Immediate Reaction to the First Democratic Debate of 2016 (O'Malley = Winner)

Here are my "flashpoint" thoughts" -

• Tonight's Debate Winner: Martin O'Malley (Former Governor, Maryland)
• Worst Debate Performance: Lincoln Chafee (Former Governor, Rhode Island)
• Still has work to do to appeal to ALL Democrats: Hillary Clinton (Former Secretary of State)
• Great at Domestic Policy, but needs to step up on Foreign Policy: Bernie Sanders (Senator, Vermont)
• Biggest Whiner: Jim Webb (Former Senator, Virginia)
• First 2016 Democratic Candidate to Drop Out: Lincoln Chafee (Former Governor, Rhode Island)

Clinton played a lot of defense and didn't really dive into policy changes. She even dodged questions regarding her flipping of issues like TPP and she didn't show much leadership against Wall Street. I think that will hurt her on her leadership. I was surprised she mentioned working with China to balance relations between the two countries. Sanders really needs to toughen up on the foreign policy and not mention calling on military action for a cleansing in Kosovo as history shows that was not ideal for Americans to have intervened.

O'Malley was the strong leader in tonight's debate as he threw no punches and went toe-to-toe with Sanders and Clinton more than once. He defended his time in Maryland. Every time Clinton said something, he managed to slip in his point without being arrogant.

Chafee will be the first to drop out as he kept giving the excuse of being fresh on the job in Congress and not focusing on the task at hand. The American people need someone who will be ready on day one and not have a tutorial waiting for them once they get the key to the Oval Office. Also, Jim Webb was like the product of Carson & Trump with his constant "but the rules say this" and nagging of time…is this a foreshadowing of how you will act as President? A conflict arises and you're in the situation room and whine about not talking - You would be the President, you command the room…

Overall, good performance. More to come...

The GOP losing to Donald Trump = Democratic Win in 2016

Well, a lot has happened within the last post.  I am going to really strive to post every other day about the political happenings going on in the United States; and, I might even touch on some international areas of consideration.

            If you missed the first GOP debate, please be sure to DVR the next one – It will take place on September 16, 2015 on CNN. There were way to many candidates for everyone to get ample time to answer questions – not that any of the candidates (except one) really answer the questions. There were two main disagreements between Governor Chris Christie & Senator Rand Paul (which proved that Paul can take on aggressive candidates without missing a beat) and Businessman Donald Trump & Senator Rand Paul (which also proved that Paul doesn’t even understand why Trump is a candidate if he is willing to destroy the party is aligning himself with). I do think it was a good debate performance for Senator Paul even though he sort-of got a little heated at times. I’m not the biggest fan of Rand Paul (mainly because I’m a registered democrat) but his performance was the second best. In fact, he does better in a small crowd and on a one on one conversation. Full disclosure, I did meet him in South Carolina at one of his “Pints for Liberty” rallies. He can really turn out the crowds & can sway the minds of those that can read into his rhetoric.

            Donald Trump is just a big pain in the GOP’s side with his insane rhetoric and outlandish statements. IF he were not in the race, I can almost guarantee that Senator Paul would be number one in the polls. Sadly, Trump is leading all the polls with his hard lines on immigration, the national deficit and jobs, the economy, and even social issues – which make no sense and I can’t fathom why Republicans are so wild about him regarding those issues. Even his rude behavior towards Fox’s Megan Kelly went unchallenged by the GOP. The arguments were that she was “too hard” on her questions towards him – which I always thought if you want to be the Commander-In-Chief you should get the tough questions, but then again… - and only fueled the unclaimed notion that the liberal media was taking over the country. If that is indeed true, where will Republicans get their news from now that Faux, er, Fox News has gone liberal. I don’t recall Shepard Smith or Bill O’Reilly resigning in protest. Trump is actually drowning out the other Republican candidates who seem rational in any other election year. If Trump breaches the 40% approval rating, Senators Paul, Cruz, and Neurosurgeon Ben Carson will drop out before the Iowa Caucuses finish on Caucus night.

            The best game-plan right now is for the GOP to call out Donald Trump for what he really is – an adult crybaby with a temper tantrum if he doesn’t get his way. He is indeed demanding he get the nomination otherwise he will threaten the party with a third party bid (which has never worked so I hope he realizes that at some point). Seriously, Trump has the “kiss my ring or else” mentality.  Last I checked, Democracy doesn’t work like that. Trump is behaving like North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, with worse hair! The GOP need to band together and declare that he does not represent the party. Meanwhile, the Democrats need to stop sitting down and taking his jabs and stand up and go toe-to-toe with Trump. Politics is dirty, so both parties need to have a bipartisan effort to show Trump how the game is played. If you want to play with the big kids, you need to learn how to master the game instead of trying to buy out the referees of the game – yes, the referees are the American People.

            If Trump were not in the GOP primary, then Senator Paul would be first, followed by Ohio Governor John Kasich (who is the only true Republican that even comes to a Reagan Republican), then Governor Scott Walker. It is still too early, for most people, to determine the nomination ticket for the GOP, but there is only one clear ticket that I know could attempt to blindside the Democrats next year. Can you figure it out? Stay tuned…

Me & Kentucky Senator, and GOP Presidential candidate, Rand Paul

"Pints for Liberty" Rally

Columbia, SC

2015 is here! Yay!

   Well, I can't believe it has been two months shy of a year since I've written a blog piece. I guess that is what happens when life catches up with you. Anyway, since April [of last year] I have worked in a hotel and I also was a part of the best political campaign team in the United States for a midterm election cycle. While the midterms are not the best of times for Democrats, this election cycle seemed to drive that point home. If Democrats would show up at the voting booth each year and not just on Presidential years, we would still have control of the Senate and we would have at least picked up at least seven seats in the House of Representatives.  The other thing is that Democrats need to actually not back down from a fight. If it is one thing Republicans have been able to use as their "go-to" mode of winning elections, it is the rhetoric of fear and rally-around the flag. There will be many that will claim that the Citizens United Ruling also heavily weighed on the midterm elections. Of course money always helps an election, but it certainly doesn't buy them. The main argument I will use is this: If money does indeed buy elections, then Mitt Romney should be President right now as he outspent President Obama nearly three-to-one.
   Speaking of former GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, I called it weeks ago  that he was not going to run for office next year. Romney has the same problem that Senator Marco Rubio and former Texas Governor Rick Perry has: Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Let's just look at the facts really quick: President George H.W. Bush is from Massachusetts (knocking out Mitt Romney), the rest of the Texas Clan lives in Texas so all of their donors will support Jeb…and also, Jeb Bush was the former governor of Florida so that knocks out Marco Rubio. In fact, it also knocks out Senator Ted Cruz, provided anyone takes him seriously - not that he could run legally as he was born in Canada and I am certain many would want to see his birth certificate since karma has a funny way of making itself known at times such as that. The only possible way I can see Rubio getting serious is so he can position himself to be the Vice Presidential nominee so the GOP 2016 ticket will be Bush/Rubio (to cater to the hispanic voters in a lame attempt to assume that all latinos think alike, all latinos are Cuban, and that all latinos will magically forget the horrible proposals presented by the Republican Party with regards to immigration.

Either way, the race for 2016 started as soon as Election Day 2014 ended. ANNNNNND, they're off!

Money & Politics

     With the Supreme Court ruling on a 5-4 consensus which allows any donor from donating any amount of money to a campaign, it seems that democracy has we know it is indeed dead.  Democracy should be representative of all people, not a select few. While I disagree with the ruling, I also know that it is not the end of democracy because while money is very influential in politics, it does not buy elections or a person’s right to vote.  Should we all hold those that run for office accountable? The obvious question is yes. How do we ensure they remain accountable to us – their constituents? Yet it is another easy solution: We vote!

     If you remember this conversation regarding donors pouring unlimited amounts of money into campaigns and a court ruling in the Citizens United case stating the corporations can contribute as they are people (which could become a whole new discussion, but I won’t digress now), then you will understand why this court ruling is important but not a “nail in the coffin” for Democracy. If it were, then the words “President” and “Romney” would be an official title, not just words that happen to share the same sentence.

     The fact of the matter is that the Republicans outspent Democrats 2:1 in political ads, thanks again Citizens United case (the lead ruling that is wrong for 21^st century America), yet they didn’t win.  It doesn’t matter how much money a campaign has that counts (thought it does help), it is how the candidate resonates with voters and it is their TURNOUT to vote for that candidate that wins an election.  So while the Supreme Court of the United State issued a ruling to strike down campaign finance laws and paved the way for more money to flow into campaigns, it doesn’t affect the overall process of democracy in America. Besides, if you want to contribute more to a campaign but are financially constraint, then donate time and effort instead of money. A campaign needs all levels of volunteerism, not just on the financial front.

     I am torn with this decision. I understand both sides of the argument. I do feel that just because someone has more money they should get influence; but that is what people think will happen and I don’t see that as a valid argument. There are ways to strengthen the law elsewhere when one law is struck down. Not to mention, if a part of the “American Dream” is to make money and spend it on whatever you want to, then those that have “made it” have the right to throw their money at whichever campaign they choose to associate themselves with while they are alive.  The other thing to consider is that if constituents don’t like the idea that their potential elected officials are taking money from certain people and not others while running a campaign of “for the people” then they need to be held accountable. 

     While this ruling paints a “doom and gloom” version of what events MIGHT become, let us focus on what it means now, how we can combat it (if we disagree with the ruling), and work to strengthen our Democracy…which I believe is what the Supreme Court has done with striking down this law relating to campaign contributions. The main thing to remember is that money will always be in politics whether it is coming from a voter of  “middle class America” or “high class America” because all classes of America vote when it comes to elections.

Time for the Next Generation of Politics

Next year will be my ten-year reunion from high school. At twenty-seven years old, I’ve been apart of many campaigns, have attended two inaugurations, have attended a political convention, and have demonstrated in a major Supreme Court case that ended in the favor of which I was demonstrating for given the case. I have also run for, unsuccessfully, office twice.  I do like campaigns and I do like fighting for what I believe what is right; at some point I will be elected and when I do, I hope that I will able to make the decisions that represent all of my constituents. Until then, I will continue to work on campaigns and be hold an active role in shaping the political landscape, both on the state and national levels.

     It really don’t surprise me that Congressman John Dingle, democrat representing the constituents of the twelfth district of Michigan, is retiring from the United States House of Representatives. He was first elected to congress back in the 1950s…1955 to be exact.  To date, this retirement marks the ninth one for the democrats and the republicans are not immune to retirement, as eleven of their members will not see re-election. While some will be missed for their service, if not all of them, it paves the way for the up-and-coming generations to take their place.  Another important point is that it provides opportunities for Congress to truly be more representative of the country. With all of these retirements unfold, and I don’t believe they are over as I image at least five more members will not seek re-election, it will only boost the profiles of women, Hispanics, and other minorities (of both race and beliefs) will be elected to office.  In fact, we are already seeing “the establishment” starting to evolve into younger and more diverse candidates and their points of views regarding the best course for the United States.  In fact, states are even breaking traditions and we will see by the end of the night of the 2014 Election Day. Hopefully, there will be more candidates elected to office that are of a third party as the current political parties can’t seem to agree on anything except no raising of taxes and continuing resolutions.

     The midterms will hopefully break up the “lame duck” status that has frozen Washington into a stalemate. Since Congress is unwilling to work with the President (which is interesting because the past shows that Congress manages to work with the President regardless of administration) and trying to say just enough to get re-elected, it only make sense for this President to use his Presidential authority to get things done that benefit the people he represents. The republicans can’t afford to jeopardize their already minimal relationship with the general public; furthermore, they cannot go into upcoming presidential election cycle with high partisanship and old century ideas. The democrats could also learn that partisanship is just as bad for them as their friends across the aisle – the best course is to talk and explain one’s position instead of looking at someone and going, “well, they are a republican so they must be stupid and don’t (or won’t) understand my position on this issue.” Going back to the republicans for a minute, they have to understand that not every American is living in the earlier part of the previous century.  In the twenty-first century, people are tired of partisan bickering. They want real solutions to the problems facing the country they live in and are proud of since their childhood. Let the new generation of politics come crashing in by the end of the 2014 midterms!

“Then Shut It Down” – Unintended Consequences

This shutdown also has unintended consequences for every American. Due to a budget not passed by Congress, the government has had to close down some important parts of its government. I’ve already discussed the national parks; now, I’d like to touch a more personal area of the government shutdown: Education.

            I know many teachers, professors, and people who love education (whether it is teaching or just learning). I am still considering the teaching profession within the next five or ten years. Teachers are always getting the short end of the stick. Since the shutdown has taken place, the Department of Education (and the Departments of Public Instructions & Auxiliary)  has had to cease funding of grants and other funds. Why you may ask…because the two departments within the Department of Education are subsidies.  All subsidies within the Federal Government have ceased (which is why many are concerned that the Women, Infants, and Children – or W.I.C. program will hurt many Americans because it isn’t being funded at the moment).  This shutdown is severally hurting those educators that are trying to better the education of their students through grant funding. Not only are teachers in North Carolina getting….shafted...but now they are getting it from their own government!

            One of the “solutions” proposed by Congress is to back legislation called a “continuing resolution” (to clarify, I think I covered in the last post but if not then I’ll explain again), which essentially continues funding the government until a certain time period. The problem with this is that is postpones the political debate over funding by the same time period. In layman’s term, it “kicks the can down the road” which doesn’t benefit anyone. Now, if the House of Representatives could pass a continuing resolution with no riders attached (again, a “rider” is an amendment – so to speak – put into the legislation) because once a rider is attached, it will immediately create controversy resulting back to square one. If the House passes it, then the Senate should pass it as well so the President can sign it and the shutdown will be over.   This may sound very easy and should be easy to do, but when you have 435 voting members of one body (The House of Representatives) and fifty members of another body (The Senate) all trying to agree on one issue AND THEN having to have the President sign off on it as well, it becomes extremely challenging to accomplish.  This is why Political Science is in the “Arts & Sciences” category. It is an art and there is definitely science involved to alleviate the problems of government. Well, so go the theory.

“Then Shut It Down” – The Rippling Effect

This shutdown isn’t just about which budget to pass…it is so much more. It affects every American in some way or another. Let’s start with the obvious things: let’s start with the national parks service, for example.

Due to a Government shutdown, all national parks and monuments will be closed because the staff that maintains these places are federal workers.  They will not work as it would be in violation of a law (and I can’t remember the law but I’ll double check). Now since there are national parks, and monuments, are in every state, it will affect every citizen in the states. It’s really sad because for all the members of Congress, it seems like they don’t want to stand by their constituents.  Here me out on this: National parks and monuments generate a lot of revenue for surrounding areas and businesses with souvenirs, restaurants, and even hiking trails provide camping opportunities and money-raising goals for upkeep of such trails.  When these places close, none of these places get tourists, which hurts local economies.  As much as each party says, “we can manage without them”, in the end, the local communities that depend on tourism revenue can’t survive without business.  It is simple, and a very practical basic rule to remember: all politics is local.

Yes, the shutdown is about not passing a budget by the Legislative Branch. A budget, as many know, has the main topic of money and funding allocations. There are certain things that will still continue during the government shutdown time. The first thing to note is that if an American is on social security, Medicare, and disability, then they will continue to be sent out (like those people will still get their checks).   Even the Affordable Care Act Law will still be funding because its funding is not tied to appropriations budgeting (its funding comes from another source).  Now one of the things about the shutdown does is that is ceases all forms of new applications and stalls all current stuff. So as stated, people will still receive their social security checks, but if people apply to get a check, then they will be postponed since there is nobody to process the requests.  The same thing goes for hunting licenses, driver’s licenses, passports, etc.

            Staying on the topic of money, it is important to realize that funding cuts don’t just stop with national parks and monuments.  How long do you think it will take for Congressional leaders to cut funding, or just not fund, other areas of government without thinking about the bigger picture (while still remembering the smaller pieces that make up the bigger picture).  What’s next to not fund…education? Transportation? Science? It’s already starting to happen with education in other states. In a really sad way, maybe this is “the trickle-down effect” that the Republican Party loves to remind us about; or, maybe it’s the Democratic Party’s version of “spreading the wealth” even though the wealth is drying up because the United States government has shutdown. Okay, time for a quick break so sit tight and the next blog piece will up soon enough. In the meantime, if you have questions, feel free to e-mail me – timoteohines@gmail.com