Political observations
Listen to this articleDonald Trump: Something we should all remember: last year at this time, no one gave Trump a chance at winning the GOP nomination. I say this, because with the exception of two polls, Trump would appear to have no shot at the White House since they show him trailing Hillary by over ten points. Trump thrives on being the underdog. He may not win in the fall, but he will put Hillary through one hell of a campaign.
Hillary Clinton: I have no intention of voting for Trump because he has yet to put forth any single plan with any real details that I think he can accomplish. That, and I have always thought of him as an ass. However, Hillary will not be getting my vote either. If I had been on the fence about her before, I would have definitely jumped off after watching her interview with Anderson Cooper. She has yet to lock up her party’s nomination and yet acts as though she is already headed to the White House. Any candidate who acts as entitled as she does will not get my vote. I do not even want to think of how she will act if she does become president. One thing for sure, you can bet she will think she is above the law.
Money: It seems politics all too often comes down to money. Assuming Clinton does get the Democratic nomination, you have a candidate who has relied entirely on the financial support of big money donors, as well as her party’s use of super delegates, to get to where she is at. She has been accused of chasing huge speaking fees from the very institutions she claims she will go after if elected. The foundation she and her husband have established have received massive sums of money from leaders with horrific records on human rights. And yet, she will represent the party that traditionally claims to represent the poor and mistreated.
On the other side, there is billionaire Donald Trump, a candidate who claims his campaign is self-funded, has bragged about his wealth and is credited for tapping into the growing anger and frustrations found in Americans who are fed up with the status quo. He is a child of wealth whose words have offended women, minorities, and foreigners and yet he continues to gain in popularity.
We have an election where a woman who came from a modest background stands to be accused of being out of touch with the common voter because she is more interested in chasing money pitted against a man of extreme privilege who is seen as connecting with voters who feel fed up, with no one looking out for their well being.
Now you know why there are so many voters who are undecided. Who can wade through all this mess?
Delegates: Where would we be if Democrats did not rely on super delegates to ensure a continuance of their establishment politics? Well, even with them, it makes California a major player in the nomination process for a change. This has to be home field advantage for Hillary with all the time Bill spent out here wooing big money liberals when he was president. He will rely heavily on those same people to come through for Hillary. However, our governor, Jerry Brown, is far more in line with Bernie Sanders and is less than thrilled with having to select a candidate to support. Deep down, he envisions a nation much like California has turned into, one that taxes and regulates the hell out of the wealthy and opens itself to all the poor while trying to remain at the cutting edge of technology. California voters should take note to see which way he swings because Brown has to be desiring a cabinet position after he leaves Sacramento.
Then there is the GOP, the party that wishes it relied on super delegates so they would not have Donald Trump to deal with. Perhaps if they had, they could be running one of the more traditional 16 candidates who failed to defeat Trump and then we would have a more traditional election between two bland people who fail to excite the American voter. What would media giants like CNN and Fox News have to focus on if that were the case?
Divided We Stand: No matter who ends up in the White House, we will be a more divided nation than we were when Obama was first elected. Neither Clinton or Trump are known for healing wounds and bringing people together. They are where they are because of their ability to divide and conquer, which in itself is far more concerning to our nation’s health than the amount of money there is in politics.
These wounds will fester throughout the first term of whoever wins in November. Not only that, the expectations placed on the winner will be enormous and frustrated voters will not be inclined to just place the blame on the losing party for nothing getting done.
Whoever is elected in November stands to have no honeymoon period with the public or Congress and is very likely to be a one term president. This is especially true for Hillary since she will have represented 12 years of Democratic rule in the White House. Don’t think for one minute that Mitch McConnell is not willing to stall Hillary another four years from getting a Supreme Court Justice placed. There is no respect for history or our Constitution by any of our elected leaders. The mind set is kill or be killed, circle your wagons and hunker down — and ignore what is best for the nation, all in the name of annihilating your enemy.
It’s going to get uglier before it gets better.
Jim is a life long resident of California and retired school teacher with 30 years in public education. Jim earned his BA in History from CSU Chico in 1981 and his MA in Education from Azusa Pacific University in 1994. He is also the author of Teaching The Teacher: Lessons Learned From Teaching. Jim considers himself an equal opportunity pain in the ass to any political party, group, or individual who looks to profit off of hypocrisy. When he is not pointing out the conflicting words and actions of our leaders, the NFL commissioner, or humans in general, he can be found riding his bike for hours on end while pondering his next article. Jim recently moved to Camarillo, CA after being convinced to join the witness protection program.