Quotes of the Month: August 2015

Quote of the Month: “Don’t cry.”

-Rhonda Rousey to Bethe Correia after knocking her out

Stupid Quote of the Month: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever."

-Donald Trump on Megyn Kelly

And the rest...
"Some people think it's a genius album, but I think it's a mishmash of rubbish, kind of like '(Their) Satanic Majesties.'”
-Keith Richards on Sgt. Pepper's

“I’m the only one to separate Siamese twins.”
-Ben Carson

“She counts on the fact that people are uninformed. The Alinsky model, taking advantage of useful idiots.”
-Ben Carson

“I think God has blessed us, he’s blessed the Republican Party with some very good candidates. The Democrats can’t even find one.”
-Marco Rubio

“I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes.”
-Jimmy Carter on his cancer diagnosis

"Just in case y'all not going to decide to do the right thing, if y'all got a crew, you got to have a fall guy in the crew."
-Chris Carter

"The darkness from a decade ago has lifted, the Crescent City has risen again, and its best days lie ahead."
-George W Bush

Man of the Year

Well, it’s that time again. This is my 4th annual person of the year. This is sooo much better than Barbara Walter's thing. Previous winners include: Rahm Emmanuel (2006), Al Gore (2007), and Barack Obama (2008).

and the nominees:

Glenn Beck: Who would have thought Glenn Beck would become the next biggest thing? He helped organize the Tea Party Protests, exposed ACORN, and brought down Van Jones.

Central Michigan Football and Dan LeFevour: Does he have to graduate? LeFevour is the all-time touchdown record holder for NCAA Football, the team scored its third MAC title in four years, and
CMU is #25 in the nation.

GOP Governors: Bob McDonnell (Virginia) and Chris Christie (New Jersey) sweep into office. They won the independent vote big in a probable portent for the 2010 midterms.

Hockey Hall of Famers: Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, and Luc Robitaille: All members of the 2002 Red Wings and all inducted this year. There will be more Hall of Famers to follow from that team.

Leonard Nimoy: Spock returns and then lands a gig on Fringe. Not a bad retirement.

Sarah Palin: Has the best selling book of the year, became an Obama-esque celebrity, and dueled Shatner on late night.

Shaquille O’Neal: Shaq paid for the funeral of that little girl murdered after her mother sold her into prostitution.

Bruce Springsteen: Bruce had a big year with a new album. He finished a 2-year tour, spent the last few months playing entire albums live, and was the closing act for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame concert. Is it 1985 or 2009?

Sully Sullenberger: Sully landed that plane in the Hudson River saving all hands.

The Black Eyed Peas: Big year for the Black Eyed Peas with the big album, several #1 hits, and Will.I.Am's bodyguard beat up the worthless Perez Hilton.

And the winner is: Leonard Nimoy!!!

Assorted Ramblings

Item: Protesters meet Barack Obama at Notre Dame

Thoughts: First, the Tea Parties and now this? Conservative protesters strike twice in one year? These are two different groups of conservatives. The Tea Protesters were concerned about ridiculous spending and high taxation. Notre Dame was a social conservative event. Either way, something might be afoot and it's at the grass roots level. This is not a top down movement right now. If Conservatives are protesting, are the 60s not far behind?

Item: Nancy Pelosi has been lying about the CIA.

Thoughts: She is in deep trouble. First, she has po'd the bureaucrats, and they protect their own. Second, her speakership is in danger. Third, this could distract the congress for months. Last, her resignation would be the best thing for the country. She's too loony to be speaker.

Item: Dick Cheney won't go away.

Thoughts: If the GOP was able to get a message out, he could retire!

Item: My house has lost $100,000 in value.

Thoughts: ouch!

Item: Star Trek made lots of money at the box office.

Thoughts: Amazing what hype can do. In one weekend, this film doubled the entire take for the last film. That one did not have the ad campaign and was up against Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

Why Rush?

Why is Obama attacking Rush Limbaugh? There is more than one answer. There is a long term and a short term strategy working here.

In the long term, the Dems lack a boogie man now that Bush is gone. Rush is not going anywhere, so it gives them someone to attack for years on end. Second, they need someone to demonize and tie to the GOP. So, Limbaugh becomes "The Leader." It's false. If the GOP listened to Limbaugh then they would not have acted like Democrats for a decade. Third, they hope to marginalize the Republicans and make them look extreme. Over the past decade, the GOP has been like Democrats of old. However, by attaching them to Limbaugh, they hope to drive a wedge between the Republicans and Independents.

The short term strategy is obfuscation. Their policies cutting tax deductions on housing and charitable donations and the out of control spending has many worried that Obama is a classic liberal. Democrats are calling his policies extreme and several senate Dems are in revolt. Attacking Rush Limbaugh is a distraction. Instead of talking about national bankruptcy and the destruction of the middle class and poor which will happen with many of these policies, they are talking about a talk show host.

There is one major drawback to this strategy. By attacking Limbaugh, Obama admits his policies are not working. So, as the economy continues to tank, Limbaugh may gain listeners and Obama could lose support as he tackles irrelevancies such as Limbaugh while ignoring the important issues.

Bush: 2006

2006 was another poor year for Bush. Although Zarqawi was killed and Saddam executed, Bush continued to suffer setbacks in Iraq. The insurrection continued to grow.

Meanwhile, illegal immigrants and their allies had their own insurrection. In several cities, there were protests and walkouts for illegal aliens’ rights. This angered many and pushed Bush to support immigration reform in 2007.

The courts began to push back as well. The Terrorist Surveillance Program was ruled unconstitutional. This ruling basically gave constitutional rights to terrorists worldwide. The program monitored terrorists’ communications worldwide. Idiots that opposed the program believed that it opened the door to spying on Americans. Of course, we know that did not happen. It was an attempt to bloody Bush some more. Bush did not appeal for whatever reason.

The high court also ruled that military tribunals were a no-no. This reversed a World War II decision allowing such tribunals. The tribunals were controversial as some believed the terrorists would not receive fair trials. This has proven false. However, it the controversy demonstrates the difficulties surrounding the incarceration of multi-national enemy combatants as opposed to soldiers in a national army.

Also pushing back were the Iranians. The fascist government of Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb. Their program is buried deep underground. As a result, it is probably safe from a strike. This problem goes back at least a decade and will continue into the Obama Administration. Obama has promised to drop nukes on Iran should they attack Israel.

Bush had two achievements of note in 2006. First, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were named a national monument creating largest marine preserve in US History. Second, Samuel Alito was nominated to the Supreme Court.

In November, the Democrats took over both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994. Bush was a drag. More importantly, the Republicans had been involved in several scandals and stuck their noses into the Shiavo case in 2005. The biggest bomb came at the 11th hour of the election when Rahm Emmanuel released information on the Mark Foley scandal. This turned a Democratic tide into a landslide.

Bush: 2005

2005 was a political disaster for Bush and a natural disaster for New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans. The City was basically destroyed. The Bush Administration got blamed. They were very slow to respond to the crisis. However, the city and state governments were ultimately responsible for the dead. They failed to evacuate those that could not escape. They did not even try. If there was a villain in Katrina, it was Mayor Ray Nagin.

Before Katrina, Bush had blown almost all his political capital on social security reform. His plan went down like Clintoncare in 1994. Democrats attacked it and scared seniors. Seniors refuse to allow any changes to the program. Bush should have sent out trial balloons and then abandoned his reform efforts instead of trying to explain it to people unwilling to listen.

Another blunder was the attempt at putting Harriet Myers on the Supreme Court. She was not qualified and conservatives stood up to Bush. As a result, he placed John Roberts on the court as Chief Justice.

Unlike social security reform, bankruptcy reform passed. The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Reform Act made it more difficult to declare bankruptcy. Many people were intentionally running up their credit cards and then declaring bankruptcy knowing they’d just get credit again. Then, they’d do it again. This act was designed to stop the abuse.

In the foreign arena, Kyoto went into effect. Wisely, the Bush Administration refused to participate. It did not make much sense to participate. The biggest polluters were exempted from the protocols. Unless something could be done to address China and India, then Kyoto and Kyoto-like agreements make no sense.

In the former Soviet Union, a would be assassin tossed a live grenade at Bush. It did not go off.

While that grenade did not go off, the CIA leak case exploded. This was a Washington scandal. However, Bush was wounded. He had been attacked for over a year for “lying” about WMD, was slow to react to Katrina, and had blown all his political capital on Harriet Myers and Social Security Reform. The press jumped on it as hard as they have ignored the ties between Obama and the Illinois Governor.

Lastly, the Republicans in Congress decided to place themselves into the Terry Shiavo case. House Leader Tom Delay decided that Shiavo’s husband had tried to murder her and wanted to block efforts to end her life. She was in a coma. The government had no business in this affair. However, Delay was a social con. Social cons are simply liberals who are simply arch conservatives on social issues. Delay attempted to use the government to intervene. This hurt the GOP more so than anything Bush did during his first five years in office. Between Katrina, Bush’s blunders, Iraq, and Shiavo, the GOP was on the road to defeat in 2006.

2008: Historical Paradigm Shift?

Every couple of generations, there is a political earthquake which changes American politics. 2008 could be such a year. The country could shift away from conservatism and toward European leftism. If this happens, it could mean the country will stay in Euro fashion for generations. It all depends on what happens in the presidential election. If people are willing to roll the dice on Obama, then it will probably happen. If they judge him to be too risky because he is not qualified for office or out of fear of a Democratic government, then it will not happen. (Of course Reid and Pelosi have been pretty incompetent, so even with an all-Dem government, the GOP might be gearing for a takeover that could last a century with those clowns in charge).

Here is a list of American Political Eras:

1. 1789-1800: Federalist Era: Pro-industry and national defense. Against the excesses of the French Revolution. (Washington and Adams presidents).

2. 1800-1860: Democratic Era: Pro-southern, pro-slavery, anti-protectionism, anti-big government, pro-agrarian, expansion of white male voting rights.

3. 1860-1932: Republican Era: The first part of the era is characterized by the Civil War. It was pro-northern and pro-African American. The entire era was pro-industry and pro-tariff.

4. 1932-1968: Democratic Era: The New Deal, Great Society, and Cold War Dems dominated.

5. 1969-present: Republican Era: Dominated by Nixon and Reagan. Pro-nationalist foreign policy, low taxes, against big government (except Bush 43), for expansion of civil liberties and democracy around the world.

The Man from Georgia: 1976

The Republican Party was in tatters. Watergate decimated the G.O.P. Although personally honest and likeable, President Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon had amplified voter anger. On top of this, the right wing had decided to make its move. Ronald Reagan launched an insurgency that cut into Ford even further. On top of all this, Ford had been appointed to the Vice-Presidency and ascended to the Oval Office upon Nixon's resignation. So, he was not elected to either of the top two offices.
The Democrats were delighted and looked forward to recapturing the White House. They nominated Jimmy Carter. Carter was a one term governor of Georgia and former peanut farmer. Carter ran as an outsider that would clean up Washington and jumped to a 33 point lead in the polls.
Despite his immense lead, Carter made several mistakes that brought him back to Earth. Carter remained vague on the issues and Ford hammered him for his inexperience. Additionally, Carter's mother gave an interview with Playboy that was less than complimentary to the candidate.
Despite Carter's problems, Ford made the biggest gaffe of all during a debate. In it, he claimed the Soviet Union did not dominate Eastern Europe. Carter responded, "Tell that to the Poles." Ford failed to retract the blunder and it reinforced the media's image of him as dumb. It also brought up visions of a shifty Nixon.
On election day, Carter pulled out a narrow victory 50-48%. The electoral college was 297-240. Carter would go on to be the worst president since James Buchanan. He'd even get attacked by a rabbit. Ford would go golfing. Ronald Reagan would lead a revolution that would redefine the terms of debate in American politics to this day.

I Like Ike!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008Subject: I Like IkeTime: 4:44:00 PM EDTAuthor: cicero390 Edit Entry Delete Entry
Both parties approached Dwight Eisenhower to be their candidate for President in 1952. Harry Truman was stepping down and the GOP was desperate to win back the White House for the first time in 20 years. Ike decided to be a Republican. With that, the Republicans won the elections in 1952 and 1956. Ike was too popular to beat.
The Democrats nominated Adlai Stevenson both times. He was a boring intellectual. Stevenson campaign ads featured the candidate droning on and on...he bored people to death. By contrast, Ike's ads were quick and to the point. In both elections, Ike won big.
Eisenhower served two successful terms in office. He ended the Korean War, built the national highway system, integrated Little Rock High School, and balanced the budget. Additionally, he kept much of the New Deal in place. He left office extremely popular. Had he been healthy enough to campaign in 1960 for Richard Nixon, or had he not been limited to two terms by the Constitution, Kennedy would have stood no chance.

The GOP Makes a Hard Right: 1912

1912 is the election that swung the Republican Party to the right. The right turn came about as a response to Theodore Roosevelt's challenge to President William Howard Taft. Taft had an underwhelming term as president and bungled several foreign policy decisions. T.R. handpicked Taft as his successor and felt it necessary to correct his mistake. Plus, he was bored. Roosevelt decided to run for a third term and challenged the incumbent Taft.
This was the first election in which primaries would be held to choose delegates to the national conventions. The Republicans held 14 primaries that year and Roosevelt embarrassed Taft by winning 9 of the last 10 primaries. Taft won three total primaries while Robert LaFollette won two. The conservatives thought Roosevelt a radical and the party bosses worried they could not control him. Taft united these forces and blocked Roosevelt's nomination. The G.O.P. had a civil war on its hands and did not care about keeping the White House.
Roosevelt bolted the GOP and formed the Bull Moose Party. He had to distinguish himself from both Democrats and Republicans by moving left. His "New Nationalism" combined business regulation, social justice, and court reform. TR wanted people to be able to recall justices. He also attacked Taft for stealing the nomination from the people.
The Democrats were ecstatic. The Republicans did not care if they won as long as they blocked each other. The Democrats nominated Woodrow Wilson. Wilson was a former college professor and president and the incumbent governor of New Jersey. Wilson had a progressive record as governor and the south had no issues with him as Wilson was a hard core racist. Wilson campaigned on his "New Freedom" platform which opposed the "Triple Wall of Privilege." Wilson wanted to regulate banks, monopolies, and lower the tariff.
Meanwhile, if that was not enough, the Socialists got in the act again and nominated Eugene Debs again. The Socialists felt this was their time. They would total around 900,000 votes, and knew they would lose, but hoped to further their movement. However, there was a major split within the party between those that advocated violence and those that wanted to reform the country through the ballot box.
With the G.O.P. split, Wilson won. He totaled 42% of the vote. Taft and TR totaled 51% together, so it is likely a single GOP candidate would have won. However, they were not united behind a single candidate. The third party candidate Roosevelt finished second with 27.4% and Taft third with 23.2%. Even an assassination attempt on TR could not siphon off enough Taft voters. A disturbed young man believed the ghost of William McKinley told him to shoot Roosevelt. TR took the bullet in the chest, but it was stopped by the copy of his speech. (It was about the size of a phone book). Roosevelt finished the speech and went to the hospital 45 minutes later.
Following his defeat, Roosevelt went to the Amazon. He got very sick and almost died. The illness sapped his strength and he died in 1919 while gearing up to run on the GOP ticket in 1920. He was the favorite that year. Taft would become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court following a Republican restoration in the 1920s. Wilson would lead the country into World War I after misleading the nation about his intentions in 1916. The Republican Party continued it's rightward drift. It would stay hard right until 1940 and remain the Conservative party in the United States for the rest of the century.

Election 1856

After four years, the presidency finished Franklin Pierce. His administration's blundering and lack of backbone led to a civil war inside the state of Kansas. Pierce had become a pariah, the nation splintered along sectional lines over the slavery issue, the Whig Party died, and two new political parties rose from the ashes of the Whig Party to challenge the Democrats in 1856.
The Democrats refused to renominate Pierce for a second term and jettisoned him to alcoholism and obscurity. They looked for a candidate untarnished by the Kansas-Nebraska fiasco. Kansas-Nebraska was an attempt by Democrat Stephen Douglas to circumvent the Missouri Compromise by allowing voters in US territories to vote on the issue of slavery. In Kansas, this led to a shooting war between Pro-Slavery and Anti-Slavery forces. It was a debacle. The Democrats found James Buchanan and nominated him for the Presidency. Buchanan had been the ambassador to Great Britain during the Kansas troubles, so he did not get caught up in the mess. He proved offensive to none and was nominated.
Kansas-Nebraska sparked strong feelings amongst many northerners. They saw the fighting in Kansas as an attempt by slave holders to extend their power. As a result, the Republican Party formed to combat the Democrats. Their credo was "Free Soil, Free Labor, and Free Men!" They nominated Mexican War hero and explorer John C. Fremont whose nickname was "The Pathfinder."
Another party rose from the ashes of the Whigs. This party hated immigrants and called themselves the Know-Nothings. This Nativist Party challenged the Republicans for the hearts and minds of Northerners. Instead of rallying against slave power, they attacked the flood of Irish Catholic immigrants and the Pope. They feared a Papal Conspiracy. They argued the Pope would order his Bishops to order the Priests to order their flock to vote in certain ways. Then, the Pope would rule the world. The Know-Nothings nominated former President Millard Fillmore. Some historians argue that Fillmore just wanted to return to the White House and felt this party had a better shot than the GOP did. Another brilliant move on the part of Millard Fillmore.
The campaign's real issue was slavery and its extension. The Democrats had the slight edge going into the general election because they could unite behind Buchanan while Republicans and Know-Nothings would split the anti-Democratic vote. The South threw one of their hissy fits and threatened secession if they lost. That was enough and Buchanan won the White House with 45% of the vote. His opponents tallied 55%. Fremont probably would have won without Fillmore in the race. Even with Fillmore, he came within a hair of winning several key states that would have propelled him the electoral college. Buchanan proved inadequate for the job. He bungled throughout his term, supported the South at every turn, and suborned treason as the South seceded after Lincoln's election in 1860.