Election Choice Nightmare

What a political mess we in the United States have in choosing the next president.  In the "know nothing" age in which we live it is no surprise that even something so fundamental as a presidential election has evolved into contest of losers...big losers.  As one who has never been a member of either the Democratic or Republican party, having seen both as dishonest and incompetent partisans, I would like to see a candidate for the election who has shred of credibility. I fear it will not happen.

On the Democratic part side we have two candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. I gag when typing their names. Sanders, an elderly U.S. Senator whose record in the Senate over many decades is of sponsoring not a single piece of significant legislation, is an a vowed socialist who hates the capitalist system, the one he wants to head.  He seems to make a big deal of real unemployment (including underemployment and people who have given up looking for jobs) being much higher than the rosy official unemployment numbers and loves to attack "the rich" as being in control and making everyone else poor. When asked to explain how he would pay for his many socialist welfare give-aways, free college for everyone, free medical care etc., Sanders says he will "raise taxes on the rich".

But the rich already pay most of the taxes collected, and to tax them anymore would make them take their businesses and money to other countries. Sanders seems a better fit to be president of "la la land" than of a free market country. His main supporters are the young, you know, the ones  who pump their fingers into their mobile devices and are devoid of even the most remote knowledge of what a president can or is supposed to do.

And Hillary is even more distasteful than Bernie.  Hillary not only doesn't know what ethics is, she probably would put her hands over her ears of you told her. She's the one involved in multiple financial scandals in Arkansas, all covered by the democratic administration there and the federal justice department headed by a democratic head. The Clinton's learned well when escaping their Arkansas White water scandal. They set up the Clinton Foundation, a slush fund that seeks....extorts money from the same "rich people" Clinton says are ruining America to allegedly address of issue world problems, including economic development, climate change, health and wellness, and participation of girls and women. But the percent spent on the Clinton's personal dalliances, private jets, family shopping sprees and more, is troubling. Again, President Obama, the leader of the democrats will never order the justice department to investigate the Foundation.

I don't have the time nor space to list all of the Hillary Clinton incompetence and dishonesty during her long public life. But here are a few highlights: Hillary’s top secret E mails, the ones she illegally sent from a home server in violation of federal law that she swore to obey while accepting her position as secretary of state, keep mysteriously disappearing, and now the State Department has used that big snowstorm last week as an excuse for not producing court ordered E mails, though its known about the order for months; Hillary's record in the Senate equals not a single piece of legislation, a record of modeling pant suits but accomplishing nothing; as Obama's Secretary of States. Under her stewardship as Secretary of State the United States’ position in the world went rapidly in decline.

The Middle East is on fire. Putin is running rampant in eastern Europe and Syria. Saudi Arabia is attempting to buy an atomic bomb to balance the one that Iran is expected to get because of the recent U.S./Iran nuclear deal; and Europe is flooded with migrants who won't likely to fit in. The latter is of course a result of the Middle East problems and of the overthrow of Libya’s dictator, Col. Moammar Gadhafi, in a war-of-choice launched without congressional approval at the suggestion of Hillary Clinton; Then there's the "War on Women" that Hillary claims is real, after saying it is not many times before it was a vote getter to change her tune.

Yes, Hillary, who called her husband's many sexual partners "bimbos" when they talked of Bill's propensity to remove his pants at the sight of any female willing to engage him, now claims "any woman who says she was sexually harassed should be listened to"; Hillary also claims she will destroy those nasty Wall street types and big bans, the same ones Hillary begs for money to sponsor her presidential run.

There is plenty more on Hillary, who may be the worst and most dishonest presidential front runner in U.S. history, but the Republicans have their own embarrassing duo leading their nomination charge in that party. First we have Donald Trump, a man so filled with ego and disdain for humanity that he makes the crazy uncle we keep in the addict seem rational. Trump has no policy stance except that which shocks the most people, and I suspect he is running because he wants to make the U.S. Presidential election a new kind of reality show. He has been liberal, conservative and moderate..all at the same time. I dare you to define his agenda. The Donald Trump pledge is "elect me and I'll tell you the details later". It sounds too much like Obama's nebulous "hope and change" pledge in 2008.  Trump says we "will make the greatest deals" when asked for specificity on any of his often bizarre promises. I suspect he already is making a great deal- pulling the wool over the eyes of the voters.

The other Republican front runner who is most likely to be nominated as his party candidate is Ted Cruz. Cruz is not liked because of his abrasive style and extreme positions. but Ted says he is honored to be hated. That sure seems like someone we need in office. Cruz promises to be a confrontational president, to oppose every measure the democratic party wants, especially of those measures make sense. I suspect Ted Cruz is running against Obama, not Hillary. This is because he can't stop talking about how much he hates everything Obama has done. Extremism is Ted's calling card, which explains why the evangelical Christians are his most ardent backers.

Politics in this country can be fun, but do they have to be so bizarre to be that way?