August 11, 2016

"Political Elite". What Does the Phrase Really Mean?

You hear it all the time from Trump surrogates. "You don't understand the average American because you're part of the 'political elite' ".

The political elite, I have determined, are people with knowledge. They know history. They know where Crimea is. They know the history of the Baltics. They understand the Republican southern strategy of 1968. They know that Goldwater alienated African-Americans in 1964, never to return. They know the difference between a Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish Muslim and why. Which counties in the Middle East support which alliances and the complexities of that region. They know that terrorism is a tactic and not an ideology. They know the position of the pro-life movement and that of women's rights. They know the value of protecting our institutions, including a free press.

What Donald Trump has tapped into is not "anti-establishment", but people who think ignorance is a virtue. "I don't watch the news, it's all lies anyway", they say. "All the politicians are the same, I don't believe any of them." "By the way, here's my opinion." Based on what? Based on some conspiracy theory that Obama wasn't born in the United States, or Cruz's Father was involved in the Kennedy assassination that you heard from another nit-wit in a donut shop? WTF.

Sometime, while trying to discuss issues with some of my contemporaries, I feel ashamed to have knowledge. Let's get something straight, I think my friends, in most cases, are as intelligent as I am, and in most cases, more. They've run businesses, raised families, developed trades. But intelligence doesn't always translate into knowledge. Knowledge takes time and energy. I was taught to make sure you had the best command of any set of facts available to you before you formed an opinion, and certainly know what you're talking about before you give that opinion.

I've been wrong on occasions. I've been challenged on issues by people with greater knowledge than I have on a particular issue, but it doesn't happen often and it hasn't happened in this election cycle at all. As it turns out, I have found Trump supporters to be one of two things, ignorant or bigoted. In some cases, both. As a result, as you can tell over the past two weeks, the Republican elite can not support Trump. Because, as I've said in the beginning of this statement, the political elite are people with knowledge.

August 10, 2016

Trump Makes Accurate Prediction of Upcoming Debates

<snip>Donald Trump Says ‘I Want to Debate Very Badly.’ But He Has Conditions<snip>

Don't worry, Donald, you will "Debate Very Badly"

Link:
http://time.com/4445182/donald-trump-debate-terms/

August 10, 2016

The most important part of Trump's remark about 2nd Amendment is "that will be a horrible day"

It seems that all the news outlets are missing the most important and telling part of the Trump assisantion request remark. and that's what it was, a request to assassinate an elected President.

Here's the transcript of the comment:

(CROWD BOOING) If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is. I don’t know. But — but I’ll tell you what. That will be a horrible day.

"If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks" That means Hillary is elected, it's too late to fix it. Now she picks the judges. Hence, "nothing you can do folks". "Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is." There is no question that the second amendment people he is referring to can remedy the situation through violence. "But---But I'll tell you what, that will be a horrible day". What day will be horrible? The day that Clinton is assassinated is the only conclusion I can draw. Even though the "Second Amendment remedy" is all that's left if Trump loses the election, still, that would be a horrible day.

Why are the newscasts cutting out that part of the statement? That's the most damning part of Trump's remarks.

August 9, 2016

The most Politically Significant Name is Tom Ridge

Of the 50 Republican National Security experts who denounced Donald Trump as dangerous, none is more important, politically, than former Pennsylvania Republican Governor, Tom Ridge. He validates the suburban Republican voters around Philadelphia and Harrisburg. Hillary already leads by an astounding 40 points among this group. With Tom Ridge against Trump, that will solidify that vote and block any chance of Trump carrying the Keystone State. Without Pennsylvania, there is no path to victory for the Orange Asshole.

August 8, 2016

George Prescott Bush Follows in His Great Grandfather's Goosetsteps and Supports a Nazi

George P. Bush came out in support of Donald Trump today. The P. stands for Prescott, George P's Great Grandfather. Prescott was one the earliest supporters of Adolf Hitler prior to World War Two and a United States Senator from Connecticut.

This link tells the story of Papa Bush.

I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, even if it skips a generation or two. They certainly knew what they were doing when they gave George P. his middle name.

Link:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/25/usa.secondworldwar

August 8, 2016

"Like Titties, Right Here in Detroit"...Trump

Ha, Ha, Ha. Just read the words, dummy.

August 8, 2016

AFL-CIO Posts Anti-Trump Ad on Facebook

This ad was posted today on Facebook by the AFL-CIO


Link:
https://www.facebook.com/aflcio/videos/10154312326536153/

August 8, 2016

George P. Bush to Urge Fellow Republicans to Vote for Trump

Jeb Bush's son and low level office holder in Texas is about to release a statement in support of Donald Trump for President.

He reminds me of the guy who bought the last ticket on the Titanic...............from a scalper

August 7, 2016

Philippine President Duterte Challenges Donald Trump to a Fist Fight (no joke)

I posted yesterday that I took Trump's insult of the Filipino people personally, as my wife is an American citizen who was born and brought up on the Island of Iloilo in the Philippines.

A little background on how much the Filipino people love this country. In every poll the Philippines rank near the top of favorability to this country. In World War 2, in the march to Bataan, unarmed Filipinos braved Japanese gunfire to bring water to American soldiers and many lost their lives. A former American protectorate, the Philippines won that status after the Spanish American War. There are almost as many Filipino's literate in English as there are Americans, per capita.

In an example of just how dangerous Trump's rhetoric can be, he has pissed off the longest standing and most reliable American ally in Asia, the Philippines.

Link to Story (you've got to read it to believe it)
https://adobochronicles.com/2016/08/05/philippine-president-duterte-challenges-donald-trump-to-a-fistfight/

Immigration, International, Politics, Race Relations

Philippine President Duterte Challenges Donald Trump To A Fistfight; Republican Candidate Calls Filipinos ‘Animals’

August 5, 2016


<snip>MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump may have finally met his match in Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte. The two have often been likened to each other, but they are thousands of miles apart, literally and figuratively.

Today, Duterte publicly challenged Trump to a fistfight — gloves off — after the American businessman-turned-politician called for the banning of Filipinos from entering the United States.<snip>

Also,

The US Senator from Hawaii Blasts Trump for his Filipino remarks:
http://www.mb.com.ph/hawaii-senator-slams-trump-on-rant-against-ph/

August 7, 2016

Clinton Convention Bounce Holding Steady----538

By Harry Enten

Filed under 2016 Election

<snip>Hillary Clinton’s post-convention polling surge is showing no signs of fading. She leads Donald Trump, on average, by 5 to 7 percentage points in national polls, and is an 83-percent favorite to win on Nov. 8, according to our polls-only model. Our polls-plus model — which accounts for the “fundamentals,” as well as the tendency for a candidate’s numbers to temporarily rise after his or her convention — gives her a 76 percent chance. Those are her largest advantages since we launched our election forecasts back in June.<snip>

Link:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/election-update-clintons-post-convention-bump-is-holding-steady/