Parties Should Split Apart for the Good of the Country

The Republicans are in quite a situation right now with Donald Trump being the front runner and most likely nominee for the Presidency.  The problem, is of course that most of the  establishment R's do not like him and don't feel he's qualified to be President.  In addition, Ted Cruz is in second place and he's almost as disliked at Donald Trump !   The situation is even worse when you look at the polls and recognize that neither of these candidates is likely to beat the unpopular Hillary Clinton. How could the R's have gotten this so wrong ?

The Democrats have a similar problem as Bernie Sanders is on the heels of Hillary Clinton and his socialist tendencies are starting to tear that party apart.  They are not in the pickle the R's are in, but they'll get there eventually.

What to do, what to do ?  I have a solution for both parties.   Consider your country first.  The political party is a tool for helping people to collect candidates that think the way they think.  It  is not an end unto itself !   No longer does either party represent the ideas of their party members.  The  massive increase in Independents would also indicate that a lot of people are not happy with either choice because they choose NOT to join either party.  The point of both parties no longer exists to help citizens make a decision and their sole purpose seems to be to "out do" each other.   Each party needs to split itself apart according to certain principals and ideals that would best serve two separate groups on the left and two separate groups on the right.    I would also encourage that one of each party to the right and to the left be more moderate and willing to compromise and start moving forward with fixing the problems and challenges of our society.  For the good of the country, split apart.  I might also add, that whichever party decides to move forward in such a way is more likely to gain the massive numbers of Independents waiting on the sidelines for sanity to return to the political spectrum.  Like me.  

A Confession

I must confess to you my dear readers, an atrocious activity, perhaps unforgivable but my first step to redemption is this confession;  I joined the Republican party last month.   I fell for the candidate Marco Rubio and couldn't stand the idea of  missing out on this election.  So, after 15 years, I re-joined.  I feel dirty, and used and I feel like I need a long, hot shower with lots of soap.  I feel like going to church every night of the week and I feel like going to see a Priest for confession even though I'm not Catholic.

Tonight, Marco dropped out of the race after an awful showing in the Florida primaries.  I don't blame him, it was time.  I sincerely feel he's too good for the Republican party and I hope there is a future for him in public service, but I'm not sure how.  He made mistakes in this election, but I don't think anyone can stop Donald Trump.  He's the Republican answer to Prez Obama., an inexperienced man with a lot of hot air.   Trump is Obama without the eloquence.   There  is no difference between Obama and Trump in my mind.  They are both inexperienced boobs who are incapable of running our country effectively.  As long as the parties run the show we will have this back and forth nonsense with idiotic candidates picked by the extreme wings of both parties.  

The Republican party is now dominated by old cranky white men and young cranky rednecks.    They are incapable of seeing or understanding common sense.  This is the only way I can reconcile in my mind the picking such a vile man as Donald Trump to lead your party.   Anyway, there has been talk of the Republicans splitting in two.   I hope so !   Remove the Tea Party and their insatiable anger and hate and "Trumpness" to re-start the GOP as something new and productive.   Meanwhile, I'll be dropping back out of the Republican party asap., and taking a long hot shower.

The Circus Ringmaster: Cable TV

By Chuck Marshall

NOTE;  This printed in the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday,  March 10th 2016
 (with a few small changes and without Shawn Hannity's face LOL

CBT -Cable News Traitors

Senator Rubio has suggested  constitutional amendments for some of the more glaring problems with our government.  I would like to suggest an amendment restricting the influence of special interests.   Currently one special interest stands out as the most obvious special interest of all;  The Cable news media.  These companies (Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc…) are making a fortune on our political process.  They stir the pot to excite conflict and give undue coverage to the most divisive candidates.  Then they settle back to watch with glee the discourse they created. In addition, controlling the line of questions in debates allows them to “orchestrate” the debate towards personal insults and insinuations, which not coincidentally profits them greatly.  Important policy questions are few and far between.  Ideally an amendment should be formed that removes the influence of special interests and I think we should start with these circus ringmasters.      

In my humble opinion.  

In Trump's Mind; You're a Loser

By Chuck Marshall

Ironic Fact:  "To fool or deceive" in French is translated "Trompe"


Let me first confess my position.  With all due respect to his ambitious plans for an "amazing wall"  and his plans to make us all winners.......such winners that we're "going to get sick of winning"......  I don't understand a vote for Donald Trump unless the voter has no need for any real solutions.  I have not heard one yet from Trump.  

If you listen to Trump, a lot of his positions are actually business savvy and make sense to  frustrated Americans looking for answers, but they are woefully short on solutions that could really be implemented.   He vents.  The  best example of that is the impossibility of deporting all 11 million illegal immigrants back to their origin as soon as he is President.  Yes, he could enforce the law more strictly (and he should)  but due process is a necessity that he conveniently leaves out of his tirades.   Trump (and now Cruz!)  is only too happy to let uninformed Americans believe that power would come to him miraculously as President (don't ask him how!).   Really the only way he could maneuver that would be if he became a tyrant through some sort of collapse in our government and then proceeded to order it done by his military minions.   That is, of course,  unlikely but with the ego we've witnessed in Trump I'm not totally convinced it hasn't lurked around in his gigantic head.  "Telling it like it is" is all fine and dandy but the power and ability to do these things you rage displays his lack of experience and, to be perfectly frank, his lack of intelligence.  Still, a huge percentage of Republicans seem to follow him like the Pied Piper.  On they march right over a cliff.


Republican voters around the country need to think about this really hard as they have a decision to make in the next month.  Do you  really want such a person representing your party in the general election ?   He is already known and the majority of the public has made up their minds about Trump.  He is an egomaniac, he's crude, he's inexperienced, he's not eloquent, he holds a grudge, he mocks disabled people, he disrespects women, he feeds off anger, he argues with the pope, he provokes the Muslims, he alienates our allies, he's a poor winner, he's a poor loser, and in some ways he's just plain "weird".   To a large  extent, you can decide whether or not Hillary Clinton will be our next president because I doubt his ability to beat her given his personality and lack of experience.   She waits and watches as Republicans vote with rage for her favorite option.  You are on a chess board and you can see the opponent's queen lurking and waiting.  Don't move the pawn to expose your King in the very next move for a check -mate.  You have a choice to make, don't throw a glass of water on the fire and expect to save your house.   You have a choice to  make, don't try a quarterback sneak when a field goal would win the game.

My fellow Americans, I know that if Trump read this blog he would call me a "nobody" and a "loser" and any other personal insult he could come up with.  Don't think for a moment he thinks anything more of you.

Reality TV with Real Consequences Part 8

By Chuck Marshall



Senator Marco Rubio - Republican (Florida)
The Next President of the United States

So, here's why I think this should be;

Intelligence

I have never seen a candidate with such quick answers, and with such consistently effective debating abilities,   He knows what he is talking about regarding foreign affairs and the way our government works.  His knowledge is encyclopedic.   You cannot run this country effectively and/or turn it around from its chaotic path  if you are just a "slick politician".  We have had too many of them !  I see Marco as just plain smart with sterling leadership skills.  

Some people say he speaks too fast.  I think he just has a lot to say and only few minutes to say it. Notice Ted Cruz has no problem pausing.  Why?  Because he has nothing intelligent to say in the first place.   Besides, everyone in Florida knows Rubio just has a Miami accent.  They speak fast when they're excited.  They are Latin and they talk fast !    Relax folks,  he slows down in "one on one" interviews.

He speaks Spanish.  That might not matter to a lot of the  lily white Republican party members, but it is going to make a huge difference in the general elections when Marco can answer questions in heavily Latin communities while his opponent cannot.  And don't tell me Ted Cruz speaks Spanish !   All you have to do is look at a video of the last debate with his sloppy counter-attack to Rubio's comment about his lack of Spanish skills with a garbled sentence in Spanish.  What was that ?   It sounded like a 8th grader reciting a dialogue in Spanish class !

Likability

He has a telegenic smile that will wilt Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.   If you want the Republican candidate over the Democratic candidate then you want Marco Rubio.  Who would, in contrast, want to look at Bernie Sanders' bottom teeth for the next four years ?   In addition, I think it can only help our country if the President is liked by people.  The President is a salesman,.  He sells our country to foreign countries, he sells his ideas to Congress.  You cannot sell anything if people despise you.  Look what has happened with Obama, "the community organizer".  Obama has never understood that he is essentially a salesman.,   He has been under the mistaken idea that he is our King.   What has the King gotten done?   Practically nothing unless you count his "executive orders" that circumvent the  constitution and can be easily deleted by the next President.   The President must be liked and he must sell his ideas to Congress and the opposing party in order to be effective.

Donald Trump?  You can say a lot of things about Donald Trump but I believe "likable" is not on the list.   Who in their right mind believes he  has a chance against either Democrat? According to a recent poll   Donald Trump is disliked so intensely by the American public that over  65% stated they would  NEVER vote for him under any circumstances., and that includes 40% of Republicans !     Let us just pretend he does make it to the White House.  Get ready for another 4 years of nothing getting done as Donald Trump pisses off Congress, the states, the banks, Wall Street,  the courts. etc...  With that ego he will not back down either and he will hold a grudge as we have all seen.  It would make the last 6 years of a deadlocked government look like the good ole days !   What about Ted Cruz ?  He is probably the most despised man in Washington, DC and that is widely agreed -even he admits it and wears it as a badge  of honor.  But  you must keep in mind that NOTHING WILL GET DONE if Ted Cruz is President !

Great Ideas

Marco Rubio has discussed many intelligent approaches to fixing our government.and our country.  Real ideas, not political rhetoric !  He has constructive, inventive and creative ideas to get things accomplished.   I see him as being .able to bring the government back together to start making the USA work again.  He is conservative, but he is a pragmatic conservative.   I have heard him discuss ideas for fixing issues that normally Democrats take credit for;  helping the poor to help themselves,  cleaning and protecting the planet with pro-business solutions, education shaped  for all kids not just the kids that want to go to a University.  Perhaps, most impressively to me, he is suggesting a constitutional convention for all the states to meet in DC and start fixing some of the issues regarding our bloated and ineffective government.  Marco can fix it., I truly believe that.  

Experience

Whoever suggests Marco has no experience is ill informed.

US Senator  2011 to Present
Speaker of the House, State of Florida 2006-2008
Florida House of Representatives 2000-2006
City Commissioner - City of West Miami - Late 1990's

That looks like experience to me.

"Marshall in the Middle" officially and enthusiastically endorses Marco Rubio for President of the United States.