Why Trump "can" win

 

For those of you who still watch real news, you'll notice that in many countries and places--Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Chile, Bolivia, etc.--you hear of citizens in the streets by the thousands protesting threats against civil rights.  Is there any news about Americans in the streets. No, nada, zip.

Americans no longer care. It's all about the show, not the substance. Is that a gross generalization? I hope so. But one thing is certain, those who you know will vote for Trump, will vote. Those who oppose him, may not.
--Trump supporters could care less about impeachment, especially since there's no chance the Senate will convict. They believe in the "witch hunt" scenario.
--They don't care about the Saudis. They have oil, good enough. And, since they don't really watch the news, one more dead journalist is no concern.
--They don't care or even believe in climate change science. To them, it's all about the weather today and not what evil climate changes cometh. In all likelihood, they don't understand the terminology so ignore it. For that matter, probably most science is beyond their understanding.
--Their total take on economics is "if I get a paycheck and can buy a beer and can go shoot something, life is good." Tarifs have no meaning and if Trump says China is paying them it must be true.
--Health care? Damned socialists.
--Education? "We don't need no education ...." And besides, education creates liberals.
--Pollution? Water doesn't taste any different. Skies still blue, sometimes, and who cares about bugs and birds?
--Immigrants? You've got to be kidding. They take our jobs and don't speak good english.

You see, it's about the antics, the show, the Archy Bunker factor. The guy swears and makes fun of people. He's just like us.

These people WILL vote.

If the Democrats do not vote Blue No Matter Who, Trump wins. If they don't vote Blue because the nominee doesn't promote all the things they want. Trump wins. If they don't have the most massive, biggest, best of all time voter turn out, TRUMP WINS.

Keep in mind, Trump, et al want a disruptive election. They want to claim voter tampering by "whoever" if the election is close so they can nullify it.

Trump can win. Polls will be purposely misleading (remember the Boris Johnson election). News will be skewed. Fake news and websites will be everywhere. Lies and deceit will be rampant. Intimidation and voter purges abundant. 

There are few protests in the US. Is this apathy? If so, we're in trouble.

There can be no rest until the "forces of tyranny" are clearly and overwhelmingly defeated. Otherwise, Trump WILL win.

Disastrous not just for Democrats

Yup, democrats got whipped big time on November 4th. But they will not be the only ones to suffer. With the republicans running the show, look for new trade deals in Europe and the Asia. Sounds good? Well, have free trade deals ever increased jobs at home? No. Just as the American economy is thinking about turning around, more jobs will be sent to foreign shores. Further, most of the "free" trade deals on the table allow corporations to override local business rules and environmental regulations. Look for Wall Street to make more money and for workers to lose more jobs.

Higher wages for American workers? Yeah, right. We know where the GOP stands on raising the minimum wage.

Better jobs and higher wages for women? Umm, no.

Protection and proper response to changing climate? Not a chance. Regardless of the causes of climate change, reliance on fossil fuels , strip mining, record CO2 emissions, poisoning water supplies with fracking chemicals, massive oil spills, deforestation, arctic drilling, over fishing, acid oceans from pollution, etc., are definitely not a good thing for us or the environment. The GOP and its big money supporters have, recently, done nothing to solve these problems and are often the cause of them.

Banking reform and regulations that help Main Street and small business? Well, we know what's happening there: nothing but rules that benefit big corporations.

Peaceful approaches in foreign affairs? Isn't it the GOP that asks for more definitive military action in the Middle East?

This is not a very good time for the nation to shift to the political right. Yup, you can smoke dope in several new places but in the total scheme of things, will that really matter?

Yes, the election of 2014 was indeed disastrous.

Who Benefits From the Chaos in Washington?

"Who benefits" has become my favorite question. Who benefits from the government shutdown? Who would benefit from not raising the debt ceiling? Who benefits from not compromising? Who benefits from the farce we call Congress?

We know that the right/Tea Party has gambled that they could blame the funding crisis on Obama. We also know that more moderate Republicans went for the ride until they began to see the ship sink and public opinion turn against them. We know that the Democrats and the President have caved all to often and that they felt that if they didn't stand up, for once, that they would hurt their 2014 chances. But, is there a group that transcends this pettiness and gains no matter what happens?

While some vocal business interests have complained about this Beltway fiasco, one can't help but wonder why the monied interests are largely publicly silent. Yes, their henchmen, Tea Party, are quite vocal, but why would they support what could become economic chaos? Who benefits from such chaos? Who benefited from the 2008 Recession and is still making record profits? Who always comes out ahead when their are perceived economic problems? What is their real agenda? Who actually profits from negative conditions such as war, famine, disease, and economic collapse?

The decisions in Washington are not made by the politicians. Strings are being pulled and the puppeteer laughs all the way to the ....

MIDDLE AMERICA CALLING

So the Republicans want to pay for lower interest rates for student loans by taking money away from preventive health care (For women) and they want to give the military by taking money from women's  programs.

"The White House is threatening to veto a plan put forth by House Republicans to reduce student loan interest rates by pulling money from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, a funding stream set aside by the Affordable Care Act to support preventative health initiatives across the country." HP

"WASHINGTON -- The latest Republican plan to reconcile the budget and preserve defense spending extracts even deeper cuts from programs to help the poor and Americans still reeling from the recession." HP

Umm, they are so caring and so into the needs of American people-NOT!

Of course, then we have this:

Child Labor Farm Rules Scrapped By White House Under Political Pressure »

Dave Jamieson  |  April 27, 2012 at 10:16 AM  HP

MIDDLE AMERICA CALLING-ANYONE HOME? ANYWHERE? HELLO?

REDUCE SOCIAL PROGRAMS AND GIVE MORE TO PENTAGON?

News reports indicate that Republicans want to increase funding for the Pentagon and pay for it by reducing funding for domestic social programs. So, it seems that taking care of our own domestic needs and problems should play second fiddle to funding stupid wars?

What is the point of a nation that puts the needs of weapons above the needs of the poor, the elderly, the sick and those in need of education? Is this not what we are using our military to do abroad? Are we not spending billions to keep dictators from operating their police states while their people suffer? And this is what the Republicans want for us? Go figure!

WHY DEMOCRATS REALLY LOST 2010

Pundits are trying to claim that the massive Democrat defeat in the mid-terms was a vote against the policies of president Obama. Not so!

The defeat was a rebuke of the Democratic Party's failure to do what they were elected to do in 2008. Instead of helping small businesses and the average person, they sided with big business and gave them $billions. Then, when homes were being taken, they did basically nothing to help the homeowner. Did they do anything to create more jobs? Not really. Did they free us from the drain that health care causes and create a truly worry free health care system? No. Did they really stand up to big business and the banks? No, what they passed has so many loopholes they were hardly worth passing. Did they stand up and say no to tax breaks for the rich? No. Did they pass envirnmental protection legislation dealing with climate change? No. Did they refuse to take campaign contributions from big corporations in 2010? Mostly not.

If the Democrats stuck to their principles and were true to their beliefs, they just might have had a great victory. When it became clear that the Republicans did not want to compromise and work with them, they should have had the courage to vote for what they claimed they stood for. In truth, people did vote vote against the Obama policies, rather, they voted against ineffective politicians who were afraid to do what we thought they were elected to do. In most cases, it wasn't pro Tea Party or pro Republican votes, it was anti-ineffectivness votes.

The Democratic Party let us all done and they paid the price for their lack of courage to make the changes they promised. A nation does not shift from supporting Obama and then two years later flip to Tea Party ideas. We are not that politically fickle. We are a people of 'imediate gratification.' We want it now. If you say that you will do something and you do not deliver, we will not support you. So dear Republicans, do not put too much into your victory and do not think that it clears the way for 2012. Although it might have something to do with 2012, but that is another story!

How Obama Governed by Earl Ofari Hutchinson – Now Available

Hopefully, many of you watched the State of the Union address. There is no question that President Obama is a great speaker. When he was elected, the nation was a buzz with hope and promise. A year later, political reality has set in. It is clear to this writer that we may well be in a time of political grid lock. The main goal of the right is to block the plans of the left and they will do whatever is necessary to stall and defeat any legislation proposed by the President. After all, there main goal is to try to recoup their losses in the next mid-term election. A time of promise has become a time of blockage. Who is caught in the middle, you and I. But, what else is new? The following book may shed some light on where the President and you and I stand in this great political debacle. Hopefully, we will not stand with our heads in the sand or our backs to the wall. Has the 'defining moment' become the 'moment of crisis?' Read the book and decide for yourself!

How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge. Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson takes a no-political holds barred look at President Barack Obama’s first year in office. He answers one compelling question: Did he fulfill the massive and sweeping promise he made to restore hope and effect change in America?

This promise energized millions, reshaped the nation’s political tapestry, and propelled the first African-American into the White House. Hutchinson examines where and how Obama kept his promise, and where and how he failed to keep it. He examines in laser detail the attacks and counterattacks from the GOP and the Democrats. He delineates the differences and similarities between Obama and Bush in waging the war on terrorism. He assesses the towering battles over health care, the economy, racial attacks, the GOP counterinsurgency, Afghanistan, and the Henry Louis Gates flap. He provides readers with a guide as to how Obama will continue to govern.

He examines the attacks and counterattacks from the GOP and the Democrats on Obama. He delineates the differences and similarities between Obama and Bush in waging the war on terrorism. He assesses the towering battles over health care, the economy, racial attacks, the GOP counterinsurgency, Afghanistan, and the Henry Louis Gates flap. He provides readers with a guide as to how Obama will continue to govern.

How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge offers a virtual political clinic on the crisis and challenges that the nation and its first African-American president faced his first year in the White House.

About Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Dr Earl Ofari Hutchinson featured interviews and comments on race and politics have appeared in: Time Newsweek New York Times ABC’s World News Tonight. He has been a guest analyst on: Fox News John Gibson Show, O’Reilly Show, Hannity & Colmes, Glenn Beck Show, PBS Lehrer Report, NPR’s Talk of the Nation and CNN News Shows. He is the National Political Writer for New America Media and a regular contributor to: the Huffington Post

His three most recent books are:
* How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge
* How Obama Won
* The Ethnic Presidency: How Race decides the Race to the White House

To book Earl Ofari Hutchinson for an interview and/or commentary on the promise and pitfalls of Obama’s first year in office. Call 1-323-383-6145 to schedule. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a nationally acclaimed author and political analyst. Hutchinson is the author of ten books on race and politics in America.

Title – How Obama Governed
Author – Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Author’s website link – http://www.howobamagoverned.com
Publisher – Middle Passage Press
Genre or category – US Politics
ISBN-10: 1439259925
ISBN-13: 978-1439259924
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/How-Obama-Governed-Crisis-Challenge/dp/1439259925

200 DAYS

Following the election, President Obama was hailed as a savior by some, and a devil by others. Those on the political left hailed his election as a victory for peace, tolerance and the end of worn out dogma. Those on the right shuddered in their three piece suits and cried that this was certainly the End Times.

Critics of his first 200 days say that he has failed to achieve anything except driving the nation deeper into debt. He has not achieved consensus on health care, climate change legislation or our true role in Afghanistan and has put having a beer before the crucial issues facing our nation.

There are apologists on the left who blame the right for any failures and delays and who claim that any financial concerns are merely a holdover from the eight years of the Bush administration. If we have learned anything from our political history, it should be that truth is rarely found in the right or the left. For that matter, it is not even found in the middle, as that seat on the political spectrum is the result of compromise, where bits of truth come together to form a consensus which is merely a place of acceptance, not one of truth. Each side gets a little, but the solution is not necessarily the right thing to do, it is the expedient thing to do.
Have President Obama's first 200 days been a success, despite political failures? My answer is yes. Not because all kinds of new and progressive legislation has been passed; not because we are now at peace in the Middle East; and not because our budget has been balanced. It is a success because we are now talking about the crucial issues that affect our nation and the world. We are talking about climate change, health care reform, education reform, and about others ways to solve political tensions, other than by use our military might. We are thinking about new ways to do things, new approaches to pressing issues, and new solutions outside the old political boxes. To me, this is encouraging.

As a Republican, I voted for Mr. Obama. The old ways were crumbling and doing business as usual was no longer acceptable. There was little chance for dialogue, and information that was crucial for decision-making was fabricated or suppressed. Shoot first and ask questions later were no longer an option. Our nation and our planet is at the edge. The decisions we make now will determine if we rise or fall. The real issue is not have we passed programs in 200 days, it is that we are trying to solve the issues and not hide them in some CIA vault. The remaining problem is that we cannot talk about solutions forever. Decisions must be made now. We know that the ways of the past were a failure. Politicians from both sides of the aisle must now come together and decide. If Obama fails, we all fail!

OBAMA: NO MESSIAH, BUT...

As a Republican, I voted for Barak Obama. I did not necessarily vote for all of his program ideas, but I did vote for his vision and his leadership. However, Americans must be aware of a looming danger with respect to the election. Americans suffer from the Messiah Complex.

This is not meant in a religious context, although it does apply there as well, but rather with respect to our growing trend to rely upon someone else to save us from our ‘selves.’ Americans have moved away from any sense of self-reliance to a state of total dependence concerning almost every facet of life. Since the Great Depression, people have sought the solutions to problems from the government. There is no question that in some areas this has been justified, but the growing reliance on Washington to meet every social, economic, environmental and societal need with a ‘program’ has diminished our freedom.

Freedom implies responsibility. To be free, you must accept the consequences of your choices and your actions. The eight years of the Bush Administration is evidence of what can be lost when the people fail to take responsibility for their lives, their country and their nation’s policies. Economic chaos, failed foreign policies, educational mayhem and climate degradation are but a few areas in which reliance on others have not served our best interests.

President Obama cannot solve all of your problems, nor should he. He will not save you from mass commercialism. He will not, as he said, turn your TV’s off and insist your child does school work. He will not turn off your lights to save energy. He will not demand that ‘you’ demand eco-friendly products. He will not buy your non-polluting detergents and cleaners. He will not make you stop using plastic sippy cups and baby bottles that are poisoning your children. He will not stop you from feeding your family junk foods that are turning our youth into ‘Generation ADD.’ He will not make you or your children exercise to burn off the pounds of excess fat. He will not mend broken relationships. He will not make you love your neighbor and treat others with respect and dignity.

People must come to understand that the solution to life’s most pressing issues come from within. On the one hand, Obama is the product of a seed that was planted by many who feel that the world is ready for a new vision; a vision that proclaims that we can live in balance and harmony with our selves and our environment. But Obama is just one plant that has come to fruition. This one plant cannot feed all of the masses. The vision that has slept within us all must now see the light of day if we are truly to create a new reality. The messiah within must rise from the ashes and declare that it is now ready, willing and able to take responsibility for the world in which we live. Do not lay it at the feet of Barak Obama. If you do, the worst of what has been foreseen for 2012 may well come to pass.
With the election of 2008 we have been given an opportunity and, hopefully, it is an opportunity not lost on the general population. We, not Barak Obama, can show the world that we once again embrace the principles of our ‘founding fathers.’ We can take the lead is solving the issues of poverty, global warming, human degradation and economic slavery. It is we, The People, who must embrace Obama’s vision and make it a reality. Obama is the catalyst but he is not the savior. It is we, The People, who must do the saving and once again take the lead in making this a better world.

PRESIDENT BUSH: IN LIKE A LION, OUT LIKE A LAMB

The Bush Administration can best be described as opportunities lost. With the jackals nipping at his heels in these final months of his presidency, George Bush had the opportunity to raise the bar in the upcoming election, but failed to do so. As both Democratic and Republican candidates search for the magic button that will whisk them into the White House next fall, the President had a major opportunity to set the agenda for national debate. Like the fickle weather of month of March, he came into his presidency like a lion, but is going out like a lamb.

The President’s last State of the Union Address could have set the tone for national dialogue and might have even saved some semblance of a positive legacy. Instead, we simply got more of the same rhetoric that has fallen on deaf American ears. Lame duck office holders frequently have major opportunities to strike a tone that would move election debates into more positive territories. Instead, they usually end up with an attitude reminiscent of managers who throw in the towel as their fighters appear on the verge of defeat.

The President focused his speech on war, terrorism and recession. On all three fronts, the U.S has been fighting losing battles. A war that could have brought positive change to the Middle East has been disastrous due to lack of vision and gross mismanagement. If the President had just listened to the voices of our brave troops and of the people in Iraq, we might have been on the verge of peace, rather than catastrophe. If the President had listened to the cries of the people rather than the demands of mega corporations, terrorism might have been a mere footnote in the history books. If the President had listened to the opinions of more advanced thinking economists and environmentalists rather than the dinosaurs of corporate thinkers, perhaps we would now be buying alternative energy products and boosting our lagging economy. Perhaps that will be President Bush’s greatest legacy; he failed to listen to new voices.

President Bush represents all that is wrong about corporate economies that are more concerned with profit than creating a sustainable market system based upon sound economic, social and environmental principles. Bush represents the end of an era, perhaps even the end of an age. Think what would have happened if the President placed a real challenge before those seeking to stroll the rose garden.

Is it possible that the President could have actually molded the presidential race in his own image? Having failed in so many areas, he could have actually shaped both domestic and foreign policy for the next decade. Rather than try to merely justify what he has done, he could have proposed a set of sweeping policy and legislative proposals that would have to be addressed by political candidates. He could have proposed sweeping changes in environmental policy; challenged the scientific and technological communities to develop solutions to global warming; proposed sweeping health care reform; put forth a major revamp of our failing educational system; postulated real dialogue about immigration concerns; overhaul our foreign policy; taken a major stand on issues like Darfur, the Middle East, and China. So many opportunities were possible, but so many opportunities were lost.

In retrospect, President Bush did do the nation a great service. He showed us what was wrong with America. He showed us that when the people sleep, the government awakens. He showed us all that was wrong when you abandon your friends and allies in order to pursue a self-serving agenda. He showed us, once again, how our apathy leads to humanitarian tragedy. He showed us that the pursuit of wealth with disregard for the environment that provides that wealth is global suicide. He showed us that if we do not pay attention and become “comfortably numb,” we lose our freedoms and possibly the very planet that sustains and nourishes us. He showed us that corporate greed begets economic disaster and even threatens our very lives when we put profit over safety. He showed us that walls not only keep others out, they also keep us in.

Even though he garnered my vote in his first term, I will not miss President Bush. He has brought us to the brink of economic, environmental, social and foreign policy disaster. Perhaps it is a positive thing that he will leave as a lamb. But one thing is certain, the U.S. needs the return of a lion next fall; one that will see all that was done wrong, and take immediate steps to correct the errors of the past eight years.

ENERGY BILL: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

Is the energy bill enough or too little, too late? If it were twenty years ago the recent bill passed by the U.S Senate would have been applauded for its foresight and innovation. While not getting all that they wanted, the bill includes provisions that would increase fuel mileage to a fleet average of 35mpg by 2020; boost ethanol production sevenfold; prevent oil price gouging; increase appliance and lighting efficiencies; and, provide research into more energy efficient vehicles.

As was expected, the now anti-environment Republicans killed a tax on oil companies to help fund renewable energy as well as a requirement to force utilities to bur electricity from renewable energy suppliers. It would appear that Republicans have grown too accustomed to feeding off of the oil producers to even think of taking any of their record making profits. And they wonder why they will lose in 2008?

If this bill passed twenty years ago, assuming the President signs it, this would have been hailed as an environmental milestone. My concern, however, is that based upon the U.N. global climate change reports, we do not have until 2020 to begin the process of reducing green house gas emissions. If fleet averages just reach 35mpg by 2020 there is no expectation that everyone is going to run out and purchase a new vehicle at that time. It will take years past the 2020 date before major reductions in emissions are felt. That kind of time is not on our side.

According to the DAILY FUEL ECONOMY TIP the following information relates to fuel economy of several U.S. vs. Japanese auto makers:
Top 5 Most Fuel Efficient American Cars:
Ford Escape Hybrid - 36 mpg city / 31 mpg highway
Chevy Aveo - 26 mpg city / 35 mpg highway
Ford Focus - 26 mpg city / 34 mpg highway
Chevy Cobalt - 25 mpg city / 34 mpg highway
Ford Fusion - 24 mpg city / 32 mpg highway
Top 5 Most Fuel Efficient Japanese Cars:
Honda Insight - 60 mpg city / 66 mpg highway
Toyota Prius - 60 mpg city / 51 mpg highway
Honda Civic Hybrid - 49 mpg city / 51 highway
Toyota Corolla - 32 mpg city / 41 mpg highway
Toyota Matrix - 30 mpg city / 36 mpg highway

The obvious question raised from the above is, what is so exciting about getting 35mpg by the year 2020? The Japanese are far exceeding these standards now! The technology obviously exists to make immediate impacts on climate change and U.S. auto makers will find themselves wondering why their sales continue to decline.
Even now we are seeing drastic changes in the climate and factors not even considered in the UN’s equations are cropping up. The poles are saturated with CO2, glacial melt is faster and other unsuspected factors are emerging that were not even considered in earlier projections. The web of nature is so complex we do not understand or account for all of those relationships in our modeling and our predictions. Most informed scientists say we have to act now to reduce emissions and political leaders are still acting as if we have decades to solve or at least address climate change issues. All evidence is to the contrary.

A recent ABC News story says the following:
“Even "moderate additional" greenhouse emissions are likely to push Earth past "critical tipping points" with "dangerous consequences for the planet," according to research conducted by NASA and the Columbia University Earth Institute.
With just 10 more years of "business as usual" emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas, says the NASA/Columbia paper, "it becomes impractical" to avoid "disastrous effects.”
By heralding the new research paper, NASA is endorsing science that places considerably more urgency on the need to reduce emissions to avoid "disastrous effects" of global warming than was evident in the recent reports from the world's scientists coordinated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The new NASA release emphasizes the danger of "strong amplifying feedbacks" pushing Earth past "dangerous tipping points."

Regardless of all of the back slapping for this new piece of environmental legislation, the public must come to understand that the called for measures are too little, too late. We do not have until 2020 to start making major changes in the way we live. Our own government agencies are issuing dire warnings but our politicians are off in the ozone layer somewhere, assuming there still is one.