When I was a kid, I used to do a lot of thinking about alternate universes, time machines, changing the past…that sort of thing. I’d speculate on things, along the lines of “I wonder what would have happened if “X” had been different, with “X” being some event, phrase, action et cetera. I’ve revisited that speculative line of thought today, because of something I saw online, posted as a reply to a post I made on Facebook. It caused me to wonder what those on the Left would be saying about the election right now, if Trump had not won the nomination. And I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing would be different. Not. One. Damn. Thing. Allow me to explain.. [Read more…] about What If? (Presidential Edition)
election
Where do we go from here?
Well, it’s all over, but the shouting. To those on the Left, I offer congratulations. You got almost everything you wanted (save a 60-vote majority in the Senate). To those on the Right, I have a few more choice words – later. I, for one, am looking forward to the next couple of months as a sort of vacation from the political arena. There won’t be much going on for us Conservatives. I have no desire to participate in or listen to what I anticipate will be the media’s deification prior to the coronation of The Chosen One. So I think I’ll simply talk about every thing else BUT politics. That’s fair, as I fully intend to give the Obama Administration a chance to do what they think is best for the country. (The moment, however, that they break their word on anything, I will howling in protest, along with the rest of my Conservative brethren.) So in the spirit of moving forward, allow me to nail down a few loose ends: [Read more…] about Where do we go from here?
Election Day.
After what seems like a decade of debates, centuries of commercials, and eons of excess, the day has come to vote, and put this madness to rest – for at least a few months.
Thank God.
No matter how the election turns out, I look forward to watching television broadcasts bereft of ads slinging mud, making unsubstantiated claims, and generally boring me to death. (Whoever came up with the idea for DVRs gets to jump the line into Heaven, in my book.) I can’t think of a more important election within my lifetime – or one that I’m more eager to see done and over.
I voted over a week ago. I’m not alone…a staggering 46% of Texas Panhandle residents voted early. (By comparison, that’s close to the total number of ALL the people that voted in the last Presidential election – early voting, absentee voting, and regular voting combined.)
The time for bending people’s ears about who’s the better candidate – and who will lead us down the road to destruction – is, mercifully, over. If you haven’t already voted, I encourage you to do so – no matter who you support. Voting is a precious right in America, and we should never take it for granted. Whoever is elected (fair and square, I hope and pray) faces some huge challenges – perhaps bigger challenges than any President in history will confront. I pray that God watches over this election and guides us all to vote for those who will put country before party, and what is right before ideology, working not as politicians, but as statesmen (and stateswomen) and servants of We the People.
Now go vote and let’s get this thing over with, so the nation can begin to heal from this long, divisive campaign.
The Morning After Debate.
The insatiable appetite of the 24/7 news cycles has begat an unfortunate dividend – an explosion in the demand for pundits. They are all over Fox News, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS – you name it. Now the media keeps blurring the lines between job descriptions, but for the sake of this argument, allow me to clairfy the titles and job descriptions of what you’re supposed to be seeing on TV: [Read more…] about The Morning After Debate.
My own, special, little Howard Beale moment.
Remember the movie Network? In it, Howard Beale famously ranted, “I’m mad as Hell, and I’m not gonna take this any more!”
Indeed.
If you’ve not seen the Paddy Chayefsky classic, rent it. It’s a great flick. Peter Finch gave the performance of a lifetime (one of his last performances, too, as he was the first – and so far only – actor to receive an Oscar posthumously for the role). What really struck me is the on-air speech he made after finding out he was being put out to pasture. Thanks to the fine folks at iMDb.com, here’s a transcript: [Read more…] about My own, special, little Howard Beale moment.
Reading between the lines.
I just watched Hillary’s big speech at the DNC convention.
Yawn.
The best part of it was the anecdote about Harriet Tubman and the “Keep Going” phrase. Otherwise, it was straight Democrat talking points. The speech was interesting, however, but not for what Hill said – but for what she didn’t say. Hillary didn’t say “Obama will make a great president.” She didn’t give her endorsement of his ethics, his personality, or his perceived ability to get the job done. Essentially, she said what she had to say, in order to look gracious. She said everything she had to, in order to have plausible deniablity to those who would insist that she is scuttling Obama’s candidacy. In short, she went just far enough to “do the right thing,” but not one step farther. Not that I blame her. Her appearance was as much like a triumphant general returning home after a long campaign, as it was like a second-place finisher taking her consolation lap. Now it’s up to Joe Biden. If he doesn’t kill as a speaker, people are going to be wondering, “why wasn’t Hillary chosen as Veep.” Now of course, we know why – she’s got more baggage than a debutante on a sea cruise, and that’s not even counting the built-in scandal machine that is her husband, the former Bubba-in-Chief. [Read more…] about Reading between the lines.
The lesser of two weasels.
About this election thing. Color me depressed/worried/fatalistic/tired/ready to go hide somewhere. In case you don’t already know this about me, I’m a proud Conservative. Note, I did not say “Republican” nor did I imply that I’m a “compassionate” conservative or any such nonsense as that. I’m bummed because no matter WHO wins in November, we’re in for a rough ride, from my point of view. [Read more…] about The lesser of two weasels.