Category: Uncategorized

Arthur, optimistic being that he is, has set out to fix America’s broken politics. And his first recommendation is: “Stop using social media to get political information!”

But I think it’s worse than that. In reading I’m with stupid: The entire 2016 election has been an insult to our intelligence, I realized yet again that we can’t have a real conversation, real consensus about much of anything because we cannot agree on the facts.

Or as the New York Times puts it, Your facts or mine? The political polarization is more acute than ever. And, of course, there are the fake news sites and their ‘B.S. stories’ that are as reliable as a Ouiji board.

Here’s Today’s Electoral Map.

Is Benghazi as noteworthy as portrayed, given that other Presidents have lost diplomats, or was it a smear to derail Hillary’s campaign?

Is it voter fraud or voter suppression we need to worry about? Or both?

The Washington Times says Hillary Clinton laughs as woman removes ‘under God’ from Pledge of Allegiance, yet Snopes explains the actual context of the situation.

The 1975 rape case Hillary was assigned to, which Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway alluded to AGAIN on ABC This Week, has generated many non-truths about Hillary.

Is Hillary in trouble over the last email “scandal,” or is FBI Director Comey trying to sabotage her campaign? Or did he find it necessary to report to Congress based on a previous agreement? And what do they have on Trump? (This Is Not the First Time the FBI Has Interfered with a Presidential Election.)

Were Oregon militia members found not guilty as a result of racial bias or did the government fail to make its case?

Given time, I could come up with dozens more: climate change as a hoax for scientists to get government money, or videos of all the Muslims cheering on 9/11 in New Jersey.

Yet, another optimist, Doug Muder of the Weekly Sift, wonders Why so frustrated, America? He believes that there is common ground among us:
No one wants millions of people to keep living in the United States without legal status
No one wants to keep anticipating the next government shutdown (well, maybe Ted Cruz does…)

I realize why I’m so tired and grumpy this political season. Four years ago, I hardly mentioned Mitt Romney at all, except for how he was doing in the polls. The worst thing I wrote was that he was wishy-washy; in the same post, I named Donald Trump as the person who most needs to give away all his money.

The last time I posted a bunch of links about Trump, someone told me they disagreed with most of them, even the factual ones, such as Trump’s companies destroying or hiding documents in defiance of court orders. That’s fine, since I find virtually all his pro-Trump and anti-Clinton posts spurious, especially when Trump accuses Hillary of the very things he does himself.

I’m afraid I’ve pretty much given up trying to understand Trump supporters. I am in agreement with the New South Wales, Australia upper house, which officially condemned Donald J. Trump as “a revolting slug unfit for office.”

This Quora question intrigued me: “The more left-wingers double down on ‘Trump is dangerous’ and other arguments, the less I believe them. Am I desensitized or just skeptical?” There were about 30 answers, a few of whom identified themselves as conservatives and/or Republicans, and they laid out the case – a case I thought was self-evident, but apparently not – why DJT is singularly unprepared for the office he is seeking. I have about 30 more articles explaining that, but I know that, at this point, they won’t convince anyone.

At the same time, in deciding to vote for Hillary Clinton, I find myself defending myself from not only the Trump supporters, but the Jill Stein folks. A couple of months ago, Mother Jones made the progressive case for Hillary, and I think it’s mostly right.

I do admit there’s a part of me who is voting for her because of a lot of the BS that’s been lodged against her. A friend’s rant addresses this. Also, the fact that she’s a woman plays into the calculation. (Then why not vote for Stein? Because she hasn’t had to deal with anywhere near the level of crap Hillary has.)

When I read women are not to have authority over men, that’ll tweak me in HRC’s favor. She is now a 69-year-old woman, and there’s inherent sexism/ageism from people dealing with her over that fact, even though her primary opponent is older.

There appears to be a phenomenon called Hillary Hatred Derangement Syndrome, and oddly, it makes me MORE inclined to support her. If, for instance, she curses in private, but not in public, that’s not proving she’s not “genuine”, merely publicly polite. But if Trump says the words of a disgusting thug in public, well, he’s more “real,” rather than the vulgarian I find him to be.

I believe that Bernie Sanders, who I voted for in the primary, has pushed the Democratic party platform to the left of what it would have been otherwise, on issues from college tuition to the TPP. A Hillary presidency would be easier to push for a progressive agenda, at least domestically, than a scattershot Trump administration.

But I do think Donald Trump WAS correct about Hillary Clinton, once upon a time.

I’m voting for her because I’d like to see Trump buried in a landslide. I don’t see it happening anymore. But, for this old poli sci major, I’ve nothing more to say before election day, except that one should vote, and not just for President.

Oh, here’s an offer for FREE Progressive Christian Voter’s Guide.