Category Archives: Elections

UPDATE: The Trump Card

The megalomaniacal Donald Trump used to scare me. “The business mogul seemed to be motivated by the sense that the nimbus of great power that surrounds the US was dissipating. It hadn’t occurred to him to search closer to home for the causes of America’s economic anemia. Instead, he blamed OPEC and China for the burdens of doing business in the US. (From “Sinophobia Trumps Common Sense”). It shows you what exposure to Marco Rubio of the Schumer-Rubio rollover amnesty, Jeb Sombrero Bush, Rand “I want to normalize undocumented citizens” Paul will do.

Today I heard Trump say he had opposed the invasion of Iraq. I don’t remember that at all, and I can’t find evidence for it. But if he did, it would make him unique among the Republican candidates.

Because he marches to his own drumbeat, having built an empire and being independently wealthy—Trump isn’t afraid to be blunt and frank. He concedes that politicians are “controlled fully— they’re controlled fully by the lobbyists, by the donors, and by the special interests, fully.”

“As for his fellow GOP presidential candidates, Trump said, ‘I don’t have a lot of respect for many of them. They’re all talk. They’re no action. And they’re totally controlled by their donors and by the lobbyists … If we have another politician, this country’s going down.'”

Trump assured Bill O’Reilly he’d “… have a great relationship with Vladimir Putin,’ adding that the Russian president has no respect for Obama. ‘You can’t have everybody hating you. The whole world hates us.”

O’Reilly noted that during his announcement, Trump promised to build a wall along the southern border and make Mexico pay for it. “The Factor” host stated that there’s no way that they will pay for it.

“You have to let me handle that,” Trump said. “They will pay for the wall, and the wall will go up. And Mexico will start behaving. Mexico is not our friend.”

As for his fellow GOP presidential candidates, Trump said, “I don’t have a lot of respect for many of them.”

“They’re all talk. They’re no action. And they’re totally controlled by their donors and by the lobbyists … If we have another politician, this country’s going down.”

And in marked contrast to the arrogant Others littering the presidential field, Trump has hinted at reading the alarming facts in Ann Coulter’s new book : “This Country Is a Hell Hole, I Want to Make It Great Again,” he said.

New York (CNN):

… He pointed out that his wealth and successful business career not only qualified him to be president — “I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created.” — but that it would allow him to rid himself of the special interests that he said control American politics.

That’s because the billionaire said he would self-fund his presidential campaign, not only ridding himself of some outside influences, but also freeing up more time to campaign as candidates can often spend about half their time raising funds to keep their campaign coffers from depleting.

“I’m really rich,” Trump said, adding that his confident attitude is what the country needs after having “losers” run the country.

UPDATE (6/17): Trump is annoying the right people. That says a lot. His next test: Will he do an apology tour.

UPDATED: Jeb Bush: The ‘Fresh’ Face Of Dynasty

Bush, Elections

That “fresh” face Jeb Bush gave his version of the oceans-will-recede-and-planets-will-heal if you elect me president address. A new people who did not know the Bushes who acceded to the throne in 2000 and before that in 1988 went wild.

When last did a Republican reverse regulation—or any law, for that matter—restore states’ rights and a republican sensibility and cut more than the projected rates of spending increases? When?

Here is Jeb OnTheIssues.org.

Bush’s speech.

UPDATE: CNN’s Gloria Borger positively beams around the Bush family in this feature about the family’s take on Jeb running for president.

CNN likes Jeb Bush. Left-liberal media did not like Mitt Romney, because they knew a lot more about him than did the stupid GOPers.

A #British Libertarian’s #Voting Strategy

Britain, Elections, libertarianism

As a private individual, and not in his capacity as director of the UK Libertarian Alliance, Sean Gabb, to whose Libertarian Alliance Blog I contribute, summed up his voting strategy thus: He voted for the people he hates to keep out the people he fears.

The big differences are the survival of England and of political accountability. If the Conservatives remain in government after today, they will allow another reasonably free election in 2020. If Labour forms a government, it will fix the voting system to keep itself in power till street protests are needed to remove it. This fixing will be dressed up as “electoral reform.” Moreover, if Labour must rely on Scottish support, the price will involve some Balkanising of England. In or out of the United Kingdom, Scotland cannot be an important entity in the British Isles so long as there is an England. Therefore, any reasonable Scottish nationalist will need to press for the dissolution of England into a group of devolved and squabbling territories. Only the Conservatives stand in the way of this.

My vote is unlikely to determine who wins the election in my constituency. But it may add to a Conservative victory in England in terms of votes if not of seats. This will give Mr Cameron the right to insist that he is the real winner today, and that he should be allowed to stay in government.

Judged by libertarian standards, the Conservatives in government have been half useless and half malevolent. I despise them and I hate them. But I fear Labour. For this reason, I see it as my duty to vote for the lesser of evils. Voting is more of a public duty than a private right, and I see it as my duty to vote for the people I hate to keep out the people I fear.

In closing, I will repeat that this should in no sense be regarded as a recommendation from the Libertarian Alliance. I am speaking not ex cathedra as Director of the Libertarian Alliance, but as a private individual. I also accept that I may be wrong. …

… Read “The Evil Party or the Stupid Party? A Topic for Debate, not a Recommendation.”

Ted Cruz And The Loretta Lynch Confirmation

Conservatism, Drug War, Elections, Law, Republicans, Uncategorized

Claiming that the cloture vote was “the only one that mattered,” the staff of Ted Cruz excused the senator’s conspicuous absence from the Senate’s final vote, today, to confirm Loretta Lynch for attorney general. Cruz was probably “en route to Texas” for a fundraiser.

Who am I to argue with Ted Cruz on Constitutional matters? He’s a superb scholar on that front. It is, however, fair to point out that Cruz’ failure to register a vote on this final and ghastly nomination was unseemly.

Eric Holder’s only redeeming feature as attorney general was that he put a crimp in the War on Drugs and in “mass incarceration.”

Lynch was actually a drug prosecutor. The other thing Lynch had no shame in doing was shaking down banks: she extracted a “US$7 billion settlement” from Citigroup.

“The Senate later voted 56-43 to confirm Lynch. Cruz was the only member of the chamber not to vote.” (Politico)