What if HRC had won

There is no doubt in my mind that had HRC won she would have “walked back” ( yes I hate that phrase) some of the policy positions Bernie pushed her to. Most importantly the TransPacific Trade Partnership which would have been our most effective check on Chinese expansion and domination of Asia region.

 She also would have modified and improved the ACA rather than push Medicare for All; rationally tackled issue of soaring student debt, solidified NATO and other alliances against Russia, China and Iran and improved relations with Israel from Obama’s tenure , among other sensible rational things.

There would have been no AOC if HRC we’re President. 

Alas we’ll never know. Thanks to Comey (why does Trump nation hate him; he got Trump elected?) and of course the Russians, we’re stuck with Baghdad Don for at least a few more years. 

God help us all. 

Eric

Words and Meanings - Socialism

Once again I’m focusing on words and meanings, and how they distort rational discourse. 

Socialism is a word misused , intentionally or otherwise , by both the Left and the Right.

Let’s start with the dictionary definition :

“Any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”

Is that what the Progressives really want in our country?

Is that what the Right really think Obama, Clinton and other Democrats espouse?

More confusion arises from both sides referring to Scandinavian and other European countries as Socialist economies. 

They are all Capitalist economies with strong social welfare programs.  Very different. 

In fact it is their Capitalist economies that generate sufficient wealth to pay for those social welfare programs. 

Just to put a point on it, I can’t think of any real Socialists countries past or present that don’t have single party authoritarian political rule. None are democracies. 

So let’s just drop the term Socialism and get on with a rational discussion of what needs to be done to improve our country for the betterment of all of our citizens.  

Is the madness over?

I guess we should be thankful for Rep Omar’s hateful statements ; no doubt her actual views are a lot worse. 

There is no way the Democrats could call for the resignation of a progressive, young Muslim women of color who contemporaneously makes anti- Semitics remarks. 

Therefore, hopefully, zero tolerance with no chance of redemption should  be over. 

Governor Northam should be relieved. 

The focus on Steve King is misplaced. The real comparison should be the treatment of Omar and Northam.

Northam’s misconduct, at worse, took place 35 years ago and his record of public service has been exemplary. Omar’s offensive comments are recent and I’m pretty sure her real feelings are a lot worse and goes way beyond criticism of Israeli policies and conduct.

 It’s too bad this new era was too late for Al Franken. 

Observations

1. Negative reporting against Trump or anybody for that matter (like Rep Cortez) is not necessarily bias; it may well just be accurate . Trump says so many inaccurate things, that pointing that out , while  negative reporting , is not bias.

 Bias is when someone still  supports something that is  factual wrong. I don’t believe CNN, NYT,WP or WSJ does that. 

2. Law enforcement is inherently conservative , so accusing the FBI of conspiring against Trump and the GOP is nonsense. Rosenstein, Mueller and even Comey ( remember his role with John Ashcroft ) are all solid Republicans. I know for a fact that it was FBI agents in NY office that actively worked to torpedo Hillary. 

3. The absolute best person  on cable news is Shepard Smith. He tells it like it is in the face of great vitriol from Fox viewers. 

4. Remember that the term Fake News originally referred to stories like the notorious Pizza Gate story which lead to an almost tragic shooting . In other words completely made up on the Internet. 

Trump turned the concept on its head and applied it to all news that doesn’t agree with him. Quite a trick if you actually think about it.

5. Read the Fifth Risk if you want to learn about the true value of the so called Deep State. 

6. Of course none of this today is very new. 

All governments have embedded bureaucracies. Some were based on merit like the Chinese Mandarin system , others political patronage. 

Elites have always been around ie. Patricians v. Plebeians. Just human nature.    

The Illuminati is just a convenient myth, like the Protocols of the Elder Son’s of Zion.    

Bush 41 v. Trump

Bush 41 v. Trump-  Comparing service to our country prior to election as President.

Bush 41:

Decorated Navy fighter pilot

Congressman

Ambassador to China

Director of CIA

Vice President 

Trump :

Nothing

End of the GOP

With or without Trump, the Republican Party is finished on the national level.

Without Trump, they lack the energy and appeal ( indeed the mania) to bring out the masses needed to win elections for an otherwise minority party.

No other Republicans have sufficient charisma , for ill or good.

The Trumpkins, who hate establishment Republicans, will abandon them .

With Trump, the GOP will be a pariah party. Adding to the growing Democratic base and natural constituency will be thoughtful decent Conservatives and moderate sensible Republicans  who are repelled by Trump and his GOP sycophants.

Either way the GOP as a party is toast.


Eric

Disappointing jobs news for Trump

No this isn’t a misprint .

The jobs report was positive and that doesn’t help Trump’s campaign tactics.

Given the nature of his base ,Trump understands that good news isn’t very exciting to them.  He knows they’d rather be frightened and driven by hate.

If the jobs report was bad, he could  blame it on the scary prospect of a  “blue wave” of Democrats taking over the Congress and plunging the economy back into the abyss with skyrocketing jobs losses, plunging stock market losses, destroying 401k and so on. You get the picture.

Now that would have been more to Trump’s liking. He knows how to exploit that scenario. 

Good news? Meh

Eric