Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Political Theater

Jack Oakie and Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator (Source)
Every four years the American people are treated to the grand spectacle known as the "Presidential Election." As time goes by, this spectacle, at least to me, seems to devolve more and more into a popularity contest in which all qualified candidates are out of the running by the time November rolls around.

During that time, the voters who actually understand history, who actually understand the "great" issues of the day are so disgusted by the entire circus that they decide to "sit this one out." They don't go to the polls, they don't vote, and it seems, quite honestly, that they no longer care.

Those people who actually are excited about the election usually have no understanding of the candidates, how government works, nor even what they are voting for. It's all about the "trendy" candidate, the most popular, and which candidate is the most like them in some cases.

This cycle we have two "Democrats" (only one of whom actually is a member of that party), one of whom wants your vote because it's "her turn." She was passed over eight years ago for a candidate who was more trendy. After all, though we'd never had a female President, we'd also never had a "black" President. As the female candidate was "white," she wasn't as trendy as the "black" candidate, so she lost. But now it's her turn. So she thinks.

A person whose sole qualification to being in high office is based on who she was married to. A former governor who is now a former President. That's her qualification, Hell, she probably still has her set of keys to the White House. So she's got that going for her.

Oh yeah, she was a Senator. From New York. She is originally from Chicago, then she moved to Arkansas. Eventually she established a residence in New York so she could run for office there. Apparently because people in New York will vote for anyone who isn't a Republican. And California was too far away from the East Coast Establishment. I guess. I don't really understand these political things.

Oh, that's right. She was also the Secretary of State under the current unqualified leftist loon from Chicago. I won't even begin to talk about what happened on her watch.

Now another former Secretary of State (who served under the former governor of Arkansas while he was President) has indicated that all those who share the same reproductive system should vote for this candidate. Otherwise their immortal souls are, apparently, in danger.

The candidate who is not female is a loon. A total loon. He wandered north to Vermont because even New Yorkers wouldn't elect him to any office. There he found Burlington, the largest (ahem) city in the Green Mountain State.

Burlington has roughly 42,000 inhabitants, 112 of whom are not college students. Roughly 15 of these inhabitants is actually from Vermont, as in born there and know how to make maple syrup. The others are all left-leaning liberal arts majors who heard that the skiing in Vermont, while not as good as Vale, was pretty darn good. And as Vermont is close to Quebec (right next door as a matter of fact) it's almost like being in Europe.

Or something.

Now this loon "from" Vermont (actually he's from Brooklyn, in New York, not the one in Iowa, or Wisconsin, or one of the other Brooklyns) originally ran for office as a "socialist" when he became the mayor of Burlington. The (ahem) largest city in Vermont. My county in Little Rhody has more people than Burlington, roughly 49,000 to Burlington's 42 K and change. I think we do have fewer socialists as our loons are content to be "Democrats."

So the dishonorable "gentleman" "from" Vermont has been accused of being Communist (by me for one, but what do I know), he claims to be "independent" or "socialist" depending on where you tap into his personal history, but now he wants your vote as the Democrat Party candidate for President of the United States.

So vote for one because of her plumbing and it's "her turn." Vote for the other one, because, because, er, I have no idea why you would vote for him. Unless you believe all of his "eat the rich," "we need more taxes and free stuff" and "hey, socialism really does work, all the others just did it wrong" shtick.

Now about the Republicans...

Trump.

Uh, uh. I don't know what to say. He's a demagogue. He understands the military because he went to a private military academy and reads a lot.

Well, Hell. I am retired military (okay, okay, it was the Air Force) and I read way more than Trump. I'm qualified to not only be the Commander-In-Chief I think I'm ready to be the Emperor of North America, the Caribbean and the Hawaiian Islands. Heck, I'm probably over-qualified.

But I'm not running for President. At least not this year.

Now Marco Rubio (another Republican) is a fellow I don't know much about. I need to rectify that as my buddy Joe (Cranky) has assured me that the fellow I was sort of leaning towards tossing my support behind, one Ted Cruz, is, as Joe put it, a "dick."

Now I'm pretty sure that Joe was not complimenting Mr. Cruz. But as a military veteran, I have worked for a lot of "dicks" in my time, most of whom were pretty good at their jobs.

What's that? Joe doesn't mean guys named Richard?

Oh!!!

Now I get it.

Besides, I also see in the media (I mean we can trust them, right) that Ted Cruz is actually a Canadian. As in from Canada, as in "not born here."

Well, neither is the guy currently holding the office, right? Oh, he is an American, he just doesn't act like one. So if Cruz is Canadian but acts like an American (I mean come on, the man cooks bacon on the barrel of an "assault" rifle, who does that but we Americans?) that doesn't make him eligible?

I did see a very non-insightful article on line in which a non-Constitutional non-scholar reporter type explained what the Constitution means. He surmised that Mr. Cruz is actually Canadian. Because his dad was Cuban and his mom was American but they were all living in Calgary. Canada says he has Canadian citizenship. Ted says he has American citizenship, in my experience it's possible he has both. I mean the trick would be proving that Mr. Cruz was a naturalized American. As in got his citizenship later in life, not at birth. Personally, I think the article on line completely missed the point.

Can you say "dual citizenship"?

I knew you could.

I think the whole Canadian thing is a smoke screen. I mean, if Ted's a "dick" he couldn't be Canadian, right? I mean Canadians are pretty polite and all and tend not to be "dicks," well, except maybe Andre who is French-Canadian. I served with him in NATO and he could be an awful "dick," even if it was just in fun.

If Ted is Canadian then I have to rethink this whole thing.

It's confusing.

Wait, if the female candidate should be voted for based on plumbing, then...

Nope, I'm not going there.

Then there's (language warning) this. What the heck, why not, last I checked they have oil. 

Somewhere under all that ice.

Eh?




28 comments:

  1. Cruz says a lot of things I like but he pretty clearly is not one to compromise on anything. It's Ted's way, or the highway. We already have one of those, and it hasn't worked well at all. As a part time Floridian (Yeah, I'm now an official Snowbird which is actually a considerable step up from having occasionally been called a S***bird)and I have had a chance to watch Marco Rubio in action. I like his low key approach to most things. He seems willing to compromise when it is for the greater good (After all, politics is called the art of the possible). And, most impressively, while he tends to be underestimated, the man is a stone dragon killer. When he announced for Senate it was against Charlie Crist who was being anointed as the heir apparent. Even though Rubio was the Speaker of the Florida State House, the general reaction was "Mario who?" Nobody gave him much of a chance, but he creamed Crist. I think he could do it again against Hillary, or Bernie, or even Joe Biden if he jumps in. And I think his record on Capitol Hill says that he could work with the Congress so that we could actually have a functioning government again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The unwillingness to compromise might be why Joe calls Cruz a "dick." I dunno. I'm not one to judge, I've been called a "dick" from time to time, and yes, I can be.

      Of the people trying to gain the Republican nomination, Rubio might be the most electable. Do I think he could be a good President? Well yes, I do. Far better than the current one and far better than anything the Democrats have on offer!

      Delete
  2. Rubio is happy to compromise with Democrats -the Gang of Eight being a prime example. Did not matter to Rubio that it was not in accordance with conservative principles though, nor was it in the best interest of the Republican Party.

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  3. I really wanted Walker then Perry. Both were successful Governors (which by the way is the closest thing to the President, closer than Senator, closer than SecState, closer than VP). Alas, not to be. Cruz is one of the two Senators from Tx. IMHO, he's the better one. I would prefer him to be the Republican candidate, but I will vote for Rubio without a doubt if he's the candidate.

    I don't TRUST Trump! He says all the right things, but as we've discovered with the current disaster, words are meaningless. Actions are everything.

    As for the Criminal and the Communist? There's a bumper sticker out here I like, "Hillary for Prison, 2016". 'nuff said. Read somewhere that the Communist had never had a paying job until elected to office. Now, there's some qualification for office.

    Down here in the Texas House Election, we got a RoboCall from a local man running for office. Lost my vote when the opening phrase said "xxx Deserves your vote". BS! Nobody deserves my vote. They'll have to earn it, by convincing me that they're the right person for the job. (No, the right person is not determined by genitalia or skin pigmentation.)

    So, to quote a line from a movie long ago. "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it...much longer.

    My voting rubric:
    1. No Democrat or Communist, but I repeat myself.
    2. No Incumbent. One term is long enough at the public trough. If they're not rich enough by then, they're incompetent and should be thrown out on that basis alone.
    3. No Unopposed. Don't want to provide them with a "mandate". Woohoo, your the Texas Railroad Commissioner. Out of 15 million ballots cast, you got one hundred twenty five. You go, Girl!

    /End Rant>

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your voting rubric says it all.

      I'm the Sarge and I approve this message.

      Delete
  4. I tend to go for Rubio--but then I'm a pretty national security-centric person. I loved the Canada video!!

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    Replies
    1. I too am national security-centric (surprise, surprise).

      Glad you liked the Canada video, gave me a chuckle it did.

      Delete
  5. Ah . . . the run for the White House. Another opportunity to vote for the least objectionable candidate. I keep wishing for my Golden Knight to make an appearance . . .but, alas, he never does.
    My quick take on the current crop of wannabes:
    Billary - She (they) live (maintain a residence) not too far south of me. I never voted for her. Never will. Consider her to be a walking, talking rectal extrusion . . . with no redeeming qualities.

    Bernie - A no-name, do-nothing from Brooklyn, via New England. My opinion is that, as president, he'd just sit on his thumb and rotate when confronted with a real-world problem. (In effect, a "Post Turtle.")

    Trump - Never have liked the man. Big mouthed. Over-large ego. Never really thought about him until he donated a chunk of real estate to Westchester County for use as a park . . . with the stipulation that it be named after him. In consequence, everyone reads his name (and is reminded of his existence) on a large, green highway sign when traveling on the Taconic Parkway. I always avoided using the Trump casinos when I went to Atlantic City . . . way back when.

    Cruz - Don't know about him . . . depends on the definition of "Natural Born American Citizen." If he's seen as being a "Richard," so be it. Maybe a "Richard" is what is called for right now.

    Rubio - An unknown quantity . . . he'd better pick up the rock and let his light shine out from under, or nobody's gonna know his name come November.

    Finally . . . my long-time take on all things political. A poem I wrote years ago:
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150295418103521&set=pb.542333520.-2207520000.1456243367.&type=3&theater

    ReplyDelete
  6. About calling someone a dick.
    It's pure laziness.
    We all know it means @$$#o|e.
    It only requires the effort to type three more letters.
    Suck it up.
    Don't be a dick!

    Like Juvat's, my vote has to be earned.
    So far none of the above has my vote ...or even my respect.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I guess I should clarify, I have read of many people, his college roommate, Senators, and Scott Park from Texas who say Ted Cruz is a dick. I have no direct knowledge that he is a dick. He does look like a dick, but then he is a politician.

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    1. Clarification copied and understood.

      He does look rather "dick-ish" doesn't he? But as you mention, he is, after all, a politician. Comes with the territory I suppose.

      If your college roommate thinks you're a dick, then you probably are a dick.

      Delete
  8. The last candidate I wanted to vote for was Gerald Ford. Since then it has bee hold my nose and try to pick the lesser evil.

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    Replies
    1. Understood.

      The number of excellent candidates is easily counted on zero fingers.

      Delete
    2. The Lonely Libertarian had a post today that summed that statement up precisely.
      "It is not in the nature of Politics that the best men should be elected. The best men do not want to govern their fellowmen" = George MacDonald (Sounds like a Scot to me)

      Delete
    3. Yes, I saw that as well.

      (Definitely a Scot.)

      Delete
  9. "this spectacle, at least to me, seems to devolve more and more into a popularity contest
    in which all qualified candidates are out of the running by the time November rolls around."

    You nailed it with this statement and I've said it for years. By the time the field is down
    to one candidate from each of the two parties that really count, it's definitely just a
    popularity contest! By the time we get to the November elections I find myself voting for
    the lesser of two evils.

    Being an Independent, I don't vote Republican or Democrat but I have to say this time any
    one of the current crop of Republicans would make a better Commander-In-Chief than
    "appropriate plumbing" or the "Loon"! (and if you choose to run for President, you have
    my vote!!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is sad isn't it?

      I fear I'll be voting for "the lesser of two" once again.

      Sigh...

      Delete
  10. Political theater indeed. Theater of the absurd.

    Nothing will change so long as the vast majority of Americans simply reside here and do what they're told.

    When the wheels come off, that'll change in a hurry.

    But there's no way to predict the outcome. Except for a smaller population, of course.

    ReplyDelete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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