Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Its February 10th, 2016, The Day After The New Hampshire Primary And The Revolution Has Finally Begun

Wednesday, February 10th, 2016



My Dear America:

Its the day after the New Hampshire Primary and after numerous debates by both the Republican and Democratic Candidates for President, After much hard work by many Campaign Workers and after much soul searching on the part of Political Pundits and Voters in the "Granite State" we finally have some idea of who the First Front Runners are in the first actual State Primary Election in the Race to find the Democratic and Republican Candidates for President who will run against each other for the Biggest American Political Prize in the fall of 2016.

And The Winners Are:

Republicans

The New Hampshire Republicans have chosen Donald Trump who ended up with over 35 percent of the votes cast in the NH Republican Race for President. Trump's victory was no surprise to anyone following the New Hampshire Race. What did prove surprising was the fact that Ohio Governor John Kasich came in Second.  Kasich was a distant second at nearly 16 percent of the vote but he was strong enough to outdistance his seemingly better known Republican Rivals including Ted Cruz at 11.7 percent, Jeb Bush at 11 percent, Marco Rubio at 10.6 percent. Chris Christie, had gambled that his brash debate bullying of Marco Rubio, who had come in 3rd in Iowa, would help him catch fire in New Hampshire.  Despite his high hopes for success in New Hampshire he spent a great deal of time there trying to build his campaign Christie came in at 7.4 percent.  

Once again Marco Rubio, although clearly damaged by his Saturday Night Debate Massacre by Christie still outdistanced The New Jersey "Bridgegate" Bully by over 3 percentage points, enough to give Rubio, along with Cruz and Bush, 3 delegates apiece to the Republican Nominating Convention later this year.  Christie went back to New Jersey after the New Hampshire Primary and ABC Television Reports today are predicting that Christie will be announcing soon that will be suspending his Presidential Campaign.

Carly Fiorina, who was not even included in last Saturday's debate did even more poorly than Christie.  She got only 4.1 percent of the vote.  Ben Carson, who apparently had not heard his name called at the last debate and stood around like a fool while other candidates flew by him like he was a wounded bird.  Only Trump waited with Carson in the wings when the ABC Hosts finally pleaded for him to come out.  The hosts also almost forgot to announce Kascich but JK made less of a fool of himself than Carson did.

So for Democrats, Liberals and Reasonable Voters everywhere in the United States Of America, as William Conrad used to announce at the beginning of a Quinn Martin produced Television show called "The Invaders" back in the day:

                         "The Nightmare Has already Begun."



Democrats

For Democrats The news out of New Hampshire is quite a bit simpler to understand, although for many establishment Democrats it may still not be very easy to accept.

The Democrats didn't have 17 candidates starting out on the Campaign trail. For a good while it seemed to Democratic Politicians as though there might only be one Candidate and that Candidate was Hillary Clinton.  Hillary announced online after prepping the media as to when to look for it.  Quite frankly, I was thrilled when Hillary announced.  I thought that with as screwed up as the world had become and the fact was that she had become a Grandmother that she might just say to herself and her family "Who Needs this, Not Me."  Of course it was a big deal when Hillary announced and it appeared to many Democrats, including me, that Hillary had it in the bag and that was, at the time, just fine with many Democrats, Including me.  

There was for awhile some rumbling about other challengers for the Democratic Nomination for President.  Martin O'Malley and Elizabeth Warren were two of the names bandied about.  Eventually O'Malley, the former Baltimore Mayor and Maryland Governor did announce that he was running for the Democratic Presidential Nomination and participated in several Democratic Candidate Debates.  Two other Candidates, Jim Webb of Virginia and Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island also participated in the first Democratic Debate but poll results after that debate showed that neither Webb nor Chaffee seemed to be showing any strength so, mercifully for everyone, especially themselves, they dropped out of the race.

Although Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley still remained in the race for the Democratic Nomination and on the debate stage for several more Democratic Debates, they had been joined on the debate stage by a little known Senator From Vermont named Bernie Sanders.  Bernie had been one of the few politicians who had been elected first to the House of Representatives and later on to the Senate not tied to the label of either party.  He was elected to Congress as an Independent.  While Bernie caucused in the congress with Democrats and held important committee positions Bernie Sanders advertised himself as a Democratic Socialist in Congress and still advertises himself as a Democratic Socialist.

How, Democratic Voters asked, could an avowed Socialist Democrat be successful in 2016 running on the prospect of promoting a voters revolution in America.  

Clearly, the powers that be in the Democratic and Republican Parties have underestimated this energetic Old Guy who has shown himself to be not only a strong candidate with a resounding message but a candidate who has turned the Democratic Party upside down in Iowa first where he tied with Hillary Clinton but especially in New Hampshire, where Bernie Sanders leaves the Granite State with not only a win under his belt but a decisive win of 60.4 percent compared to Hillary Clinton's showing of 38 percent.  O'Malley, although he had already bowed out of the campaign and the debates got a few votes in New Hampshire but not enough to make a difference.  

Clearly anyone looking at the results of the New Hampshire Primary needs to realize that it has not always been won by candidates who marched on to victory at their party conventions  or victory in the fall elections.  

But Political observers need to look at the New Hampshire results and realize that in the case of both the Republican and Democratic Vctories in New Hampshire the Outsiders, The Rebels, The Candidates not endorsed by many Party Leaders Won resounding victories.  Clearly Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are two completely different outsider candidates.

In my opinion Trump is a reckless fool who has shown himself to be a dangerous candidate who plays on American fears.  Mexicans, Muslims are bad people to Donald Trump.  Why are people voting for him?  I don't know.

Bernie Sanders, on the other hand I can understand and support.  He is promoting ideas that liberals and reasonable people can believe in.  As he has often pointed out he started out as a candidate who registed at less than 3 percent in the polls and now he has tied Hillary in Iowa and has beaten Hillary by a wide margin in New Hampshire.

Clearly a Revolution in the United States of America has begun and clearly it is going to be a long, sometimes dangerous and often interesting journey along the Presidential Campaign Trail this year.  

Batten down the hatches people.  The Broncos are just beginning to buck and its going to be a long ride to the finish line this year.


Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Goodbye Iowa - Hello New Hampshire - Democratic Version

Saturday, February 6th, 2016


My Dear America:

It's Saturday Night Live and after a few days of trashing one another on the Campaign Trail the Republican candidates this evening are really brutally trashing one another on another Presidential debate being broadcast on The ABC Television Network.

Earlier this week it was the Democratic candidates who were debating on television. After Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders left Iowa following a Virtual Tie result in the Iowa caucuses. the third Democratic candidate for President in the Iowa contest, Martin O'Malley, dropped out of the race for President after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses.  O'Malley was an accomplished Democrat and should have done better in the Iowa contest but after registering a mere 3 percent of Iowa Caucus voters O'Malley did the right thing and left the race to Bernie and Hillary to fight it out. 

And fight it out they did and are continuing to do.  Although Bernie's lead continues to be substantial according to New Hampshire Polls those polls seem to be also showing a slow but steady improvement in Hillary's New Hampshire voter support.  It is hard to see the prospect of Bernie's more than 10 percent poll edge disappearing but stranger things have happened in New Hampshire Presidential Primary Elections before.

Although Hillary and Bernie have not sunk to anywhere near the level of savagery that the Republicans have shown toward each other in tonight's debate, the Democrats have certainly, in the waning days of the New Hampshire Primary Campaign, taken off the kid gloves in Town Halling and Debating one another. This is nothing new in New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary Contests but it is certainly a new level of verbal violence in this particular race between these two particular candidates.   

Both Bernie and Hillary are criss crossing New Hampshire at breakneck paces and Bill Clinton and Jane Sanders are also showing up in the state to do what they can do to help their spouses.  Hillary is scheduled to go to Flint Michigan on Sunday to try to do what she can to increase the attention given to the water crisis there.  

The Sanders campaign has announced that Bernie will be in New York City this evening to appear on Saturday Night Live with Larry David, who has played Bernie Sanders in several skits during the past SNL Season.  Sanders has made it clear that he is not miffed about the Larry David impressions of him but is in fact a fan of Larry David.  

Its down to the wire in this incredible contest and despite the fact that Bernie continues to top the polls no one is counting their chickens in this state until they are hatched on Tuesday.

Stay Tuned;

Live from New Hampshire It'll be Tuesday Night Live and it should be very interesting.  


Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Friday, February 5, 2016

Goodbye Iowa - Hello New Hampshire - Republican Version

February 5th, 2016



My Dear America:

Well, Its on Now.  

After nearly a years worth of Bullshit, Bluster and Barnstorming on the part of a whole new Crop of American Presidential Candidates we have finally had something happen that really means something.  We have had something akin to an election.  It wasn't really an election.  It was the Iowa Caucus or Caucuses.  It was the first time since 2012 that Americans (Iowans Only) had to get up off their asses, walk out of their dwellings and go somewhere to make it known to other Iowans, and other Americans, as well, who was the person in their party that they preferred to run for President.

Although the Iowa Caucus is not really an election, It does mean something Special in American Politics and it has taught not only Iowans but also other Americans elsewhere in the country some valuable lessons over the years.  Some of those lessons have been taught before and, indeed, learned before but like many other life lessons forgotten over the course of several years, sometimes we all need reminders to refresh our political memories.

The past year has been filled with strange political lessons even before the actual voting of the Iowa Caucus.

We learned, for instance, that even a disingenuous disgraceful First Term Senator from Texas, who seemed to take Great Pleasure in shutting down the United States Government in an effort to defund programs he didn't like, could not only participate in the Presidential Primary Process but could actually win his party's nomination process in the great state of Iowa.

"How Stupid are the people of Iowa," Donald Trump ranted at one of his well attended rallys.  Well, apparently they weren't quite stupid enough to vote Trump for First Place in the Iowa Caucus.  Yet, they did vote The Big Mouth that Roared into Second Place on the Iowa Caucus tally sheet.  Good God, that's bad enough.  

And Ted Cruz, the Winner in Iowa, was apparently successful in covering over his Political Warts.  Ted Cruz, the man who single handedly shut down the Federal Government so that he could read Green Eggs and Ham into the Congressional record won the votes of Iowa Republicans despite the fact that he is probably the single most despised man in the entire Republican Party.

Ted was, however, the first Dark Horse out of the gate in 2015 making his announcement at Liberty University early in the year.  His announcement was, of course, filled with derisive comments about "Obamacare" and days after his announcement at Liberty U. when Ted's wife left her Wall Street Job and her health care benefits behind, Ted signed the family up for the hated "Obamacare" program.  It was to be only one of many indications of what a fraud Ted Cruz was.  

Ted and Marco Rubio, two Americans born of Cuban immigrants, First Term United States Senators running for President in 2015 and 2016 tried to outdo each other on presenting themselves as Anti Immigration Republicans. Despite the fact that neither Rubio or Cruz would be Americans if it wasn't for their parents immigrating to America these two phonys came in First (Cruz) and Third (Rubio) in the Republican Iowa Caucus Results.  

Rubio, a young Senator with a debt soaked checkered past in Florida and little inclination for showing up to work as a First Term Senator, did, however, manage to keep his campaign afloat as other lighter funded candidates fell by the wayside during 2015.

As Republicans voted in the Iowa Caucus the Campaign Trail had already been littered with the carcases of many former All Star Republican Candidates who had not lasted on the Campaign Trail and underfunded and unappreciated they began to fall like failed track stars that couldn't make it to the finish line.  In fact, they couldn't even make it to the starting gate of the Iowa Caucuses.

Like Bruce Springsteen's "Broken Heroes on a Last Chance Power Try" They had come alive on the Republican Campaign Trail and those who were allowed to participate in the Debates by the Media Power Brokers did so with a relish.
Former Governor of Virginia, Jim Gilmore got no traction at all and was shut out of most debates,  Former Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, who had dropped out in 2012 ended up dropping out again, Former New York Governor, George Patacki despite good showings on what Rachel Maddow first and others later on called "The Kids Table Debates," just never caught fire and dropped out, Same with South Carolina Senator and John McCain Buddy, Lindsey Graham and Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal.  Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker's Republican Star seemed to burn very brightly for awhile but in the end the light and the big money disappeared and so did Scott Walker from the Campaign Trail.

Following the Iowa Caucuses Former Pennsylvania Senator, Rick Santorum, Tennessee U.S. Senator, Rand Paul and Former Arkansas Governor and Fox News Host, Mike Huckabee also gave up the ghost and dropped out of the Republican Presidential Race.

Even after poor showings in Iowa, however, Dr. Ben Carson, Former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Failed CEO of Hewlett Packard and failed California Senate Candidate, Carly Fiorina, Ohio Governor, John Kasich and Multi Millionaire Businssman, Donald Trump all remained in the race for President after Iowa.

If there is one candidate who should have learned a valuable lesson in Iowa it is Donald Trump.  Although Trump came in Second in the Iowa Race he had predicted that he would win and win big in Iowa.  It must have been galling to lose to Ted Cruz, who Trump had unleashed a scorched earth policy on during the waning days of the Iowa campaign.  It must also have galled Trump that he had only beaten Marco Rubio by one percentage point.  Trump seemed to be almost conciliatory to his rivals and to Iowa residents on Caucuses night.
I wouldn't bet that that attitude lasts long, especially if Trump tops the Field of Dreamers in New Hampshire.

We shall soon see what happens in New Hampshire in the First Actual State Primary Election this year.


Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher