Dear Joe Scarborough,
Not everything is about you. Your short time in Congress did not give you wisdom of the world or how everything runs. You have been gone for over 20 years. Also, I don't care what you say, you are not a journalist. You are a talking head. Listen to the real journalist, you might learn something.
Dear President Trump,
You are not a CEO of a business. The federal court system is not a civil court where you badger or try to outspend your opponent. They are an equal branch of the government (see Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution). They get to determine what law or order is constitutional, not you.
Here is some advice from an American citizen. Tone down the rhetoric. You are sounding and acting like you going try to make a business settlement. It does not work like that. You are now the symbol of our country. Please act like it.
Signed,
An Informed Citizen.
Dear Carl Paladino,
I'm heading to the store. Would like me to get you and a number of your buddies some new sheets? I hear they are having a white sale.
Election, candidates, and Trump.
A Political Rant. You have been warned.
Here we are, election day. This has been one of the craziest that many have seen. I have been watching elections since 1972. The candidates are some of the most hated in history. The whys and wither or not they are true is another rant. This about how the GOP lost its mind and nominated Trump.
First some history lessons for those of you that were not paying attention in High School. In 1964, the split in the Republican Party started when Barry Goldwater ran for POTUS. The Conservative movement started and forced many moderates to leave and become Democrats. Moderates were labels Rockefeller Republicans (later labeled RINOs).
In 1968, Nixon was losing. Suddenly he came up with a “Southern Strategy.” (Actually it was created by Nixon and Goldwater supporters in what is known as the “Suite 3505 committee.”) Nixon and his cronies started to appeal to the white Southerns who were facing a dramatic change with new Civil Rights laws and the dismantling of Jim Crow laws.
In 1980, Reagan brought in the Evangelicals. They demanded more cultural fights. Mandatory attendance to an annual prayer breakfast and religious test for leaders. Reagan also created an unwritten rule. “Thou shall not speak ill of another Republican.” A number of Conservative politicians bristled at this, chief among them was Newt Gingrich.
In the 1990s, Evangelicals gained strength in the party. Several states at their urging pass state constitutional amendments against gay marriage. The GOP lead congress stated a series investigations to prove that government was corrupt. This ultimately led to the impeachment of the President. (They wanted a corruption charge, but since the Independent Prosecutor couldn’t find one, they went with morality.)
In the Early 2000s, the GOP and Conservatives were in hog heaven. A weak president was elected and was surround by those that would push him any direction they wanted. (War, bad tax cuts, and more government spending for cronies) And then came Barack Obama.
In 2008, Obama was elected. Two major political “movements” were created. First was the Birther movement. Let’s be clear, here and now. The birther movement was a racist attack on the President. Presidential candidate’s qualifications are vetted long before they are elected.
The other was the Tea Party. This was one of those movements with many parents. But in the words of “Deep Throat,” follow the money. The basic idea was that members of this group did not want the bailouts or more government involvement in anything. Purity and the tearing down of the government.
There is your history lesson. Yes, it was done with broad strokes. But, this is the gist of the subjects.
Next is two things that have been happening behind the scenes. Technology and demographics.
The technology revolution has been happen since the late 1970s and early 1980s. The PC, the internet, and smart phones/tablets picked up speed and changed rapidly in the 1990s and 2000s. Because of it, many could not (or would not) keep up with the changes. The changes in Trade policy just exacerbated this change. (Companies leaving the country has been happen since the 1970s)
The demographic change is much more subtle. First is the fact that every year, 4 million Hispanics become of voting age. Secondly, the Millennials have come of age and are getting active. Finally, the baby boomers are retiring.
Why does this matter? Older white voters have been voting in lesser numbers every presidential election. In 2012, only 68% of them voted. They have been dropping out by 2 – 3% every election. So, now we have angry older white (mostly male) electric.
In 2015, 17 Republicans thought they could be President. Let’s not kid ourselves, at least half if not more never had a snowballs chance in hell. They should never have been there and they knew it. It was a pure vanity run. Legacy for the Obit (“Former Presidential candidate ________ died today.”) And yet the people around them kept whispering in their ears about how great they were and how they were winning.
Trump came down the escalator and gave the base what they wanted. After years of telling the country that everybody was corrupt, Trump came out and said it to their face. He was not nice to his opponents. He did not talk policy. No details. He was a reality candidate that spoke in sound bites. No need to think about what he stood for. Twitter was his friend.
That was the appeal. He spoke what “People” wanted to say. He talked about their fears. He fanned those flames better than anyone. He even convinced a large portion of people that the military was incompetent.
So, there it is. The forces and issues that got Trump nominated. I am not a supporter. But it was interesting to watch how this happened. I will talk about Hillary and Johnson after the election.
Note: Talk about Hillary, Stein, or Gary Johnson here, I will delete the post. Stay on topic.
Please make sure that you go and vote.
Dear Senator Lee (of Utah),
You called blamed the Dem for choosing a candidate as cult of personality. When was the last time your party looked in the mirror?
Signed,
An Informed Citizen.
Dear Comcast,
So, not only, do you not put the Olympics on Demand. But If I want to watch the obscure sports, I have to have High Def Subscription too. Come on! You own about a dozen channels. And on the weekend, you can't go with full coverage? You paid over a billion dollars for this. I thought you would have wanted to get your monies worth.
An unhappy customer.
Dear Comcast,
Stop trying to get me to use you on demand services if you won't carry the stuff on your own channels (Tour de France and the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.) You own the damn channels that they were aired on. If you can't provide your programing, why should I watch anything you have?
An unhappy customer.
