kanesrealm

I'm recouping from surgery and trying to convince myself that I have in fact been under anesthesia for the past year, alas that's not the case. Donald Trump stomped his opponents last week and is indeed poised to be the Republican nominee. A candidate who has openly stated he would use nuclear weapons, a statement which would have destroyed any Presidential hopeful throughout the nuclear age. Yet millions of Republican primary voters are drawn to him like a moth to the flame oblivious to the burn yet to come. He delivered a forty-five minute foreign policy speech that was supposed to be impressive and demonstrate his new serious campaign. It was scripted and yes, read from a teleprompter. The same device Trump has continually criticized and said politicians shouldn't use. The speech was absolute gibberish, revealing no understanding of foreign affairs or laying out specific policy initiatives. It was torn directly from the isolation 101 handbook with America first thrown i...

First let's acknowledge the elephant in the room, that includes Republicans, my posts have been infrequent of late due to an illness which surgeons will soon cut out of me. Rest assured I remain engaged and stimulated by the bizarre election unfolding before our eyes but the concentration needed to write is stretched a bit thin. Today's missive focuses on the substantial ignorance being displayed by  many citizens and egged on by the equally ignorant Donald Trump. He says the Republican Party is trying to steal the nomination from him. He says repeatedly that this is not democracy. Trump is a candidate for President, he should have taken a brief tutorial on how the system works before throwing his hat in the ring. As for the average voter, it's no mystery why they are experiencing confusion. History and civics courses do not teach the reality of political parties. They are private entities and can write their rules any way they want and always have. Political parties are ...

It's hard for Bill Clinton to be a surrogate for his wife. He is one of the most gifted politicians of the past one hundred years, when he is speaking for himself. Though Barack Obama has benefited from Clinton's skills at explaining things in terms everyone can understand. Bill Clinton's speech at the 2012 Democratic Convention did more good for Obama than anything the candidate himself said. This past week Bill Clinton was involved in a kerfluffle, don't you just love that word? Sounds like something the cat threw up. At a Hillary event that Bill was speaking at a Black Lives Matter activist decided to begin a shouting dialogue with the former President over the 1990's Crime Bill and Hillary Clinton's then use of the word super-predator when describing certain gang members. Let's stop there and acknowledge that earlier this year at a NAACP event President Bill Clinton said the Crime Bill went too far and needs to be fixed. Hillary Clinton had already apo...

What does Ted Cruz want to do to America? I'm watching one of his stump speeches right now. One normally would consume copious amounts of alcohol before doing this in order to reduce the revulsion factor. He wants to get rid of "Obamacare" and replace it with portable affordable policies that keeps the government from being in between you and your healthcare provider. Okay Ted, first of all you've been against the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) since before it was enacted. You've even been willing to shut down the government if necessary. You have not provided a single detail on what your replacement plan is and how it will cover every citizen. The biggest impediment standing between patients and their doctors is the insurance industry. It is they, not the government, who decide whether you will or will not receive treatment and what that treatment will be even if it is contrary to your doctor's recommendations. What are you going to do about that Ted? The g...

Paul Ryan loves to play the reluctant virgin. Under no circumstances would he accept the job of Speaker of the House. He doesn't want it no matter what. After all who would want the most powerful position in Congress. Later he gave in and was deflowered. As the Republican Presidential race began to devolve into a free for all that seems headed to an open convention, Paul Ryan once again donned his chastity belt. Open speculation of maybe  Ryan could ultimately be tapped as the nominee if those that actually ran can't win the first ballots. But no, Ryan protested, not me, I'm not looking for that. I'm the chairman of the Convention and just want to do my part. Paul Ryan has released a video that he says is just informational in his role as Speaker. It looks and sounds like a direct message to the Republican Party at large that Paul Ryan, though reluctant, would, could and can rise to the occasion of these difficult times and deliver the party from hell. Paul Ryan is a...

Remember that pillow fight I told you the Democratic Presidential candidates were having? Well, it seems they're loading up thoses cases with rolls of quarters. Last night Bernie Sanders launched an attack on Hillary Clinton questioning whether she is qualified to be President. This was in response to what he alleged was her questioning of his qualifications. We've been down this road before, basically every election among every candidate in every party. The Constitution informs us with no ambiguity who is qualified and both Sanders and Clinton meet those guidelines. You can question whether someone is tempermentally suited to the office or intelligent enough to deal with all the nuances but it's up to the voters to make the judgement. Facts matter, for some of us. Hillary Clinton never said Bernie Sanders was not qualified to be President. Joe Scarborough asked her that question yesterday morning. Being a gifted politician, Clinton used Sanders own words against him. I...

I have been saying this for years. A good cup of coffee and a nice danish will always make you happy. A United Nations survey has concluded that Denmark is the happiest country on earth. It has consistently been in the top ten for many years. There is specific criteria that goes into the survey but I 'll spare you the wonky details. To put it in a nutshell it's about the Danes finding the right balance between labor and leisure and actually having confidence that their government is working for them and not the other way around. Their social democratic approach to governing means that citizens do not have to worry about not being able to seek medical treatment or working full time but facing an empty dinner plate. They have strong labor unions that are not under assault from government. They actually have a $20.00 an hour minimum wage. So when you hear American politicians say (and they have this year, including Democrats) who wants to be Denmark, you need to pause and reflec...

Let's be clear, in the event my recent post was a little confusing, Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat. He never has been and will only be one, sort of, if he wins the nomination and then the Presidency. He has been a self identified Independent socialist since the beginning of his long political career. He chose to run as Democrat in this election because it was the most viable route without being a spoiler. The media is reporting daily about heated exchanges escalating between the Sanders and Clinton campaigns. Accusations of negative insinuations and factual distortions. Compared to the Republicans, the Democrats are having a pillow fight. The fact is Bernie Sanders is a hard as nails seasoned politician. He is not the blessed virgin that some of his supporters may wish to ascribe to him. He will hit his opponent hard and pick at any scab he thinks will be beneficial to his campaign. He does in fact exaggerate the influence of special interest groups on Hillary Clinton. He twist...