Reality TV with Real Consequences Part 7

By Chuck Marshall





Mr. Donald "Egomaniac.com" Trump - Republican (New York)

I've already mentioned Donald Trump in a previous blog that was not very flattering.  I also had a letter published in the Orlando Sentinel that was pretty clear in my disapproval.    I must admit after observing and listening to him over the past couple of months I've come to appreciate what people seem to like about him.   In fact, in some ways I find him pretty funny- which is always a good thing.  He's got a decent sense of humor and his bombastic style can be a refreshing change from the canned talk of the other Republicans.  He has certainly made the entire election process entertaining and I think both parties understand now that the citizens are not happy right now.  HOWEVER, as President of the United States I think he's out of the question.

"Why, Chuck" you ask ?  I'm going to just simply quote him.  An analysis is  unnecessary if you read what he says.  

“I will build a great wall – and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me – and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”
Read more at http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/550112/donald-trump-quotes.html#wpTvJ78gUvwto1Xi.99

How trump became pro-life.  "I saw things with people and people that I know and it made me change".    

The Wall;  “I will build a great wall – and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me – and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.” 

On Mexican immigrants;  “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. They’re not sending you, they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bring crime. They’re rapists… And some, I assume, are good people.” 

Read more at http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/550112/donald-trump-quotes.html#wpTvJ78gUvwto1Xi.99

Then there are his standard answer to any complicated question;  "We're looking into that" 

"The nuclear triad?  That was a gotcha question"

I'm not going to write anything else about Donald Trump because everything has already been written about him and he gets way more attention than is fair.   Fox news in particular has been his "bitch" for several months now.   He plays all the media like a fiddle.  I'm not going to be played.   Let me say this- in my humble opinion-  his candidacy has been a "horror show", "a disaster", "a disgrace" for the Republican party...."That I can tell you"...."I promise you that".   Still he leads in the polls.... For the political right wing, that's the real horror show.  

Reality TV with Real Consequences Part 6

By Chuck Marshall



           Jeb "Desperate !" Bush


Governor Jeb Bush - Republican (Florida)

How do I start with the candidate that I'm most disappointed with in this election ?  As a Floridian I've always been proud of Jeb ! as the smarter, more even keeled, most dignified and likable of the Bush family.  As a governor he was excellent.  You had that feeling that things were getting done and that they were getting done correctly when Jeb ! was governor.  He had that leadership quality. When he spoke you trusted him and he always did what he said he would do.  He was an excellent governor of Florida despite what Donald Trump may lob his way.

In a previous blog I listed Jeb ! as being in my "top three" along with Ben Carson and Marco Rubio but unfortunately for Jeb !  That is no longer the case.  His campaign has slithered into the mud with the rest of them throwing  mud balls that cost millions of dollars--- and still he loses !  He was especially shameless in New Hampshire when he and  Chris "big bully"  Christie clearly calculated to take out Marco Rubio by rattling him up with full frontal attacks from both flanks.   I can't support him for that and for three other reasons;

1)  He's a terrible speaker.  I've never witnessed a candidate who so frequently trips over his tongue.  It's very distracting and it tells me that deep down, he doesn't really want the job.
 
2)  Overall, he just seems timid and unsure of himself.  That won't work in times of trouble in our country.  We need a confident leader who's sure of himself, not just sure of his last name.

3)  He's bringing out his family to campaign for him.  This might have been ok if he had done that from the beginning but that he does it now smacks of desperation.    It's a desperate attempt by a desperate  man who has morphed from a fine leader into a political "sell out".  He is willing to ignore his principles and drag his family out of retirement in order to get a job that he doesn't even really want.

His campaign and candidacy is a fiasco, or to use the words of his arch rival - The Donald -"It's a disaster".

Come back to Florida, Jeb ! and run for governor again.  Rick Scott is an atrocious governor and we miss the good and decent man that you really are underneath it all.  Come back to Florida and shine in the sunshine as the leader that you can be.

L'âge de l' incompétence; Part Deux

The Age of Incompetence: Part Two

By Chuck Marshall

     The media has outdone themselves today and they look more asinine than they did on CNBC for the last Republican debate.  Who knew they could top themselves so quickly !   Politico- the political web site for those of you unfamiliar-  came out with a story stating that Ben Carson had "fabricated" his experience as a high school senior while in the Detroit ROTC where he was in a position of high leadership (this is not the fact being questioned- that would be the case in a NORMAL story questioning a potential leader).   In his book, they explained,  he wrote that he was complimented  by General Westmoreland himself at a banquet and he was encouraged to apply to West Point and "was offered a scholarship".   Carson turned him down because he wanted to be a Doctor.  This is, of course, what happened and would seem to be the key fact here.    Politico was elaborate in commenting that he "couldn't have been offered a scholarship because West Point doesn't offer scholarships".  The headlines were then all over the Internet  "Carson lied about being offered a scholarship to West Point".   Carson later explained that he was offered a "position" to come to West Point in conversation, ie "Your performance  at the Detroit ROTC has been exemplary, I think you would have no problem getting into West Point, or being offered a position to go there".   In other words, he didn't clarify but there really is no word for "getting a position" at West Point and even their marketing uses the word "scholarship" as the reader can see in the image above.  The real story;  Carson exaggerated the details of his offer to apply to West Point.  

      Politico also attacked Carson for even claiming any admission to West Point because "West Point has no record of him applying".  In his book Carson never claimed to apply to West Point, he was simply making a point that he had risen to the enviable position of being offered a likely position at the prestigious academy.   Why would he apply to West Point if he had already said he wanted to be a Doctor ?   Later today it was discovered that West Point doesn't keep any record of who did or did not apply that far back so ...... the conclusion?   Politico lied about checking the details of Carson applying at West Point.   To sum it up., Politico got caught doing what they were accusing Carson of doing., and that's not an exaggeration it's slander.

     All at the same time., our friends at  CNN "discovered" that Ben Carson may have "fabricated" the "narrative" in his book regarding details of himself as a 13 year old while growing up in a Detroit ghetto.   My first thought is;  "everybody did weird things when they were 13 years old, but what was he hiding?  What did he fabricate?"   He fabricated that he threatened a friend with a knife and he fabricated that he threatened his mother with a hammer over a pair of pants.   Keep in mind he didn't say he never did those things, he lied by saying he DID do those things.   Huh?  So, he was lying about tending towards violence in his youth... when really he was NOT violent ?   He was  being dishonest because he was actually a mellow, law abiding citizen as a 13 year old.   I've heard a lot of bizarre stories in my 52 years but this is one of the most bizarre.  Les médias est plus incompétent que je l'imaginais !  

If this is all they can find on Ben Carson then he has got my vote friends....

* Why is this title in French ?  Click the link to L'age de l'incompetence - Part 1" under the heading "Popular Posts"  to  the right of this page to find out.  Have a good day.