Politics, What Do I Know?

 

 

What do I know about politics? Probably next to nothing. I have never been interested in politicians until Barack Obama ran for office. I started to pay more attention to the issues and political platforms of those running because I knew this was going to be a historical election. It was possible, that for the first time in our nation's history, a black man was running for office and actually could win. I should have stopped paying attention after the election because politics, politicians and the political process only serve to increase my already high blood pressure. But, even paying attention, I still know relatively little and yet have so many opinions.

 

Now for my little rant. Since Obama won the election back in 2008, Republicans have been complaining about his leadership. They hate Obama Care. He doesn't do anything about illegal aliens. He made a bad deal with Iran. The list is endless. I can understand some of their points of view. So what have they done in the last eight years to prepare for the election in 2016? I see a dozen Republicans all trying to get the nomination. Many are saying the stupidest things that are sure to lose them support with voters. I am not going to point them all out as examples right now and risk having a stroke. My question is why are there a dozen candidates at this point?

 

The party had eight years to groom someone and get them ready for this critical election. They knew Hillary Clinton was going all out on the Democratic Party ticket. They knew she had lots of support and money. Hell she has been grooming herself by first becoming Senator of New York, like she gave a damn about us. Then she maneuvered herself into the Secretary of State position to gain more support. Everyone knew her strategy. And, the Republicans knew Obama could not run again in 2016 and that Joe Biden probably wouldn't be running. So here's my question: Why didn't the Republican Party take that eight years and go find someone in their party who they could groom to be the next president? Someone who would appeal to Republicans and Democrats alike? Someone who understands the issues and speaks intelligently about them and has concrete ideas for fixing what is wrong with this country. Why are we watching 12 candidates who are all losing in the polls to Donald Trump? Donald Trump! Now don't get me wrong, Donald is very entertaining to watch and listen to. He talks off the top of his head without a censor. He makes me laugh, but that is not a quality I am looking for in a President. And still he is ahead in the polls . . . way ahead in fact. The only reason I can think of for that is that he is saying what many people are thinking and feeling in this country. I will give him credit for one thing, he has gotten me back interested in the election. He has made me aware of the other 12 candidates, many of whom I have never heard of before. He keeps tabs on them and them tweets everything they say and do. I love it! But at the same time I am afraid he just might get elected. I am afraid the Republican Party has fallen down on the job. They needed a solid candidate to run, not an army of politicians dividing up the party into little pieces. That's my opinion anyway. This feels like a three ring circus where a dozen clowns come out of a little car and run around.

 

This leaves me with the impression that the Republican Party doesn't have one solid candidate that we can take seriously. When Donald Trump is there front runner, what else is there to think? And maybe the Republican Party doesn't want to win the election after all. Maybe they know they can't fix all the things they claim they can? Maybe they just like to complain about what the Democrats are doing and put up road blocks?



I may lean towards the Democrat side in politics, but right now I am not happy with Hillary at all. I would welcome a good solid candidate from either side to lead this country. Unfortunately, right now, I am not seeing anyone I can put my faith in to vote for.

Trump and Palin Putting Their Heads Together…

I was reading the latest news items and came across a little article about Sarah Palin and Donald Trump having dinner. Normally, I would not consider this news worthy, but there is an upcoming Presidential election next year and so I raised my eyebrows a bit. Trump already dropped out of the race when it was clear he could not take a joke at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (check out the hilarious videos on youtube). Seth Meyers and President Obama did a fine job of roasting Trump, much to his dismay, and shortly after he took his hat (or hair) out of the ring.

Sarah Palin has been driving around on a tour bus of sorts. She has not declared she is running for President, unless you count the fact that she all but announced she was running right after the 2008 election was over. As one article says, “But while Palin's sights seem fixed on 2012 after the meteoric rise and fall of her 68 days on the national stage, it is far from clear her fellow Republicans will welcome the return of the woman many blame for John McCain's defeat and their party's disarray.”

After the election, she promptly went back to Alaska, where she quit her job as “Governor” after serving only two years. That was the job that was supposedly qualifying her as a “leader” good enough, experienced enough, to run our country. Sarah Palin doesn’t stick with things very long. She had to change colleges five times before getting her degree. She was mayor of a city with 5,000 people and had to hire an administrator to do the actual day to day work involved with the position. In her short term as Governor, she was in charge of a state that has a smaller population than many American cities, 670,000. Her foreign policy experience comes from the fact that her state is close to Russia, though she herself has never been there. If she decides to run I will delve more into her credentials, I’m sure.

Now, the other day I read how Sarah Palin loves the smell of emissions. My first thought is that this explains a lot. Her actual quote, at a motorcycle event in DC was: “OHHH IT WOULD BE A BLAST IF THEY WERE THIS LOUD AND IF THEY SMELLED THIS GOOD. I LOVE THAT SMELL OF THE EMISSIONS.”

Maybe that’s why she has to write things on her hands or can’t remember which newspapers she reads? But, you have to hand it to Sarah, she tells the people what they want to hear. For Christian groups she praises God, for the NRA and it’s members she praises guns and now for motorcyclists it’s emissions and noise.


So, when I see Donald and Sarah going out to dinner it raises my interest. My first thought was, Saturday Night Live writers are going to have a year’s worth of material fall right into their laps. My second thought, will Tina Fey have enough time in her life to do justice to Sarah Palin’s speeches? I guess we will see how it all unfolds.


It is starting to look like American Politics is becoming a new television reality show in itself. We have the same people getting together, squabbling about different issues, taking pot shots at each other, hurling insults, backstabbing…I mean seriously, is it any different than any of the Housewives shows?

Well stay tuned for the next episode of American Political Housewives, starring your emission sniffing star, Sarah Palin!