beltway consists of Globalists, Elitists, Establishment "Rockfellerian" politicians that literally have their own interests (and K Street Lobbyists!) at heart!
Jose Rosa Thank you for that response.
Obviously for me most of it is either not quite what it seems, or worse, the opposite direction of what we should be doing, but the perspective of “the other side” aspect is enlightening.
Jose Rosa Did you write the list?
Keith Eidson Yes.
Jose Rosa Would you be ok with me using it verbatim in an article?
I'm thinking that I am not the only "leftie" who doesn't get to here Trump supporters positions very often, other than the occasional shouting match.
I would do my best not to include my own opinion on any of it, but strictly use your words. It would basically be me, acting as a reporter, to get your take.
If you are ok with the idea I’d like to ask a few more questions.
Thoughts?
Keith Eidson ! There's a couple of grammatical errors in there....I don't want to look like a dumbass, but no, I don't have any real objection!
Jose Rosa I would edit any typos or you can and send it to me...
Keith Eidson Feel free!
Jose Rosa Would you want to be anonymous or have credit?
Keith Eidson I am just now actually looking at "IdiotFreeZone"....Jose; I have no objection to you posting it either way....I can only imagine how it will be portrayed, and how your audience will perceive it, but I do think it's a fair representation of how I, and most Americans who are informed do feel. I see you're now in Diego! (I have a number of good friends that I grew up with here in Tampa living out there; and they share the typical "Cal-Mindset" as you do! Must be in the water out there!
Jose Rosa I promise to use my questions and your answers with no editorial comment except a short lead-in describing how we started talking and a final close, which will not judge but simply allow readers to make their own minds...
Keith Eidson LOL! Feel free, and I regret that I accused you of being, "Soros Funded"! After review of "IdiotFreeZone"; I will also semi-back off of the term "Secular Progressive"; (Google It!) but Progressive, no doubt you are!
Jose Rosa LOL... I would love to be ANYBODY funded! While most of the authors are Progressive, that is not a requirement, although I most definitely am and proud of it.
Jose Rosa Ready for a few more questions?
Keith Eidson I have a few minutes!
Jose Rosa Let’s start with the example I gave earlier;
How do you feel about the fact that Mexico will not pay for the wall?
Keith Eidson I thought that the "Who's gonna pay for the wall?" chant at Trump rallies was more humorous than it was a factual claim or a campaign promise!
Having said that, I genuinely believe that we must secure our southern border. A "Wall" is a figment of speech. The two things that bothered me the most prior to the 2016 election, were, (1) The Debt; and (2) Illegal Immigration, and the current and future workforce in the U.S.
We as a Nation may survive (as a Nation) for another half century with the out of control debt; and we can probably survive another couple of decades with the massive influx of both legal and illegal immigration, but we as a Nation cannot survive both of these calamities......
Keith Eidson I do think that there are a number of creative ways that we will "Collect" the cost of the southern border from Mexico.....
Jose Rosa What do you think about the fact that Trump swore he would make healthcare better & cheaper for everybody and then signed a bill that gutted it and left millions with no option?
Keith Eidson I don't believe that Trump's signed a bill that left millions with no option!
I think it's fact that the ACA is a failure, period. I don't like the current bill that the House has sent up to the Senate either, but it's better than the ACA/ObamaCare.
Jose Rosa He also said he would never touch Medicare and Medicaid
Keith Eidson I think what he said, is that he would not allow for those who are indigent to go without health care. We, as a Nation, have never allowed the indigent to go without health care....Ever!
Keith Eidson And the Trump Admiistration has not suggested cutting off the indigent or getting rid of our safety nets!
The problem, is the exorbitant costs that have been passed on to the Middle Class1
Jose Rosa How does a typical Trump supporter differ from old school Republicans and Tea Party activists?
Keith Eidson Good Question!
I think I qualified (at one point in time) as being a part of all three of the groups you just tagged....
I think that today, (and I was initially a Cruz supporter up until October, 2015; e.g.; 13 months before the election) I, like so many conservatives, had become tired of the Republican Party....
Getting past the attacks and mud slinging between the Right versus the Left, or Conservative versus Liberal; most Trump supporters are tired of the literal corruption in Washington D.C. We feel as though there is literally a "Uni-Party" consisting of globalist, elitist, "Establishment" politicians who represent the proverbial banksters; K Street Lobbyists; and literally a "Globalist-New World Order" agenda, of which there's not a dime's worth of difference between most Democrats and Republicans. I could expand upon this, but in general this concisely represents the majority of Trump Supporters who still believe that President Trump will do all within his power to break this corrupt "D.C. Swamp" mentality; which I surmise will most likely take decades, if it's not already too late to make a course correction.
Jose Rosa Thanks... I'm trying to cover topics that lefties talk about and assume answers for.
Jose Rosa What would you say to typical lefties that accuse Trump and maybe more importantly, his supporters of being Xenophobic, Islamaphobic, Homophobic, Misogynist and Racist?
Keith Eidson I hope this is helpful! I am being as frank, honest and straightforward as I can be.
Keith Eidson ! All Progressives say that, to each and every conservative and most especially to Trump Supporters!
What I find, is that most of this is the typical Secular Progressive talking point and spin....We've come to ignore it. My answer would be posed with a question: "Can you give any example of "Islamophobia, Misogyny, Homophobia or Racism"?
Keith Eidson (That President Trump has committed?) I surely haven't heard the President say anything racist, homophobic, anti-Islamic, or misogynist!
Jose Rosa I assume you are a Christian...?
Where does that fit in to your support of Trump?
Keith Eidson Yes, I am a Christian. I don't see my faith as playing too much of a role in my political thinking...I'm sure that it does sway some of my observations and decisions.....It's not the most deciding factor.
Jose Rosa Where do you stand on abortion?
Keith Eidson Today, I am opposed to abortion. At one time, in the not too distant past, although I was personally opposed to abortion, I believed in the tenets of Roe; and generally believed that the "government" had no business getting involved in abortions; an issue that I felt was between a woman and her God>
Today, after learning the amount of abortions performed in the United States; after learning of groups like Planned Parenthood selling dead baby parts and baby cadavers; and knowing of partial birth abortions; (and again, back to the point of how many abortions are performed daily within the U.S.) I am opposed to Roe v. Wade; and believe that this should be a matter decided on a State level. As a Floridian, I would be opposed to Florida legalizing abortions other than for the safety or well being of the Mother.
Jose Rosa Guns... ?
Keith Eidson Pro-Gun....Pro-Second Amendment.
Jose Rosa How would you describe yourself?
Keith Eidson LOL! Come on Jose! I'm sure you will portray me as a "Dying Out Southern White Florida Cracker"!
I believe that I am well informed, fairly well educated; and conservative.
Haha
Jose Rosa What would you like to add that I haven’t asked about?
Keith Eidson Hey Jose! (I still have to make a living! Sorry for the delay!)
Uhm.....I'm sure that there's a number of issues that we haven't touched upon....I am quite adamant about the influx of immigrants, and most especially about refugees from the Middle East coming into the Nation without being vetted. I also think that we should definitely scale down the amount of immigrants that we allow into the Nation; until such time as our work force is much better. (I don't know the numbers right off hand, but prior to January, 2017, there were over 97 million Americans out of the work force....
I also have some very strong opinions on Islam; (In that it is an ideology, which contains a small segment of theology within the ideology; and generally, that Islam is counter to Western societies....I've lived with Muslims; I have no personal animosity toward Muslims; and I also have no qualm with the Islamic faith, (which is contained within the Islamic Ideology)
Jose Rosa No worries, I only have one more question...
I should have asked this earlier,
what is your take on what is being called RussiaGate?
Keith Eidson To date, I've seen nothing whatsoever that would convince me that the Trump Campaign was colluding with Russia in order to somehow sway the electorate.
What we saw from the purported "17 Federal Intelligence Agencies"; (which in all actuality, were ...See More
Jose Rosa I want to thank you for the opportunity to allow me into your way of thinking. No doubt we both already know that I personally disagree with a lot of your views, but it is refreshing to hear them without the acrimony and hostility that online conversations usually include.
Would you be ok with me getting back to you later, if I have more questions?
Keith Eidson I look forward to it, and it's a pleasure to introduce myself to ya! Have a great day! (And oh! By the way, if you do choose to publish any of my comments, I hope you'll provide me a link!
Good to see ya!
Jose Rosa Just to be sure, you are ok with me using your real name, knowing that the final article will be posted here and other groups...?
Keith Eidson I would prefer, "KeithInTampa" but I have no strong objection Jose!)
Jose Rosa I can add your Twitter handle
Keith Eidson @KeithInTampa..
Jose Rosa Thanks again... Should have it ready to go in a few days... and now that we are FB Friends (a unique pair no doubt) I will PM a link
Post script:
So there it is, with no editorial from me, as promised. Frankly I think it speaks for itself and hopefully will help all of us understand who it is putting those people on the other side of the isle in their seats.
TRUMP PRESIDENCY REDUX
I requested a reprint of my below dialog, which appeared in this space two years ago. I did so, not to boast of any great prescience on my part, rather to demonstrate how any one of us easily could have extrapolated into the Oval Office the overblown antics of a 71-yer-old man-child.
What I could not have anticipated – nor probably you – is the real president’s unerring subservience to Vladimir Putin and the Russians! His globe-hovering hand-dance with the Saudis is another unexpected dichotomy.
I did, however, nail his disdainful, dismissive attitude to our allies and his fellow Republicans
PRESIDENT TRUMP: A RE-ASSESSMENT
The Trump presidency, as IFZ predicted on 9-11-15
The promise of every U.S. president, time immemorial: I am going to shake up Washington. When on the first day the curtain is pulled back, his eyes gloss over, his body adjusts to the crib-comfort of the executive chair – then, he becomes Mr. President. Not so with a President Trump...
TRUMP: Tell the captain of Trump Air to get ready to leave for Moscow in an hour.
AIDE: But, Mr. President, we have Air Force One.
TRUMP: Mothball that piece of shit!
AIDE: Is this for the meeting with Mr. Vladimir Putin?
TRUMP: Yeah -- I don’t need to look into his eyes to know what that Commie crook’s soul is up to – and he’d better be wearing a shirt!
AIDE: Will that be all, Mr. President?
TRUMP: No. Get the press secretary in here.
PRESS SECRETARY: Yes, Mr. President?
TRUMP: Look, Babe, remember how you got your job. This is the way I want you to handle press conferences: First of all, throw out all those stupid briefing books. Now, as for all those inquisitive news idiots. You and me are going to be connected in real time – Screw it; I’ll handle all the press conferences myself.
AIDE: Mr. President, the leaders of the House and Senate are on the line.
TRUMP: What the hell do they want? – Send ‘em a check.
AIDE: Mr. President, they would like to have lunch in order to discuss the Russian matter.
TRUMP: Tell ‘em I’m on my way to Moscow, and the problem will be fixed by the time I get back.
AIDE: Mr. President, they say the trade package has strings attached.
TRUMP: Strings! The only strings I know about are the lines of cash their handlers have attached to their asses for them to get elected!
AIDE: Mr. President, they say that Mr. Putin is shifty; that one never knows what he may be thinking.
TRUMP: Shifty, my ass! That KGB lackey wants what they want – money and power. So do I – but, since I’ve got all the money in the world, and now that I’ve got all the power in the world. I’ll take care of that asshole Putin.
AIDE: Mr. President, the Secretary of State is on the line.
TRUMP: What’s his problem?
SECRETARY OF STATE: Mr. President, we have just received an ultimatum from ISIL.
TRUMP: Get me the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
JCS CHAIRMAN: Yes, Mr. President?
TRUMP: Look, I want those ISIS people – or ISIL – whatever the hell you call ‘em – to be put out of business, post haste!
JCS CHAIRMAN: But, Mr. President, that would require the use of all of our resources.
TRUMP: What do you mean?
JCS CHAIRMAN: Well, we would have to place carrier fleets in the region and make use of all of our special forces.
TRUMP: So?
JCS CHAIRMAN: Well, Mr. President, we also would have to consult with our allies and with various states in the region.
TRUMP: Allies – SCHMAL-lies! Screw ‘em! All they do is hold us back. In the end, we do most of the spending and the dying. As far as those rag-head pretenders in the area are concerned, they’d still be eating desert dirt if we hadn’t shown ‘em how to get the oil out of the ground. Screw them, too. All they want is not to get their skirts dirty.
JCS CHAIRMAN: But, Mr. President, are you suggesting we go this alone?
TRUMP: Alone is all we got, you schmuck! Where the hell have you been hiding for the last 70 years? You must be aware that we are the only ones with carrier fleets capable of patrolling all the continents on this earth. Didja notice? -- Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, no one doubts that we will incinerate them.
JCS CHAIRMAN: But, Mr. President...
TRUMP: As a matter of fact, tell those puling politicians – the ones worried about Iran and the bomb – not to concern themselves with those loudmouthed camel-jockeys. All they want is to stick the bomb down their dress and pretend –- just like that North Korean kook.
JCS CHAIRMAN: But, Mr. President...
TRUMP: Israel is not worried about those bastards – no matter what they say. They have more nukes than you can shake a stick at. As soon as those guys even look like they’re gonna light up, Israel would turn their desert into glass.
JCS CHAIRMAN: But, Mr. President...
TRUMP: Is Air Trump ready?
AIDE: Yes, Mr. President, and the helicopter is on the pad.
TRUMP: Good. I can’t wait to stare down that Commie bastard. H-m-m-m...it’s big enough. How does Trump Red Square Tower sound?
We Did It Again
Alright, I’m done crying (well, almost). And I’ve polished off more than one batch of chocolate chip cookies- don’t judge me. I’m through the denial, past the depression, not bothering with bargaining.....yet. So I am now into acceptance. I accept that the Democrats have lost another damn election! And we are doing what we do best- argue and blame. I accept that we have shot ourselves in the foot and are going to be hobbling through the next 4 years. Oh, some are already talking about stand and fight, and sure, we should. May I make a suggestion? We change our $%^ing strategy! Come on Dems, we keep doing the same thingand expecting different results. You know? The definition of stupid? Of course we don’t think of ourselves as stupid- quite the contrary, we think we are pretty darned smart. Heck, we’ve have the books, home libraries, degrees, careers, the IQ’s, and the paychecks to prove it. And don’t we love to flash them about? Before you get offended and accuse me of judging you, let me tell you first; I’m including myself. I also, liked reading those articles that showed scientific proof of the less education of the typical GOP voter. It made me feel right. Turns out I was really wrong. Turns out the polls were wrong. While we were pouring over our “History of the American Presidential Races”, the charts, the statistics, the pundits, the graphs and comparing notes on which candidate was where at every point of the campaign we weren’t listening. As you can tell, I’m in the anger stage. I’m angry with myself and with the rest of my fellow liberals and Democrats and Independents. We thought we were so fricking smart. And we lost. Bigly.
We don’t listen. Instead of making fun of the “Muricans” yelling at his rallies we should have invited them over for lunch, offered them a beer and asked them why they were screaming and chanting. But we didn’t. We mocked them and called them ignorant, deplorable and we wrote them off as bigots. No doubt about it, there are many of his supporters who said and did some awful things, some of them got ugly and violent. In our rush to judgement we didn’t stop to think about, WHY. Why were they behaving that way? A few journalists attempted to explain to us why they were angry, some took the time to sit and ask them and they tried to share that with us. Most of us blew it off. Instead, we looked up evidence and data to prove that our choice was the best. We also delighted in dangling it in front of those on the right. Yes, they came back at us with their own evidence to which we quickly dismissed as not valid or from an unreliable source. But what did our ‘rightness’ get us? Nothing. We do a lot of talking and discussing and not enough listening. What would listening have done for us? It would have shown us that we had more in common with them than we realized. They are angry, and so are we, and for many of the same reasons. Yet, we couldn’t reach across the fence and shake hands with our neighbors and collectively ‘throw the bums out’ because you know in your heart you want to wipe the slate of DC clean and start over again as much as they do. Let’s face it, we didn’t listen and instead we chose one the politicians of ‘business as usual’, the kind that we are all tired of even though we had a candidate who was speaking about our problems and actually had practical ideas. But we didn’t go with Bernie in the primaries so we had Hillary for our candidate. I like them both and have been saying that for 18 months. But we probably should have collectively chosen Bernie. Did you notice how they all got behind a horrible candidate while we couldn't even get behind one of two strong canddiates? Now some are probably feeling their blood pressure rise right now and getting mad at me for saying we should have picked Bernie. That brings me to my next point, the other reason we get campaigns so wrong.
We fight amongst ourselves. We are sometimes as nasty to each other as we are to our Republican friends and family. We called each other names, unfriended and blocked and mocked each other for our choice. Instead of, what’s that word again? Oh, yeah, listen. Instead of listening to each other we got into heated debates on social media and in public spaces about why our candidate was superior and theirs wasn’t. “Bernie or Bust” “Never Bernie” “Never Hillary”. We drew lines in the sand, our own Democrat sand, mind you. We had camps in our Dem party that would not allow alternative comments to our own firmly held beliefs on why our candidate was better. Some argue (there’s that word again- argue, as in fight) the 3rd party candidates skewed the election in his favor. Maybe. It depends on whose site and research you use. The choice of 3rd party should tell us one thing if nothing else- they were so disgusted in the status quo that they would rather give their vote to a candidate that they knew could not possibly win. That’s a big statement. While I share their sentiment, I’m not sure it was the right way to protest. That is 100% my opinion and even though we Dems like our science and math the bottom line is people vote based on their gut, their emotion, their heart and their opinions. And the GOP knows that so very, very well. If you haven’t yet, read George Lakoff’s ‘Don’t Think Of An Elephant” I strongly urge you to do so before the next election.
That leads me to my suggestion for 2018 and 2020; listen and dispel long held myths with simple, easy to remember catch phrases and comments. It’s what we like. How do we get a large group of people on the same team? Common ground and simple slogans. “Go Giants!” “Go Packers!” Make the rules easy to understand so we can all feel that we are being dealt a fair hand. We don’t understand what is in the TTP document. We don’t have the time to read that. We barely have time to get dinner done, kids homework, bath, put to bed before we pass out in our own beds. When we talk to each other we need to keep our language on the same level and pay attention to how we FEEL about it. In our technologically advanced culture we think science has all the answers (and it usually does) but our brains are at the same evolutionary level as the ones our ancestors had about 195,000 years ago. When we neglect to include the impact emotions have on our decisions we do a disservice to ourselves. We are a combination of instinct, intellect and sensation. We may not know why we do something but if it makes us feel good we don’t care. He made them feel good. So many of us just want to feel good again. We want to have a life that we imagine our parents or our grandparents or even we had at some time in the past. Is our memory faulty? Of course, but it’s what we have to work with. We embellish our past and desire a return to a time when we felt safe and secure.
We know our finances and our opportunities aren’t what they used to be or what we want them to be and when we see someone offering us what we want it’s very tempting not to grab it. Really, none of the candidates were great, let’s be honest. None of them were our dream date. We were fighting over scraps. What do too many hungry dogs in a yard do? They fight over scraps. And while we were fighting about emails we had the rug pulled out from under us and here we are, licking our wounds. I’d rather be licking a Baskin and Robbins cone with sprinkles instead my wounds.
Starting today let’s put down our weapons and make a solid plan for the future, with action items, let’s do what Bernie, Jill and Hillary tried to do and that is, unite ourselves. Let’s start fighting the negative stereo-types and language of the right, let’s not perpetuate the moocher myth or any other catch phrase the politicians and media throw at us. Let’s KISS.
