Thursday, June 9, 2016

I'm not going to tell you how to vote, but....


I will not be voting for Hillary Clinton for President, nor is it likely I will be voting for Donald Trump, either.  But for now, I'll limit this post to why I won't be voting for Ms. Clinton.

First of all, understand it has nothing to do with her views on abortion, LGBT issues, who can use which bathroom, her position on gun control, what she did or didn't do regarding Benghazi, her "damn emails", or whether she has the balls to go toe-to-toe with Vladimir Putin.  (If I were him I'd tuck tail and run!)

Yes, she knows exactly how our government works....she had a ring-side seat during Bill's eight year Presidency.  She knows all the personalities who are the movers and shakers inside the Washington beltway, and she knows all the world leaders due to her tenure as Secretary of State.  I will heartily agree she is brilliant and has the experience to be the POTUS.

So why won't I vote for her?  It's all about trust, or lack there of.  For starts, it's hard for me to separate the activities of the Clinton Foundation run by her husband and her duties as a Senator or Secretary of State.  There is no clear demarcation. 

Under federal law, foreign governments seeking State Department clearance to buy American-made arms are barred from making campaign contributions, a prohibition aimed at preventing foreign interests from using cash to influence national security policy.  But nothing prevents them from contributing to a "philanthropic foundation" controlled by policymakers.  (A tidy little loophole, wouldn't you say?)

Admittedly the philanthropic Clinton Foundation has done a lot of good for a lot of worthy causes.  But mixed in with its good deeds are lots of highly suspicious "coincidences".  While it was perfectly legal for anyone to give to the non-profit Clinton Foundation while Hillary was a sitting US Senator and a cabinet official during the Obama administration, the potential for abuse was off the chart.  As an aspiring public servant, she should never have let herself be put in such a compromising position.  It was simply a bad decision of the highest order.

Consider this:  In 2011 while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, the State Department approved a $29 billion dollar sale of American-built fighter planes to Saudi Arabia, despite the pleas of many that a deal that large would upset the delicate balance of power in the region.  The deal was even considered a "top priority" for Ms. Clinton personally.  Is it just a coincidence that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contributed $10 million dollars to the Clinton Foundation, and Boeing contributed $900,000 just months before the sale was given official approval?  

In fact, in just three years (2011-2013) under Hillary Clinton's leadership, the State Department approved $165 billion dollars worth of arms sales to 20 nations who had given contributions to the Clinton Foundation.  This number is over twice as much as was approved by the State Department in the same time frame during the last term of George W. Bush. 

*sniff*....What's that smell?

And does this seem odd?....Hillary Clinton switched from opposing an American free trade agreement with Colombia to supporting it after a Canadian energy and mining magnate with interests in that South American country contributed to the Clinton Foundation.  

In fact, 13 companies lobbying the State Department paid Bill Clinton $2.5 million in speaking fees while Hillary Clinton headed the agency.  Even if it was a coincidence, just the appearance of impropriety is staggering!

And then we get to her (likely) coziness with Wall Street.  In that regard she seems more like an old-school Republican.  Doesn't it seem suspicious that she was paid $1.8 million dollars to make just eight speeches in less than two years to big banks?  And just this election cycle, based on their campaign contributions to date, she is far and away their favorite candidate.

Do you think they sought her out as a speaker because of her good looks and personality, or could it have something to do with the fact that maybe, just maybe, they felt their relationship might soon pay big dividends if she were to become President of the United States?  Whether true or not, the opportunity to personally gain from her official position and her relationship with Bill's Clinton Foundation is just too tempting.  She sleeps with the guy, for crying out loud!

Spend just a few minutes on Google and see all this and much more documented for yourself.   

Yes, I know...."They all do it."  But they aren't ALL running for President.  We've been giving such shenanigans a blind eye for too many years now, and IMHO it has resulted in the mess we're in today.  We can't afford to put someone in the White House who could with the stoke of a pen put a fast buck ahead of our national interests.

Enough already!

S





14 comments:

  1. I told my sister yesterday I might vote third party so I don't feel culpable for the upcoming storm of crap.

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  2. ...and if you think that's bad, Donald Trump's past is ten times worse. I'd call Hillary the lesser of two evils, but only one of them is actually evil.

    We have a president with no shady business practices or scandals or any other skeletons in his pocket and the internet (and Fox News) still denounced him as a Kenyan Muslim Socialist Terrorist Gun Grabber.

    I'm not listening to that noise anymore. #ImWithHer

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    1. As I said right up front, Chris, I'm not throwing my support behind Donald Trump, either. I see him as in so many ways the antithesis of what America should stand for. I see them both as unfit, for various reasons, to hold our highest office. Seems to me your mind is closed and your head buried as deeply as possibly in the sand of denial. By all means, if you find her worthy, vote for her. I just think she has far too many disturbing skeletons in her closet to give her my seal of approval.

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  3. I don't intend to waste my vote, so I'll be voting for Hillary. Sure, there might be curious things happening concerning the Clinton Foundation, but it does good things around the world. What does the Trump Foundation do? Is there even one? We have no idea what charitable donations Trump engages in because he won't release his taxes. Besides, I much prefer Hillary picking the next Supreme Court justice than Trump.

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  4. I'm sure Trump is just as bad like Chris says though I've not yet seen the examples and our media is pretty good at dredging stuff up. He did once tell an overweight woman to not eat a candy bar so that should deflect most of what Hillary has done. This is politics, if you can't deny then deflect.

    I must disagree with one thing you assert, I don't think she has slept with that guy for quite some time.

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    1. "I don't think she has slept with that guy for quite some time." Ha! good point, but you never know. Maybe sometimes he likes to get roughed up a little. ;)

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    2. Joeh, for examples, look up your good Mr. Trumps quotes. His own words. What he actually said. First person. They don't need to 'dredge things up', the sob has said it himself. Just google donald trump quotes, see what your boy actually says. And then days later says he didn't say it, though it's on record.
      I'm no Hillary fan, far from it. But this year it's like a choice between Jon Daly (chicago mayor) and effing hitler.

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  5. I saw a clip of Bill Clinton from 2007. He was answering a question about the Clinton Foundation accepting money from a mining company. The mining company had given a huge check, something like $30 million, which the Clintons initially denied.

    Bill Clinton said, "How could they be buying influence? I'm not President anymore!"

    Of course, at the time, his wife was a sitting Senator and the favorite for the 2008 nomination for President.

    And later on, Bill spoke to some former Soviet Republic about allowing the mining company in.

    But he sat there with that "meaning of is" look on his face and played dumb.

    It's everything I dislike the Clintons for.

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  6. I've been around a long time, politically and actually just plain time. I followed politics and elections since Eisenhower, actually worked for one of the Kennedys (RFK, in San Deigo). Several things about this particular presidential election strike me: 1. We have a candidate, H. Clinton, that has a negative name recognition I haven't seen in decades. It's like Edward Kennedy used to inspire when he'd even cough into his sleeve let alone say 'it's cold'. It triggered a response, just the name, to a particular breed of conservatives. Clinton is no different. Just the name probably increases the diastolic of certain types by many mm/HG.
    Leaving aside the issue of whether or not she benefited monetarily from any political connections (I've never heard of such a thing, and of course not on the GOP side), and her husband was a philanderer, and she was unfortunate enough to be SEC when things were in administrative disarray), she is a mere whiff off the scandal that has plagued many who wanted to be president. Christ all friday, we don't know half of the actual history of the top 10 people who could be president in a weird national disaster.

    But, let's look at the good Mr. Trump, who you have said you might choose, and has qualities you think admirable.
    Just a few, let's keep the brief and easily verifiable.

    He's a misogynist. Review his many, many quotes, on the news, regarding women.

    He's a racist. Almost feels like this needs no source reference, but yet again, do a search of his quotes, etc on Hispanics, etc.

    He's a loony toon. I don't need sources for this one, just look at anything the bozo has said in the last year and think about it!

    He has a contempt of the truth that should make Hillary look like Mother Theresa. He has been quoted as saying "I don't have time to look facts up, nobody cares."

    There's your guy, in a nutshell. Do you really, really want this asshole as president??

    Anyone who would really, other than a joke on the country, vote for this sorry excuse for a human is an indication that not all should vote.

    Is H. Clinton perfect? Am I? Are you? You really think Trump would be better?

    cheers,
    Mike

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    1. Mike....as I stated in my opening paragraph, I'm not voting for Donald Trump, either. Yes, I did admire his willingness to say what he was thinking and not just what his handlers told him to say after reading the overnight polls. I found that candor refreshing. Unfortunately, what he was/is "thinking" has gone beyond weird. He's just not a person I want representing the USA to the world. I also admired the fact that he was self funding his own campaign, which meant he didn't have to prostitute himself to the big money interests. But what is he doing now? He's on the hunt looking for cash. So much for being independent. I have seen the light! So please, let me state once and for all I am NOT voting for The Donald. Let's just let that idea die right here.

      To your question, are any of us perfect? No, of course not, but I come closer that Hillary Clinton! Example: For 18 years I served as a civil service commissioner in my city. It was a volunteer position, and I was honored to be able to serve my city. (Civil Service Commissions oversee police and fire departments.) During that time the fire chief asked me if I would consider being the builder of his new home. While I would have dearly loved to have more work at the time, I had enough integrity to know that even though it would be a legitimate "pay for services rendered" business arrangement and nothing more, it wouldn't look right to the public. The rank and file police officers and fire fighters could easily believe I was in the back pocket of the city administration and would no longer trust me to fairly deal with any issues that might come up affecting them. Therefore, reluctantly, I passed on building our chief a new home.

      As I said, Hillary should never have let herself be put in a position that even remotely looked like she could be beholden to those who donated to the Clinton Foundation. If she were President, I would never know if she was making decisions based on the best interest of the American people, or in the best interest of maintaining the power, prestige, and treasure of the Clinton family.

      S :)

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  7. I'm with Mike. And with Hillary.

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  8. I'm waiting on the V.P. selections. Then it might only be half bad.

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  9. I will not vote for her either. in my 74 years I keep voting for people that I have faith in that I believe will make a difference. This has seldom happened. They get to Washington and all become one mindset. They have one main interest, to make as much money for themselves as possible. Oh they act like they are doing something for us, the little people. They make a big show of it but nothing of any value happens. It is time for a big change. I am on the Trump Train. Toot Toot!

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