A large segment of the Republican "base" is the disaffected white wage earner (the so-called great unwashed in that they have only finished high school or maybe not even that) and another is the "Sit down and shut up!" crowd like Chris Christie that can be quite wealthy. Exactly why the white working class is Republican, I have no idea because the party, well, hates them and thinks they are overpaid. Even their hero, Donald Trump, has said at least a couple of times that the American worker's wages are too high compared to the rest of the world. For some reason they forgive him for this although their wages have been essentially stagnant for 25 yrs. But every two to four years they stroke the wage earner's ego by telling them they are the "Real Americans" and the "Backbone Of The Country."
My guess as to why the white wage earners are disaffected from their natural ally, the Democratic Party, is that they feel the Democrats pay too much attention to women, African Americans, Hispanics, and homo sexuals who have taken many jobs from them.
The rreal problem is, however, two fold. First there is the off-shoring of jobs and the second is automation. There is also sort of third problem where jobs have been turned over to the consumer to do. Some examples of this are "letting your fingers do the walking" on the telephone, pump your own gas, auto-checkout outs at grocery stores and typing your own stuff (disappearance of clerk typists) among others. To some extent these disappearing jobs are automated, but it is still the consumer that does any work required. Wages must be less then the costs of automation, and their wages will decrease until they approach some sort of equilibrium with low wage countries moderated by the costs of shipping, the price of natural gas, etc.* Neither party seems to have an answer to this.
So I think that the disaffected white wage earner doesn't have a party anymore, although I suspect they would do better with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party.
But an interesting thing has happened in that the disaffected white wage earner now has sort of a champion who talks like they talk and the "Sit down and shut up" crowd likes it also. These two groups are trying to take over the Republican Party. Time will tell if they succeed, but for now the Republican "establishment" doesn't know what to do and I'm not sure the Democratic establishment does either.
* http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2010/10/dumbing-down-of-america-if-you-listen.html
Showing posts with label Chris Christie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Christie. Show all posts
Friday, January 22, 2016
Monday, January 5, 2015
ELIZABETH WARREN'S ONLY CHANCE?
Elizabeth Warren, a so-called liberal politician who cares about the consumer, is often mentioned as a 2016 presidential candidate, although she has repeatedly said she is not running. She was born June 22, 1949, an early Baby Boomer, and will be 67 years old on election day in 2016. So if she is going to run for president, she will have to do it in this next presidential election.
Even if whomever is elected in 2016 serves only one term, Elizabeth Warren will be 71 by the 2020 election, probably too old to run. Democrats in particular tend to think that 70 is too old to run for president.
Republicans, however, are different in that Bob Dole and John McCain, both Republicans, ran for president when older than the age of 70, but neither was elected. Ronald Reagan ran for president over the age of 70 but that was for a second term. He was 69 when he took office for his first term. More likely whomever is elected in 2016 will probably serve two terms because that is what we have been doing lately. Beginning with Ronald Regan, 4 of the five presidents have been elected for two terms so Elizabeth Warren would be 75 by 2024.
Hillary Clinton is the favorite among Democrats to run for president at this time. She was born October 26, 1947 and would be 69 on election day in 2016, and, if elected would also be 69, about the same age as Ronald Reagan. Although Republicans favor older candidates, I presume they will make the argument that she is too old, if she runs. If for some reason Hillary does not run, my guess is that Elizabeth Warren will.
Jeb Bush seems to be the favorite of the "establishment" Republicans. He was born February 11, 1953 so will be only 63 at the time of the 2016 election. Chris Christie was born September 6, 1962 so will be only 54 at the time of the next presidential election. The oldest of the Republican hopefuls is Mitt Romney who was born March 12, 1947 and is slightly older than Hillary Clinton. If he is the Republican candidate, it will be hard to say Hillary Clinton is too old. Other main Republican hopefuls seem to be younger than Jeb Bush.
Even if whomever is elected in 2016 serves only one term, Elizabeth Warren will be 71 by the 2020 election, probably too old to run. Democrats in particular tend to think that 70 is too old to run for president.
Republicans, however, are different in that Bob Dole and John McCain, both Republicans, ran for president when older than the age of 70, but neither was elected. Ronald Reagan ran for president over the age of 70 but that was for a second term. He was 69 when he took office for his first term. More likely whomever is elected in 2016 will probably serve two terms because that is what we have been doing lately. Beginning with Ronald Regan, 4 of the five presidents have been elected for two terms so Elizabeth Warren would be 75 by 2024.
Hillary Clinton is the favorite among Democrats to run for president at this time. She was born October 26, 1947 and would be 69 on election day in 2016, and, if elected would also be 69, about the same age as Ronald Reagan. Although Republicans favor older candidates, I presume they will make the argument that she is too old, if she runs. If for some reason Hillary does not run, my guess is that Elizabeth Warren will.
Jeb Bush seems to be the favorite of the "establishment" Republicans. He was born February 11, 1953 so will be only 63 at the time of the 2016 election. Chris Christie was born September 6, 1962 so will be only 54 at the time of the next presidential election. The oldest of the Republican hopefuls is Mitt Romney who was born March 12, 1947 and is slightly older than Hillary Clinton. If he is the Republican candidate, it will be hard to say Hillary Clinton is too old. Other main Republican hopefuls seem to be younger than Jeb Bush.
Friday, January 10, 2014
"I AM NOT A BULLY," CHRIS CHRISTIE
The first thing that came to mind when I heard Chris Cristie's comment that, "I am not a bully." was Nixon's statement, "I am not a crook." Don't get me wrong, I thought that Gov. Chris Christie was admirable on his attention to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy on New Jersey. He clearly can be ingratiating when he wants to be and be "in your face" when it comes to getting aid for New Jersey. I can also believe that his close aide, Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Ann Kelly, never told him about the retribution she ordered against a New Jersey mayor for not endorsing the governor. It is to preserve deniability by the "big guy," and I presume she knew that if things blew up, which they did, she would have to go as did David Wildstein, a Christie appointee. I also assume that if Chris Christie ever became president, he would treat other national leaders with respect and probably the ambassadors as well. But having seen clips over the years of Christie publically outing his constituents over their comments, he is a bully.*
* From the NEW York Times on December 24, 2013: "It began with an anecdote of a New Jersey assemblyman who got a nasty note from Christie after making some relatively innocuous radio comments.
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* From the NEW York Times on December 24, 2013: "It began with an anecdote of a New Jersey assemblyman who got a nasty note from Christie after making some relatively innocuous radio comments.
The gesture would come to seem genteel compared with the fate suffered by others in disagreements with Mr. Christie: a former governor who was stripped of police security at public events; a Rutgers professor who lost state financing for cherished programs; a state senator whose candidate for a judgeship suddenly stalled; another senator who was disinvited from an event with the governor in his own district.In almost every case, Mr. Christie waved off any suggestion that he had meted out retribution. But to many, the incidents have left that impression, and it has been just as powerful in scaring off others who might dare to cross him.
The bridge e-mails show that it's not just Christie. His aides are in on it, too. Christie staffer Bridget Anne Kelly e-mails David Wildstein, a Christie appointee on the Port Authority, saying, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” He's a bully with a staff of bullies."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/08/chris-christies-problem-is-that-hes-really-truly-a-bully/.
Friday, November 8, 2013
BARBARA BUONO - SACRIFICIAL LAMB?
I've heard "high level" Democrats say that if the Democratic Party really wanted to unseat New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Barbara Buono would certainly not to be the person picked. I have to wonder why because her bio sounds very impressive.
She has a long record of positions in the New Jersey legislature rising to being the Majority Leader of the State Senate of New Jersey from 2010-2011. Her political career started in 1992 with election to the Muenchen, NJ, Borough Council where she served in 1993 and 1994. In 1994, she won a seat on the New Jersey Assembly (against an incumbent) where she served for seven years. Then she served in the New Jersy State Senate being elected in 2001. She received a JD from Rutgers University in Camden in 1979. She has a number of firsts being the first woman to be chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the first woman to serve as Majority Leader. She was removed from this position after an argument with the President of the State Senate which may be why the Democratic Party lost faith in her. But since Christie's relationship with the President over Hurricane Sandy was so pleasant, it may have been felt that he deserved another term as governor. Of course, it may be that Christie's aggressive pursual of Federal support after Hurricane Sandy made him bullet proof even though, on balance, his record has been quite conservative.
For more on Buono's impressive record see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Buono.
She has a long record of positions in the New Jersey legislature rising to being the Majority Leader of the State Senate of New Jersey from 2010-2011. Her political career started in 1992 with election to the Muenchen, NJ, Borough Council where she served in 1993 and 1994. In 1994, she won a seat on the New Jersey Assembly (against an incumbent) where she served for seven years. Then she served in the New Jersy State Senate being elected in 2001. She received a JD from Rutgers University in Camden in 1979. She has a number of firsts being the first woman to be chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the first woman to serve as Majority Leader. She was removed from this position after an argument with the President of the State Senate which may be why the Democratic Party lost faith in her. But since Christie's relationship with the President over Hurricane Sandy was so pleasant, it may have been felt that he deserved another term as governor. Of course, it may be that Christie's aggressive pursual of Federal support after Hurricane Sandy made him bullet proof even though, on balance, his record has been quite conservative.
For more on Buono's impressive record see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Buono.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
CHRISTIE VS CUCCINELLI: COMPARISON
The news media seems to have a hard time understanding why pro-life Chris Christie will win big in today's governors race in New Jersey whereas pro-life Ken Cuccinelli is expected to lose in Virginia. Disclaimer, I do not live in New Jersey and have not lived in Virginia for more than 8 yrs.
It seems pretty clear to me that many Democrats will forgive Christie for being pro-life because they know he is harmless on this issue as the strong Democratic state congress would never pass a pro-life bill. So far as I know, Christie has not pushed for any pro-life legislation. And then there is the BIG issue in the state over Hurricane Sandy that did so much damage. Christie's aggressive pursual of Federal aid was appreciated by both Democrats and Republicans who forgave him for personally dealing with the hated President Obama. This outreach to the president may be part of the reason that Democrats are not trying to unseat Christie. Then there is sort of an attractiveness for Christie's "in-your-face" speaking style, though in many cases it is quite rude.
On the other hand Cuccinelli is dangerous in Virginia with his stance on pro-life because strong legislation has been passed in Virginia to control women's bodies. Cuccinelli has pushed pro-life issues, such as the trans-vaginal probe* that has angered so many women, even before he was Attorney General of Virginia and in the legislature. He has rendered a legal opinion that supports any abortion clinic* that does more then 5 abortions a month should be classified as a hospital rather than outpatient clinics. He has been deep in the war on women. Besides he has had no opportunity to do something big for Virginia such as recovery after a natural disaster.
Also the news media dearly seems to want these gubernatorial elections to have national significance. Perhaps, they should, but I doubt it. Only New York had similar damage to New Jersey from Hurricane Sandy, but the governor there is not running for reelection this year and many out of state Republicans will not forgive Christie for sucking up to President Obama. There are a few other states that have been aggressive in the war on women. Perhaps Oklahoma might be in play in view of a law ruled unconstitutional outlawing three drugs used to induce abortion, but memories will have to be long for anger to last until election time.
* "Abortion is one of the safest surgical procedures for women in the United States. Fewer than 0.5% of women obtaining abortions experience a complication, and the risk of death associated with abortion is about one-tenth that associated with childbirth. (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sfaa/virginia.html) AND
..........................................
A woman must undergo an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion; the provider must offer her the option to view the image. If the woman lives within 100 miles of the abortion provider she must obtain the ultrasound at least 24 hours before the abortion." (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sfaa/virginia.html)
It seems pretty clear to me that many Democrats will forgive Christie for being pro-life because they know he is harmless on this issue as the strong Democratic state congress would never pass a pro-life bill. So far as I know, Christie has not pushed for any pro-life legislation. And then there is the BIG issue in the state over Hurricane Sandy that did so much damage. Christie's aggressive pursual of Federal aid was appreciated by both Democrats and Republicans who forgave him for personally dealing with the hated President Obama. This outreach to the president may be part of the reason that Democrats are not trying to unseat Christie. Then there is sort of an attractiveness for Christie's "in-your-face" speaking style, though in many cases it is quite rude.
On the other hand Cuccinelli is dangerous in Virginia with his stance on pro-life because strong legislation has been passed in Virginia to control women's bodies. Cuccinelli has pushed pro-life issues, such as the trans-vaginal probe* that has angered so many women, even before he was Attorney General of Virginia and in the legislature. He has rendered a legal opinion that supports any abortion clinic* that does more then 5 abortions a month should be classified as a hospital rather than outpatient clinics. He has been deep in the war on women. Besides he has had no opportunity to do something big for Virginia such as recovery after a natural disaster.
Also the news media dearly seems to want these gubernatorial elections to have national significance. Perhaps, they should, but I doubt it. Only New York had similar damage to New Jersey from Hurricane Sandy, but the governor there is not running for reelection this year and many out of state Republicans will not forgive Christie for sucking up to President Obama. There are a few other states that have been aggressive in the war on women. Perhaps Oklahoma might be in play in view of a law ruled unconstitutional outlawing three drugs used to induce abortion, but memories will have to be long for anger to last until election time.
* "Abortion is one of the safest surgical procedures for women in the United States. Fewer than 0.5% of women obtaining abortions experience a complication, and the risk of death associated with abortion is about one-tenth that associated with childbirth. (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sfaa/virginia.html) AND
..........................................
A woman must undergo an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion; the provider must offer her the option to view the image. If the woman lives within 100 miles of the abortion provider she must obtain the ultrasound at least 24 hours before the abortion." (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sfaa/virginia.html)
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