And now the rats are fleeing the ship. We now are hearing the clarion call from some of the most important conservative media that Trump should either play the game according to the rules, or the GOP will find a way to abandon him for its own survival. Sadly for the GOP, the die was cast a long, long time ago. And when they could have gotten rid of the cancer called Donald Trump, they dilly dallied until it was too late to do anything meaningful to stop Trump.
The soul of a political party is tested now and then. The Democrats were tested when Bill Clinton was impeached by the house. No one abandoned him, when he was guilty of a "petty" felony. They were addicted to the money he knew how to bring to his party. The Democrats failed their test, but I'm not sure they could have passed it without tearing the party apart. This season, it's the Republican's turn. And they are failing with no excuse. When political leaders are saying that Trump is a con artist who has no business being president, but they support him anyway in the same breath - this is an example of the ethical and moral bankruptcy of the party. This is a colossal failure with no mitigating factors - and no excuses for their (expected) eventual loss in November.
This is a year where the GOP should have been able to easily win the presidency. All they had to do was stop leaning towards the extreme right, and let Hillary's failings do her in. In a news cycle that just reported that the Clinton Foundation placed a well heeled contributor in an important government security post, Trump kept making an ass out of himself, wasting another good chance to rightfully attack Hillary for "business as usual".
Trump is likely making a bogus claim that his taxes are being audited. I'll bet that he doesn't release his taxes because he'll be shown to be a less than successful businessman who is engaged in many questionable deals. Trump's history in making deals show that he knows how to prosper at the expense of others. I can only imagine if this tendency holds true about a presidential run. After losing miserably, he can set himself up as the ringmaster of another media circus, having a networked radio/TV show available over the air or on the internet, where he'll make more money than he ever did with NBC. He'll continue to claim he was cheated, and people will pay to hear his nonsense.
Where does this leave the GOP? The way I see it, they would be smart to abandon the racist wingnuts in their base, and go back to the honest conservatism of a William Buckley and Barry Goldwater. If they also abandon the evangelicals, they might be a smaller party which fights for survival at first. But they will be free to promote a more coherent and more palatable policy - something that could easily hurt the Democrats if presented by a charismatic leader like Ronald Reagan.
By now, you may be wondering who I'm going to vote for. And I think it will be the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson. In New York, the Democrat running for president almost always wins the state. Since I don't like Hillary, and I am disgusted with Trump, I think it's a safe bet for me to give Johnson the vote - and hope that they get more votes than the GOP this year. If this happens, all political hell will break loose - and maybe, just maybe, the political elite will realize that they have to do something for the rest of us, lest we vote them out....
Recently, an open letter signed by 50 Republican national security experts has warned that nominee Donald Trump "would be the most reckless president" in US history. Trump dismissed the GOP "experts" as they were part of a "failed Washington elite" looking to hold on to power
The big question is: What should Hillary Clinton do with this GOP "gift"?
All of the people on this document were associated with Bush #43's Iraq war and the resulting destabilization of the Middle East. Should Hillary be grateful to them, when they made some of the biggest mistakes in history? They are just as incompetent as Trump is, but from the opposite direction. Should Hillary use their statement as a weapon? I doubt it, as Trump could use it against her.
Instead, she should say something that Trump wouldn't expect - agree with him. They may be part of a failed Washington elite, but no elite should be destroyed without capable people ready to take on the reins of government. She should be saying that just throwing the bums out isn't enough. The people who replace the bums should know what to do when in office. Just saying that we'll "Make America Great Again" isn't enough. She should note that his so-called plans are mere slogans, and not backed up with thought.
Trump has gotten where he is, by pandering to peoples' baser nature. He is a bully. And weak people like bullies, as they can vicariously experience power by supporting a bully from their tribe. This is dangerous, as this is the existential threat to any democracy or republic - the cult of. of personality.
We've seen this cult of personality many times in history. We've seen it in the 1930's in Central Europe. We've seen it in the 1960's with the Chinese Cultural Revolution. And we can see it in North Korea - the only documented country where a dead person still is in charge of the government. And now, America has a choice between Trump and Clinton.
Am I afraid? I'd be a fool not to be a little bit scared. But I still have faith in America. And given that the GOP seems to be falling apart at the seams, I feel in the end that America will learn to worry about cults of personality - and that is a good thing....
If anyone thinks that this election is about anything other than money, then I have a nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Both major party candidates are in it for the money, and both represent what is wrong about the system.
- - - - - -
Let's start with Donald Trump. He represents what is most objectionable about the current GOP. He acknowledges that he has bought and sold politicians in the past. Reputable news sources state that his business deals have served to make himself rich at the expense of others - including his business partners. And he suffers no embarrassment from making almost everything he says a lie - appealing to potential voters' more primitive brain functions, instead of their intellect. When he says that he loves ignorant people - he means it!
We have a large number of people who have been lied to for years. The political elite from the GOP has ignored the needs of the common people. They have told us that cutting taxes will result in greater tax revenue as well as more jobs available to the common person - and we know this to be false (anecdotally) from recent experience. (I'm not saying this can not be true, but we had no proof of where we were on the Laffer Curve, and whether our tax rates were high enough to slow down the economy.) The GOP has not changed its tune, and the public has seen work move overseas or get automated out of existence. To the GOP elite, the common people are serfs for whom they have no responsibility, and we have suffered because of this attitude.
- - - - - -
Before one gets to thinking that Hillary Clinton is that great, one has to examine her record. Even though she has advocated some good things (such as healthcare reform), she is equally corrupt. For example, in this election cycle, she has changed her tune on TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership - a trade deal which could negatively affect American employment) from being for it to being against it, only to get the votes that might be cast by Bernie Sanders supporters. Most people believe that once she is elected, she will change her tune on TPP without any significant changes being made to the deal. In short, she will betray her supporters in order to get power.
What would Hillary do when she gets power? Well, she has sucked on the teat of Wall Street for years. It is no coincidence that the Clinton Family wealth has gone from a book value of almost zero (when Bill Clinton left office, as noted by the deal that gave him a mortgage on their Chappaqua, NY house) to over $100 million today (as estimated by the news outlets). Does anyone think that she would support policies that benefit the common person over the lords of Wall Street? I think not.
- - - - - -
So where does this leave us? Do we vote for a revolution led by one of the people who gained the most from exploiting a corrupt system, and has never had to run a system of any size by himself? Or, do we vote to put a competent, but corrupt leader in charge - and defer the revolution to another day. In the end, it's all about "the Benjamins" (slang for $100 bills). Do we want to run the economic risk posed by putting a potentially incompetent leader in charge? Or, do we accept the corruption we know from a competent leader? Either way we're screwed. The only difference is - how bad it may be for us.
Yes, we are in danger. Years ago, the GOP nominated David Duke for governor of Louisiana, because of the fouled up politics of that state. And then, almost all of the GOP elite (including the sitting president, George Bush #41) rejected Duke, and many encouraged Louisianans to vote for a Democrat (who happened to be a crook).
Sadly, today's GOP will not disavow racists - because it sends a signal that there are democrats who are better qualified for office than anyone nominated by the GOP. Why is this sad? Well, it means that tribal loyalty now is valued more than national loyalty, or loyalty to any principle.
What would happen if Hillary Clinton wins in the fall? Not much. The dysfunctional elite who have been running the this country into ruin for the past 50+ years would stay in power for another 4 years. But what happens if Donald Trump wins? Chaos. The financial markets already worry about Trump defaulting on the national debt. Whereas, I worry about things such as ignoring the Geneva Conventions on War, and saying that anything goes. I wonder what our military thinks of that?
I am totally disgusted by today's GOP, as it no longer stands for true market based economic conservatism, and social restraint. One writer sees the Goldwater nomination as the root of today's GOP insanity - and I can't argue against him. Today's GOP is willing to transfer wealth from the poor to the rich (it makes sense economically, but creates great social unrest), and radically affecting the freedoms most Americans love - all in the name of security and a "Forever War".
Does the Democratic party have much more to offer? I doubt it. As Will Rogers once put it,
"I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat."
Because they are less organized than the GOP, the Democrats usually cause much less trouble than the GOP does. Sometimes, they can do a lot of good - as in the case of setting up Obamacare. Obamacare with its flaws, is meant to be tinkered with. So the GOP does have the ability to fix what's broken - but won't do so. Will the Democrats fix Obamacare? No, because they keep playing defense to preserve it. It will take a leader beholden to none of today's political factions to repair what's broken without removing access to affordable health care from people who currently have it. (For this discussion, let's ignore the GOP states NOT accepting Medicaid expansion funds which would have kept health care affordable for the upper tier of the working poor.) Are we better because of the GOP? No. It took the Democrats to make it possible to tinker with America's health care system.
So who do I support? I'm not sure, but I'm thinking that it might be good to see the Libertarians win a few electoral votes to force the presidential election to the House of Representatives, and see if the GOP blinks. No one I know likes Trump or Hillary, but yet will hold their noses and vote for one or the other (unlike Jeb Bush - a worthless, spineless, gutless Republican who can't keep his promises). But I do see people liking the Libertarians or the Greens - and I wouldn't mind either forcing the election into the House for the first time in over 200 years....
PS: On the evening this post was published, Donald Trump made a veiled statement regarding the assassination of the democratic nominee (assuming she were elected president) to prevent her from nominating leftist judges. Many in the GOP still defend Trump, saying he was misunderstood. There is no excuse anymore for anyone in the GOP to support Trump in the general election, or in the House, if this unlikely scenario were to occur. If this threat doesn't turn people away from Trump and all of his apologists, then I feel very afraid for this country - very, very afraid..
This is a real photo!!! And Trump's disrespect for our judiciary and of our constitution is a big potential problem. Why is it that "Conservatives are the ones most wanting to change the constitution instead of achieving their goals within it? Aren't they smart enough to show that their goals are in the best interest of the American people? My guess is that they don't really want the rule of law, but instead want the rule of and by their tribe. There is a clear and present danger to our society, and the Washington Post articulates that threat much better than I can do.
- - - - - -
I find it interesting that Ted Cruz (at the time of writing this entry) has not yet endorsed Donald Trump. He may actually have a small amount of principles he can stand on. (Although he has not enough principles for me to show him any respect.) But what's most interesting is how many of the GOP elite stayed away from the convention, using the flimsiest of excuses to stay away. Normally, I find political conventions unwatchable, as they are only meant to stir the passions of their associated tribe. But this year is even worse than usual, because the quality of "entertainers" (yes, this is political entertainment - the serious stuff is still being done outside the public view) is so totally amateur.
Next week (at the time I started to write this entry), it will be Hillary's turn to entertain the public, and the Democrats will throw their quadrennial party. And, like the GOP, their entertainers will take the stage, make a lot of contentless speeches, and stir up the passions of their tribe. Unlike the GOP's convention, I expect the entertainment to be much better than what is on the TV now.
- - - - - -
It is eerie to many that Trump has the same kind of charisma that a certain Central European had 85 years ago. People respond to him in a more primitive way. He appeals to people's feelings and not their minds. And they are being led like sheep. I'm not saying bad things about these people - many want a real change, and are disgusted with the political elite of both parties.
Hillary represents the "Nomenklatura" of America's political elite. Leaders of both parties have their lists of people who are in power, and those being groomed for power. Like the Mafia, people have to pay dues to the system before the system takes care of them. And I am just as disgusted with this group of people as most of the public is. But at least, much of the system functions, albeit poorly.
Trump, on the other hand, buys and sells Apparatchiks. Even though he hob nobs with the high and mighty, he knows which low level palms to grease to get things done. Yet, whatever business he touches turns to lead, while his bank account turns to gold. He has no idea of how to run a business for the long tern, nor does he have an idea of how to manage a large bureaucracy. If he were to do even a small fraction of what he proposes to do, he will likely cause the whole system to collapse. (Imagine what would happen if he were to start trying to expel illegal immigrants - how many legal residents and citizens would get caught up in the INS sweeps? It's bad enough now that many American citizens fear the INS. But what would happen if this part of the bureaucracy were given extra power?) But then, he speaks to the fears of the public, and not to their aspirations.
- - - - - -
In short, this is an election that indicates whether America is a nation who fears the world, or whether America is a nation who stands up to the world. America can be a beacon that inspires the world or one that terrifies the world. Acting out of fear will create terror for everyone. Acting out of courage will embolden others to be more like us. We have a choice, and I hope America can make one in line with its better qualities.....
