FOX News’ Award Winning Debate Performance

Thank you Roger Ailes and Fox News for what I believe to have been the best damn soap opera on television Thursday night. We expected dramatics and the viewer received a Vaudeville show.

With the days leading up to the Aug 6 debate GOP officials practically begged the candidates not to attack each other and to focus on Hillary, Obama and Democratic policy. However, candidates accepted the gun powder handed out by the FOX News moderators and shots were fired in Yosemite Sam style.

There was guns, booze, fire trucks, hookers and, well, um, no wait that was the Bachelor Party but it was exciting and memorable.

In all honesty I truly enjoyed listening to all the candidates at both debates; however it’s always the day after, when Media has dissected every question/answer, every wince/sigh, every fidget/itch and every outburst to determine the winners/losers of the affair. And just as I expect the rebuttals of the night are glorious!

I find it interesting of the about face of FOX News many have done the morning after. Claims of ambushes and “Jeb loving” have been tossed on the very far Right websites and social media like this one on the Facebok Teaparty page:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206642716242530&set=gm.910238592344559&type=1&theater

The Liberal Left who is normally at the pointed end of the pitchfork by the Right has embraced and giggled at the current backlash but also defended FOX News.

Yes it’s fair to have constructive criticism about a moderator but the name calling being tossed at Megyn Kelly is way out of line, especially by Conservatives who normally save the name calling for Liberal moderators.

Kelly did her job, period. So suck it up and pull up your big boy pants.

As a moderator you want to get the candidate to further their thought/policy belief and she did what many had hoped, to get Trump to answer for his bold yet childish outbursts and how his actions have clearly begun to characterize a Trump Presidency.

Face it, you gotta have thick skin to be a politician, especially a President and Trump’s skin is transparent.

As expected, Donald Trump stated that he does not debate well and he proved himself correct. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with some of his statements, he hit a few things on the head but he threw himself under the bus as well.

When asked about his political donation history, he admitted it’s a broken system as he gives money too many politicians for future favors. Yet the joke was on him when he stated he gave to all those on stage only too have Marco Rubio speak first too say “Not me, he gave to Charlie Crist (he’s opponent)” as others chimed in afterwards.

Co-Moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump about his business bankruptcies of the past. Trump didn’t even let Wallace get the full question out before interrupting to say “he never filed bankruptcy.” Yes everyone should know that he has never personally filed, but his company have, 4 times to be exact.

Too me and (I’m positive for Wallace as well), the point of the question was simply how can you say that you can correct the US debt issue when in the past your own company had to file bankruptcy to correct its debt?

Many viewers jumped at this question as an ambush of Trump’s character, but they are wrong.

This is one of the problems I had with Mitt Romney in 2012; he never spoke of how he learned from a failed business venture, as if every venture was a success. I call bullshit on that, because there had to be some failure or misstep, not every venture was rosy, so what did you learn?

And this is the problem with Trump; he acts like Romney as if every business action was a success. Had Trump easily stated something like “my business partners and creditors advised bankruptcy laws are there for a reason to help re-organize business missteps and I followed their advice” I would’ve understood. But nope he had to ramble about a corruptive system. Mind you a corrupted system that he took advantage of 4xs in 15-20 years.

And this is why I say Trump is out of the GOP campaign by November because he can’t handle the heat when he can’t control the flame. He’s elaborated if he drops out of the GOP campaign, he’ll take his golden ball home and run as an Independent.

Pathetic golden spoon fed baby. Yet I see he will not lose much in the polling numbers and still be on top come the CNN 2 night affair come September.

If anything, Jeb(!) won’t drop in the polls either. Jeb(!) did just what he needs to do, take the Romney stance and play it low. Romney coasted thru the debates, never saying anything too controversial, explained his past actions and survived. Yes Romney lost debates to Cain, Santorum and Bachmann, but he ended up eventually winning the party candidacy as the last man standing.

I truly enjoyed the debate performances of Fiorina, Carson and Kasich as well. All will make gains in the polls and stay in the top 10. Well Fiorina should’ve been in the Top 10 on August 6th, but now has gained momentum even though her “not the only woman in the race” tagline is running thin.

If I were to guess what the Top 10 shall look like by the next polling data release, it should be:

1.Trump 2.Bush 3.Walker 4.Kasich 5.Huckabee
6.Rubio 7.Cruz 8.Christie 9.Fiorina 10.Carson

It’s not a stretch to see gains and losses after one debate that clearly had no real winner, no matter what a candidate’s flock states. It’s only August and it’s a long road to go full circle back to Cleveland in 11 months.

That’s it, Slap the political tap on some Fox’s Nob brew, pass the stale popcorn and damn you Jon Stewart just when people need their campaign laughs you go and retire! To quote Sen. McCain, Goodbye Jackass!

Cheers!

The Speed-O Campaign of Trump

While vacationing with family in Cancun last week, I came to a conclusion that a Trump presidential candidacy equals that of a Speed-O; it’s useless & unbelievably uncomfortable to witness.

Now I say this only because too many males of all walks of life, size and age were proudly (but humiliatingly) wearing a Speed-O and the only two English speaking channels to view were FOX News and CNN International. All of which was too much for the human mind to consume and damaging to the retina. Every time I turned around there was a Speed-O or Trump or (I swear) Trump wearing a Speed-O.

Regardless of one’s opinion of Trump of the 2016 campaign, either as a Republican or as an Independent, he'll be around for some time. Yes, it’s been floated of a possible 3 horse race in 2016, it just depends if the RNC hands over their candidacy to Trump or not. Personally, I believe he’ll drop out by the end of November in some sort of inglorious belligerent spectacular way.

But then again, I thought Rick “Spaz” Santorum wouldn’t last 4 months in the 2012 campaign.

What truly gets me is the reaction of people, both Media and Regular Schmuck that have fallen for Trump’s shtick in this race. They love the brash, tough guy act, but are they truly listening? I believe not because much of his words are no different from other past/current candidates, just he uses less words to explain.

For instance, despite his tough talk on Illegal Immigrants that has been disgustingly replayed since he announced, has recently come out for “Revolving Door Amnesty.” For those that do not understand the concept or have not paid attention to Trump’s actual words, he has stated this concept during a CNN interview with Dana Bash:

"You’re supposed to come in legally. I would get people out and I would have an expedited way of getting them back into the country, so they can be legal. Let them be legal." (Donald Trump July 29, 2015)

That’s not being tough, that’s opening a pathway to possible citizenship and/or green card visa work privilege. A concept not too far from that of Sen McCain and others in the GOP.

But to take that a step further, it’s a call to change the current H-1B Visa policy. Mind you, it was only a few days ago that it was reported that the US is on track to give out close to 30 million(!) visas between now and 2025, a mere 10 years away.

As we worry about US citizens losing their jobs to foreign shores like that of Nabisco laying off 600 employees at their Chicago plant to go to Mexico, the idea of new H-1B Visa acceptance is a push by big business. Those immigrants can be hired at lower wages and no benefits to be paid which equates to profits. It’s also a policy of current candidate Carly Fiorina as well, but unfortunately her voice in this race has become hushed due to lack of coverage.

Not to mention Trump's call to bring back manufacturing jobs from China has many Economists chuckling as,again it's about cheap labor and profit margins. Add to the debate that many manufacturing positions in the US are also becoming automated leaves me to wonder how he plans to force manufacturers to hire.

But hey, Trump's a golden spoon tough guy from Queens, New York and he'll take on ISIS as President.

The idea of bombing ISIS is one uttered by Trump and Company as well, however it’s a tactic being used as the US is leading the current coalition in airstrikes. The one issue with bombing ISIS as many love to regurgitate is they are not a country, but a group.

The plot to bomb ones enemy away is truly no longer an option. Think about, bomb the enemy's capital and they crumble. But when that enemy is a worldwide entity, one can bomb one area only to have that enemy pop up across the globe.

Yet Trump's true idea is of bombing the oil fields held by ISIS in the Middle East, followed up by using US military to protect those oil fields as US corporations rebuild them.

"If I win, I would attack those oil sites that are controlled and owned -- they are controlled by ISIS," Trump said. "I wouldn't send many troops because you won't need 'em by the time I'm done."(Donald Trump July 10, 2015)

Um, and how does that affect the current cost of oil?

Well prior to 2003, the price of oil fluctuated around $25/barrel and soon doubled within a year. By August 2008, the cost of oil hit $141/barrel. Yes those numbers rose because of other incidents in the Middle East but the main cause was the Iraq war in that time frame.

As oil prices have dropped, are we prepared to see oil prices rise again or are we in belief that the current North American output will stay at it’s current height even with the lack of refineries?

He's stated on Day #1 of a trump presidency he would Repeal Obamacare. (Yawn) Again identical words of the other candidates that are normally followed with creating State exchanges so a business in Iowa can buy health insurance in Missouri.

The main issue with Trump is he just talking and cannot answer how he would achieve his goals. Best example happened the other day during an interview with FOX News' Bill O'Reilly who asked "How are you gonna pay to build a border wall?"

After some deflection and repeatedly being asked Trump finally stated he would make Mexico pay for it.

Are they paying for this in Pesos or US Dollars?

And yet again, I revert back to the issue of oil because Mexico is the #3 oil exporter to the US. How would he control the price of oil if Mexico decides to cut production or exports to the US?

It's easy to talk tough and promote oneself, something Trump excels at doing, but can he walk his talk outside of a boardroom and the constant threat of lawsuits which he regularly spews?

Unfortunately it's the Media partisan talking heads that have truly pushed Trump's numbers to double digits. Those like Ann Coulter that once called him a "clown" when he floated the idea of a Presidential run in 2012 now bend over and throw roses at his feet.

"I think Trump is a clown, I expect the enthusiasm for him is based on two things: that the rest of at least the declared candidates aren’t exciting anybody, and there’s name recognition. And he has come out like gangbusters against the Obama administration like an establishment politician probably wouldn’t."(Coulter 2011 speech George Washington University.)

As the countdown clock for the Aug 6 debate winds down, RNC head honcho Reince Pribus has come out to say that the candidates need to focus on attacking Hillary Clinton, the Democrat establishment and President Obama, while doing everything they can not to attack each other.

Well there goes Trump's gamer plan as that's all he can do, besides telling everyone how rich he is.

That's it, Slap the Political tap, pack away your Speed-O, and pour a shot of I.C. Shore Whiskey every time Trump deflects by answering "I'm rich and build things" because we got roughly 10 months till the RNC Convention and seeing Trump pinatas hanging in downtown Cleveland.

CHEERS!

Early Primary Debate Prediction: Who Crapped in the GOP Bed

Yes I am a political geek and what was once a wonderful event for me to dissect and mock has now begun to look more like a mind-numbing marathon of spectacular stupidity that makes me wonder who is getting paid by whom to run for President in 2016 just to ruin another’s chance.

Truly I am saddened because it seems every Presidential cycle has become a low budget circus event of people looking to better their career and not actually want to serve as President of the United States of America.

Yes I know I’ve mocked the contenders and pretenders lately, but think about it; who is actually a contender and who is looking to pad their future speaking fee cost?

With the first GOP debate a mere two weeks away, many in the GOP are making their final push to get their soapboxes on the FOX News stage August 6th in Cleveland. When asked by MSNBC Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski about how he feels about the FOX News Top 10 format “Southern Bell” Sen Lindsey Graham simply stated “it sucks.”

Yet here’s the funny thing, the Bottom (not so) 10 aren’t staying home that Monday night as we’re being told by Media and the candidates, but they keep stating their being held out.

Nope these “not ready for prime time” candidates will be on stage in Cleveland as well, just they’ll be speaking at a special 60 minute “forum” on FOX News around 5pm that day. Actually it was supposed to be held at 1pm, but since FOX News is “Fair & Balanced” they decided to give the JV players a better time slot to help their campaigns and let them feel viable. As of today, your JV team looks like this; Kasich, Jindal, Graham, Pataki, Santorum, Fiorina, and Gilmore.

OK some may not know who this Gilmore person is. Well he is the former Gov of Virginia from some time ago and truly there are only a few outlets acknowledging his existence in this race.

Here’s the fun part of all this mess; there is a miniscule of percentage points separating the JV candidates of Kasich and Santorum from breaking into the #10 spot which is currently held by the bespectacled Rick Perry. Of course that depends on which poll or how many polls are put together.

It’s not the Bottom (not so) 10’s fault where they fall in this mess of a campaign race, some are well known names and others are trying to get people to know them. It’s the Media’s fault for drowning them out with constant sound bites of Trump played in constant rotation that quiets them.

So yeah, if I were any of the contenders/pretenders I would pitch a bitch as well, especially towards FOX and soak up any attention from the other outlets as much as possible. And most definitely take the path of Chris Christie and tell the interviewer you will not answer anymore questions about Trump as it takes away your voice!

Honestly I think being on the pre-game “forum” is a better choice. The candidates will have to deal with a less crowded field and (hopefully) be able to talk about their proposals, easily control the moderator and less chance of knocking another stage member of their soapbox. Because let’s face it, when it comes to the prime time slot, it’s all gonna be about one person.

Yes I am truly saddened that Trump will be center stage on August 6 looking more like a Circus clown ring leader than a viable presidential candidate. Many have joked about the number of candidates and reference the debacle of 2012 as a “clown show.” Yet with Trump, the Genius PR whore that he is, it truly has become just that.

I suspect about 2/3 of the questions asked will navigate around what has been stated over the past few weeks by Trump then actual policy questions that, I for one, want to hear candidates answer in their view and not explain his.

It was rumored after Trump announced that FOX News was saving a podium spot for him on Aug 6th regardless of polling or “official” candidacy status. Ain’t that a kick in the nuts?

And then there’s nugget of info presented by New York Magazine’s Gabriel Sherman in that Rupert Murdoch had given specific orders to “back off the Trump coverage” only to have FOX News honcho Roger Ailes become deaf to his boss. For Ailes, Trump equals ratings too which explains the amount of coverage Trump has received than the rest of the field in the past three weeks.

Who says the Media doesn’t pick the “winner?”

Hey many can say the same about MSNBC with Obama and now with Hillary, correct?
Although I believe ratings will be up for any debate that has Trump’s involvement eventually people are gonna begin to fall away from him and his boisterous bloviated character. Of course with every new Presidential debate there must be a drinking game to keep the viewer interested. So I guess Trump can claim an increase in alcohol sales to his presence then

With all the hollering about Trump leading this/that poll and the many in Media already planning the Trump coronation ceremony as the next President, let’s not forget that in 2012 we also had a “President Bachmann,” “President Cain,” as well after a good debate showing only to watch them fall shortly after.

In the end I will have to question the candidate’s sanity of chasing Trump’s backing once he drops out which I’m predicting comes at the end of this November. I got money on Sen Cruz’s to pucker up to Trump’s ass very quickly.

That’s it, Slap the tap and pour a frosty cold Alesmith Horny Devil and get ready to watch the shaking babies and uninterrupted ass kissing this TV Season by the contenders/pretenders of 2016.

CHEERS!

Knee Jerk Reaction always wins the day- Part 1

Politicians and Media alike know not to leave a good tragedy go to waste.

If there’s one thing in today’s society that’s true, it’s that one incident can cause a shock wave of reaction across the land. Regardless of the event/issue, how “all” things Media portrays it will equate to a ratings knee jerk reaction around the social media water cooler.

I have many issues when it comes to politicizing someone’s death for one’s own personal gain, whether it’s the senseless murder of Ms Kate Steinle by an illegal immigrant to Ms Terry Schiavo’s parents fight of removing her life support system to “American Sniper” Chris Kyle’s murder by a fellow member of the military. In the case of Mr. Kyle, the popularization of his death has pushed the issue of PTSD’s of returning members of the military to a greater light for many to understand. And now, Ms Steinle’s death is pushing the on/off again battle of Immigration reform to the top of the pile.

Well at least for this week, but whom and what shall be gained depends on the masses?

To get up to speed, by now all know that Ms Steinle was murdered by a five time deported illegal immigrant Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez at scenic Pier 14 in San Francisco. Sanchez states he accidently shot Ms Steinle while shooting at seals with a gun he found on a bench at the Pier. A gun we have later found out belonged to an unnamed and obviously irresponsible federal agent.

Honestly I was expecting some pundit to link the gun to Obama’s failed “Fast & Furious” program.

Now as the case builds against Sanchez, many have taken the path of politicizing this sorrowful event for gains, even though after Steinle’s death the family had requested that her death not be politicized, with her father, Mr. Jim Steinle, stating “We’re not dwelling on that. That’s not going to bring Kate back.”

And now a few weeks later, when grief has turned to anger, the Steinle family now wants to see action at all level of government, as they feel it was their inactions on Immigration reform that caused Kate’s death.

Appearing on the July 13th episode of Bill O’Reilly’s Fox Show, Mr Steinle simple said "We feel the federal, state and cities, their laws are here to protect us…But we feel that this particular set of circumstances and the people involved, the different agencies let us down.”

Now Bill O’Reilly has had many soapboxes to stand on over the years; from his ongoing War on Christmas and now “Kate’s Law.” To me at least, “Kate’s Law” seems rather hastily thrown together as most reactions are and very vague in detail.

Let’s explain Kate’s Law. Right now it is not a “Law” but a petition that anyone can sign, created by O’Reilly to be sent to Speaker Boehner and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell that would impose a five year prison sentence on an illegal immigrant who was once deported and was apprehended again illegally.

"We, the undersigned, respectfully ask Congress to pass Kate's Law whereby undocumented aliens who are deported and return to the United States would receive a mandatory five year sentence in a federal penitentiary upon conviction"

Don’t get me wrong, I’m for Congress to finally do something on Immigration and I have harped many times about wanting more Border Patrol money to secure our borders. But imposing a five year federal prison sentence on illegal immigrants for those that have returned after being deported sounds awesome but not economical in the least of sense or cents?

It’s a reaction that sounds tough and tugs on the heart strings but solves nothing about illegal immigrants in the country. It will not stop anyone from crossing open borders or living here illegally on expired work visas. It does however place a massive toll on the prison system and the taxpayer checkbook.

Currently there are an estimated 11.6 million illegal immigrants in the US today with roughly 51% of that number being from Mexico. It costs roughly $12,000/person to deport, so if we deported just the Mexican population (5.9 million est.) it will cost taxpayers an estimated $70.8 billion in total cost.

“Kate’s Law” is petitioning a five year federal prison sentence for any illegal immigrant apprehended in the US after being deported. So the taxpayer math again is a monstrous account as it costs around $25,000/person to house, feed and clothe in prison.

In 2013, Border Patrol agents apprehended 420,789 border crossers and if sentenced to just one year in federal prison, it would’ve cost $10,519,725,000. Yet under the petition we’re talking 5 years, it now balloons to $52,598,625,000 just for apprehending less than half a million illegal immigrants.

The clincher is that prison cost will swell with every additional person caught. So why give them free housing, clothes and food for five years?

Those are some large numbers and when we keep hearing people clamoring to reduce the spending of government, well the numbers only add up to a growing debt.

Sorry but building a “southern wall” is only the smallest of fraction in security. Illegal immigrants and cartels have proven tunnels can be built with or without a wall to cross under. Not to mention the cost of building such a wall will be astronomical. For instance, between 2006 thru 2009, Customs and Border Protection spent $2.4 billion to complete 670 miles of single layer fence. The Mexico/US border stretches over 5,250 miles. Do the math on that one.

But let’s add this little nugget. The construction sector is the largest employer of illegal immigrants and guess who’ll help build the vast majority of fencing along that border?

Just Google Golden State Fence Company and see how they were fined around $5 million for hiring illegal immigrants to build the border fence outside of San Diego and around military bases as well.

We have to look at the cause for so many illegal immigrants crossing the border; JOBS!

We can keep this conversation going and talk about the expired HB1 Visa workers, how companies exploit the current loopholes and are the driving force behind the last attempt of Immigration reform for their own better good, meaning profits. But no one wants to talk about that, because there is a stereotype many have imbedded in their mind of what an illegal immigrant looks like and these corporation exploited workers are earning regular paychecks and paying their dues to society. Yet they’re still illegal and no one cares.

That’s it, Slap the tap on a Rebel Rouser Double IPA and pay your political tab. Oh wait I said “Rebel” I guess there’s another politicized knee jerk reaction that’s bubbling over for someone’s gain.

CHEERS!

For Today’s Political Media It’s “Rabbit Season……”

I’m not sure but too me watching all Media trying to cover the current roster of Presidential candidates is like watching the opening of the Banana Splits Show from my childhood. Complete mayhem, dysfunction and mockery that have the kids either laughing or scratching their heads.

OK now that I just post-dated myself, the nature of Media stumbling, bumbling, hobbling around trying to find the best “story” to fill space during the next long grueling 19 months is going to be painful for the audience to bear and want to comprehend. Well for those following the partisan path of “they drool, we rule follow us to the cliff” of modern day politics life will be normal.

And for those keeping count at home, the current candidate tally is Republicans 12 Democrats 4 of announced candidates with 4 Republicans still waiting to mark their territory. But of course those in waiting are still trying to do their current day job as Governor.

Yet these past few weeks of “filler” reporting has become very nauseating to a few, comical to some and downright pure political disgust by the rest that care. “Filler” reporting, well more like “spackling,” does help rile up the Party supporters for their tomato throwing on Social Media.

All the talk about Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees has created pitchfork style moment for those on the Right and rightly so. Of course, I am no fan of Hillary but to me, if someone’s gonna pay me $200k to blabber in front of a group of people, you’re damn right I’m gonna cash that check regardless of my name and resume.

So who’s to blame for these outrageous speaking fees? Well according to Forbes Magazine, a New York Times bestselling author can command a minimum $40k per speech and if you’re a politician, well the speaking fees can reach 6 digits which easily can explain President George W Bush requests for $110k to President Bill Clinton’s $200k-$500k per speech. Of course all that cash isn’t just to talk as the fee covers hotel, travel, food, and entertainment costs.

Heck, President Reagan once earned $2 million in 1989 for eight days in Japan.

So no, I don’t blame Hillary for being wrong in accepting checks for speaking engagements, just as I don’t find wrongdoing knowing that Jeb Bush earns $50k and Donald Trump has demanded up to $1.5 million per speech. Nor is it wrong that Dr Ben Carson actually earned around $4 million more in speaking fees in the past 16 months then Hillary did.

Are there any complaints from the Liberal peanut gallery?

Speaking fees are the least of the partisan Media’s issue, as they like to make more of an issue over something by the opposition that there really is nothing to bitch about while overlooking their own for the same nonsense.

A silly story by The New York Times about parking/speeding tickets of Sen. Marco Rubio and his wife is a pathetic reach that falls in line with Mitt Romney’s dog traveling on the family truckster roof or President Obama eating dog meat as a child in Indonesia. It’s irrelevant to anything of need but needed by all Media to fill space for talking heads to complain and grovel about.

It’s also not unusual to be looking into the personal finances of a candidate, as all Media loves to do as it’s to show “responsibility” and “error” of the candidate’s character. Yet the cry of Sen. Rubio just paying off his student loans by any means is no different than the Obama’s mentioning that they had paid off his student loans at the same age as Sen. Rubio. That’s what happens when you decide to pick a degree that keeps you in school and internships for a good part of your early career.

Now if the partisan Media or normal Media wants to have fun with scandal why not look at Sen. Ted Cruz requesting money from donors in an email that sounded more like whining then his usual vigor.

Yes Sen. Cruz took to the internet the following week to ask (or beg depending on how you read it) for donations because campaigning has been hard on his family and he’s tired of the “pizza diet.” Hey Teddy, you’ve been campaigning ever since 2011; maybe if you stayed in DC and did your job, you wouldn’t have to be away from the family so much.

Or how lately, Sen. Rand Paul has been using his grandstanding on every issue since his announcement as a pitch to remind people to send him money. It must be hard to stay on top of his current soapbox off so many issues, because I surely do not remember him chest thumping about having the CIA release some 28 pages of a 9/11 report prior to April’s announcement.

See that’s all too easy to mock and why would Media want to do any footwork on the correlation between a Presidential campaign announcement and a book release/book tour. Which leads me to wonder if it’s a pre-requisite for a potential candidate to have a book deal/book release prior to announcing their future presidential intentions?

According to NJ.com columnist Claude Brodesser-Akner over the past 60 years, every winning presidential candidate first published a book before/after announcing.

It makes sense that if one is being patted on the butt by Partisan Media as “you can be the guy/gal to win it” one would need something out there to mug the camera about, especially in the four States of Iowa, Nevada, South Carolina and New Hampshire. Coincidence or not that these four States are the only ones to hold primaries/caucuses before March 2016?

Former Gov/Fox TV Host Mike Huckabee released his latest book God, Guns, Grits and Gravy in January 2015 and immediately went on a 43 city/14 state/3 week book tour that just happened to spend the first 3 days in Iowa with Rep. Steven King.

Not to be outdone, Sen. Marco Rubio’s American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone also released in January 2015 with a book tour that took him right into those major primary States of Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire immediately.

How about Sen. Rand Paul, a person who seems to have a new book released every year since taking office in 2011? His latest Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America was released in May 2015, just a few weeks after he announced his presidential plans.

Not to be outdone, let’s not forget about Hillary’s Hard Choices release way back in April 2014, because she’s been silently running for President since she left the State Dept back in 2012.

For all you E-book lovers, Jeb Bush released a partial read earlier in 2015 and the “Southern Gentleman” Lindsey Graham released a free book just this past weekend.

It’s rumored that Ted Cruz’s long awaited book is to hit the shelves in late June 2015, while Gov Piyush Jindal’s thoughts are scheduled to be for sale this October 2015. All the while Martin O’Malley has been shopping a finished manuscript of his Maryland governorship with no one making an offer.

Both Rick Santorum and Carly Fiorina have released books in 2015 that were more personal than political in nature, but none the less, it’s a grab to bring a more humanistic persona to electorate then the norm of economics, foreign affairs and lack of morality in society.

Both announced their campaign agendas a few months after being published.

The only hopefuls not having anything recently published or at all are Lincoln Chaffee, Chris Christie, Bernie Sanders, Rick Perry and Scott Walker.

As you can easily tell the stupidity of it all, but hey I’m beating Media to the punch, because as long as the 2016 Presidential campaign has been viewed thus far the next rabbit hole for Media to step into will be critiquing the candidate spouses. At least Sen. Lindsay Graham will be in the clear on that topic.

That’s it, slap the political tap for a frosty “Sweet Baby Jesus” beer and pass the gluten free Eucharist chip bowl because this blog jumped the political shark around paragraph 12.

CHEERS!

It’s Presidential Primary Debate Season; Considered Yourself Warned

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends come inside come inside.

Yes it’s that time again when all the hopeful/wanna be/ has been Presidential candidates attempt to sell their souls for your heart, mind and checkbook to stay afloat among an overcrowded cast of characters to be your next President of the United States.

That’s right one and all, beginning this August some of your favorite Cable News talking heads will be pre-empted for one night a month for the next eight months so pundits can get paid to analyze everything from the tie of a candidate to on stage water consumption and possibly even what the candidates actually said.

To be fair, only the Republican National Committee has actually scheduled their televised primary debates as the Democratic National Committee will not hold a single televised debate till... um... till.. Uh, well there are no dates listed yet just a notation of “*tentative date, not confirmed” per the uspresidentialelectionnews.com website.

The DNC’s so-called scheduling issue is simple to explain; it gives them plenty of time to borrow the Carnival House of Mirrors prop so all can watch Hillary Clinton debate her past, current, and future self to millions across the country.

OK, that’s not fair to the DNC, but then again it’s all cheers for the RNC as they realized (thanks to a 2013 Autopsy) that 2012’s 27 scheduled televised primary debates was just overkill to the voting public. Not to mention the murder of the networks ratings and advertising budgets.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I pondered aloud about how would the RNC fix their “candidates” issue for the upcoming primary debate cycle?

By “candidates” issue I mean the claustrophobic field of individuals who will inform the viewers they’re the right one to represent the GOP, why the others suck, and then by the end of the cycle backtrack to endorse the victor as the true candidate of choice even though they had stated prior that the individual sucked.

Personally, I don’t see a problem with having too many candidates, truly I never did. My complaint has always been about the quality of the candidates. Seriously, I know I’m being a political d*ck about this, but two-thirds of those running for President in 2016 know full well their chances are slim and are looking at their future to bank more contractual money either in television and/or print or a power trip when they return to their day jobs. The other one-third actually have legitimate claim to move about the country to spew their will amongst the people.

As of today, there’s a possible GOP candidate count of 20 individuals lining up, trying to be heard amongst the many, hoping to get equal amounts of face time in the Media. And the primary debates are the best place to meet the candidate, right?

Wrong! Well for 2012 it was wrong but for the moment in 2016 the problem is fixed.
RNC head honcho Reince Pribus had mentioned over the past year or so about a “political bracket” style debate calendar, having different candidates at different debates to give everyone a chance to be heard. As time passed he did the next best thing imaginable. To take the pressure of candidates and their Big Money backers banging on his door, he decided to let the networks decide who gets to play and who gets to stay (out).

Respectfully both FOX and CNN were granted the first two televised debates, with each running a different type of debate docket fully supported by the RNC. Hey, it says so on their website!

FOX has chosen to only invite the Top 10 polling candidates to their August 6 televised debate, while CNN decided to allow all to speak during a two event broken down by polling numbers.

I love this idea! Yes that’s right I said I love this idea for many reasons, however I believe CNN did the best for the candidates. I can also understand FOX’s one night event, as primaries do not do well in ratings, so with the abbreviated commercial breaks for a night, bills don’t get paid. And of course, they don’t want to upset the ratings of their coveted much bragged about 800p-1000p slot.

I gotta wonder which poll/polls will be used, because if they use the latest Quinnipiac Poll there is not a true front runner among a group of candidates.

Well to be fair, according to the Q Poll “Don’t Know/Undecided” actually leads with 20%, with Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio, and Scott Walker are all tied at 10%. Funny little side note about “Don’t Know/Undecided” as it was in 1976 Iowa Straw Poll that helped propel Jimmy Carter as the Democratic candidate, because he was polled at #2 and his campaign capitalized on it by saying he was the true winner.

But that was Iowa and I’m talking the current Q poll which has Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Chris Christie, and Carly Fiorina completing out what would be considered the “Top 10” candidates that would fill out the FOX debate if it were held today.
Sadly, it leaves John Kasich, Rick Santorum, George Pataki, Piyush “Bobby” Jindal, Rick Perry and Lindsey Graham staying home.

But look hard at the list of GOP candidates. Cruz, Paul, Rubio, Carson, Fiorina, Huckabee, Santorum, Graham and Pataki have all announced their intentions with Bush, Walker, Christie, Perry, Jindal, Kasich and Trump waiting it out.

In my opinion, only those that have announced deserve to be on stage for the FOX one night stand, if one is to be “Fair and Balanced,” or CNN’s first night event. Those fence sitters need not apply or wait till the next day.

Yes I know August is still a few months away so the favorability of a candidate can go up and down. And I just realized I broke my cardinal rule of never writing more than the average person can read during the average bowel movement, so thus we end my excitement of Political Plinko.

Then again, it would better for the viewer if these debates were played out on the set of The Price Is Right when considering the amount of money being hedged by bid money donors.

That’s it, slap the political tap on the Bishops Finger and pay your political tab before a candidate knocks on your door

CHEERS!

2016 Democratic hopefuls- Hillary, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.

2016 Democratic hopefuls- Hillary, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.

I never truly understood the term “it’s like throwing horseshoes and hand grenades” until it became a good characterization for the 2016 Democratic Presidential hopefuls/wanna be/has been/not ready for prime time Democrats. So close for the fringe Party Left yet so far away from the rest of the Party.

Yes of course I’m talking about the Democratic Party placing all bets on Hillary winning it all in 2016, a rehashing of dreams from 2008. It’s quite fair that Hillary, Hillary, Hillary is the “Marsha” to the rest of the Democrat Party’s’ “Jan,” but it’s their own fault for their current dilemma.

It’s a fair assessment when looking at the Democratic Party over the past few Presidential elections that they don’t have what it takes to do the job.

Yes I know, Obama won the last two Presidential elections, but can we honestly say the GOP put their “best man” forward in those elections?

But going into 2016, however one wants to call it, from political bench warmers or JV farm team, the Dems lack depth as the youth movement is far from strong and lacks backbone as the Old Guard sits atop the order. And any of those young potentials from Corey Booker to Julian Castro to Deval Patrick all went *POOF* into political obscurity.

Some say Julian Castro is in training for future elections, but taking a job within the Obama Administration pulls him away from any attention he would need to boost his name recognition, while Deval Patrick has currently taken a job within Mitt Romney’s Bain Corp.

Apparently the 2016 version of the Democratic Party class has reverted into the 2000 version of the GOP. By this I mean a very small, career politician field with only one illuminating brand name trying to tell everyone to “PICK ME PICK ME!.”

So now the Dems hopes lay within the names such as Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Lincoln Chaffee.

A refresher of the 2000 GOP class that had all too familiar names of George W Bush, John McCain, Gary Bauer, Orrin Hatch, Steve Forbes and Alan Keyes. I don’t know how it relates to today, but it’s rather funny that the GOP didn’t want George W Bush to run, as they pushed hard at recruiting brother Jeb, whom now 15 years later, many do not want near a primary.

But then again, that’s not fair to equate the 2000 GOP class like this. The Dems didn’t have a huge choice either in 2000 with Al Gore, Bill Bradley, and Lyndon LaRouche, while a host of names from Howard Dean to John Kerry declined to play in the 2000 election cycle.

Of course I’m taking for granted that only the “Dem 3” shall be the only ones to run, because we have yet to hear the future intentions of Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb and “Grandpa” Joe Biden.

Unfortunately for O’Malley, it seems that the events in Baltimore have cast a “doubtful” cloud over his parade due to his terms as Baltimore Mayor and Gov of Maryland being linked to economic disadvantages of the city’s populace.

As for “Grandpa” Joe, well every VP is always a consideration to run in the next open Presidential election, yet as big as of an ego he has, I believe he’ll kick back in a rocking chair after this term is over and enjoy playing Media commentator come election night.

I know there are a few other names being tossed around in Elizabeth Warren and Kristen Gillibrand, of which I will default to the “staying home” tag for these two, even though there are whispers of a Clinton/Warren partnership if Hillary is given her entitlement. But again, the DEMS are falling into the trap of nominating those with little experience/accomplishment thanks to the passion of the Media.

But until Sanders and Chafee get a push in all Media forums, it’s Hillary Hillary Hillary. Please swallow your cackles and cover your cankles for the national audience.
How many times can Hillary have a reservation for the Oval Office?

A quick trip backwards to 2008, Hillary was the victor before entering Iowa and by the end of Jan 3 2008, she finished a distant 3rd to Obama. OK if a smidge over 8% is considered distant thumping then it had to be a punch in the gut to lose by 0.3% to John Edwards that evening.

By the final tally of 2008, Obama had won 33 primaries to Hillary’s 22. Well make that 21, because Obama wasn’t on the Michigan ballot, so we can’t count that one. But if you count Michigan, then she actually wins the popular vote with 18 million counted, which obviously that was a victory in name only, because popular she is not.

She's a "Pantsuit Stylin,’ Demographic Profilin,’ 40 years Limousine Riding, Campaign Donor Jet Flying, Ass Kissing, Bankroll Wheelin’ n Dealin’ Cold Hearted Bitch" of a politician(My apologies to the great Nature Boy Ric Flair)

Face it, for all the infatuation and reverence by many for President Bill Clinton there is an equal amount distaste and condemnation for Hillary. I always like to say that Bill Clinton could walk into a McDonald’s and strike up a conversation with anyone, eat their meal, walk away with their Shamrock Shake and leaving that person saying “I like him, he was nice.” But for Hillary to do so, one gets frostbite just from the handshake.

Just within the few weeks after she announced, her campaign staff has proven every public appearance is a fabrication to the highest regard.

Call it political gimmickry or personality forgery; it’s an application for any candidate to be seen as a man, or woman of the people. Her campaign pulled out all the props and theatrics for a 1,186 “Griswaldish” trip from New Haven, CT to Des Moines, IA to meet common folk along the way the day after announcing.

Does anyone actually believe Hillary was riding shotgun in that jet black van? I honestly believe she was riding sky high above on a private plan and had the van waiting at a small airport for her to jump in. Think about, they pre-announced the areas she was to stop and visit the common folk.

I can bash Hillary the politician all day long but in the end outside of a near catastrophe or death, this is Hillary’s game. But then again, it wouldn’t be the first time a politician lost an election to a dead candidate, just ask then incumbent Missouri Senator John Ashcroft how that works.

Then again, Hillary’s 2008 campaign ended in catastrophe and a broken glass ceiling.
Face it, it won’t matter how much the others try, the Media wants Hillary, the GOP wants Hillary and neither will settle for anyone else because “they can’t quit her.”

That's it, Slap the political tap, pay your campaign tab and call your doctor for a prescription of Cymbalta and Zoloft to make it thru the next 18 months

CHEERS!