3rd From Sol

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Category Archives: Politics

A Return to the United States of America

15 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Communication, Crime, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Higher Education, History, Honor, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Respect, Taxes, Universities, US History, Violence in the Workplace

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Customer Loyalty, Democrats, Nevada, United States of America, victim, victimization

_DSC4367 (2)We have to stop pretending we’re victims. There are problems in the world. There are problems in our country. But there are always problems and problems don’t make us victims.

A victim needs to be rescued. A victim is looking for a hero to save them. We don’t need to be rescued, nor do we need to be saved.

In the United States of America, we have attempted to educate all of our citizens because people who can solve their own problems do a better job of it, and education gives a person the ability to solve their own problems.

Too many people in this country are looking for a political figure that is going to save them. They are like moths to the flame. They are drawn in by the politician that dazzles them and they surrender their intelligence in order to believe that they can be rescued.

We forget that we are not witnesses to the acts of violence that we see on television or online. We are shocked and repulsed, but the real victims are those who were there, and the families and friends who knew someone who was there.

Our impulse to be a victim, makes us feel helpless to do anything, but we are not helpless. Just being a citizen of this country makes us part of the solution. By selecting intelligent politicians, by paying taxes, by being watchful, we help to defeat acts of violence.

Some delude themselves that a gun in their hands empowers them to respond to a violent event. With little or no training, they believe they can improvise a defense in an urban environment, and stop a mentally ill person who has likely been planning their attack for weeks or months. They cannot.

Only trained law enforcement can adequately respond to a violent situation, and private citizens carrying guns in an urban environment can only make a bad situation worse.

However, we don’t have to be the victim. There is violence, and there is corruption, in this country, but we are not on a path to chaos as long as we remember for over two hundred years, we have a consistent record of defeating threats to our country.

Many of those threats did not come from outside our borders, but inside them. The worst of those threats occurred when a group of our own citizens decided to reject the results of a legitimate elections. and betray our country and our Constitution. They failed because we didn’t respond as victims, but as proud and loyal citizens.

After all we’ve been through, we are still here. Working, raising families, enjoying life more than most of the rest of the world. We are not the victims. We are the solution. We are the United States of America.

 

 

Brexit Vote A Win For Stupidity, Not Democracy

27 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Business, Communication, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Higher Education, History, Politics, Taxes

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Brexit, British, British Pound, democracy, Economic disaster, England, European Union, Great Britain, gullible, Ireland, Nigel Farage, Scotland, stupid, Stupidity, United Kingdom, Vote, Wales

The Brexit Cliff: British pound to US dollar

The Brexit Cliff: British pound to US dollar

There are some that are trying to spin the disastrous vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union as a victory for democracy. It is not.

The people behind the effort to leave the European Union used lies and deception to convince the most gullible Brits to support them. Expert opinions predicted the negative impact of leaving the European Union, but those experts were countered with a “No it won’t” argument that had no basis in human reality. 

nigel-farage

Nigel Farage: Proud Hero of the Stupid

The demographics of those who voted to leave the European Union was defined by three criteria. They tended to be 1) less educated, 2) older, and 3) rural. The demographics of those voting to leave indicate they were more easily persuaded by arguments without logical or factual information. This is the weakness of democracy. The unintelligent should not be the decision makers of a society.

Advocates of leaving the European Union, like Nigel Farage, suggested that Great Britain would be able to win its independence, which is a ridiculous argument. Great Britain was and is a self-governing nation. The European Union determined issues of trade requirements, which it will continue to do with or without Great Britain. If Great Britain wishes to obtain access to the European Union’s markets, they have to negotiate those terms, or not trade with other European Union countries. By leaving the European Union, Great Britain has put themselves in a weak position to negotiate, and will likely have to compromise more as a non-member, than the would have had to as a member.

Immigration was portrayed as a ‘keep-the-immigrants-out’ issue by the proponents of leaving the European Union; however, it is Britons who have taken advantage of the ‘no passports needed’ policy of the EU, that will now lose the right to work outside of Great Britain. It was the gullibility of the uneducated, older, rural citizen that allowed them to be lured into throwing England over the cliff. 

Democracy is always hailed as the best form of government; however, even the Roman ‘democracy’ did not allow everyone to vote. Only citizens were allowed to vote, and that excluded much of their population. While limiting the right to vote is not acceptable in a free society, allowing people to vote who are either unable, and/or unwilling to understand the issues they are voting for or against is a model of stupidity, not democracy.

Clinton Wraps Up Nomination

06 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Politics, Religion, Taxes, US History

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Bernie Sanders, California, Democrat, Democratic Presidential Nomination, Democrats, Donald Trump, Election 2016, Hillary Clinton, New Jersey, Presidential candidates, Presidential election, Presidential race, Primaries, Primary, Senator Bernie Sanders, Vote

The Inevitability of President-elect Clinton

The Inevitability of President-Elect Clinton

Hillary Clinton will take the next step to being our country’s 45th President tomorrow. Despite what the Sanders Desparitas say, the race is over. Clinton’s quiet wins in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands put her only 26 pledged delegates from clinching the nomination. Shortly after the voting ends in New Jersey tomorrow, she will have the over 80 more pledged delegates to clinch the nomination as the Democratic Presidential nominee.

With a near tie in California, Clinton will win another 270 pledged delegates, and Sanders will be about 300 pledged delegates behind. The four other races tomorrow will have no impact on the outcome, as each of those States have fewer delegates at stake than the District of Columbia.

It is likely that Sanders and some of his supporters will follow through on their threat to violently disrupt the National Democratic Convention; however, many Sanders supporters joined the campaign to work for positive change, and Sanders is demonstrating that he cares less about building, than destroying.

On the other end of the spectrum, Donald Trump is heading toward political bankruptcy as each news cycle becomes less about his campaign, and more about his unethical behavior. Even Trump’s tweets make him look pitiful and stupid.

Unfortunately for the Party of Stupidity (POS,) Trump delegates are locked in for the July National Convention, and regardless of how dismal his poll numbers, Trump will be the POS nominee, as thousands of our country’s worst citizens will be in Cleveland to cheer him on to failure. 

Nine months ago, I said that the GOP Presidential Race is Over and this has continued to be true. All we have left to do is watch how bad the Republicans lose.

Clinton Emails: Secrets To Be Exposed

01 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Ethics, Generational, Government, History, Politics, Privacy, Public Relations, US History, Women

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Benghazi, Bernie Sanders, controversy, Donald Trump, Election 2016, emails, FBI, Girl Scouts of America, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Presidential candidates, Presidential election, Russia, Secretary of State, Senator, Senator Bernie Sanders, Vladimir Putin

Hillary ClintonDonald Trump and Bernie Sanders campaigns are rejoicing at the revelations about to be exposed from secret Hillary Clinton emails on a private server, while she was Secretary of State. Among the revelations are:

  • In 2009, Clinton attempted to humiliate, then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, by arranging to have him photographed in the nude, riding a horse.
  • In 2012, Clinton outlined a plan to become President, and use the Girl Scouts of America to send their members door-to-door under the ruse of selling cookies to determine which homes had guns, followed by night raids by Navy Seals to collect the guns.
  • In 2010, Clinton admitted in an email, that while she was Senator from New York, she conspired to run for President as a ruse to become Secretary of State, where she intended to set up a private email account, rather than using a government email account.

Fox News broke the story today and declared that this scandal will finally end the Clinton campaign to become President of the United States. Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, reacted to the news by saying, “Huh, what?” followed by a scathing, “Okay, great.”

Mitch McConnell said,

“Finally, we not only have the smoking gun on Clinton, we have the powder, the shot, the wading, and that tamper thing that you use to push it all the stuff down the barrel. She not going to be President because she’s going to jail!”

Vladimir Putin tests drives new Russian personnel carrier

Vladimir Putin tests drives new Russian air conditioned military personnel carrier

According to sources in the FBI familiar with the emails, the attempt to humiliate Putin was almost thwarted when he refused to take off the pants; however, the photographer decided that an image of Putin’s sagging breasts and small hands were adequate to accomplish the goal.

Apparently, the conspiracy to collect guns from United States citizens was later eliminated when it was determined that gun owners would likely shoot a Girl Scout under the assumption she was a burglar.

In a campaign speech today, Trump said, “There’s going to be a lot more coming out on Clinton’s emails. I know, because, really, I’m God, no, really, I am, and I’m not happy with her.” Sanders responded to questions from reporters about the rumors of the secret emails by saying, “This campaign is about momentum, and the superdelegates….I’m sorry, what was the question?”

Sanders Supporter’s Big Blunder

31 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, College, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Higher Education, History, Politics, Pride, Taxes, Universities, US History, Women

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2016, Bernie Sanders, Congress, Conservatives, Donald Trump, Election 2016, House of Representatives, Presidential candidates, Presidential election, Senate, Senator Bernie Sanders, supporters

Bernie Sanders supportersThe biggest mistake of Sander’s supporters is the ignoring the opportunity they have in front of them.

Sanders has lost the nomination, and the attempt to destroy the Democratic Party is not going to change that fact. Beyond whining, the main message I hear from Sander’s supporters is that it is time for changing the status quo.

Liberal and progressive people are unified in investing our money in people, not corporations. They are unified in maintaining strong government regulations that level the playing field in every commercial endeavor, including the banking and finance industry. Most Clinton supporters would completely agree that current government established by conservatives, for conservatives, and against the citizens of the United States, must be fixed.

The problem is that neither Hillary Clinton, nor Bernie Sanders can get anything done if both the House of Representatives and the Senate are run by conservative.

This is the big blunder of Sander’s supporters. Hillary Clinton will be ruled and regulated by Congress. If Sander’s supporters really want to see change, they need to stop wasting time on a lost cause, and start identifying the politicians that will focus on fixing our country, not shutting it down.

If Congress voted for a law to force banks to be smaller, and added new regulations, Clinton would have to accept it. To go to war with her own party would end her Presidency. If Clinton feels that Congress is too liberal, she will have to either get on board, or be humiliated.

Sanders supporters don’t understand this, because if they did, they would be one hundred percent focused on Congressional races, and not drooling at the idea of destroying the Democratic National Convention. There is nothing that will happen in Philadelphia this July, because it is meaningless. National political conventions are all show, and no substance.

The alpha and omega of positive changes in our country will be in the hands of Congress. If the dust settles in November and the Republicans still have control of either the House or the Senate, nothing, absolutely nothing will change.

Ironically, the real catalyst for change is in the hands of the Sanders supporters, but they have no idea of what to do with what the power they have in changing Congress.

Sanders Campaign Implosion

22 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Politics

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2016, Bernie Sanders, CA, California, campaign, Democrats, Donald Trump, Election 2016, Hillary Clinton, Nevada, Nevada State Democratic Convention, Presidential election, Presidential race, Primaries

bernie_sanders_jef_AP

Bernie Sander’s campaign has already driven over the cliff, they just refuse to look at what’s coming up at them (jef/AP)

The Bernie Sanders campaign is about to implode, and it won’t have anything to do with unfairness, or a rigged selection process.

Money
The Sanders campaign has been spending massive amounts of money to win small states. This has been a tactic to keep up the appearance of having momentum, even though the New York primary effectively ended his campaign. Now he faces the June 7th primary in six states and the big prize is California. He needs money for ads, for campaign workers, for materials, for travel, and the thousands of expenses of running a national campaign.

On June 7th, Sanders would have to win in all the states to argue his legitimacy in the race, but California is the I-beam that will break his back. Without money to ‘burn’ in California he can’t effectively campaign during the critical final two-week push.

Summer Breakdown
Sanders campaign is more like a street gang, than a political organization. They need each other to maintain their passion. He has effectively used the micro environments at colleges and universities to build excitement and recruit supporters. The bad news is that almost every college in the United States is going or has gone on summer break this month. He has lost his core of his organization and while many students have been assigned to volunteer duties for his campaign over the next few weeks, the ‘gang’ nature of his organization has been lost.

Sanders would like to be able to storm through college campuses in California, whipping up support, but he can’t because most of the students are gone, and/or they’re working summer jobs. In effect, he has lost the foundation of his support and he has no money to replace wild-eyed college students with a real political machine.

Unpresidential Behavior
Some Sanders supporters have the tact and dignity of a Trump supporter. There are intelligent and respectful supporters in the Sanders camp, but the thugs are attracting the spotlight. The antics of the Sanders supporters at the Nevada Democratic State Convention, and their social media behavior following the convention, required Sanders to stand up and disavow his campaign from the thugs. He didn’t. 

In his response statement to the bad behavior of his supporters, he implied that he is not, and never was a Democrat. He has allowed himself to be deluded that real Democrats will suddenly become mindless Bernie Zombies, disavow their party, and select him to lead them into the abyss.

A qualified presidential candidate would have stepped up and made it clear that he or she would rather lose, than condone the behavior of violent and disruptive people. A qualified candidate would honor and respect the will of the people (Clinton won the Nevada’s caucus, not Sanders,) rather than offer a non-apology regarding his supporters who threw chairs, disrupted the meeting, and then called women sexually derogatory names. Sanders is not presidential. It is becoming difficult to distinguish who is less presidential material, Bernie Sanders, or Donald Trump.

Pushing A Bad Position
The hardest part of losing is accepting that you have lost. When almost everyone else knows the inevitability of the outcome, it is too late to back down. Sanders is beyond the point of any hope of winning. He lost on April 19th in New York when he failed to show that he could win a big state with a diverse population. Now, he is looking more and more desperate with each campaign speech. The line between a committed, passionate man, and an impassioned man who should be committed is a nanometer wide. Sanders is over that line.

Currently, Sanders is 264 pledged delegates behind. To win the nomination, Clinton needs 93 more delegates to add to her current combined totals of pledged and superdelegates. There is nothing Sanders can do to prevent Clinton from wrapping up the nomination on June 7th. He can pretend he is accomplishing something by staying in the race, but he is becoming the man who his supporters will pity, rather than admire.

The Road Out
Sanders does have an option out of his dilemma. He could suddenly announce he is dropping out, and throw his passionate support for Hillary Clinton. Some of his supporters would be angry at him, but those are mostly the thugs, who seek to disrupt the National Democratic Convention. By dropping out, he would gain the admiration of Clinton supporters who would celebrate the man who sought to bring the party back together. Then, he and his loyal supporters could continue to campaign on the issues that Clinton and he agree must be addressed.

The result would be the complete destruction of Donald Trump’s campaign before he was nominated in July. It’s not going to happen, but that is the contrast between a loser and a great person.

What Sanders Didn’t Do Yesterday

18 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Crime, Generational, Government, History, Honor, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Respect, US History

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Bernie Sanders, Democrats, Election 2016, Nevada State Convention, supporters, Violence

bernie_sanders_jef_AP

Bernie Sanders: Encourages violence and disruption if it will help him lose by a smaller margin.

Bernie Sanders failed yesterday.

Yesterday, Sanders didn’t win Kentucky. Yesterday, Sanders didn’t have a commanding win in Oregon. Yesterday, Sanders barely moved the needle in pledged delegates.

But what Sanders didn’t do yesterday was show leadership. His supporters have become thugs at public events and when Sanders should have apologized and told his supporters that intimidation and bullying are not how he wants to win elections, he didn’t.

He actually denied that his supporters violently protested and disrupted the Nevada State convention, and then he added,

…when we speak of violence, I should add here that months ago, during the Nevada campaign, shots were fired into my campaign office in Nevada and apartment housing complex my campaign staff lived in was broken into and ransacked. 

Like a child who won’t admit he was wrong, Sanders starts blaming everyone else and implies his supporters were justified in their behavior.

Bernie Sanders wants to be President. He wants our country to believe that he can solve problems. He wants us to believe he is honorable and we can trust him.

We don’t need a President who encourages violent and disruptive protests, as Bernie Sanders does with his supporters. We don’t need an alleged ‘problem solver’ that creates problems, then pretends he didn’t, like Bernie Sanders. 

Bernie Sanders didn’t do the right thing yesterday, but that is why he is a failure as a leader.

What Trump Didn’t Do Today

17 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, Politics, Taxes, US History, Women

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2016, Donald Trump, Election, Election 2016, GOP, May 17, National Republican Committee, NRC, prediction, Presidential candidates, Presidential race, Republican, Republicans

Donald Trump: The Republican Anti-Christ?

The SS Trump:  A disaster in progress

It didn’t happen. Trump didn’t do it. Donald Trump didn’t drop out of the Presidential race today as I predicted he would at 9:00 AM EDT. I was wrong.

If I ever wanted to be wrong about something, this was it. The SS Trump has set sail across the sea of stupidity and the Republican party is all on board. Trump doesn’t fear the icebergs of reality because he doesn’t believe in reality.

I knew my prediction would probably be wrong after I heard about last Thursday’s ‘Big GOP meeting.’ Instead of setting the stage for a Republican reality check and Trump’s departure, Paul Ryan played the role of Lucius Malfoy and pretended that our country’s Voldemort was going to be reborn and not be the laughing-stock of the world.

It is possible that the Republican leadership is really as stupid as they are acting, but I have a hard time accepting it. Our two-party system has had many bumps and bruises in the last two centuries, but when one party is going down in flames, the core believers in that party usually regain control and steer it back on course. That doesn’t seem to be happening this time.

But maybe I’m wrong about the date? Maybe he still is running a fake campaign but he’s going to drop out later? If he is going to drop out, he doesn’t have much time. Every day Trump adds another nail in the Republican coffin, and conservatives have been digging their grave since Reagan was President. 

Regardless, I was wrong about May 17….today is a great day!

Pledge of Loyalty to the United States of America

11 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Business, Education, Ethics, Government, Government Regulation, Health, History, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Religion, Respect, Taxes, US History

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Loyalty, Paul Kiser, Pledge, United States, United States of America

US flagI, Paul Kiser, declare my loyalty to the United States of America.

I shall support my country and my government against enemies domestic and foreign.

I shall accept and defend the concept that all people are created equal, and no one has a right to limit or infringe on a citizen’s rights, so long as they do not endanger others, nor limit or infringe on the rights of others.

I shall not attempt to inflict my personal moral or religious beliefs on others, nor shall I support laws that do.

I have an obligation to financially support our government and I shall NOT support any effort destabilize, diminish, nor destroy public programs and projects by withholding public funds or other means, unless it is determined that those programs and projects are not in the best interest of our country.

I shall support a tax structure that places an increased tax burden on those best able to pay taxes, and minimizes taxes on those who are not.

I know that business is inherently unethical and must have oversight to create a level field for all competitors. I shall support government regulation and reject any rule or law that attempts to give a business entity equal or greater rights than given a citizen.

I support the concept that NO organization that is, in part, or whole, to provide service or benefit (education, healthcare, government contractors, law enforcement, etc.) to the citizens of this country should be investor owned, nor should it provide excess profit for the owners, executives, or managers of the organization regardless of whether the organization qualifies for not-for-profit status.

I recognize that visitors to our country shall be honored and given respect and aid.

I know that helping the less fortunate improve their living conditions, improves the living conditions for all citizens, and I shall support those efforts.

I shall refer to our country as the United States, or the United States of America, and avoid using the single term ‘America’ or ‘American,’ as those terms apply to all of North, Central, or South America.

I shall vote for the most intelligent, open-minded candidates for public office, as it is their responsibility to research and understand all issues and opportunities of our government, and then make the best choice for all people.

I shall support all efforts to assess, anticipate, and prepare for the needs and issues of our country’s future, and not dwell on past issues, except to avoid them in the future.

I shall honor my citizenship and my fellow citizens by making this pledge and seeking to serve our country to the best of my abilities.

Sanders To Have Good, Meaningless Days May 10 & 17

09 Monday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Government, Politics, Women

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2016, Bernie Sanders, California, Caucus, Election, Election 2016, Hillary Clinton, Oregon, Presidential candidates, Presidential election, Presidential race, Primaries, Primary, Southern Democrats, West Virginia

bernie_sanders_jef_AP

Bernie Sanders:  Two laps behind at the finish (Steve Helber/AP)

Tomorrow (May 10) West Virginia holds their Democratic primary. Bernie Sanders will easily win and once again he will beat his breast and say:

…this campaign is about momentum….

What he should be saying:

…I only win in small, meaningless States with mostly rural, white voters…

West Virginia has 37 delegates at stake and Sanders will win about 20 of those delegates. He is, of course, behind by 290 pledged delegates, and a net gain of 3 pledged delegates will not change his loser status. After his loss to Hillary Clinton in Guam on Saturday, he will only gain two delegates.

Sanders will have another big win in Oregon on May 17, but again, his net gain will be 20 delegates or less, and he is almost 290 pledged delegates behind. Clinton only needs to win about 160 more pledged delegates, and with the superdelegates, she will win the nomination. That will happen on June 7, in the California primary, where she is likely to win over 200 delegates in one contest. 

It is like watching a foot race where Sanders is two laps down, and he passes Clinton just before the she crosses the finish line. He can brag about momentum all he wants, but he still is over a lap behind and he will still lose the race.

Trump and GOP About to End the Facade?

08 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Government, Politics, US History

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2016, Donald Trump, Election, GOP, Joffrey Baratheon, National Republican Committee, NRC, Paul Ryan, President, Presidential candidates, Reince Priebus, Republican

Donald Trump: The Republican Anti-Christ?

Donald Trump: The Republican Anti-Christ?

Cruz is out. Kasich is out. It’s all over. Donald Trump wins, and the Republican party goes down in flames in one of the biggest political blunders since Nixon began recording his phone conversations.

Could it be true? No. 

I have a hard time believing that the current antics of the Republican party are genuine. A year ago all Hell broke loose in the Republican party. Every wacko came out to run for President, and the party was being divided up into little pieces. It looked like the 2016 Presidential race was over before it started. (SEE: The Trump Card – Aug 2015)

Joffrey: The Leadership Model for Trump

Joffrey: The Leadership Model for Trump

Enter Donald Trump. From the start, Trump’s tactic was to be the biggest and loudest wacko. It made no sense. The majority of voters of the United States of America were not going to elect the Joffrey Baratheon of conservative politics as President. Not even a majority of Republicans would fall for it.

But, Donald Trump was accomplishing one vital objective. He was rounding up all the wackos under one banner. That was huge.

The only problem was that, in the process, Trump alienated the rest of the country. Could Trump be so stupid to think that he could charm intelligent people after insulting them for a year? Could he be so stupid to not realize that he was inciting a backlash of voters who would not only send him down in flames, but send the rest of the party with him?

In August of last year, I said that I thought that Trump’s run for President couldn’t be real and in December I even predicted a date and time as to when he would drop out and order his minions to vote for the real Republican Presidential candidate. (SEE:  Trump Dropout Countdown – DEC 2015)

Last month I admitted that at least part of my prediction was wrong, and that Jeb Bush was apparently not to be the beneficiary of Trump’s fake campaign. (SEE:  Am I Wrong About Trump? – APR 2016)

Now it is less than ten days to my May 17th prediction and it there is no indication that Trump is ready to end the charade; however, I still believe Trump is faking it.

Why?

It’s Just Business
In big business, especially in investment and real estate, the game is deception. Make your competition think you’re doing one thing, while you are actually doing something completely different.

Trump is a businessman, and he is skilled at the art of deception. He is arrogant, but he’s not that stupid. Trump’s buffoonery is too much drama, and indicates he is trying to create the grand illusion.

To fake out the country, and then pull in the ‘hero’ who would save the day, would be Trump’s ultimate business deal.

Ryan’s Denials:  Methinks the Lady Doth Protest Too Much
Paul Ryan is the most likely person to play the hero role at the end of Trump’s melodrama. He has been exceptionally low-key in this past year, which would be expected if he was avoiding any political controversies prior to a run for the President.

One could make the argument that it is easy to be Mr. Invisible when you don’t do anything, but Ryan has never been shy about the political spotlight even though he does nothing. To go from a rank and file Representative with national recognition to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and become invisible doesn’t make sense.

He has denied he would run for President, but Ryan denied that he would be the Speaker of the House five times before he ‘reluctantly’ accepted the position. He seems to play coy, and then force people to woo him before he suddenly take pity on the poor mortals, and does what he says he won’t.

The more Ryan denies that he will run for President, the more likely he will.

Reince Priebus: In on the Big Secret?

Reince Priebus: In on the big secret?

Anemic Republican Leadership
Another clue is the attitude of Reince Priebus, the chairperson of the Republican National Committee. For over a month now Priebus has been playing peacemaker with Donald Trump. This is odd. The party is in uproar over Trump as their nominee, and the leader of the party is acting as if Trump is just a misunderstood child.

This behavior doesn’t make any sense unless Priebus knows that Trump is running a fake campaign, and that he will drop out and throw his support behind a real candidate.

The End Game
Donald Trump has achieved his goal. All the GOP wannabes have dropped out of the race. There is nothing more for him to do but drop out.

However, Trump can’t just announce that he is dropping out of the race and tell his supporters to vote for Ryan. He has to lay the groundwork first. The following is a scenario of how it might happen:

  1. GOP Uproar. There has to be enough outrage from high profile Republicans to make it look as if that Trump will not be able to win in November. This has already started happening, but this has to reach a crescendo just before he takes the next step.
  2. The Big Meeting. Once it appears that Trump has no support from the GOP establishment, a meeting between Trump and the Republican leadership would be needed. The meeting gives Trump a cover story, so that it doesn’t look like his campaign was faked from the start. The meeting will later be credited with laying the groundwork for Trump to bow out and for Paul Ryan to step up as the Presidential candidate. Last Friday (May 6,) the Republican leadership announced a Big Meeting with Trump and the Republican leadership, including Paul Ryan. It is scheduled for this Thursday, May 12.
  3. Trump’s Anguish. After that meeting, Trump will ‘have to think some things over.’ There will be leaks to the press that Trump was told he can’t win and that he will destroy the Republican party. Trump’s campaign will begin to leak that he is concerned about the damage he is doing to the Republican party, and there will be hints he is dropping out. The rumors will need a few days to soak in.
  4. The Big Fall. As soon as all the news media is speculating that Trump is about to drop out, and that a deal has been brokered, Trump will make his announcement that he is falling on his sword for the good of the party and the nation. Paul Ryan’s announcement that he is stepping into the race has to come at the same time, or almost immediately to keep anyone else from restarting their campaign. May 17 would be about the right timing, even though Kentucky and Oregon primaries are on that day.

Of course, I could be wrong. Perhaps Donald Trump is stupid enough to think that he can reinvent himself and win over moderates, but I have faith in the citizens of the United States. Whether Abraham Lincoln said the following or not, it applies to Donald Trump:

You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

Sanders is Still DOA: Math Trumps Rhetoric

04 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Ethics, Generational, Government, Honor, Politics, The Tipping Point, Women

≈ 1 Comment

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2016, Bernie Sanders, convention, delegates, Democrat, Democrats, Election, Hillary Clinton, Philadelphia, President, Presidential candidates, Presidential election, Presidential race, superdelegates

Bernie Sanders Math: If I lose, I should still win!

Bernie Sanders Math: If I lose, I should still win!

Bernie Sanders won Indiana. Well, sort of. 

If by winning, you mean he received 34,466 more votes, then yes, he won.

However, exit polls showed him pulling a surprise 12% win, which would have helped his famous, and endless claim of ‘momentum,’ but he only came in with less than half of that percentage.

But the real contest is who wins the most delegates. Before Indiana Sanders was 327 delegates behind, and his Indiana ‘win’ nets him six more. Six more delegates is not even close to what he needed. Now he is has a deficit of 321 delegates, and between now and the June 7th California primary there are only 262 delegates available. Even if Sanders won one hundred percent of every primary and caucus between now and June 7th, he would still be behind Hillary Clinton in delegates.

California is the end of the road for Sanders. He can refuse to concede, but it won’t matter. There are 548 delegates available in the California primary. Clinton needs 181 of those delegates, along with the superdelegates who’ve pledged their vote to her, and she has the nomination.

Sanders needed to have a stunning win in Indiana to keep up the appearances of a contender, and he didn’t. His campaign has even given up the idea that he has to win the most pledged delegates, and is now focusing on converting the superdelegates to vote for him even if he can’t win the majority of regular delegates. That’s just a fantasy.

Hillary Clinton:  In her 3rd decade of fighting for a government by the people

Hillary Clinton: Coasting to the nomination

The superdelegates are loyal Democrats. That’s how they earned the honor of being a superdelegate. Sanders is not a Democrat. He is an Independent who refused to join the Democratic party until he decided to run for President. His plan to ‘convert’ the superdelegates would require that some of the most loyal Democrats abandon the real Democrat who has won the most pledged delegates, to give the nomination to a candidate who is a Democrat in name only. It is not going to happen.

Under the rosiest scenario, Sanders will 129 delegates between now and June 7th. That would only give 66 more delegates to Clinton, but she would then only need 115 more delegates to win the nomination. Currently she is ahead of Sanders in California by ten points, but lets assume that Sanders wins by ten points. He would win 329 delegates, and Clinton 219.

Clinton will clinch the nomination in California by over one hundred delegates, even if Sanders wins every primary/caucus up to, and including California. Not only does Clinton win, but she also will still have over one hundred more pledged delegates than Sanders.

Sanders is claiming the system is rigged. He’s correct. It’s rigged to nominate the person who wins the most delegates, and that is Hillary Clinton.

The only question left is who she will face in the general election. Will it be the Donald Trump, or will there be an eleventh hour switch to Paul Ryan?

5 Reasons Why Sanders Should Be the Democratic VP Nominee

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Branding, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, Passionate People, Politics, Taxes, The Tipping Point, US History, Women

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2016, Bernie Sanders, Congress, Conservatives, Democrats, Dems, GOP, Hillary Clinton, House of Representatives, President, Presidential race, Republican, Republicans, Senate, vice president, White House

Bernie Sanders is passionate, if he is anything

Bernie Sanders as Vice President. It’s not going to happen. It seems like the logical move, but there are too many forces working against it. Hillary Clinton will not want an adversary as Vice President. Sanders won’t want to play second fiddle. Contributors for the Clinton campaign will fear Sanders influence in the White House. The list goes on.

However, Sanders as Vice President is exactly what our nation needs: 

ONE:  He will energize the ticket and bring in supporters who might not vote
Sanders will bring in the youth vote, who very well may walk away if he’s not on the ticket. A Clinton/Sanders ticket will end any chance for a Republican win. The best they can hope for is to try to keep the House of Representatives, which is unlikely with Trump at the top of their ticket.

Hillary Clinton: In her 3rd decade of fighting for a government by the people

Hillary Clinton needs Sanders as her liberal standard-bearer

TWO:  He could be tasked with helping Democrats take back the House and Senate
There is no doubt that for Sanders to see anything on his agenda achieved, the Democrats have to control government. He would be the perfect catalyst to make that happen.

THREE:  As Vice President, Sanders can push a liberal agenda
Sanders is relentless on changing the conservative status quo. Even before he would be sworn into office, he will put conservatives on the defensive, instead of taking the offensive as they did when Barack Obama was elected in 2008.

FOUR:  Sanders on the ticket creates a big win
Red States, like Arizona, might turn to voting Blue if Sanders is on the ticket. Certainly, Clinton will beat Trump, but the win has to be so large that the unintelligent, immature, and racist Trump supporters must be humiliated. Sanders can make that happen.

FIVE:  Clinton will do better with a team of rivals
A spirited debate within the administration will lead to better decisions. Liberals value intelligence, logic, and empathy, and that requires a thorough examination of all viewpoints. Sanders would be a key element in challenging the paradigms of politics, economics, and social values.

Populism is a Symptom of the Failure of People, Not Government

26 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Communication, Education, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, Honor, Politics, Religion, Respect, Social Media Relations, Taxes, Traditional Media, US History

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2016, Bernie Sanders, Conservatives, Democrats, Donald Trump, Elections, James Madison, Mara Lisasson, Politics, populism, populist, Republicans

 

Mara Liasson, NPR/Fox News Journalist

Mara Liasson, NPR Political Correspondent/Fox News Contributor

Mara Liasson, political correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR,) reported on the Morning Edition segment that populism is a major force in this year’s Presidential campaigns, and she wanted to find out what effect it might have after the election.

In her report she featured people who feel ‘left behind.’ Her first interview was with a proud ‘Hillbilly.’ Her next interview was with Kathy Kramer, a political science professor from the University of Wisconsin. Liasson described Professor Kramer as one who has spent the last eleven years talking to Wisconsin people who “felt ignored, or dismissed by politicians, the media, the government, or big business.”

Liasson suggested through her story and her featured interviewees, that the Populism movement is not just a 2016 event, and is likely to have an impact in future elections.

Populism is not new to organized societies, and according to James Madison, is not an action that leads to a better society. In the Federalist No. 10 paper, Madison refers to populists movements as people,

Author, Political theorist, Constitutionalist, President of the United States of America

Author, Political theorist, Constitutionalist, President of the United States of America

…who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have tapped into the passions of many people, and at least in the case of Trump, exploited people who seek to impose their beliefs and interests on those who disagree with them. Madison continues his description of populist-type movements later in the same paper,

A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practices…have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good.

Missed in Liasson’s report is that the root cause of their dissatisfaction of government and politicians, the feeling of being left behind, is a direct result of the types of leaders that voters have been electing since Ronald Reagan in 1979. The populists anger, among conservatives, seem to be a combination of electing the wrong people, inciting a belief that the caucasian male is superior, and a desire to inflict personal religious beliefs as public law. Add to the their misplaced emotions, a failure to use reason to examine the issues effectively, and we have what James Madison described 228 years ago.

We can’t fix government or politicians until we fix the people. Madison knew that, but what Madison may not have known was that the twenty-first century news media would accept populist movements as valid political thought, when it is simply public masturbation of the uneducated, immature, and egocentric mind.

Post Hoc Ergo Proctor Hoc – The Outsider Myth

11 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Ethics, Government, Government Regulation, History, Opinion, Politics, Taxes, US History

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2016, Bernie Sanders, Democrats, Dems, Donald Trump, GOP, latin, logic, myth, Outsiders, Preside, Presidential election, Republicans, Sander's supporters, Trump supporters

“He loves Trump because he’s an outsider, not a politician.”

 Kemi Ajisekola from Who Are Donald Trump Supporters

“…Sanders – at least he is an outsider who understands that the government and the economy are broken.”

A 55 year-old male quoted in The Gaurdian

Supporters listen to a speech by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally at the Great Bay Community College, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, in Portsmouth, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

White people for Trump (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Post hoc ergo Proctor hoc is latin and it means that just because one thing follows another, doesn’t mean one thing causes another.

The logic of Trump and Sanders supporters is as follows:

  1. Our Government is broken.
  2. Our Government has been broken by politicians.
  3. People who are not politicians are outsiders.
  4. Donald Trump and/or Bernie Sanders are not politicians.
  5. Donald Trump and/or Bernie Sanders are outsiders.
  6. Outsiders will fix our government.

All six of these statements have to be true for their logic to be valid, but Trump and Sanders supporters seem to believe that by stating statement number five (Donald Trump and/or Bernie Sanders are outsiders) that six is automatically true.

Post hoc ergo proctor hoc.

White people for Sanders

White people for Sanders (Reuters/Mark Kauzlarich)

 

Statement #1 – Our Government is broken
That is a broad statement that is often linked to conservative’s effort to stonewall any government action that doesn’t conform to their failed ideas. A careful review of our government and in our country will show that almost all problems in government have had a root in conservative ideology. The past thirty years have been a parade of bad decisions based on conservative concepts that they now refuse to allow to be changed. Despite that, the United States of America is still considered to be the place that most people would want to come to live and raise a family. That doesn’t really support the idea that our government is broken.

Statement #2 – Our government has been broken by politicians
Here again, it is conservative ideology that is the root of most problems that can be identified in our government. A lack of good government oversight, corrupt private businesses committing fraud in their dealing with the government, and undercutting the vital revenue needed for good government are all evidence that the broad brush blaming all politicians doesn’t adequately explain the cause of the problems in our government.

Statement #3 – People who are not politicians are outsiders
All colleges have a political science department, but that doesn’t mean only those with a degree in political science become politicians. Nor does the word, ‘politician’ specifically apply to someone who is elected to a political office. Anyone who attempts to shape social policy is a politician. The term ‘politician’ is often used to mean, “those bad guys,” but that is too general of a term to apply to everyone involved in politics. Our country was built by politicians, and many of them served in that role for decades. Electing an ‘outsider’ rather than a politician is like cutting down an entire orchard, that you planted, because one tree had sour fruit.

Statement #4 – Donald Trump and/or Bernie Sanders are not politicians

CONCORD, NC - MARCH 7: Donald Trump supporters cheer on the Republican presidential candidate before a campaign rally March 7, 2016 in Concord, North Carolina. The North Carolina Republican presidential primary will be held March 15. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

More white people for Trump (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Donald Trump has put himself into consideration for running for President in 1988, 2000, 2004, 2012, and for New York Governor in 2006 and 2014. He has been trying to get into politics for almost three decades. He is a politician, …and he’s really bad at it.

More white people for Sanders

More white people for Sanders (Alan Diaz/AP)

Bernie Sanders has been in political office since 1981. He is a career politician. He has always stood as an Independent, but he is definitely a politician.

Statement #5 – Donald Trump and/or Bernie Sanders are outsiders
And Lance Armstrong is an ethical, honest person.

Statement #6 – Outsiders will fix our government
The history of our country indicates that those with the least political experience are the least likely to accomplish anything positive. Many of the people who are preventing any effective action in Congress, are novice lawmakers who were voted in on the belief they were outsiders. 

Representative Paul Ryan is considered to be a maverick and an outsider by many. His accomplishments in Congress since 1999 are to have a Post Office in his District renamed, and to have an excise tax on arrow shafts lowered.

Trump and Sanders supporters have one thing in common. They have no idea what they are doing, nor why they are doing it.

Am I Wrong About Trump

06 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Government, Politics

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

2016, candidates, Donald Trump, Election, fake candidacy, GOP, Paul Ryan, Presidential candidates, Republican, Republicans, Ted Cruz

Goodby Mr. Trump

If you’ve been reading my blog, seven and a half months ago I predicted that Donald Trump mission was NOT running for President, but instead he was gathering up all the wacko conservatives to deliver them to a real Presidential candidate. (SEE:  The Trump Card – 21 Aug 2015) Four months later, I not only confirmed my prediction, I set a date and a time (17 May at 9:00 AM EDT) for Trump to drop out. (SEE:  Trump Dropout Countdown – 21 Dec 2015) Now that we are about a month from my prediction, the question is, am I wrong about the Trump fake candidacy? 

It appears that I am wrong about one part of the prediction. I predicted that Trump was gathering up all the unintelligent, older, white males to deliver to Jeb Bush several weeks prior to the Republican convention. Unless Jeb Bush steps back into the race, which is unlikely, my prediction regarding the beneficiary of Trump’s fake candidacy is wrong.

However, several things have happened in the past week that indicate Trump is following a path to drop out. First, he had a staged meeting with the Republican leadership on March 31. This meeting was allegedly about Republican ‘unity,’ but it is exactly the type of meeting I suggested that Trump would have with the Bush campaign before he dropped out. This meeting sets the stage for him to drop out ‘after discussions with the Republican party,’ which allows him to tell his supporters that they must vote for the chosen Republican party candidate when he drops out.

Second, Trump is dismantling his campaign staff. The headline for one of yesterday’s stories in the Huffington Post was “Trump’s Campaign In Disarray.” This indicates he is preparing to drop out soon, and by dismantling his campaign now, he will likely not perform well in the upcoming primaries in New York on April 19, nor in the rest of the Northeastern bloc of States on April 26.

The GOP’s Biggest Loser, To Become Their Last Hope?

All of this allows Trump to have enough excuses to justify ending his campaign in order to look like it wasn’t a fake from the start. That’s important so that he can convince his supporters to back the appointed candidate. At this time, I believe that person to be Paul Ryan.

However, everything that is happening is at least a month earlier than I expected. It might be possible that the Republican party wants to put Paul Ryan in the game early in order to keep Ted Cruz from being a front-runner.

Why the Deception?
Why would Trump need to run a fake campaign?

Simple. The Republicans have backed themselves in a corner on issues. All the issues they campaign with are destroying their chances of being elected. They have pandered to the stupid, white males to the point that the majority of United States citizens are disgusted with them.

Trump's Chump?

Trump’s Chump?

To have a chance at winning, the Republican party needs to use trickery and deception to avoid a campaign on issues. Trump’s fake campaign provides a Presidential candidate that avoids a bumbling Primary race surrounded by idiot candidates that sink all boats.

It’s still possible I’m wrong, but if I am, the Republican party is done. A serious Trump Presidential campaign would be catastrophic to the GOP. If I’m right, then Ted Cruz is going to look pretty stupid when Paul Ryan steps in and he’s left at the altar…praying to his Canadian God.

Trump Supporters: The Brown Stain On USA’s Underwear

21 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, College, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Higher Education, History, Honor, Politics, Religion, Taxes, Universities, US History, Women

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Conservatives, Donald Trump, lies, New York Times, Politico, Republican, Republicans

There are two things that are true about this Presidential election year. First, Donald Trump is a pathological liar, and second, that his supporters represent the worst examples of citizens of United States of America.

The Product of Conservative's Lunacy

Lies of a Political Whore

rulings-tom-falseDonald Trump says:  the man who rushed the stage at him in Dayton, Ohio, “had chatter about ISIS, or with ISIS” in his social media posts.

Donald Trump says:  “GDP was zero essentially for the last two quarters.”

Donald Trump says:  Under the Iran nuclear deal, “we give them $150 billion, we get nothing.”

Donald Trump says:  Common Core is “education through Washington D.C.”

Donald Trump says:  The wives of the 9/11 hijackers “knew exactly what was happening” and went back to Saudi Arabia two days before the attacks to watch their husbands on television flying the planes.

Donald Trump says:  Mahatma Gandhi once said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Donald Trump says:  “the New York Times can write a story that they know is false” yet “they can’t basically be sued.”

Donald Trump says:  “We (Trump University) have an ‘A’ from the Better Business Bureau.”  

Donald Trump says:  “If it weren’t for me … (illegal immigration) wouldn’t even be a big subject.”  

Donald Trump says:  On the Iraq war, “I said it loud and clear, ‘You’ll destabilize the Middle East.’ “

rulings-tom-pantsonfireVoldemort’s Big Lies

Donald Trump says:  “I don’t know anything about David Duke.”

Donald Trump says:  Ted Cruz “said I was in favor in Libya. I never discussed that subject.”

Donald Trump says:  that in the Philippines more than a century ago, Gen. John Pershing “took 50 bullets, and he dipped them in pigs’ blood,” and shot 49 Muslim rebels. “The 50th person, he said, ‘You go back to your people, and you tell them what happened.’ And for 25 years, there wasn’t a problem.”

Donald Trump says:  “Don’t believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment. The number’s probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”

Trump Speaks the Lies of the Uneducated, Old, White

Since 2007, the only Presidential candidate that has a worse record than Donald Trump of lying, is Dr. Ben Carson, and Trump has twice as many “Pants on Fire” lies as even Carson. Donald Trump has built his campaign on incitement of the older, less educated, white people who see themselves as victims based on lies and misconceptions they created. Trump is loved by his supporters for ‘speaking the truth’ and ‘saying what no one else will say,’ which is to say, he is gaining their love by saying what they want to hear. Trump validates their view of the world, even though everyone else knows he’s lying. 

Political lying

The demographics of Trump supporters are the people the type of people who blame everyone else for their lot in life. Only 19% have a college degree. More than 80% are over age 45. Only 15% of Hispanics said they support Trump, and only 9% of African-Americans favored Trump.

Trump supporters are the opposite end of the model citizen, and based on multiple incidents and media interviews with them, they are violent and susceptible to the type of incitement that Trump offers in his rallies. They are misfits who don’t believe in anything that doesn’t match their dysfunctional view of the world.

Every time Trump lies to gain their support, they interpret it as a confirmation of all that they want to believe to be true. They believe they are the chosen ones by birth and through Trump, they will take their rightful place as the superior race, and the rest of us shall fall to our knees and worship them.

 

5 Reasons I No Longer Feel The Bern

04 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Branding, Communication, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Taxes, US History, Women

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Tags

2016, Bernie Sanders, Conservatives, Democrats, Donald, GOP, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, liberals, Politics, President, Republicans

Nevada was an early caucus state. Caucus is Latin for a divisive meeting of unified people and, from the word, ‘caca,’ meaning excrement.

Hillary Clinton: In her 3rd decade of fighting for a government by the people

Hillary Clinton: In her 3rd decade of fighting for a government by the people

Prior to the Nevada caucus I was unsure who I was supporting. I always have liked Hillary Clinton, but I have been a little frustrated with the moderate viewpoint that we can all work together, when extremist conservatives have proven that we really can’t. I considered myself leaning towards Bernie Sanders until the February 11th Democratic debate, and then I began to realize that Bernie is not the man to lead this country.

1. Bernie: The One-Song Musical
In the February 11th Democratic debate I realized that Bernie Sanders has latched on to a handful of speaking points and beats them to death at every rally. I don’t really care what Hillary Clinton said in her speeches to any big bank, but I do appreciate she has their attention. Bernie’s harping on a few minor meaningless issues is exactly what conservatives have been doing for decades and I’m sick of it. We don’t need a leader to spend four years of blaming other people for small faults when we have the rise of a second Confederacy in our country that seeks to destroy everything we stand for in the United States.

2. Bernie Supporters:  All Flash, No Dignity, No Honor, No Substance
I live next to the University of Nevada, so we have a lot of college students in our precinct. Needless to say our precinct went almost entirely for Bernie Sanders. They were all excited about themselves and how they were the voice of change. They were also rude and undignified in their manner of supporting their candidate. Both the elected President and Secretary of the caucus were Bernie supporters and wearing Bernie tee shirts and buttons. At one point, the Secretary, who did nothing during the meeting, walked in front of the fifteen Clinton supporters and announced to the room, “I’m not voting for Hillary. I’d never do that.”

But the real issue for me was when an envelope was passed around to help the Democratic Party. I went to at least thirty people before me, and none of them put any money in it. Not even a quarter. I put twenty dollars in it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it came back with only that amount. None of the Sanders supporters were committed to helping the Democratic party. They were just there to pleasure themselves.

We don't need screamers for leaders
We don’t need screamers for leaders
Bernie Sanders is passionate, if he is anything
donald-trump-funny-face

3.  Bernie:  Howard Dean’s Scream Over and Over Again
Every time I see Bernie Sanders speak, I see Howard Dean. Sanders is not passionate, he’s irrational. After he loses an election or caucus, he starts talking about momentum, as if losing is a good thing because the campaign is about momentum, not issues.

“What this entire campaign has been about is the issue of momentum….”

                       Bernie Sanders, after losing Nevada

It’s the ‘say nothing’ approach to communication that has no meaning, just key words strung together to incite applause. It’s not leadership, it’s Trumpmanship.

4.  Bernie:  Leadership Via Destruction
Much of Sanders campaign has devolved into leadership via destruction. I agree with him on most of the issues, but in his speeches he tends to present himself as a dragon slayer and yet, he comes off more like Don Quixote. I supported him when he stayed on topic, but now he seems stuck on a message of attack rather than building. That’s not the route I support for someone to become President.

5.  Bernie:  Bottomless Pit of Promises
It the past seven years have proven anything, it has proven that the President can do very little if he or she has a Congress that is not on the same page. Promises by a presidential candidate are the fairy dust of politics. What we need to hear from a Democratic Presidential candidate is:

…elect me, AND elect these Democrats for Congress, and we will get Citizens United overturned, a ban on assault weapons restored, improve the healthcare system, ….

Speeches are the leverage of action. If a candidate for President of the United States of America is truly seeking action, he or she needs to accept that their speech should acknowledge the path to action requires the citizen to do more than just elect her or him.

TRUMP: Product of 35 Years of Conservatism

29 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Higher Education, History, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, Religion, Taxes, US History, Women

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Cliven Bundy, Conservatives, Donald Trump, George W. Bush, GOP, John Boehner, Mitt Romney, Republican, Republicans, Ronald Reagan, Tea Party

President Ronald Reagan: Actor, Cowboy, FBI Informant

President Ronald Reagan:  Actor, Cowboy, FBI Informant, Destroyer of Good Government

On January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan became President. Before he was elected this actor, FBI-informant, dictator-like Governor was a minor figure in national politics. His rise to power came after the collapse of the Republican party in the post-Watergate era. Reagan became the new face for disgraced conservatives. He rose to power by becoming the Great White demigod for Caucasian males.

After Nixon proved the lack of morals of the Republican party, there were two choices. The first choice to would be to humbly accept the failure of ethics within the party and commit to an honest approach to serving our government. The second choice would be to double down and make the party even less ethical than it was before Nixon’s gang of Dirty Tricksters.

The party chose to double down and go for the gullible voter. Conservatives became two-faced. The outward face was a facade of saying anything to suck in the weak and the stupid, and the other face was the hidden face of power and corruption that steered the true agenda of the party.

Conservatives Made Government Corrupt
Federal, State, and local government had brought us out of the depression, created the interstate highway system, and put us in space. Those achievements set the stage for a prosperous country that had a new power infrastructure, 20th century transportation system, and was on the leading edge of technology. In addition, cities and towns had new water and sewer systems, and new schools to elevate the level of education for everyone in the United States.

President John F. Kennedy: Making Big Government Do Great Things

President John F. Kennedy: Making Big Government Do Great Things

Our country was great, because our government was great.

However, our government also maintained the balance of fairness for all citizens. Our government held corporations to higher standards. If an airline wanted to have a route that was a financial goldmine, they also have to serve a smaller community that wouldn’t have air service under the typical business greed motivation. Conservatives had to make government evil in order to gain public support to destroy it.

Undercutting Government
The first step was to bankrupt the government. That was a job for the Reagan administration. To the public he railed against the size of government and proclaimed that taxes were too high. In 1981, he cut taxes for the lowest wage earners by 3%, (from 14% down to 11%,) but slashed taxes on the super rich by 20%, (from 70% to 50%.) along with slashing estate taxes and corporate taxes for the rich and powerful.

Then in 1986, he slashed taxes again for the super wealthy from 50% to 28%, but INCREASED the taxes on those least able to pay from 11% to 15%. In the end he had increased taxes on the lowest wage earner by 2% and decreased taxes on the super wealthy by 42%.

At the same time, Reagan increased federal spending through massive and wasteful military spending that put the country’s economy on the brink of disaster. This would all be sold to the public as the failure of our government, not the insane policies of a conservative economic madman.

Radicalized Right

Cliven Bundy - Created in Ronald Reagan's Image (photo credit cnn.com)

Cliven Bundy – Created in Ronald Reagan’s Image (photo credit cnn.com)

With the humiliation of the Nixon presidency, conservatives had to find support in citizens who were susceptible to manipulation, as they had lost the trust of most of the intelligent citizens of our country. They began seeking out false problems that would win favor with the lesser intelligent white person.

Issues like gun ownership, Christian extremism, racism targeting Hispanics, demonizing public education, and laws targeting women, minority voters, and gays became the banner of the conservatives. All of these issues appealed to the least intelligent white male who sought to blame others for their failures.

By raising these false issues, the people who were gullible felt empowered and believed that conservatives had become their voice for issues that existed only in the minds of weak, insecure, racists. The white male and his spouse saw conservatives as angels of a mythical God of white people who would bring back the United States to be something it never was before.

Obstruct, Obstruct, Obstruct:  Do Nothing Conservatives
George W. Bush became the final straw in our country to expose the failure of conservatives. He followed the conservative ideology to the letter and when it all failed, conservatives distanced themselves as quickly as possible. By 2008, every idea of conservatives was proven to be a failure and had destroyed our government and our economy.

The GOP's Biggest Loser, To Become Their Last Hope?
The GOP’s Biggest Loser, To Become Their Last Hope?
Kim Davis cartoon
Trump's Chump?
Trump’s Chump?
Speaker John Boehner's Puppet Master
Speaker John Boehner’s Puppet Master
Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP.
Conservatives: Go F**k Yourselves America
Ted Nugent: America's Epic Fail
Ted Nugent: America’s Epic Fail
Image thanks to brotherpeacemaker.com
Mitt Romney
John McCain still bitter about 2008?
John McCain still bitter about 2008?
Senator Mitch McConnell: "Election, what election?"
Senator Mitch McConnell: “Election, what election?”
Rove's laughing now.
Rove’s laughing now.
Bush Logic: Trust me. I know what I'm doing
Bush Logic: Trust me. I know what I’m doing
Rick Santorum - Extremist's Lap Dog...but he'll support Romney...didn't you get his eamil?
Rick Santorum – Extremist’s Lap Dog…but he’ll support Romney…didn’t you get his eamil?
Conservative Investigation: Celebrate males testify about women's contraception
Conservative Investigation: Celebrate males testify about women’s contraception
Rush Limbaugh Wants Sex Videos
Rush Limbaugh Wants Sex Videos
Bachmann, Perry, Cain all served up what Evangelicals wanted
Bachmann, Perry, Cain all served up what Evangelicals wanted
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley
Angle: Manning up in stupid
Angle: Manning up in stupid
gibbons_karrasch1
3rd Place in Miss Alaska, attended five different colleges in four years (one of them twice,) and 1/2 term Governor of Alaska (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
3rd Place in Miss Alaska, attended five different colleges in four years (one of them twice,) and 1/2 term Governor of Alaska (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Donald Trump: The anti-American candidate
Donald Trump: The anti-American candidate

Still, conservatives refused to accept reality and took the one action left for them. Try to sabotage any program or law that would repair our country. During their reign of terror on the United States they had managed to gerrymander districts across the country to keep a conservative majority in the House of Representatives. That was enough to give conservatives the ability to prevent any effective action to fix our government, which allowed them to promote the myth that our government was broken, even though it was conservatives who were breaking it. Any attempt to circumvent this tactic was declared to be an affront to the Constitution and the separation of powers.

The Product of Conservative's Lunacy

The Product of Conservative’s Lunacy

Trump:  The Political Whore of Stupid, White People
Thirty-five years of conservative politics and distilled out all rationality in the Republican party. The party has degenerated to the point that the most successful candidate to win the Republican presidential nomination has to incite the worst elements of our country into believing that we are doomed and that the best course of action is to elect the people who have consistently failed.

Trump is the bastard child of Reagan’s legacy. He is the champion of the citizen with the mentality of a eight-year old boy. He enables stupidity as a way to govern our country. He will give his supporters whatever excites them as long as he doesn’t have to be around them too much. Trump is what happens when an ideology refuses to accept its own failure.

Moffat County, Colorado: Three Part Series Now On One Page

14 Sunday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Politics

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Because WordPress articles are published with the most recent at the top of the page, I have created a new page for just the Moffat County, Colorado three-part series, so the first part is at the top and all three are on one page. You can now view this story at Moffat County, Colorado:  The Story of Two Families.

Five Fixes For Our Primary/Caucus Fiasco

04 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Government, Information Technology, Internet, Politics, Taxes, US History

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Caucus, Caucuses, Conservatives, Democrat, Democrats, GOP, Iowa, New Hampshire, Primaries, Primary, Republican, Republicans

Voting FAIL

Voting FAIL

For decades we have been given this advice about our system for electing Presidents:  “If it’s broken, don’t try to fix it.”

People get nervous about elections and major changes are automatically assumed to create new problems…and it’s true. Any change will create new issues; however, the question is whether or not the new issues are really significant, or whether they are just the Elmer’s in the room who try to find a problem even if it is absurd.

First, we have to accept that our current political system works for some people. People with money and power really, really like the current system because it is easy to manipulate. In addition, people who have more pull in the political system than they should have really, really like it because the current system gives a handful of Iowans and New Hampshirites much more of a punch to our political system than they should have under an all voices are equal” system.

But the United States of America is spiraling out of control because our system of electing our leaders has become a type of reality TV show where entertainment is rewarded and common sense is punished. So how do we fix it?

ONE:  Corporations Are NOT People
It is hard to fathom how absurd the justification was for the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Citizens United. Free speech is our greatest foundation of democracy. Each person has a right to voice his or her opinion. What the Supreme Court did was to dilute our voice and say that not only do individuals have free speech rights, but some privileged individuals can amplify their voice to have a greater access to free speech than the common individual. It’s a perversion of the First Amendment and everyone knows it.

The ruling has to be reversed if our political system is to be restored.

TWO:  Tax Big Donors
The mega-contributor to political campaigns is now the tail wagging the political dog. Our country’s dignity has been slowly eroded by the wholesale purchasing of politicians by wealthy individuals and organizations. Yes, that means unions and corporations.

Contributions that exceed $500 in a two-year period given directly or indirectly to a campaign or cause should be taxed at 100%. Give a million dollars  to a campaign, pay an additional $999,500 to the government entity the candidate or cause will serve or impact.

THREE:  Government Established Primaries
The idea that political parties can establish any method of choosing a candidate is ridiculous. It plays into the hands of the buffoon who suddenly  decides that the method was unfair and then we are off to the courts. Every State should have a Primary, not a Caucus and it should be done under the same rules in every State.

FOUR:  Fifty Primaries in Fifty Days
By lottery pull the names of each State. The first State pulled holds their primary on February 1st. The second State pulled has their primary on February 2nd, etc. Candidates can begin campaigning in a State three weeks before the primary for that State.

FIVE:  Use both Internet and In-Person Voting
Voting is going to be done by the Internet. It’s coming. Why not start with the primaries? Keep the in-person option available, but allow people to vote on a secure website.

Each registered voter is given a unique code for each election. They register for the election website and set up a password. On the election date they sign in, enter their unique code, and vote.

Why Trump is Really Missing the Debate

27 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Politics, Public Image

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

2016, Debate, Donald Trump, Fox News, GOP, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Presidential candidates, Republican, Republicans, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Wackos

Trump Sad

The Debate Strategy: Trump has the idiots right where he wants them. Now he needs to step out of the light and let Bush shine a little. (Image credit: TheBusinessPundit.com)

Donald Trump is playing the “poor little o’ me” card in his justification for missing the next debate, but there is likely another reason for Trump to not take the Fox News stage on Thursday.

He’s doing his job to well.

Five months ago I suggested that Donald Trump was not running for President (SEE: The Trump Card,) and that he was likely trying to corral the less intelligent Americans into one group so he could deliver them to the Republican Presidential nominee this summer.

Last month I predicted the approximate date that he would drop out and tell his drooling, weak-minded supporters that they have to vote for Jeb Bush or else Hillary Clinton will win (SEE: Trump Dropout Countdown.) 

But why isn’t he going to the debate on Thursday?

The problem is that Jeb Bush is having a hard time looking like a leader when the Republican class clown steals the stage. Bush needs to move up in the polls and this debate is a perfect format for him to do that….if Trump is not there.

 

GOP polling 27 JAN

Bush needs to leap over Ben Carson and Marco Rubio after this next debate (Poll analysis credit:  Huffington Post)

Bush can probably hold his own against Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Cruz and Rubio are usually victims of their own stupidity and at this debate Bush has the opportunity to make himself look like the kinder, gentler, more sane candidate than the rest of the pack.

A Bush win would likely put him in third place which lands him within striking distance of a diminishing Ted Cruz. Cruz can’t out Trump, Trump, and Bush looks more presidential, so Cruz will find himself bleeding support to both ends of the GOP spectrum. That will eventually put Bush in second which is where he wants/needs to be until next May when Trump will drop out.

Time to Repeal Republicans

07 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Branding, Business, Communication, Ethics, Government, Government Regulation, Health, History, Opinion, Politics, Public Image, Religion, Respect, Taxes, US History, Women

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

2016, Congress, conservative, Conservatives, Election, GOP, Healthcare, Obamacare, Paul Ryan, Republican, Republicans, Speaker of the House, Tea Party

The Republican party can’t help themselves. They are born to do the wrong thing.

Paul Ryan - Leader of the Stupid (Image credit: Wall Street Journal
Paul Ryan – Leader of the Stupid (Image credit: Wall Street Journal
Cliven Bundy - Created in Ronald Reagan's Image (photo credit cnn.com)
Cliven Bundy – Created in Ronald Reagan’s Image (photo credit cnn.com)
Edgar Votes GOP (Image credit: Columbia Pictures
Edgar Votes GOP (Image credit: Columbia Pictures

The United States of America was established on the principle that everyone is equal. Yes, there were some many of our founders who didn’t see African Americans as equals, nor were women seen as equals, but they probably also didn’t believe that the Earth orbited the Sun.

Over time we learned that all humans are truly equal. Over time we adopted a system of government that was committed to protecting the rights of ALL people. Over time we became the greatest country in the history of the world not only because of the principles that were the framework of our country, but because we took that framework and made it greater than the people who wrote it.

But there are always those who want to tear it all down under the belief that it is not ‘our’ country, but ‘my’ country. Those people who are too stupid to be let out in public, but want a gun in their purse when they our out among our citizens just in case they see someone they want to kill.

Conservatives have a history of tearing down great things. Guided by the concept that “we can’t,” conservatives have constantly battled for less for everyone else and more for them.

After fifty attempts the Cliven Bundy’s of Congress have finally passed a repeal of Obamacare. Nope, they don’t have a plan ‘B’, except they want American healthcare run by the greedy, not by compassionate. Republicans have proven again why they are the party of anti-Americans. They hate equality. They hate being told to be ethical. They hate paying for the privilege of being citizen of the United States of America.

It’s time we repeal Republicans and put our country back into the hands of the intelligent, the compassionate, and the true patriots.

Trump Dropout Countdown

21 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by Paul Kiser in Government, Politics, Public Image

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

2016, anti-American, anti-USA government, Ben Carson, Carly Fionia, Donald Trump, Election, GOP, HuffPost, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, polls, President, racists, Republican, Republicans, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Wacko, Wacko vote, Wackoism, Wackos

Trump Out of the Race on or about May 17, 2016

Trump Out of the Race on or about May 17, 2016

Four months ago I said that Donald Trump was probably not running for President (SEE: The Trump Card.) Not only am I prepared to say that Donald Trump is not running for President, I predict he will dropout of his ‘pretend’ campaign for President on or about 9:00 am EDT, May 17, 2016.

I know he’s not running for President because:

  1. Any reasonable person would know that his outrageous statements are targeted to a small, unintelligent, USA-government hating, racist group of people who do not have the ability to elect a President.
  2. His statements have alienated the intelligent conservatives to the point that even they would rather not vote than to elect him.
  3. If he were the Republican nominee he would solidify the liberals and moderates leading to the biggest Republican loss in recent history.
  4. With Trump at the top of the ticket, the House and the Senate might both go to the Democrats.
  5. His over-the-top, implausible character is typical of an inexperienced actor who goes for fake drama rather than real emotion.

Trump has been on a mission since June 2015, and that mission has not changed. The field of Republican wackos for President that popped up in the Spring of 2015, was splintering the party to the point that no one candidate would be able to reunite the conservative voters in 2016.

Enter Donald Trump. His mission was to gather up all the wacko voters and get them in one basket. To do this he had to become one of them, and he has excelled in his effort.

One by one Trump has sucked the life out of other GOP wacko Presidential candidates by being the biggest, loudest wacko of them all. His tactics are simple. As one wacko rises in the polls, Trump steps up his antics. Ben Carson starts rising, Trump drops wacko bombs in the media, and Carson numbers start falling. His mission is not complete, but by the Spring of 2016, it will be Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, and possibly two minor also-rans. 

With the exception of Trump, the candidates who went after the wacko vote have been unwilling to commit to the image that appeals to the least intelligent, most racist, most anti USA-government group of voters. Why? Because they actually had hopes of becoming President and they knew that the wacko vote may get them up in the polls, but the wacko image would be suicide in the general election. Trump doesn’t care about the general election because he’s not running for President.

Look who’s floating along. Jeb Bush. He was at around 13% last summer and he’s now down around 6%, but he’s still there. He’s not the target of anyone. He’s not on the public radar. He’s just there. He has no real fear of losing wacko support because he’s not interested in appealing to them. He’s waiting until they appeal to him.

HuffPost GOP President Blend of Polls - DEC 2015

HuffPost GOP President Blend of Polls – DEC 2015 (Go to website)

So what’s next?

Trump will continue to be the Wacko Pied Piper. He will continue to suck the wacko voters out of those candidates who built their campaigns on wackoism. On or about May 1, 2015, Trump will start making statements about his concerns that he may not be electable in the general election. He will then work to scare the wackos into submission. He will tell them that the first priority to the country is to make sure Hillary is NOT elected as President.

On or about May 15, 2015, the media will receive a leaked story regarding Trump having a “secret” meeting with the Bush campaign. Soon after that Donald Trump will fall on his rubber sword and instruct his wacko supporters that it is their duty to the country to support Jeb Bush. Jeb, having already secured the established conservatives, will then suddenly become the ‘conservative cause’ for the wackos. Two months later he will be the “Miracle Candidate” to be lauded at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in August.

And Donald Trump will get anything he wants from the Republican party for the rest of his life. Donald Trump will drop out of the race on or about May 17, 2016. It’s a done deal.

The Joy of No

01 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Club Leadership, College, Communication, Consulting, Crisis Management, Customer Relations, Customer Service, Education, Employee Retention, Ethics, Generational, Government, Higher Education, Honor, Human Resources, Lessons of Life, Management Practices, Membership Recruitment, Membership Retention, Passionate People, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Public Relations, Re-Imagine!, Relationships, Respect, Rotary, Social Interactive Media (SIM), Social Media Relations, The Tipping Point, Tom Peters, Universities

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Tags

bosses, committees, dictators, Human Interaction, meetings, No, organizations, Social Interaction, workplace

_DSC1990No is a perfectly acceptable answer….providing,

  • The idea or suggestion lacked thought or had no basis in fact. (e.g.; Would Donald Trump be a good President?)
  • The idea or suggestion has obvious flaws. (e.g.; Should we let a gun be in a room with a bunch of 2nd grade children?)
  • Is a matter of personal opinion or seeks personal approval. (e.g.; Would you go out with me?)

But when an idea or suggestion doesn’t fall under any of these categories, the “no” answer becomes a potential weapon of personal destruction for the person saying it, and a beautiful opportunity for the person on the receiving end.

Being the youngest of four boys, my brothers and parents became accustomed to telling me ‘no.’ I was constantly asking questions and making suggestions, and the ‘yes’ answer was likely to encourage me. In those situations where I actually had a good idea, it was enough that as the youngest member of the family, a ‘no’ answer was valid.

As an adult, I never had any expectations that my ideas and suggestions would be better received, so hearing ‘no’ was an irritation, but I accepted it as part of life.

However, I as grew older I noticed that some people seemed to enjoy telling other people ‘no.’ Often these people were in leadership positions and their tactic was to dominate and/or intimidate others. In some cases people would act as a dictator within the organization, silencing the ideas and opinions of others with a type of ‘no’ answer that implied dire consequences if the person didn’t drop the subject, or the idea was treated so lightly as if the person was unintelligent for making the suggestion. For years I thought that part of being a good manager was to have the privilege and responsibility to tell others, “NO!” 

Then several years ago I joined a service club and became very involved in the organization. I served on several Boards and committees. I discovered that I could manipulate some people because I always knew their response to whatever I suggested would be, ‘no.’

It was then I realized that when someone says ‘no,’ it is a gift. The “No-ee” has done all they are required by making the suggestion or asking the question. The “No-er” has put their reputation and respectability on the line. The ‘no’ answer gives them all the responsibility, and, as a situation plays out, their failure to consider someone else’s idea or suggestion may be the fatal decision that brings them down.

I still find enjoyment of sometimes asking a perfectly legitimate question of someone I know will give me a ‘no’ answer. It is even more interesting to do this when I have more information about the issue or situation than they do and they can’t help but give me an answer that will eventually haunt them.

Still, I have learned that organizations and relationships with ‘no’ people are typically doomed. There’s a time to experience the joy of ‘no,’ and then there are times it’s best to walk away and shake the dust off your sandals.

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  • Familius Interruptus: Lessons of a DNA Shocker
  • Moffat County, Colorado: The Story of Two Families
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  • Six Things The United States Must Do
  • Why We Are Here: A 65-Year Historical Perspective of the United States

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