Blood Sport Politics is Bringing Us All Down
I’ve always had a thing about grouchy old men. Most of them happen to be conservative. It might be because of a few favorite uncles, and friends of my pop. Even in politics, I’ve been moved by more conservatives than liberals — you could attribute this to the vastly outnumbered progressives in our state, but I think there’s more to it.
They are a challenge to charm and usually make for more interesting conversation. (Oh, there are exceptions. For example, the new chair for the Alaska for Trump campaign.)
I recently met an antique stove savant. He knows more about old cook stoves, the cast iron ones you shove wood in the top, than the factory workers who built them. It’s remarkable to visit with him in his shop surrounded by stoves in various pieces, dusty stuffedtrout trophies, walls covered in old advertisements, brochures, and yellowed cartoons bashing Democrats. He sells a lot of stoves to doomsday preppers, and he knows this country is a breath away from total demise.
I like him. When he talks his calloused and sooty hands wave about. I think he’s told me a story about every dog he’s ever owned, and I’m pretty sure he’s been wearing the same Greek fisherman’s hat since that country was solvent. We agree on far more things than we disagree on; there’s too much money in elections, banks are too big, gold is worth way more than paper, both political parties are a disaster rotting from the head down, Hillary Clinton is worrisome, Donald Trump is dangerous, and fishing is the best way to spend a day.
He lives in a state with primary elections and told me, “I held my nose and voted for Bernie Sanders.”
If he’d have told me he was a ballerina I would have been less shocked.
This election is flipping everything we thought we could predict about politics on it’s back, leaving it in the bottom of a skiff, gasping for air and waiting for a bonk on the head. Anyone who thinks they know what’s going to happen is just guessing. The thing that worries me more than who will become president is, that we as a people are going to end up uglier than the candidates on the ticket.
Case in point: This week, a tow truck driver in North Carolina answered a call to assist a disabled woman stranded by the side of the road after a car accident. When he saw she had a Sanders bumper sticker on her wrecked car, he told her to call the government for help since she was “obviously a socialist.” He’s a Trump supporter and said, “Something came over me, I think the Lord came to me, and he just said get in the truck and leave. And when I got in my truck, you know, I was so proud, because I felt like I finally drew a line in the sand and stood up for what I believed.”
Well, this is awkward, but someone might want to tell Mr. Bigoted Tow Truck Driver that the Lord wasn’t speaking to him. The Lord actually said something about helping people broken down by the side of the road in a pretty well known parable called “The Good Samaritan.” You may have heard about it. They’ve named hospitals after it. The most remarkable part of that story from Jesus was the fact that a priest and a Levite — natural allies, had passed the beaten Jewish man by the side of the road and it was a Samaritan who helped him and paid an innkeeper to give him aid. Samaritans and Jews were mortal enemies. According to my Sunday school teacher, that is the miracle of the story — you’re directed, if you follow the Bible, to care for those who don’t agree with you on anything. Way to miss the message, buddy.
A booth at a Trump rally was selling buttons that say, “Life’s a Bitch! Don’t Vote for One!” and “KFC Hillary Special: 2 Fat Thighs, 2 Small Breasts, Left Wing.” Really? Left Wing? Not hardly. I don’t like Hillary Clinton’s politics, but this kind of sexist attack hurts all women — and men who actually like women.
With Donald “I love Hispanics” Trump the presumptive nominee, the Republican party is falling all over itself. Oh, our Washington delegation has all fallen in line behind Trump. Think about that for a second. It’s hard to feel too sorry for them since they courted the parasite of hate that is now their front-runner. A Clinton-supporting super PAC, Priorities USA Action, “intends to reach out to Republican megadonors disillusioned by their party’s presumptive nominee.” I have a feeling that non-Trump Republicans may be easier for Clinton to sway than Bernie’s folks. They have been waiting a long time to hear a candidate talk about what he is. It’s HYUUUUGE. The Democrats are more likely to have a contested convention than the Republicans.
Here’s the rub: Alaskans can’t afford to not help each other based on our bumper stickers. That’s the one thing that has always set us apart. This election is a fierce fight that corporate media absolutely loves. It makes them money. They report on every turn like it’s a sporting event — a blood sport. Maybe it’s time to remember the good “Samaritan” during this awful comedy and keep taking care of each other, regardless of our “side.”
There’s the conventions and then there’s the November elections.
While the Republicans may pay lip service and photo-op to Trump as their nominee at the convention, there are plenty of Republicans that, in the privacy of the voting booth, will not vote for him. They may not vote for the Democratic nominee but they will not be able to bring themselves to vote for Trump.
Whereas the Democratic Convention may not go as smoothly, when it comes to the final vote in November, Democrats will vote for whoever the party nominated rather than see Trump in the White House.
This is just a media dog and pony show. It’s all smoke, mirrors, angst and fireworks. It’s designed to get hits on websites and ratings on TV.
Whether a convention is contested or not is the shallowest prediction of how the chips will fall in November.
That is not to say there may not be a threat. There are all sorts of ways to fix an election, as we saw with both G. W. Bush terms. So it’s not enough for the Democrats to win. They must win by a big enough margin to make sure no manipulations by the right will succeed.
Right you are,but, Dems need to get their voters motivated enough to get off their duffs and vote. Wingnuts will be motivated. They are already being told the next Dem Potus is coming for their guns. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that abortion will be mandatory and churches will be shut down and christians thrown in jail. Anything to get the rabble roused and get them to vote.Dems need to be the same way.
That’s the standard line.
Clinton was coming for their guns.
Gore was coming for their guns.
Kerry was coming for their guns.
Obama was coming for their guns.
And now Hillary.
At some point someone is going to notice that no one is coming for their guns.
And those that claim they do are full of shitt.
http://dakotafreepress.com/2016/05/10/thune-tackles-allegations-of-facebook-liberal-bias/
South Dakota nut job Sinator, number 3 in the Sinate heirarchy and Chair of the Commerce Communists wants answers about supposed liberal bias from Facebook. Fake Noise jumps on the bandwagon and wants to know why Facebook isn’t fair and balanced like Fox. Thune and goons voted against the fairness doctrine and doesn’t mind that right wing radio is biased. Thune’s day job is to follow Mitch McCturtle around the halls in case their is a photo opportunity. Texas douchbag Cornyn is all that stands between Thune and McCTurtle.
Well, first of all Facebook is not a news outlet. They are a social media.
Second, a judge in Florida said Fox News has no mandate to tell the truth or report the news so they basically have a license to make stuff up.
So if the pot wants to try to call the kettle black, they are welcome to it, but they should expect a judge to make them eat crow if they want to take it that far.
It’s just like the rabid right wing Republicans to hypocritically proclaim do as I say, not as I do. Yeah, it’s OK for Fox NEWS to be biased but Facebook must be fair and balanced. Thune should be very, very careful what he wishes for.
Palin does have experience losing as Veep candidate. Can’t wait for the left hooker and other Palin brats to kerskuffle with Drumpf’s mindless thugs. Be a real Donnie brook, you betcha.
Dullard Drumpf would never be stupid or desperate enough to ask Palin. He knows she’s poison.
It will probably be a white male. Dullard doesn’t think enough of women to put one on the ticket, especially if he is going to attack Hillary for being a woman. He also won’t put a black or hispanic on the ticket either.
So be looking for a Republican with “experience” but one that Drumpf can muzzle and control. Drumpf can’t stand losing the spotlight, being contradicted or shown up. So they better be dumber than Drumpf.
Of course they also have to be willing to kill their political careers by appearing on the ticket with him.
Even Cruz, Rubio and Kasich won’t. And that’s just for starters.
Dullard may end up with someone way down his wish list because so many will politely and not so politely say NO, thank you. Several have already before being asked. I guess to save Dullard the humiliation of a refusal.
Maybe he’ll just avoid all that and have one of the Trump Jr.s be his running mate. Then he can start a dynasty.
“So they better be dumber than Drumpf.”
Oh. So Dan Quayle is coming back?
Sarah Palin wants him to make her his running mate and choice for VP.
“Princess Moose Chili is insane.”
I thought this was a fantastic comment, I leave it here for your amusement.