2016 Presidential Primary
I am fascinated by the presidential primary, I must
confess. At this point in time Sen.
Rubio is lost in junior high school style squabbling, Sen. Cruz is hiding and
watching and Mr. Trump is taking them both on like he did during the two timing
debate. These political times are like
the days of old when the bars had to be closed on election day and feelings ran
high, like during the Lincoln-Douglas debates when fistfights broke out in the
audience and mud slinging was actual.
The relative gentility of the last few elections is over,
when political correctness ruled and politicians obeyed their friendly ‘donors’
and the powers that be backed both sides so they would be sure to ‘win’. The financial crisis that actually began with
the cancellation of the Glass-Steagall Act lurched on while the debt load
increased and the middle class began transitioning to poor as the rich became
richer without risking their money. And now the latest news is that Iran is
raking in ‘interest payments’ out of the tax till, while ordinary small holder
Americans can’t get peanuts for interest on their money. What’s wrong with that?
And the pundits wonder why people are irritated. And some of the less intelligent pundits continue
to criticize the candidates’ manner of speaking while ignoring what is actually
said, which is what the voters heard.
Voters are listening to what was said. So much for gentility, which was always a
disguise for power.
The media miscalled the election. It was to be between Clinton/Bush and the
same big donors backed both people. This
was scripted and comfortable and well controlled and the current economic stagnation
would intensify but the ‘right’ people would be in control. Instead, the media is frantic to stop the
momentum of Mr. Trump’s campaign, which is built on saying it like it is even
if it offends someone. This approach
tends toward the truth and evidently the voters appreciate that, because Mr.
Trump is popular and is now the front runner.
The media attacks have been crass and unprofessional,
culminating in the august advice to the freshmen senators running for president
that they would never succeed unless they attacked Mr. Trump. For several days before the debate, attacking
Mr. Trump was the advice and prediction.
It’s interesting that the media is now manipulating the news by being
the news and making projections and predictions of dire consequences if Mr.
Trump becomes the nominee. Maybe the
revolution in politics that we are seeing was not predicted by the media, is
not controlled by the media and will not be determined by the media and their
sponsors and important relatives and all the other hangers on who have a vested
interest. This is cronyism and all the
cronies are freaked out. The people
are not voting as expected. The people
are voting for the candidate they like for whatever reason and the media has
yet to understand what that reason is. So many
in the media are surprised that Mr. Trump’s supporters don’t change their
minds, no matter what language Mr. Trump uses!
That’s because the voters are not interested in the use of politically
correct language or not but they are interested in jobs and common core. We are not children.
I am an old school teacher and I think the literacy level of
United States citizens has changed and is higher in comprehension than ever
before, due to cell phones and texting.
Political correctness and texting don’t go together. Texting is like summarizing and summarizing
is an intellectual exercise involving literacy.
I know this is teacherese but I think that people are mentally mature
earlier due to all the increased communications using electronics and that
their language skills have increased. In
a sense, people are more worldly and less gullible than in the past but the
media is unaware of this fact and they are treating viewers like fools by
attempting to manipulate public opinion while not presenting enough factual
information. Some in the media were surprised
people are angry.
Why should the voter in the street be angry?
Retired people live under a 2% inflation target by the Federal
Reserve, so their money and income depreciates at least 2% a year. Price deflation is never mentioned.
The Labor Participation Rate is around 60%, which means that
the remaining 40% are living off of the 60%, plus they are paying for dependent
children and taking care of elderly relatives.
That’s where their money is going.
And income among the middle class is not increasing even
though they are subject to the same 2% or more inflation.
The stated unemployment rate of 5-6% is deceptive because
around 40% of able bodied adults are not working.
We have been attacked in our own country by Islamic
terrorists.
Government regulation and crony government subsidies are
driving small businesses out of business.
Zoning laws prevent home businesses and free enterprise.
Mandatory insurance has resulted in sky high rates.
Borrowing money is difficult.
2nd Amendment rights are threatened.
Executive orders by the President are questionable.
People are angry and these are only a few reasons that I have heard.
So this all sets the stage for the 2016 presidential
election. Now the pundits are rejoicing
as the candidates ‘really go at it’, not about the issues, but personal
ridicule, which the media is certainly more interested in. Voters see some of this but they are still
interested in the issues confronting our nation, rather than typos on twitter,
for God’s sake let’s get back to the issues.
Let’s take a look at those libel laws again, not to limit free speech,
but to limit blatant lying.
My own stand on all of this involves a change of mind. When the candidates declared, I liked Scott
Walker because of his work about the unions but it soon became apparent this
was not the year for him. Disappointed,
I cast about for another candidate. I
didn’t know much about Mr. Trump. I’d
never seen him on TV but I’d read a little about his business endeavors and
successes. I happen to like New Yorkers,
because they seem open and honest, if a bit scalding at times. So Mr. Trump’s manner and language didn’t
bother me in the least as I began to listen to what he said. What did bother me was the negative attitude
of the media.
It is not the job of the media to vet the candidates. It is the job of the voter.
I plan to vote for Mr. Trump because I think he has insight
into the economic problems the United States faces and I think he will not
micromanage the military and will have an instinctive success in delegating
competent people who can get a job done.
I don’t think any of the other candidates on either side can do this as
well as Mr. Trump can.
I
