Friday, August 28, 2015

BloggeRhythms

Very slow news-day, either due to the August doldrums or simply because there isn’t very much going on worthy of noting regardless of what month it is.
 
Despite the lack of anything meaningful to report, the media of course needs to keep filling its airtime. And in that regard, Fox News’  Doug McKelway, led off a newscast at 10AM this morning seeming to confirm a point made here a couple of days ago.
 
At that time it was noted that Trump’s going after Fox’s Meghan Kelly after the Republican presidential debate was likely a major mistake. Because, if nothing else, Fox is an ally needed by any Republican contender and therefore, no sane candidate would purposefully upset the network’s chief, Roger Ailes. Yet that’s what Trump seems to have done. It was also surmised here that any retaliation against Trump would be done quite subtly, using stealth instead of outright attacks and vituperation.
 
And now, today, Mr. McKelway led off the 10 O’clock newscast with a segment highlighting Trump’s major “flip-flops” over the years. Since the show was live, the items went by too quickly to note them specifically, however a similar list was found on-line at  thelibertarianrepublic.com in an article by Josh Guckert from July 17, 2015, as follows:
 
Top 7 Biggest Donald Trump Flip-Flops
 
First on the list was his change from libertarian to a hard-liner on drugs.
 
Then, “In 1999, Trump stated that though he “hate[d] the concept of abortion,” that he was “very pro-choice,” and that he would not even ban partial-birth abortions. Trump later stated that after consulting with doctors that he would be in favor of banning partial-birth abortions. Yet, “Today, Trump states that he is “pro-life,” with exceptions for rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger."
 
Also in 1999, he “called for a one-time 14.25% tax on individuals and trusts of over $10 million in order to pay off the national debt. Trump’s rhetoric at the time was eerily similar to that of the Occupy movement, as he stated that, “By my calculations, 1 percent of Americans, who control 90 percent of the wealth in this country, would be affected by my plan. The other 99 percent of the people would get deep reductions in their federal income taxes.” Then, “In 2000, he indicated that he was opposed to a flat tax.”
 
“In 2011, he indicated support for the Bush Tax Cuts, stating that President Obama would be “taking away a lot of incentives from a lot of people that produce a lot of taxes” if he were to allow them to expire. A few months later, he proposed a four-bracket tax system which contained rates of 1%, 5%, 10% and 15% and eliminated the corporate income and estate taxes. Needless to say, this is a marked shift from his prior position.
 
“In 2000, Trump indicated that while he “generally oppose[d]” gun control, he was in favor of bans on assault weapons, waiting periods and background checks. He also criticized Republicans on the topic, as he stated that they “walk the NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions.” But now, “Trump states that he is staunchly against gun control, that “the Second Amendment is a right, not a privilege,” and that he “do[es] not support expanding background checks.”
 
In 1999 and 2000, Trump expressed a staunch desire for the US to adopt universal healthcare, stating “If you can’t take care of your sick in the country, forget it, it’s all over . . . So I’m very liberal when it comes to health care, I believe in universal health care. I believe in whatever it takes to make people well and better.” Trump continued on to say, “I think it is. . .an entitlement to this country, and too bad the world can’t be, you know, in this country. But the fact is, it’s an entitlement to this country if we’re going to have a great country.”
 
Yet, although it’s unclear as to what Trump’s current plan is, he’s made his staunch opposition to ObamaCare well-known. He has suggested a market approach,by “increasing competition between insurance companies. Competition makes everything better and more affordable.”
 
In 2000, Trump favored privatization of Social Security, but in 2011 he “spoke out against any modifications of Social Security, saying that “We as a society must also make an ironclad commitment to providing a safety net for those who can’t make one for themselves. Social Security is here to stay. To be sure, we must reform it, root out the fraud, make it more efficient, and ensure that the program is solvent.”
 
And here are really huge reversals that likely will come back to haunt him in the future:
 
“Trump has a long history with Hillary Clinton, donating to her campaigns in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007, as well as donating a six-digit sum to the Clinton Foundation. Clinton even attended Trump’s 2005 wedding, and Trump once called her a “fantastic Senator.” He had similar praise for Jeb Bush in 2000, saying “He’s exactly the kind of political leader this country needs now and will very much need in the future. . .He’s bright, tough, and principled. I like the Bush family very much. I believe we could get another president from the Bushes. He may be the one.”
 
But, in a complete, and seemingly ridiculous reversal, now that he thinks he has a chance at the White House, today, “Trump calls Hillary Clinton “the worst Secretary of State in the history of our nation” and says that she would be “a terrible president.” On Jeb Bush, he referred to him as “pathetic” for his support of Common Core, and said that his immigration policy is “baby stuff.” He has also said that in regards to Bush facing Clinton, “Jeb Bush will never take us to the promised land. . .No matter what you do, it’s not going to happen.”
 
So, here we have a guy who says whatever he thinks is expedient at the time, yet lacks the consistency and focused dedication required to handle the most difficult managerial position in the world. And, most importantly, the job of POTUS requires someone with successfully proven similar experience in a similar position, such as governor of a large state. Not one who believes that glib answers are the key to properly meeting the needs of more than 318 million citizens.   
 
Which brings us to today’s update on Bill Clinton’s wife.
 
Steven Shepard @politico.com titled his article today, “Can Hillary overcome the 'liar' factor?”
 
Mr. Sheppard writes: “[O]ne of the more troubling aspects of Clinton’s honesty-driven slide in the polls is her strikingly low numbers among white voters. Some Democrats had hoped Clinton’s candidacy could reverse Obama-era losses among whites, particularly white women. But crosstabs provided by Quinnipiac upon POLITICO’s request indicate Clinton faces steep challenges there, too.
 
“Among all whites, only 26 percent said Clinton is honest and trustworthy. Just 3-in-10 white women said she is honest and trustworthy — including only 34 percent of white women with a college degree, a constituency crucial to repairing Democrats’ numbers among whites.”
 
White among white independents, only 21 percent said she’s honest, young white voters are also a big challenge: Just 22 percent said Clinton is honest and trustworthy, versus 73 percent who said she isn’t.
 
By comparison, Bill Clinton, won 44 percent of white voters in his 1996 reelection campaign, according to exit polls, en route to capturing 49 percent of the vote overall. But by 2012, the Democrat’s share of the white vote had tumbled to 39 percent.
 
The honesty issue is critical point because, in 2000 when Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the electoral college, "exit polls showed voters for whom honesty and integrity were a driving factor overwhelmingly preferred George W. Bush. Gore, on the other hand, was the overwhelming choice of voters who valued experience and intellect.”
 
Thus, whereas honesty and integrity are critical issues to voters in addition to experience and intellect, and Bill’s wife is questionable on all of them, the ongoing question remains: Joe Biden, Mayor Bloomberg, Jerry Brown, and Starbuck’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz, are you reading this? 
 
That's it for today folks. 
 
Adios

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