Friday 28 June 2019

One Odd Feature of the Two Debates

Maybe it's just me....but after you look at the twenty folks up there...did you kinda notice that that there are only three candidates from the south....and all three are from Texas?

Beto, Williamson, and Castro.  Oh, and there is a virtual unknown mayor from Miramar. 

Southern voters?  Well, here's the thing, there's not a lot to attract you over to Joe Biden, Bernie, or Warren. 

So would you look at Beto as a possibility?  Maybe. 

Hurting the southern vote situation?  I think the VP is absolutely destined to be the loser candidate from Georgia....to help balance black and female voters. 

Its Broke and We Want To Fix It

After viewing roughly 75 minutes of the first debate, and maybe 60 minutes of the second debate, there is this one trend that continues on with the candidates....the system is broke and we want to fix it.  I see five essential problems with this theme:

1.  Most of what they are picking....has been broke not just for the Trump era (since 2016)....but broke for years and even decades.  Yes, they are talking about things that were broke in the Obama era, the Bush era, the Clinton era, the Reagan era, and even back into the Carter/Ford era.  Throughout these periods, the House and Senate shifted back and forth.  Each had a chance to fix problems, and some even came to resolve the issue with a 'fix'.....then came later to realize that the 'fix' actually made the problem into something bigger and worse.

2.  The use of the term 'real' change?  This was used a couple of times in the debates.  Are we talking real change versus fake change?  Is real change even a measurable accomplishment?

3. Why didn't a lot of broke things get fixed in the 2008-to-2016 era under President Obama? 

4.  If you add up the fixing 'cost'.....it gets up into the tens of trillions of dollars.  Where exactly will that money be found?  If you are saying new taxes, and it'll be taken from the companies.....will their product costs shift upwards, and be simply delivered to the customers?

5.  If you go down among Americans and ask them about non-government 'things' which are broke.....they will list out hundreds of things.  The NCAA bowl game process is broke.  The way that cable TV bundling is done, and you are forced to have CNN in the basic package....is probably broke.  Parking fees are broke.  The security process at airports is broke.  The list goes on and on.  An average American will tell you about a hundred things which bother them.....which are broke, and there's just not much going to happen to resolve that. 

Sorry, but we've kinda earned the title of a broke nation.....and apparently are fairly happy with broke things. 

That Two Minutes of Beto-Spanish

During the first debate....for a few minutes, Beto switched over from English to Spanish....to demonstrate that he could talk their language.  I questioned the nature of this.

You can imagine some guys sitting at home, and suddenly thinking....what the heck....did 'Junior' flip the channel over to some Latino network, or did the cable company hit the wrong switch.

But this brings me around to the big question....do we need an 'Amigo-President' or 'Gringo-President'?  And if we need one....shouldn't he be actually Spanish or Latino, and NOT some fake Irish-American guy who does a Latino act?

If Beto wins?  Some big push would occur where every school in America would start a Spanish class, and guys would be sitting around the water-cooler at work.....talking about their 'Novia' (girlfriend), or their puta (slut). 

Would President Beto show up for appearances with a cowboy hat, and boots? 

Would Blacks be able to adapt to a Latino-nation? 

For entertainment reasons, I kinda like the idea of bringing the Amigo-President to DC. 

My View of the 2nd Democratic Debate

I'll offer these nine observations:

1.  The more entertaining moment was after Mayor Pete did his explanation over the police-shooting in South Bend....defending his actions....then Swalwell jumped right in to suggest he'd up and fire the police chief right away.  Mayor Pete had a pretty nasty look on his face....as if to say 'Buddy, don't get me deeper into trouble'.

2.  Winner of the night?  Andrew Yang.  Limited exposure, but he gave five-star answers and impressed me.

3.  Weirdest commentary of the evening....some two-minute chat by Mayor Pete on the Republicans and religious groups.

4.  Harris and the 'caged kids'?  They were caged in the Obama era....what'd she do about that?

5.  This talk at some point about moving from regular healthcare to Medicare-for-all?  I don't think it really sold well, and some folks who are happy....won't be happy with this new gimmick.

6.  Winners of the evening?  Yang, Biden, and Hickenlooper.  Bernie and Harris were OK, but didn't seem to have any 'pep'. 

7.  It just seemed to be a series of sound-bytes, and I felt drained out with the format, and ten candidates....by the 50 minute point.

8.  You can probably whittle the group of 21 candidates down to around seven folks at this point.

9.  The only one on the stage that really looked like a statesman.....was Joe Biden.  It was painfully obvious.

So here in the end, the question for me....can I stand another double round of debates at the end of July?  I have my doubts.