Trumpster ‘Hillary’ Excuse Proves Russian Influence

25 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by Paul Kiser in Communication, Crime, Ethics, Generational, Government, History, Honor, Internet, Politicians, Politics, racism, Russian influence, United States, US History, Voting, Women

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2016, Benghazi, Congressional investigation, Donald Trump, Election, Election 2016, email server, FBI, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Presidential election, Presidential race, Russia, Russian troll farm, Russian trolls, sexual assault, sexual harassment, Trumpsters, Vladimir Putin

Evidence of the Russian influence on the outcome of the Presidential election is readily available. People who voted for Trump make it obvious that they voted based on fake and false information, and even today they maintain the same belief in the misinformation put out by the Putin Troll Farm.

Here’s the statement I see social media from people who voted for Donald Trump:

When are liberals going to understand that we weren’t voting ‘for’ Trump, as much as we were voting ‘against’ Hillary Clinton.

On Quora by Jason Whitehurst (original question 25 AUG 2017)

Russian Influence For a Feckless Man

The statement itself is lacking in logic. It is akin to saying, “I didn’t want to eat dog poop as much as I wanted to avoid eating broccoli.” The person who makes the excuse that his or her vote for a feckless man like Trump was forced by his or her aversion to Clinton is either stupid, a liar, or under the influence of Vladimir Putin.

Fake News of Russian Trolls

‘Crooked Hillary’ is a common term by Trumpsters, but what is it based on?

Congressional Investigations

Clinton was investigated by bloodthirsty Republicans in Congress EIGHT times regarding the Benghazi attacks, the security beforehand, and the response afterward. The results? She did nothing intentionally wrong, and they could find no charge to file against her.

That is not the story promoted by the Russian trolls.

FBI Investigation-Private Email Server

The FBI began two investigations associated with Hillary Clinton in 2015. The first investigation was regarding Clinton’s use of a private email server. Also in 2015, the FBI began an investigation into donations made to The Clinton Foundation. The investigations coincided with the Democratic Primary campaign season.

The email server investigation was closed on 6 July 2016 by the Justice Department after FBI Director James Comey delivered a fiery news conference the day before. Comey admitted the FBI could find no intentional wrong-doing, but took the opportunity to scold the former Secretary of State for not following suggested protocol by using a private email server.

James Comey: Supported Russian Fake News

Less than a week before the election and after early voting had already begun, Comey made a sudden announcement that new evidence had been found in the email server case. The announcement by the FBI just prior to the election had the effect of a declaration of guilt by the FBI Director. Two days after the election, Comey announced that nothing found in the new evidence would change the decision to close the case.

FBI Investigation-The Clinton Foundation

There have been multiple accusations of people and countries ‘buying influence’ by making donations to The Clinton Foundation. The implication is that someone who knows almost every significant political and powerful person in the world might use a gift to her charitable foundation as a bribe to do special favors for that person.

To date, no charges have been filed even though the Trump administration has worked hard to use the investigation to throw off media attention on probes into Russian influence on his campaign and administration. One source close to the investigation said:

It was never a great case, but it’s still being worked…

What We Have Here is a Failure of Evidence

What is consistent in all of the accusations is that none of them are based on evidence, nor on truth. Regardless of what anyone believes about Hillary Clinton, there is nothing that supports any evidence of wrongdoing, and it is not for a lack of investigating. In 2015, it was reported that over $7 million dollars had been spent on the Benghazi investigations. Add to that all the FBI work, Department of Justice work, and other investigations, the cost of the fruitless chase of fake accusations is likely over $20 million.

Republicans have now opened additional investigations including an investigation of the investigators as to why the FBI couldn’t prove the fake charges against Clinton.

Still, Russian trolls gave a different version of the outcome.

Under Russian Influence?

In comparison to Clinton, Trump was guilty of real character issues before, during, and after the elections. Based on a summary by The Atlantic, voters knew:

Sexual-Assault Allegations

Based on a summary of sexual allegations compiled on Wikipedia, Donald Trump has had three cases filed in court, New York Times story interviewing 50 women revealing unwelcome sexual attention from Trump, and 13 accusations of unwanted sexual contact.

1. Accusations filed in court against Trump
- 1.1 Ivana Trump (1989)
  - Ivana Trump stated that in 1989, Donald Trump forcibly had sex with her during an episode of rage. Later she offered a carefully stated comment that indicated that it felt like rape, but she didn’t mean in the criminal sense.
- 1.2 Jill Harth (1992)
- 1.3 Summer Zervos (2007)
2. May 2016 New York Times story
- 50 women interview revealing unwanted sexual attention from Donald Trump
3. Recording controversy and second 2016 presidential debate
4. Public allegations of unwanted physical contact since 2016
- 4.1 Jessica Leeds (1980s)
- 4.2 Kristin Anderson (1990s)
- 4.3 Cathy Heller (1997)
- 4.4 Temple Taggart McDowell (1997)
- 4.5 Karena Virginia (1998)
- 4.6 Mindy McGillivray (2003)
- 4.7 Rachel Crooks (2005)
- 4.8 Natasha Stoynoff (2005)
- 4.9 Juliet Huddy (2005 or 2006)
- 4.10 Jessica Drake (2006)
- 4.11 Ninni Laaksonen (2006)
- 4.12 Erin Burnett’s unnamed friend (2010)
- 4.13 Cassandra Searles (2013)

Donald Trump has denied all of the accusations, entered into a paid agreement of silence with some women, and accused all of the women of being liars.

VP Mike Pence: “I’m with Comrade Trump”

The Beauty Pageant Scandals

Donald Trump has been accused of using his authority as the sponsor to make an unannounced entrance into women and girls dressing rooms during beauty pageants. Wikipedia compiled this list:

Allegations of pageant dressing room visits:

Trump University

Trump announced that he would never settle the lawsuits against Trump University, then paid $25 million to settle under a condition he didn’t have to admit wrongdoing. Trump University was closed in 2010.

Trump Institute

Like Trump University, the Trump Institute was largely a fraudulent scheme with video of Trump making promises about the quality of the program and that he handpicked the instructors. In the end, he had only sold his name to the program, offered the recorded video, and the curriculum was plagiarized from other textbooks.

Tenant Intimidation

Trump bought a building with the intention of tearing it down and building luxury condos. From 1982 to 1986 he attempted to squeeze the existing, rent-controlled tenants out using hardcore tactics. He turned off the hot water and the building’s heat, he refused to make required repairs, and he threatened to fill the vacant apartments with homeless people. He finally lost the battle.

The Undocumented Polish Workers

Trump-run operations do not demonstrate ethical management. Despite being tough on immigration as President, Trump managers have employed undocumented employees. In 1980, they hired 200 polish immigrants to demolish an existing property. The workers were paid substandard pay, and at times, not paid at all. They were threatened with deportation if they complained about the back pay.

Undocumented Models

Former models hired by Trump have said they did not have the required documentation when employed by his organization.

Antitrust Violations

In 1986, Trump attempted a hostile takeover of two gaming companies. He violated anti-trust laws and was fined $750,000 for failure to report his purchase of the stock in those companies as legally required.

The Four Bankruptcies

Trump-run companies have declared bankruptcies four times (1991, 1992, 2004, and 2009.) Trump suggests that it is just part of doing business, but it reflects a consistent issue with his financial management ability.

Refusing to Pay Workers and Contractors

Trump has hundreds of complaints against him for failure to pay for services rendered. Trump has offered excuses, but the volume of the complaints indicate a consistent problem and a lack of financial ethics in business.

Suing Journalist Tim O’Brien for Libel

Trump had a libel $5 billion lawsuit tossed out regarding a Tim O’Brien book that stated that Trump was worth far less than he claimed. The Washington Post reviewed Trump’s deposition in the suit and determined that Trump lied 30 times under oath.

Refusal to Release Tax Information

Despite it being an informal requirement of every Presidential candidate, Trump has refused to release any of his tax returns. This is likely because his tax returns will confirm the book by Tim O’Brien that states that Trump is not worth what he claims.

Racial Housing Discrimination

In 1973, Donald Trump and his father were sued by the Department of Justice of multiple instances of racial discrimination. The Trumps countersued but settled out of court without admitting guilt.

The Trump Foundation

The Trump Foundation has violated rules on self-dealing. The Foundation is still under investigation and has been told to stop illegally accepting donations.

The Inauguration Fiasco

Trump’s Inauguration Committee received more money than was needed and said it would donate the extra money, and then didn’t do it.

Condo Hotel Shenanigans

Trump has been involved in multiple condo schemes that have failed or been fraudulent. In one case, his partners had a criminal past history. In each case, Trump has claimed limited involvement in the deals and has avoided admitting wrongdoing.

The Cuban Embargo

Despite laws against it, the Trump organization has been involved in commercial activity with Cuba since 1998. The involvement is still under investigation but appears to be illegal.

Breaking Casino Rules

Trump has been in trouble with gaming authorities and has been able to avoid any admittance of wrongdoing. He is no longer in the gaming business.

Buying Up His Own Books

During the campaign, Trump used donor money to buy his books. This illegally allowed money from the campaign to end up in Trump’s bank account and made his book sales look larger than they really were.

Mafia Ties

Multiple situations of Trump interactions with Mafia. No direct connection with Trump, but has been required to testify in court regarding the relationships.

Collusion With Russia

This Seattle Times article details twelve things we know about Russian involvement with the 2016 election and connections between Trump aides and Russian agents. It offers a clear connection between Trump and the Russian effort to influence the outcome.

The question is if it was successful. Based on the fake accusations made against Hillary Clinton and the known character issues of Donald Trump it is clear that those who voted for Trump to prevent Clinton from winning were influenced and continue to be influenced.

Or they are just stupid.

Enemies, Foreign and Domestic

31 Wednesday Aug 2016

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

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2016, Donald Trump, Election 2016, enemy, KGB, Presidential election, spy, subversion, Tom Riddle, Vladimir Putin, Voldemort

Since the Civil War, the United States of America has not faced a bigger threat to the sovereignty of our nation, as we do today.

Domestic enemy of the United States

Donald Trump has been 1) endorsed by the former KGB agent and Russian President, Vladimir Putin, 2) Trump and his campaign has been link to possible ties to Russian interests, and, 3) Russia is apparently on a mission to hack into Trump’s opponents emails and released information intended to embarrass their campaigns. To add to the disgrace, Donald Trump has openly encouraged the subversion of Russia in our political system.

Foreign Enemy of the United States

For the first time, our country faces the real possibility of an attempt to subvert our political system using both treasonous acts of a citizen or citizens of the United States, and the support of a former foreign enemy.

Vladimir Putin has effectively been the leader of Russia for almost seventeen years. To do this he has had to appoint a successor as President, who, in turn, appointed Putin as Prime Minister, in order to subvert the laws in Russia regarding the tenure as President. Now, as President again, he continues to rule over Russia as a Czar of Power, politically, economically, and militarily.

The KGB spy that would subvert the US Republican Party

He is unquestionably in complete control of all aspects of Russian attempts to subvert foreign countries through contracts, contributions, and espionage support for candidates that favor Russia. In France, Greece, and Italy, Russian money and influence have been used to boost the political and monetary fortunes of key candidates.

Donald Trump has been a gushing supporter of Russian interests for decades. Trump’s close ties to Russia should have made citizens of the United States question his loyalty to our country, but it didn’t because we have a large population of people who hate our country, hate our government, and eagerly support the downfall of the United States in order to replace it with a white-male dominated, Confederate States of America.

The oath to our country states that our citizens will support and defend our country’s Constitution and laws, “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” It is time to recognize that these are not just words, but a call to action.

Trump has even gone so far as to encourage an insurrection against the legal government of our country if he is not elected President. Based on his words and actions, and the words and actions of Vladimir Putin, isn’t time to stop pretending we don’t know what is going on?

Young Putin and Young Voldemort

Unofficial Advance Copy of Trump’s Acceptance Speech

21 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Communication, Ethics, Generational, Government, History, Politics, Public Image, US History

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1933, 2016, acceptance speech, Adolf Hitler, Donald Trump, Election 2016, National Republican Committee, Presidential candidates, Presidential election, Republican National Convention, RNC, speech

(Below is the unofficial advance copy of Donald Trump’s RNC acceptance speech. Other copies may follow, so please note the date at the bottom to verify the most recent version.)

In the course of the past eight years, America has suffered deterioration in all sectors of life, which could inconceivably have been greater. The question as to what, if anything, could have been worse than in these times is a question which cannot be answered in light of the basic values of America as well as the political and economic inheritance which once existed.

In spite of its lack of mobility in political feelings and positions, America itself has increasingly turned away from concepts, parties, and associations which, in its eyes, are responsible for these conditions.

The number of Americans who inwardly supported the Obama Administration in spite of the suggestive significance and ruthless exploitation of the executive power dwindled, in the end, to a mere fraction of the entire nation.

Another typical characteristic of these eight years was the fact that, apart from natural fluctuations, the curve of developments has shown a constant decline. This depressing realization was one of the causes of the general state of despair. It served to promote the insight into the necessity of thoroughly rejecting the ideas, organizations, and men in which one gradually and rightly began to recognize the underlying causes of our decay.

The Trump campaign was thus able, in spite of the most horrible oppression, to convert increasing numbers of Americans in terms of spirit and will to defensive action. Now, in association with the other conservatives causes, it has eliminated the powers which have been ruling, by means of a revolution, and transferred the people’s will to the hands of the new Republican party.

The program for the reconstruction, Make America Great Again, is determined by the magnitude of the distress crippling our political, moral and economic life.

Filled with the conviction that the causes of this collapse lie in internal damage to America, the Republican party aims to eliminate the afflictions from our country which would, in future, continue to foil any real recovery. The disintegration of the nation into irreconcilably opposition, which was systematically brought about by the false doctrines of liberalism means the destruction of the basis for any possible community life.

The dissolution permeates all of the basic principles of social order. The completely opposite approaches of the individuals to the concepts of state, society, religion, morality, family, and economy rips open differences which will lead to a war of all against all. Starting with the liberalism of the past century, this development will end, as the laws of nature dictate, in chaos.

The mobilization of the most primitive instincts leads to a link between the concepts of a political theory and the actions of real criminals. Beginning with Mexicans and Muslims invading our country, Police officers murdered, and acts of mass violence, all of which are condoned by liberals.

It will be the utmost goal of the my administration to stamp out and eliminate every trace of this phenomenon, not only in the interest of America, but in the interest of the rest of World.

It is not the task of a superior national leadership to subsequently surrender what has grown organically to the theoretical principle of an unrestrained unitarianization. But it is its duty to raise the unity of spirit and will of the leadership of the nation and thus the concept of the my administration as such beyond all shadow of a doubt.

My administration basically regards it as its duty, in accordance with the spirit of the people’s vote of confidence, to prevent the elements which consciously and intentionally negate the life of the nation from exercising influence on its formation. The theoretical concept of equality before the law shall not be used, under the guise of equality, to tolerate those who despise the laws as a matter of principle or, moreover, to surrender the freedom of the nation to them on the basis of democratic doctrines.

Our next task, in any case, is to call upon the spiritual leaders of these destructive tendencies to answer for themselves and at the same time to rescue the victims of their seduction.

God Bless America!

Version AH1933,

Cited Material: 1933 March 23, Berlin

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

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

Donald 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

The 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 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.

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: 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.

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

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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 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?

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:

Our Government is broken.
Our Government has been broken by politicians.
People who are not politicians are outsiders.
Donald Trump and/or Bernie Sanders are not politicians.
Donald Trump and/or Bernie Sanders are outsiders.
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 (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 (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.

The Trump Card

21 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by Paul Kiser in Ethics, Government, Opinion, Politics, Public Image, Religion, US History

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

2016, Alaska, Bernie Sanders, Democrats, Donald Trump, GOP, Hilliary Clinton, Jeb Bush, nominee, Paul Ryan, Presidential election, Republican, Republicans, Sarah Palin

Donald Trump: The anti-American candidate

Why is Donald Trump running for President? This American version of Muammar Gaddafi or Saddam Hussein is making no attempt to appeal to intelligent voters, and acts as if he is running for President of the Student Council by being anti-school.

The answer is that he is probably not running for President; however, Trump is vital to the hopes of the Grand Ole Party (GOP,) that consists of a vocal white, ultra-religious, anti-American group, and a smaller group of intelligent traditional conservatives.

In the Spring of 2015, it was chaos in the Republican party. Every day another new candidate was announcing his or her run for the White House. Each of them desperately sought the favor of the anti-American faction that would give them the nomination. As each candidate carved out smaller and smaller slices of their party it began to look hopeless for Republicans. None of them could win the Presidency because winning anti-American support would be poison to them in November 2016. At the same time, the GOP candidates were dividing up the party, making reconciliation with a legitimate prospect almost impossible.

Enter Donald Trump. Trump’s role in the party is to be the Pied Piper. He is to gather up all the misfits of the anti-American movement in the GOP and gain their trust. He can be as outrageous as he wants because it will only serve to help him in his role of winning the loyalty of those who love to hate America.

As he solidifies the anti-American vote he will force other GOP candidates out of the race, and Jeb Bush will continue to chart out a more moderate course that will give him the best chance of winning a majority in the general election. Next summer Donald Trump and Jeb Bush will likely be the only two viable GOP nominees. It is at this point Trump will ask his supporters to “fall on their swords” for the party. He will explain that if they don’t vote for Jeb Bush, the Democrats will win…again.

Trump As Vice President?

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)

Sarah Palin: 3rd Place in Miss Alaska, attended five different colleges in four years (one of them twice,) and 1/2 term Governor of Alaska

Paul Ryan, helped Mitt Romney lose in 2012

A fair question is whether Trump will be the Vice President candidate for the Republicans. That deal may already have been brokered with the Bush campaign, or it may still be a decision yet to be made. The problem is that Trump may bring too much baggage to the ticket. Attempts to use the Vice President as material to sew together a conservative coalition has failed in past elections (Sarah Palin in 2008, and Paul Ryan in 2012) as each made the Presidential candidate less appealing to moderates and intelligent voters.

Regardless, Trump’s ego is overflowing with the attention he is currently receiving from supporters and detractors. It is likely that he would see political office beneath him, but he loves being the center of attention. This is a win-win opportunity for him.