Tag: Political Leadership

Is There A Trump Mandate?

First, is anyone else sick of the term “Black Friday” yet?

I have read and heard so much about this past election that it is now getting damn right boring….his supporters keep telling me about the mandate he and the GOP have now that he is prez…….

Okay, what exactly is Trump’s mandate…not what you think it is but what is his stated mandate?  Or does that matter?

Mandate is a command or authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given by the electorate to its representative…..

(I will pause here for a quick Google search for his supporters because they have NO idea other than his social media ramblings)

Within days of the U.S. general election, central elements of the result have already entered into American mythology: the revenge of the “white working class voter”; the unprecedented anti-establishment character of the President-elect; the populist revolution that led to Trump’s victory; and the years in the wilderness now facing Democrats and progressives in America.

But the endless repetition of these themes by the corporate media deserves a great deal more skepticism and scrutiny before they worm their way into all our heads to form the established and accepted narrative of this election. Let’s first review some basic facts about what happened on Nov. 8:

Source: The Non-Existent Trump Mandate – Consortiumnews

I listened closely to all his speeches and tried to follow his Tweets but I have a life and it was beyond tedious……there was so much contradictory stuff from his lips that I am not sure about anything he has on his mind…..

And then there is his search for the SecState…..there are so many factions jockeying for the inside position….I worry about who will be the winner…..

In recent history, a presidential election which puts the other major party in power has led to a pretty orderly transfer of power, with each party having its own collection of usual suspects that quickly and predictably fill in all the top spots. President-elect Donald Trump’s outsider status, and the number of Republican leadership figures openly opposed to his campaign, means he doesn’t have such a ready-made cabinet, nor likely the inclination to install one.

Instead, Trump’s cabinet is being assembled very publicly, amid a battle that includes neo-conservatives and establishment hawks arrayed against a group of outsiders including the libertarian right, Tea Party Republicans, and a bloc of realists who would normally not be in line for top positions.

Many of the neo-cons and the rest of the establishment had a substantial “Never Trump” bloc that opposed his election  appear to feel entitled to the top positions in the cabinet, and indeed, Trump seems to be entertaining candidate like ultrahawk John Bolton for some of his biggest positions.

Source: GOP Factions Battle Over Control of Trump’s Foreign Policy — News from Antiwar.com

This position and DoD will tell me all I need to know about the direction that our foreign policy will travel……

His choices point to a mandate to this writer….but I am not positive so I will withhold me impressions ….for now.

Maybe this is something we all should worry about and not what star is dancing to what song…..just a thought!

Take Me To Your Leader

I have been saying for the start of this election cycle that there was NO one that had any idea about how to be a leader on the world stage.  And so far I have seen leader from either of the two nominees…..

Foreign policy will be big this time around…there is so much crap going on in the world and our choices for handling these situations are limited and not looking so good……

Which candidates show the leadership this country desperately needs?

Let’s start with the GOP candidate for president, Donald Trump……

Many downwardly mobile Americans are confused about what happened to them, which explains the attraction of Donald Trump, who offers few coherent solutions but may have a lasting impact on U.S. relations with the world,

Donald Trump most likely will not be elected President. Still, his historic campaign has sent shock waves through the American body politic. All are asking what it means and what it portends. The focus is on America at home rather than abroad. Foreign policy issues have been overshadowed by anxious domestic concerns.

Moreover, Trump never formulated a coherent view of international issues. Like the average guy, he simply spat out whatever thoughts passed through his head as he had caught snippets of Fox News. Any attempt to discern logic and strategy from Trump’s disjointed exclamations proves frustrating.

Source: A Lasting Trump Stamp on Foreign Policy – Consortiumnews

Nothing about Trump fills me with confidence.

How about the Dems choice, Hillary Clinton?

Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential nominee, has derided “Don’t do stupid stuff” as a worthless organizing principle of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy.

But her substitute of “Doing stupid stuff” is even worse.

As Secretary of State during President Barack Obama’s first term, Ms. Clinton single-handedly compounded problems of international terrorism, nuclear proliferation, war, refugees, and human rights from North Korea and China to South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa to Europe and Russia.

In sum, Ms. Clinton foreign policy makes former President George W. Bush look like a Talleyrand, Metternich, or Bismarck.

Source: Hillary Clinton’s Foreign Policy: Doing Stupid Stuff | Huffington Post

Another dud in the making…..confidence at ZERO!

Just maybe it is time to re-think the term “leadership”…….

As a retired lieutenant colonel for the U.S. Army, I want to be positive. Even when I’ve identified major conceptual and practical failures in the conduct of American foreign and military policy, I’ve suggested alternatives that could improve the situation. But when looking at the state of our foreign policy in this moment, and given how entrenched the foreign-policy elite in Washington has become, a rational optimism is getting more and more difficult to find.

In practice, the current administration tries to keep a lid on problems by applying limited military power—at least regarding troop levels—over large sections of the globe. These military operations are tactical in nature, designed to achieve small-scale results, without the consideration of how or even whether they support some larger strategic objective.

Source: Let’s Rethink What ‘Leadership’ Means in Foreign Policy | The American Conservative

With confidence lacking there is only one thought that comes to mind……on the international stage this country is so screwed!

Thus Spake Bashir

Most Americans hate the ground that Basir al-Assad walks on….he is the devil incarnate……I spend a lot of time studying and researching the Middle East so anything he does or says is of interest to me…..so when I saw that NBC had secured an interview with him I had to watch it to see if I could learn anything useful….

I was truly surprised at the interview…the NBC dude asked some pretty direct question….most of which were pointed trying to get a rise out of Assad…..all in all he handled himself well….he stayed composed and level head during the whole interview and he answered all questions….at times he tried to be cryptic but he gave answers to them all….

When asked about the US battle with ISIS he said……

Speaking in an interview with NBC, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad slammed US involvement in his nation’s war against ISIS, insisting it is “counterproductive and ineffective,” as well as illegal since it is done without permission from or coordination with the Syrian government.

Assad went on to say he didn’t believe the US was serious about defeating ISIS, insisting that terror factions only started suffering real losses when Russia became involved, and that they’d been growing steadily before, when the US coalition was the only international force involved.

“We wanted to defeat the terrorists, while the United States wanted to manage those groups in order to topple the government in Syria,” Assad noted, insisting he is confident that the terror groups will be defeated outright in just a matter of months.

I will have to say that I agree with him on his observation……the US is not really serious about our fight with ISIS…..our arms drops go to the terrorists…..we cannot train more than a few moderate fighters at a time…..

It looks like it is just a funnel for the M-IC…..the more we fight in Syria the more money the defense industry makes…..

The more we try to fight ISIS the more money we have to spend….a win-win for the M-IC…..plus the rhetoric makes for good politics back home in the USA….

Assad made some good points and I can see where he was coming from on most of them…..but if my reader would like to know more about this interview then I have a link to a transcript…..

Source: President al-Assad’s interview with NBC News – Syrian Arab News Agency

There is something to be said for Assad’s comments….but he is perceived as a bad guy so take that with a grain of salt.

Times They Are A Changing

It is the 21st century and women are making great strides in political spheres……many Western countries now have women as the leader….the US may soon elect its first woman president since its inception….the UK was the first western county to elect a women PM and many have since done the same…..Germany has a strong women leader……I believe Croatia has a woman leader (please do not quote me)…..

Looks liker this year will the year of the woman politician……

Margaret Thatcher was the first, but she’ll no longer be the only female prime minister the UK has ever had. Michael Gove has been eliminated from the ballot to become the next Conservative Party leader, leaving Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom as the final two candidates. The winner will become the UK’s next prime minister, the BBC reports. Home Affairs Secretary May (a Remain supporter) led the most recent round of voting Thursday with 199 votes, followed by Energy Minister Leadsom (a Brexit supporter) with 84 and Gove with 46. Conservative MPs will decide on a winner, who will take over the job from David Cameron on Sept. 9, the Washington Post reports.

We will see just how effective these countries become…..the world will be watching….

Please I would like to hear from the UK readers on how this will play….

Foreign Policy Winners and Losers in Iowa

I have been extremely redundant when I write that 2016 election will come down to foreign policy……

I know Bernie is hot with his attacks on the wealthy, on Wall Street and Banks…..but when it comes to the general I believe that foreign policy will play a big role in the outcome……

Iowa was the first in the country political tests and the candidates had lots to say about a wide array issues…….they even had a bit to say on foreign policy……most of their comments were knee-jerk to get applause…..

Juan Cole has a good synopsis on what the candidates had to say and what they represent……

The Iowa Caucus voters likely voted mainly on domestic policy issues, though security and terrorism have been a big part of the campaigns as well. Now that the smoke is clearing, it is worth considering the foreign policy implications of the winners of the primary.

Source: Foreign Policy Winners and Losers in Iowa | Informed Comment

Keep in mind that the next president will inherit a Hell of a mess in the world…..better make the right choice or it could be very disastrous…..

It is your choice…….

When Would Enough Be Enough?

Today is Black Friday and I would imagine readership will be in the toilet….but some of us just cannot seem to take a break….I know….it is a sickness….LOL

There comes a time in everyone’s life when certain things become overwhelming and a limit has been reached and something has to change….but (there is always a but) when does one arrive at that point in one’s life?

My question is for those within the GOP….they have flirted with everybody that has entered into the fray but Mitt…..and sad to say…they need to wake up and realize that Mitt will be their candidate to face Obama in November….but there is reasons why their flirtation with the others is short lived…..

1. The endless debates expose everyone’s flaws
The Republican presidential candidates are slugging it out in an unprecedented series of debates — “10 so far, with another 12 scheduled,” says Ewen MacAskill at Britain’s Guardian. All that exposure has “changed the dynamic of the nomination race, making and breaking candidates.” Rick Perry’s poor debate performances sunk him. On TV, every weakness is amplified. Millions of viewers tune in to every installment of this new brand of reality TV, where they can curl up on the couch, “enjoyably awaiting the next gaffe.”

2. Intense media scrutiny reveals their shortcomings
Republicans like Perry and Cain have more than conservatism in common, says Adam Silbert at Politico. They’re also “newcomers to the national political stage.” And once a candidate emerges from the cellar and starts rising in the polls, says Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post, suddenly he starts receiving more scrutiny. That means “sharper questions” and “more barbs” from opponents. Most of these guys just couldn’t handle the pressure. Now, “with time running out before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses,” Silbert says, “a frustrated Republican Party seems willing to revisit its customary formula of nominating” a known candidate who has “paid his dues and waited his turn” — the “smart, familiar Gingrich.”

3. Clearly, the media is trying to help Obama
“The mainstream media keep pushing alternatives” to Romney because “they are terrified of running against him,” says Ann Coulter at Townhall. Liberal journalists just want to keep Republicans fighting. It’s obvious now that they’re trying to sell us Gingrich, the former House speaker who had an affair while trying to impeach Bill Clinton and called “Paul Ryan’s plan to save Social Security ‘right-wing social engineering.'” Conservatives need to stop being purists and get behind Romney, because he’s “the only Republican who has a shot at beating Obama.”

4. The GOP field is just abysmal
There’s no mystery about why every conservative flavor-of-the-month has gone down in flames, says Markos Moulitsas at The Hill. Bachmann’s baggage was her “craziness”; Perry’s was his “utter failure to string two sentences together”; Cain’s fatal flaw was his “comically bad” handling of sexual harassment allegations. The only reason Republicans are embracing Gingrich, whose pile of negatives made them laugh him off before, is that “it’s late in the game and they’re desperate.” Really, “there’s no greater indictment of the GOP field than the fact that while voters might be desperate for a Romney alternative, no permanent host can be found.

I do not know if you will agree with the list or not….but there are the reasons that could explain why there has been so many flash in the pan in the GOP search for a candidate…Repubs need to wake up and stop looking for that red meat…..your candidate will be plain vanilla (to quote Herman Cain)….

I will admit that all this up and down makes great fodder for the MSM….but to the rest of us it is just plain silly……when everyone knows that the only hope that the GOP will have in November is with Mitt.

Whatever Do You Mean?

The Fed has been doing little things to try and keep the economy from bottoming out….like keeping interests rate near zero…thus making money more available to the innovators….but so far few have taken the bait…..but once a month there is all kinds of stories about what the Fed chair, Bernanke, is going to do to help the economy….

But there has been a turn of events…..it seems that some in Congress have taken it upon themselves to write a letter to Bernanke……

“[W]e submit that the board should resist further extraordinary intervention in the U.S. economy, particularly without a clear articulation of the goals of such a policy, direction for success, ample data proving a case for economic action and quantifiable benefits to the American people,” the Republicans write.Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ), and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), ostentatiously cautioned Bernanke against providing the economy any further monetary stimulus.

Can Repubs be any more transparent?

Cool letter….but……According to the Board of Governors, the Federal Reserve is independent within government in that “its decisions do not have to be ratified by the President or anyone else in the executive or legislative branch of government.”

However the Fed is subject to congressional oversight but not interference.

But the letter seems to warn the Fed from doing anything that may help the economy…now is it a desire to try and use it as a political tool?  Or are they truly worried about something?  Personally. I think it is a pathetic attempt to keep the economy in the toilet for as long as possible.

Does Crazy Make The Best Leaders?

During the current election cycle we have had many, many candidates and those that pretend to be candidates….some logical, some calculation and some that just sound like a mad hatter……but what about those that sound crazy….would they make a good leader?  Even if they are a stone loon?

It seems there has been a bit research in this area and the findings show that being MAD could work for the good of the country.  This reported on the Newser website……

People often complain about the madness of America’s leaders in Washington—but what if that madness is actually a good thing? After looking at famous leaders from Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King, Dr. Nassir Ghaemi has concluded that being manic or depressed often makes for better leaders, reports NPR. “Historians have often not paid much attention to these features of their lives; they’ve just written them off as irrelevant to their leadership,” said Ghaemi. “I wanted to show that these symptoms not only were present in their lives, but were relevant to their leadership.” “Creativity and resilience is higher in people with mania, and realism and empathy is higher in people with depression compared to normal subjects,” said Ghaemi, who has just published the book A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness. “The problem often with mentally healthy, average leaders is—even though they’re not weak in the sense of not having any of these qualities—they often don’t have enough to meet the very high demands of crises.” Ghaemi also speculates that one of the big problems with “No drama Obama” is that the current president might just be too normal. “And in fact, if he had a little bit of drama to him, it might be quite helpful.”

You may think that some of the candidates are not wrapped real tight….but research says…..not to dismiss them out of hand….our next leader could be a mad hatter…..and could possibly be good for the country…..(pause here for raucous laughter)…….NO!  I do not believe either but it was an interesting post to write……

Peace!

Despots, Every One

I originally intended to do a post on the Arab nationalism and how they came to power and what it actually, (the term that is) unfortunately it is subject that could take me weeks to explain to the average American reader….it is a complex set of circumstances that grips a population and then tears at the psyche of the people at a later date….similar to what is happening in the Middle East today…..there were noble intentions in the past to bring the Arab world into the modern era…..but in the trip to the present the train of social justice was commandeered by those that set themselves up as despots and authoritarian leaders….”power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”….that quote is never more accurate than in the Middle East……

In my search for accurate information I wound up with about 30 pages of notes…as I tried to arrange them into a coherent post I found I was making myself absolutely NUTS!  After sitting back, smoked a butt and thought about how and where to begin….I decided to play with my two best friends, Little Man and baby Girl…….after an exhausting round of Baby Girl teaching me to play “Fetch”…..I decided to try again…….

While reading various news sites trying to find a hook I came across a piece in the Zimbabwe Independent written by Alemayehu Mariam…..this person pretty much captured the whole thing that I was trying to say……..

Simply stated, a thugtatorship is rule by a gang of thieves and robbers (thugs) in designer suits. It is becoming crystal clear that much of Africa today is a thugocracy privately managed and operated for the exclusive benefit of bloodthirsty thugtators.In a thugtatorship, the purpose of seizing and clinging to political power is solely to accumulate personal wealth for the ruling class by stealing public funds and depriving the broader population of scarce resources necessary for basic survival. The English word “thug” comes from the Hindi word “thag” which means con man.

In India “thugees”, well-organised criminal gangs, robbed and murdered unsuspecting travellers over a century ago. Africa’s “thugees” today mug, rob, pillage, plunder and rape unsuspecting nations and peoples and secrete away their billions in stolen loot in European and American banks.

Thugtatorships in Africa thrive in the political economy of kleptocracy. Widespread corruption permeates every corner of society. Oil revenues, diamonds, gold bars, coffee and other commodities and foreign aid are stolen outright and pocketed by the thugtators and their army of thugocrats. Public funds are embezzled and misused and state property misappropriated and converted to private use.

Publicly-owned assets are virtually given away to supporters in “privatisation programmes’ or secretly held in illegal transactions. Bank loans are given out to front enterprises owned secretly by the thugtators or their supporters without sufficient or proper collateral.

One of the common tricks used by thugtators to cling to power is to terrorise the people with warnings of an impending Armageddon. They say that if they are removed from power, even after 42 years, the sky will fall and the earth will open up and swallow the people. Thugtators sow fear, uncertainty and doubt in the population and use misinformation and disinformation to psychologically defeat, disorient and neutralise the people.Africa’s thugtatorships have longstanding and profitable partnerships with the West. Through aid and trade, the West has enabled these thugocracies to flourish in Africa and repress Africans. To cover up their hypocrisy and hoodwink the people, the West is now lined up to “freeze” the assets of the thugtators. It is a drama they have perfected since the early days of African independence.

What can I say?  Thank you Mariam for making my effort a little less painful and much easier……..

This is a great word…….”Thugtator”…….and this is what will occur again with all the unrest in the Middle East….a savior will step forward and after power is consolidated he will become yet another despot that we in the West will jump behind 100%….after all the excitement and flash of reporting is done…the Middle East will once again become a land where despots continue to crap on their people…..and the US and the West will support almost unconditionally…..

And if a sort of democracy is ever established the outcome could be the same as the outcome in Kazakhstan where the latest election of a despot was a replay of his other elections…..from the Atlantic……

Three days before the vote, he published an op-ed in the Washington Post titled “Kazakhstan’s steady progress toward democracy.” He sent an adviser on a tour of Western capitals to promote the election; in Washington, the adviser — modestly, it turns out — predicted Nazarbayev would win between 80 and 92 percent of the vote.

Foreign election observers found evidence of ballot box stuffing and apparent multiple votes, charges that the government quickly denied. “I believe that it is the most ideal election ever in the history of all the elections,” said one presidential adviser, Yermukhamet Yertysbayev.

Democracy is a wonderful concept……but……despots rule in the Middle East…that is reality!

OMG! It Is Health Reform (Again)

Today is the big day!  The compensated spokesmen come back to work,  the US Congress returned to doing what they do best (a questionable statement)…..they will begin to govern….(pause here for raucous laughter)……

They will attack the recently signed health reform bill and they will call it “The repeal of the job killing health reform act”…..only they will change the word killing to destroying, in memory of the Tucson shooting…..since many have opinions both pro and con, I thought I would give my reader a list of those receiving cash that support the repeal act……

Rep. Addison Wilson [R, SC-2] $232,281
Rep. Michele Bachmann [R, MN-6] $211,467
Rep. Eric Cantor [R, VA-7] $183,042
Rep. Tom Graves [R, GA-9] $155,718
Rep. William Owens [D, NY-23] $147,817
Rep. Patrick Tiberi [R, OH-12] $144,670
Rep. John Boehner [R, OH-8] $138,645
Rep. Allen West [R, FL-22] $130,366
Rep. Edward Royce [R, CA-40] $117,000
Rep. Paul Broun [R, GA-10] $114,117
Sen. Patrick Toomey [R, PA] $1,054,073
Sen. Scott Brown [R, MA] $970,538
Sen. Harry Reid [D, NV] $600,821
Sen. Marco Rubio [R, FL] $517,974
Sen. Robert Portman [R, OH] $494,233
Sen. John Thune [R, SD] $338,943
Sen. Charles Schumer [D, NY] $318,500
Sen. Jim DeMint [R, SC] $312,458
Sen. Richard Burr [R, NC] $293,531
Sen. Roy Blunt [R, MO] $280,701
Now the cool thing about all this is that the Senate Majority leader for the Dems is on the list as well as a prominent Dem leader, Schumer….. I would expect to see all those Repubs on the list……but two prominent members of the Dem. Congress……my….my…… 

You know there should be an addition to the suits Congress wears…..it should be a ceremonial sash with patches of their sponors…..you know the guys that pay them money to act in their behalf….and for the health care bill these corporations would be displayed on the sashes of our representatives…….

This way we would ALL know who is paying the slobs in Washington…….

A side note here…..with all the bitching and whining about the health reform law….there is something that the GOP does not want to become knowledge……

As House Republicans prepare for a Wednesday vote to repeal the new health care law, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds just 25% favor complete repeal.

Among Republicans, support for repeal has also dropped sharply, from 61% after the elections to 49% now.

Americans could really care less….so why spend the time on something that is a complete waste?

I realize that some will think me redundant when I keep poking a hole into the thinking and promises of the politicos, but The American voter is like that idiot child that did not learn that the stove was hot….we have to keep pounding it into their head until they realize the absurdity…..

BTW…..GOP where are the jobs?