The Caucasian Dark Hands of America

by Alex Hutchins

Here is where Hillary Clinton stands on 12 issues:

1. Education: Make public college debt-free. Fund universal pre-K. Against No Child Left Behind. Position unknown on Common Core.
2. Guns: Ban several types of assault weapons. Repeal protections for gun makers. Create a comprehensive background check system and close loopholes.
3. Healthcare: Give the government a role is setting insurance rates. Expand Obamacare but do not attempt to create a universal healthcare system now.
4. Immigration: Continue DACA and DAPA programs to waive deportation and expand them. Give undocumented residents a path to legal status.
5. Jobs and Wages: $275 billion stimulus plan. Tax credits for jobs. Raise federal minimum wage to $12 an hour.
6. Marijuana: “Wait and see” on overall legalization.
7. Social Issues: Abortion should be legal. So should same-sex marriage.
8. Taxes: A series of targeted tax credits for the middle class. Raise capital gains taxes.
9. Israel: Work toward a two-state solution. Do not necessarily freeze settlement building.
10. Iran: Support framework for nuclear deal. Continue diplomacy efforts and some sanctions.
11. Islamic State: No boots on the ground. Use regional troops.
12. Trade: Clinton announced last year that she does not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership as it currently stands.

Here is where Donald Trump stands on various issues:

1. Millions are helped by Planned Parenthood, but defund it. (Feb 2016)
2. Planned Parenthood does great work on women's health. (Feb 2016)
3. The Fed should refinance debt to reduce interest payments. (May 2016)
4. Don't take sides with Israel, so we can lead negotiations. (Feb 2016)
5. I could negotiate a deal with Israel and Palestinians. (Feb 2016)
6. Figure out who our allies are. (Feb 2016)
7. Iran deal is one of the worst I've ever seen. (Feb 2016)
8. I take advantage of devalued Chinese currency; but stop them. (Mar 2016)
9. It's not free trade with China; it's stupid trade. (Mar 2016)
10. It's not free trade with China; it's stupid trade. (Mar 2016)
11. I've been moving clothing-making from China to U.S. (Mar 2016)
12. With a $58 billion trade deficit, Mexico will pay for wall. (Feb 2016)
13. Trade pacts are no good for us and no good for our workers. (Feb 2016)
14. U.S. has become dumping ground for everybody else's problems. (Feb 2016)
15. China should make Kim Jong Un disappear. (Feb 2016)
16. China totally controls North Korea; they're just taunting us. (Jan 2016)
17. I will save Social Security with more jobs, less waste. (Feb 2016)
18. I don't want to be politically correct: Islam hates us. (Mar 2016)
19. Snowden was a spy; if Russia respected us, they'd deport him. (Mar 2016)
20. Charge rich countries like Germany more to defend them. (Feb 2016)
21. Keep Gitmo open, and load it up with bad dudes. (Feb 2016)
22. How did W keep us safe? WTC came down during his watch. (Feb 2016)
23. Bring back waterboarding and a hell of a lot worse. (Feb 2016)
24. I don't want to be politically correct: Islam hates us. (Mar 2016)
25. Snowden was a spy; if Russia respected us, they'd deport him. (Mar 2016)
26. Charge rich countries like Germany more to defend them. (Feb 2016)
27. Keep Gitmo open, and load it up with bad dudes. (Feb 2016)
28. How did W keep us safe? WTC came down during his watch. (Feb 2016)
29. Bring back waterboarding and a hell of a lot worse. (Feb 2016)
30. Police can't act due to disrespect; but weed out bad ones. (Feb 2016)
    

Yes, it is true that Trump has a list that is two and a half times longer than the list of Hillary, but Trump has gotten rather specific on some issues (2016) and Clinton seems to be following a variation of Democratic Party Lines which gives me the impression that it is not really her actual beliefs at all... although, I could be wrong here.

Trump, on the other hand, lays out how he feels, and articulates those feelings in a way that are not consistent with Republican Party Values and/or beliefs.

But, what would be most beneficial of the people of the United States not necessarily the politics of our government as it intermingles with the politics of other governments?

Who is answering that question?

Personally, I do understand that the rest of the world is not even close to our standard of living and that the world is full of poverty, poor health conditions, and in need of water and food, but is not the sovereign right of those countries in which those people live to take care of them or to not take care of them? And, if that is something that we all believe, then why should any part of America be over there helping out, especially when they do not really want our help?

Do, we really have a responsibility because of who we are and what we have to take care of the rest of the world... when there are absolutely no other countries in the world that share those same feelings to the point that they will help us with money, people, and resources.

Sadly, we sent people out around the world to help other countries when the irony is that we cannot even help ourselves these days solve our own problems.

Globalization, for instance, was not to help the American people directly (although it has helped indirectly), it was specifically designed and entered into by President Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a methodology for making our companies wealthier than they already were by focusing on selling goods and services to the rest of the world which included providing employment so that they could purchase these goods and services that were being offered.

Americans then stood around with their heads up their asses because they did not have anywhere else to put them... and, still don't for that matter.

So, when you look at these two candidates for President of our country, let me suggest that you vote for the one that will take the best care of the American People... and, it really does not matter if that preferred candidate withholds information or if they are not willing to be politically correct... because what really matters is that which is ultimately done for the American people as a whole.

• It is foolish to think that there is actually going to be a World War III...
• It is foolish to think that we are going to be taken over by Russia or China...
• It is foolish to think that the world is not going to be able to control terrorism...
• It is foolish to think that we can do anything to stop global warming...
• It is foolish to think that man will not be replaced by robots...
• It is foolish to think that we will not colonized other planets in our galaxy...
• It is foolish to think that mankind will ever exterminate itself...

And, if and when any of this starts to happen for sure, mankind will be so far advanced technologically that all of these issues will be easily solved.

Global Cooperation MUST take place in order to achieve Global Survivability!!! And, survival is the only motivational factor that we need to fully understand and appreciate... and, that motivation will kick in automatically, as our species as a whole is ever threatened... so, take pause there my friends.

The American People need a political ally, because neither the Democrats nor the Republicans care about the middle class or about the average US citizen anymore... and, it is highly doubtful that they ever did... not even in 1776, when we declared our independence from Great Britain. Our Founding Fathers, created a Democratic Republic, not a Democracy, because a Democratic Republic was in a better position to control the masses. And, these same Founding Fathers created The Electoral College that officially elects the President of the United States not the people in the general election.

So much for TRUST.

Our New House Speaker

Paul Ryan, the former vice presidential candidate, is widely cited among many of his colleagues as a likable enough chap who is polite to his elders in the hierarchy of Congress, and this makes the more rabid bomb throwers seethe.

To them, that chummy, self-enlightened pragmatism as well as his past embrace of immigration reform qualify him as a so-called RINO, a Republican in Name Only, a "squish."

Time makes ancient good uncouth, as the poem goes, and in the words of Ed Kilgore at Washington Monthly's "Political Animal" blog, "Nowadays if you are guilty of having ever supported 'amnesty' your other heresies will be uncovered, however old they are.

The other way to look at it, of course, is that the GOP continues to drift to the Right, making yesterday's ideological heroes suspect."

The House Freedom Caucus, the fractious faction of radical right-wingers gerrymandered into a permanent demolition squad, successfully conspired to bring down House Speaker John Boehner and his designated successor Kevin McCarthy.

They have for the moment agreed to support Paul Ryan's speakership, but not with the unanimity that would constitute an official endorsement.

Further, it seems that for their support to continue once he takes the job Ryan must pledge to curtail some of his powers and enable the insurgents to continue to wreak havoc on the day-to-day business of the House without fear of punishment by the grown-ups.

There's a paradox to all this.

Despite his ideological kinship with the anti-government crowd, Paul Ryan is the embodiment of the troika of money, power, and politics that corrupts and controls the capital, the very thing the tea partiers detest.

Ryan is "a creature of Washington," Red State's Erick Erickson wrote. "He worked on Capitol Hill, worked in a think tank, then went back as a congressman. He speaks Washingtonese with the best of them."      Read more: 

Ryan Does Not Want Job

WASHINGTON -- The head of the House Freedom Caucus that helped upend last week's planned choice of a new speaker predicted Sunday members of the rebellious group would "look favorably" on Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan for the top job. 

Ryan also won praise from more centrist representatives and even from a congressman who has announced his own campaign for speaker. But the 45-year-old chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, who spent the weekend with his family in Janesville, Wis., remained mum on whether he was willing to accept a role he had previously rejected.

The public courting of Ryan spotlighted the search by House Republicans to regain their footing after Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., unexpectedly withdrew his name from contention at a session that was expected to choose him to succeed Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Even so, the demands by Tea Party-aligned forces in the House for more decentralized power and more confrontational tactics by GOP leaders were still in evidence. 

"If he gets in the race, I think our group would look favorably on him," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, said on FoxNews Sunday. He called Ryan a "great communicator" and "the kind of messenger our party needs." 

The caucus, which has about 40 members, officially has endorsed Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., for speaker.

On ABC's This Week, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who is running for speaker himself, said Ryan "checks every box." Chaffetz called Ryan "a visionary" who "understand the institution."

On CNN's State of the Union, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., an ally of Boehner, said he hoped Ryan would decide to run.    Read More:

Washington Politicians Mall Citizens

While ISIS roams the plains freely like America's ancient buffalo, Washington Politicians drink martinis and eat prime rib in an effort to bolster to courage to send “boots on the ground” back into the Middle East where they know futility awaits them.

Russia and China sit on opposite sides of the field but on the 50 yard line in front row seats rather than plush sky boxes watching in amusement as America continues to spend money like a drunken sailor who just got a 96 hour liberty in a sinful Singapore port.

Americans ignore it all which is typical for this time of the year as they change genders or dress for fancy artistic opening or hit balls around on a field of grass and avoid going to California since they are getting a little low on water.

Professionals who make their living crushing their bodies into others, re-evaluate their mindless efforts realizing that The 6 Million Dollar Man was just a television and not something real on which they could count on during their sunset years.

Our children learn by memorizing and forgetting as they no longer need to place their hands on a hot stove to learn a valuable lesson and teachers applaud themselves for high test schools while professor in college are baffled as to why their student cannot think or write.

Religious leaders spend more time committing sins than their combined congregation but have found a way to keep it all on the “down low” while collecting money each Sunday because they are a legitimate charity or non-profit with reasonable purposes.

Healthcare costs have migrated across the Bearing Straights of Reasonable Logic so that only the wealthy can afford to get sick and will soon realize that if they do not save the poor, no one will buy the products that made them wealthy in the first place.

News casters play mental shuffleboard on the decks of people's thoughts giving them just enough information about what is going on to be dangerously ill informed while the NSA continues to figure out ways to continue collecting data so that they can serve and protect.

Our two party political system is recognized and respected worldwide but in reality both parties dress in the same clothes, are members of the same club, invest their millions in the same stock, and are out-of-touch with the common man resulting in a one party system with 2 somewhat different but similar approaches to maintain the status quo.

America is a ZOO and a breeding ground for ZOO KEEPERS who are blind to the fact that America is losing its foothold(s) throughout the rest of the world and that it is dropping down in prestige and economic might and will soon become third or perhaps fourth to China, India, and Russia respectively.

And what is really amazing to me because it is so overwhelmingly ignored is the fact that because of all the recent ethnic births in America, Caucasians will soon be a minority behind Asians, Hispanics, and Blacks and that change will alter the culture of America and her politics forever... and, not even our billionaires like Gates and Buffet can stop it...

Do you ever read anything about that in newspapers, magazines or hear it being reported on the news? And, while that change will SAVE America it will make life in the US very, very different from what it is today... with the distinct possibility that our language could one day change to Spanish.

And if our politicians actually brought that to anyone's attention, they would be voted out of office.

If you think you should read between the lines to see if there isn't some kind of incorrect sarcasm being spoken here, just perform an internet search on where America's educated children rank relative to the rest of the world...

And, bear in mind that our children today will be our leaders tomorrow...

I believe that we rank around 14^th or 17^th in the world... when only a few years ago, we were number 1... so, what happened?

And, more importantly... why are we not doing anything about it???

But, one thing is for sure and that is Americans know how to party, spend money, and go “asshole deep” in credit card debt.

How many politicians have expressed alarm or concern that the economy of China is larger than the economy of America?

How many politicians have expressed alarm or concern that the Middle Class here is America is dwindling and that the wealthy class to which these politicians all belong is increasing?

How many politicians have expressed alarm or concern that our Senior Citizens and/or those who have retired or will be retiring do not have the financial ability to survive because of healthcare costs brought about by big business and lobbyists?

Well... ladies and gentlemen... I can write my heart out and nothing will change until you, the people, stand up and demand change and do so by voting these assholes out of office. In 2016, we will vote and elect a new President of the US but in reality, nothing will change even though the political party in power might change...

Why?

1. Because entitlements will never be taken away
2. Because neither party cares about the declining middle class
3. Because neither party really knows what to do about education
4. Because both parties only care about re-election
5. Because both parties believe the general public will do nothing

And, here's the KICKER... Two-third of America's debt or 66.6% is owned by foreign countries with China owning the most at 1/3^rd or 33.3%.

• How did America's Politicians let this happen?
• How did the General Public let this happen?

Globalization has caused our middle class to shrink... and globalization will continue to exist until a global equilibrium is reached resulting in a NEW Global Middleclass of people.

And, Americans are POWERLESS and IMPOTENT to stop it from happening because most of us just care about the here and now.

We are allowing it to happen to ourselves rather than fighting or resisting... which places America and her General Public in the large and wondering category of SUBMISSIVENESS... and, maybe that is why Fifty Shades of Grey was such a popular book and movie.

The macho American died when John Wayne died.

Dirty Politics -- Americans Pay Price

Those of you who know me, and I realized that very few people on this forum know me, I am not one to take sides on politics from either a Democratic or Republican point-of-view; although, I have no problems letting anyone who wants to know that I am a conservative liberal...

WTF???

Isn't that a contradiction?

No, not at all.

I am conservative when it comes to spending money that I don't have or that our Government does not have to pay for entitlement programs that I have and will continue to enjoy until they are eliminated. However, most of my other views are rather liberal in nature.

There is something currently going on in the country of ours that is going to hurt All Americans regardless of party affiliations, unless you are wealthy or part of the 1%.

So, back to the point.

Did You Know that...?

On January 15, 2015 or thereabouts, the Republican controlled House passed legislation that would literally destroy recently passed Wall Street reforms. The bill, introduced by Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), is called the

Promoting Job Creation and

Reducing Small Business Burdens Act, but its name obscures what it would actually do. The legislation is a compilation of deregulatory bills that failed to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate in the last Congress. It would alter nearly a dozen provisions of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law, loosening regulation of Wall Street banks.

Why is this important to me and why should it be important to you?

In the fall of 2008, a financial crisis of a monumental scale took place in this country that left millions of Americans unemployed and resulted in lost wealth in the TRILLIONS.
This financial crisis can be attributed to Wall Street, Banks, and Real Estate Brokers but the biggest culprit was by far Wall Street.
I personally lost 80% of my financial wealth which was being set aside in investments that I thought, along with many others, was relatively secure. I was still able to retire but not with the financial security that I had in 2008.
Our broken financial regulatory system was a principal cause of that crisis. It was fragmented, antiquated, and allowed large parts of the financial system to operate with little or no oversight. And it allowed some irresponsible lenders to use hidden fees and fine print to take advantage of consumers.
To make sure that a crisis like this never happens again, President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law. The most far reaching Wall Street reform in history, Dodd-Frank will prevent the excessive risk-taking that led to the financial crisis.
The law also provides common-sense protections for American families, creating new consumer watchdog to prevent mortgage companies and pay-day lenders from exploiting consumers.
These new rules will build a safer, more stable financial system—one that provides a robust foundation for lasting economic growth and job creation.
It is not secret among the wealthy and those in the know that the financial crisis was the result of a fundamental failure from Wall Street to Washington.
What it all boils down to is that some on Wall Street took irresponsible risks that they didn’t fully understand and Washington did not have the authority to properly monitor or constrain risk-taking at the largest firms.
So, here's a good question:
Did some of our brightest people in the country simply overlook this loophole or was this SNAFU intentional and planned but not expected to be so severe?
Consequently, when the financial crisis hit, no one had the tools to break apart or wind down a failing financial firm without putting the American taxpayer and the entire financial system at risk.

Therefore, we just had to let it play out as we watched from the sidelines in dispair...

The shock was like 9/11 all over again... and, the general public forget about it just as quickly.

In 2008, the Stock Market was right around 12,000 and today it is right around 17,000 so it has more than made back its losses but that is not the point.

The point is that our Republican controlled Congress is trying to remove all Wall Street controls and restitution for either helping them to stay in Congress or join Congress for the first time.

Why else would Republicans be doing this?

Do they (Republicans) really think that they are helping Small Businesses?

If so, I have got some swamp land in Florida or a Mexican Time Share I 'd like to sell them.

For those of you who were not aware of need reminding.

• The Republican Party is against big governement and in favor of big businesses, not labor
• The Democratic Party is for big government and in favor of labor, not businesses

There are a few others platforms associated with each party, some major to people and some minor to people, but the bulleted items above is the bread and butter beliefs.

What amazes me more than anything else is the fact that most Americans are either not aware of what either the Republicans or the Democrats are doing and DON'T CARE... Part of me says why keep trying to get them interested... just let the enjoy the harvest of the crops they are not planting. But, part of me says that I should keep trying.

My wife and I are financially protected regardless of what happens on Wall Street until I am 101 and she is 96, neither of which we will ever see, so why bother? My wife's son is also protected and my daughter live overseas as an expat living in the exact area where global economic growth is moving towards... so, she is covered also. My ex wife, well I wish that she gets all that she thinks she deserves because there ain't nothing left that she can get out of me.

Fitzpatrick is a member of the House financial services committee and between 2013 and 2014, he received more than $310,000 in donations from the finance and banking sector, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Fitzpatrick legislation signals the beginning of a sustained assault on Dodd-Frank by the new GOP Congress.
It is time for Americans to take responsibility for their future.

Opps... Did I Say That?

Earlier this week, Huckabee ended his Fox News talk show so he could spend time mulling another bid for the Republican nomination. If the contents of Huckabee's latest book - due out January 20th - are any indication, the overarching message of that campaign will be that the government is, um, having its way with the American public in a method that Huckabee, a Christian conservative, finds rather repulsive.

"Bend Over and Take it Like a Prisoner!" is the title of the 10th chapter of Huckabee's 12th book, God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy - which, as a whole, is an achievement in the genre of poorly written pandering.

The chapter, ostensibly about the TSA and IRS, is a soaring crescendo of latent homosexuality homoeroticism cloaked in almost libertarian – but not libertine! – conservatism.

It opens with Huckabee's dramatic recollection of going through security at the airport. "Where else would I be ordered to stand still, put up my hands, and have my personal belongings taken and searched without a warrant or probable cause?" He asks.

"After years of this indignity, much of the flying public thinks little of it, and they usually don't complain. They just dutifully stand there, bend over, and take it like a prisoner."

Clickbait title notwithstanding, Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner! is not devoid of substance. Although Huckabee's condescending tone - like that of an elementary school history teacher - makes it difficult to take seriously.

He takes aim at the Department of Homeland Security and the USA Patriot Act: "…did anyone anticipate that not many terrorists would really get punished as a result of this act, but that American citizens would?"

He then quotes Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

"What would Ben say today?" Huckabee wonders. "Would he cheerfully go through a full-body scanner that electronically strip-searched him and then allow a federal agent to put his blue-gloved hands inside his pants and over his thighs, crotch, and upper body for the sake of domestic travel on a privately owned commercial carrier?

I'll bet you a Benjamin that he most certainly would not. (Come to think of it, though, kite flying Ben would definitely be in awe of this and every other use of…electricity! Also airplane flight, but I digress.)"

He then provides some insight into his psyche - complete with Animal House reference.

While excoriating the IRS, Huckabee brings his readers along on a flashback to his youth.

"They remind me of a sadistic coach at my high school who used to enjoy 'giving licks' to teen boys for any infraction of his rules.

Just so you know, 'giving licks' was the term used to describe the coach hitting the butt of a student with a short-handled boat paddle, riddled with holes to minimize wind resistance and enhance striking power…The coach had a rule that if you got a 'lick' you were required to say, 'Thanks, coach, may I have another one?'

And most often he would say, 'Sure,' and pop you again. One might get three or four before the coach finally said, 'No, I think you've had enough,' and stop his twisted abuse of a helpless adolescent. Whenever I think of the IRS, I see that coach standing with his paddle, expecting em to say, 'Thanks, IRS, may I have another one?’"

In closing, Huckabee condemns the current US government for being a "ham-fisted, hypercontrolling 'Sugar Daddy,’ " that has conditioned Americans "to just bend over and take it like a prisoner." But, Huckabee writes, "In Bubba-ville, the days of bending are just about over. People are ready to start standing up for freedom and refusing to take it anymore."

Now, the book does include a disclaimer on the back cover.

What Republicans Want

The Republicans have a pitch for you. It’s a very simple pitch: do what we want now, and maybe – just maybe – we’ll consider the possibility of doing something you want later. 

No guarantees, no promises, and don’t quote us on that, but rest assured that if you agree to what we want now, then we’ll definitely think about it. Definitely maybe. Perhaps.

That was the offer House Republicans made to Barack Obama in anticipation of his executive action on immigration. 

Hold off on the unilateral action, they said, and there might be a chance that the Republican-controlled House (the same legislative body that denied George W. Bush immigration reform and killed the most recent bipartisan legislation) would defy all the odds and expectations and pass a bill of some sort. 

Obama, quite sensibly, refused their entreaties and plowed ahead. The GOP claimed that in doing so, Obama “poisoned the well” and precluded any chance of real reform passing – anabsurd and stupid argument that, not surprisingly, is very popular with pundits.

One of the political impacts of Obama’s decision was to drive a huge wedge between the establishment Republicans who want to prove the GOP can govern and the hardcore conservatives who want to burn the government down to stop Obama’s “executive amnesty.” 

This posed a big problem for Republican leaders who want to show that they’re really mad at Obama, but also want to avert the political suicide of a government shutdown. 

And so to get themselves out of this jam, Republican leaders are making basically the same pitch to conservatives that they made to Obama: give us the government funding we want now, and we’ll see what happens next year.

Politico reported yesterday that the brilliant minds of the Republican leadership were coalescing around a novel approach to the immigration fight: fully fund most of the government until late 2015, but carve out a short-term continuing resolution for “immigration enforcement related funding.” 

That continuing resolution would expire at some point early next year, after the GOP takes control of Congress, at which point they can have the immigration funding fight that conservatives are pushing for. They’ve apparently taken to calling this hybrid monstrosity the “Cromnibus” – CR, plus “omnibus.”

And they’re doing this because everything, as a rule, is terrible.

How They Operate

Mitch McConnell (above), the Kentucky Republican who will likely be our next Senate majority leader has an astounding ability to lie, dissemble, and misrepresent himself to voters, according to Michael Tomasky special correspondent The Daily Beast and editor of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas. 

In a recent debate he routinely said “my position is X”.

So this is how, with a 30-year Senate record that you’d think you might be able to boast about, you win reelection: By completely misrepresenting who you’ve been for the last six years, and by saying “Obama” every 45 seconds.

Misrepresentations were numerous, but let’s just zero in on student loans.McConnell responded that the Senate had taken care of the issue in a bipartisan fashion. But it didn’t. And McConnell said publicly at the time that he was against Warren’s plan because it was “designed to fail” since it would raise taxes on rich people.

McConnell similarly talked out of both sides of his mouth on the minimum wage, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and other issues.

If he wins, Kentuckians will have the pleasure of knowing who their senator voted for in 2012 while he spends the next six years positioning himself to the right of Exxon-Mobil (which at least supports a carbon tax) and blocking any attempt to do anything about global warming.

McConnell’s real lie, had to do with Obamacare. As you may know by now, he said yes, sure, keep Kynect, the state’s roaringly successful health-insurance exchange set up under the health-care law.

After all, it’s “just a website.”

This was the moment when I was wondering how Grimes’s head could possibly stay in one piece. As McConnell well knows, Kynect is not just a website. 

It’s a state health-care program that citizens happen to be able to access through a website. 

Kentuckians go on to the Kynect website to see what types of insurance coverage are available to them under the Kynect program, which exists solely because of Obamacare.

It’s amazing, the audacity of it.

Given that half a million Kentuckians have signed up for insurance through Kynect, isn’t this just a little more important?

What’s worse is that he knows he can get away with saying something like that because he is well aware that the explanation of why he’s lying is a little complicated for the average voter to take in.

And, therein lies our problem…  the average voter does not care about what politicians say or do, all they care about is what is the government going to do or not going to do for them.

For the average American, it is life as usual no matter which Political Party is in power at the moment.  Americans do the best that they can to survive.

The wealthy slide through because they are wealthy, hiding most of their money in offshore bank accounts to avoid paying taxes while at the same time claim to be proud Americans.

The poor slide through because the government will always be put in a position to take care of them and their families as the price we pay for being a Democratic Republic.

The middle class assumes the burden and will always assume the burden but again, they are simply focused on trying to acquire as much as they can and do not really care which Political Party is in control because in reality both parties are composed of the elite and wealthy; they belong to the same clubs and attend the same parties and vacation in the same locations; they just have a slightly different approach to keeping their wealth and helping out the rest of us.

Scapegoats

Personal Opinion:  I would think all Politicians and all people (male/female) who are in positions of power are a little “oily” at times.  We live in an imperfect world and we are “flawed” because of our egos, biases or pre-conceived ideas, and jealousies.   And, very few of us do any kind of introspection outside of being pragmatic and believing the ends justify the means.  If you are honest with yourself which very few of us are, you will reluctantly admit this is true…

The ex-governor and his wife were accused of trading official government favors to businessman Jonnie Williams for more than $165,000 in loans and gifts, including a Rolex watch, luxurious vacations, a Ferrari ride and a $20,000 New York City shopping spree. Jurors convicted Bob McDonnell on all 11 corruption counts; Maureen McDonnell was found guilty of eight corruption counts as well as an obstruction of justice charge. They were both acquitted on charges of lying on loan documents.

The McDonnells could face lengthy prison terms and hefty fines; the sentencing is set to take place on Jan. 6, according to news reports. McDonnell defense attorney Hank Asbill told reporters that the couple will appeal the verdicts. The former governor himself made a brief comment outside the court, telling reporters: “All I can say is my trust belongs in the Lord.”

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department said the conviction should be considered a strong warning against public corruption.

“In pursuit of a lifestyle that they could ill afford, McDonnell and his wife eagerly accepted luxury items, designer clothes, free vacations and the businessman’s offer to pay the costs of their daughter’s wedding,” 

Caldwell said in a statement. “In return, McDonnell put the weight of the governor’s mansion behind the businessman’s corporate interests. The former governor was elected to serve the people of Virginia, but his corrupt actions instead betrayed them.”  Read more:

Rise of The Tea Party

Ronald Reagan

SUNDAY, OCT 27, 2013 09:30 AM EDT

Reagan’s Southern strategy gave rise to the Tea Party

By leveraging race and religion — especially in the South — he set an example for today's bitter politics

BY LAWRENCE FREEDMAN

Late in the 1960s the practice of political campaigning in the United States began to be transformed. New techniques meant that it was increasingly possible to disseminate messages to extraordinary numbers of potential voters, tailored to the interests and views of particular constituencies. At the same time attitudes were in flux, a consequence of the past decade’s social upheavals, and the old party machines were declining in influence. All these factors combined to accentuate the established tendency in political strategy to accentuate the negative.

When journalist James Perry wrote about The New Politics in 1968 his focus was on technique and not about how protests, demonstrations, civil disobedience, and community organizations might be shaking up the old elite. He explained how polling and marketing were becoming more sophisticated, and even drew attention to the potential uses of computers. Perry described how the moderate George Romney was taking advantage of these techniques in the race for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination. By the time the book was published, however, Romney’s campaign had collapsed, having failed to connect with voters. The new techniques could only take you so far.

The importance of a media image had been underlined in different ways in the previous two elections. John Kennedy had famously gained an advantage over Richard Nixon in the televised presidential debate in 1960, and then the possibilities of negative advertising had been underlined by one used by the Democrats against Barry Goldwater in 1964. This showed a small girl counting daisies as a missile countdown began leading toward a nuclear explosion, with President Johnson in the background urging peace. This became identified as a turning point in technique. It played on an established image of Goldwater’s recklessness. The appeal of the ad was emotional. It contained no facts and Goldwater’s name was not mentioned.

The limitations of technique when combined with an uncertain message were illustrated by Nixon’s 1968 Presidential campaign. Joe McGinnis’s “Selling of the President” captured the idea that someone so unprepossessing could be turned into a marketable political product. The aim was to attach a positive, moderate image to Nixon. But this cautious approach was not wholly successful. The margin of victory was surprisingly narrow.

To read entire article, click here…

Women Provided the Leadership Needed

Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) stated last week that their female colleagues can take most of the credit for driving the compromise that is expected to temporarily reopen the U.S. government and raise the debt ceiling before Thursday's deadline.

"Leadership, I must fully admit, was provided primarily from women in the Senate," McCain said after the bipartisan deal was announced.

Pryor said that people sometimes like to joke about women in leadership, but he is a huge fan of his female colleagues after watching them negotiate. "The truth is, women in the Senate is a good thing," he said. "We're all just glad they allowed us to tag along so we could see how it's done."

Following weeks of stagnation, The New York Times reported on Monday that a bipartisan group of women senators was playing a crucial role in opening discussions between Republicans and Democrats over how to move forward and reopen the government.

Out of the 14 senators on the bipartisan committee that laid the framework for the debt deal, six were women. Susan Collins (R-Maine) started the group, and Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) took part in negotiations.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that women were so heavily involved in trying to end this stalemate,” Collins told The New York Times. “Although we span the ideological spectrum, we are used to working together in a collaborative way.”

Klobuchar said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" last week that the friendships the Senate women have developed will help them work together to craft a long-term budget without the counterproductive barbs that some politicians throw at each other when they don't agree.

“The 20 women in the Senate have formed such strong friendships of trust, even though we come from different places, that I’m very hopeful as we go forward with Patty Murray, head of the Budget Committee, Barbara Mikulski, head of Approprations,” Klobuchar said. “Those relationships are going to make a difference as we get into what matters, which is the long-term budget.”  Read more…

Be Like US

The looming prospect of a US default on debt prompted China to call for the world to “de-Americanize”, amid warnings of a new global recession.

In China, Xinhua, the official government news agency, said that as American politicians continued to flounder over a deal to break the impasse, “it is perhaps a good time for the befuddled world to start considering building a de-Americanized world”.

The jibe came as Christine Lagarde, the International Monetary Fund chief, raised the spectra of a repeat of the 2008 financial crash as hopes dwindled for a resolution of the crisis over the debt ceiling and partial government shutdown.

Harry Reid, the leader of the Democrat-controlled Senate and Mitch McConnell, who heads the Republican minority, met on Sunday for “preliminary” talks following the acrimonious collapse of negotiations between the White House and Republicans in the lower chamber.

Jack Lew, the Treasury secretary, has said that the US will run out of money to pay its bills on Thursday if Congress does not authorize an increase in federal borrowing limits.

Ms. Lagarde (left) repeated her warning about the impact of failing to raise the debt ceiling following the fund’s annual meeting of finance ministers in Washington.

“If there is that degree of disruption, that lack of certainty, that lack of trust in the US signature, it would mean massive disruption the world over,” she told NBC’s Meet the Press program. “And we would be at risk of tipping, yet again, into recession.”

Xinhua attacked America’s pre-eminent position in the world, adding that “such alarming days when the destinies of others are in the hands of a hypocritical nation have to be terminated”.

State-run newspapers nonetheless have also noted the inseparable economic ties which bind China and the US together. China is the biggest foreign holder of US Treasury bonds, worth a total of $1.28 trillion according to American government data.

“The cyclical stagnation in Washington for a viable bipartisan solution over a federal budget and an approval for raising debt ceiling has again left many nations’ tremendous dollar assets in jeopardy and the international community highly agonized,” said the commentary.

Back in Washington, Mr. Reid did not strike a particularly optimistic tone as he described the first meeting with Mr. McConnell. “I hope that our talking is some solace to the American people and the world,” was the best he could offer after leaving the discussions. 

Power and Purpose

Julia Gillard

Australia's former prime minister (above) breaks her silence, writing exclusively for Guardian Australia on her legacy, her hopes for a new Labor leader… and the pain of losing power.

During the election campaign, an elderly lady in Melbourne’s west grips my arm with surprising force. Next day I have light bruises to remind me of the moment. She looks at me with anxiety in her eyes and says that while she reads and watches all the news she just can’t understand what the election campaign is about. She wants to know, is this her fault or the fault of the campaign?

After a resounding Labor loss, that word “fault” is now everywhere. Exhaustion and emotion have been on sad display in the last few days. But though it is so painful and so hard, now is a time for cool analysis.

It is a time to carefully plan Labor’s future and its next contribution to the nation.

The purpose of power

Are election victories the only measure of political success? Inevitably this seems a silly, self-serving question to ask after a defeat.

But surely our national story is written in more than the statistics of election night. Our national story is shaped by what endures from a government as well as what is rejected.

It is impossible to imagine modern Australia without Medicare, our universal healthcare scheme, which was introduced by the Whitlam government, repealed by the Coalition and then introduced by Labor again. This reform has become so significant a part of our national story that the political contest which surrounded its birth is now over. 

No serious candidate for public office runs on a platform opposing Medicare. Today's Australia is not home to the kind of conservatives who would be ideological enough or dumb enough to contemplate such a political campaign. If anything, the national mood around Medicare is one of smug complacency. 

How much smarter are we than the Americans, still struggling with health reform, we think to ourselves.

Despite the shattering defeat of the Whitlam government, despite Bob Hawke being toppled as prime minister by his Labor colleagues, despite the savage loss of the Keating Government, Medicare is there. Labor shaped the national consensus and bettered our nation.

Even in the midst of today’s despair, Labor must not surrender its sense of self as defined by its dominance over so much of what is our national consensus. Indeed, a truly striking feature of Tony Abbott’s election campaign is how little he was prepared to challenge Labor’s hold over our national consensus.

Think first of that historic conservative touchstone, workplace relations.   Read entire article: