[Donald] Trump will try somewhat successfully to appeal to many of the agonized Republicans with a slate of dream-rational conservatives (there are such people) like [David] Petraeus for Defense secretary, Michael Bloomberg for Treasury secretary and maybe Robert Gates for Secretary of State. Why would such quality people align themselves with the deplorable Trump? Maybe an attempt to save our democracy.
Having thus softened his image, he will trash Hillary [Clinton] as only he can. At the same time, the predicted voter turnout will go from the current 45 percent +/- to 75 percent, most of whom will be working-class whites and other ardent Trump supporters.
At the same time, the Bernie supporters (who are as irrational as the Trump supporters) will either stay home or vote for Trump just to get in the face of the establishment politicians, of whom Hillary is the primo example. At about this time, Trump polling numbers will climb and Hillary’s will sink so low that she will be deemed unelectable.
The thing to remember is that Trump has never taken a position on anything, so he has maximum flexibility. He is totally unprincipled and will promise anything to anybody for his or her vote. And most of the electorate will believe him! (If you doubt this, have a look at the current Trump and Bernie supporters.) Hillary, on the other hand, has a record set in concrete from which she cannot escape. (Trump can make chocolate cake look bad.)
Given these events, [President Barack] Obama will develop a significant case of heartburn realizing that his legacy is about go down the tube with a suddenly weakened candidate unable to deliver Obama’s de facto third term. Hillary has to go! How could that happen?
Obama, if desperate enough, could orchestrate a chain of events that even Hillary would understand that a health-related resignation (?) from the race would be preferable to an indictment or, alternately, the big problems created by the resignation of the head of the FBI for the Department of Justice’s failure to pursue a indictment given the mountain of evidence the FBI generated supporting such action. And remember, there is no great love by Obama for Hillary and Bill given the earlier contest eight years ago. Just as he sent Churchill’s head back to the UK, Obama would no doubt enjoy sending Hillary’s head back to Bill.
So Hillary’s out. Who is in? How about Vice President Joe Biden. Joe has recently been on the road to Baghdad and other hot spots burnishing his credentials while he is not otherwise occupied heading up the Fed’s search for a cure for cancer.
So it’s Joe versus Donald.
— Howard Arnold
Asheville
My, my… Howard – you have been working overtime to figure out all the possible angles. But gee, can’t you come up with somebody better than wacky Uncle Joe as Hillary’s replacement?
Look, 2016 is a lousy year for the American voter. It’s distilled down to 3 nutjobs (now 2, I guess, since Hillary crowned herself recently).
But, I wouldn’t sweat it too much because, as usual — the fix is in — and we’ll get who our true overlords give us (despite our fervent belief that we actually elect the top dog)
Hey, find out what Valerie Jarrett actually does and who she ultimately reports to and you’ll be on to something really good.
Back in 2000, conservative, evangelical Christians sat out the election over rumors that W was a drunkard, proving that they are less likely to hold their nose and vote for a less-than-perfect candidate, like RINO Trump. Also, the GOP cannot win without non-white voters, and Trump has already shat in that punch bowl.
I predict that, in the end, “feel the Bern” will fall flat and Sanders’ fanatics will settle for Clinton rather than sit out the election, and Hillary will defeat Trump, albeit with low voter turnout. Her election as the first womyn president will be historic, but with an asterisk, like those baseball record holders whose accomplishments are diminished by PED use.
Sadly I’ve watched the GOP dumb down the voting public since 2000, which was already on information life support. In my lifetime I’ve seen the GOP morph from just another party to reagan (not capitalized) to the party of un apologetically uninformed wingnuts. I’ve even stopped reminding folks that if Obama hasn’t come for your guns yet after 7.5 years, how is he going to do it with just a few months left in office? Thanks, Internet.
As with the new Star Wars movie that came out last xmas, I have a feeling the election hype will not live up to anything of actual substance and we will be underwhelmed. I predict a pitifully low voter turnout too.
And more violence from the far right crowd ala “no more baby parts”.
Voltaire is laughing from his grave right now aka his quote “People get the government they deserve”.
How about that Joe the Plumber, Duck Dynasty, Dennis Hastert, Cliven Bundy and tri-corner hat madness now?
Americans who travel overseas right now- be prepared- Europe now knows how truly crazy we are. That and they’ve now learned to answer American tourists who spout off about “we won WWII for you!” (as if we didn’t have help) with “Bless your heart”, most likely in a non ‘Murican accent. Be prepared to be (understandably) treated like a small child who does not have a true grasp on the world of big people.
Oops, I deleted the last part.
Dem wise, a sleazy career politician named Hillary in office? What’s the problem, America? It used to be a choice of 1 of 2 sleazy career politicians-
‘Murica liked that just fine until 2008 when Palin changed the rules of the game (“Ignorance is Strength”).
Much like the folks who hated a Catholic in office (JFK) or a black dude in office (Obama), be prepared for misogyny to be perfected as a form of art if Hillary wins. Biden is a helluva lot smarter than he looks- why would he want to endure more abuse as a POTUS even if it does include free air travel and a personal chef?
“or a black dude in office (Obama)”
You’re being racist. He’s not black, he’s bi-racial.
What? His lily-white Mother counts for nothing?
addendum- If I’m moderated, then why not use the b word? Worse words are used for interviews. Don Yelton’s n bomb I believe was posted as a video clip here and we readers managed to figure out the difference between cross burners and using words in context to decry it.
Kind of like how Huck Finn was Twain’s anti slavery magnum opus yet is banned in schools. You know, the same school districts that secretly pray for the return of slavery in the privacy of them and their family’s homes before dinner.
Isn’t it convenient how addressing latent racism leads to one being called racist?
It’s like ‘lily whites’ as quoted by The Real World somehow turned discussions over being considered a legal citizen under our Constitution were suddenly turned on its head and we now live on Bizarro world.
Real World, if you need it spelled out, sadly many knuckle draggers in this fine ol country still see anyone with a single drop of African blood as second class citizens. I think you more than understood my intention yet diverted it to suit your cute little purposes.
Hey Mtn X- please either publish both my responses to Real World’s ‘racist’ comment, or don’t publish either one.
But don’t publish the second without the first.
And, like the Yelton interview and all who seek to divert attention to the issue at hand-
“You know that we can hear you, right?”
FYI: Our allowing the use of any potentially offensive words is contingent on context, generally not the word itself.
Ah, so you published the 2nd comment without the 1st. Not surprising.
Journalism, after all exists solely only to cradle readers’ feelings in their arms like a newborn baby.
Sorry if I let something you wrote through that you would have preferred we would delete. It wasn’t clear which was which. And I think you know I am talking about comments here, not journalism.
No, actually I would have preferred you published both rebuttals that I penned last night. Please do not imply that I would ever want a comment that I penned to be redacted. But so it goes.
boatrocker – you provided me with an opportunity to make a point for all. It isn’t fun having the word ‘racist’ slammed at you is it? Well, people today are far too quick to do so. And they don’t care who they hurt or offend, it makes them feel powerful and superior to slap a label on someone else. It fits their simple thinking.
But, you could have just owned your statement and said, “that’s true, our Prez is bi-racial”. Instead you attempt to focus on some random bigots somewhere or pretend it was inappropriate of me to point out his Mother was of another race. Not upstanding.
Further, I feel this statement is so off-base, “sadly many knuckle draggers in this fine ol country still see anyone with a single drop of African blood as second class citizens”. No doubt there are a few but, compared to 40 years ago when I was a teenager (let alone before that), it is like we live on a different planet. Race relations have improved dramatically on the UPSIDE. Focusing on continued improvement is the way to go, not digging around to find the few laggards who don’t get it. That is both negative and counter-productive.
Lastly but importantly, there is some sort of ‘designed’ effort in the USA to fan the flames of black/white relations the last few years. I don’t know who is behind it, funding and organizing it or what their ultimate goals are but it is ugly and wrong. What I’m referring to is that some of the riots of a year or more past were professionally incited and, kind readers, did you know that some of the video’s of police aggression shown all over the media last year were engineered and /or doctored to depict what was desired? Anyone casting a critical eye and thinking brain when viewing them on TV / internet could discern that. But, it was good to hear confirmation of that fact from NBC news in late 2015.
I would sincerely suggest that everyone watch and listen in their daily lives and decide for yourself whether what you witness between people matches what the media (and the engineers) is trying to convince you of. I believe you’ll realize the same thing I have, it doesn’t!
I guess you showed me (eye rolling inserted here). Sure, racism has diminished in the past few decades, but it still exists. Racism is not dead however. Human nature would never allow it.
The dorks who say stuff like ‘why isn’t there a white history month and why don’t white lives matter’ say that to incite.
Every month is White History Month and (Rich) White Lives Matter.
To claim that racial strife is incited strikes me as a bit, well COINTELPRO if you know what I mean, for you having lived through it. After Newton Conn., there were a few tin foil hat types who claimed it was a false flag in order to justify coming for your guns.
But after you’ve caused me to digress from the original topic by cherry picking statements, well, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the original topic at hand. Or should I simply say I’ll read them.
Something to think about if you are thinking of voting for Hillary: 18 U.S. Code § 2071 – Concealment, removal, or mutilation generally – https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2071
(a)
Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
(b)
Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States. As used in this subsection, the term “office” does not include the office held by any person as a retired officer of the Armed Forces of the United States.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 795; Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title V, § 552(a), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1566; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)