The Onion: ‘Revelations From Hillary Clinton’s New Memoir- What Happened’

Source:The Onion– Hillary R. Clinton: What happened?

Source:The Daily Review

“What Happened, a new memoir detailing the trials and tribulations of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, was released today, with Clinton supporters and detractors already divided on its contents. Here are some of Hillary’s bombshell revelations:

From The Onion

“Highlights From The First Presidential Debate”

Source:The Onion– The Donald Trump squaring off against Hillary R. Clinton in 2016.

From The Onion

What happened? Hillary Clinton might be the only person asking that question as far as how she’s the first American presidential candidate to ever lose to a reality TV star who for the last 35 years in Donald Trump’s case is mostly famous simply for being a New York celebrity. A career public servant in Hillary Clinton who has serious foreign policy, national security, and domestic policy experience and knowledge, versus a professional reality TV star who was a reality TV star before that term was ever invented.

Hillary Clinton losing to Donald Trump in a presidential election, would be like George H.W. Bush or Lyndon Johnson, losing a presidential election to Paris Hilton or any Kardashian you want to name: it’s one of those: “I don’t believe what I just saw moments and I just saw that.” (To paraphrase the great sportscaster Jack Buck) Or the New England Patriots losing the Super Bowl to an expansion team.

I mean, would it have killed Hillary Clinton to eat a cheeseburger in Pittsburgh at any point between September and November last year. Stop for some chill in Cincinnati, have a steak in Columbus. Stop in Milwaukee or Madison, Green Bay and have some bratwurst and beer, even take in a football game. Sure! She probably would have gained a few pounds and been accused by New York and San Francisco yuppies as being a common person and perhaps not have as much wine and cheese and caviar, or whatever fancy yuppie meals she’s accustomed to having in New York, but it would have been for a good cause. Which is trying to get votes that you need when you’re running for President of the United States.

There simply not enough yuppies, people who hang out in coffee houses and work in new-tech, or as college professors for a Democrat to be elected President of the United States. And trying to rely on people who generally don’t vote unless they see a candidate who uses the same smartphone as they do, watches the same reality show, shares the same coffee drink as their favorite coffee drink, listens to the same music, (referring to college students and other young adults) there not enough voters there to make up for average Americans who take voting seriously and want to feel a real connection with the people they’re considering voting for. Talking about blue-collar and other middle class Democrats who voted for Donald Trump. As hard as it is to believe.

There’s nothing average and working class about Donald Trump. Except for qualifications to be President of the United States. To say Donald Trump is an average Joe, or a blue-collar billionaire (as he calls himself) is like saying that Tori Spelling and Paris Hilton are famous because of their great talents as entertainers. And not because of who their father’s are. I mean, how many truck drivers do you know who own a golf club in Florida, as well as a vacation home and live in a penthouse in New York?

To try to sound serious for a minute (and that might be only a minute) the reasons why Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 are the same reasons she lost the Democratic presidential primary in 2008. It really gets down to one person which is the person that she sees in the mirror when she’s the only one there. To put it bluntly: she comes off as an actress and not a real person. Someone playing a part instead of a real person. People in Pennsylvania had more trust and faith in a guy selling Brooklyn bridges and South Dakota beach homes (in Donald Trump) than a woman who might very well be the most qualified presidential candidate we’ve ever seen.

And that has nothing to do with Russia, or the fact that Hillary is obviously a woman, especially when you consider that less than half of Caucasian women voted for her for president. American voters like to know who they’re voting for generally and decided as much as I disagree with this, but that Donald Trump even with his never-ending list of faults that probably deserve multiple great books and documentaries to cover all of them (CNN has produced most of them) that he was a better suited to be President than she was. Even though they overwhelmingly believed that Hillary was more qualified to be President than Donald.

The last and most important reason why Hillary Clinton was appointed Secretary of State in 2009 instead of being sworn in as President of the United States or spending 2017 writing a book on why she lost the 2016 presidential election, instead of being too busy to write a book like that because she has an administration to run as President, has to do with entitlement. Being a Democrat and the first female major presidential candidate, is not enough reason for Americans in at least the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin for them to vote for her to be President.

American voters are kind of stubborn and even prickly and actually expect their presidential candidates to offer them little annoying things like vision and reasons for voting for them. Other than the candidates saying: “Hey, you might not like me, but you should hate my opponent more, because of these reasons.” Not being Donald Trump in 2016 was not enough reason for Americans to elect Hillary Clinton as President. That is why she’s not President Hillary Clinton right now. She didn’t introduce the real Hillary Clinton to enough voters and give enough for them reasons to vote for her and not just against Donald Trump.

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Erik Schneider on Facebook: Chris Kirk: Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice Cabinet Generator

Source: This piece was originally posted at Erik Schneider on Facebook: Chris Kirk: Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice Cabinet Generator

This is exactly why I don’t see Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as nothing more than his latest reality show. That will become a movie titled something to the effect “Who Wants Donald Trump For President?’ Available at your local independent movie theater (if it doesn’t go straight to Netflix or DVD) by the spring or summer of 2017. Donald Trump’s campaign theme should be called, “When Reality TV meets the Real World.” And perhaps that could also be his alternative movie tittle for his next reality show or movie. If you just look at his supposed campaign spokespeople on cable news/cable talk, these are not professional politicos or politicians. Other than Jeff Lord at CNN. They’re business people and Hollywood and New York celebs who’ve worked for the Trump Organization. Which is his business.

The Republican Party is so screwed up right now that their inmates are running their prison. Or their kids are running their household with their prison staff or parents powerless to take back the prison or house. Until their inmates or kids meet their demands. The Far-Right of the GOP, is tired of their leadership trying to govern with the Democrats and trying to reach out to new voters who don’t look and think like them. Whatever you think of The Donald he’s a very successful businessman. And just because he’s stupid about government, policy and anything that involves the President of the United States and is less qualified to be President than Sarah Palin and a current president of a college student body, he knows a great business venture when he sees one.

Thanks to The Donald and the Republican Party, we now have a national network reality show that is shown by all of our news networks and broadcast networks, instead of just NBC. And celebrity culture and celebrity news have taken over our politics and current affairs. If you think Congress sucks and is an embarrassment, you haven’t followed the Trump Campaign very closely. Maybe you’ve been vacationing in Mongolia or did something so horrible that you were given a long-term sentence there and you’ve just been released. But Congress, other than Senator Jeff Sessions who just endorses The Donald, looks very responsible and competent compared with the Trump Campaign. That is run by New York and Hollywood insiders who think American politics is so boring that they have to make it look like reality TV in order to get people to vote. And what America gets in return is an international embarrassment compared with the rest of the developed world.

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Slate: Chris Kirk- Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice Cabinet Generator

Source: Slate Magazine 

Source: This piece was originally posted at The Daily Review

This is exactly why I don’t see Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as nothing more than his latest reality show. That will become a movie titled something to the effect “Who Wants Donald Trump For President?’ Available at your local independent movie theater (if it doesn’t go straight to Netflix or DVD) by the spring or summer of 2017. Donald Trump’s campaign theme should be called, “When Reality TV meets the Real World.” And perhaps that could also be his alternative movie tittle for his next reality show or movie. If you just look at his supposed campaign spokespeople on cable news/cable talk, these are not professional politicos or politicians. Other than Jeff Lord at CNN. They’re business people and Hollywood and New York celebs who’ve worked for the Trump Organization. Which is his business.

The Republican Party is so screwed up right now that their inmates are running their prison. Or their kids are running their household with their prison staff or parents powerless to take back the prison or house. Until their inmates or kids meet their demands. The Far-Right of the GOP, is tired of their leadership trying to govern with the Democrats and trying to reach out to new voters who don’t look and think like them. Whatever you think of The Donald he’s a very successful businessman. And just because he’s stupid about government, policy and anything that involves the President of the United States and is less qualified to be President than Sarah Palin and a current president of a college student body, he knows a great business venture when he sees one.

Thanks to The Donald and the Republican Party, we now have a national network reality show that is shown by all of our news networks and broadcast networks, instead of just NBC. And celebrity culture and celebrity news have taken over our politics and current affairs. If you think Congress sucks and is an embarrassment, you haven’t followed the Trump Campaign very closely. Maybe you’ve been vacationing in Mongolia or did something so horrible that you were given a long-term sentence there and you’ve just been released. But Congress, other than Senator Jeff Sessions who just endorses The Donald, looks very responsible and competent compared with the Trump Campaign. That is run by New York and Hollywood insiders who think American politics is so boring that they have to make it look like reality TV in order to get people to vote. And what America gets in return is an international embarrassment compared with the rest of the developed world.
The Film Theorist: Film Theory- How Donald Trump is Winning With Reality TV

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Slate: Josh Voorhees: It’s Official: Sarah Palin Endorses Donald Trump: A Match Made For Saturday Night Live

Source: This piece was originally posted at The Daily Review: Slate: Josh Voorhees: It’s Official: Sarah Palin Endorses Donald Trump: A Match Made For Saturday Night Live

I think the only thing that could make the Sarah Palin endorsement of Donald Trump any better is for The Donald, if he goes on to win the GOP nomination for president to nominate Governor Palin as his vice presidential nominee. They wouldn’t bother having to raise any more money themselves at that point, because they could go on Saturday Night Live every week and play themselves. And give the comedians who normally play The Donald and The Hockey Mom, a few months much deserved vacation. Perhaps Tina Fey and the guy who plays The Donald, could come in and do post-Donald-Hockey Mom commentary about their performance on SNL. Now can The Donald get Michele Bachmann out of the mental hospital long enough, or prison, to endorse him for president as well?

I know Sarah Palin is no genius and by the way Alaska is not a good place for sunbathing in January either. For anyone who loves obvious comments and if you do please seek help, or don’t talk to me. But Sarah is endorsing a man who kept Planned Parenthood and the Clinton Foundation in business in the 2000s. Who at least in the past has been very pro-choice and not just on abortion, but gambling, medical marijuana and I’m sure a whole bunch of other social issues. Who once supported single payer health insurance reform. Who said in the summer of 2004 that the American economy does better under Democrats. Back when The Donald actually spoke the truth from time to time. And this is the guy whose supposed to lead the next conservative revolution.

Is The Donald a grassroots Conservative, or is he a Democratic Socialist who would probably make a good running mate for Bernie Sanders. With The Donald making the case that American business’s would do well under socialism, because The Donald is a Socialist and a very wealthy businessman. By the way, is Sarah Palin a grassroots Conservative, or a political satirist who knows less about politics and current affairs than Hawaiians know about ice fishing in Nova Scotia. Who is less qualified to run any government than your average mailman is to give you a much need lifesaving heart transplant. If I’m Ted Cruz right now, I’m actually happy about this. Because now Donald Trump and his marijuana high supporters can’t say that Ted is the brain-dead nut in the race. Because Sarah Palin didn’t endorse him.

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The Onion: House Speaker Paul Ryan Discovers Half-Finished Escape Tunnel Leading Out of Speaker’s Office

Source: This piece was originally posted at The Daily Review: The Onion: House Speaker Paul Ryan Discovers Half-Finished Escape Tunnel Leading Out of Speaker’s Office

After spending a few months trying to lead the Tea Party and rest of the House Republican Conference, which might be harder than trying to lead a pack of wild horses for the very first time, new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan might be looking for an escape tunnel in the Speaker’s office. “What have I gotten myself into? I can’t lead these people, no one can. It’s like trying to tell Anarchists what to do.” Speaker Ryan’s first quote walking into his first House Republican Conference meeting as Speaker. Well according to The Onion anyway. But The Onion is more reliable than Fox News and MSNBC combined.

Speaker Ryan, is going to have to lead a pack of wild wolves and get them to do things that they see as sinful. Like funding government agencies, because you have to know that the House Tea Party Caucus, doesn’t believe in governing. Even though they supposedly serve in government. Just one of their ironies. He’s going to have to lead a Republican Conference that has no problems shutting down the government, even if it means getting exactly what they don’t want at the end of the day.

Paul Ryan, is no longer chairing the House Budget Committee or the Ways and Means Committee. Where he can get away with passing legislation that will pass with only Republican votes in committee and then pass on the House floor on a party-line as well. And watch it die in the Senate like fish out of water. As Speaker, Ryan is responsible for passing legislation that can become law. Pass the Senate and then be signed by the President as well and of course pass in the House. And that means working with who the Tea Party sees as a Socialist Muslim Devil. Who secretly funds ISIS to kill Americans. Thats right, President Barack Obama.

And to do these things he’s going to have to do a couple of things that are seen as four-letter cuss words with the Tea Party. Govern and compromise with Democrats. Even though govern has six letters and compromise has ten letters. A little Tea Party math for you and these things won’t be easy for him to do. The Tea Party sees themselves as Middle Eastern dictators, even though most of them are of Anglo-Saxon Protestant background and are House backbenchers. Not even freshman senators and live by the childish code, “if I can’t have that house, burn it down.”

It’s not so much Paul Ryan I’m making fun, but the people he’s now responsible for leading. Ryan, I believe is a good intelligent man who sees himself as a legislature who may end up dying in Congress even if his whole career is in the House, because he loves it so much and wants to do the right things. But like with football, a coach is only as good as his staff and his players. Then its up to him to get the most out of what he has to work with. And like with Congress a leader is only as good as his staff, his leadership team, his committee chairman and his troops.

Trying to get the Tea Party to compromise on anything is like trying to tell kids they can’t have cake for dinner and have to do their homework before they play video games. Speaker Ryan is going to hand his hands full and I wish him the best. Because for government to work, he’s going to have to be able to work with Democrats and then sell that to his troops. He’s going to have to tell his troops to vote to fund government agencies that the Tea Party believes doesn’t exist, at least in the U.S. Constitution. Which is like trying to sell broccoli for desert and doing your homework for fun to ten-year olds. Lets wish the new Speaker the best, he’s going to need it as well as the luck of the Wisconsin Irish and perhaps some Jack Daniels whisky as well.

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The Onion: Nathan Eckert- ‘The Iraq War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region & Set Off a Global Shockwave of Anti-Americanism’

Source:The Onion– debating the War in Iraq.

Source:The Daily Review 

“George W. Bush may think that a war against Iraq is the solution to our problems, but the reality is, it will only serve to create far more.”

From The Onion

“Bill Maher rips all of those bad predictions from “think tanks” and tells them they can’t call themselves think tanks if they are stupid. “To those of you who dreamed up the Iraq conflict, and predicted we’d be greeted as liberators, and that we wouldn’t need a lot of troops, and that Iraqi oil would pay for the war, the WMDs would be found, looting wasn’t problematic, that the insurgency was ib its last throws, and that the whole bloody mess wouldn’t turn into a civil war…

…YOU HAVE TO STOP MAKING PREDICTIONS!!!”

Richard Perle thought we could win Iraq with 40,000 troops.

Paul Wolfowitz predicted in 2003 that within a year the grateful people of Baghdad would name some grand square in their fine city after President Bush.”

Source:Renegade Poster– Bill Maher on the War in Iraq.

From the Renegade Poster 

Looking back at the Iraq War from over a twelve-year perspective it reminds me of someone who knows a guy down the street, who knows this man has beaten up a lot f people and at the least is suspected of murdering some people in his home. So lets say this guy Joe, decides to invade this bad guy’s home and beats let’s say Tom up and holds him hostage there at Tom’s own home until a more suitable homeowner can be installed to live there and bring justice to Tom.

And even though Tom’s friends come over to try to save Tom and Joe takes them out as well and in the process perhaps Tom’s wife and kids are seriously hurt if not killed in the process for being there and Joe thinking they are in the way of bringing justice to Tom. When innocent people are killed in war they are called innocent bystanders. And a cost of war.

What America did to Iraq in the spring of 2003 is what Joe did to Tom in my hypothetical. We invaded their territory and killed millions of Iraqi’s simply because they had an evil government led by an evil dictator. And the Bush Administration thought (if you want to call that thinking) the price of losing innocent Iraqi lives was worth eliminating an evil dictator.

Weapons of mass destruction? Well not in Iraq as it turns out, because the United Nations as well as the U.S. weapons inspectors did their jobs in the late 1990s and early 2000s and had Saddam’s weapons removed. Remember, the Iraqi Military didn’t even put up a fight against the American forces during the invasion. They all rolled over, not to get their bellies rubbed like my cat does everyday, but to surrender and not be killed.

What was all this for again? Well originally if you believe all the propaganda from the Bush Administration in 2002, it was about preventing Iraq from becoming a nuclear power and to get rid of their other WMD. Chemical weapons that Moammar Gadhafi still had and used against his own people in the Libyan Civil War of 2010-11.

But Saddam no longer had weapons like that to use against Americans or Iraqis. And the worst thing about this colossal disaster, (10 on the Richter scale when it comes to the world championship of mistakes) is that the weapons inspectors were telling the Bush Administration that Saddam not only had zero nuclear weapons, but they couldn’t find other WMD as well.

WMD, was an excuse for invading Tom’s home and preventing Tom from hurting and killing other innocent people in the future. But what the Bush’s really wanted to do was to eliminate Saddam and at all costs.

Seriously, who are the brainiacs who dreamed up the Iraq War? And how many weeks straight were they up drinking nothing but Red Bull and Starbucks Frappuccino’s developing this grand scheme of imposing liberal democracy on a society that still believed that women should always cover their faces in public and wear nothing but long black dresses and long black suits so no one can discover that they are women.

As well as a country that was actually scared of freedom like an inmate whose been in prison since he was 18 and now finally getting out in his sixties being told he now has to take care of himself. I mean you don’t have to be a foreign policy expert to see flaws in this grand strategy that has more holes in it than a Chevy Caprice that is parked in Watts or Compton, California.

Iraq, is even a unique country even for Arabia and the broader Middle East. Different Arab population, as well as a country that has other major ethnic groups in it and several different religious groups.

A country the size of California in the heart of the Middle East. That pre-Iraq War the only form of government they knew was life in prison. So what the Iraq War did was pardon all of these innocent prisoners who’ve all been in prison for 40-60 years and tell them: “you’re free to go and good luck to you. You’re certainly going to need it! Oh by the way, that free society we were talking about, doesn’t exist! Ha, ha! Fooled you! Yeah, no more military, or law enforcement to deal with, Just murderous thugs who kill people for the hell of it. Wish you best!”

Nathan Eckert, (assuming that is his real name. You never know with The Onion.) was damn right about the consequences of the Iraq War in the early days of it in 2003. But if you’re a Neoconservative, you only think in terms: “they are either with us, or against us! They love, or hate America.” So of course a Neoconservative wouldn’t listen to this, because in their peanut brain size mind they don’t believe in intelligence and evidence. Just neoconservative political fundamentalism.

Neoconservatives believe: “trust us, it will all work out in the end! Don’t trust the evidence, because in your heart you know we’re right!” That is not thinking, because thinking requires evidence.

The Iraq War was simply based on blind faith that since the supporters of this war believed they were on the right side of history and were doing the right thing, that is all they needed. And it has been multiple trillion-dollar mistake. And has cost Iraq the country we were supposed to save, millions of their own lives.

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The Onion: John Boehner To Paul Ryan: ‘I Was Once Young And Beautiful Too’

John Boehner- I’m finally escaping The Nut House

Source: The Onion: John Boehner To Paul Ryan: ‘I Was Once Young And Beautiful Too’

Anyone worried about looking too cute and too young for their age, I got a healthier way to age than to take up tobacco and alcoholism. Try leading a wolf pack of people in government that doesn’t believe in government. Which would be like trying to force some hippie vegetarian to get on a meat lovers diet. Good luck with that with all the frustration will come with it. Sure! New Speaker Paul Ryan at 45, is a young-looking tall handsome Midwestern man who is happily married with kids and has a life outside of the swamp better known as Washington. And right now looks like a man who just won the White House in a landslide. But the German Nazis looked unbeatable until America went to Europe and the British and French got off their pacifist pussy-whipped asses and decided to, “okay! We’ll defend our own country!” And the Nazis actually faced some real competition.

Once Speaker Ryan cuts his first deal with the Senate and perhaps even House Minority Nancy Pelosi, to avoid House Republican led government shutdowns, or with President Obama and agrees to fund the government without the President voluntarily resigning, or impeaching himself, the new young Speaker, will be accused of the worst sinful thing that you can on the Far-Right in America, liberalism! And be accused of working with the Democrats to destroy America. And inviting ISIS in to occupy America. Or completely opening up the Southern border to import millions of Mexicans to take all of our fast food jobs. Or whatever the week long pot high the Far-Right is on and whatever fantasy they’re going through at the time.

Sure! Being Speaker of the House of Representatives, might look like Wisconsin cheeseburgers and freedom fries right now. But wait until Speaker Ryan actually has to do his job and get bills passed that have to be passed for the Federal Government which he is now one of the top leaders of, has to get done for the government, to I don’t know, protect the country from terrorism. You know, little boring details like that. Which he’ll have to get Democratic support for both in the Senate and of course from President Obama. As well as Moderate Republicans both in the House and Senate. Then the new Speaker might wish he was at a Green Bay Packers game and eating a Wisconsin cheeseburger and never want to drink the Tea Party again.

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Brookings Institution: Thomas Mann- ‘Election 2016: The Dumbing Down of American Politics’

Source:Brookings Institution– The commander in chief of American political stupidity. He just beat out both Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann for that dishonor.

Source:The Daily Review

“Editor’s Note: This post was originally published by the Institute of Governmental Studies. Thomas Mann is also Resident Scholar at IGS.

Donald Trump and the Amen chorus of Republican presidential aspirants may have appeared to monopolize the capacity to make fantastical claims about what’s wrong with America and how to fix it. But a rival has appeared on the scene, outlining a very different fantasy plan to run for president on the Democratic side of the aisle.”

From the Brookings Institution

“I do not own this video. this is my tribute and way of promoting George Carlin’s work. But I’m sure they will still remove this. Anyway enjoy it while it’s here.”

Source:Dub Eye– the great political satirist George Carlin.

From Dub Eye

The Dumbing Down of American Politics, so I guess American politics had reached a new low and American voters are now borderline retarded. And vote for people based on what realty shows they watch, or who they’re favorite celebrities are, or do they have the same smart phone. Wait, Americans voters already vote for candidates based on those things. How else do you explain our last two president’s. Neither one of them became president based on their deep knowledge of the issues, or their brilliant resumes. But because they’re likable and the country was looking for something different. And this coming from someone who voted for Barack Obama twice. But not because I think he’s like totally awesome, or whatever. But because he was the best person for the job.

I don’t think American politics can get any dumber. The presidential election is already a popularity contest. The candidate who gets the voters to personally like them the most for whatever the reasons tends to get the job. The most important job and election in the world is not rewarded to the person who has the best economic, national security, or foreign policies, but to the person who looks the most Hollywood, lets says. The person whose seen as the hippest. And a lot of our Congressional races both House and Senate are decided that way as well. That is you get a billionaire like a Donald Trump, who the whole country knows from his so-called realty TV show, looking like a contender for the Republican presidential nomination.

As George Carlin, politicians are us. They’re the people they represent. They weren’t beamed down here from Star Trek, or someplace to play career politicians on TV. They live and come from our communities and speak the language of the people they live with and share the same politics. And what career politicians do, that is people who get a heart attack at the even thought of having to have a real job and work outside of government and perhaps go back to selling shoes, or auto insurance, is take advantage of the communities that they come from. And the more extreme the community they represent, the more extreme rhetoric. Whether they actually believe the bullshit that they’re saying, or not.

If Americans want better politicians and politics, they need to be better voters. The only ways someone like a Donald Trump can get on the national scene is, that he’s a billionaire. who had his own so-called reality show and that there a lot of dumb voters in America who believe Latinos are invading America and raping their daughters , trying to occupy America as if they were a Western ISIS and want to create a Greater Mexico. And oh by the way. They believe Latinos are stealing their fast food, food service, retail and agriculture jobs. That most Americans wouldn’t take even if it meant they would have to starve. And what The Donald does, is play to those fears of a very ignorant people who simply don’t know any better.

American voters should look at politicians and political candidates the same way they look at buying a car, or house, or clothes, What’s the best purchase for them based on the money that they can afford to spend on that purchase and exactly who’ll represent them best with that purchase. And stop looking at American politics likes it’s a game show, or beauty contest. But instead whose the best candidate for the job based on how they would vote, or what policies they would push and what they would do for the country. Who would best defend, promote and develop the country so the most Americans possible can live well here. Instead of voting for people based on what they’re favorite movies, or entertainers are and do they watch celebrity TV and so-forth and so on.

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Brookings Institution: Opinion: Thomas Mann: The New Normal in Politics: Response to Gridlock and Gloom: How Voters Get the Government They Vote For

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

Brookings Institution: Opinion: Thomas Mann: The New Normal in Politics: Response to Gridlock and Gloom.

I don’t feel any sympathy for anyone for Americans who claim to hate the dysfunction in Washington, especially in Congress, but at the same time vote for people who are responsible for that dysfunction. Its like hearing from a football player who played in the NFL for 10-15 years and now suffers from serious knee pain and always complaining about knee pain. Or the driver involved in a car accident who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and now suffers from serious back or neck pain. I mean, what do they have to complain about? They knew the consequences for the decisions they made that lived up to their injuries. And if they didn’t, they are too stupid, drunk or high a combination of all of those factors for me to give a damn about.

American voters all the time in poll after poll say they disapprove of Congress and yet they reelect the same representatives and senators to represent them. So maybe it is that American voters actually like gridlock, but if you look at poll after poll there’s clearly a feeling in the country that Congress needs to act on a series of issues for the country. Like the economy, infrastructure, immigration just to use as examples, but they elect and reelect people who don’t seem to have any interest in addressing those issues. If you want someone to do something for you and you’re talking about politics, you vote for people who are actually interested in those concerns.

If you want Gridlock, vote for Joe and Marry Gridlock running for U.S. House or Senate or reelection to one of those chambers. Because they’ll be more than happy to keep their election promises. I mean seriously how hard is it to do nothing. Even someone in Congress can figure how to do that. You don’t get action on issues by voting for inaction. I know that sounds as obvious as the Earth is round or concrete is hard or the Chicago Cubs won’t win the World Series. But apparently we have millions if not tens of millions of voters who don’t seem to understand that.

We have a lot of people in Congress, especially in the Tea Party Republican Party who are really only there for one reason. To stop President Obama from doing anything, at least anything constructive. If they actually want to do anything, it is to repeal and sit on their ass’s, another way of saying repeal and replace. So if that is what you want, you might have a hundred people on Capitol Hill who’ll do exactly that for you, which again is nothing. Again, how hard is it to do that and if you are still thinking about that, you are too dumb to follow along even for the ride. And then non wonder why what ninety-percent of the members of Congress get reelected.

But if you want people to actually do things in Congress and address your issues, whatever the issues and if you’re a Democrat or Republican, then you need to vote for the people who’ll address those issues. I know, this sounds like basic common sense, but that is a big problem with America and Congress in particular. It is not the budget deficit that is such a huge problem right now, but the common sense deficit up there. Which is why not a lot gets done up there, but why are they there in the first place? Because the voters sent them there to represent them.

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The New Republic: Opinion: Brian Beutler: 2015 Congress Will Shake Up America’s Boring Politics: How Will a Party That Doesn’t Believe in Government Govern

Guess Who’s Running Congress

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on Blogger

The New Republic: Opinion: Brian Beutler: 2015 Congress Will Shake Up America’s Boring Politics

Here is sort of what the lighter more positive side of a united Republican Congress at least for Democrats, but perhaps bad for the rest of the country.

A party that now doesn’t believe in government will somehow have to govern, at least at the legislative level. That means finding ways to fund things they don’t believe in. Because the President is still a Democrat, at least until Congressional Republicans finds a way to impeach and convict President Obama. And they’ll have to work together to make anything law really. Senate Republicans will have to work with Senate Democrats at least to pass just about anything that doesn’t have to do with the budget and appropriations. Unless Harry Reid and Senate Democrats take the cynical route and say, “you know what, go ahead and pass that, we won’t stop you, we’ll just use it against you and your vulnerable members in the election.”

America will truly get to see how divided and childish the Republican Party has become. With House Speaker John Boehner and new Senate Leader Mitch McConnell playing my too dads with their Tea Party anti-government children who hate school so much and just want to stay home and play video games and eat cookies. And mess around on their smart phones. While debating among themselves, especially in the Senate about whether they should vote on nominations to government agencies that they believe shouldn’t exist in the first place, or voting to eliminate those agencies all together.

Democrats at least in Congress will get the next two-years off and be able to plan their path back to power. With House and Senate Republicans giving them boatloads of material everyday and commercials to use against them in swing districts and swing states. And I’m thinking especially in Democratic leaning states like Illinois and Pennsylvania where Senator Mark Kirk and Senator Pat Toomey who both have been in Congress for a while, will have a choice to make. Figure out how to govern and make government work with a Democratic President and risk a Tea Party primary challenge. Or go with the Tea Party and put their reelection in jeopardy against a mainstream Democrat.

The good news for Democrats, is that now they get the ten-percent or so Congressional approval rating off of their backs and put it squarely on the shoulders of the Republican Party. With a divided Congress they couldn’t do that, because they were in the Congressional Leadership controlling the Senate. Now they are essentially along for the ride with 188 or so seats in the House in the next Congress and 45-46 seats in the Senate in the next Congress. With Congressional Republicans having clear majorities and responsibility to figure out how to govern. And to figure out how to govern with members who don’t believe in government. At least when it comes to the economy. Good luck GOP!
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