Today you get a politics OpinionList. I just have too many things to say and not sure that I can tie it all up neatly. Here are my political opinions which are much longer than 140 characters but in separate, digestible bits.
The Morning After: If (when) Hillary wins the election, will the GOP have learned its lesson and begin to work with the Democrats? If we believe John McCain, and there’s no reason not to, considering GOP’ers behavior in the past 8 years, then the answer is no. Last Monday, McCain stated, “I promise you that we will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up.” He then went on to say that this is the reason why it’s important that Republicans retain control of the Senate. In other words, it’s not important that our country have a fully-functioning 9-justice court. What’s important is the GOP’s ability to continue to block a Democratic President. Country First, who? What the GOP deserves, in addition to losing the presidency, is that voters give the Senate majority to the Democrats and that Hillary nominates a truly liberal justice instead of sticking to Merrick Garland. Too bad that due to the GOP’s extreme gerrymandering, and the voters’ ignorance and/or apathy, we can’t also take back the House.
Wake Up People!: Speaking of ignorance and apathy, I’m coming back to an issue that I raised in my previous post What Is Wrong With Hillary? In that post, I wrote about my shock that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were tied in the polls before the first presidential debate. I can’t get over my shock. It has taken three debates and a candidate who is beyond extremism, almost a caricature, to allow Hillary to be ahead in the polls (by 9% points). Where would she be in the polls if she were facing Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio? These two Tea-Party GOP’ers hold extreme views on abortion, gay rights, and other issues but would have been quite adept at acting and speaking reasonably. Ted Cruz caused a government shutdown. He claimed that it was over Obamacare, but the real reason was to get himself known and launch his presidential run. No one remembers. Both politicians have condemned Trump but are still endorsing him, which means that they put their political careers before their decency and morals. They have sold their souls, like so many other Republicans these days. Yet, if Hillary were facing anyone other than Trump, she would very likely be behind in the polls, and maybe even lose the race. The reason for this is that voters either are unaware or have forgotten that for 8 years, the GOP has not behaved as a legitimate political party but as a band of renegades, putting their ambition above the country and the needs of millions of Americans. The GOP needs to not only lose the presidency but the Senate as well. Only in this way, we can send a message that what they’ve done, what they plan to do if Hillary becomes president, is unacceptable and condemnable.
The Al Smith Dinner: For the first half of his time, I was actually enjoying Trump’s speech. His jokes and his delivery were good. But, then his jokes led to serious accusations and ugly statements. It was a shocking display of crass behavior. Why does Trump do this time and time again? If he’s such a smart businessman, he should realize that not only is he jeopardizing his chances to win the presidency, he is giving his brand a bad name (which happens to be his own). My conclusion is that his ego is immensely larger than his intelligence. Now, a big ego usually gets a bad rap, but it really isn’t the problem. In fact, I would say that it’s almost a requirement if you’re running for the top job on the planet. What is crucial, however, is to exert control over it, to keep it in check. Trump has shown that he’s incapable of controlling his. That, in itself, is a YUGE disqualifier. Speaking of control, I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I don’t know how Hillary has been able to control her temper in the face of such ignorance and aggression during the three debates and at this dinner. As for her jokes, they were funny, even though her delivery was a bit hurried and stiff. It’s obvious that she’s not comfortable telling jokes, at least in that kind of setting. But, I’m not voting for her for her comedy chops. I’m not even voting for her because she’s a woman. I’m voting for her because she’s the most qualified candidate in this race, and by a huge margin.
GOP’ers Voting For Trump: I’m disgusted every time that I read about a Republican politician saying that although they don’t agree with Trump, they will vote for him because they’ve never voted for a Democrat before, or because they’ll be able to work better with Trump than with Clinton. Trump is not a Republican, nor a RINO, nor a Democrat. Trump is a Trump. All he cares about is himself and keeping score of those who have wronged him. If you’re in the GOP and you still haven’t realized this, or if you refuse to acknowledge it, and you’re willing to put our country in the hands of this clearly unqualified man, then you don’t deserve the office that you occupy. Well, you probably don’t deserve it anyway.
Undecided, seriously?: I have never understood undecideds and much less for this election, after over one year of Trump’s “declarations” and three debates. I’m assuming that those who are still undecided don’t know what to make of Trump and don’t like Hillary very much. Let me try to clarify the situation. The choice is between a candidate that you don’t like very much and one that you will very likely end up hating. Undecideds need to get informed and choose who to vote for, even if their choice leads them to vote for Trump. Personally, I would have a hard time understanding this choice, but it would still be easier than understanding their indecision.
Karma, Karma, Karma: I don’t remember if it was a tweet or a sentence in a post because it was a few years back. I said something to the effect that the GOP should be careful because it was impossible to spew so much hatred and division without being contaminated by it. Fast forward to now. The GOP is reaping what it has sown. I don’t believe that the Party is dead, not yet. But, if Republicans continue to behave as they have in the last 8 years, then they will surely self-destruct. When Michelle Obama said “When they go low, we go high”, it is much more than a question of behavior, it is a question of self-preservation. Hatred ends up destroying the hater.
