WHAT A DIFFERENCE 5 SECONDS MAKES

I'm not a conspiracy theorist which is why I won't whole heartedly commit to the ideas that aliens are out there. Having said that, I have been watching various documentaries about the Kennedy assassination and I keep thinking about how five seconds within that scope is an eternity. Let's take out the conspiracy theories for a second and look at the whole 5 second period.

In five seconds this is what happened:

1. One bullet goes through President Kennedy's neck and strikes Governor John Connally.
2. A bullet misses 
3. A third bullet kills the President. 

During those five seconds everyone in Dallas, in the parade route, went into pandemonium. The US as a whole froze and the direction the world seemed to be going in took a drastic turn. For nearly 50 years there have been theories of all sorts and the mystery remains. Still the idea of such a tiny spectre of time meaning so much is simply astonishing.

KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE PEOPLE

So there is a big huge deal about the clown that wore the Obama mask in a rodeo. I can sort of understand how this would be disrespectful to the president but I think taking into race waters can be a stretch. This is what I think with respect to that, let's keep it in perspective. Not everyone in America is a democrat and not everyone voted for Obama. Obama's presidency has not been that effective, just like Bush's presidency nearly bankrupted the US.

The best chance that democrats had to pass comprehensive reform was with the senatorial super majority and that was wasted. The election was very narrow and it demonstrated that Romney and Obama were weighed as two necessary ills with one being the lesser of two evils. I understand that the whole " Who wants to see a bull run Obama down?" question was over the top but still, that's the way it goes.

The very normal voting majority is never very happy about how the country is run. Now unemployment is very high, housing values are down, and medical reform is questionable and never fully enforced. I am a democrat but I see this as the perspective of a very unhappy group of people. I don't see this as racism and neither should anyone else. Let' not take politics to black vs white in situations that don't call for it.

IF HE HAD DONE IT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE TURMOIL

It's safe to say that the greatest hinderance to LBJ's presidential career and more than likely to his health both mental and physical was Vietnam. The most intense periods of conflict spanned the majority of LBJ's presidency starting in late 1965. LBJ was incredibly confident that he would be able to take care of this situation but unfortunately for him it was not to be. There is something absolutely hilarious about hindsight and life in general. LBJ announced in 1968 that he would not seek nor accept the democratic nomination for the presidency. With Johnson's announcement came Hubert Humphrey's nomination and subsequent run against Nixon.

Hubert Humphrey won the nomination because RFK was shot in June of that year and subsequently Humphrey was the go to guy since Ted Kennedy did not come out to take his brother's place. It was recently revealed that LBJ had a plan to come back into the race in 1968 during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. LBJ's plan was to arrive on board Marine One and declare his intentions while simultaneously undermining Humphrey and striking a major blow to Nixon's not so dominant lead.

The underlying subject of Vietnam was going to be Johnson's big blow to Nixon as he had proof that Nixon was the reason for the extension of the Paris Peace Talks since he was basically serving a stop to the progress by saying that he could provide Vietnam a better result than Johnson should he win the election. LBJ accused Nixon of treason and while Nixon used cunning and deception to extend the war  Johnson was using it to extend his legacy. If Johnson would have gone back in the chances are that the turmoil experienced by the country would have been just as great in some different level. Johnson was growing weaker physically and his presidency was riddled with opposition from the anti war movement  and young angry voters deceived with the fact that Camelot came to a quick and bitter end yielding the way for a Texas war monger.

I think Johnson would have faced more challenges than Nixon with Vietnam and likely would have probably died in office. More than likely Johnson's exit would have yielded the way for either a McGovern presidency or an unlikely Nixon comeback on the basis of Johnson's inability to effectively craft a strong war policy to deal with Vietnam. Nixon would have probably served until 1981 and more than likely would have had a far better legacy being that his presidency would have dealt with inflation, the Panama Canal, and little to no overseas conflict. Perhaps a 20 year republican lead would have been beneficial seeing as how Nixon, Reagan, and Bush were almost liberal by today's republican standards.

The fact is that nothing like that happened but it's interesting to wonder if it had, maybe this blog would have been talking about a whole different set of possibilities.

WHAT MAY HAPPEN TO JEB IN 2016

So now the big early star of the Republican party seems to be Jeb Bush. I happen to think that given the vocal and highly questionable figures currently in the party's national scene Bush seems to be a perfect choice. Jeb Bush is for the most part reserved and has an approachable manner that really draws people in. Over his eight year tenure as Florida Governor Bush was very effective and stood out as a powerful figure in what was a chaotic national scene. While it seemed like his brother would take the spotlight and eventually he would Jeb would slowly emerge as a figure of a different sort.

Bush was very strong as Governor and he made many improvements while in office. Bush may well find himself short in trying to answer for his role in leading his brother to office and the start of eight tumultuous years in the American national scene. The truth is that it takes one act to completely overshadow everything you did that was good and effective.

For all his approvals for higher education in the state of Florida, funding for libraries, and environmental projects Bush is still largely remembered as a key figure in the election of his brother. If Jeb Bush decides to run in 2016 the only factors that may work for him are a thoroughly ineffective second term for Obama and either Biden or a weaker democrat running against him. Outside of those two scenarios Bush would face a very hard climb up the ladder to the White House.

WHAT MAKES FOR A DIVIDE MAKES FOR A DEBATE

Now that the elections are over and we have chosen our leader there is an interesting discussion to be had. The numbers coming in on election night were so tight it was nearly impossible to tell who was going to win. At one point Romney held a comfortable lead in electoral votes but it was early enough to where Obama could still and would eventually pass him. The end result was a commanding electoral lead for Obama. Then there is the popular vote which for a long time was in Romney's side.

It is clearly understood that the popular vote does not determine the winner of the election. The popular vote does register a pulse in the American landscape and as of yesterday Obama only had a 1.7% lead over Romney. The interesting question now is what did America really want on election night? Truthfully their was no overwhelming winner and a lot of questions were raised.

Yes Obama won almost every state he won last time with the exception of two states that Romney recovered for the Republican party. If you study the margin of victory that Obama had in some of those states it was almost non existent and the difference was made by the size of counties voting. Traditionally democratic counties voted as such and gave Obama a greater boost to carry the states he carried. So once more when you look at the map it's fair to question if there was a clear and overwhelming winner according to what we want as a nation.

It's also fair to ask if we are being overly influenced by negative attack adds that seem to run almost non stop for a specific period of time. I would love to see how the election would turn out if instead candidates were left to expose their various points in televised town hall style meetings where they could in turn talk to the people. Yes the candidates do that already and they do state what they feel is wrong but in this case it would not be an add but rather an exposure in which they could establish a specific point and try to carry it consistently. I know that won't happen but it would be no less interesting. How did FDR campaign after all? The FDR fireside chats were like destination radio for depression era America.

America is divided but the truth is that if you take a sampling of people and question them about policy a good percentage will not know the difference between a Romney proposition or an Obama proposition. This is not a statement that chastises either as being overly liberal or conservative but rather exposes the fact that not many people can really recite a budget proposal or medical reform proposal. The truth is that the venom that comes out of people and what divides the country comes from misunderstanding, assumption and prejudice in some ways.

11/06/2012

Last night America spoke once more and it chose the leader of not only the US but also the free world. President Obama will move on for another four years and will attempt to make history beyond the history he has made thus far. This bit I am writing does not focus on President Obama, Mitt Romney, or any political affiliations. I want to focus on one specific symbol of what makes democracy a true wonder.

Last night as the results came in they were reflecting on  the Empire State building until Obama won and then the top of the building turned blue. That particular turn became an instant symbol of the perennial hope that America has for progress. I am not saying it was Hope because of Obama but the hope of a population coming together and believing in the principles of democracy that make this country the greatest bastion of progress.

People sit and criticize the US but we have the power to make that difference and it is a responsibility that we need to cherish in multiple respects. It was a great feeling to see the level of jubilation at the people's ability to chose the person they wanted wether or not that person was triumphant. It was great to once again see the greatness of democracy in action.

LET THEM ALL GO TO HELL EXCEPT CAVE 76

So Tuesday is the big day and everyone is making the dash for those last minute votes. Every member of team Obama is canvassing the undecided part of the populous. Recently I was the target of a canvas fella that looked like a deer in the headlights. Everyone from the ramrod, tea party, GOP is making that glorious run in order to illustrate Mitt's "Magic Math Method."

I want to throw a wild card out there and see who's with it. I would like to propose a massive write in movement for an unlikely candidate. I am sure that this will not work out but if I stick with it for the next four years it may pick up steam. I say let's write in The 2000 Year Old Man. Yes I am aware that this is a fictional character but come on people.

The 2000 Year Old Man comes from a society where all people lived in caves. If we all lived in caves imagine how much we would save on utilities. I also think that we can all create our own anthems much like the 2000 Year Old Man's anthem. Let them all go to hell people, I think it's brilliant to start this movement.

So for the good of the nation let us say "Let them all go to hell except for the 2000 Year Old Man."

WHEN DID FREE PRESS BECOME FRANKENSTEIN?

It's funny how the face of G. Gordon Liddy reminds me of everything that seemed to ruin the US at a specific point in time. Liddy's bald head and his SUPER MARIO BROTHERS mustache makes me think that he in a way was part of the reason why the press went from being selective to being almost completely merciless and destructive. 

If you think back to the old days you learned about in the history classes you hated there is a distinctive difference between press from the 30's to "modern times press" from the late 60's forward. Politics was limited to whatever the press was allowed to publish and expose whatever the the White House allowed. 

So now we come back to Gordon our resident plumber. How exactly did everything go from being black and white to a kaleidoscope of color?  Watergate is really the best answer and with good reason. The White House really did have the power to repress information and to keep people in the dark about everything from our involvement in Vietnam to sanction covert operations aimed at destroying what we considered enemies. 

Watergate in many ways gave new power to "Freedom of the Press." I think that during that period freedom of the press was necessary in order to expose a serious issue with the US and its leader and show the people that everyone was liable when breaking the law. Now by contrast the press has become rapacious and is constantly looking for the next big stumble.  

Today the media has the real power and it's the media that controls who becomes our next leader. Every election no matter the position usually ends up in some bitter smear campaign that exposes every personal difficulty of aspiring leaders. Look at a 50's add stating "We Like Ike" and one now stating "Obama No Bama." The rhetoric has changed and the press and media no longer have a noble agenda but rather a selfish one based on special interest. Thank you Watergate for creating a special kind of monster that William Randolph Hearst would be proud of. 

Donald Trump SHUT THE FUCK UP

I used to like Donald Trump when I was a kid. For some reason his name on buildings was just cool and he was a definite pimp. I thought that his having attended NYMA was cool seeing as how my step father attended that school as well. I remember thinking that Trump Airlines was one of the coolest airlines operating in the late 80's and early 90's. I had the Trump board game as a kid  in 1989. So why do I hate his guts now?

I think it's a combination of his loud, brash and ridiculous demeanor and the fact that he will not stick to what he does best. I have to give Trump credit because like him or not he got himself out of a terrible financial crunch around 1992/1993. I will say he is a pretty admirable businessman who that took an existing fortune and turned it into a brand over a 35 year period. I still think that he needs to stick to that instead of trying to meddle in the country's affairs. 

Some people are born politicians but Trump is a born businessman/asshole/bully. Trump has no interest in the well being of others he only cares about his name being in the headlines. A day without any sort of press for this guy is like a day without oxygen. I am sure his big announcement is the whole birth certificate thing which is really just getting old. Give it up Trump, the White House will never be another resort or spa, Mar A Lago was more than enough.