(Authors Pre-note - for a number of reasons, I have not written for a few months. It is good to be back, and there is much fodder for the next few months. Please join me in being heard about the coming elections and the health of our Political system. Please share your thoughts and comments.)
What has happened in America in the last eight years that has brought us from a situation of continuously improving race relations, political relations, and economic conditions to a state of continual divisiveness on all these issues, setting progress back decades and leading to unthinkable positions being taken by extremist political views.
Who that mere decade ago would have been expecting that elements of society would be calling for the killing of police officers, that the military would make or be directed to make its decisions about protecting America on political grounds and for political benefit of particular parties without regard for the potential damage and loss of life to our military and diplomatic corps in foreign lands.Who would have imagined our borders being opened for our enemies to enter, and be greeted with gifts of entitlements while our own citizens and veterans go without basics in support and medical care.
Then, as a presidential election approaches who would have envisioned that the Democrat Candidates would be a corrupt woman who believes she is entitled to the office, and a 70+ year old socialist who has never held a job of any substance. Both Democrat candidates promise the world in exchange for votes with no real concept of fulfilling those promises or how to do so even if they did care to fulfill them.
The Republicans as this same time, have sorted through a field of over a dozen candidates to a New York businessman (Trump) leading, followed by a Constitutionalist US Senator (Cruz) and far trailing a former governor (Kasich).
As these races shake out to a final nominee from each party, the shenanigans by each group are as sleazy and backhanded as any American politics have ever seen. Conservatives have been aware for political eons that the Democrats follow a "means justifies the ends" of achieving their political goals of power, control, and the growth of Government. What is now being seen is a similar battle in the Republican party to prevent a political neophyte business man from taking the reins of the party in the coming election.
Battles over issues of elect-ability, trust, honesty, ethics and popular support plague both parties, more clearly drawn among the Democrats as Hillary Clinton's checkered past continues to haunt her, as well as her risk of indictment for crimes committed as Secretary of State during the first Obama term. Her opponent Bernie Sanders is the unicorn candidate, seemingly drawing support from college students who don't yet understand the realities of life.
The Republicans have three warring factions, the "establishment Republicans" such as the Bush family, Mitt Romney, and many in Congress who want a "professional politician" like themselves for a candidate. The public consensus seems to be seeking a candidate from outside the DC Beltway, without the institutional limitations and potential corruption that comes with being an insider. Both sides want the perfect candidate, and since no perfect people exist, all have their warts and flaws, but both principal candidates have many positive points.
Much political infighting from the Republican candidates seeking the nomination is taking place. This is potentially damaging, as it provides ammo for the Democrats come the final campaign among the eventual nominees. Much of what is going on is devolving to be a school yard fight as among juveniles of name calling, dirty tricks and conduct below what the public expects of serious candidates from the conservative party. Meanwhile the public perception of the Democrat candidates is that Hillary cannot be believed no matter if she is saying it is "daytime or nighttime", and Bernie is a simpleton one issue candidate who doesn't conceive that he is promising big, but cannot perform on those promises. There are those who will vote for Clinton despite her history simply because she is female and those who will support Sanders out of pure naivete. No rational voter can support either Democrat candidate on their history or promises.
Another element of this election is it being a vote between the producers and the consumers. The Democrats promising ever growing entitlements seek to get the votes of all those who live on the government dole. Bumper stickers such as "I'm a Republican-because not everyone can be on welfare" epitomize the divide and the anger between the producers and those who would be carried through life. Meanwhile the Dems entice the consuming class with Obama phones, food stamps (at the highest numbers ever with over 400 million recipients), welfare grants given to even non-citizens illegally here, and incentives to those who would come illegally to this country.
Foreign policy is another hot button issue for voters, as the present administration seems to have diminished the position of the US in the world. The military has been shrunken to levels not seen since before WWI, and politicized by the removal of independent leaders and their replacement with political ideologues.
The biggest issue facing voters in this fractious election is the economy. Obama's health care plan has failed in almost every particular. It has given the government control of over a sixth of the national economy, and has raised costs to consumers at astounding rates.
Middle class wages have been stagnant for a decade, and costs continue to rise, principally due to increased government regulation, legislation, and control of private enterprise. Government now employs one fifth of the workers in the nation, and waste in both employee costs and purchasing is rampant. Government spending giving money to our enemies, paying outrageous prices for the mundane costs of operation continue to waste taxpayer dollars. No real headway seems to be being made to fix these problems of waste. It is as if they are an accepted cost of having government.
Certain states are seemingly setting an example of self destruction under the models of over taxation and socialistic policies. California, Washington, and cities such as Baltimore, NYC, Detroit, and others show the destructive effect of following the liberal/progressive policies. Businesses (large and small) are leaving these states for more favorable regulatory and tax policies.
So, here we are. The Dems have proven their failure as a philosophy in the last eight years of ideology, and with the level of candidates that they now field. The Republican conversely are threatening to destroy themselves by infighting, potentially trying to deny the leading candidate the nomination since he is not of the "political inside", and meanwhile the silent majority out there get angrier and angrier at the kabuki theater that is politics. I would hazard a guess that the Republican party will commit suicide and become irrelevant for many election cycles if they deny the majority delegate holder the nomination. If the public want a candidate who is not a Washington insider, so be it. Tamper with that, and you become no better than the power hungry Dems.
What will happen remains to be seen, but my view is that the best thing that we as citizens is to encourage the political parties to look to what we want, what our greatest concerns are, and simplify, both the government as a whole, but also the electoral process which now appears to be complex and confusing, and primed to be used to subvert the will of the majority of citizens regarding their nominee. Time will tell whether the oaths of office taken by our present elected officials mean more to them than the perks of office and the power of authority given them over others and whether that power will be used in the true best interest of the nation, or for the sake of acquisition of more power for the individual pols.
What has happened in America in the last eight years that has brought us from a situation of continuously improving race relations, political relations, and economic conditions to a state of continual divisiveness on all these issues, setting progress back decades and leading to unthinkable positions being taken by extremist political views.
Who that mere decade ago would have been expecting that elements of society would be calling for the killing of police officers, that the military would make or be directed to make its decisions about protecting America on political grounds and for political benefit of particular parties without regard for the potential damage and loss of life to our military and diplomatic corps in foreign lands.Who would have imagined our borders being opened for our enemies to enter, and be greeted with gifts of entitlements while our own citizens and veterans go without basics in support and medical care.
Then, as a presidential election approaches who would have envisioned that the Democrat Candidates would be a corrupt woman who believes she is entitled to the office, and a 70+ year old socialist who has never held a job of any substance. Both Democrat candidates promise the world in exchange for votes with no real concept of fulfilling those promises or how to do so even if they did care to fulfill them.
The Republicans as this same time, have sorted through a field of over a dozen candidates to a New York businessman (Trump) leading, followed by a Constitutionalist US Senator (Cruz) and far trailing a former governor (Kasich).
As these races shake out to a final nominee from each party, the shenanigans by each group are as sleazy and backhanded as any American politics have ever seen. Conservatives have been aware for political eons that the Democrats follow a "means justifies the ends" of achieving their political goals of power, control, and the growth of Government. What is now being seen is a similar battle in the Republican party to prevent a political neophyte business man from taking the reins of the party in the coming election.
Battles over issues of elect-ability, trust, honesty, ethics and popular support plague both parties, more clearly drawn among the Democrats as Hillary Clinton's checkered past continues to haunt her, as well as her risk of indictment for crimes committed as Secretary of State during the first Obama term. Her opponent Bernie Sanders is the unicorn candidate, seemingly drawing support from college students who don't yet understand the realities of life.
The Republicans have three warring factions, the "establishment Republicans" such as the Bush family, Mitt Romney, and many in Congress who want a "professional politician" like themselves for a candidate. The public consensus seems to be seeking a candidate from outside the DC Beltway, without the institutional limitations and potential corruption that comes with being an insider. Both sides want the perfect candidate, and since no perfect people exist, all have their warts and flaws, but both principal candidates have many positive points.
Much political infighting from the Republican candidates seeking the nomination is taking place. This is potentially damaging, as it provides ammo for the Democrats come the final campaign among the eventual nominees. Much of what is going on is devolving to be a school yard fight as among juveniles of name calling, dirty tricks and conduct below what the public expects of serious candidates from the conservative party. Meanwhile the public perception of the Democrat candidates is that Hillary cannot be believed no matter if she is saying it is "daytime or nighttime", and Bernie is a simpleton one issue candidate who doesn't conceive that he is promising big, but cannot perform on those promises. There are those who will vote for Clinton despite her history simply because she is female and those who will support Sanders out of pure naivete. No rational voter can support either Democrat candidate on their history or promises.
Another element of this election is it being a vote between the producers and the consumers. The Democrats promising ever growing entitlements seek to get the votes of all those who live on the government dole. Bumper stickers such as "I'm a Republican-because not everyone can be on welfare" epitomize the divide and the anger between the producers and those who would be carried through life. Meanwhile the Dems entice the consuming class with Obama phones, food stamps (at the highest numbers ever with over 400 million recipients), welfare grants given to even non-citizens illegally here, and incentives to those who would come illegally to this country.
Foreign policy is another hot button issue for voters, as the present administration seems to have diminished the position of the US in the world. The military has been shrunken to levels not seen since before WWI, and politicized by the removal of independent leaders and their replacement with political ideologues.
The biggest issue facing voters in this fractious election is the economy. Obama's health care plan has failed in almost every particular. It has given the government control of over a sixth of the national economy, and has raised costs to consumers at astounding rates.
Middle class wages have been stagnant for a decade, and costs continue to rise, principally due to increased government regulation, legislation, and control of private enterprise. Government now employs one fifth of the workers in the nation, and waste in both employee costs and purchasing is rampant. Government spending giving money to our enemies, paying outrageous prices for the mundane costs of operation continue to waste taxpayer dollars. No real headway seems to be being made to fix these problems of waste. It is as if they are an accepted cost of having government.
Certain states are seemingly setting an example of self destruction under the models of over taxation and socialistic policies. California, Washington, and cities such as Baltimore, NYC, Detroit, and others show the destructive effect of following the liberal/progressive policies. Businesses (large and small) are leaving these states for more favorable regulatory and tax policies.
So, here we are. The Dems have proven their failure as a philosophy in the last eight years of ideology, and with the level of candidates that they now field. The Republican conversely are threatening to destroy themselves by infighting, potentially trying to deny the leading candidate the nomination since he is not of the "political inside", and meanwhile the silent majority out there get angrier and angrier at the kabuki theater that is politics. I would hazard a guess that the Republican party will commit suicide and become irrelevant for many election cycles if they deny the majority delegate holder the nomination. If the public want a candidate who is not a Washington insider, so be it. Tamper with that, and you become no better than the power hungry Dems.
What will happen remains to be seen, but my view is that the best thing that we as citizens is to encourage the political parties to look to what we want, what our greatest concerns are, and simplify, both the government as a whole, but also the electoral process which now appears to be complex and confusing, and primed to be used to subvert the will of the majority of citizens regarding their nominee. Time will tell whether the oaths of office taken by our present elected officials mean more to them than the perks of office and the power of authority given them over others and whether that power will be used in the true best interest of the nation, or for the sake of acquisition of more power for the individual pols.
This post first appeared on Mr Smith Thinks - Musings From The Mainstream, please read the originial post: here
