Bloomberg's Problems

I told you this past weekend about the problems with Bernie Sanders becoming the nominee for president on the Democrats’ side of things. But as Michael Bloomberg is gaining momentum, he seems to be stepping in it quite a bit! Let’s look at that.

First of all, you’ve got the old “Pay To Play” problem. Democrats are not happy with the fact that Mini Mike is throwing, at this point, upwards of $300 million at his campaign, and said he wouldn’t mind throwing over a billion at it! That has a lot of folks talking about him “buying the election”, which doesn’t sit well with most Americans. And while I think Bloomberg is going to do OK in some of the Super Tuesday states, and I can tell you he’s buying airtime left and right out here in the desert, where our primary isn’t until March 17th (a month from today). I’m already hearing from Democrats and Republicans alike that they don’t like the fact he could buy the White House.

Secondly, he’s got a race problem. Rudy Giuliani came out with “Stop and Frisk” back when he was Mayor of New York. Bloomberg came after Giuliani, and kept the practice going. You’ve read by now some of the stuff Bloomberg said about it…how most of the crime was in the minority neighborhoods, so that’s where the police should be…and that the MO (Modus Operandi) of those that murder and get murdered are pretty much non-whites between the ages of 16 and 28 or something like that. How do you think that’s going to sit with the minority voters in California? Or New York? Or here in the desert southwest?

Now, Bloomberg comes at a third problem. At a time when most Democrats are tired of the Clintons, and sick and tired of hearing Hillary complain about how she “beat Trump, and yet he’s in the White House”, Mike decides that she could just be a great running mate for him. That in and of itself, would upset a lot of Democrats, though I’m sure the Republicans would love to see Hillary lose yet another election! There is one small fly in the ointment of that. Under the 12th Amendment, the President and Vice President cannot be from the same state. Remember back in 2000? George W. Bush had been the Governor of Texas, so there was no question he lived there. His running mate was Dick Cheney, who in 1995 moved to Dallas to become head of Halliburton. It was challenged in court, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case because Cheney was from Wyoming and had maintained a residence there (and represented Wyoming in Congress).

Either way, when you add up the baggage that Bloomberg brings to the table, and the fact he really hasn’t been vetted by voters yet since he hasn’t participated in any debates, it’s going to be interesting to watch him burn through a billion dollars of his own money only to slink back to the Big Apple with his tail between his legs!

Carry on world…you’re dismissed!

What Is Going On In San Fran?

Today, I have to ask the question! What in hell is going on in San Francisco? My Lord! The City By The Bay, is now the home to countless folks living on the streets because they can’t afford rent, defecating on the sidewalks, and leaving used hypodermic needles every where. It’s a pretty bad scene, and has been for quite some time. It appears the folks in charge there really don’t have an answer for the condition either.

Well, that’s the tip of the iceberg apparently.

It’s now come out that San Francisco Mayor, London Breed, of course, a Democrat, has had an illicit affair with a guy that is under investigation for lying to the FBI, and taking an undisclosed loan from him to pay for car repair bills totaling some $5,600 last year. She hasn’t paid that back yet either. According to Breed, “I write this in the spirit of transparency because in the wake of a scandal at City Hall, I think San Franciscans are entitled to hear directly from their Mayor.”

That has prompted several of the San Francisco Supervisors, to at least call for her to “step away from her duties temporarily”, while others are telling her to resign immediately.

Now, that isn’t the only news coming out of San Fran these days.

Former San Francisco Mayor, Willie Brown, has come out that he had an extra-marital affair with one Kamala Harris. Apparently, it happened some 20 years ago, and Brown admits he may have put Harris on her path to run for the presidency (which as we know failed). According to Brown, “Yes, I may have influenced her career by appointing her to two state commissions when I was [California] Assembly speaker. And I certainly helped with her first race for district attorney in San Francisco.”

It seems rather odd to me that all of this is happening in one city at and coming out at the same time! Is it just me, or are all politicians from that part of Cali off their rockers? Don’t forget, both Senators from California, are from San Francisco…as is Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House. And no one is saying that any of them, Harris, Pelosi, or Diane Feinstein are the smartest bulbs in the box!

With all of the scandals going on surrounding San Fran, I think it may be time to blow it up and start again. Apparently, Democrats and the citizenry there just don’t have a clue how they can fix things, and aren’t very good at setting examples for the rest of society. If this is the way liberals demonstrate how they can “successfully” lead a nation, I think we’re better off getting all of them committed!

Carry on world…you’re dismissed!

What IF Bernie Wins?

Sanders could make the argument that he’s two for two when it comes to the primary and caucus season on the Democrat side. So, maybe it’s time to face reality? Maybe it’s time to ask the question, what happens IF Bernie Sanders ends up being the Democrats’ nominee for president? And, God forbid, what happens IF Bernie Sanders is actually successful and wins the White House?

Well, if we look at the first part of that equation first, we can see that there is going to be an uproar in the Democrat party. Bernie is not viewed by mainstream Democrats as a Democrat. He’s viewed as an outsider. Now, quick question…can you name someone else that was viewed as an outsider in HIS bid for the presidency? Second, Bernie is a lot older looking and more “Andy Rooneyesque” than Donald Trump is. Trump hits you in the face with a brick when it comes to barbs. Sanders is like the crotchety old man that tells you to get out of his yard as he is sitting on the front porch. He’s not the kind of guy that you necessarily think of as a Kennedy-type of presidential candidate. Not like a Bobo Obama, or a John Kerry.

Where Bernie is going to run into real problems is IF he gets elected. Let’s just say that he gets enough young kids who want their student loans thrown out and college to be free, and he wins the White House. What then? Well, he can’t just do away with the loans. He’s going to need Congress’ help. And do you think that the traditionalists in Congress are going to want to help him? You thought the Never Trumpers were bad? You oughta wait to see this push to the left backfire! First of all, Bernie isn’t going to be able to deliver on any of his promises. He isn’t going to get the Green New Deal through because there aren’t the votes there, even if the House stays Democrat and they take over the Senate. Second, Democrats will treat him worse than the GOP treated Trump when he first got into office. He’s an outsider with the Democrat party. Oh, he loves them when he caucuses with them…and he loves them when he runs nationally for president. But the minute the campaign is over, he’s an independent again!

No, Bernie Sanders is going to have a miserable time accomplishing anything in office. The country isn’t going to be behind him at all, and certainly Congress isn’t. He will start to push the Supreme Court more leftward, as RBG and Stephen Breyer both retire. But beyond that, I can’t see how he’s going to get anything done. If you need proof for that, look at what he’s been able to accomplish in the 14 years he’s been in the Senate. Bupkus. Need more proof? Look at what he did the previous 16 years when he was in the House of Representatives. Bupkus. The man takes up oxygen and turns it into carbon dioxide…which he can’t do if he passes the Green New Deal. Other than that, he’s probably better suited to take a place in Statutory Hall.

Carry on world…you’re dismissed!

Was The Stone Cased Biased?

I haven’t paid a lot of attention to the Roger Stone case, because as I researched it when it was happening, I found Stone to be pretty much a snake in the grass, and I know there are several Republicans and conservatives that have pretty much said the same thing. So, it was no surprise to me that he got convicted of that ubiquitous “Obstruction of Justice” charge and of course, lying to federal prosecutors and the FBI. Well, it turns out there may have been more to that story than was originally reported.

According to Fox News, and backed up by CNN, a former Memphis City Schools Board President by the name of Tomeka Hart was the foreperson on that jury. And according to what has been found out about her since the trial, she’s a huge Democrat, and has been, shall we politely call her an “activist” for the liberal side of things? And she’s a self-avowed “Never Trumper”.

Now wait a doggone minute here.

Apparently, there were several on the jury that were biased against any Republican administration officials. In fact, there was a former Obama press official that was on that jury. Stone’s defense team moved to strike the person because of their bias, and the judge, Amy Berman Jackson denied the request. So, I guess the question becomes, did this “snake in the grass” get a fair trial? And with all of the hollering that’s going on from the left over the Department of Justice’s decision to reduce the sentencing that they are asking for, I have the question…is there justice being done, or was Stone hung out to dry before the trial even started?

I’m not saying that the guy was innocent. I’m not saying he shouldn’t go to prison. I am however, wondering about the politics that played in to what should have been an fair and unbiased trial. Which brings me to the point of begging the question why the left seems hell bent on jumping all over Attorney General, William Barr’s case on this one for trying to lower a nine year sentence request from Justice. When you take into account that there could be a very real possibility that the jury, and possibly the judge in the case were biased against the defense, how could you whine about the actual sentencing…which Jackson is going to perform herself.

Is this yet another left-wing attempt to slant the system their way? Is it yet another futile attempt to get Donald Trump impeached for a second time? Adam Schiff was very quick to rush to the first microphone he found to declare that Trump was once again, abusing his power by trying to influencing the DOJ. Apparently that doesn’t hold water since the decision to seek a lower sentence for Stone was reached hours before Trump tweeted his thoughts.

And while we’re on the subject of “biased Attorney Generals”, can I bring up a couple of names? What about Janet “Branch Dividian” Reno? Are you telling me she wasn’t biased? How about in more recent times, Eric “Contempt Of Congress” Holder? You’re saying he played it right down the middle? And what about Loretta “Meet you on the tarmac” Lynch? Oh, there wasn’t any bias there, right?

When the left decides to get serious with their own Attorneys General about bias, I will start listening to them about William Barr. Until then,

Carry on world…you’re dismissed!

Something A Little Different!

If you have been reading these blogs for a while, going back to the previous iteration, known as “Desert Musings” a few years ago…you know there are certain days I reserve for special personal occasions. Oh, I celebrate with special, non-political blogs on Easter, and Thanksgiving, and Memorial Day, and Veterans Day, and the 4th of July, and Christmas. I also celebrate my anniversary here. And I celebrate February 13th here as well. It’s because it’s my mother’s birthday!

So, today, I put a true hero up on a pedestal and say, Happy Birthday Mom!

I don’t think she’d mind if I told you, she’s 86 today. And I relish every moment I spend with her. See, last year, on her 85th birthday, she ended up at the emergency room. She’d had a headache all day, and complained a little bit about it, but she was dropping words, couldn’t remember things, and when we left dinner that night and took her home, I felt like we shouldn’t be leaving her at home. I called my brother who was an EMT in Florida, and he suggested a trip to the ER. Turns out she had a “Confusional Migraine”. Yeah…I’d never heard of it either. But it can give symptoms like you’re having a stroke. Needless to say, Mom pulled through with shining colors!

I give thanks that I was raised by this lady. She’s been my confidant and my hero all through life. I don’t think there have been more than two or three major decisions I’ve ever made without talking to her about it first. And when we were able to move out here, it was one of the best decisions. I had spent about 30 years or so without her nearby, in fact, without any of my family nearby. My wife’s side certainly picked up the slack and accepted me fully, to which I’m grateful, and I love her family every bit as much…but it wasn’t the same.

Mom raised three kids on her own. She got divorced when I was 7. It was in the 1960’s, a time when people really didn’t get divorced, and it was frowned upon. Yes, there were kids I couldn’t play with because their parents didn’t want them hanging around me. And yeah, it was hard, but it was harder for her. She was always fearful of losing the house…losing our way of life. Look, we didn’t have a lot of money back then, but I never knew it. She made sure we took vacations in the summer, and always had new clothes in the fall. I don’t think we ever missed a Christmas either. She worked two jobs, AND went to school, earning not only a Masters’ Degree, but her PhD as well.

So, today, I dedicate today’s blog to her. She’s still my rock after all these years. I don’t know how I ended up with the two best women in the world by my side with my wife and my mom, but I did. So, Happy Birthday Mom! Can’t wait to celebrate another 20 with you!

Carry on world…you’re dismissed!

The Death Of The "Sure Thing"

New Hampshire wasn’t supposed to be where Joe Biden died. He wasn’t supposed to die at all. Remember, he said he wouldn’t do well in Iowa…he never has…and he didn’t this year either. But he was hoping for maybe a strong second or even a third place finish in New Hampshire. He didn’t even wait until the polls had closed before he skated to South Carolina.

Joe Biden is “Dead Man Walking”.

And he’s not alone. Elizabeth Warren’s speech after the polls closed congratulated Amy Klobuchar on a great run. It sounded every bit like a concession speech. Only she didn’t concede yet. In fact, as far as I can tell, there were only two concessions last night. Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet officially dropped out of the race. Deval Patrick will be throwing in the towel today.

But Warren and Biden aren’t far behind.

Oh, they both may make it to the Nevada Caucus a week from Saturday. Biden might even make it to South Carolina’s Primary the following Saturday, but they are both dead.

Just to recap last night, Sanders edged Buttigieg in New Hampshire, with Amy Klobuchar finishing a surprising third. Warren was a distant fourth, and Biden slumped to fifth, which was amazing considering he was in second just a week ago!

But when you call someone a “lyin’ dogface pony soldier”, as Biden did during a town hall meeting in New Hampshire, even thinking you’re quoting John Wayne, you’re not going to do well. His exact quote was, “Iowa’s a Democratic caucus,” the former vice president responded. “You ever been to a caucus?” When Moore said she had, he responded, “No you haven’t. You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier.” The woman asked what I thought was actually a pretty good question. It was basically, that if you can’t win Iowa, how can you win a national election?

The funny thing is, Biden has used this quote before, in North Dakota during a town hall meeting in 2018. And again, he attributed it to John Wayne when asked about it later. Quite possibly, the fact he told a guy in Iowa that he was a liar, and “you need to take an IQ test”, just a week before shaded what he thought was a funny quip. It turned out to be a Howard Dean yell.

Elizabeth Warren has been on the ropes for a month. In fact, I predicted four weeks or so ago that she would be the first major candidate to withdraw from the race. I still hold true with that prediction. Because I think that Biden could do better in Nevada, certainly better in South Carolina unless he shoots himself in the foot again.

But the overall takeaway from last night was, either Biden or Warren could drop out at any moment, leaving Sanders, Buttigieg and surprisingly, Amy Klobuchar to battle it out the rest of the way. And in the end, I don’t see Sanders getting the nod…at least not at this point. Buttigieg would prove to be a much tougher battle for Donald Trump. He’s a lot more moderate, and wouldn’t upset the traditional wing of the party. Sanders on the other hand is viewed by the traditional Democrats as toxic, and not a real Democrat. Of course, Bernie’ minions will all stay seated on the sidelines if he doesn’t win the nod!

Either way, it could be, as some of the pundits are saying, a brokered convention this summer. That’d be a blast to watch!

Carry on world…you’re dismissed!

What NH Proves?

So, it looks like Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders for all intents and purposes, split Iowa. They came away as the two big winners and got most of the state delegates. Joe Biden, as everyone knows now, came away the loser. And that is actually a big deal. Let’s go back to 2004. John Kerry won Iowa. He ended up the nominee. In 2008, Bobo Obama won Iowa. He ended up the nominee. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won Iowa. She ended up the nominee. Are you seeing a pattern here?

What does New Hampshire’s primary prove today? Well, not much. Because as Iowa has been able to accurately predict the Democrat nominee, New Hampshire has pretty much sucked at that, and they’ve proven to be able to predict the Republican nominee. Again, going back to 2008 (since George W. Bush was the incumbent in 2004), John McCain won New Hampshire. In 2012, Mitt Romney won New Hampshire, and in 2016, Donald Trump won New Hampshire. It shows that at least with recent history, Iowa chooses the nominee better with Democrats, and New Hampshire does better picking Republican nominees.

In New Hampshire in 2004, they did pick the eventual nominee in John Kerry, who was also almost a native son being from nearby Massachusetts. In 2008, when Bobo Obama was the nominee, Hillary Clinton won the primary, and in 2016, when Hillary Clinton was the nominee, Bernie Sanders won the primary.

So, today’s primary, probably doesn’t prove anything…except that the two guys that are at the top of the latest polls, Sanders and Buttigieg came out of Iowa basically winners. Sanders won the popular vote there, Buttigieg got I think one or two more delegates.

And what does all of that mean? Nothing. Right now the Democrat party is in disarray. The Iowa Caucus was a mess. The impeachment trial blew up in the faces of the Democrats in DC. Nancy Pelosi embarrassed not only herself, but her party with her antics at the State of the Union speech by ripping up the speech. And all of that kinda sorta has me a little concerned. Not scared just yet, but concerned.

Remember back when the Republicans were blamed for shutting down the government, and everyone felt going into an election year it would have a major impact on the outcome? It didn’t. Remember when anytime there has been some major happening against one of the two major parties nine or ten months out, it looks like it will doom them in the upcoming election? It usually doesn’t. That’s because America has a very short attention span anymore. We are all stuck in a 24 hour news cycle, and what was a major catastrophe yesterday is pretty well forgotten by the week’s end.

And while I really hope and pray that Americans remember all of the silly childish antics the Democrats have put on display here (the latest one has AOC declaring that Donald Trump pays African American people to say they support him!), there’s something gnawing at me that says it can all turn around very quickly between now and election day. Somehow I don’t think any of this is going to play into the voters’ minds come November.

That is the sad part. Because just as Iowa predicts Democrat nominees and New Hampshire predicts Republican nominees, America seems to forget. It’s going to be more about those two or three debates that Trump has with whomever comes out of the Democrat side, and less about Congress and impeachment, or tearing up a speech. That’s wrong. Democrats should be held responsible for their actions in Congress over the last two years. All of their investigations when they should have been doing the peoples’ business is just a waste of taxpayer money. They are wrong for doing that and they need to be held accountable for it.

The presidential candidates are wrong in thinking they can promise the world to the voters and expect the voters to come running to them. Hillary Clinton was actually right on that account. There will be a price to pay for their exuberance. And that does play into Donald Trump’s hands.

Let’s just hope America wakes up to the fraud that has become the Democrat party before it’s too late!

Carry on world…you’re dismissed!