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!

The Road To Equality For All & Ending Poverty via “The Rubio Way”

Before I start - I know I stated in my last piece I would discuss more on the Duck Dynasty controversy; however, I just can't drag it out any more than what it has already been within the media and honestly it is just something I'm over with.

     Equality.  It is a word that has a different meaning for everyone. There are many areas of equality: women’s equality, LGBT’s equality, educational equality, income equality, voting equality, and many others. Sometimes it is just simply equal representation for all citizens.  It is interesting the ways how far equality has come in the history of the United States. 2013 was a great year, and 2014 will be too; but there are a few speed bumps to overcome in order for 2014 to be just as great. One such state is Utah.

      The state of Utah passed a law stating marriage to be recognized as between a man and women. A federal court struck down the law as unconstitutional and said the state cannot discriminate against those same-sex couples wishing to get married.  As a result, Utah became the newest member of the “Marriage Equality” club.  The victory was short-lived as the United States Supreme Court has halted the federal court’s ruling.  As a result, the governor of Utah – Gary Herbert – has stated that the state will not recognize the same-sex marriages that have been performed since the federal court ruling (which is roughly over 1,300 within the state). From my understanding, the ACLU chapter in Utah has already filed to challenge this action, and the halting itself (not sure about that but I will get back to you all on that matter).  From what I’ve gathered, the ACLU position isn’t as solid as many would like it to be and if that is indeed true, the Supreme Court would rule against them.  The thing that made Utah such a victory was that it was a conservative state and also passed a law only recognizing marriage as between one man and one woman.  There have been other laws or amendments in other states that are strikingly similar – such as Amendment One in North Carolina. If marriage equality could come to Utah, it could come to other states that deny LGBT citizen’s basic rights.  The Supreme Court’s interference, while constitutional, is still disheartening given so much they have already achieved with it comes to LGBT rights in the United States (DOMA & Prop 8 court cases). Marriage is about love and if two people love each other, then they should have the right to get married. A loving home is a good thing for society…and it’s future generations.

       Speaking about the society’s future generations, it has been fifty years since the “War on Poverty” started and while we have made strides to reduce poverty in the United States, we could always do more.  According to some Republicans, like Florida Senator Marco Rubio – who many see as a potential 2016 Republican candidate – seems to think the best way to alleviate the issue of poverty is to support marriage as it takes two paychecks to support a family, two loving parents to raise children, etc.   While the rhetoric seems like a good touch for the potential candidate (which I really don’t think he will be the nominee due to his bang-up job on immigration reform and the republicans still have a Hispanic issue to contend with), it seems odd that the senator would be against marriage equality.  If he really wanted to end poverty by supporting marriage, he would draft legislation to support marriage equality.  After all, two paychecks are better than one, there have been studies that show children growing up in same-sex parent households are no different (in fact better in some studies) than those who grow up in different circumstances. I’d rather have a child grow up in a house with parents in a committed same-sex marriage than a one-parent household or an abusive household setting.  It seems that the Senator, as well as other Republicans, are playing the usual “election year politics” card…but Senator Rubio has a little more to lose since he is continuing to groom himself to be the GOP nominee by switching from one important topic (Immigration Reform) to another one (Ending Poverty).   It probably is not the wisest thing to mention that the way to end poverty is to throw more money at the states and cut the funding to many anti-poverty programs that help many constituents in his state (and in the forty-nine other states for that matter).  Even conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation have already begun criticizing his remarks on poverty and his way to end them.  If Senator Rubio wants to be the GOP nominee in 2016, he still has a lot to learn when juggling important issues and stick to the battles he can win – deficit reduction, needs of the voters in his state of Florida, assistance with immigration reform, etc.  I just hope if he breaks a sweat while playing politics he will have a bottle of water within arm’s reach.        

The Final Push to Re-elect Barack Obama as President

Well, after a long election cycle, the end is almost here.  I know I’ve spent hours calling, hours canvassing, hours writing letters to editors, and hours convincing voters why they should vote to keep President Obama in office.  If you are still undecided, here are some of the reasons I voted for President Obama (and yes, voting is past tense because I live in North Carolina which is an early voting state):

1.     He saved the auto industry and also prevented another Great Depression;

2.     He has had 32 consecutive months of job growth (5.4 million of those new jobs were in the private sector);

3.     He eliminated dozens of Al Qaeda leaders including Osama Bin Laden;

4.     He Signed the Affordable Care Act with vastly improves the healthcare of all Americans, including those with pre-existing conditions, senior citizens, and women;

5.     He strongly supports women’s rights and has appointed two women to the United States Supreme Court…one of them being the first Hispanic on the court;

6.     He has lowered taxes for a majority of Americans and believes in the top percent to pair their fair share;

7.     He has ended the War in Iraq as well as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”;

8.     He has signed into law the Lily Ledbetter Act, which allows equal pay for women;

9.     He has ensured that student loan rates not double for millions of students across the country…he even increased Pell Grant spending;

10.  He is in support of Same-sex marriage as well as the Dream Act;

11.  He was opposed to the Arizona Law regarding immigration (and the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with him);

12.  He appointed a commission to protect consumers from wasteful fees;

13.  He supports the state of Israel;

14.  He has enhanced financial regulatory measures; and,

15.  He has unemployment under eight percent (8%).

I truly believe we are on the correct course and we need to make sure Barack Obama remains President of the United States. I think President Obama will win re-election by taking the following states – which will lead to him winning 309 out of 538 electoral votes:

Washington; Hawaii; Oregon; California; Nevada; New Mexico; Colorado; Kansas; Missouri; Iowa; Minnesota; Michigan; Wisconsin; Louisiana; Illinois; Maine; New Hampshire; Vermont; Massachusetts; New Jersey; Delaware; Maryland; NORTH CAROLINA; Connecticut; Rhode Island, and Ohio.

I think that the United States Senate will stay in the control of the Democrats.  In fact, I believe they will pick up three seats: one from Wisconsin, one from Maine, and one from Massachusetts.

I think the United States House of Representatives will return to the Democratic Majority as well, and Nancy Pelosi will get her gavel back.  I think wins in WA-1 (Suzan DelBene), NH-1 & -NH-2 (Carol Shea Porter & Ann Kuster), CA-35 (Dr. Raul Ruiz), NC-11 (Hayden Rogers), NC-10 (Patsy Keever), and many more will be great for the Democratic Party as well.

I am actually really proud of the state of New Hampshire because I believe they will make history and have an all-female delegation (Yes, I am endorsing Maggie Hassan if you didn’t already know)! I also think that Minnesota will vote No on Amendment 2 and Washington state will Approve of Referendum 74. I also think that Maryland will vote for question 6 and Maine will vote in favor of Same-sex marriage.

In less than twenty-four hours, we will (hopefully) know what the next four years will look like.  Will it be a road continuing to progress, or a road leading backwards?  I do hope it’s FORWARD and get FOUR MORE YEARS of PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!! Yes We Can, Sí se Puede!!

The Journey to the Wild West (Part 2 of 2)

     Once I arrived in Arizona, it was an experience.  The fact that I had cell service was amazing!  I went line dancing, went to Tombstone (and watched Tombstone...ironically), went to Tuscon to see the Desert Museum, saw 'The Iron Lady" (again) with my grandparents, helped my grandmother make a pizza (half pepperoni and half broccoli), *cough* gained five pounds *cough*, went on a horrid ride to the salt River Canyon, and many other things.  I bought souvenirs and even got some political campaign buttons (and a book by Hillary Clinton) for less than ten dollars!
     While at the Desert Museum, I saw a rare lizard which is only one of two poisonous lizards in North America (I don't remember the name but I think it was a heela-monster and yes the spelling is wrong). I did not see the Grand Canyon though.  I also went to Mexico which was cool. I walked into Mexico and I walked back into the United States.  It was much easier to return to the United States from Mexico than it was to return to the United States from Canada.
     Overall, Arizona was a nice place to visit and the people were pleasant; however, I couldn't get past the backwardness of the political climate.  I really can't stand that idiot in the state governorship. I really don't understand her anti-immigration campaign. Her idea of "building a fence" is simply stupid!  There is a fence already in place at the border and I am certain it is made of either tin or aluminum.  During my time at the border - on both sides - there were at least 15-30 border patrol agents doing nothing except holding the ground in place.  This was also the case in New Mexico and Texas.  We don't need a fence - which will cost billions of dollars both in labor and training more agents to guard the fence, we need those on the taxpayer's payroll to quit standing around and actually do their jobs.  While I'm on this topic, by only asking, "Are you an American citizen" and with a sufficient "yes", the people are let through without question is really insulting.  Why not provide valid proof such as a U.S. Passport, a driver's license, or some other form of excepted identification (at the border I might add).  Also, it would help to bear in mind the 4th amendment to the Constitution and not just go on the racial profiling.  I am in favor of that.  Here is what I am not in favor of and really makes me mad both as a Hispanic and as an American: Being an American citizen with a tan complexion being told to open his truck, have his luggage searched through, having his car license plates run through a database, and flat out asking if he is a citizen of the United States and where he is going and what he is doing! Nevermind the fact that he has his passport, his driver's license from North Carolina (which, last I checked was in the United States), and cooperated in the best way he knew how even though it took every ounce of himself to not get in a shouting match and make a (valid) scene of racial profiling. One would think the passport alone would have validated the citizenship but oh no, NOT in the state of TEXAS!!! Yes, I am referring to my time in Texas east of El Paso (this part is in the first part of my blog entry). I've said it time and time again - let Hispanic Americans be in charge of - and lead - all Hispanic issues.  Furthermore, being Hispanic does NOT mean you are automatically a Mexican! I always thought the people were more open-minded and tolerant but clearly I was mistaken when it comes to the southwestern part of the United States.
   Overall, I had a good time out in Arizona and I plan on returning next year to "the Grand Canyon State" to visit my family.  Hopefully, I'll be able to see the Grand Canyon and visit a few more National Parks - mainly for the stamp to put in my National Park Passport...and yes, President Bartlett would be proud of me!