What in the Hell Just Happened?

How did he win? My messages and phone calls on the 'morning after' were pretty much the same. "How did he win?" Everyone wanted to know how Donald Trump became President-Elect Trump. Just because I do well in Las Vegas, people seem to think I have the answers. Well, I have a few.

Half of the nation hated Mr. Trump and half hated Mrs. Clinton. This was, for many, a choice of voting against the person we hated the most. I asked a lot of people how they would vote and they all gave similar answers. "I can't vote for that person". I don't recall anyone actually listing the wonderful things that their candidate would do. That being said, many people told me that they would support Mr. Trump because he would be different and change things. In other words, people were disgusted with the same old government. 

I believe that even members of NOW supported Mr. Trump, even though he is a pig when it comes to women. Women also want change. Also, women are more sophisticated than Mrs. Clinton thinks and they will not vote for a woman just because she is a woman. (Besides, in this world, gender can change and we can't even figure out who should use which bathroom).

Also, a lot of working class people are sick of being ignored, lied to and taken for granted. 

Fear? Yes, fear was a motivation. People are afraid of all Muslims, thanks to the press and hate sites like Breitbart. Mr. Turmp stoked those fires and tossed in Mexicans just to make sure all Whites were afraid and angry. He also used the age-old technique of blaming "them". As Hitler's propaganda machine said, the masses love to blame 'them' and if you combine fear and hate, you can easily control the masses.

Mrs. Clinton tried to convince us that we should fear Mr. Trump having the launch codes. The reason that did not work is that we were conditioned long ago to blame 'them' and to fear 'them' and we were taught to believe that if it were not for "them" all of our problems would be solved. Mrs. Clinton was presenting a brand new fear when she warned us that Mr. Trump was unstable.

So we have a new president. Get over it. Don't cry. Don't skip college classes because you are too sad. At the end of the day, President-Elect Trump received more Electoral votes.

In a Nutshell

Poor people, homeless people, poor unskilled refugees and migrants, Muslims, and especially poor people of color need to just go away. We do not care about your problems. We don’t want to see it, hear about it or read about it. We just want you out of our lives. (We can’t admit this because it might sound as if we are bigots and condescending. However, it takes too much effort to cite make-believe reasons for our hidden beliefs).

We want all jobs that were outsourced to other nations, returned to the USA and we want all the robotics and computers (the real cause of job losses) to disappear. 

We also want those high wages for those old jobs and we expect the cost of living not to rise so that those wages can be paid and so we can stop inexpensive imports.

We want a magical wall that separates Mexico from the USA in such a way that no ladder or tunnel will circumvent this wall. We expect the government to build this wall without seizing any private property and we expect Mexico to pay for this wall. 

Although our puny minds have not realized that we will also ‘need’ a magic wall along our border with Canada to prevent the hundreds of thousands of refugees they plan to accept from entering the USA, we want that too. Perhaps Canadians will pay for that wall.

Since we don’t realize that Mexico is the second largest purchaser of US exports, we don’t ask for a solution for the jobs we will lose as we begin a tariff war.

Yes, this is what we want.

I call this little missive “In a Nutshell” because we know what we find inside of a nutshell: nuts.

The Winner? The Debate Moderator's Agenda

The Winner – Mr. Holt, the moderator with an agenda

We were told that this Monday’s first presidential debate would have three focuses: “securing America, America’s direction, and achieving prosperity. The debate moderator traditionally chooses the themes and the questions for the presidential debates.

Heavy reports that Lester Holt, NBC anchor and moderator of this Monday’s debate, solely chose the night’s topics and wrote its questions.

Mr. Holt should explain why he questioned Donald Trump about releasing his tax returns. How does the release of those returns, however desirable that may be, impact “securing America, America’s direction, or achieving prosperity?

Mr. Holt should also explain why he questioned Donald Trump about his view about the location of President Obama’s birth? How do those remarks impact “securing America, America’s direction, or achieving prosperity?

While Mr. Holt is dreaming up answers to those two questions, here is a third. Why did he not ask former Secretary of State lies about her e-mails, the destruction of e-mails, and her decisions regarding Benghazi? Why did she not retain all e-mails and let a judge determine which were personal and not to be released?

In fact, Mr. Holt could have pursued an array of questions about Mrs. Clinton’s involvement in many suspicious actions that had a direct bearing on the security of America.

It was obvious to this observer that Mr. Holt came loaded for Donald Trump. I predict that the media will ignore the obvious bias of Mr. Holt and Mr. Holt won the debate.

He Should Have Played the Quiet Game

Suppose Donald Trump kept his mouth shut. 

Regardless of what you may think of Mr. Trump, I find this supposition interesting. Without all of the controversial remarks and flamethrower language after he secured the nomination the media would have been constantly focused on Hillary Clinton. The e-mails, the lies, and her entire history in politics would have been the focus of the media. Oh, some of Mr. Trump’s past and things that he said during the run-up to the convention would have been targeted, but Hillary Clinton would have made for much more interesting reading.

When Mr. Trump was asked about his previous statements, for example the deportation of illegal immigrants, he could have given a brief answer that he will always do what the people demand and what is best for the country. Evasive? Yes. Bland? Yes. But he would not have wounded himself.

Whatever we think of Trump, he remains his own worst enemy. He has said so many horrible things that many believe he remains close friends with the Clintons and is deliberately helping her.

Suppose Donald Trump kept his mouth shut.

Election Results - Workers Get the Shaft

Clinton 68 years old

Trump 70 years p;d

One of these people will become our next president. On inauguration day, she will be 69, and he will be 70. (Reagan was 69 when inaugurated the first time). Not that age matters. Many people grow and learn new ideas in their 70's, and there are not any diseases that affect the elderly.

Passions are running exceptionally high among many voters. The rest of us are damn near ready to flip a coin. Fanatics demand that others vote 'their' way, instead of being open to more than one point of view. The candidates?

Trump and the Clintons shared drinks, dinners, and views. Trump donated to her Senate campaign and the Clinton Foundation. Until his run for the presidency, he espoused so many liberal views that there was speculation that he was only running to help Hillary. Recently, Trump was asked if he won, would he simply resign. He said, "we will see."

Hillary and Trump are both so egocentric that they should understand each-other perfectly. Either will crush anyone that gets in their way. Hillary did not stand by her man as the constant parade of bimbos climbed into Bill’s bed. She stood by her ‘power’. She would step on Bill in a heartbeat if it gave her more power.

Either could win.

This election is not about the candidates (although many fear that Trump is insane and Hillary lies so much that she really believes some of her lies and is angered when we do not). This election is about beliefs, dreams, and desires. This election is about fear, distrust, and blame. This election is about emotions and not about candidates.

Will Trump push the button? Will Hillary allow us to be overrun with Muslims, terrorists, and Mexicans? Will American jobs return? Will we go to war?

What will happen in Congress? Will our nation be completely dead-locked with no changes? Most of what the candidates propose requires Congress to act and/or the Supreme Court to remain silent. Regardless of who moves into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Supreme Court Justices will continue to surprise us. Supposed liberals have voted for conservative views, and supposed conservatives have agreed with liberal judges. Maybe nothing changes.

Whatever happens and whoever wins, America will continue to be a divided nation. Neither side will be powerless. Meanwhile, the rich will get richer, and the worker will continue to pay the bills.

To Be(lieve) or not To Be(Lieve)

Believability is, like everything else in this election cycle; it is turned upside down. 

Clinton’s lack of trustworthiness throws everything she says and promises into question. She desperately wants us to believe.

Trumps problem, at least with Independents and the undecided, is that they don’t want to believe him, especially at his worst. Who wants to believe that Mexicans coming to America are rapists, drug-dealers, and killers?

Both candidates chose their running mates in the hope that their honesty and views are what we will trust. Both candidates would have us ‘believe’ that the presidency shares power with the vice-president. The VP only has one constitutional job and that is to continue to breathe. The VP awakes each morning and asks, “Is the president still alive?” and has no other constitutional duty. The president can choose to engage with the VP and can choose to totally ignore and not even speak with the VP.

So we are back to the candidates.

Trump is so bizarre that he claims not to know if he will simply resign after being elected! Is this part of the effort to have us ignore all of his other bizarre statements and hope that he does resign? Who knows?

Clinton is such a liar that we wonder if she even knows the truth. Does she believe that because she believes her lies that we also believe her?

Both candidates are working hard to convince us that the other choice is even worse than they are as they continue the race to the bottom. 

Believe it or not.

Black Lives Matter

It seems so obvious, yet it seldom seems to occur.

BEFORE commenting about Black Lives Matter (BLM), read their website and watch their television presentations.

Imagine commenting about changes that are needed in our immigration laws without every reading a summary of those laws. Oops, that happens every day, too.  O.K., imagine critiquing a movie without having seeing the movie. Maybe that is a safer comparison.

I was fortunate. While channel surfing (because men never want to know what is on TV. We only want to know WHAT ELSE is on TV) I caught an episode of Black Lives Matter that explained the history of racism in the USA that resulted in many people feeling that Black lives do not matter to most Americans. I said that I was fortunate because the episodes that focused on police shootings turned me off. Maybe I am too sensitive after a 35-year law enforcement carrier or perhaps I am too knowledgeable of police procedures regarding officer safety and why these procedures exist. In any event, I was blessed to watch an episode that did not focus solely on police shootings.

The episode I watched taught me some things that I did not know. Although I am always reading a new historical novel or study, there is a lot I did not know or consider. It is easy, maybe too easy, to simply blame Black people for their problems. Education is a good example. My knee-jerk response to the problems at schools serving the Black ghettos is that they are filled with violent Black children who lack manners, respect and have little desire to be educated because of their upbringing. However, BLM pointed out things that I knew, but unconsciously blocked out.

Most inner-city schools serving Black children are run down, poorly equipped and staffed by many teachers that would prefer teaching anywhere else. The most experienced teachers typically do not want to drive into a ghetto and teach at these schools. A small percentage of Blacks are violent drug dealers, however it only takes a small percentage to create a cauldron of violence and fear. Police are pressured by the community to do something, but when we stop and frisk people on known drug corners, we appear to be harassing people that are just standing on the corner. Most often, we find no drugs or guns. The look-outs alert the dealers before we jump out of our cars. It seems that every person that every got so much as a parking ticket gathers to watch and shout at us. Often this leads to arrests like public intoxication and disorderly conduct, fueling more anger. Remember, the people want the violent drug dealers, the robbers, the thieves arrested and we are arresting people for petty crimes because we are frustrated and angry.

A good parent living in the ghetto does not have much of a chance in raising their children to respect police, teachers or appreciate the opportunities in America. Entire generations only know welfare and what the government provides. They often see two choices. White people and any people whose parents are successful, have great opportunities to invest in the market, become educated, and to be employed in a good job, with opportunities to advance. Black people living in the ghetto can fight the odds and try to become educated and find a good job or they can accept the cards they are dealt and take what the government provides.

In White America we invest in the Stock Market.
In Black America we search for a grocery market, even one that over-charges.

Non of this is simple.

I have no problem with BLM.
If you have an opinion about BLM at least give voice to an informed opinion an explore the website and television series with an open mind. Put aside pre-conceived notions and do not search for things that validate your uninformed opinion. Instead, really understand.