The One Sure Thing On This Presidential Election

Speaking with friends this weekend on our 2016 presidential election, I've come to the only one, sure conclusion.

If any person says they know how this election is going to turn out, they are wildly, wildly wrong.

This is, without doubt, one of the most quirky, even bizarre, unpredictable elections of the last 50 years, at least, and likely longer. To say they know the outcome shows they know little.

Names I'd Like to Never Hear Again

Herewith, then, just that--a list of names of people and places I could go through the rest of a long, healthy, very happy life having never again heard.

Trump

Fiorina

Cruz

Paul (when preceded by Rand)

Rand (when preceded by Ayn)

Carson (when preceded by Ben)

Huckabee

Bush (absolutely, never again another Bush)

Christie

Walker (when preceded by Scott)

O'Reilly

Hannity

Rove

Murdoch (when preceded by Rupert)

Limbaugh (never again and it can't be soon enough)

Cheney

Ramadi

Mosul

Erbil

Falluja

Bagram

Kandahar (and let me be clear, I'm not an isolationist)

Wolfowitz

Ailes

Hutus

Tutsis

Netanyahu

Hitler (I mean, really)

Blunt (anyone from that Missouri, government-leeching family)

Reince (when used as a first name)

Preibus (when used as a surname)

McConnell (when preceded by Mitch)

I'm sure there are more but that's enough for now.

How about you? Any people or places you'd prefer to never hear about or from again?

How Bad Jeb Bush Sucks

Yes, to be crude about it, this is how bad Jeb Bush is doing, by the numbers, by the money.

Millions Raised and Spent So Far

Totals for super PACs and other outside groups are through June 30.

1Jeb BushTOTAL RAISEDIN MILLIONS$133.3CANDIDATERAISED$24.8SPENT$14.5CASH ON HAND$10.3SUPER PACS & OTHER PACSRAISED$108.5SPENT$10.3CASH ON HAND$98.2OTHER GROUPSRAISED

2Hillary Clinton97.777.544.533.020.35.315.8

3Ted Cruz64.926.612.813.838.41.037.5

4Marco Rubio47.714.6*7.711.017.30.816.515.8

5Bernie Sanders41.541.514.327.10.00.10.0

6Ben Carson31.631.420.111.30.20.20.2

7Chris Christie18.64.22.81.414.43.011.4

8Rand Paul16.49.47.32.16.91.55.8

9John Kasich16.14.41.72.611.7

10Carly Fiorina12.08.52.95.53.51.52.1

11Bobby Jindal9.91.20.90.33.71.22.65.0

12Mike Huckabee7.73.22.50.84.51.23.7

13Lindsey Graham7.74.83.11.72.90.22.8

14Donald Trump5.85.85.60.3

15Martin O’Malley3.63.32.50.80.30.50.4

16Rick Santorum1.31.00.80.20.30.70.0

17George Pataki1.30.40.40.00.90.80.1

18Lawrence Lessig1.01.00.40.6

19Jim Webb0.70.70.40.30.00.00.1

20Lincoln Chafee0.40.40.10.3

21Jim Gilmore0.10.10.10.0

Scott WalkerDROPPED OUT33.67.46.41.020.01.019.06.2

Rick PerryDROPPED OUT15.31.41.80.013.82.111.9

More people and more corporations gave money--big, big money--to this one presidential candidate, John Ellis Bush, than to any other candidate in this race and he's doing about as badly, as poorly as anyone in the race, to date.

How bad does it suck--do you suck--that all the big, Right Wing, traditional, Republican money in the Party is trying to get you to be elected president and you're fading at the bottom of the list of candidates?

How great is that for all the rest of us? Yahoo. Congratulations, America. You're not all bad.

The John Ellis Bush Presidential Candidate Theme Song

"...when everything is handed to you

It's only worth as much as the time put in

It all just seems so good the way we had it

Back before everything became automatic

Automatic"

Yeah.

That pretty much says it all right there.

Most People Don't Recognize the Bizarro Election World We've Stepped Into

I don't think most Americans recognize how truly unprecedented and even, honestly, bizarre a world we've entered now, this go 'round with our 2016 presidential election cycle. And it's this headline, last evening, that brought it home to me:

It Looks Like Jeb Bush is About To 

Drop Out

Mind you, it's speculation but between John Ellis' popularity--and lack of it--and so, the corresponding lack of money (see headline, below), it does at least look bad for him, if not politically fatal.  This is from none other than what should be his own people, the Wall Street Journal, last evening:

Jeb Bush Has $10.3 Million on Hand, as Fundraising Slowed

I won't get into the details of his money, any reader can do that on their own. The fact is, if, in this mish-mash of Republican candidates, the "chosen one" of the big money Republicans and traditionalists not only can't make it but is over-run by the likes of the very misogynist and racist Donald Trump and the extremely simplistic, even empty Dr. Ben Carson, well, folks, it means very, very bad things for this nation.

Mind you, it should be clear from this writer and blogger and blog that the last thing I'd personally or politically want is for a Republican of the last 30 years, at least, to win any presidential--or even Congressional--race in our country. But the fact is, if more middle-of-the-road, mainstream---however dumbed-down---John Ellis Bush can't make it in a campaign with the likes of his competition, it bodes badly, very badly for the race itself but for the nation at large. 

Again, from last evening, look at what his toughest competition are doing in the last 24 hours:

Trump, Carson threaten to boycott next GOP debate

Yes. They're running to be president of the United States yet they're threatening to boycott the only debates the party has scheduled. Check that out:

(CNN) Republican front-runners Donald Trump and Ben Carson are threatening to pull out of the next Republican primary debate if the hosts don't agree to their demands.

In a letter to CNBC, which is hosting the next debate, the two candidates said they would not participate in the Oct. 28 debate "if it is longer than 120 minutes including commercials and does not include opening and closing statements."

Facebook political/social satirist Kona Lowell  said it very well last evening:

So Trump and Carson demand that the next debate last only two hours. Fine. Let's analyze this. That's 120 minutes. There are 13 candidates. That means each candidate would get 9.2 minutes. Subtract time for commercials. Include an opening/closing statement for each candidate. That leaves just enough time for Trump to call someone a loser and Carson to compare lowering student loan debt to the Holocaust.

And unfortunately, in America, things are ranked, and often won, simply by how much money one has. With our Citizens United rules from the Supreme Court and very legal campaign contributions--what would be, in the rest of the world, bribes--government representatives win and lose, live and die by how much money they take in.

So John Ellis has 10.3 million dollars on hand.

Very scary Ted Cruz has 13.5 million.

Kooky Ben Carson has nearly the same as John Ellis at 11 million.

Everyone else in this money race is an "also ran" and so, irrelevant.

I'm telling you, folks, this Republican presidential race for 2016 was bad and is getting worse and worse all the time. John Ellis Bush was more of a moderate who tried to be extreme Right Wing, by voice only, in order to get votes and win.

That Donald Trump and Ben Carson are leading the pack, leading this field of candidates both in money and popularity should scare anyone who knows what's good for most all of America, and so, the entire nation.

Link: Who's winning the 2016 GOP money race?

Right Wing Crazy From Last Weekend

The following things were spewed just this last weekend from these 6 Right Wing crazies.

Do me a favor.  Don't tell me the 2 political parties are the same.

This Thursday, August 6, 2015

This Thursday evening, is, coincidentally and/or ironically:

--the date of the first debate of the 2016 Republican Primaries.

--the date of Jon Stewart's final Daily Show appearance as host.

--the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan

--the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. 

Thanks for the first three to FB friend Doug Frank.  Thanks, Doug.

Keep This Image In Mind Next From Now to November 2016, America

One of the Best Things Democrats Have Going for Them Between Now and November 2016

And all they have to do is let it sit there.

Republican Presidential election advice for 2016

Results of a lazy American electorate

A fellow blogger brought up this subject and yesterday's election brought out more of this so I have to ask: What is it with us Americans that we just reboot politicians, again and again, in the election booth? Why do we let them have these family dynasties in government? There's the Bush family, nationally (and look how well that turned out). There's the Blunts, here in Missouri--a den of thieves, in my view and a lot of other people's. There's the Carnahans (whom I'm for, frankly, but still, it's a family government dynasty, there's no denying it). Allow me to quote blogger friend Damnitkage from yesterday's mail: "Goddamit, I hate it so much that political offices have been converted into birthrights of certain wealthy families." I couldn't agree more. My response: What is it about the laziness of the American electorate that we keep voting in these family governance dynasties? Speaking of which, did you see where, in Kansas, Dennis Moore's wife got breezed back into his place? Holy cow. All you need is the last name and you're there. It's bloody looney. Pensions for life. What dolts we are. Why do we do this? I can't help but think it's just laziness. Answers anyone?