ELECTION 2016

Election 2016

So the Election of 2016 is now past, described by the discredited media as an upset outcome.  I followed the entire presidential election avidly and am not surprised that the media is sticking with their fallacious polls, still using them to discuss the election. 

In the Primary, the polls were limited to a subset of voters, those qualified to vote in any given primary, thus raising the likelihood of accuracy.  During the Presidential, some polls were shown to sample voters most likely to vote for their partisan candidate, rather than a representative sample of the population.  After this bias sample was taken, then their candidate was declared ahead in the polls and the media chitchat proclaimed the Democrats the winning candidates.   The Los Angeles Times polls were the most accurate showing Mr. Trump ahead nationally, but were discounted by conflicting polls. 

Online the polls suggested different results.  Donald Trump had more followers on social media and the phone polls online indicated that Mr. Trump would win the election.  I followed the poll discrepancies during the election and was not surprised to find that an NBC poll was allegedly stacked against the Republican. 

And how about the cheating during the debates?  It was proven that the Democrat cheated by accepting purloined questions from Donna Brazile, employed by CNN.  How many other debate questions were provided by network staffers?  Some of the media creeps were even taking suggestions for them to ask Mr. Trump during future interviews.  Isn’t this cheating also?  These morally bankrupt media people were bought and paid for by the Democrat Machine, which surely will be dismantled as a threat to Democracy.  The media news networks need to clean house and they need to do it now, before a new administration gets underway.  Any ‘journalist’ who was proven to take orders from the DNC or any other political organization should be fired immediately in order for the networks to regain journalistic credibility. 

I believe the intensely partisan nature of the Washington DC atmosphere lately is due to the entrenched power brokers begun by earlier administrations and continued on through the loss of the White House to the present.  30 years of this line of thinking has produced a declining USA economy, a concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, huge student debt and fewer good jobs, plus an expensive unwieldy insurance debacle.  This is an unsustainable trend.   I view with relief the Republican controlled presidency, house and senate. 

As for Mexico, we have important, beneficial trade to maintain with Mexico.  About 30% of Hispanics voted for Mr. Trump, so the basis for trust is present.  The deep water port in Guaymas can be an asset for continued commerce through Pima County and maybe the border towns can have revitalized tourism and trade as banking problems in border communities are resolved.  Governor Doug Ducey has initiated better trade relations with Mexico and our representative is Juan Ciscomani, a local Tucsonian.  Things are looking up in our relations with Mexico. 

The Supreme Court nominees will be those who would preserve the integrity of the Judicial, Legislative and Executive branches of the government.  Mr. Trump has already mentioned some candidates who don’t scare people.  The Justice Department needs to be cleaned out and the partisans removed from any position of power or knowledge because they have proven themselves to be untrustworthy.  And for Mr. Podesta, who obviously cultivated sources within the FBI and the Justice Department, will have his own day of reckoning as his reputation has plummeted.  Mr. Comey also needs to clean house and continue any investigations underway.  Mr. Comey has escaped blame for the Democrats’ loss by warning people there were investigations before the election, then bringing it up again in the Weiner Abedin case, then again on the eve of the election, announcing the Democrats innocence of a very narrow range of the investigation, reminding us all of possible, even probable malfeasance.  I’m beginning to believe Mr. Comey is a cop after all. 

Is it possible to pardon anyone before they can be investigated and charged?  The idea of that makes me view it as a coverup, which the current administration cannot want on record.  Subverting an investigation using the power of the pardon is not my idea of justice.  It’s like a hydrogen sulfide bomb in a high school hallway. 

Corrupt Media and the 2016 Presidential Primary

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.

2^nd 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.

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