WHAT’S EUROPE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Most politicians occasionally make gaffes or puzzling comments. But the latest quote from Vice President Kamala Harris was a real head scratcher. Here she is talking to Lester Holt on NBC news, who’s known to be pretty easy on liberals. So, she has nothing much to fear. He asks her a simple question, “Have you been to the border?” She evades the question by saying, “we’ve been to the border.” So, he pins her down and asks if she, personally has been, and this is what pops out of her mouth: “And, I haven’t been to Europe.” What’s Europe got to do with it? Honestly, I don’t see the connection , or the point she was trying to make.

Harris got roasted in the media for tweeting a picture of herself before Memorial Day which said “enjoy the long weekend.” I can see where she was coming from on that. Just trying to relate to the fact that everyone had a nice long weekend ahead. But the press thought it was tone deaf– trivializing the true meaning of Memorial Day. That was a bit of over reaction, in my opinion. But the Europe thing? Totally beyond comprehension.

The person in the current administration who seems to have a handle on things is the president’s wife, Jill Biden. Maybe all those years as a school teacher taught her how to relate to people. She seems relaxed, friendly, and genuine. And she was plenty smart to wear a jacket to with LOVE emblazoned on the back during their trip to Europe.. All you could remember was that horrible jacket Melania Trump wore on the trip to the migrant facility. “I really don’t care, do U?” in black letters on the back wasn’t a very empathetic message under the circumstances

Poor Melania never did get it. That stiff posture, smoldering look and pouty mouth didn’t exactly warm your heart. She was such an easy act to follow. Just about any woman who was born and raised in America could have done better. Think Betty Ford. Laura Bush, .Michelle Obama, Bess Truman.

Joe Biden is just…well…Joe. Most of the time he sounds fairly coherent, but sometimes he wanders off into strange territory. Like telling a little girl in the audience that she looked like she was 19. What was that all about?

Kamala’s husband is fairly invisible at this point. He’s in uncharted territory, as the first male married to a VP of the United States. Keeping his mouth shut is probably the smartest thing he could do. Anyway, I don’t think he’s quit his day job.

Fortunately, it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference what the current leaders of this country say and do. They come and go. The country is strong, diverse, and will survive the peculiarities of any elected official. We’ve been doing it for 244 years.

January 22, 2021January 23, 2021

FAKE EYELASHES DE RIGUEUR AT WHITE HOUSE?

Does anyone remember Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, or Mamie Eisenhower? Although Mamie was famous for her bangs, none of these women were known for their glamour or beauty. In modern times, Jackie Kennedy was the most glamorous occupant of the White House—that is, until Melania Trump moved in. That was one First Lady who was never seen without her make-up. You had to wonder how she and her husband would look after washing their faces. But now, after watching the 2021 presidential inauguration, I’ve concluded that fake eyelashes are de rigueur at the White House.

As the television cameras zoomed in on the ceremony, it highlighted the professional make up jobs of the ladies surrounding the president. Should women in the White House send a message that wearing fake eyelashes is desirable? The fact is, it’s risky.

Here are the dangers: Fake eyelashes can cause eye infections like conjunctivitis. This occurs when bacteria collect under the eyelash glue and on the false eyelash itself. They can also cause serious allergic reactions, and damage your natural lashes to the point where they may fall out and never grow back. Fake eyelashes may scratch or damage the cornea, if the glue thickens or falls into your eye.

Fake eyelashes de rigueur at White House? Entertainers wear them, but they have risks.

They say that politicians should lead by example. It bothers me that politicians and their wives are setting such impossible standards of beauty for American women. They’re telegraphing a mindset –that women must risk their health, and spend the time and effort it requires to look like a movie star. Did you know it takes two hours to apply false eyelashes? And they should be changed every day for infection control purposes. Are they really worth all that time and effort?

Do we elect people to public office for their looks, or for their ability? Apparently, looks have a lot to do with it. Most successful politicians are fairly good looking, although that may be a matter of opinion. I never really admired Richard Nixon’s nose or Barack Obama’s ears . On the other hand, I’ll never forget the time I saw Dwight Eisenhower in person. With his charming blue eyes and wide grin, he radiated charisma.

I’m all for attractive women occupying the White House. But the fake eyelashes need to go.

August 26, 2020August 26, 2020

DC AWASH IN FAMILY DYSFUNCTION

Some of us have experienced more family dysfunction than we would care to admit. The façade of the “perfect family” is one that’s carefully nurtured and preserved. Politicians, especially, strive to present such an image. President Barack Obama and Vice President Mike Pence represent the ideal persona of happily married family men. Unfortunately, right now, Washington DC politicians are awash in a sea of family dysfunction.

Starting last year with Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. He’s the one who got kicked out of the Navy. Nevertheless, he made millions for doing almost nothing in China and the Ukraine while his dad was VP. Then, he got some show girl pregnant and refused to assume responsibility for the daughter she bore him. She had to go to court and get a DNA test to prove paternity. But that’s all water over the dam. He was proudly scheduled as a speaker at the DNC convention.

Things got really juicy in July when Donald Trump’s angry, disgruntled niece-from-hell, wrote a tell-all book about the dysfunctional Trump family. OMG! Senior Trump was a tyrant, an abuser, and Lord knows what all. Granny Trump opted out of motherhood—it was just too much for her. And to top it all off, the oldest son was an alcoholic, and his kids didn’t get any more in the final Trump will than the other grandkids. Well, Mary Trump got even. She went so far as to stir up some sibling rivalry, secretly recording big sissy Mary Anne complaining about baby brother. I guess all of us rant and rave about our sibs at times, but we don’t expect it to be recorded for public consumption.

Back to Biden. We know he likes to smell women’s hair. That seems weird, but not exactly immoral. What we didn’t know, until now, is that he had an affair with his wife , Jill, while she was still married to someone else. Her ex husband is writing a tell all book to be released in October.

Speaking of affairs with a married person. Vice Presidential candidate, Kamala Harris was 29 when she started an affair with 60 year old Willie Brown. His being Speaker of the California State Assembly made up for the age difference, I guess. Trouble was, he had a wife and three children.

DC awash in sea of dysfunction. Kellyanne Conway & husband George finally quit their jobs to become parents. — DC Awash in Sea of Family Dysfunction. Kellyanne Conway and her husband finally quit their jobs to become parents.

Next, we have the, most blatantly dysfunctional family imaginable with Trump advisor, Kellyanne Conway. Her husband started a Super Pack, called the Lincoln Project, to bash Trump. I guess they must have been living separately. We wondered where their four kids fit into all this, but last week, we found out. Their teenage daughter went online to accuse them both of being losers and abusers as parents. Consequently, both Kellyanne and her husband George quit their jobs and presumably are trying to salvage what’s left of their dysfunctional family.

Does it really matter to the voters? Bill Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky and got impeached. He’s been seen at the secret hideaway of sex offender Epstein, but they still had him speaking at the DNC convention.

Reporters just love it all. It gives them something to rant and rave about. But after awhile, you wonder if politicians are a different breed. You’d have to have a hide like a rhinoceros to survive. Maybe all that family dysfunction toughened them up.

Remember the words of PT Barnum: “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”

August 22, 2020August 24, 2020

DID DEMS SQUANDER PRIME TIME?

What time do you typically go to bed at night? Eleven o’clock seems to be the favored hour for turning in. Of course, if you’re an octogenarian, you might begin to yawn around 10 p.m. Which means you’re not in the mood to watch speeches at a political convention. Prime time—when most people turn on the TV—is between 7 to 9 p.m. Consequently the voters most apt to view the convention last week were those who live on or near the West Coast. In preaching to the choir, did the Democrats squander prime time?

Voters in the blue states like California, Oregon and Washington got to view the convention during prime time. But what was the advantage to that? Those people already knew who they were going to vote for, so basically, Democrats were just playing to their base..

The battleground states at this time are defined as Arizona, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida. Look at the time zone map of the United States. Only one battle ground state—Arizona—was able to view the convention while they were most alert, during prime time.

I think if I were a political planner of either party, I wouldn’t really care how many people on the West Coast watched the convention. Those states are a done deal. They are going to vote Democratic, no matter what. Seems like you’d schedule the show to start at 8 p.m. central time. That way, you would reach more of the swing state voters while they’re still wide awake.

Actually, the conventions may not make much difference, in the long run. The DNC convention, overall, was somewhat of a flop, with viewership on the first night down 48% from 2016. I suspect the Republican convention next week will fare just as poorly. I don’t think anything is going to replace the excitement of live audiences, cheering, booing, shouting, waving and clapping in response to flaming oratory speeches.

August 17, 2020August 17, 2020

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BAD GIRLS GONE?

If you were young and single in the fifties, there were a lot of bad girls out there. Unmarried females weren’t supposed to have much of a sex life. To do so, would be at great risk to your reputation. Intimacy allowed in unmarried relationships was limited and clearly regulated. Kissing was about the only thing a girl could do if she wanted to have a “good reputation.” If you were going steady in high school, pinned during college, or engaged after that, you might go a little further. But going “all the way” was verboten. Nevertheless, a lot of so-called trashy girls, did. But now, we’re into the 21st century, and you have to wonder. Where have all the bad girls gone?

Of course, the real reason for all the abstinence was the fear of pregnancy. If a bad girl did get pregnant, the young man responsible was expected to marry her. However, there was no DNA testing available. Consequently, If a man wanted to contest a paternity suit, all he had to do was take five of his buddies with him to court. That was the magic number. Five. If five males swore under oath that they, also, had sex with the pregnant girl, the man was off the hook. He didn’t have to marry her or pay child support. The assumption being that promiscuity precluded the ability to ascertain which man was the biological father.

In 1963, availability of oral contraceptives began to change all that. Girls could have sex without worrying so much about pregnancy. The pill was a far more reliable method of birth control than condoms. Then, ten years later , the most important thing happened: Roe Vs. Wade made it legal for women to get abortions. Finally, women were free to act like men always had. Call it free love, free sex, whatever. All of a sudden, girls and boys started living together even if they weren’t married. If a girl got pregnant and had a baby, it was because she wanted to, not because she had to. Now, 40% of all births are to single moms. There are no bad girls anymore.

Where have all the bad girls gone? Kamala Harris would have been considered one back in the fifties. — Where Have All The Bad Girls Gone? Back in the fifties, Kamala Harris would have been considered one of them.. The Times, They Are A Changing.

Which brings us around to the love life of Kamala Harris, the vice presidential candidate for the 2020 election. It’s public knowledge that she had a long time affair with Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco, when she was twenty-nine and he was sixty.. Fifty years ago, a woman who had a very public affair with a married man would have been considered one of those “bad girls.” There were names for women who did such things—four letter words ending with T. Certainly she would not have been seen as fit for the 2nd highest office in the United States. The Times , They Are A Changing..

Where have all the bad girls gone? I’m not sure there ever were any.