Day: December 10, 2015

Me And The “Donald”

I have been accused of being real mean towards the GOP’s front runner, Donald Trump and I guess if I am honest I have been a bit of a bummer when it comes to him.  I do not agree with Trump on most issues and I think he is a race baiting bigot and only speaks to hear the sound of his own voice but other than that I have nothing against him.

If I am honest there is something about him that tickles my funny bone…….basically it is the way the party, the GOP, reacts to him and his mouth…….the Party has no idea how to go about dealing with Trump…..

Jeb Bush has floated the idea of Donald Trump being a Hillary Clinton plant to help her take the White House, and seemingly never-ending Trumpcontroversies might have Republicans starting to believe it. Politico reports that GOP leaders are stressing out about the negative impact that Trump’s candidacy is having on their party, noting that their “fear is palpable and bursting into public view.” Republicans were already anticipating losses in 2016, expecting to relinquish 12 or so seats in the House and forced to defend 24 seats in the Senate, versus the Democrats’ 10 seats. “[Trump’s actions are] not what we’re about as a party … and we cannot yield to this,” says Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, head of the committee that elects GOPers to the House. “It puts … competitive seats in jeopardy. We’ll have a much more difficult time.”

Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers goes further, telling Politico a Trump nomination would be “devastating” for the GOP. Part of the conundrum: Republicans are afraid to go too hard after Trump—whom the New York Times labeled a “deeply polarizing figure” months ago—for fear of alienating his fervent base. That leaves some GOPers dealing with fallout from every Trump move (instead of putting energy into attacking Hillary Clinton, for example), while others are doing everything they can to avoid talking about him altogether. “Winning elections is an exercise in addition, not subtraction,” Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent tells Politico. “When comments are made that are so divisive that alienate women, Hispanics, the disabled, Muslims—it … limits your ability to win. It’s that simple.” The usually verbose Trump isn’t revealing what he thinks of the havoc he’s wreaking: An email from Politico to his rep went unanswered. (Politico and the Hill called it earlier this year).

The Party cannot openly criticize Trump without the chance of his supporters getting pissed off and turning their back on the Party…..if he, Trump, decides to violate his pledge and run as an independent then he will most likely drag his supporters with him and if that occurs then the Dems will walk into the Oval Office.

I am pleased to see the GOP sitting in the corner wringing their hands and weeping uncontrollably…..serves them right for all the obstruction they have thrown around in the past decade or so……

(Exit Stage Left…..Smiling)……..

Syria: Will Cooperation Succeed?

Just what does a successful conclusion to the Syrian situation look like?  Is it the defeat of ISIS?  Maybe it is a political solution?  Whatever the solution is it will…no must….include the wishes of the Syrian people.

The next question is…..who fights for the Syrian people?  FSA?  The Coalition?  Assad?  Who?

That question is begging for an answer……..there is an attempt….

Source: FSA: Syrian rebel groups must unite to defeat Assad | Middle East Eye

This is a valiant attempt for some sort of cooperation…..the big question after this is…..can common ground be found on which to build cooperation?

Source: Can the Syria meeting in Saudi Arabia bring unity? – Al Jazeera English

Personal opinion is that there will be little cooperation because there are too many players with diverse agendas……all that is well and good but….why are the options for Syria so bad?

Source: Why Syria’s Options Are So Bad – Antiwar.com Original by — Antiwar.com

I realize this is a lot to take in but I feel that we should try to help this cause…..the cooperation cause……for one good reason……to keep American troops off Syrian soil…..that battle will be bloody and messy and I would prefer that Americans not become sand fertilizer……there have been too many senseless wars that accomplish very little other than the loss of American lives and massive profits for the M-IC……..

Understanding ISIS: Leaked document reveals nation-building plans

Everybody has an opinion on how to defeat ISIS…..I mean with the horrendous acts they have committed everyone wants them gone in one way or the other…..

The prez and every other world leader has given the country their assurances that ISIS WILL be defeated….there is a consensus among western leaders……the problem I have is that not one of them will give a rudimentary plan of how they will accomplish this feat.

To my way of thinking….the only way ISIS can be defeated is by understanding every aspect of their operation……I have written in the past that this organization is trying to act like a nation state…..this could be a source of information to help in that defeat….

A state-building manual for Islamic State administrators confirms the complexity and breadth of the group’s efforts to create a functioning state, albeit one ruled by terror. In life under Islamic State, however, many civilian services seem to be suffering.

Source: Understanding ISIS: Leaked document reveals nation-building plans – CSMonitor.com

As I have said…..this could be a good start in finalizing what to do about ISIS and their desire for a nation state…..