Politics. Yes, it's time I weigh in on this year's presidential election. (I sort of have all year, but now I really must commit.) At this writing there are seventy-three days until election day. I went back in my personal history and worked through who I voted for and how many "wins" I had. It wasn't abysmal. My presidential election success rate equals somewhere around the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves average this season. Here's my record:
1976 - Ford (R) Loss
1980 - Reagan (R) Win
1984 - Mondale (D) Loss
1988 - Dukakis (D) Loss
1992 - Clinton (D) Win
1996 - Clinton (D) Win
2000 - Nader (Green) Loss
2004 - Kerry (D) Loss
2008 - Obama (D) Win
2012 - Obama (D) Win
At this time my record shows five wins and five losses. I'm batting .500. Okay, so my record is a little better than the Phillies and Braves. I voted Republican twice, the Green Party once (c'mon it was Ralph Nader. You gotta love the Nade!) and Democratic a bunch.
I am a registered Democrat. Not because I believe in their platform. I do but I don't. Same as the Republican platform, there are parts I support and other parts, not so much. For years, I was a registered Independent, because I didn't feel comfortable supporting whole-heartily for one party. I became a Dem because when I moved to Philly twelve years ago, the pretty little girl who came to my door a few month's prior to election day 2004 told me I was not yet registered. The liars from my former jurisdiction told me my registration would transfer without any action required by me. Yes. I asked. And yes, I believed the lying little witch. I'm a good American who exercises his rights, except the second amendment. I have never owned or care to own a gun.
The young lady registered me. She didn't ask me what party I wanted to be affiliated with. Sneaky little minx. It appears she was from the local Democratic HQ. So as the saying goes, "when in Rome..." Philadelphia has an extremely strong Democratic base. Which is why Philadelphia is the way it is. It lives and breathes by this next question and answer.
Q: What is the definition of insanity?
A: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
For years, Philadelphians have voted Democratic. A Republican hasn't been Mayor or held a majority of the elected offices since 1948. If you see the history of Philadelphia, you will understand. White Flight to the suburbs, companies leaving the city in droves, the deplorable living and economic conditions in the city over the last almost seventy years could have one to draw a conclusion. Yet, we keep electing a party of candidates that bring nothing to the table. No solutions. No imagination. Nothing.
Before the last election where Mayor Jim Kenney, a career Philadelphian politician, overwhelmingly beat the challenger, Melissa Murray Bailey, who I liked, (Yes, I voted for her. I dared to cross party lines.), I watched two of the mayoral debates. I thought Ms. Bailey came across great. A woman with ideas and a plan. Kenney came across as business-as-usual-I'm-bringing-nothing-to-the-table politics. When asked questions, his replies were "We'll do this together." He had no plan. He didn't have a handle on the hot topic items affecting the city as if he held not an original thought in his head. I was not impressed. Of course, the Sheep of Philadelphia (voters) voted their party line and we successfully continue to have poor governing and a Beverage (Soda) Tax that this clown implemented to start in January 2017 that no one wants or expected or got a say or vote. Nice work, Sheep. That's enough on local politics. Back to the Federal.
This year's election is a difficult one. I will admit that I'm no fan of any of the candidates. It's going to be a tough choice. My choice will default to who I think will screw up America the least. Let's look at each candidate briefly. In no particular order:
Green Party choice: Jill Stein. She has been here before. She's also been to jail once. That is not necessary a reason to discount this candidate. After all Eugene V. Debs ran for President five times in the early twentieth century under the Socialist Party (1900, 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1920) ticket. The last time, he was in prison for sedition. Truthfully, he was imprisoned because of his extensive highly publicized criticism of President Woodrow Wilson. You won't find anybody confirming that statement. Even in ill health, Wilson would not pardon, commute or free Debs. (Can you say "Prick?") Wilson's successor, Harding, did. Debs, a free man, died a few years later in 1926.
Though much of the Green Party platform I agree with, I just don't see the support required from Congress or most of the American people supporting her to make her a successful president. I don't want to dedicate too much space on any of the party platforms. I've linked it to the party website above. What I'll list here is their key values.
- Grassroots Democracy
- Social Justice and Equal Opportunity
- Ecological Wisdom
- Non-Violence
- Decentralization
- Community Based Economics
- Feminism and Gender Equity
- Respect for Diversity
- Personal and Global Responsibility
- Future Focus And Sustainability
Libertarian Party choice: Gary Johnson. Former Governor of New Mexico. This doesn't disqualify him right away in my book either. New Mexico is just about the worst state, economically speaking. But you have to work with with what you've got. It's mostly desert and beautiful, picturesque rock landscapes. There's not much there for agriculture or manufacturing. I'm surprised that the state wasn't just designated as one big National Park along the lines of Mount Rushmore or something like that. What else is there to do with that state? Their platform is brief, but follows much of the same lines as all the other platforms. I love their last key point.
- Personal Liberty
- Economic Liberty
- Securing Liberty
- Omissions
4.0 Omissions
silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval.
What they're saying here is "just because we haven't listed it, doesn't mean we don't have an opinion, we're just not listing it." My interpretation, anyhow.
These two parties are least likely to garner an electoral vote. Once you've read over their platforms, they don't seem like unreasonable choices. Of course, thanks to Samantha Bee and her show that showed the true side of Libertarian Party politics, I'm not just shying away from these guys; I'm distancing myself far enough away so that the crazy doesn't jump off them and onto me. Those people are just plain strange. Love you, Sam!
Democratic Party choice: Hillary Clinton. I know a small faction of Democrats still want Bernie. Bernie is a great guy. I voted for Bernie. But he lost. No matter how much wishing you do, you can't change that. That ship has sailed. Get over it. Move on. Pick another candidate. Secretary of State Clinton follows your basic Democratic party lines. Bernie didn't. Which is why he wasn't popular with the DNC. And I'm not saying the DNC are assholes, but ... yes, I am. They're assholes. Here lies the Democratic platform. Get it ... Lies. Bad pun. All candidates lie. They're lying if they say they don't lie. The DNC lists thirteen basic points.
- Raise Incomes and Restore Economic Security for the Middle Class
- Create Good-Paying Jobs
- Fight for Economic Fairness and Against Inequality
- Bring Americans Together and Remove Barriers to Opportunities
- Protect Voting Rights, Fix Our Campaign Finance System, and Restore Our Democracy
- Combat Climate Change, Build a Clean Energy Economy, and Secure Environmental Justice
- Provide Quality and Affordable Education
- Ensure the Health and Safety of All Americans
- Principled Leadership
- Support Our Troops and Keep Faith with Our Veterans
- Confront Global Threats
- Protect Our Values
- A Leader in the World
Republican Party choice: Donald Trump. I was never a fan, not with his business prowess or his reality show glamour. I believe he got where he did because he was the loudest. You know what they say about the squeaky wheel getting the grease. And he got ALL that grease. In all fairness to the Donald, he had a lot of weak-kneed, limp-wristed, girl throwing competition. And I do mean that in a very derogatory manner. Even though, we know most women can throw better than most Republican candidates. His manner was that of a sideshow carny barker. This country has seen very few like him. I think it falls in the category of a goth-punk magic show, like Dan Sperry or Criss Angel. You know you're being fooled and scared but you want to watch it, be amazed, be fooled and maybe buy the book. Most of his supporters, from what I witnessed, are intellectually limited (challenged) and lack substance (ambition). When questioned about issues, they resort to criticizing Obama's record incorrectly and name calling (mostly to Obama, sometimes at me) and not how their candidate is the best choice. No substance. I am surprised that many of them found the polling places leave alone having the ability to vote. Will Trump sustain this fervor? I doubt it. Come November most of his followers will have eaten their fill of Halloween candy and have settled down for a long winter's hibernation. But to be fair, here is the Republican platform.
Their points are few. Few is good. I like few. You limit your failures to a few items. The Dems tend to promise the world and fail to deliver. They bite off more than they can chew. Or they carry more than they can deliver. The Republicans set the bar lower so they make fewer promises and tend to just lie to the public and do whatever the hell they want anyways. Their general list:
- Restoring the American Dream
- A Rebirth of Constitutional Government
- America’s Natural Resources: Agriculture, Energy, and the Environment
- Government Reform
- Great American Families, Education, Healthcare, and Criminal Justice
- America Resurgent
Simple. The candidate is the one you could respect. A person who represents the values of the greater good and not a small faction. For instance, someone who wishes to give the rich more tax breaks. That serves about one percent of the population. Not good for America. Someone who wishes to enlarge free handouts to the poor. Again, it serves a smaller demographic. Not good for America. Someone who sees foreigners everywhere as a threat. Paranoia has never served anyone well. Not good for America. I'm sure you can think of a few more on your own.
Something I have probably written about before but need to repeat until we're all blue in the face. Building a wall. First, walls not only keep people out, they imprison people within. I do not want to live in a country where I feel I'm being imprisoned. I would have never made it during the time when whole towns and cities were walled up during the Dark Ages. Security, yes. But at the cost of being penned in like livestock or like hamsters in a Habitrail. This country was built on giving foreign peoples an opportunity to become part of something greater than whatever existed before. Why now should we close our borders? Why exclude people based on race, color, creed and beliefs, if their intentions are to build a better life and not tear down the status quo?
Let's look at Trump's toxic personality. To deal with other nations takes a delicate, diplomatic pas de deux. You can't storm in like the Spanish Inquisition and start throwing words and bodies about. With The Donald at the helm, I believe he'll get us into some kind of confrontation, either with a sworn enemy (North Korea) or a perceived enemy (China or Russia) or with one of our allies (Europe). He claims he is being open and honest. Politics has never been about openness or honesty. You're basically a snake oil salesman. You need to finesse people with kind words while you get what you want from them. Which is usually their wallet out of the back pocket. (I always keep mind in my front pants pocket.) You can't make threats unless you're really crazy enough to start a war. And crazy has never made a good leader. Look at North Korea. They've always been bat-shit crazy.
As you know, only Congress can declare war. The President can only plea to a cause to Congress. The decision lies within them. I don't believe any of the candidates would rush us into any war. However, a most undiplomatic attitude could cause increased aggression or hostility toward an already terrorist weary U.S. What do we do? Vote your conscious. Translated: vote for anybody but Trump, but make sure as a whole someone other than Trump gets the most electoral votes.
Seventy-three days until the election. Am I nervous? Yes. The American voter is fickle. It'll take just the one wrong or right incident to sway the public. Right now, Trump is doing all the right things to lose popularity and the election. But it will take only one really bad thing to sink Secretary of State Clinton. The polls are close, not as close as either of the George W. Bush elections, which he stole both elections. Or the election where The Chicago Daily Tribune's headline read Dewey Defeats Truman. For those of you who are lacking in your American History, there was a President Truman. There has never been a President Dewey. Remarkably enough with such bad reporting, they're still in business and in their 170th year. Casually speaking, my sphincter is clenched. I can't imagine a world where someone with no political background becomes President. Would that constitute buying an election?? Every president except for three has held some federal office either by appointment or through an election. The other three held high posts in the military. They were popular guys.
So think of the next two plus months as a roller coaster ride. Strap in tight. Hold your breath as we climb the tracks, then scream like hell when we free fall down that slope toward the finish line. Just don't poop your pants when you pull that election lever. Your vote counts. So make the right choice.
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