Crtl-Alt-Delete

Crtl-Alt-Delete. Resetting the campaigns for the general election edition.

Full disclosure. Attentive readers may have wondered "WTF happened, did he get tired of blogging after a month?" Of course not, that's like asking, "do you have an opinion?"! Hell yes, that's why I blog! But in fact, I've been working on and off the past few weeks peddling an op-ed about a pet interest that's only tangentially related to politics (well, that's kinda a lie, it's really political, duh), and for many "real" publications they preclude prior publication for submissions, which apparently includes low-volume blogs. But if that rant doesn't get published, it's show up here eventually. Now on with the show.

Well it's low speed to November for both sides of the aisle. The Donald seemingly has winner's remorse over crushing the rest of the gun-lovin' haters that make up the GOP, and has trying valiantly to alienate whatever remaining blocks of voters that haven't already jumped ship or have become Libertarians (you'll have to Google it). Hillary, on the other hand, having culminated the 8 year stealth installment purchase of what used to be known as the Democratic Party, still has John the Baptist, i.e. Bernie, to deal with all the way to the Convention, yelling, like a voice in the dessert, "Repent! Make straight the way of voters, not the Superdelegates!". Wrapping up that religious imagery, I only hope Bill doesn't play the role of Herodias, because, with all due respect, I can't picture Chelsea as Salome. But let's move on.

As of this Father's Day weekend the campaign hopes of the Donald look relatively dim. Every, and I mean every, non-conspiracy based news outlet says the race is essentially over, that Hillary's superior organization, ground game, and, oh yes, money, have her going LeBron on Donald's Draymond Green. But (and obviously I'm full of obtuse analogies this week), like our big fella from Michigan State, Donald seems quite willing to hit below the belt, and as I said in an earlier post, the rules of politics are "there are no rules, only winners and losers". So Goldman Sachs, Whitewater, Bill's girlfriends, Hillary's girlfriends, the "Clinton Global Initiative" i.e. home ATM, they're all on the Don's playlist. That is, when Trump isn't trying to build a wall around the home in Indiana where the judge in his Trump University lawsuit was born. But, as untold numbers of GOP also-rans might attest to, underestimating Donald Trump is seemingly not a great campaign strategy. He continues to avoid discussing policy like he has an allergy to words with three syllables. I can actually understand and support this campaign tactic, and, gentle reader, I'm here to lift the basket off the light and 'splain it all to 'ya.



The Trump campaign when it's at it's Charlie Sheen "winning" best is as an insurgent, Rebel Alliance/Rogue One war. Hit, tweet, move on. A war fought each and every day that lasts only as long as the news cycle, then start anew. Don't get bogged down in details. Or facts, for that matter, 'cause IT DOESN'T MATTER. If polls have shown anything abundantly clear, it's that voters (and not just Trump supporters, I'm talking you limo liberals too!) do. not. care. about. facts. Their respective candidate lying or misrepresenting or flat out fabricating, it's all fine if it's OUR candidate. You want a non-Trump example? Try "bullets over Bosnia". Here's a self-test. If you've ever been in a situation where someone might be firing REAL bullets at you (I have not), I think I'd not confuse that with a child in a babushka handing me a bouquet. Just sayin'. My bigger question regarding this insurgent strategy is how the Don expands his voters beyond those who think the X-Files are real. I think he benefits with a pivot back to how the economy has left behind yugge swaths of America. That may gain votes, but ultimately that still might not be enough.



Hillary is the Democratic nominee, indictment or not. If the Stanford rapist (sorry, let's be more accurate, sexual abuser, my apologies) can get 6 months, no one can think that Secy. Clinton will get anything more than a "yes, but" from the Inspector General or the FBI. But we can still dream, can't we? The Goldman Sachs Global Initiative is a locomotive of Wall Street and special interests that has everything to gain with a Clinton presidency, and it's so close they can taste the Lincoln bedroom (again). Debbie Wasserman Schultz did her duty like any first stage booster on the space shuttle, time to jettison her off to the CGI where she can draw a salary to just keep quiet. From Hollywood to the Hamptons, the 0.01 percenters are readying to party like it's 1999, when coincidentally (RIP Prince) another Clinton was in the White House. Jesus said, "the poor you will always have with you", so Hillary won't lose any sleep helping fulfill those words of the Gospel. From the stat line, it's incredibly hard to see how she can lose in November. But I type this post knowing there's an NBA game seven tomorrow. So as Yogi Berra said, "it's never over 'til it's over". True dat.

So what can happen between now and November to change the existing trajectory of the campaigns? If you can imagine it, it could happen. Certainly. We reviewed potential VP picks the last post, and if you believe the press my suggestion of Bernie for VP seems to not have been heeded by the Clintons (no surprise). And while I think Sen. Warren would be a great, outside of the box, pick, Hillary isn't running an outside of the box campaign. I think there's plenty of concern, warranted, that Warren could outshine Hillary, and that simply won't do. It brings Tim Kaine back on the list (he never left), and keeps Julian Castro in the wings (but I still doubt it). On the Trump side, my "no way" candidate, Condi Rice, isn't even going to the convention, so I'll say I called that one (it was easy, really). My top tier choice, IMO, is still very much in the running, precisely because he's not been discussed widely. Gen. Petraeus (US Army, ret.) is still in my number one slot on the GOP side. My crystal ball says the only calculus from the Petraeus side is a discussion, as befits a general, regarding a reasonable exit strategy if the ticket should really implode. But in his shoes, think of the upside. The chance to be VP to a President with no discernible political bent except the need to be popular. It's about as blank slate as you could imagine.

I'm going to close this edition with some brief observations regarding the tragic shootings in Orlando, and the political ramifications of that event on this election cycle. The NRA vs. gun control fight was on a less than simmer until this all went down, and it didn't take an act of Congress (pun intended) for everyone who makes a living off of voters to want a piece of the tragic action, for as Winston Churchill wryly observed, "never let a good crisis go to waste". On the GOP side, it's all ISIS, all the time, as if by Scientology brain waves they got into the messed up head of the shooter to incite him to grab a set of steak knifes and... on yea, the semi-automatic assault rifle with the high-capacity magazine. But that's infringing on his Second Amendment rights. Uh...sure. On the other side, the President, in his eloquent ('cause he's always eloquent) comments to the survivors and families of victims, that "this isn't political'. Yes, Mr. President, it's all political, even you. While I find it breathtaking the degree of fear and intimidation wielded by the NRA in the hearts and wallets of the GOP, I'm almost equally disheartened by the speed in which most politicians will simply put this episode in the "Columbine, Newtown, etc..." file folder of "good sound bites" for future reference. Yes, I'm finishing on a pessimistic note this week, but not to despair, because as a democracy, we still do vote (well, maybe 15% of us), and thus have our say. It's my lingering concern that, 15% or not, we really do get what we want, we just may not like it when it happens.

As usual, thanks for joining me for the ride. It won't be over until Beyonce sings at the inauguration. Stay safe out there!