It's instructive to look at these controversies side by side.
Trump said that John McCain was not a war hero.
Between 1978 and 1979, Hillary Clinton, as First Lady of Arkansas, took a $1000 investment and quickly turned it into $100,000 from trading cattle futures. The two men who placed her trades at the exchange, James Blair and Robert "Red" Bone, were current and past employees of Tyson Chicken, which wanted Governor Clinton to lift various environmental restrictions on their business. Clinton denied receiving preferential treatment from the men, but economists from the University of North Florida and Auburn University later determined that the odds of anyone making that sort of return during that period were "at best one in 31 trillion."
Trump said, in reference to Carly Fiorina, “Look at that face -- would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?”
Hillary fired the White House travel office personnel who had served seven Presidents in order for their Hollywood friends to get that lucrative business. The Clintons, under public pressure, were later forced to reinstate the personnel, who had been falsely accused of financial misdeeds.
Trump said Muslim immigration should be temporarily halted until we can better vet them to screen out potential terrorists.
Clinton lied and stonewalled when it came to producing documents about the Benghazi coverup.
Trump said that he would build a wall along our southern border to keep out illegal immigrants. He also said, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best….They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with them. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
According to Salon: While Clinton was secretary of state, her department approved $165 billion worth of commercial arms sales to Clinton Foundation donors. That figure from Clinton’s three full fiscal years in office is almost double the value of arms sales to those countries during the same period of President George W. Bush’s second term.
The Clinton-led State Department also authorized $151 billion of separate Pentagon-brokered deals for 16 of the countries that gave to the Clinton Foundation. That was a 143 percent increase in completed sales to those nations over the same time frame during the Bush administration. The 143 percent increase in U.S. arms sales to Clinton Foundation donors compares to an 80 percent increase in such sales to all countries over the same time period.
Trump said after one of the Republican debates that moderator Megyn Kelly was "bleeding from her eyes, bleeding from her wherever."
Algeria made a large contribution to the Clinton Foundation, and voila, it got taken off the State Department's terrorist watch list, thanks to Madame Secretary.
Trump imitated a NY Times reporter who had a physical disability.
Secretary of State Clinton used a personal email server for official business so that her emails would never have to become public, allowing the Russians and Chinese to spy on us.
Trump: called Senator Rubio "little Marco" and Senator Cruz "Lyin' Ted."
After Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining magnate, donated a total of $31.3 million to the Clinton Foundation, Hillary, as Secretary of State, signed off on a deal allowing Giustra to sell one-fifth of all uranium production capacity in the US to the Russians.
It's hard not to notice a pattern. All of Trump's scandals are about rudeness. All of Hillary's are about dishonesty and corruption.
Our choice boils down to a big mouth vs. a bribe-taker.
A narcissistic braggart vs. a sociopathic crook.
It may not sound like a great choice, but it's an easy one.
Sticks and stones….
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20 comments:
I don't know if it's possible to find a politician more corrupt than Hillary but it's impossible to find one more shameless.
Trump is hilarious. Rude, crass but definately doesn't seem like a bad guy.
His way of complimenting his opponents in some regard only to insult them nonchalantly after cracks me up every time. I'm not an American so can't put myself in your shoes with regards to McCain's war hero status but I loled at "He's a war hero, he's a war hero...sure...(but) I like people that weren't captured", and this "I didn't like his as much after..." is one of the best put downs.
https://youtu.be/dDmb4pd3VNQ?t=1029
Not sure how he'll be as a president but as a dinner party guest you can't do better.
Rona
One of the more interesting comparisons between Hillary Clinton and Trump pop is that his "negatives" are based on feelings about his attitude and public persona. Hillary's, are based on quantifiable actions she has taken in the past. This also reflects one of the great divisions of the voting population: those who vote based on emotions and those that vote based on facts and data. Unfortunately, the former are in the majority and are growing. Hillary will likely be the next president.
Rona --
I just watched the entire 26 minutes of that video. Yes, Trump is funny, no question. But his humor is that of a guy who's been a CEO his entire life and is used to having people laugh at his jokes and never has had to pay a price for being a littlest of a bully. He'd be a lot more charming if every now and then his humor were directed at himself; but that's just not his nature.
As far as McCain goes, he crashed four planes during his career as a naval pilot, and you have to assume there was some carelessness involved there. But his behavior as a POW was heroic; he endured under torture, and turned down a deal for early release unless the rest of the prisoners were released as well. There's just no way that's not heroic. And as far as I'm concerned, anybody who signs up to put his life on the line in a combat position is a hero to begin with.
Trump has my vote; I think, as someone who recognizes that demography is destiny, that he's America's last hope. But I do wish he'd rein himself in at times.
Luke --
Everything you said is true, except, I hope, your last sentence.
I know the oddsmakers are favoring Hillary right now. But Trump's numbers are rising, and he's always outperformed his polls. I have the feeling a lot of people, in the privacy of the voting booth, are going to think to themselves, do I REALLY want that that corrupt harridan's face for the next four years, or would I rather take a chance on a guy who might actually do something? And maybe they'll pull the lever for Trump.
But I could just be kidding myself, I don't know.
Good post. I really believe that Hillary and her husband, Bill, are two peas in a pod, sociopathic personalities. In the end, they deserve each other. Hillary is a criminal who is greedy for power and control, what most disordered people want. We should not give her what she wants.
- Susan
Thank you Susan. I used to think that Hillary was not a sociopath, but was merely corrupted by her proximity to Bill and by having access to power. I've long since changed my mind on that.
They should both be in jail.
That is the first time I've read the full quote about Mexican immigrants. This is the quote that does the rounds on social media:
"They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people".
It does make some difference that he prefaced that with they're not sending their best.
But then that begs the question, are Mexican immigrants negatively selected? And if so, does that mean Mexican-American IQ scores are lower than the Mexican average? The centre for immigration studies lends credence to this: "For 2010, we estimate that 80 percent of adult illegal immigrants have not completed high school or have only a high school education. Other research has found similar results." http://cis.org/immigrant-welfare-use-2011 That does not sound like a representative sample of Mexicans.
The achievements of the indigenous central Americans are notable....fancy stone architecture, pyramids, complex writing systems, very impressive astronomical knowledge, agriculture, metallurgy. And it all arose independently of developments in Eurasia.
Just a thought.
I don't think Mexicans are stupid and I don't mind their culture and I know from an intelligent, real talking blogger that living in a poor Mexican populated town in California is fairly safe and livable. Plus there are 223 million white Americans and only 118 million people living in the whole of Mexico, with significant European admixture.
I don't think some Mexican immigration is the disaster people think. If I were American, I think I'd be relatively relaxed about it.
Europe has to deal with a far more worrying and threatening problem of Islamic extremism from our immigrants.
The two of them would sell their own country for personal profit (which they've proven they're capable of). The dead bodies in their wake is another telling sign.
- Susan
Steven --
I've often wondered about that, not just in the context of Mexicans coming to the US, but any group going anywhere. By definition, it's never the upper classes who emigrate, and since IQ generally correlates with class, that means it's the lower IQ's who leave. The same could be said for the Brits who came to America (though not the Puritans, who came to this country because of "religious persecution," as my elementary school textbooks said; it was only later that I realized it was because they weren't allowed to persecute the other Brits to their heart's content). But a lot of Brits came over here as essentially serfs, as well. And the Irish came over because of the potato famine, but are they noticeably dumber? An even stronger case can be made about Australia, whose original set of Brits were convicts. Are they dumber, on average? I honestly don't know. They look the same as other Brits, and the ones I've met haven't struck me as any dumber.
As far as Mexicans, I suspect that the blogger you're communicating with is really comparing living in a Hispanic community to living in a black community, not in a white community. The Hispanic rates for murder, rape, etc in this country are higher than white rates, though lower than black rates. And the average Hispanic IQ in this country is supposed to be something like 92 or 93, midway between blacks and whites.
I agree that the Euros are in more danger from the Muslims than Americans are from Mexicans.
He was. I'm now doing a bit of research on this and I've found that its the American born children of Latino immigrants that have elevated crime rates, rather than the immigrants themselves.
White men born in America are twice as likely to end up in jail than men born abroad (as a whole I guess). Immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico are incarcerated at lower rates than white American men who with high school diplomas or less.
El Paso, which is 80% Latino has the lowest homicide rate of any American city with over 500,000 residents. I also looked at crime rates of cities with a population of over 250,000 and out of 80 of them, I only found 3 with a lower homicide rate than Chula Vista, California, which is 50% Latino. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate_(2014)
Additionally, American crime rates as a whole have decreased over the past 30 years, including through the 90's and 00's when there was lots of Latino immigration.
@Lucian Lafayette
Good observation about emotional voters getting worked up over his public persona, I agree. And given how long Trump has been in public eye and his impulsive personality I'm surprised they haven't found something actually scandalous rather than a few rude comments.
@Yeah, Trump can't take a joke well. He seems thin skinned and is overly offended sometimes, especially given how quick he is at throwing insults. However, I get a sense that it's as easy to make up with him as it's to get into a fight.
Doesn't seem like a guy holding grudges forever, it's dominance game to him, you can see how much he enjoys the whole thing.
One thing I like is his loyalty. He doesn't throw people under a bus because it's currently advantageous. I also like his butler, a total edgelord. Refused to apologize for offensive tweets.
Steven --
Hey, sorry for tho slate reply. Yes, it's true, traditionally the first generation who comes over here does so to work hard for minimal (if not minimum) wages, and they keep their noses clean. It's the second generation and beyond who join the Latin Kings, or the Mexican Mafia, or MS-13, etc.
I've liked practically all of the Latinos I've ever known; but there's no denying that their crime rate is higher than that for whites, overall.
Rona --
Great points. Trump does NOT seem like a guy who holds grudges, he's actually become borderline statesmanlike in his recent comments about Cruz and Rubio and Megyn Kelly, etc.
And yes, he does seem like a very loyal guy. Most of his employees, and more tellingly, his ex-employees, seem to speak quite highly of him. Even his ex-wives speak well of him, and that's a rarity.
do you think its based in biology though, given the first gen?
Steven --
I think that IQ is based in biology, and that criminality is correlated (negatively) with IQ, but also has a lot to do with circumstance.
I support Trump's ideas on immigration and trade. Since I've long ago cut the Cable TV cord, I rarely hear Trump speak. I read a lot of political commentary and analysis. So I understand the core of Trump's proposals, and believe they are exactly what the country needs, but rarely hear it put forth in Trump's own words.
The media smears people like me with racism. In one definition of the word - the belief that various races have different tendencies, strengths / weaknesses, etc. - I am. But the media is implying this definition "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior", and in that sense they are completely wrong.
I have, and have had during my lifetime, more foreign born friends than any other native born European decent US citizen I know. I've always been interested in other cultures, the stories of people who come here, their humor, etc.
None of that is the point of what's going on with Trump. Its about work and the economy.
I stated working the the 80's. Jobs were plentiful. The prevailing upward mobility strategy was to work a job for about three years, then find a new job for more money with a higher title. Employers prided themselves in treating employees well. They competed to provide more friendly work environments (company gyms, work from home, flexible hours, etc.). Vacation used to start at 2 weeks /yr, with 3 at 5yr, and 4 at 10; sick time was unlimited for salaried employees. Extra hours were compensated with 'comp' time off.
That's all gone now. Today I am on salary but punch a clock. Every minute is counted, and I am unpaid if exhaust sick / vacation time. New normals are 1 week vacation and three sick days. Three weeks vacation after 10 years employment. I am beaten on to work at least 10 hours a week of overtime, for no compensation. Today salaried employment is just like being hourly with major disadvantages. Foremost is that salaried employees are now routinely expected to volunteer their time to work extra hours for companies that are making money hand over fist.
I am touching the surface and could write a lot more about what's gotten worse in the world of employment. It seems to me that many government workers, people from over seas, and people at the top of the food chain don't get it.
So - why am I not 'relaxed' about Mexican immigration, or illegal immigration in general, or the awarding of H1 visas to tech workers from India / China / Eastern Europe so native born US workers can be fired while H1 holders take their place?
Because it all undercuts the labor market. And quality of life for native born US workers has declined dramatically, and it getting worse all the time.
The US had a great thing going. And we have given it away, at the expense of native born US citizens, and to the benefit of business owners - small through large.
There are so many facets of this that I could write a lot more about, but stopping here....
- Ed
Ed --
I couldn't agree with you more, every thing you said is true, except for one thing, when you said that people at the top of the for chain don't get it. I think that in fact they do get it, they get it exactly, and that's why the middle class is suffering so much. The CEO's want what's better for them, so they import cheaper labor (or export the jobs) and that explains our current situation.
I revile Hillary Rodham on the basis of her record.
But the reason I'm campaigning against her is being deathly allergic the idea of a carpet munching power monger hag putting her hand on a Bible and being sworn in as POTUS.
And I'm an anticlerical atheist but think more highly of the prose of the First and Second Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster Companies than that. Also Wycliffe and Tyndale.
It's been helpful for my daughter (she's 12) to have a friend who's parents are also Trump supporters. Having been around the parents a bit (she took a vacation with the family), she's had the chance to hear other adults voice some truths about the issues (e.g., illegal immigration, President Obama being a radical socialist, tax payer money supporting illegals, etc.). She's hearing the couple state some of the facts that I've complained about. She now knows that her mom isn't the only Conservative on the planet (and that Mom might actually be onto something). LOL.
- Susan
Susan --
Yes, always good to have reinforcements. Especially with a kid who's at an impressionable age.
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