Not Good Enough is Not Good Enough - 10/16/2022

Lemme tell you something. A lot of us don't like the candidates who show up on our ballots. I had quite a few friends in both 2016 and 2020 who said they disliked both candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016, and Joe Biden and Donald Trump in 2020. For them, and I think this represents a sizable portion of the U.S. electorate, their votes wound up more against one of them than it was a vote for the candidate they chose. This can have disastrous results.

Joe Biden wasn't elected. Donald Trump was just so hated he was displaced. Every damned day Joe shows us he's not good enough to do the job. Simply put, "Not Trump" is not good enough for our country.

Allegations of cheating and wrongdoing aside, the presidential race in 2020 is instructive in this regard. Democrats and establishment Republicans alike hate Donald Trump for 1,000,000 reasons I feel no need to recount here. Whether you or I agree with them or not is immaterial. Getting President Trump out of the White House was for many voters an imperative. Enter President Joe Biden. Joe was an also-ran and wanna be for decades. He had never made it to the White House, though. Why? Lots of reasons. But in 2020, an election year in which Democrats had a very thin bench, Biden ran as former President Barack Obama's former VP and presumed protege. Nothing, or at least next to nothing about Joe Biden warranted making him President on his own merit. But he had the connection to Obama and he certainly wasn't Donald Trump.

Evicting Trump from the White House and moving Biden in meant overlooking Biden's career of mediocrity, his history of dishonesty and plagiarism, his corruption: "10% for the Big Guy", and his declining mental and physical health. But that's what they did. We are left with an incompetent nincompoop, a guy who needs crib notes to talk, a guide to help him walk off a stage lest he wander into the corner looking lost and perplexed, and a guy who sometimes reaches out with handshakes intended for empty space. He defers to his handlers on policy after policy. He's weak on economy, energy, foreign affairs, immigration, on and on and on. He's terrible. But he's not Donald Trump. Damned shame he ain't, actually. Sure, Trump's a dick, but he had us in better standing every which way than this guy does.

Which brings me to Florida and the 2022 gubernatorial race between former Governor Charlie Crist and incumbent Ron DeSantis. If you ask me, DeSantis has done a great job in Florida. But liberals hate him. He has rejected woke policy after woke policy. The propaganda from the left tries to paint DeSantis as an evil fascist and all that other baseless nonsense that surrogates for substantive policy alternative from the left. Luckily, DeSantis is a bit more in control of his tongue than Trump, and they haven't been able to gather similar fodder to demonize him as they had on Trump. I like DeSantis. I won't be voting against Crist, I'll be voting FOR DeSantis.

Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist ain't Ron DeSantis, either. He'd be another bad mistake. He's not good enough, and that ain't good enough.

Ron DeSantis is going to be re-elected as Florida Governor. I surely believe it and hope so. Electing Charlie instead would be Florida's version of Joe Biden: a has-been with no business trying to do the job. Florida voters in 2022 have more sense than national voters did in 2020. We like prosperity. We love our state. We don't believe woke ideas should become policy.

Joe Biden is a failure. Charlie Crist will fail us, too, if given the chance. Floridians, vote for Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis for Florida Governor in 2022, and for POTUS in 2028.

On Tulsi Gabbard - 10/12/2022

Tulsi Gabbard has left the Democratic Party. #walkaway

Yesterday morning I heard Tulsi Gabbard talk about leaving the Democratic Party, and why she's doing so. Last night discussion of Gabbard by conservatives on social media was instructive in explaining why Republicans and conservatives can't seem to stop tripping over themselves and each other. So let me make a couple of things clear, for those of you in the back row too shy to raise your hand and speak up.

I agreed with just about everything Tulsi said in her statement yesterday. The Democratic Party has gone bonkers under the control of the woke, liberal, progressive wing of the party. I applaud Gabbard for publicly denouncing it.

Agreeing with Tulsi Gabbard on her decision and explanation to leave the Democratic Party is NOT an endorsement of every single Tulsi position on every single issue. And if because you disagree with her on gun rights, abortion, and economic issues, all valid points of disagreement for many conservatives, that you can't applaud this decision and announcement, YOU are part of a bigger problem. You've got conservative myopia. On the 8 x 10 piece of paper that the political landscape in 2022 is charted out, you're focused on a single square inch in the upper right hand corner and refusing to look at, think about, or even be told about anything in the other 79 square inches on which it's described. Agreeing with Tulsi and applauding this decision and announcement is NOT the same thing as endorsing her as the GOP candidate for the House, Senate, Governorship, for VP, or President.

Completely shutting down and or ignoring every person with whom conservatives disagree on any and every issue or issues, keeping a small tent of purity, one of rote agreement on an entire conservative platform, is a recipe for failure. A bigger tent, a bigger coalition, a broader spectrum of citizens is a far better way to win majorities and undermine the woke, progressive, socialist, anti-American, neocons, and globalists who far better than we work the system to their own ends.

I don't know that I'd ever vote for Tulsi Gabbard. But I like her. I didn't say I agree with her on all issues. I said I like her. Believe it of not it's okay to like people with whom you disagree. I did look into her position on abortion and it's not really that far off from mine. See, I'm not an absolutist on that issue. I'm not an absolutist on most issues. I oppose the leftist absolutists' positions on most, though. Tulsi does, too. Not to the extent I do, but we're talking a matter of weeks, not a simple purist's yes or no. I like Tulsi Gabbard. I am happy she did what she did publicly yesterday. She's kinda easy on the eyes, too.

Worst President in My Lifetime - 10/11/2022

He's awful. Really he is. President Joe Biden is the worst President in my lifetime. And that's saying something. Why is the guy so bad at his job? A few thoughts.

He's simply too old.

There's that saying, "It's like riding a bike," that presumes you can still do what you always could always do before. Well, ahem, could Joe do it before? And even if he could, does anyone honestly believe this is the same guy he was in the 1980's, 1990's, or 2000's? You do? No, you really don't. You're not even a good liar. Joe ain't what he used to be, plain and simple, and he never was much of what we needed here in the US in the first place. Seeing him at a loss for words, lost on stage, shaking hands with air, and reading teleprompter stuff not meant to be verbalized does NOT inspire confidence in me or any other honest person. Watching him bungle policy on issue after issue after issue is not so reassuring.

"At least he's not Trump" isn't good enough.

Sometimes the lesser of evils gets you less. In the case of Joe Biden, it gets you a lot less. Less? Yeah. Less than Trump. Less than what we expected. Less than what some expected is more accurate. I didn't vote for him and I had low expectations, which Biden has failed to meet. Less than what we need. Look at the economy. Energy policy. Our immigration disaster. The world on the brink of nuclear war. Mean tweets? Yes, please. Oh, God yes. Please. In a heartbeat.

He's not his own man.

Perhaps Joe's biggest weakness is that he doesn't administer his office from his own political center. Nope. He's too much a political chameleon for that. The woke, leftist, progressive coalition that controls his party controls Joe. I don't care of you're right, left, or center, if you're president, you have to administer things based on your own moral compass and your own sensibilities. Leave the coalitioning and caucusing to Congress. Joe ain't his own man. And it shows. He's a puppet. Who's the puppeteer?

He's corrupted: "10% for the Big Guy."

How much has Hunter Biden selling his father's influence sold us out? How much has it affected Joe Biden policy and diplomacy? How bad is it? I'm guessing it's bad, y'know? Is he corrupt? Compromised? Oblivious? Which of those is a good thing for a President of the United States?

He's a creep.

He's a creepy, nasty man. All the shit they talked about his predecessor, this guy showered with his daughter, sniffs women's hair, married the babysitter... "She was 12. I was 30." He's a fucking creep.

He's the worst President of my lifetime. He's got our country headed in wrong directions, every which way but right. Two more long years of ineptitude. Two more years of watching prices rise, interest rate hikes, savings decline, lost world prestige and influence, and disastrous energy, immigration, and other policies. He's a disaster. Two more years. Holy crap. I hope we can pull out of it, but I fear the wrong people are in charge. We need a change.

As Hurricane Ian Approches, A Surreal Morning - 9/28/2022

 

This is a tv screen shot of Ian. I'm pointing to our home's location.

It's a 972 mile drive from where I am right now in St. Matthews, KY to our home in Charlotte County, FL. Hurricane Ian is a strong Category 4 hurricane and is poised to hit our home directly this afternoon. Ian is big and bad and strong. It feels surreal.

I should be there.

I'm so glad I'm not there.

Our friends, our dear friends that stayed behind, please be okay.

So worried, anxious, helpless, fearful.

They keep saying Charlotte Harbor on the Weather Channel.

Jim Cantore is in Punta Gorda.

Worried about our family nearby, they're not too far away.

I hope Cape Coral isn't hit like it appears we in Charlotte County will.

My mother and sister in the safe place for tornado warning in Jupiter.

Is Ft Myers going to be okay?

Will our house be okay? What will happen?

Watching TV makes it too real, hard to keep watching.

I can't stop watching.

Trying to comfort my wife in the midst of my own stress and anxiety.

Hearing from so many lovely friends and family expressing concern.

Offers to help.

Help with what?

Not knowing what we will have to deal with.

I'm really glad we're here and have our cat, Eddie, with us.

Feeling that I should be there.

Also feeling glad we're not there.

Fearing the worst.

Praying for the best.

God watch and protect them all.

Election Day: Stuff That Matters. Stuff That Don't - 9/26/2022

We're 6 weeks and a day from Election Day for the mid-term election. Democrats are doing everything they can to make this election hinge on something, or some things, anything really, other than President Biden's abysmal performance. Generally speaking, as you all know well and good I'm sure, the mid-terms, especially during a President's first term are a referendum on the Presidency. The President is not on the ballot, per se, but giving a President control of Congress, or taking it away on the other hand, is a show of support or lack thereof. Joe Biden is an awful President. Jimmy Carter probably sends a box of donuts every Monday morning to Mr. Biden with a thank you card. "You're the worst! It's very kind of you to take me from atop the list while I'm still alive to see it!"

 

Having the mid-term be a referendum on an awful President will be a disaster for the Democratic Party. They know it. You know it. I know it. We all know it. So they're going to be talking about other stuff. What matters to me? What don't?

These things matter:

The economy matters. My 401k has had the worst year ever. I worked hard to save. Joe Biden and Democrats don't give two shits about us hard working (now retired) people like me who saved for this day.

Inflation matters. It's bad. But hey, fuel prices are down temporarily as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is being foolishly depleted, a $0.19 per gallon tax is temporarily waived, and demand is down because people are broke. Do you think prices will go up or down after the mid-term when the pressure of the election for the party in power is off? I know what I think. We need ramped up production, and Democrats are NOT where we're gonna get it.

Immigration matters. It's our national disgrace. I've written about it many times before. Rather than belabor it again this morning, let me say simply this: I am not calling for mass deportations. I know many are, I am not. I am calling to close the border to illegal entry. If it takes a wall and 87,000 border personnel of all types to manage it, we need to stop this ridiculous, uncontrolled, and unmanageable flow of people. We DO need immigrants. I don't hate them. Stopping illegal immigration is NOT bigoted. Don't listen to people saying that.

Fentanyl and other drug deaths matter. That's our most real and presently dangerous pandemic. It's destroying lives. How much of it is coming across the Mexico border? How much is in your city, state, town, or municipality?

Crime matters. Crime is on the ballot. Progressives are pushing, unfortunately successfully in many places, to reduce prison populations but NOT by reducing crime. No, they think the answer is returning violent, repeat offenders to the streets. A single day doesn't go by where I don't read about some violent awful person committing a violent crime shortly after being released on low or no bail by some George Soros backed progressive prosecutor, using the term prosecutor very loosely. Crime is a problem in every progressive city and municipality I can think of. It is on the ballot.

Green policies and mandates matter. I am all for our planet. My first love is our National Parks, the US landscape, and our wildlife. I DO believe our environment is important. We DO need to do better. What we don't need are mandates that cause more harm than they do good. I am not sold that battery power is a viable alternative to the pollution of gas powered vehicles on our highways. Will we ever feel confident that we can harness nuclear generated electricity again? I don't know, but I do feel that most of the green mandates I read about coming in blue states or from this Democrat dominated bunch in Washington are prematurely implemented and hurt our economy in the short term and simply hurt our environment just as badly or worse in the long term, just differently, than the carbon emissions they're replacing. How about don't mandate stuff before it's ready for prime time and the infrastructure, cost, and impact have been well studied and addressed.

Bizarre far left social agendas matter. I don't hate gay people, trans people, etc. But being accepted and loved and treated fairly is no longer enough. Now we who are not gay or trans are considered bigots by this radical fringe just for being ourselves. This bullshit with pronouns, come on! Chemical castration and surgical mutilation of kids? If you ask me it's child abuse. You show me a 7, 9, or 11 year old trans kid and I'll show you parents who have brainwashed their kid with some weird gender bullshit, probably thinking they're being so wonderful for not imposing some evil societal pressures on the kid to conform to their biological/genetic gender. And there are public officials and public service workers, including teachers, who feel it's their duty to society to support these misguided kids, damn their parents for trying to impose antiquated and stereotypical gender norms on the poor little victims. All their enlightenment has a dark, dark side to it. Let kids be kids. Support gay and trans adults. There is a difference. Accept gay and trans people and treat them fairly. Stop talking to children who aren't your own about these issues.

Our highly political DOJ, FBI, and other three-letter agencies matter. President Biden's administration has absolutely weaponized every agency to maintain their political power and the crush opposition. Electing a House and Senate to hold them in check is the only answer. It's the only way. The scary thing is that the Administration, Deep State, and leftists across the land think that what these agencies are doing is righteous and good. It's scary. We have a system of checks and balances. Right now they're out of balance and unchecked.

Racism don't matter in that it's NOT on the ballot. I mean, it matters, it's wrong and an evil, sure. But way too much is made to be about race when it's not about race at all. A booming economy booms for us all. Lower crime makes life better for us all. Productive, hard working immigrants of all colors make us a richer society. Racial quotas, gerrymandering, and manipulation of school admissions rather than on academics is racism. Shaping prison populations based on race rather than on criminal activity does as much harm or more than the little good it does. Stop manipulating outcomes and start understanding and addressing root causes. The most important things, nothing higher I don't care what you say, to academic achievement and to raising a law abiding society and lower prison populations is strengthening families and religious faith. That does not exclude persons from non-tradition families, nor does it exclude atheists or agnostics. I'll bet you anything that Black persons with a strong family and religious faith of one kind or another on average are doing better economically and socially than those without those are on average. Some of you probably think it's racist of me to affirm those two facts. Well some of you are stupid, brainwashed puppets.

Fascism don't matter, because it's NOT on the ballot. The President crossed a dangerous line when he called me and like minded people fascists. It's as if he is setting the stage for violence or something. We are a Constitutional Republic. I want fair and well run elections. I want no more or less representation in Washington and locally than what is spelled out in the US Constitution. I want my constitutionally protected rights. Freedom of speech and assembly. Freedom of religion. Right to bear arms. I want the right to health, happiness, and my own prosperity. That's not fascism. It's freedom. It is the exact opposite of a threat to our republic, to our freedom, to democracy. How in the hell people were convinced that "America first" is a threat to America is beyond me. But here we are.

And finally, Donald Trump don't matter, he is NOT on the ballot. Don't fall for it. This is a referendum on our failing President, Joe Biden, and on progressivism. It is NOT about Trump. Don't let them forget it, and don't you dare let them make you forget it, either. You can either empower Biden for the next two years, or you can neutralize him. Your choice.

Vote.

We Need To Remember His Name - 9/24/2022

Hey friends, did you hear about the MAGA teenager in North Dakota who was killed by a middle-aged Democrat just a couple of days after the President Biden and his spokesperson made the case to the American people that "MAGA Republicans" are dangerous? Do people know the dead boy's name?*

I don't know how much coverage the story got on mainstream (I mean leftist) news since I don't watch much news anymore. I am very comfortable saying, in fact confident in saying as a matter of fact, that had the two's political affiliations been the reverse, had a MAGA guy killed a Democrat, you'd have heard about nearly nothing else but that story on those same leftist "news" outlets. It would have been wall to wall and non-stop.

This death is a tragedy, and this killer is clearly a nut job of some sort or another. That doesn't exonerate Biden and his spokesperson's direct role in painting MAGA Republicans as a danger and a threat. A Harvard/Harris poll I posted the other day shows that a majority of Democrats do believe that we MAGA Republicans are a threat.

It doesn't help that Democrats on the Jan 6th Committee lie and exaggerate repeatedly about rioter/protester/trespassers killing Capital Police officers and other such dishonest nonsense. This perpetual vilification and demagoguery toward anyone and everyone who protests, objects to, or questions their agenda is dangerous. It needs to stop.

Cayler Ellingson, RIP

 

*His name is Cayler Ellingson. We should remember it. He did nothing wrong to have our President turn the nut jobs loose and kill him: Cayler Ellingson.

Bizarro World is Here! - 9/20/2022

Are you familiar with Bexar County Texas' Sheriff Javier Salazar? In the Bizarro World that shapes today's U.S. political discourse, Bexar County Sherriff Salazar is investigating the Governor of Florida for sending 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard.

Bexar County Texas Sheriff Salazar, a Democrat

When I heard that Salazar is investigating Governor DeSantis, my first thought was, how in the hell is Florida or its Governor in his jurisdiction? But then I heard he was a Democrat and I realized the investigation is nothing more than political douchebaggery. Yes, Salazar is a douchebag. Only in a bizarre world is a Texas Sheriff investigating a Florida Governor and a flight from Florida to Massachusetts. Bizarro World.

But something else about this seemed familiar or fishy to me and I couldn't place it. I never hear of Salazar before, did I? I don't think so. I haven't been to Bexar County, Texas, before, have I? I don't remember. I don't think so. Maybe, I guess. But something rang a bell, and I didn't know what it was about it. Hmmm? Then I read more about the story.

By Wednesday morning (June 29th), the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office (BCMEO) said it had received a total of 53 bodies

Oh, that Bexar County. Let me refresh your memory. Here's a link: CNN Jun 29, 2022. For those of you who may be a bit reluctant to click a link to a CNN story (I don't blame you), here's the bottom line. 53 migrants were found dead in an unrefrigerated trailer in Bexar County just a little less than 3 months ago. That would be found dead in Sheriff Salazar's jurisdiction. I am not blaming the sheriff. I don't blame him at all, actually. Our embarrassing and sometimes tragic immigration disaster is President Biden's fault. Those dead migrants are and will always be part of Joe Biden's legacy. Regardless of his lack of blame, Sheriff Salazar opening of a probe of the Governor of Florida is absolutely and utterly bizarre.

How the Bexar County Sheriff has legal standing to investigate the Governor of Florida escapes me. I don't know. How Bexar Sheriff Javier Salazar has the moral authority and the audacity to point fingers at anyone when migrants are dying right under his nose astounds me. Javier Salazar is a douchebag if ever there was one. He is practicing the brand of hypocritical, divisive, political douchebaggery that only a partisan hack can practice. He is NOT a serious person. He is not to be taken seriously. I will not take him seriously. I doubt Governor DeSantis will, either.

Bizarro World, my friends. We have entered Bizarro World. Sheriff Salazar welcomes you!