Mr. Wow Blog
Publicity “Trumps” Patriotism
11:15 pm | May 16, 2011

Author: Mr. Wow | Category: Point of View | Comments: 52

Trump: not running

When the Donald backed out of the presidential race, Mr. wOw found himself strangely … disappointed

My heart was heavy when I learned earlier today that Donald Trump had decided not to run for president.

Oh, no. Not that I supported the bloated toad. But it was difficult, even for the super cynical Mr. wOw, to accept that it was, as almost everyone had said — a publicity stunt. The lowest level, ugliest publicity stunt ever.

Perhaps, in forcing President’s Obama’s hand in the matter of “The Birth Certificate,” it was a stunt not without some merit. I wish Obama hadn’t blinked. Others say fine, at least it’s done and over. (Yeah, let’s wait till the campaign really starts have it dragged out again!)

No, I was kind of hoping Trump was at least a man — despite his pathetically thin-skinned appearance the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, where he was ripped a new one by Obama and Seth Meyers. A real man who backed up his talk with some action. A man who — though his “policies ” make me throw up — has the courage of his convictions, and the willingness to spend his vaunted billions to help America.

Now, Newt Gingrich scares the crap out of me, but he is a man. He’s jumped in, with all his wives and affairs and flip-flopping and outrageous sentiments and hypocrisy — but he’s done it. Newt is running for president. And he can be impressive at times. He’s not an idiot. Do not laugh him off.

I hope Newt doesn’t win. But if I was offered the opportunity to shake the hand of Newt or Donald, Mr. Gingrich and I would be sharing a manly hand-clasping. Though he’d be giving the evil eye to as fey a fellow as Mr. wOw!

I’d claim an injury or give myself an injury on the spot to get out of showing that old Greek or Roman or Elizabethan Age gesture of respect to Trump. (Historical accounts vary on when or where the handshake originated. Some say as far back as the comb-over.)

Then again, Donald is a germaphobe and doesn’t like human contact anyway. Perhaps that’s the reason he backed out. If humans got too close to him they’d figure it out: Pancake makeup, tortured hair and a perpetual pout. Has anybody ever seen Charo and Donald in the same room?

Comments:
  • KarenR

    Hey, Charo’s a great guitarist – she’s more in the Dolly Parton mold and doesn’t deserve getting slagged by being lumped with the champion of the US version of Business’s Ultimate Man-Ho.

    12:02 am | May 17, 2011
    • Baby Snooks

      I think Mr Wow was referring to Charo’s “cuchi-cuchi” with everyone – a hug, a kiss, a bump, a grind, and you are instant friends. Donald Trump would have a heart attack in between the bump and the grind.  And she is not just a great guitarist but a renowned flamenco guitarist.  And her paella was worth flying to Kauai for!

      I think the real problem with Donald Trump, beside the fact that he’s Donald Trump, is that he didn’t realize people would take pot shots at him and that people would have the right to snoop into his financial affairs. Which of course was the problem with Caroline Kennedy. Of course Caroline Kennedy was able to retreat back into the world of the Kennedy mystique. Donald Trump will be retreating back into the world of the Trump megalomania. At least he didn’t say god told him not to run the way Mike Huckabee did.

      1:17 am | May 17, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Karen…

      Charo is a fine musician. No slur intended.  I was just trying to think of somebody similarly over-the-top in appearance.  And Shelley Winters is no longer among us. 

      10:51 am | May 17, 2011
  • rick gould

    Donald Trump is the cliche of the sleaziest used car salesman who ever lived…

    And I apologize to all used car salesmen out there in advance!

    12:06 am | May 17, 2011
  • crystalclear

    Alrighty then!  Two OUT and how many more to go?   With Huckabee and The Donald out the road  on  the right  has become less crowded.   With Pawlenty, Romney and Mitch Daniels sitting in the wings should we also expect to see a few late bloomers like Chris Christie or the young economic guru Paul Ryan get behind the wheel?      These things are hard to know.

    Donald Trump was just too rough around the edges.   Obviously he felt like the job of being President of the United States was beneath him.   That’s okay.   Buh-bye Trump!  

    Mr. Wow, I don’t think we’ll see Newt Gingrich gathering any steam.   He is a bright man but he isn’t able to connect with his audience.   He comes off as a “know it all” and speaks before he thinks.   Newt, I believe, is out.  Ron Paul is wasting his time….again.      I like the idea of young Mr. Paul Ryan in the race.  

    Has anyone noticed that Hillary Clinton has gone “missing” since the photo of her with her hand up to her mouth watching the death of Bin Laden was released?   My question is who took that photo and why was it released?   With troops in Afghanistan and in Iraq that photo sent the wrong message in my opinion.   

    I cannot imagine President Obama winning a second term in office.  Someone like Paul Ryan could bring back the JFK era of young blood, brilliant mind and actually unite our country again.   After all, he has a lovely wife and two young children and no skeletons in his closet.

    We need someone like Ryan to beat Barack Obama in 2012.     

    7:02 am | May 17, 2011
    • KarenR

      If Hillary Clinton is “missing” it’s due to generally lazy media giving excess coverage to local clowns like Trump (which will now be supplanted by what ex-gov Arnie does with his personal bits).

      She was in Greenland last week attending the annual Arctic Council meeting.

      ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/05/17/does-china-have-an-eye-on-the-arctic/

      7:19 am | May 17, 2011
      • Baby Snooks

        She was in Greenland protecting our right to allow the oil and gas industry to destroy the Arctic!

        10:31 am | May 17, 2011
    • LandofLove

      In case you haven’t noticed, Crystal, President Obama also has a brilliant mind, a lovely wife, two young children, and no skeletons in his closet. I think whether or not a President can unite the country has a lot to do with the willingness of all parties to work together to achieve a goal—something that hasn’t occurred so far.

      9:18 am | May 17, 2011
      • crystalclear

        LandofLove, yes, of course, President Obama has a lovely wife and two lovely children!   We are in agreement there.

        9:39 am | May 17, 2011
      • Pdr de

        Bless you! Couldn’t have said it better myself. I live in Wisconsin and many people here do NOT love Mr. Ryan for good reason. If his plans to “better” the country are followed many more Americans will feel the same way.

        6:36 am | May 18, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Crystal…

      I could not imagine  over half the country voting Obama in for a first term! I didn’t think we’d ever have a man of color in the White House.  I was wrong.  So, I can well imagine a second term.  It’ll be a harder fight, but I can imagine it. 

      If you follow me, you know I’m no swooning fan of President Obama, but I don’t see a good alternative on either side.  Including your pick, Mr. Ryan.  But we shall see what we shall see. 

      Your tongue was in your cheek, yes, when you declared his “Lovely wife and two young children and no skeletons in his closet?”    The “JFK era” was a fraud.  He bought his way in, he lied about his serious medical condition, he was an utterly faithless husband.  It was all terribly glam, however, especially after his death, when Jackie, that clever minx, decided to invent the “Camelot” myth. 

      Everybody has skeletons in their closet.  If Mr. Ryan runs, we’ll  find his, major or minor. 

      The point is, I don’t care about skeletons.  I care about leadership and results.  Smoke dope when you’re a kid…don’t beleive in God..screw around.   Just know what you are doing in the Oval office. 

      And honestly, I don’t truly trust anybody who has the hubris to decide he or she should be President of the United States.  

      10:47 am | May 17, 2011
      • crystalclear

        Mr. Wow, I was ecstatic when Obama was elected in 2008.   However, as time went on he showed me that he didn’t have the leadership qualities I thought he would bring to our country and lots of other disappointments but that’s in the past and I’m looking forward. 

        Correct on JFK!!  However, the country LOVED him and Jackie in spite of the negatives.   It is too soon to tell who can have that same affect on our country but I believe we need that type of charismatic leader (like Reagan) who can raise his arms and ask us to come together and fix our country! 

        As for Hillary, thanks to those of you who gave me her location!  I still believe the democratic party threw her under the bus in 2008!   Oh, and I don’t really care about skeletons but they can be a distraction. 

        How about a thread on Arnold Swarzenegger?   The rascal!! 

        11:16 am | May 17, 2011
        • Baby Snooks

          How about the Schwarzeneggers? They both deliberately put their private business out there for all to see and then both ask for everyone to respect their privacy. Which I intend to. And ignore them both as I always have.

          11:38 am | May 17, 2011
        • Mr. Wow

          Dear Crystal…the country loved the JFK/Jackie lie.  Had the public known the truth they would not have been enamoured.  (And Kennedy  wasn’t that adored…had he lived his re-election battle would have been daunting.)

          Careful when you use phrases like “charismatic leader who can raise his arms…”   Sounds exactly like the kind of charisma Republicans said they deplored and mocked in Obama.  Too messianic. 

          Arnold–please.  he’s been screwing around for years.  She knew.  And he knew she knew.  And she knew about this latest. 
          That’s marriage 101 for politicians.
           

          11:50 am | May 17, 2011
          • crystalclear

            Mr. Wow, Presidential Candidate Barack Obama had loose lips during his campaign and hasn’t delivered on many of his promises.   Indeed, he raised his arms and was charismatic and he won!

            I believe you know what I’m referring to for 2012.   Don’t you?   I’ve read a lot about the Kennedy family over the years.

            11:59 am | May 17, 2011
          • Pdr de

            How do you deliver promises while being thwarted at every turn? Try driving your car with both hands tied behind your back and perhaps you can empathize with what he’s been dealing with. I hoped fervently that politics would be put aside and everyone would work together to save our country from going down the tubes. That hasn’t happened! I’ve been appalled at the dirty politics that’s been played ever since President Obama was elected. The lies, the exaggerations, the filth, the crudeness, the name calling, the racism – it’s disgusting! His wife, who is a
            fine, very decent, intelligent woman, has been insulted about her appearance (was compared to an ape) and when she tries to help our unhealthy youth become healthier, recommending the right food and lots of exercise she’s accused of “trying to dictate” to our youth and “who does she think she is, anyway?” I’m disgusted with what I have come to think of as Rabid Republicans (as opposed to people who are simply Republicans) who foment hatred, spread vicious lies and act as though they haven’t got a brain cell working; who blatantly don’t care about the future of our country or it’s people.

            6:48 am | May 18, 2011
        • Briana Baran

          “Correct on JFK!! However, the country LOVED him and Jackie in spite of the negatives.”

          crystal-At the time of JFK’s presidency, the country didn’t know about the negatives…and those involving his infidelity wouldn’t have mattered a bit to most, because women were still basically considered chattel in the early 1960’s. Jackie was even criticized by many staunch believers in the Kennedy myth for fleeing….after trying to protect JFK…while covered in her husband’s brains…the bullets that splattered her fine, pink suit. I lived in Chicago, a Big Democratic City, and for years heard nothing but withering disdain for her actions, and pity for her loathsome husband.

          I am disappointed in President Obama, not because of ridiculous, unsatisfied expectations and “broken promises”, or because I was lured by his charisma (in that respect, I am almost immune, especially to politicians) or visions of rainbows and unicorns…but because of his indecisiveness and lack of, for want of a better word, testicular fortitude (what DO we say of women, I want to know?) and strength of convictions. I expected someone who would take charge with a firm but reasonable hand, and actually begin making changes. He has done a lot of ground work on certain issues: the economy is slowly rising out of the dirt, unemployment is down, and the Healthcare Initiative was passed.

          The last is a perfect example of what disappoints me. The Initiative is a start, but it is wobbly, and it is weak I am not speaking of abortion issues (and I am firmly pro-choice) but the confusion of terms and the lack of direct solutions. I know that millions of people have been positively effected by the reforms (of course the unemployed should never receive aid according to far too many of their fellow citizens, because they are unilaterally lazy, drug-addled under-achievers, That is, until the high and mighty find themselves in the same shoes, and start screaming for immediate assistance), but that others have had no benefit at all despite desperate need. President Obama needed to take a much firmer stand against those who think that Universal Healthcare is some kind of Socialist statement (Richard Nixon was not a Socialist…his two failings were paranoia and getting caught. I do so wish that Uncle Bill, GWB, Ronald Reagan etc. might have suffered the latter fate as well. Richard Nixon formulated an excellent plan for Universal Healthcare. Tacky socialist/Nazi/communist/muslim/terrorist/fascist that he was…), and to push hard for a viable, direct, well-conceived plan that no one could reasonably or rationally dispute. He waffled, he wavered, and he choked. Now we have a mess.

          I am not one of the “I-didn’t-get-my-pony” people, however. Too many expected Barack Obama to perform magic, and make all of the country’s problems simply evaporate, and create a veritable wonderland of easy, high-paying jobs, superior, free health care (but only for those entitled to it), environmental protection in which even a single remaining specimen of a given plant or animal would live an unendangered, carefree existence, pull all of our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan in a month without repercussions of any kind AND end all terrorist threat to ALL Americans (these last two simultaneously), pay off the National Debt, legalize marijuana, make every individual in the country perfectly happy and fulfill his or her every dream, stop illegal immigration and provide jobs, citizenship, healthcare and education to all illegal immigrants…wait…are we smoking Sherms here? Because simple weed wouldn’t account for pipe dreaming like that, and the constant rancorous whining and pouting because people didn’t get everything they wanted is disgusting and loathsome. The President cannot be everything to everyone, nor should he. He cannot make everyone happy, come up with perfection, or solve, in THREE years, over two decades worth of administrative debacles…including taking loans from China (didn’t Bill use Chinese contributions to fund his campaign? Are we assuming Hillary didn’t know? Isn’t that illegal?), starting a useless, unnecessary military action (not. a. war.) in Iraq and pouring billions into it, while the true perpetrators of 9/11 hid in Afghanistan (yes, Baby, that’s where they were. Cut through all of the demagogic crap and it’s the only logical place for them to have hidden…because it would have taken napalm, and tactics that our military won’t (can’t) use to flush them out of that impossibly hostile place…letting the economy fall on its face, letting insurance companies run rampant over people (your newborn is too big, so you won’t be covered…here’s your hat, what’s your hurry? or…you’ve been raped, therefore we’re denying you medical coverage because you have a history of sexual promiscuity. Really. Really?)…shall I go on? Is there another candidate who could have done better? If so, I am awaiting a reasoned explanation, without anyone invoking the Hand Of God.

          O, but wait…the BP blowout, which was ll Barack Obama’s fault. With all of the other issues (failing economy, unemployment, Health Care initiative, Iraq and Afghanistan and the thousands of our troops fighting and being wounded and dying there, gay rights, womens’ rights, sabotage by certain extremists, more personal death threats than any other President in history), worrying about a very old set of rules established about offshore drilling might not have been foremost in his mind, nor deep water rig accidents. Except we don’t have many deep water rigs in the Gulf (yes, I do have insider information…and a hearty invitation to insert one’s skull into one’s anal orifice to anyone who who cares to get shirty about this) and the BP blow-out was NOT an accident. It was a truly shocking case of neglect, greed, and a refusal to keep up with maintenance, test properly, and perform repairs before certain procedures were allowed. Other petroleum companies were not surprised that something happened…BP was known to cut corners and to be negligent…but the scope was mind blowing. But it wasn’t Obama’s fault. No one was prepared for this kind of disaster. Or the moratorium that followed (which, had it continued, would have cost thousands more their jobs than the original blow-out did).

          I do love the comment about farmers, crystal. Which farmers need help, precisely? If you are talking about the small farmer, not the giant cooperatives, and about grain…you need to do more listening, and also some historical research. The small farm has been dying for over a century. It has not been a viable way to support a family for decades. I lived in farm country, and worked on farms, for years in Illinois (to my detractors, see previous invitation). In the late ’70’s and early ’80’s, most of the small farms had joined co-ops. These had become enormous, but they were an excellent solution to the economic nightmare that is small scale farming. Purchasing seed, machinery, paying help, hoping the weather is favorable (no one can control that, not even the President) became possible again with the creation of the co-ops.

          Also, there are government subsidies available for farming. Yes, they are difficult to achieve, because so many farms fail, whether they involve vegetable/grain crops or livestock, sometimes due to unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances, but even more often due to poor planning, a rigid adherence to methods that don’t work, inexperience, or other human factors. I belong to the private websites of several livestock farms humanely raising, without hormones, antibiotics, force-feeding or crowding, grass fed beef and lamb, and truly free-range chickens. All are up for government subsidies, and one just received theirs. Reading their blogs is telling, the government rules and regulations to get subsidies are formidable. These people haven’t received millions, but they’re smart, conscientious, incredibly hard-working and dedicated, and they don’t expect miracles. They have actually had their first year of profit, and will soon be able to ship meat and eggs over-night all over the country. They started with very little.

          We always give money to our allies…and sometimes even to former enemies (Germany after WWII comes to mind). Rather than ask why we are giving money to Pakistan, ask why we ever started subsidizing factories in China, when we have a neighbor to the South that desperately needs economic stability (the people of Mexico could work in the same factories as the Chinese people do, for very similar cost to us, with less import cost, closer to home). O, but wait, they’re lazy, they’re nasty drug runners and they come over here illegally. Of course, if they had actual jobs at home (here in the United States they work in dangerous, unregulated slaughterhouses, unlit rag factories, unsupervised construction sites for 12 hour shifts for under minimum wage…do you call that lazy? And the people buying all of those drugs, and providing the weapons that have killed over 9000 people in one year in Mexico, are Americans) they might stay there, the government might stabilize, and things might actually improve for both countries. Instead, we support the horror-show that is Chinese government, we take their toxic toys, contaminated infant formula, dangerous goods and give a nod to the oppression and helplessness that is life for the everyday Chinese citizen. All of that money goes to the few…not the many. But, worry about Pakistan. O, and China has nukes too.

          And one more little thing. Regarding the excision of Osama bin Laden from the human race and society…I find all of the negative commentary darkly, but highly amusing. Too bad it happened on Barack Obama’s watch, right? He must have planned it that way to boost his sagging numbers in the public opinion polls. Of course, there is still plenty of time for his numbers to drop again for any number of reasons…I do believe the more reactionary, ultra-conservative, Tea Bagger types are already making dire statements about how it wasn’t really bin Laden (aw, shucks, they didn’t get to see the corpse with half of its face and cranium blown away), or he wasn’t really a threat anymore (so…even though a lot of Tea Baggers are all for the Death Penalty for all sorts of crimes, including heresy and witchcraft, I believe, a man who planned and executed the deaths of thousands of people simultaneously in one foul act somehow deserved to live because, well, he wasn’t a threat anymore). And President Obama’s spoiled, entitled, butt-hurt former supporters are now claiming that it was all a plan to boost his ratings (clever chappie, isn’t he?), and that Osama bin Laden didn’t deserve to die (o, all is forgiven since we’re all peeved about not getting our Christmas Wish), and even that he was murdered. I feel like vomiting. And I’d truly like to know one, small, but possibly significant thing: If Osama bin Laden was just so accessible, and within easy reach (ie; not in the rough and inhospitable terrain of wilderness Afghanistan, but living the luxurious life in Pakistan, or London, or even Texas or New York), why, in G. W. Bush’s remaining EIGHT YEARS in office was this quite obvious and accessible, non-threatening, so easily forgiven, very well-known, extremely well-televised and exposed in every other form of available media man NOT apprehended? I suppose that GWB didn’t need a boost when HIS numbers dropped? If he did, with all of the military prowess supposedly at his disposal, plus his experience, why didn’t he make such a spectacular catch? Hmmm…but, well, it was all a numbers organization plot to help the evil, CIA-affiliated Obama. I’m a very serious cynic, which may be why I have such low expectations of politicians, campaign promises, etc., and such a high immunity to that charisma and rainbows thing…but I honestly do not care why Osama bin Laden is dead. To me, something very akin to a rabid, but still functioning dog, has been exterminated. I confess to thinking it done well because of a low cost in human lives other than bin Laden’s, because there were no moronic leaks, and well, because the miserable abomination is permanently excised. I am one of those non-affiliated, non-partisan freaks who does believe in the Death Penalty…in the form of a one-appeal only system followed by a swift execution…for certain malevolent human beings.

          In the end, all politicians fail to a certain extent, some far more egregiously than others. I do not see Obama’s first three years as President as an epic failure. He has been less forceful, less dedicated, and less motivated than I thought he would be…but he has made many changes for the better. He was handed a blivet…did anyone really expect that he would make a gourmet feast out of it? And would McCain/Palin have done better? Will any of the other hopefuls showing their ratty faces to the sun…in either of the main “Parties”?

          I’ll vote for Barack Obama in 2012. Not because of bin Laden, or because he’s charismatic, or because he’s been a star-spangled success…but with the hope that he’ll rediscover his convictions, the knowledge that he has made some headway, and the realization that there hasn’t been a single other potential candidate who can do any better than he has, and far too many who, as presidential prospects, are antithetical to what this country is, and needs.

          7:42 pm | May 17, 2011
      • Baby Snooks

        You forget, Mr Wow, that Obama got Osama! So he will win in a landslide.  Which is obviously what someone intended.   The story changes every day.  Now the Afghan security whatever claims he notified Pakistani officials about bin Laden being in Pakistan. But of course didn’t notify American officials. Despite his probably working for the CIA. So many snakes. So many snakecharmers. Hard to tell at times if the snakecharmer is charming the snake or the snake is charming the snakecharmer.

        11:28 am | May 17, 2011
        • crystalclear

          “Getting” Osama is only one feather in his cap.   He should’ve had 10 feathers by now.

          11:41 am | May 17, 2011
        • Mr. Wow

          Dear Baby…I didn’t forget.  I figured we all still remember that.  He won’t win in a landslide.  The “bump” wasn’t great.  The economy sucks.  But presidents have little control of the economy.  If it’s good, they take credit, if its bad, they’re blamed. 

          I think he’ll win.  But it will be a tight race.  Tight enough probably for Republicans to cry “foul” and demand a recount.  It’s gonna be ugly, kid. 

          As for Osama, I don’t care how or why he got “got.”  He’s gone and that chapter  is closed. 
          As you know, darling, I really hate all politicans and their snakecharming ways. But, this is what we’ve got. 
           

          12:04 pm | May 17, 2011
          • crystalclear

            I disagree, Mr. Wow, that Obama will win in a right race.  The republicans will reign in 2012.    They will be all over the state of the economy, foreign affairs, Obamacare and the fact that we still don’t have a budget.    Obama will come out with more promises and, of course, he’ll blame everyone but himself for his failures while pleading for a second term.

            Fool me once…shame on you.    Fool me twice….shame on me.

            12:32 pm | May 17, 2011
          • Mr. Wow

            “he’ll blame everyone but himself for his failures while pleading for a second term.”

            And this makes him different…how?  (I feel you are too smart not to realize most politicians are base egomaniacs with very little concern for you and me.  And if you cite Reagan…he was an actor who became a politician.  The worst of both worlds.)

            In any case, I watched, over the weekend, Southern farmers pleading for government intervention and help in matter of the great flooding there.  Really?  I doubt any of these people voted for “big government, Socialist” Obama.  Feh.  Let everybody fend for themselves.  No Medicare, no Social Security, no government stepping in, ever.   We have to buck up and be All-American pioneers. 

            think he’ll win in a tight race.  I can’t possibly know for sure.  We still have a year to go.  Let’s see what happens when the circus comes to town. 

            1:40 pm | May 17, 2011
          • crystalclear

            Dear Mr. Wow, unlike you as you expressed in your post, I do believe there are good politicians.   We need one of the good ones to step forward.

            The farmers need help.   Pakistan, for example, does not.   Our taxdollars are being spent foolishly and we have allowed that to happen.   When I think of all the earmarks spent in Obama’s massive bailout I cringe.  

            By the way, I believe I am certainly smart enough but I have to keep a positive attitude as an American.   That may make me look dumb to some but I greet each new day with a smile happy to be living in this wonderful country with all of her faults.

            No Obama in 2012.   It will be wrong for our country if he is re-elected.  He has shown us that he does not know how to lead and we cannot take six more years of spending in a fragile economy.

            3:05 pm | May 17, 2011
          • Mr. Wow

            Dear Crystal…the famers don’t have nuclear weapons.  Pakistan does.  Hence, our support. 

            3:49 pm | May 17, 2011
          • Mr. Wow

            Farmers don’t have nuclear weapons. 

            Famers do have nuclear weapons. 

            3:52 pm | May 17, 2011
          • crystalclear

            I’m well aware of the nuclear capability of Pakistan at this time.  I posted a poor example but my point is if we can send our taxes around the world we should be able to help our farmers out.   We need to start putting Americans above everyone else.

            4:47 pm | May 17, 2011
          • Briana Baran

            @crystalclear: The United States does not exist as a nation in a vacuum, and isolationism does not work. Should we ***ignore*** everyone but Americans? Regardless of tragedy, pandemic disease, violations of human rights, or natural disasters…while the rest of the world gives aid in every form to those in need…at home or in foreign lands? It isn’t just about appearances, it’s about humanity.

            Look to the military expenditures of billions in Iraq, and Afghanistan (neither of which Obama started), our enormous debt to China, and the out-sourcing of millions of dollars in jobs to China via manufacturing, and India via technical support and help lines for the reasons for our enormous deficit…not what is given to our allies, no matter how bizarre and complicated our relationships with them may be. Look to the ludicrous methods the government has used, and the billions uselessly expended, on the so-called “War on Drugs” which has been utterly ineffective in even slowing drug use in this country.

            Our allies have helped us in our times of need, which is something people all too frequently forget. We actually caught Osama bin Laden in Pakistan…regardless of the complete witch’s knot that is their government, national security system and religious network. It was done efficiently, without loss of American life. And yes, they have stock-piled nuclear weapons…and it is just conceivable that they could reach Israel, another ally we pour money into, with them. It is probable that they could hit India…but India has short range nuclear weapons as well, and keeping Pakistan under control with our aid has probably helped prevent a nuclear war with India. Both countries are incredibly disorganized, factional, and volatile. If such a war was engaged, millions of people whose poverty would make Americans cringe would be killed…but since they are not Americans, I do suppose that they are unimportant. Pakistan does not have nuclear weapons capable of reaching this continent, or even Europe, therefore I guess we should remove all support and potential for stability, and just let the war happen. Damn foreigners are just rag-heads and Muslims and Hindus anyway. That would be Muslim and Hindu farmers, herdsmen, rural folk…but not Americans.

            No, we can’t help everyone…but we are a powerful nation, and we have responsibilities here and far away. And our people also must stand on their own at times. We have in the past…and in many ways, it was no easier…and sometimes even harder than it is today.

            10:11 pm | May 17, 2011
          • Baby Snooks

            Warheads don’t need to be delivered by missile. And ABC News proved early on how easy it is to slip nuclear material into our ports undetected. Including warheads.

            As for the warheads and the missiles they do have, they have “tactical weapons” that are like “mini-bombs” and short-range missiles. So they could easily wipe out the US military in Afghanistan and Iraq within minutes and with limited loss of llife among civilians.

            We gave Saddam Hussein chemical weapons to kill Iranians with that he used to kill Kurds with instead. Who knows who we gave Pakistan nuclear weapons to kill with. The point is we did.

            8:51 am | May 18, 2011
          • Briana Baran

            The farmers pleading for help in the South are being affected by the disastrous consequences of the aftermath of Katrina. Almost all of the aid after the hurricane went to New Orleans. Here in Houston, people still living in government subsidized housing, even with full time, $20/hour jobs, were recently ready to protest because their “privileges” were being revoked. This year. 2011. No, it isn’t the farmers’ fault…but the situation with disaster aid is not a problem of President Obama’s making. Far too many people expect an enormous government handout when natural disasters occur (I just loved those who insisted that GWB was somehow responsible for not evacuating New Orleans…or actually causing the hurricane. The last was a WTF? moment for me). Sometimes it’s because they’re already living right on the edge of economic disaster (and if that is so…it began in former administrations), because they’re uninsured or under-insured, have the wrong insurance, or have been deceived (all problems practically encouraged during former administrations…and very typical for any kind of family business or the self-employed such as farmers), because they have no savings for any number of reasons, because they live in an area in which such problems occur and are no longer eligible (believe it or not, this happens. Try living in a floodway and see who will help when the water comes)…or simply because it’s what they’ve come to expect. Yes, it’s terrible when disaster and tragedy strike…I’ve lost everything in a small business due to circumstances beyond my control, and lost everything, and recovered next to nothing, in a flood.

            The hand-outs weren’t always there, crystal. At one time, not so very long ago, disaster relief was blankets, food and the Red Cross. Then Disaster Management became Big Business…until Katrina exposed all of the flaws in the system, including that the funding, supplies, people, everything…were completely inadequate for the task of Disaster Recovery following a major event. Talk to the people of Gulfport and Jackson…neither city is really on the map anymore because Katrina virtually wiped them off the face of the earth. Those people received next to no aid. Do they count for less than farmers? Talk to the people in Beaumont and Port Arthur and Cameron, many of whom have never received a dime after Rita and have forfeited and forgotten to even ask for any…they are rebuilding on their own (these are just plain folks, crystal, mostly rural) quietly, without a bit of help. President Obama is not responsible for the faulty system that pays for military actions costing billions in Iraq and Afghanistan (he can’t just pull the troops out of the latter, no matter how much he might want to do so), but can’t give anyone enough food and shelter when flooding, hurricanes or earthquakes strike (unless you’re a Famous City, that is).

            How many problems did you expect him to fix in three years? How many broken systems and derelict rules? I would say the same of any standing President. None of them would be Magicians with magic wands.

            8:07 pm | May 17, 2011
          • Baby Snooks

            It will be a landslide. The Republicans have not produced any real results either apart from the rhetoric and you know how fickle the voters are. And the only Republican who could possibly motivate he mainstream so to speak is Rick Perry and he’s too smart to enter a race he knows he will lose.

            No doubt by this time next year we will have “terror alerts” once more. Worked for  Bush  in 2004. Will work for Obama in 2012.  And “Obama knows how to get the bad guys” is something Bush didn’t have in 2004. But Obama does.

            Assuming of course that Pakistan doesn’t decide to just blow us up. Odd how no one was paying attention to their stockpiling nuclear weapons. Which raises the question of where they got the plutonium. Maybe someone will finally ask if they blow us up.

            7:05 pm | May 17, 2011
          • KarenR

            Obama won’t play the terror alert game. That’s not his style.

            11:01 pm | May 17, 2011
          • Baby Snooks

            He doesn’t issue the terror alerts. The Department of Homeland Security does. Which it will because is serves the agenda of our “shadow government” which likes Obama. His campaign will merely run with it. 

            8:41 am | May 18, 2011
  • Richard Bassett


    It’s business as usual now that the three ring circus has cleared out. I knew from the beginning that Trump’s 2012 presidential election issue was a farce. And speaking of Charo, she could run representing Mr. Trump and no one would be the wiser. The death of Osama Bin Laden couldn’t have come at a better moment, as it emphasized just ‘where’ Trump’s strong points were. The legitimacy of the birth certificate. He does have some experience at that, though…with looking at all of the Miss USA or Miss America photos determining them to be lesbian in nature or not. And he demanded fair and thoughtful consideration for the Miss USA (no one knows these ladies names) caught either taking, or having taken cocaine. On these issues, he remains closer to home; closer to his reference of experience. Then, there are his own marriages, affairs and children. Could he really give up such an adventurous (cough) lifestyle once in the White House? No, he is scrutinized enough now. The Bin Laden death came and Trump with his birth certificate issue sort of drifted away, as expected. Now all of that nonsense is over. The end result: more publicity. As for Newt Gingrich, we are so habitually used to his rants that he would offer nothing but chaos to the White House. We’ve been down this road before. And, yes, there is always Rep. Paul Ryan (ready in about twelve years). He is just trying to get a foot in the door in the senate. He’s already up against Gingrich regarding Medicare policy. Not a great subject to start the confidence of a presidential campaign on. But the past few months have worked for Trump…and now it’s back to Celebrity Apprentice, where he belongs…and we can live to see another day, another issue, and another perspective candidate.

    8:20 am | May 17, 2011
  • chipgiii

    Donald Trump makeup? Comb over?  Say it ain’t so!  Good riddance Trump.  This guy plays both sides when it suits him.  When Bush was President, Trump supported Dems ($$$), with Obama Presidents he supports Reps….but he always supports Donald.  He is the “Elvis” of narcissism.  Thank goodness he will now be visible less.  As my stomach turned………….

    9:07 am | May 17, 2011
  • crystalclear

    We desperately need a leader in America.   So far Obama has failed in that regard.   For the next 18 months he’ll be campaigning and campaigning.   No Obama in 2012.

    9:41 am | May 17, 2011
    • KarenR

      I believe we have a leader. It’s far, far more difficult to lead sanely and wisely than it is to be a reactionary idiot.

      9:26 pm | May 17, 2011
  • Paul Smith

    Well, now that the Donald will not be available for future screeds, you’ll have to make due with Chaz making her transgender national tour (while the Gay leadership remains mum) or the lovable Schwarzeneggers taking advantage of an immigrant worker in the most odious ways.

    11:11 am | May 17, 2011
  • Sandy B

    Donald did NOT make President Obama blink. President Obama did not HAVE the long form birth certificate. Hawaii refused to release it. When Hawaii did release it, so did Obama. Maybe Trump made Hawaii blink- because what a load of tosh that all was.

    4:23 pm | May 17, 2011
  • Bonnie O

    Re all the JKF remarks, please note that Charlie Rose interviewed author Frederick Kempe last evening about Kempe’s new book re the first year of the Kennedy Administration … a disastrous year in his opinion.  Very interesting.  I’ve always been a fan of JFK since my middle school years but as the years have passed, the disappointments keep coming.

    As for Donald Trump, I never thought he would enter the race.  Thank goodness he has not.

    And, finally, as for President Obama …. one term only.  Please!

    9:18 pm | May 17, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Bonnie…
      Don’t be disappointed in JFK.  He was an inpirational figure and pretty much on the right side of things.  (To my thinking.)   But he was merely mortal.    And yes, it was a terrible first term!
       

      3:46 pm | May 18, 2011
      • Bonnie O

        Mr. Wow –

        I don’t know if it is because the JFK election was the first I really paid attention to you or if it was because he was an “inspirational figure” as you say, but I will always have a fond feeling for JFK.  Peggy Noonan wrote of that time when she, as a child, went door to door in her hometown handing out JFK leaflets.  I did the same.

        On Inaugration Day I stayed home from school and in those days that was considered an unexcused absence and the student was giving an “F” for the day … which I was.  However, my Mom agreed that I could stay home if I was that interested.  Today, of course, a student would probably earn extra credit for pulling such a stunt.

        JFK was inspirational.  Our student class President could recite the Inaugral address “ask not ….” and several other speeches given by JFK.  Our senior year book was dedicated to the memory of the President.  I guess I am part of the youth of that time that took an interest and began to listen to the political speeches;  to the cadence and chosen words.  A lifetime interest in politics and debate is not a bad legacy to leave to a bunch of 13-17 year olds.

        Of course, it was Bobby Kennedy, for whom we young girls had “crushes”.  My scrapbook of RFK very much resembled the scrapbook I found many years later belonging to my Mom which was all about Charles Lindbergh.

        Thanks, Mr. Wow, for igniting a very pleasant memory.

        6:19 pm | May 18, 2011
  • mary burdt

    I believe President Obama will be re-elected in 2012 and I, for one, will work to get him a second term. He is just getting started getting this nation headed in the right direction. He needs and deserves another four years. Let’s see what happens!!!

    9:45 pm | May 17, 2011
  • Maizie James

    Donald Trump was merely the carnival opening act for the real show ahead in 2012 – an indication that the Presidential race is going to be a three-ring circus. Time will tell who will dominate the center ring – a tea party candidate, a moderate Republican, or Obama.

    ‘Me thinks’ the side shows will be equally entertaining. Yet most spectators won’t be in a jovial mood for political antics if housing and employment remains stagnant. It will be interesting to see who will be thrown to the lions amidst chants of … “Let the games begin!”
    .

    10:05 pm | May 17, 2011
    • Baby Snooks

      A Tea Party candidate would cause a stampede at all the polls with voters who otherwise might not have voted voting simply to make sure the Tea Party candidate didn’t win. Which the Republcan Party knows.  Their only “hope” so far is Newt Gingrich and like John McCain his problem is his problem with the “family values” which are not relected by the candidate.

      Most expected Hillary Clinton to challenge Obama and for Jeb Bush to run. Sort of a win-win situation. Neither will happen. Someone likes Obama. And someone is going to make sure Obama wins in 2012. 

       

      8:59 am | May 18, 2011
      • Briana Baran

        Okay, Baby, I’ll bite. Who is your pick for President in 2012. Anyone? No one? Hillary Clinton? Jeb Bush? Really? “Someone wants Obama to win”? Who? And instead of whom?

        Should we really allow the Republican Party in its current state to run this country (please remember that I am not party affiliated and have voted for candidates from both major parties, and others as well)…considering some of the not only incompetent, but also completely ignorant, dogmatically motivated, totally reactionary morons it has produced and fed and curried on the extremist end who want to “return” the nation to a state they’ve created whole cloth from revisionism and fundamentalist Christian dogma and chattel law? Is that wise? And who, precisely, has the Democratic party come up with who is actually viable presidential material? Again, Hillary Clinton? I believe you recently stated that she should be exiled to an island along with fellow Nazis the Bushes, the Reagans…for crimes against humanity.

        You’ve done a lot of protesting against Barack Obama…but I am unclear specifically what you wanted him to accomplish in his three years as President. I know you blame him absolutely for the BP blow-out and the subsequent environmental disaster. I suspect you blame him for not instantly removing all American troops from the Middle East…but how was he supposed to accomplish this? I’ve never seen you offer a solution, only misery and doom-saying and dire predictions.

        Baby, I respect many of the things you have posted…but I have a difficult time with the sudden idea that Barack Obama is a “letter agency” plant, or that a mysterious someone wants him to win in 2012, and that is the reason there are no true opponents. There were no true opponents to Rick Perry here in Texas recently…should I suppose they were all terrified into not running? I’d much prefer someone other than Mr. Perry, whom I neither like nor respect politically or ideologically, and will never vote for in any case.

        I am a cynic, and I personally believe that we have no decent candidates because people support their own personal agendas when they make their political choices…and forget about the rest of the population. Right now, in the present, the Healthcare changes, unemployment, housing market and economy are not affecting me or my family. Yes, I am all too aware of the milliseconds that it takes for things to change. Been there far too many times. We are also concerned for the environment, and act on that concern in our lives. I am a proponent of choice, reproductive rights, and equal rights for any gender or sexual orientation. I am completely against any ties between any religious institution and any government or public institution…including courthouses and schools. And I want us clear of Iraq and Afghanistan.

        That’s a huge spread of ideals, isn’t it? I realize that I’m not going to get everything that I want, ever. And that one man, in three years, certainly isn’t going to be able to deliver everything…and is going to make mistakes, is going to fail, and is going to have an enormous amount of resistance…given the current entitled mood of the nation’s people. But he’s also made progress…and I don’t think that his first win was orchestrated by any mysterious entity (and neither did you at the time), and, if he is re-elected, I don’t think it will be due to either said covert organization or agency…or because of his spoiled, bitter, I-didn’t-get-what-I-wanted former constituents. It’s going to be a close race because so many people want far too much, and are focusing on personal needs and disappointment rather than a much larger picture…and are believing the demagogic press of the Tea Baggers and Obama’s original detractors that says he is some sort of failed Juju Witch-Doctor who is responsible for all of our ills, no matter how far in the past they are rooted.

        I would say the same of any standing President in the current situation. Obama has NOT plunged us into disaster…this despite my own disappointment in some of his actions and in his inability to maintain the strength of his convictions. I don’t believe in fairy tales or magic and never did…and it could be so much worse.

        12:49 am | May 19, 2011
  • Daniel Sugar

    It’s for the best (he would’ve turned the white house into a condo).

    8:19 am | May 18, 2011
  • Daniel Sugar

    P.S. I’m developing a drug that helps people deal with Oprah leaving -it’s called Winfrette
    (you wear it like a nicotine patch and each day you feel less desire to watch her show).

    8:50 am | May 18, 2011
    • Briana Baran

      Daniel, darling, it will sell better than Nicorette.

      -a non-smoker/non-Oprah-addict/sycophant

      12:54 am | May 19, 2011
  • ann penn

    Has no one else here noticed that the R’s took Congress promising to fix the economy and create jobs, and instead have been waging war on women’s rights to control their bodies and health? They are working very hard to deprive young and indigent women and men of contraception, STD testing, sex education, cancer testing, all in the false guise of being “anti-abortion”?

    I had a much wanted pregnancy terminated pre-Roe v. Wade. At the time, in my state, I had to be dying to get that done. My health was compromised as a result. Politicians should not practice medicine…

    9:28 am | May 18, 2011
    • Jessica Burnette

      I’m so sorry to hear that.  There is a lady (and forgive me, I don’t know where, it has been awhile since I read the article) somewhere here in th US who is being denied an abortion because she is 5mos pregnant, but her uterus is crushing the baby due to an underlying medical condition.  The state’s reason is the abortion is inhumane because at this stage, a fetus can feel pain.  Of course the flipside is the uterus crushing the baby is also causing pain, but things “might be ok,” so the lady is being denied the right to terminate the pregnancy.  Repubs need to open their minds to some of these issues and see it from the pregnant woman’s point of view.

      3:19 am | May 27, 2011
  • Michelle Cook

    Wow! I could have written this myself! Where have you been all my life! 🙂

    11:08 am | May 20, 2011
  • Jessica Burnette

    I was diappointed to see that Mitch Daniels is not running.  I don’t agree with everything he does, but I thought he had a good chance of making the government checkbook stop puking.  I don’t think Newt deserves the seat, either.  Mr. “Let’s impeach Clinton for being an adulterer…but first I need to call my girlfriend before my wife comes home,” doesn’t impress me, either.

    3:13 am | May 27, 2011
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