Now that we know who will be running for president, people are starting to focus on the running mates. Geographic balance used to the primary consideration. Now candidates look for someone that complements them. Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama picked senior leaders to add some gravitas to their campaigns. Rather than playing the name game, I will take a guess the selection process Clinton and Trump might use.
My guess is that Hillary Clinton will look for someone who can attract the youth vote. Because of her age, that person has to be seen as someone who is qualified to be president. There is a lot of speculation regarding Elizabeth Warren. That won’t happen for two reasons. First, she just turned sixty-seven. More important, the Massachusetts governor is a Republican and they can’t afford to give up a senate seat. I would suggest she follow Romney’s example and choose someone like Paul Ryan who can be a future party leader. The Democrats have a very weak bench. I have no idea what criteria Donald Trump will use. It would make sense that he pick someone with a solid resume that would appeal to those outside his core constituency. It doesn’t really matter since I doubt he would listen to them anyway. The real question is why anyone would want the job. The two main requirements are to be totally subservient to an egomaniac and be willing to defend his indefensible outbursts. Their political future will likely resemble Sarah Palin rather than Paul Ryan. It might appeal to someone who has no political prospects and nothing to lose. We will have to stay tuned and see if they pick someone who will help them or hurt them.
0 Comments
Fifty-three years ago this summer Martin Luther King gave one of the greatest speeches in our history. He pointed a way forward for all of us when he said he hoped his children would be judged “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. I doubt even King could have believed that many in the audience would see Barack Obama become president. We have come a long way but, of course, racism still exists.
We are seeing the creation of a new racism. It ignores all the progress we have made and paints whites as inherently racist and having the advantage of “white privilege”. Looting and other crimes are acceptable ways to protest. Because of their inherit evil, it is perfectly acceptable to treat whites as inferiors. We are starting to see signs of this. The smash play Hamilton once advertised for performers and said only African-Americans will be hired. Some schools are creating areas just for minorities where they are given special privileges. One New York private school separates children as young as six. Minorities are praised and given treats while the whites are harangued about their “privilege”, racism and responsibility for past racist acts. Some children have gone home crying because they think they are bad people. Other than the target of their hatred, I think the old racists and new racists have a lot in common. Usually my posts cover one topic. Today I will discuss three separate stories. In each case, important people are acting very stupidly. They all should know better.
The European Union doesn’t know what to do about the Brexit vote. The head of the executive branch says that Britain should start negotiating immediately. Meanwhile, the trade commissioner says negotiations can’t begin until they leave. Britain imports much more from the EU than they export. Nobody wants a trade war but it would be more harmful to the EU. Nobody likes foreign leaders to interfere with their internal affairs. Apparently the French feel we are too imbecilic to elect a president without their guidance. French President Francois Hollande said voters should choose Clinton. Their prime minister said Trump “is probably a bad man”. If these guys had any political sense, they ought to realize that their statements help Trump and hurt Clinton. My winner of the “What are they thinking?” award goes to Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Other cabinet posts can focus fully on implementing their president’s agenda. The attorney general, as our top law enforcement officer, must often be nonpartisan. That line has often been crossed in the Obama administration, especially by Eric Holder. No investigation is more politically sensitive than the one involving Hillary Clinton’s emails. It is vital that she remain absolutely independent. That illusion was destroyed when she agreed to meet with Bill Clinton. I can’t fathom how someone with her experience could make such a poor decision. Even if there is no impropriety, the appearance is there. If Hillary Clinton is not indicted, people will believe the fix is in. I may do this type of post again sometime. I can depend on politicians to provide plenty of ammunition. |
Archives
January 2020
Categories |