PLEASE NOT CLINTON VS. TRUMP 2024

Just when I thought things couldn’t get much worse in this country, I see news flashes that the Democrats and Republicans have gone bonkers. They’re talking about a Clinton/Trump rematch for the next presidential election. Someone tell me this isn’t true. Please not Clinton vs. Trump 2024.

Since I’m older than both of them, I guess I can say this without it sounding like ageism. Why in the world would both parties run a couple of broken down, scandal ridden has-beens? Everything from White Water, to the fake Russian dossier, the Benghazi debacle and good buddy Epstein hang over Hillary’s head. From there, we go to Stormy Daniels, Trump University, the Covid debacle, and current investigations for fraud by the New York attorney General–all a dark cloud following Trump. And those are just a few of the problems each of them have faced. Enough already.

Someone once said that the best training for a future president of the United states is having served as a state governor. I’m not so sure of that. Reagan from California was a success, and former Texas governor Bush did get re elected. But look at poor Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia. He didn’t fare so well.

Nevertheless, I took the time to review the governors of every state in the union. The majority are Republicans. A lot of them are in their sixties and seventies. None of them strike me as red hot presidential material.

Naturally, I favor our own Indiana governor Holcomb, who is 53. He’s extremely well liked in Indiana, but I don’t think he’d stand a chance on the national stage. For one thing, he comes across as too honest and sincere. The media would see him as a dud. Others have mentioned fellow Hoosier and former mayor, Pete Buttigieg as a Democratic possibility. Maybe, but I’m not sure that a gay man could be elected president by the majority of the population.

That takes us down to the Senate and House of Congress. There must be dozens of young, charismatic office holders scattered throughout the country. Surely, the Democrats and Republicans can pick a winner out of that pool. Somebody. Anybody. But please not Clinton vs. Trump 2024.

November 9, 2020November 9, 2020

DID YOU VOTE FOR OR AGAINST?

Remember the 2016 Presidential Election? No one could understand why Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump. Especially since she won the popular vote. Most political pundits conduct a post mortem after all is said and done. And, the consensus was that a lot of people didn’t like Hillary. They didn’t vote for Trump so much as they voted against Hillary. So what happened in the 2020 Election? I suspect it wasn’t that voters liked Biden so much as they disliked Trump. Did you vote for or against?

What wasn’t to like about Hillary? She was smart, personable, and extremely experienced. Having been married to a two term President, and served as Secretary of State, her credentials far out-classed Trump in every way imaginable. And yet, many people remembered how she defended Clinton in his numerous peccadilloes and affairs. She dismissed all his ex’s and accusers as liars and trashy women. A lot of women, especially, found that annoying. And then, she called the half of Americans who supported Trump, a basket of deplorables. At times, she could sound strident and shrill.

Did you vote for Biden or against Trump. Many Americans probably voted against. — Did Americans vote *for* Biden or against Trump in the 2020 election? In 2016, they voted against Hillary as opposed to Trump.

I saw Hillary Clinton when she came to our city to campaign. In person, she was charismatic and radiant. That didn’t’ come across on the big screen. And so, she lost by a very thin margin.

About Trump: He started off on the wrong foot the day of the inauguration by complaining about his news coverage. Who cared about how many lined the streets or if a small crowd attended. Why did he have to make an issue of it? Trump had his moments, and he did a lot for the economy and working class people. But in the end, many voters got tired of his name calling, tweeting, and firing his advisors. His unpredictable behavior and handling of the coronavirus was the last straw.

Now, if the Democrats had considered Joe Biden a strong candidate in 2016, why didn’t they nominate him to run? Biden was seen by many as simply a party hack, with nothing very outstanding to appeal to the voters. That’s why a lot of people didn’t think he could win this time around. When all’s said and done, I suspect people didn’t vote for Biden as much as they voted against Trump. There were some amazingly smart, talented presidential candidates vying for the nomination during the DNC convention. Even though Biden turned out to be their safe bet, I believe any one of those candidates could have beat Trump. He had made so many enemies, it’s a wonder the election was even close.

Did Americans vote for Biden or against Trump.?

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019

DO VOTERS CARE ABOUT KURDS OR BENGHAZI?

A Marine Reserve Center, directly across the street from our house, is a daily reminder of our brave Americans. There’s a plaque near the building with the names of those in that battalion who recently lost their lives in the Middle East. We’ve watched these fine men and women come and go over the years. They seem like our own kin . Would I like to see a few more names on the plaque because we’re defending the Kurds? Actually, no. And, will our retreat influence the next election? Do voters care about the Kurds or our mission in Benghazi?

This Marine Reserve Unit is directly across the street from our house — A plaque at the Marine Reserve Center has the names of four who gave their lives in the Middle East.

The 2012 attack on the American embassy in Libya brought about a two year investigation in 2014. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was criticized for not coming to the rescue of the four American citizens who died in Benghazi. Because the US ambassador was gay, he was singled out for extreme torture. You might have thought this would affect Hillary Clinton’s support from the LGBT community, But obviously, it didn’t. She easily won the popular vote in the 2016 election.

If we had stayed in Syria to defend the Kurds, how many of our men would have died? — If our troops had stayed to defend the Kurds, many of our soldiers would have lost their lives,

Now, we have the President’s decision to pull out of the Kurdish held territory in Syria, Apparently, the Turks informed the President a massive invasion was about to take place. If our troops were to stay, many of our men would die 7,000 miles from home. Questions about the wisdom and integrity of this decision will drag on until the next presidential election.

But do these events influence the way Americans vote? In our modest, middle class neighborhood, yard signs supporting various political candidates proliferate . From the looks of it, we’re fairly divided as to political party leanings. In 2020 , will my Republican neighbors vote against Trump–or Pence– because he decided not to stay and fight a losing battle? Will it be a deal breaker? If we go on past history, I would doubt it.