Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


No, not THAT Good, Bad, and Ugly.


THIS Good, Bad, and Ugly.

I know Donald Trump is in a lot of people's cross-hairs these days, but I have to give him, and Bernie Sanders, credit for likely redefining politics from this day forward.  Until now, a major party candidate wouldn't dare cross his/her financial benefactors....labor unions, trial lawyers, Big Pharma, Oil, Ag, Health Care, Banking, Insurance, Tobacco, etc, but The Donald and The Bernie have shown that there are ways to finance a campaign that don't require a candidate to bend over.  Good show, guys!

And Donald Trump has shown that you can say things out loud that are un-PC and still politically survive.  In fact, it appears that such behavior will attract as many or more voters than it drives away.  I think this can be good....there are some un-PC things that need to be said....depending of course on what you say.  Go too far and you're branded a nut case.  (I would think talk of your plan to deliver us from the zombie apocalypse would be considered over the line.)

Many people, me included, feel that America has made some really stupid trade deals over the years, and Trump says they need to be re-examined.  Agreed!  Those deals helped many American companies no doubt, but did little to help the American people.  As I remember, our Constitution's preamble refers to "We the people", not "We the corporations".

Which brings us to the Bad:

Donald Trump has a habit of writing checks with his mouth that The Bank of Reality can't cash.  Early on he said the Mexicans that are coming here are rapists, thieves, murderers...."and I'm sure a few are good people."  

I know a lot of Mexicans/Hispanics, and I find them to be every bit as decent as us native-born Americans.  They work hard, I mean really hard, and contribute substantially to our economy.  He should have said, "and I'm sure a few are NOT good people", but he didn't.

Donald Trump's claim to fame is that he will build a wall across our southern border, and make Mexico pay for it.  And every time someone challenges him on it, he says he just made his (imaginary) wall 10' taller.  

As a builder myself, I can tell you there aren't enough excess building materials....concrete, steel, etc, or labor available to build a 1,000 mile-long wall in the time frame he's promising.  Think of the logistics it would take, not to mention the $$$, to marshal such an effort!  A "virtual" wall maybe (cameras, "eyes in the sky", etc), but not a brick and mortar wall.

And he can't make Mexico pay for it.  He can't unilaterally impose a 35% tariff to enforce his will.  The imported goods he would be prohibitively taxing would be made largely by American companies with factories in Mexico.  You don't think those companies would pull out all the stops to lobby against him?  The last time I checked, lobbyists still owned Congress!  *sigh*

Donald Trump said John McCain isn't a war hero because he was captured.  Huh?  Has he not heard the story about how McCain was offered his freedom by the North Vietnamese (he was from a prestigious military family), but refused to leave his fellow POW's?  (I personally have problems with McCain's politics, but that's another story.)

More recently he's saying the judge hearing his Trump University case is a Mexican and an activist who is prejudiced against him because of the wall he proposes building.  That's just wrong on all counts.  If it were true his crack team of lawyers would have long ago filed a motion to have the judge replaced.

Trump admits he isn't a foreign policy expert, but says he can get up to speed before the inauguration.  Wow!  A PhD in foreign affairs in just a few months....I'm impressed!  And he says he's an expert on ISIS.  In fact he says he knows more on the subject than our generals.  Such a Renaissance man!  *not*

And what's with him denying campaign media credentials to those who dare critically question him?  That's censorship, something I've always felt was simply un-American.  *bad Donald*

He keeps saying Hillary is going to take away our Second Amendment rights.   Does he actually believe that?  Hillary alone couldn't pull that off even if she wanted to.  Amending the Constitution requires a 2/3 vote of Congress, or a 2/3 vote of state legislatures.  Read my lips:  Not....gonna....happen!  

Donald needs to think before he speaksHe's been recorded saying too many outlandish, sometimes offensive, often contradictory things on video.  Such things might not bother his hard core supporters, but they do me.

And finally, the plain, unadulterated Ugly:

Donald Trump has a mean, nasty streak in him.  He dispatched 16 Republican primary nominees by calling them names....Little Marco, Lyin' Ted, Ugly Carly, Loser Jeb, etc.  I haven't heard taunts like that since the third grade.  I would frankly be embarrassed for him to represent the United States of America at any international forum/event. 

And it isn't just his political opponents.  He belittles women who he deems less than beautiful, reporters who dare ask him hard questions or who bring up his own words from previous statements, and hecklers at his rallies...."go home to mommy"....or worse, he at one time told his supporters he would pay their legal fees if they would rough up a few.

Of course he could have disagreed with any of these people by making a well thought out, coherent presentation, but he didn't.  He just spewed insults and kept on bullying forward. 

When asked if he was glad to have the endorsement of David Duke (former Grand Exhausted Lizard...er...Grand Exalted Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan), Trump said he was not familiar with him or his organization, and would have to know more about them before he could answer.  Oh pah-leeze, even toothless, donkey-riding peasants in Uzbekistan know about the KKK!

His arrogance and narcissism are well documented.  Confidence is good, but not arrogance. 

Just telling some schmuck "You're fired!" on a silly TV show isn't reason enough for me to turn over the nuclear football to him.


  This is some serious shit stuff, folks!

And finally, I'm personally insulted that he asks for our vote, yet refuses to give straight answers to legitimate questions we might have.  "Don't you worry about it....I'll handle it."  What the hell am I supposed to make of that?  I don't like being talked down to.

In conclusion, Donald Trump is IMO very smart, aggressive, ballsy, determined, and more, but his negatives are just too much for me to live with.  So, in language Donald can understand....You're fired!....or more accurately....You're not hired!

All in favor of a 2016 election do-over, raise your hand.

S




13 comments:

  1. I'm not much on politics, but if I was to vote it would be for the Donald. Lesser of evils in my humbled and uniformed opinion.

    Steve

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This just might be the year to be informed. An uninformed electorate is why we are where we are now.

      Delete
  2. This may be one of the most understated bits of writing I've seen, not bad at all. Rather like saying that George Wallace back in the segregation days 'said a few hasty things about people of color', and 'might have advocated some things that could be thought of as racist'........
    How about instead let's say that Trump is an unmitigated asshole, and the only reason he can appear in public without thoughtful people throwing fruit at his is he inherited a bunch of money. As to his business (ie trade) acumen, how 'bout those 5 corporations he put into bankruptcy, and the thousands that lost their jobs? Now that's a CEO for ya'!

    No, I don't care for him all that much.

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OK, so maybe I wasn't as scathing as I could have been. As I said, he won't get my vote. The bankruptcy thing is tricky. It can be a legitimate tool to be used as a last resort when an honest company fails, sometimes through no fault of its own (such as when the world economy melts down circa 2008), or it can be a "screw you!" plan when a brash ultra-risk-taker reaches too far. I think The Donald would fall into the latter. ;)

      Delete
  3. But the Supreme Court's "Citizen's United" decision settled the argument: corporations ARE people and deserve the same rights and privileges as people. It was the worst Supreme Court decision in history, instantly changing America from a democracy into an oligarchy, but there you have it. As for Trump, there's a difference between saying something that's politically incorrect and spouting every absurd or racist thought that springs to mind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, Citizens United makes absolutely no sense at all to me. The good news is that it can be overturned by future Supreme Courts, and I believe it will because to many people of all political persuasions hate it. Also agree there is a difference between saying something un-PC and just spouting hate.

      Delete
  4. Being Alaskan, we are too messed up by local government and idiot's votes driven by oil lobbyist media blast. Vote SB 21 and save your jobs, meant quit taxing oil production and give oil company's $8.00 for each barrel of oil produced. Also give oil explorers $ one billion a year to think and explore for new oil. The trick was wording that moved tax to old oil produced. They quickly tapped new wells in same field and voila, no taxes due. Now no one has balls to fix real issue, as the state credit rating falls and people lose jobs.
    No time for national issues, I must get back to watching Zombie movies for tips on how to survive.
    Good post Sir.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You make some good points, but I'm still snickering at "Grand Exhausted Lizard." Ha!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The primaries were one thing, the general election will be something different.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Here in the States we are so used to this kind of political BS that we are calmly explaining someone like Donald Trump.

    In Europe, where they haven't all quite lost their collective minds (just some of them...), they just shake their heads at our political system.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then I must be a Europhile at heart....I'm shaking my head at our political system, too.

      Delete
  8. I, as an American living in Europe, get quite embarrassed at the present American politics, and Trump in particular. NO WAY would I even slightly consider voting for him. The final elections are going to get quite interesting.......

    ReplyDelete