"Insanity and Socialism"

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result".  Some attribute this saying to Einstein. But it certainly makes sense.

AP reported today:  "Cities across Venezuela are increasingly agitated, as government offices closed their doors for the rest of the week in the face of a worsening energy crisis that is causing daily blackouts. Looting for food and fiery protests started spreading Wednesday in Caracas, as hundreds of angry voters lined up to sign a petition beginning the process of recalling the deeply unpopular President Nicolas Maduro. The socialist administration began imposing a four-hour daily blackout around the country this week to save electricity. Then, Maduro announced that millions of officials will now work only Mondays and Tuesdays, taking the rest of the week off in a bid to save electricity". (By the way these government officials will continue to be paid for the days they do not work, another cornerstone of a government controlled socialist society).

Ah yes, as Venezuela continues to mourn its hero Hugo Chavez the folks are not too happy. No food, no electricity, an oil powerhouse that cannot even supply gasoline to the few that can afford a car. The country is in chaos as they harvest the fruits of socialism. So following Cuba's example here we have another definition of insanity....trying socialism and expecting a different result.

But there is a silver lining in this story, now that Bernie Sanders has no chance to win the primary here in the US, the potential job openings keep coming. If the people in Venezuela are successful in overthrowing their President Maduro, maybe Bernie with his large unused campaign war chest should move there and try to convince the population to "Try socialism just once more, I know how to do it right". I wouldn't bet on that insanity Bern.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html

"All Aboard the Trump Train"

For those of you that swore to leave the country if Trump becomes President, you may want to be sure your passport is updated and house ready to sell.

He has not been nominated yet, but the Trump Train is moving down the tracks toward that goal at a pretty good clip. After sweeping the Northeast, Indiana could be the deathblow for the Cruz/Kasich caboose. The so-called collusion by Cruz/Kasich is most likely a 'Hail Mary' that will have little effect. In my opinion for Cruz to team up with Kasich is like adding a proven loser to your team. Their strategy is to keep Trump from getting to 1237 delegates and then the 'establishment' can rise up and get rid of him in a contested convention...the way Trump is accumulating delegates that may be wishful thinking and the race could be over by then.

But there is still hope for you Trump haters, the experts say Hillary will destroy him in the general election, so don't put that house on the market yet. But I remind you that there were 16 Republican competitors, all the political experts, and conservative Republicans like myself that thought at the beginning Trump was just a 'flash in the pan' and doomed to extinguish quickly. Well here we are, and the 'flash' has turned into a wildfire that may burn all the way to Cleveland.

I am still not a Trump fan but he is a Phenom that has turned the political scene upside down and has the establishment wondering what the hell happened. I cannot imagine this country electing someone as disgusting as Hillary Clinton as our leader, and I am sure the Trump haters feel the same about him. How did we get here with these two people?

Hillary and her team are very confident and salivating at the thought that Trump will be the Republican challenger in the general election..."be careful what you wish for".  

 

"On a Wing and a Prayer"

Those in my generation remember this iconic phrase from WWII...a pilot's damaged plane with only one engine, coming in "on a wing and a prayer".

This should be Bernie Sanders' new campaign slogan. His campaign is flying on only one wing and his prayer: "Please lord let Hillary be indicted". The Bern's campaign promises of free stuff could never overcome the Clinton machine, probably because other that a few smart people I know who supported him, his base of young mush-brained millennials never stopped to ask how he would pay for his promises and what would happen to their taxes.

Bernie sadly never had a chance but he was still a Phenom especially raising money. He boasts that his average contribution from millions of people was less than $30. If someone promised you a free college education, free preschool, free medical and that he would bring those Wall Street greedy people to their knees, wouldn't you send him 30 bucks?

Bernie is no dummy; he collected almost $40 million in March and vows to stay in until the end. But I suspect he will reduce his campaign spending because he now has a massive campaign war chest.

I checked the campaign finance rules and even if Bernie were to drop out he would get to keep all those millions for future campaigns. So if he doesn't make it in this primary I pity anyone who runs against him in future Vermont elections because he will have a war chest that could destroy any political competitor at a state level until he retires. I can see it now - Bernie will have his own version of the Trump jet going back and forth to Vermont and never again having to fly with the folks. This jet will have 'The Bern' on big letters on the side and I can see him in the plane's private lounge drinking his strawberry daiquiri thinking "up yours Donald".

OK, I'm just having fun...as a person I like "The Bern" but he is so misguided; with all this money maybe after he retires from the Senate and the Castro brothers die, he should make a run for President of Cuba...well, maybe that would not be successful, those folks  already know what socialism is all about.

" And then there were two"

Big wins for the 'Trumpster' and the 'Pant Suit' last night and the experts are telling us it is all over and these will be the candidates in the general election. Even Mr. Trump in his victory speech started to speak with more civility referring to 'Senator' Cruz' (not 'lying Ted').

I cannot imagine what Kasich is doing in this race, he has never won anything but his own state and if he wants to be a 'spoiler' he is playing right into Trump's hand. This guy is a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and would probably give Hillary a run if he could get the nomination because the DC establishment does not want change. But this is a different time and no one represents the 'establishment' more than Kasich, so he doesn't have a chance and should just fold his tent and go away.

But Cruz, Kasich, and The Bern are not going away, hoping for contested conventions. First of all, Bernie has no chance unless Hillary gets indicted. But the Obama administration and the Democratic Party will not let that happen, so Bernie (as he has been all along) is history. It will be interesting to see where his voters go...they do not like Hillary or the 'establishment'.

And if Trump makes it to 1237 delegates either before or during the first convention ballot Cruz and Kasich are history also. And the Trumpster does have a lot of momentum with favorable polls in many of the remaining primary elections. Whether you support Trump or hate him, we need to acknowledge that this is an inexperienced politician that started off competing against 17 Republican experienced politicians (except for Dr. Carson), and may defeat them all. This, along with Bernie's success, tells us there are a lot of voters in this country angry with the establishment and want change.

Those that follow this Blog know that I am not a Trump supporter, but I am also an "anyone but Hillary" voter. Obama has almost destroyed this country and Hillary plans to continue his policies, Saul Alinsky would be proud.

California has had no say in any primary election for decades because of the late date of our primary. But would it not be ironic if California, the liberal bastion of the western US, and supporter of more illegal immigrants than the rest of the country combined, was the state whose voters catapulted Donald J. Trump into the general election for President?

"Battle of the Curmudgeons"

I thought the Democratic debate last night was finally an example of what these two nominees are all about. A friend once told me how 'civil' they were to each other in their debates compared to Republicans. Really! Someone pulled back the curtain and the gloves came off last night. These two curmudgeons were yelling at each other all evening. Even the ultra-liberal Wolf Blitzer had to tell them to calm down and quit talking over each other.

Hillary: "We need a $15 minimum wage!"

Bernie: "That was my offer, you were only at $12 a few weeks ago!"

Hillary: "I have always been at $15 and I might even go to $20!"

Bernie: "I'll match your $20 and throw in three weeks of paid vacation for all employees!"

Hillary: "You're full of crap Bernie and you will never be President!"

Bernie: "Look bitch you are the one getting $235 thousand for a speech to Goldman Sachs and your Super Pac gets $15 million from Wall Street. You are in Wall Street's back pocket, you voted for the Iraq war, and you don't have the judgement to be President!"

Hillary: "Look you old bastard you can't get more that $30 from each of your contributors and you shouldn't even be on the stage with me. After Obama kicked my ass in 2008 I have been promised by the DNC that it's my turn to be President and you need to get lost!"

Bernie: "Look fatso I have won 7 of the last 8 primaries and I am in this to kick your ass all the way to the Convention!"

Wolf Blitzer: "Please can't we all get along?"

OK, this is not exactly how the debate went, but it is what I believe they were both thinking. Civil...I don't think so, and I was amazed that they could yell at the top of their voices for almost two hours. But in the end it was the same old Democratic play book...offer your voters lots of free stuff even though you know you can never deliver on your promises.

 

"Just One of the Folks"

The photo op of Mrs. Clinton on the subway in NYC was, to use a pun, 'Hillaryous', not because she couldn't even figure out how to swipe the card, but this is a woman who once said: "I haven't driven a car in 20 years", being chauffeured in a limo everywhere. These candidates must think 'the folks' are really stupid.

She is not the only one; John Kasich eating pizza in NYC with a fork...no John, and Texan Ted Cruz making Jewish matzah bread (probably wearing his cowboy boots). I guess these politicians feel they have to do these photo ops, but at some point you would think their handlers would tell them that the folks won't buy it.

But these photo ops can also be destructive to a campaign. Those my age can remember Micheal Dukakis doing his "Beetle Baily" imitation driving a tank. That photo was not just mocked throughout the media but also probably had a lot to do with his campaign being a total flop. This was probably the first time he had ever been near a tank. The folks didn't buy it.

And we can't forget John Kerry in camo being video taped walking into a small hunting store in Ohio saying; "Is this where I get me a huntin license?" The folks didn't buy it, and it may have helped contribute to his campaign loss.

This primary election is so competitive that for the first time in decades the California vote on June 7th will be very important for all the candidates. If before that election we see a video of Bernie Sanders surfing I may croak.

"Feel the Bern III"

Finally the 'gentle geezer' is attacking Hillary. Unfortunately it may be too late, who knows where his campaign might be if earlier he had brought up the email scandal, the Clinton Foundation "pay for play" scandals, and her trust factor which is a negative among a majority of American voters.

Bernie is a lot of things; great campaigner, energetic, honest, and he really believes his idea of a socialist utopia would work...he can't explain how it would work, but he believes it. But for someone who has been in politics for 25 years he is naive about the rough and tumble aspect of politics, especially going up against a Clinton.

When Bernie in the first debate against Hillary said: "Forget the emails. I'm not interested in that".   At that point I thought to myself, 'he has lost the election'. Going against the Clintons you need to be tough, aggressive, and yes, downright dirty because that's how they play. Believe me if Bernie would ever pull even or get ahead of her they would roll out the dirt, and they probably have a lot on Bernie even if it is made up.

Hillary is controlled by the Wall Street and Corporate structure in this country and he has been hitting her hard on that. But her 'Achilles heel' is the scandals and 'trustworthy' issue which he has avoided. He should have been attacking her on those issues from the beginning and would probably have a real chance right now. But the numbers (and especially with the Super delegates) indicate his chances are probably nil at this point. He may be a nice guy trying to sell a 'utopian society that provides free stuff for everyone', but without a miracle in this primary, history will look at him as just an asterisk  in American politics, particularly since he had done very little in his first 25 years as a public servant. 

"Between a Rock and a Hard Spot"

The Wisconsin primary certainly kept the pot boiling on both sides. During the last presidential primary everything was settled by now. Instead, now both parties are still wondering who their candidate will be.  On the democratic side the experts say that Hillary still has the nomination wrapped up but I am not so sure. NY and Pennsylvania primaries will tell everything, but odds are that Hillary will win in the end especially since the Democratic establishment as of this writing, have the 'super delegates' committed to Hillary.

But on the republican side we are between a 'rock and a hard spot' - Trump voters hate Cruz and vice versa. It's hard to imagine these two ever coming together if one of them are nominated, or if another republican candidate is selected. If Trump loses he may make an independent bid and Republicans will lose. If Cruz wins, his following has a ceiling just like Trump and I don't see how he could pull the party together since most of the Republican power structure in DC is against him.  And if the republicans bring in a candidate like Kasich ('Rino') or one who has not been part of the primary, people  will stay home, so at this point it doesn't look good for the good guys.

It's sad that 60% of Americans on both sides believe the country is on the wrong track and that America has lost its leadership standing in the world...congratulations Mr. Obama on a job well done. The only thing the Republican party has going for it in this election is that the Democrats have put up two of the sorriest candidates I can remember in my lifetime (and that's a long time). 

"Speed Bumps and Convention Madness"

If the Wisconsin primary polls are accurate, it looks like the Trump and Hillary trains may hit a bit of a 'speed bump'.

Each loss by The Donald makes it look more and more like a contested Convention. Experts tell us that if neither Trump nor Cruz reaches the 1237 required to secure the nomination, and if neither can muster that many votes during the first round of voting, the delegates will be free on the second round and things could break wide open and anyone can be nominated. Kasich is nothing but a spoiler at this point and unless they change the rules, he cannot even be included in the first round of voting since you need to win a majority in at least eight primaries. It would not surprise me if the 'establishment' was funding his campaign just so he can keep Trump and Cruz from winning outright.

All the news lately is about a "chaotic" Republican convention, especially from Trump who says that if he is close to the 1237 number but is denied the nomination, there could be unrest by his supporters, and maybe even 'rioting'. So the Republican Convention holds the promise of being a very interesting event.

But what about the Democratic Convention?

Bernie Sanders has now won six out of the last seven primary contests (many of them caucuses) and must have the Hillary campaign somewhat concerned; he is also slightly ahead in the polls in Wisconsin. All the experts believe the primary is rigged for Hillary and Bernie is just coming along for the ride. With a big lead and almost all of the super delegates committed to her, Bernie doesn't seem to have much of a chance. Even Debbie Wasserman-Shultz the DNC chairman has been heard privately saying that he will never be their candidate because; "He has always been an Independent and not a Democrat".

But think about this:  Some believe Hillary may be indicted (I don't think so); even if the FBI recommends indictment political power in DC will keep that from happening. The FBI is planning to interview Hillary and her top aids under oath in the near future; in addition the man that set up and installed her private server has agreed to testify after being given immunity (why would he ask for immunity?). None of this looks good for the Hillary train. Even if the FBI recommends indictment and the Obama administration refuses to move forward, that will leak out to the press and  could cause Hillary to lose big in the remaining primaries and not cinch the nomination.

And if by a miracle that happens and Hillary and Bernie go into the convention with neither having a majority, and neither secure the nomination on the first round, the DNC could send someone like Joe Biden into the convention on a white horse to secure the nomination for the "establishment". It's not probable, but wouldn't it be ironic if that happened and the Bernie supporters went wild and the Democratic convention ended up being crazier than the Republican convention?

Could be an interesting summer, and one thing we know for sure, Liberals are much better at rioting than Conservatives.