Politcal Ramblings

[fordman1]

It looks like god has spoken. Cruz has won in Iowa. Evangelicals would vote for a chipmunk if he prayed with them.

Iowa is a joke with their caucuses. One vote one person. You go to a caucus and get bullied into voting for someone who you don't like or just leave and go home.

[Aslan]

It looks like god has spoken. Cruz has won in Iowa. Evangelicals would vote for a chipmunk if he prayed with them.

Iowa is a joke with their caucuses. One vote one person. You go to a caucus and get bullied into voting for someone who you don't like or just leave and go home.

Yeah. It's kinda a cool process...but some people have anxiety issues and such an event would be a nightmare!

It's gonna be interesting.

The DNC wants Hillary. The RNC wants Rubio.

The PEOPLE...are not happy with Obama and his second term and are not happy about illegal immigration. Hillary and Rubio are the weakest on immigration (other than perhaps Sanders) and Hillary defends Obama's record and wants to further it. Thus, they have not been doing as well as their organizations would have hoped.

For the Republicans...it's a choice of the establishment Rubio, the outsider Trump, or the tea party Cruz. As a Republican voter, Cruz wins on conservative values and Christianity...but is a distant 3rd in electability in a general election.

Cruz is a product of the tea party and right wing radio and Fox News. Like Frankenstein, they've created this monster...and now have no idea to deal with it. Those people on that end of the spectrum see every conservative failure as an example of the candidate not being conservative enough. McCain; not a true conservative. Romney; not a true conservative. Meanwhile...those are two VERY conservative men. Boehner; not a true conservative. McConnell; not a true conservative. Reagan; not a true conservative. Trump; not a true conservative. And maybe....maybe they're right. But that ISN'T why they are losing the general election.

Trump is the backlash by moderate conservatives...that want straight talk back in the process. On electability...not "good"...due to a pleuthara (no idea how to spell that) of personality faults that most are surprised haven't sunk him long ago. He's personally the least electable person imaginable. BUT...he can sway the conservative moderates in a general election. If he stays strong, tries to limit his Twitter activity, and picks a solid VP candidate...he could win a general election against an unpopular Clinton and socialist leaning Sanders. And that scares the entire World; not just the US.

Rubio/Bush was the biggest mistake of this election. Two guys from a swing state...friends, mentors...similar politics...it could have been a dream ticket for the RNC to have Bush/Rubio. It would have gotten them at least some Hispanic voter support...plenty of money in the coffers...and Rubio still appeals at least somewhat to the tea party and both to evangelicals. But instead, they've attacked each other viciously. I think Rubio feels that if Trump implodes...and as other candidates start bowing out...he could get back near the top of the leaderboard. Before this started I predicted Clinton/Rubio and I still think that's where it's headed...no matter ho much moderates hate it.

On the left...Sanders is the real deal. And whats funny is...BOTH sides have failed to deal with him. Hillary has only now started to see him as a legitimate threat. The DNC is scrambling to "fix this". Obama reached out to him last week; probably trying to get him to ease up a little on Obama's legacy. I imagine the white house made some sort of deal that if he softens his attacks; maybe Obama stays out of the way and doesn't rally support to Clinton.

The right is making an even sillier mistake. They are actually trying to push him as a candidate. They WANT Bernie as the opposition. They still fear Clinton and her political machine...and are ignoring the current societal undertones. Some societal undertones SHOULD be ignored. The biggest threat to the Democrats taking the Presidency in 2016 is #blacklivesmatter. Most voters aren't black. They condone #blacklivesmatter the same way they condoned illegal immigration. They see it as a joke of a movement; much like OccupyWallStreet...and most moderates will stand my law enforcement over some career criminal that may or may not have been going for a cop's gun in an altercation. Here's a quick hint....don't do that!! I'm white...but if I steal things from a liquor store or cell cigarettes illegally...I may get a lesser sentence...maybe...than a black man committing the same crime...maybe...but if I go for a cop's gun...I'm just as shot no matter what color I am. This infatuation with race reform and prison reform...this infatuation with trying to solve every problem with gun control...these are winning issues in the primary...but could be devastating in a general election.

But the right doesn't think Bernie is a threat. Why not? He's a Socialist. Okay, define Socialist. "A man that believes the government should own everything and distribute wealth among it's citizens." Nope. That's close; that's communism. Socialism, in it's purest sense, if more like hippie communes where everyone shares everything equally. It doesn't involve government much at all. What Bernie is, and should have never used the term socialist to describe, is a "populist". That's the equivalent of being a "bigger government" kinda democrat. That's all it is. And Republicans think it's an easy KO...because "socialist = bad" and "big government = bad". The problem is....those are only "bad" in right wing media. Everywhere else, those are considered rather progressive, yet positive things depending on the discussion:

"School Lunch"; big government. Most people want school lunches left alone.
"Medicare"; big government entitlement. Neither party will touch it...old people vote.
"lower college tuition"; big government. Most people support college loan and tuition reform and free college.
"universal health care"; socialism. Most people want a solution to the rising health care costs other than "anything but...insert Obamacare reference".

And there's a lot of issues like that. The country is becoming more secular, more progressive, more populist. As long as that's seen as a "good thing" by most people...it doesn't matter what Sean Hannity thinks. And if the RNC doesn't start bridging some gaps...then they simply sit back and wait...until the Democrats screw up (or embrace the wrong hippie initiatives like blacklivesmatter or amnesty or sweeping gun controls, etc..)...and the country shifts in a different direction.

And you're right...the evangelicals have always been a problem. The abortion debate was settled 40 years. The gay marriage issue is a lost cause. Yet any candidate can win Iowa by just pounding on those issues and making promises. Huckabee was ranting about overturning the Supreme Court's decision on Roe vs. Wade. What!?? Even in a massively one-sided super majority...where most of the country is leaning that way...overturning a supreme court decision essentially takes a constitutional amendment. Not always, it depends on the issue whether a new law will solve it...but with abortion, it would take a constitutional amendment. That's 2/3 of both houses PLUS 75% of the individual state legislatures.

Whats silly is, in essence, the PRESIDENT has the LEAST to do with that process. The Executive Branch can't really do anything about abortion or gay marriage. If evangelicals TRULY wanted those things changed...they'd prefer to keep Cruz in the office he's in. They'd want to elect Huckabee to congress...not to be President. The President's only real involvement is Supreme Court Justice selection...which still needs to clear Congress. It's a lie. It's a lie that evangelicals choose to believe...that a President Huckabee on Day 1 will throw RoevWade in the garbage can. It's not a law...it can't be vetoed. The Executive branch has no jurisdiction. It's simply people in this country...not understanding the basics of what one would learn in high school Civics.

[fortheloveofbowling]

Aslan, have you ever owned a business or are you aware of how consumer and employer confidence works? Bernie sanders mere presence in the white house would make job creation come to a grinding halt. Also, you think there is gridlock in congress and senate now..... Wait till the vote comes up for the wack job ideas he has. It is like the kid in high school running for class president saying this week Van Halen will play during lunch and next week the Rolling Stones will be here if you vote for me.

18 TRILLION in new taxes over 10 years..... OK there are roughly 122 million people employed full time. If you increase the taxes on the top 10% (12 Million) that would be 1 Million 5 hundred thousand extra taxes over 10 years. In 2014 there were only 10 Million households with investable assets of 1 Million dollars. So how much do you tax the very upper % and how much does his pie in the sky ridiculousness going to cost the everyday job creators and middle class workers? Those are the questions that lead to consumer purchase drop offs and employer lay offs.

[fordman1]

I could have sworn that I heard we were the greatest country in the world? Then why don't we have free health care? Everybody else does and with us being so great we would not have to raise taxes that much. Maybe if we quit fighting wars for everyone and cut the military in half.

[Hot_pocket]

Aslan i don' think standing behind the blacklivesmatter group will hurt them that much because it wont just gain the few black voters, but those who sympathize with the movement. There are plenty of people out there that understand the inequality, that most people refuse to except is real, in this day and age. No-one knows what happen to Travon martin because he's dead and the only credible story is Zimmerman's. The same guy who has now been arrested for different assault charges an hasn't done jail time. Based on opinion he sort of premeditated his use of force because he continued to follow Travon to a point where he caused the confrontation, even after being told not to follow him by dispatch. What happened in Baltimore was a the outcome of poor judgment regardless of what he was said to have. The other incidents you can't really argue. Those aren't the only incidents though. Another black man was shot in the staircase of his building by an officer because the officer was startled by him. Then a man was shot because the cop asked him for ID and he reached in the car to get it. Then a man was shot while in his car for trying to pull off from a traffic stop. Then the icing on the cake the guy shot in the back while running away because of an arrest warrant for child support. The worse part of that was he tried to lie an say he had his taser, when you can clearly see him throw it on the ground next to him in the video. Some will not agree of course because they believe a "criminal" deserves what they get, regardless of what they did, even though racially it seems only black criminals receive harsher punishments for same or lesser crimes. ( hope that made sense). I look at it this way, everyone swears Bernie will raise the debt even higher with his "crazy" ideas, But people had no problem/ gave 2 damns when it was being raised for a meaningless war. We also have the funding for his idea once we end war based on the numbers. I can't vote for trump because he's just too wild. He's like Frank Underwood from House of Cards. I think he will cause us to end up in another war due to his ignorance alone. People also don't realize while he talks all crazy, he is making those he talks about hate AMERICANS, not just himself because we let it happen and some support him.

[fordman1]

Why don't we train Police officers how to (if Necessary) shoot without using an entire 16 round clip and not stop shooting until they are sure the peep. DEAD.
Why don't parents teach their kids to not argue, fight or run from Police officers?
Would it be possible to get Donald Trump to negociate trade agreements for the USA? That I would trust him to do. The rest of being Pres. No NO NO!

[NewToBowling]

I just love how DeMarcus Cousins found the monkey t-shirt offensive when they were celebrating the Chinese New Year. Yes, it's the year of the monkey. They were celebrating another culture. But somehow if it's offensive to you it must be removed. It's not always about YOU. It wasn't derogatory but celebratory. Talk about hyper sensitivity.

[Jessiewoodard57]

At this point the American public does not have a chance. No matter what party occupies the Whitehouse and congress they will be ONLY for themselves. What does a rich man care about the middle class? They are all in it for what they can bleed their fellow man out of. They promise us the moon and then once they have our vote they give us the shaft. If you where to compare the modern day United States to colonial England you would not see much of a difference. We fought the revolutionary war partially because of taxation without representation and now our "representatives" (and I use that word lightly) dream up new ways to reach even deeper into our pockets. Government for the people by the people has become all but none excitant. Our fore fathers would be shocked at the total misuse of power by all 3 blanches. Every branch now writes laws. Executive orders should not be a norm but it is! I wonder how many dead or undocumented people will be casting votes this election? Lord help us the foxes have the hen house.

[Aslan]

Aslan, have you ever owned a business or are you aware of how consumer and employer confidence works? Bernie sanders mere presence in the white house would make job creation come to a grinding halt...So how much do you tax the very upper % and how much does his pie in the sky ridiculousness going to cost the everyday job creators and middle class workers? Those are the questions that lead to consumer purchase drop offs and employer lay offs.

Again; this is all about assumptions you are making...

You are working off the trickle-down economics model that tax cuts and less regulation will (WILL...or at least "Probably Will") lead to job growth. That is one of the biggest lies many people believe. It simply doesn't work in a global economy:
1) Any business owner (who is honest) will admit that "taxes" rank well behind demand in terms of the decisions they make regarding expansion of their business. If I own a pizza store, and it's packed, and a building is for sale down the road that could better accommodate my growing business...I will look at all the financials, then determine if it makes sense. Taxes are a small, tiny part of that decision. Remodeling, land purchase, start-up costs, additional employees, etc...these far outweigh taxes financially speaking.

2) If you are a business owner, the profitability target is usually around 8% because it was always the logic that bank accounts (savings) and/or real estate could offer 2-5%...and the stock market 6-7%...so it makes sense to be an entrepreneur if you can get 8% or better. Larger businesses aim for more in the 10-12% range but have a "cushion" should they fail. (They may miss their target, but are still profitable) Smaller businesses have a target on par with both demand and their own expectations.

For example; If I make 35,000/year and decide I want to open my own bowling pro shop....I need to make probably $75,000/year in profit in order to maintain my current standard of living and pay the mortage on the place or the fee to the bowling center...and I need to cover my own benefits.

But here's where conservatives try to "trick us". They say things about taxes crushing their business...then claim they have to lay people off or downsize...then take a trip to Tahiti. They NEED to make lets say $75,000...and lets say they WANT to make...$150,000. If one year, they make $120,000....they cry FOUL! Regulations and taxes are KILLING them!! Are they? So, you used to make $35,000....you could maintain that same lifestyle on $75,000 profit....you make $120,000 profit...??????

And this is the problem with the Republican party and why Bernie Sanders is resonating with folks. It's not that business owners are going under due to Obamacare or the EPA or any other "socialist" thing Ted Cruz hates. It's the question Republicans HATE more than any question in the World....What is ENOUGH? What amount of money is "enough". At what point, can you AFFORD taxes? Conservatives HATE that question...corporations hate that question.

The reason why populists are becoming more POPular is because of the failed policies of George W. Bush. I know conservatives want to pretend he doesn't nor ever did exist....but this a guy who ran on the Karl Rove platform...the RNC platform. The government had our money (surplus, thanks Bill Clinton) and GW was going to give it all back! He sent us all checks for like $400 or something. And the rich and corporations (job creators?) got even more. And, if trickle down economics WORKS....those JOB CREATORS should have created jobs....but they didn't.

And I can attest to this better than anyone. Without naming names...the company I worked for was a large, large corporation and was buying up smaller corporations pre-2008 market collapse. What they were also doing, was taking all those wonderful tax cuts...and opening some brand new, beautiful, big factories...in China. Then, market collapses...the company started closing down every US plant they could. All over the country...New Jersey, Mississippi, Michigan...but not China. China was going to be the next superpower....cheap, ample supply of labor....billions of potential consumers. And the US plants paid the bill. They made the goods, sold em, made profit....profit went to enhancing their holdings in South America and Asia.

3) Trickle down economics has FAILED...because in a global society...with no restrictions on tax breaks (Bill Clinton actually cut taxes but had requirements that domestic job creation be part of the deal...much to the shagrin of corporations back then). If you gave Henry Ford a tax cut, he built a plant in Indiana. You give Ford a tax cut now, they build a plant in India or Shanghei or eastern Europe. Anywhere labor costs are low. I'm not saying it never worked, but it can't work now. Now all it does is redistribute wealth to the top 9%.

4) A strong economy needs consumers. Consumers need "discretionary income". That comes from wages and wage growth. The biggest mistake corporate America makes (over and over again) is to celebrate companies that "cost cut" by laying off thousands and thousands of workers. It's seen as a "strength" of a manager...that he/she can make those tough decisions. But what is the macro effect of laying off 1000 people. Those 1000 people have lost their income and now have virtually no discretionary spending. That means...profits for the corporations sink further....more layoffs. It's a viscious cycle. And the more people left jobless and homeless...the more wealthy the top 2% get....because their money is based on perception....by the stock market. Then one day, even some of the top 6-9% start getting hurt as markets take a tumble. Want an example? Henry Ford made a car (Model T) that he wanted affordable enough that those making it could also buy one. On the flipside, Tesla makes cars most people can't afford....and Tesla, with it's soaring stock price....darling of the stock exchange...is not a profitable company. It only makes money because it is subsidized by the government....heavily subsidized. Why are our tax dollars going to prop up a company that makes products 98% of Americans can't afford?

So, NTM (who I sorta think is Iceman...like an alias we wouldn't figure out....but I sorta don't think that....posts are too short and properly spelled....hmmmm...), to answer your question...I support Bernie's populist ideas economically speaking because he is simply trying to get rid of wealth inequality that globalization has led to in this country. And not to be an alarmist, but if wealth inequality gets too much worse...you'll have far more serious problems. Our solid middle class is the bedrock of our country...it's what makes us better than China and other countries. If we lose that...and it's been eroding for decades...we're done. US power is not it's military...it's the US consumer. We dictate terms because if we don't buy their stuff...even though we are just one country of many...it cripples the other country. And, that's another lie that gets told....that we can't embargo China or they will embargo us back. That's a valid argument when both countries are 50/50 importers/exporters...otherwise...not a solid argument at all. China stops buying our goods, we go into a recession. We stop buying Chinese goods...China collapses upon itself and starves to death. Russia already showed what happens when you have a strong military and no economy....you can't support the military.

What is really going to hurt Bernie is the social stuff. He's already seen as a left-wing nut job...but moderate white males are willing to buy in....barely. But as soon as he starts pushing prison reform and starts aligning himself with extremists from the left (like blacklivesmatter)....many moderates will just hold their nose and flip a coin...and either vote for Hillary, Trump, or Rubio. Rubio wants open borders. Hillary is also in bed with blacklivesmatter....uh oh, that leaves Trump. How tempted will I be to stay home if that's the only option I have? Very tempted. I won't....but I'll be very tempted.

[Aslan]

Aslan i don' think standing behind the blacklivesmatter group will hurt them that much because it wont just gain the few black voters, but those who sympathize with the movement.

What sane white person would support a group with relatively no actual "things they want" who essentially are mad because either they can't commit crimes without a cop shooting them or if they already committed a crime and didn't get shot (the VAST majority of them)....that they are in prison. When you commit a crime...what 'should' happen?

Mike Brown....assaulted a gas station clerk, stole things, and attacked a cop. In "Black Candy Land" (where I assume most blacklivesmatter protestors live)....what SHOULD the sentence be? What about repeatedly, illegally selling cigarettes? Like the fat guy in New York? What about homeless black men threatening people with knives and hopped up on drugs? Are we as a society being unfair in some way....by expecting citizens to abide by the laws of the land? Should we decriminalize assaults and theft and cigarette tax stamps?