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Posts Tagged ‘Newt Gingrich’

“Dead, See Trolls”: Rural Politics post-Obama and pre-Trump

Posted in African Americans, politics, tagged , , , , , on January 17, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Blogging can be a huge waste of time if nobody reads your stuff.  It’s the modern version of the adage in my community that goes “If you want to hide something from a “blank” put it in a book.”  After I have moved on to selling aluminum roofing in Thomasville, someone might discover these 700 some odd blog post like the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Bedouin shepherds discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946 in a cave in the current troubled West Bank area between Israel and Jordan.  People read blogs that include funny hooks so consider Damon Wayans knowledge deep prisoner character Oswald Bates from In Living Color.  “So, my dear brother, the Dead Sea Scrolls were like some missing extra parts of religious text found…follow this…between Is Real because we need what is real and Jordan because our community spends too much money on Jordan sneakers that don’t take us anywhere but to the poor house.”

President-Elect Trump entering the White House was foretold by some of us in and around the political arena for decades but nobody would listen.  To me, it started when public policy stop being designed by political scientists and the people and became crafted by Madison Avenue marketing experts.  Dr. Frank Luntz has a PhD in polly sci from Penn but he is the consultant/pollster who created the art of running focus groups to gauge the public and designing a few talking points that hit like bullet points.  In the 90s, he was the mastermind Newt Gingrich use to create the Contract With America.

Project Logic GA as a blog is like the Dead Sea Scrolls but rather than putting flashdrives in Mason jars and placing them in Georgia red clay next to the Flint River, these smart ideas might die in cyberspace with the plans of Michael Steele, Jon Huntsman, and Elizabeth Warren.  In those cyber Mason jars, scholars might one day find the “Dead, See Trolls.”

The Dem Party is dead…trolls, see what your mistakes have done.

Yes, there are those who sought hard to save this republic with logic and positive developments.  Public policy should start with helping the people understand the limited role of government in their lives—balance to between compassion for the needy and a desire to end poverty.  On his best days, Speaker Newt Gingrich would explain that America should be the land of equal opportunity for all…with emphasis being placed on opportunity.  If every kid has a fair shot at success, we have it right.  However, if said kid squanders those opportunities by not focusing on development, being lazy or committing crimes, he gets to live in the reality he created. We are usually our own worst enemies.

Mr. Trump becoming president started when campaign experts learn to tell the people what they wanted to hear rather than what they needed to hear.  Republicans wanted to hear in the 1990s that they were the chosen ruling class who could make decisions affecting everyone without input from anyone else. For example, the 1990s Crime Bill cost billions but crime kept growing—who got paid, their friends who owned prisons.  Since LBJ’s effort to end poverty the Democrats wanted to be the party that poured more money into efforts to help the needy.  However, some of that money should have been spent encouraging the future generations to not be “the needy.”

It’s rough when a kid never had a chance because plans for success never came their way.  Actually, the life portrayed by the Cosby Show did so much for some in my generation and the Obamas in real life have done the same.  Oh, the post White House Obamas will be so very beneficial because they can say what they really want to say to my community….hint: moderation is the key.

Could the current toxic political climate have been avoided?  Of course, you should read the “Dead, See Trolls” because reasonable people like me begged to be at the table.  Moderates can communicate with the Left and the Right and over the last two decades it was often Republican friends who saw the importance of crafting a new southern moderate movement.  The elbow-throwing Tea Party put an end to that goodwill.  The southern Democrat Party is a mess because urban liberals in Atlanta want to push a progressive agenda that doesn’t cotton well with rural conservative Blacks…we can’t win elections in cities alone…ask Hillary about that.

We  tried to tell those latte-sipping liberals from Buckhead that the D.C.-designed Democrat platform was almost as alien to us as the vitriol spewed by those who hijacked the Republican Party. But, those of us who drink sweet tea and occasionally coldbeer from Mason jars in the rural Black community were ignored in November 2016…and that’s after we saved Hillary from Bernie Sanders in the primary.  A rising rural star on the national stage is Rep. Tim Ryan from Youngstown, Ohio.  This guy says the Democrats need people who shower before work and people who shower after work.  I love it.

A troll is a mythical, cave dwelling being having an ugly appearance.  I hope the trolls in the Democratic Party find these Mason jars filled with ideas because their team is dead, see.  I tried to tell them that Trump was a marketing genius who was simply playing dead to win the election.  I spent a year writing/crafting a “Contract With America-like” moderate action plan called the Best Interest Initiative.

The B.I.I. is all about what our community can do to help ourselves with limited government involvement.  Remember, candidate Obama always said that the government often isn’t the answer…often it’s you.  The B.I.I. is based on JFK’s statement “ask not what this country can do for you…ask what you can do for this country.”  What you can do is start being a better you…stop being a knucklehead.  Yes, I said knucklehead.  We talk like that inside my community; we say that with love to those who would destroy our area for some money.

The trolls who run the Democratic Party spent a billion dollars on t.v. ads but rarely sought the existing networks of influence in our community.  In other words, the rich boys got their friends richer but never hit the barbers and funeral home directors.  The trolls thought they had the community because the preachers got white envelopes with Get Out The Vote Cash.  Newsflash, church folks vote anyway—that’s preaching to the choir.  The barbers, coaches and those “pay party tossing” kids are the ones who can move the crowd.

When Trump won that election, the Democrats and Republicans lost the White House because neither wanted him.  The Black community has the numbers to sway most elections in the South.  My friends and I mentioned a plan to Democrats to cultivate the Obamacrats outside Georgia’s biggest cities and they blew it off…the same likely happened in North Carolina, Florida and across the Rust Belt.

Oh, Trump was out there in the sticks.  He told them what they wanted to hear—if he can or should deliver that stuff is another subject.  The Dems trolls should learn from Trump that policy should be bottom up and not top down…it’s called grassroots.

To be honest, I am backing away from constantly watching CNN’s political coverage.  We should spend the next few years listening to the people and teaching cultural moderation to the kids.  A better DNC needs to emerge from the ashes because ignoring rural southerners will get us ghost.

I wanted to put some of my favorite blog posts in this cyber Mason jar for the trolls to find.  If they wanted to talk now, I will be waiting on my front porch with sweet tea…bring white envelopes.

https://bestinterestsinitiative.wordpress.com/

https://projectlogicga.com/2009/12/10/cease-corps/

https://projectlogicga.com/2016/07/27/southside-of-the-tracks-us-vs-them/

https://projectlogicga.com/2016/12/19/southern-rural-democrats-astroturf-vs-sod-grassroots/

https://projectlogicga.com/2016/11/21/ongoing-civil-wars-failure-to-communicatea-new-great-triumvirate/

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Space Cowboys: Can Bill Clinton Dems Save the Day From Trump And Sanders

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , on May 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »

So, Trump has Newt Gingrich and Hillary has Bill Clinton.  That is a really good deal because (as quiet as it is kept) leaders got along after hours for the good of the nation back in the day.  If you notice Bill Clinton is like Bush 41’s play son.  President Clinton and Speaker Gingrich met privately late at night  and supposedly saved Social Security.

It seems most of the players in the political arena are actually acting most of the time.  On the Democrat side, most members of the Congressional Black Caucus care more about keeping their positions of power by promising free this and that than telling the truth about improving our communities.  The truth starts with folks taking an honest look in the mirror.

On the Republican side, a little article in the Capitol Hill newspaper from the Clinton/Gingrich era sums it up for me.  When the Contract With America Republican revolutionaries went on a retreat to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, a cover band that night played Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker” and a surprising number of freshmen put their fingers to their lips on the part about “I am a midnight toker.”  Basically, the reporter felt these high-minded conservatives were no strangers to being literally high.

You know a brother played bass on “The Joker” and that first line about “some people call me the space cowboy…some people call me the doctor of love” got me thinking about the movie Space Cowboys.  In that film four Air Force test pilots hoped to be the first Americans in space but the government in their wisdom replaced the Air Force with NASA and the first in space was a chimp named Mary Ann.  Well, dam.

Four decades later, NASA sought the help of those old fellows because a Russian communication satellite needed to be control and the systems were similar to American old technology.  After taking the space shuttle to the Soviet craft, they discovered four nuclear warheads that would target America if they fall out of orbit.  Tommy Lee Jones’ character decided to use his jet pack to push the weapons into deep space before finally getting to the moon and dying.  Hey, Jones was Vice President Gore’s roommate at Harvard.

Thank you for reading that long movie recap because I needed that foundation to make a point.  The point is that those of us who were around the Congress and White House during the Clinton era seems like those space cowboys.  Remember, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich and House Budget Committee chair John Kasich crafted an economic plan (after fighting like cats and dogs) that left America with a budget surplus and a strong, healthy economy.

After riding his coattails, the nasty Republicans figured out a way to toss homeboy Newt.  More surprising, Al Gore loss to George Bush because the same people that the Clinton/Gore White House helped failed to vote.  I am not pissed at the Republicans for winning; I am pissed at our community for not voting.

As in the movie Space Cowboys, it’s time for the old school Clinton Dems or the Blue Dog Democrats to rescue the world from pending disaster.  To me, there are five sections to the electorate right now.  On the Republican side, you have the “traditional establishment, less taxes, pro-business conservatives” and you have the “far Right, listen to talk radio until a blood vessel is going to pop in their forheads, I want my country back” folks.   On the Dem side, you have the Clintonites/Obamacrats who are the Dem establishment and you have the new socialists of Bernie Sanders with their give me, give me, give me mentality.

The 5th section would be the millions of people who will sit at home and not vote this year.  Mind you, these same people might be living in government-assisted housing and eating food….I better stop there but you get the point.

If the Sanders supporters don’t vote for Clinton, Trump is president.  I have friends who argue that Trump being president would be better for our community than Sanders because we will know once and for all that the White House can’t help us and it is therefore vital that we help ourselves by changing our personal actions.

Real talk, Trump’s message of making goods in America sounds similar to the “Look for the Union label” movement of my childhood.  Hell yes, we use to have four factories in every south Georgia town and of course we had agriculture.  Today, stuff is cheap in the dollar store because it’s made by cheap labor overseas.  But, the homies don’t have a dollar because the community is unemployed.  Wall Street did that to increase their profit margins.  I would pay a little more for American made goods and products if that put people back to work.

We can’t fall for Trump’s excellent acting job; he is more P.T. Barnum than F.D.R.  There is a sucker born every minute and you can’t blame Trump for trying to pull off the greatest ruse in history.  Being president is harder than it looks and some folks simply aren’t presidential material.  In the political arena, you have activists and governors.

Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Newt Gingrich, John Kasich and Ronald Reagan are governors while Sarah Palin, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are activists.  Activists serve an important purpose but to govern requires tact and diplomacy.  There is a big difference between Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Winning the White House in 2016 might come down to which side listens to their old school space cowboys.

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Best Interests Initiative: Health/Wellness

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , on May 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »

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Health/Wellness: Diet and Exercise; Wise Food Choices, Moderation; “Own Grave”, Understanding Wellness/Health Care Industry

Health/Wellness is an area of public policy that really hits home because we are talking life and death.  Would someone in the government or a recently retired congressman just drink some truth serum and tell the God’s honest truth.   The average American is personally responsible for their health problems due to bad diet and infrequent exercise.  While some ailments occur naturally, fast food and sugary drinks are the roots of too many issues.

If Beretta don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, a similar saying should be “don’t eat everything and anything if you don’t want to do hospital and early grave time.”  Are some foods literally “to die for?”  I had a chubby buddy who was told he was a diabetic but he simply said no…maybe later but for now no.  He learned everything about diabetes and dropped most of his body fat in six months by exercising and eating right.  While he is still a diabetic technically, he doesn’t take medication because he fought the good fight.

The good fight makes me think about Paul’s biblical statement in 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.   So, you have all these obese church folks up in the buffet spot on Sunday afternoon polluting the temple of the Lord.

Wise food choices are so easy for Americans because the stores are plentiful with variety and T.V. shows tell us what to prepare and why.  We jokingly say that modern-day soul brothers are using low-fat fatback.  Right On.  I decided to walk away from pork and beef until I get my 230 pounds weight under 210.  That was two years ago and I really miss hamburger but pork is likely gone for good.

People drink a surprisingly large number of calories.  Is Mountain Dew worth the health trouble…it’s basically syrup.   High fructose corn syrup and salt kill more people than bullets.  I want to declare my respect for the First Lady Michelle Obama and really all first ladies of my lifetime.  Even Betty Ford turned pill issues into a noble cause.

I have friends who have issues with (hate) Flotus Obama for championing the food choice issues.  From the public policy standpoint, it seems Orwellian that the government and the non-elected first lady would tell (advise)  kids on eating habits or work to remove unhealthful foods from schools.  The eating habits of kids led to a lifetime (sometimes a shorten lifetime) of medical problems.  Oh, health concerns are no problems…give ‘em pills for this and pills for that.

Yes, some people actually take the cholesterol drug Lipitor in Golden Corral before eating a fried chicken…not some fried chicken… a whole fried chicken.  Too often, that person with long-term bad eating habits is the same uninsured person that cost the government over $200,000 as doctors try to save them…from themselves.

There is a difference between what Mrs. Obama wants us to eat and what the government can force or compel us to eat.  At the same time, should medical ethics draw treatment lines when someone dug their own grave?

When Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House, he considered changes to the health care system that would reward those who ate right and exercised.  His plan was similar to the auto insurance plans with vanishing deductibles today.   If a person didn’t have a major health care expense in say five years, that person’s premium would be zero until there was a big expense.

Another aspect to consider would be the food kids receive free and reduced as part of the school lunch program.  Should the government have a right to dictate the healthfulness of that food because the taxpayers are buying it?  What about food stamps for veggies only?  Of course, the beef, corn and pork lobbyists aren’t having it.

Moderation: The motto of the great state of Georgia is “justice, wisdom and moderation.”  Friends in the health care profession tell me that I didn’t need to abandon beef and pork totally; I should have moderated my consumption of all foods.   The smart First Lady Obama promotes the USDA change from the food pyramid of old to the new food plate which calls for wise amounts of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains and dairy.   Like Columbus discovering a place with millions of inhabitants, Americans are discovering what the Greeks and Japanese have known for centuries.  You put a lot of veggies on the plate and add a little protein for seasoning.

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/about.html

As we get older, we apply moderation to many parts of life: one glass of wine, an occasional cigar, ribs on the Fourth of July only.   The workout process starts with moderation because you have to crawl before you ball….it starts with walking.

Healthy choices also involve “relations.”   Like with food, alcohol and drugs, don’t do it if you aren’t prepared to live with the possible consequences.   Relations are likely better for most people without latex but I don’t want to hear a dam word of complaining if the worst results happen.  You knew the risk factors and you made your choice.

Healthcare Industry: Again, everyone has an agenda and it usually involves staying paid.  When I was a kid, you went to the doctor and he tried to figure out what was wrong with you.   Today, the doctors want to give you medications to stop your body from sending pain messages to your brain.  You don’t need pills long-term; you need to correct what is wrong.

The whole Obamacare debate was a political football being kicked around by two political parties with donors from all sides of the private sector.  The reality is this: uninsured people use the emergency room as a doctor’s office and go to the doctor far too late.

If I had my own island nation, we would have universal health care coverage with an annual doctor’s examination.  My doctors would catch a little bump that was going to be cancerous and remove it for a few bucks.  In America, that person would receive half a million dollars in government-funded indigent care before dying.  Dam.  The annual exam on my island would give doctors the opportunity to say “you are 100 pounds overweight from poor eating habits and zero exercise.  If you don’t get those 100 pounds off you in two years, the state will not pay for fat-related treatments.  We will, however, pay your gym fees.”

While the last paragraph was mostly humor, there is nothing funny about the insurance industry making decisions about coverage for insured people.   I didn’t say doctors making decisions.  We are talking about insurance company employees in call centers somewhere.  So, do you want to know why I eat wiser and limit Budweiser?   It’s because I don’t like those people making life decisions about me.  Yes, illness is part of life but it’s a part I avoid by fighting the good fight.

Big Pharma is the nickname for the pharmaceutical industry and they sell drugs.  To me, helpful drugs are gifts from heaven but we shouldn’t seek a big pharma solution to a problem that can be addressed naturally..ie. diet and exercise.

Mrs. Obama must be dumbfounded when she thinks that we give bad free foods to poor kids and those kids become adults with horrible eating habits who again cost 500k for healthcare coverage.  We are the greatest nation in human history because the best third of the population makes things happen but the worst third needs to step their game up …with no more excuses.   And yes, the first lady and the government should discuss eating habits carefully because the taxpayers often fund medical care resulting from bad choices.

Mental/Emotional Health: People with emotional and mental health issues often self-medicate with alcohol, illegal drugs and wrongful usage of legal drugs.  We should be mindful that emotional eating leads to health problems.  Chris Rock says Black folks only go to counseling when it’s court ordered but with all kidding aside, all people need to check their mental health with the care they give their precious cars.

Peace, rest and happiness are good medicines; the soul needs wellness.  Some people go from childhood to the grave stuck on angry – mad at the world for spinning.  You don’t need experts to tell you that constantly boiling blood isn’t good for the mind, body or soul.

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Best Interests Initiative: Personal Responsibility-Choices, Decisions and Consequences

Posted in politics, tagged on April 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

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This is a little too strong

Personal Responsibility: Choices, Decisions and Consequences; Deliberation; Focus; Family Engineering; Self-analysis

Elected officials and others in the political arena spend too much time giving the public the impression that governmental actions can fix what is wrong most of the time.  If you think about it, most of the solutions start with personal responsibility (PR); people owning what they did, will do and what they should teach children to do.

The conservative movement devoted considerable amounts of attention to PR over the years but some of those guys can be mean with it.  A better approach would be to firmly and positively encourage people to select a different path or course of action.  It’s all about mindset.

We should acknowledge that Speaker Newt Gingrich has had the right idea in the past when he wasn’t being playfully mean himself.  Gingrich use to say that the federal government’s limited role was to create a fair playing field; a climate in which people’s prosperity was determined by their actions.  Of course, we haven’t had that climate in America yet but it’s a better approach than the almost socialist method of having people think that the government should act to correct what’s wrong in their lives.  Newsflash: there will be winners and losers in life.  As Prince sang in Pop Life, “Everybody can’t be on top.”

If your life stinks, you should ask yourself if the stench is the result of what you did or didn’t do.  You went to elementary school with people who ended up at Florida State University and people who ended up at Florida State Penitentiary.  While parenting is a factor, most of us could have done more to be the masters of our fates.

Choices, Decisions and Consequences (CDC): While teaching in a job training program, I luckily turned on ESPN to see a speaker breaking CDC down for NFL rookies.   You have choices in life, you make decisions about those choices and you better be ready to accept the consequences of those decisions.  Since the begining of humankind, it’s has been about the organic/natural CDC process.

However, government involvement (while well-intended) introduces inorganic or unnatural aspects into the process.  Yes, we need a safety net to help during rough periods but some folks feel that the awareness of assistance encourages risky decision-making.  Hell, some people want to argue more with the government about money for raising kids than with the kid’s other parent.  A trip to the assistance office comes before a trip to the hiring fast food business.  People need to own or live in the reality created by their actions—stop the blame game.

Deliberation: I am amazed by the ease with which people make life-altering decisions. Big choices and actions should require a very slow, well-researched decision-making process.  One must be deliberate in his actions.  It’s sad but true that some young people give more consideration to which pictures to post online than when and with whom to have a child.  “I just happen to be in the car with those guys when someone started shooting at them about something.”

Of course, deliberation starts with research and research begins from the knowledge and wisdom of wiser people. Guys taking life skills advice from friends on the corner is the very definition of the blind leading the blind.  General Colin Powell said that you should never take counsel from unproductive people.

Focus: Once good decisions are made, they must be implemented and executed with focus—keep your eyes on the prize.  Smart people design and map out goals and objectives.

Family Engineering: Can people in the public policy arena openly discuss this subject or does that discussion violate the ethics of public policy; this isn’t China.  I broach the subject because poorly engineered or planned families cost the taxpayers billions.  Who had a baby with whom at what time and under what financial conditions?  Time is big because reasonable people know that folks in their late teens to early 20s are still growing into who they will be.  The moms in my job training program often said that life would have been better if they simply had their kids five years later and after better knowing the fathers (they would have selected better guys who were they husbands.)

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The age-old discussion in college social science classes is the debate between nature and nurture.  Is behavior based on DNA, environment or a combination?  Either way, family members often put their faces in their hands when they discover who a family member is having a baby with, for or whatever. Again, where is the deliberation?  Grandmother is going to spend money for the next 18 years; she might be 65 years old with a net worth of less than $6,500 because she kept helping her family members.  Mercy.

Can we get back to the days when you knew who you were and whose you were?  People once functioned with a sense of community; they were mindful of “how you carried yourself” and folks knew that good families required careful cultivation like good crops.

Self-analysis: Quick, name a close friend who isn’t good at self-analysis.  From the good, the bad and the ugly, improvements in any aspect of life start with taking an honest look in the mirror.   Of course, people can’t be critical of themselves if their mindsets are twisted.  Some people never say or think that they are wrong or could have handled something better.

Why are we having a personal responsibility discussion on a public policy forum?  This discussion is needed because people sometimes make horrible life choices and taxpayers directly or indirectly end up with the bill.  That situation simply isn’t fair and we must find a way to reverse it.

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U.S Senate Race and Public Assistance: Help the Needy vs. Help the Seedy

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

You can’t think about public policy for the needy in the South without coming across several related Bible verses.  2 Thessalonians 3:10 says “For even when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

But, we should also consider Psalm 82:2-4 “How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?  Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.  Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.”

Look, no one thinks of themselves as wicked and I am not calling anyone wicked.  However, some good people in politics and policy will do some somewhat devious things to win the battle and hopefully the war.

Everyone hates seeing hungry people and particularly hungry children.  Reasonable folks fairly state that those people got themselves into their circumstances with questionable life choices and personal responsibility.  It burns a taxpayer up to get into an old truck to leave a shift at a plant after standing 12 hours in steel-toed shoes then past grown fathers standing on the corner—guys who are too proud or crazy to do manual labor, pick crops or flip burgers.

The radio in that old pickup is blasting far Right talk radio in that worker’s ear.  “Your tax dollars provided those assistance checks, food stamps and free school lunches…you are sweating over a drill press while that bum plays video games all day in government assisted housing and sips malt liquor that was purchased with money intended for hungry kids.”  Dam, I am writing this stuff too easily…have I been watching Fox News.

We live in a free society; this isn’t North Korea or China.  Dictating better living isn’t legal.  So, children are born into struggling situations but Jesus wouldn’t want us to let them starve because their parents made bad choices.

The Farm Bill is the law that directs USDA programs and therefore seriously impacts the South.  Back when members of congress talked across the aisle, the farm bill supported commodity programs (which helped farm families) and provide food assistance programs (which helped farm families by creating  additional markets.)  Today, the far Right wanted to end most food assistance to force needy people to work and stop having kids they can’t afford.  Social media was a buzzed this week with the story of a seedy woman with 15 kids who upset that the government wasn’t doing more to help her.  Say what? I watch the news video about this family but paused it to say a little pray for those kids.

http://nation.foxnews.com/homelessness/2011/12/01/homeless-lady-15-kids-somebody-needs-pay-all-my-children

 

The school lunch/breakfast program ensures that needy kids have two meals a day five days a week during the school year.  Without those meals, the hospitals would be packed with malnourished kids and that cost would be astronomical.  Of course, hungry kids can’t focus on classwork so the labor force would be untrained and looking for ways to make fast money.  Fast money leads to prison at a cost of $35,000 a year.

U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston is the best House Republican from the Georgia but as a Senate candidate even Jack started tripping.  Kingston has represented chocolate city Savannah for 20 years, he was worked in chocolate city D.C. for the same 20 years and he has served during that time on the House Ag Committee and/or the Appropriations Sub-Committee on Agriculture.  Jack is UDSA food programs like the back of his hand.

If Kingston really said that needy kids should work at the school to pay off their free lunch, he was saying that to get Senate primary votes.  He knows that would never happen nor would he want that to happen.  So, poor people, people who grew up poor (Black, White and Brown) and those of us with compassion for the poor make up a bloc of voters who some in the GOP are simple writing off.

I watched the GOP Senate primary like a hawk and waited to see how much campaign would be done in the Black community.  Karen Handel had a wealth of supporters in the ATL and Jack has always shown the flag in every community in his district.  I never heard these two candidates making overtures to the Black community because there are few primary voters there.   For the record, I am a moderate Dem who voted in the GOP primary because that was where the action was.

Surprisingly, former Dollar General executive David Perdue was the only GOP senate candidate that my Black GOP friends said reached out to the non GOP Black community; he supposedly met with 32 Black pastors in the Albany area.  I like that right there.

I told those same GOP friends that they can mark my word:  the school lunch comment by Kingston would drive out thousands of occasional voters—it’s a hornet’s nest.  Voters sometimes vote for candidates and sometimes vote against candidates.  Remember, the confederate flag drama drove some people to vote against then Governor Roy Barnes….hell, some of them didn’t know David Perdue’s cousin Sonny at the time.

People who live off checks provide to assist kids are seedy.  Blue Dog Democrats supported Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich’s welfare reform that included work or training requirements.  As Justice Clarence grandfather taught him, public assistance makes people weak and dependent.

However, Democrat blood will boil when the T.V. ads run next fall featuring kids mopping schools as their friends laugh.  I think control of the U.S. Senate for the last two years of Obama presidency hang on that school lunch comment.  Oh, it’s going to be on and popping when child nutrition supporter Michelle Obama and Orpah see that YouTube video.   School lunch programs also teach kids about healthy food choice and that education leads to better eating as adults.

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Democrats Who Wisely Vote In Republican Primaries

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on March 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The only Democrat state or federal elected official who represents me is President Obama.  I don’t think Georgia is overwhelmingly Republican as much as I think Dems help people who don’t take the time to vote.  With that being said, you can understand why I am a moderate Dem who often votes in the Republican primary.

In states like Michigan, voters register as member of a party and can only vote in the primary for that party.  I view the Georgia process as members of two major parties listing their candidates and voters choosing from those candidates more so than people self-identifying as R or D.  Oh, Republicans clearly function like GOP is second only to their church but Southern Dems aren’t about half that interested party politics.

If the selection of leaders take place in the GOP primary, that’s where the action is.  Michelle Nunn will be the Dem nominee for Senate and Jason Carter will be the nom for governor.  In most places, there is nothing popping for Dems in the primary except local elections (those locals need to be non-partisan but save that fight for another day.)

I voted for Newt Gingrich in the presidential primary before voting for Obama again in the general election.  Because some GOP candidates are board line zealots, I will vote for the most reasonable one.  Also, cooler candidates from the other side are the ones I want to see in constructive debates before the general election. 

In the state Senate race in my area, I will be voting in the GOP primary for a decent guy who attended my high school and there will be no Dem in the general election. 

If I lived in Georgia’s 2nd congressional district, I would vote for Vivian Childs in the GOP primary because she has a demeanor similar to Senator Johnny Isakson, Senator Saxby Chambliss and Rep. Austin Scott—less Tea Party, more sweet Iced Tea.  A contest between Rep. Sanford Bishop and Childs would actually help to explain how they are alike rather than what divides them…what divides us.  If both political parties hate cross-party voting, that makes me want to see more of it. 

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Democrats’ Santorum Dilemma

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , on February 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The word “Santorum” doesn’t appear in my local newspaper this morning but presidential candidate Rick Santorum could be leader of the free world or should I say the less free world.   While Gingrich and Romney are presidential material, “President Sanatorium” scares the daylights out of me because he is small-minded in my opinion.

Santorum has been keeping it real since his days in the House and Senate. He could have serious appeal to blue-collar voters if unemployment and gas prices are high next fall.  This candidate keeps saying “the president thinks he is smarter that you.”  To me, that statement is code for “this uppity elitist is running and ruining your life.”  Newsflash: the former president of the Harvard Law Review  is smarter that 99.99% of the people in the world.

I have written half a dozen blog post over the last six months encouraging Democrats to vote in the GOP primaries for someone President Obama could handle with ease next November.  But, that was when Romney was leading and the calculated risk was not that dire.  Again, Romney or Newt could govern.  Santorum’s candidacy and the recent decline of Newt has me thinking seriously about voting for Romney to ensure that far Right Rick doesn’t get into the White House.

While watching the Rachael Maddow Show last night, I saw a report about the liberal blog Daily Kos introducing the “Democrats voting for GOPers” idea.  The same idea that I have been pushing for months but no one listens to me.  If we want President Obama to win reelection, we must watch the GOP candidates now because they are tripping.  After securing the nomination, Romney will start remembering his moderate record as he seeks support from the middle.  But, Santorum can’t do that; he would double down on the hard stuff and it might work.  So, I might vote for Newt or Romney to avoid a cultural civil war if Rick wins.     

http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/02/daily-kos-announces-operation-hilarity-114604.html

https://projectlogicga.com/2011/11/18/rush-limbaughs-2008-support-hillary-plan-could-help-obama-2012/

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Belichick, Newt and Obama: Let Them Score

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , on February 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

 

I can’t stand Bill Belichick but must admit that he was smart to tell his Patriots defenders to allow the Giants’ Ahmad Bradshaw to score a touchdown in the last few minutes of the Super Bowl.  Belichick did the calculations and knew he wanted the ball back in Tom Brady’s hands.  The decision, which almost won them another championship, put me in the mind of Muhammad Ali’s Rope-dope and made me think about this presidential primary season.

Belichick didn’t tell his team to “let” them score; he told them to “help” them score.  If you noticed, Pats players were prepared to push Bradshaw into the endzone to preserve precious seconds.  President Obama might have a hard time beating a GOP candidate like Mitt Romney because Romney knows business and the business sector needs to create millions of  jobs.  The Belichick type move for Obama supporters would be helping Newt Gingrich score by winning open primary state elections. 

If you notice, I wrote Obama supporters rather than Democrats because the Democratic National Committee would never endorse or support party members voting for any Republican anywhere for any reasons.  I am more interested in holding the White House than protecting their party brand.   If Romney gets his party’s nomination one day, he will become sweet and nice to the political center the next day to win the general election (if the Tea Party lets him.)  It will be Romney’s Belichick type move to soften his party and secure the White House—it might work. 

But, good old Newt doesn’t play that game.  He is hardcore and has a long record to prove it.  Remember, we can beat Newt in November if we help him win the nomination now—hold your nose and think Belichick.

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Democrats for Newt Gingrich….Really

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on January 31, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I am voting for President Obama in November and Newt Gingrich in March. Obama supporters in conservative states with open primaries should know that giving the president Newt as a target is as important as their general election vote.  Every Mitt Romney associated super PAC T.V. ad regarding Newt’s negatives actually reinforces my contentions.   The reasons Democrats should vote for Newt jump out at you:

Clean cut Romney: That Mitt Romney reminds me of a guy from a soap opera star.  He actually is a nice person with a super family so there is little motivation to vote against him for personal reasons while Newt gets our blood boiling.  “Obama is a food stamp president.”  “Poor kids should work at school.”  A longer GOP primary gives Newt time to rough up Romney. 

Plan B: While we want to see a second Obama term, we must explore options.  To me, Romney is pro-big business but Gingrich would inadvertently improve regular folks’ lives.  The government doesn’t really care about babying grown people nor should it.  With Newt in the White House, everyone would be compelled to step their game up because the safety net would be thin.  Plus, I am tired of watching Obama fight the good fight alone.

Michelle vs. Callista: Quick, name five Black women who are more important that Michelle Obama in the history of this nation.  Better yet, name five women of any color.  The sista is special and I can’t imagine replacing her with Mrs. Gingrich.  Mrs. Obama vs. Mrs. Gingrich would drive millions to the polls for Obama.

Homeboy Newt: Newt knows the South.  If someone other than Obama must be president it should be a Georgian.  As quiet as it is kept, Newt has a great record of supporting African American conservatives.  When I worked on the Hill, a sista was Newt’s Chief of Staff and Newt is constantly cultivating the next generation of Black conservatives.    

Tick off the GOP: The Republicans are purists that only want conservatives voting in their primaries (except Ron Paul.)  Democrats voting in their primary would drive them crazy and distort their statistical analysis.  Actually, open primary better reflect a cross section of the electorate.  

Summary: we need to educate voters on their options.  If you live in an open primary state, voting for Newt is something to consider.

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That S__ Crazy: Huntsman, Gingrich, Bishop, Romney

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on January 17, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Kanye West saying ”That S__ Crazy” on that song with Jay Z is one cool rap lyric.  But, the line should apply to some political matters as well.

Jon Huntsman: The GOP had an opportunity to select this decent conservative as their nominee but he left the race while polling in the single digits.  Huntsman could have easily secured the large political center’s vote and walked into the White House if unemployment rates and gas prices remain high.  But, the red meat people on the far Right want a president who is mad, angry and pissed so they gave him their behinds to kiss.  “That S__ Crazy.”

Newt Gingrich: The homeboy Newt needs to stop tripping.  He is as smart as President Obama and would make improving America his historic legacy if he became president.  But, the food stamp stuff is too much.  In the debate last night, Newt said, “Obama PUT more people on food stamps than any American president. Put.  Put.  Put.  No political leader in this nation wants people on food stamps or in need.  The implication is that President Obama is a socialist and that’s not the case.  Speaker Gingrich knows better but it’s a dirt game.  Newt is crazy like a fox and he might steal South Carolina with this mess.  Democrats in S.C. should vote for Newt (since Huntsman is gone) so that Obama/Biden get a louder opponent.  “That S__ Crazy.”

Sanford Bishop: Why in the world does the far Right want Bishop’s seat so badly.  My friends in the conservative movement should know that agriculture is the backbone of rural Georgia and Bishop gets urban members of Congress to support Farm Bill programs that benefit every American who eats food and the producers who grow food.  Fiscal conservatives have crop support programs as one of their main targets.  So, removing Bishop is directly shooting yourself in your southern foot because my region would be a wasteland without USDA .  “That S__ Crazy.”  

Mitt Romney: While I am an Obama supporter, I must say that people should get off Romney’s case about his work at Bain.  Capitalism involves improving companies if you can and closing them if you must.  Mitt should say that he and Jay Z “ball so hard..these (blanks) want to fined me…but first they got to find me.”  “That S__ Crazy.”

Bottomline: As the song says, you got to crawl before you ball.  Young rap listeners should understand that fact and avoid the bling.  We need to hear that from moderate leaders. (Are they still saying bling?)

 N-ggas in Paris (language warning)

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Barack Al Gore Obama

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , on January 8, 2012| 4 Comments »

I see it coming from a mile away and know I am going to be ticked off by the Democrats.  It happened before with Al Gore.  Since Bill Clinton’s White House did some much for regular people and left a budget surplus, Al Gore should have been a shoe-in.  But, some folks are too lazy to vote and therefore deserve who or what they get. 

Barrack Obama isn’t a loser and if the presidency goes to the GOP it will be the result of swing state Democrats sleeping.  As I have written in the past few months, winning elections requires cunning, strategy and timing.  Again, southern Democrats should consider voting in the GOP primary to select someone they want Obama to face (Gingrich, Santorum, Paul) or someone reasonable who should be on the ticket as POTUS or VP (Romney, Huntsman.) To be honest, our southern votes in November will be a formality and not as important as campaign donations that will help the reelection efforts in swing states.  Obama 2012 might need to replace Georgia in the win column with another southern state won in 2008 but that is improbable.

His narrow defeat crushed Al Gore but Barack Obama could actually be better off by exiting the White House.  The president battles the loyal opposition alone with little help from his cabinet, the Dems in congress or his so-called supporters in the electorate.  Maybe he should say “ten cents in a bucket…mother (blank) it.”  Obama could spend the next four years enjoying his family and speaking openly about what we need to do to improve as a nation.  Post-WH Michelle Obama will become one of the most important first ladies in history. 

I, for one, don’t want to see Obama get beat down for four more years while trying to help folks who need to help themselves (ourselves) first. It is an inconvenient truth.   Paul and Santorum might drive some moderates into the arms of Romney because Plan Bs must be considered.  If Newt would stop talking  about food stamps and stay intellectual “with his,”  he could have appeal to moderates.

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2012 Political Season: Magic Wand and Understanding

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 27, 2011| 3 Comments »

If I could wave a magic wand on New Year’s Eve, the notations I would place in southern voters’ minds as we enter the election year would involve understanding.  Kandi from the Real Housewives of Atlanta was in a hip hop group with T.I.’s lady Tiny back in the day and they had a hit called “Understanding.”     

Xcape’s “Understanding” had a line that said, “You don’t really know me… you just want’a do what you want’a do… that’s not the way it is baby…you gotta listen to me.”  That line applies to elections, politics and policy because the South has a history of leaders and parties who arrogantly want to make desicisions for everyone without input from or understanding of everyone else.  

I am an American who is concerned that the so-called developing world could blow past our nation in this century because those hungry people are driven liked we once were.  Simply put, we might get out hustled by Latin America, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia because their young people aren’t playing when it comes to education and training while too many of our youth are soft whiners.  We must understand that the entire nation must be striving collectively.

Anyway, the following points are the ideas I would put in voters’ heads:

1.President Obama can’t improve your life alone.  He can only foster an environment conducive for your personal development.  That’s what he said from the moment he stepped onto the national stage but folks don’t know how to listen.

2. Newt Gingrich as president could actually be good for my community.  While we never know which version of Newt will show up, Speaker Gingrich from the Clinton era was a great ideas person who sincerely wanted to change the cultural mindset of Americans in a positive way.  Look: the government doesn’t now nor has it ever cared about the average person.  With Newt as president we would know that fact without a doubt and get about the business of personal responsibility.

3.  Jon Huntsman is the most Obama-like Republican and moderate Democrats should vote for him to encourage the GOP nominee to make him their VP candidate.  As quiet as it is kept, Obama respects Huntsman more than he does most of the Congressional Black Caucus.  If the GOP takes the White House, moderates will wish level-headed Huntsman was at the table.

4. A small percentage of Democrats could sway the GOP presidential primary.  “Ted, is right..we should vote for Huntsman just in case Obama doesn’t win or Newt to help Obama win.”  Of course, no one understands my points until after the fact.

5.  In South Georgia, running someone against Sanford Bishop will crank up Bishop’s campaign apparatus and organize Democrat GOTV efforts in Albany, Columbus and Macon.  If President Obama wins reelection by a slim margin and by surprisingly winning Georgia, Bishop’s opponents can be thanked.  By the same logic, Democrats can’t beat Austin Scott so we shouldn’t run anyone against him.  That energy would be better spent developing a functional relationship with the young lawmaker. 

Bottomline: Using the “Understanding” song in a blog post is recycling a past post.  Another past post is my notes from “The Art of War.”  That Chinese warfare manual is like a blueprint for politics and modern business.  A central theme in the book is respect for and understanding of the other side. If the GOP understood Democrats, they would select Huntsman as their nom but the hardheaded never learn.  If the Dems understood the Tea Party, they would vote for Huntsman in the GOP primaries in droves to keep them out of the White House.  But, we are more concerned about the NFL playoffs. 

https://projectlogicga.com/2009/06/07/the-art-of-war/

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Genesis 4:15: Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman and Charlie Ward

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , on November 29, 2011| 1 Comment »

My thoughts today turn to Genesis 4:15, the original Cain, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman and surprisingly Charlie Ward, Jr.  From Sunday School, we remember that Cain killed his brother Abel and we joked “what did Eve do after Abel died…she raised Cain.”  Seriously, I asked the Sunday school teacher (a high school student) “who was Cain concerned about killing him if Adam, Eve and Cain were the only people on earth and who in time did Cain marry?”

Genesis 4:15 And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.  And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.

Herman Cain shouldn’t feel the wrath of the GOP if this mess about him is true.  As quiet as it is kept,  they should have vetted him better and he served his purpose.  In 1988, Senator Al Gore ran for president to increase awareness on global warming.  Herman Cain’s chief reasons for entering the presidential race were to highlight problems with the arcane tax code and anti-business governmental policies.  He did that. 

If half of the allegations about Cain are true, Reverend Cain should reread Genesis 4:13 where Cain said to God “my punishment is greater than I can bear.”  Well, the original Cain should have thought about that before he killed his brother and Herman Cain should have thought about that before he stepped onto the presidential stage.  Why do you think those other fellows chose not to run? 

I see parallels between Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward and Jon Huntsman.  Ward was the best college football player in the nation and a Christian athlete who was undrafted by the N.F.L.  Pro scouts didn’t think he was tall enough at quarterback to see receivers over tall linemen.  Jon Huntsman could receive half of the centrist vote if his fellow conservatives could see pass their primary season.  Charlie Ward wasn’t vengeful about his slighting as he resorted to Plan B by having a successful career in the N.B.A.

Jon Huntsman should have a similar Plan B that involves using open state primaries as mini-general elections.  He could show GOP voters that he is the Republican who Democrats find most reasonable.  Of course, red meat Republicans are vengeful at Huntsman because he was patriotic enough to accept President Obama’s request for him to serve as our nation’s ambassador to China. 

Huntsman’s plan to put it all on the line in New Hampshire would be better if he spent some time courting moderate and centrist voters in South Carolina and other southern states.  If Newt Gingrich is the GOP nominee, Huntsman’s coolness could be the perfect counterbalance.  So, maybe  Huntsman’s Plan B is the vice presidency.  I know he would be better received on southern college campuses than any other GOP candidate and he could actually get more votes for non-GOPers than GOPers–that would be wild.

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Rush Limbaugh’s 2008 “Support Hillary” Plan Could Help Obama 2012

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , , on November 18, 2011| 4 Comments »

Did Rush Limbaugh create the operational plan in 2008 for Obama/Biden primary success in 2012?  At the first public event for the unlikelyalliesproject.com, someone pointed out that Limbaugh created and pushed a national strategy which called for Republican crossover voting. 

The plan was for conservatives to vote for Hillary Clinton in open primary states and therefore prolong the Clinton/Obama battle.  Actually, the battle seasoned Obama and prepared him for McCain so thanks Rush Limbaugh and thanks for providing historic validity to this blogger’s idea that Democrats should do something similar in 2012.  Of course, Democrats aren’t crafty enough to do something diabolic but a positive twist on the Limbaugh technique would be Dems voting for less-bitter GOP candidates like Jon Huntsman or southern homeboys Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich. 

James Carville and Paul Begala from the Bill Clinton campaign should be on this like white on rice. Carville recently said that Dems aren’t trying to hurt the Herman Cain campaign because Obama would eat Cain up in a general election debate.  As we say in rural Georgia, “don’t talk about it…be about… let’s get the show on the road.”  Obama vs. Cain.  Obama vs. Huntsman.  Obama vs. Paul.  Yes we can.  Obama vs. Huntsman would be creepy because they are basically the same person but on different sides of the political fence.   All GOP presidential campaigns except Romney should welcome Dems extending the primary season while they wait for their candidates to catch fire.

This blog and the unlikelyalliesproject.com aren’t about supporting any candidate or side.  We are about creating a forum for discussions involving ALL sides.  But, I tell you that Tom Joyner, Michael Baisden and Doug Banks could have fun with a new version of Limbaugh’s Operation Chaos.  

Check out the news article below on the 2008 Limbaugh effort to support Hillary and then information straight from his webpage. 

 http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/republicans-vote-hillary/2008/02/28/id/323031

Limbaugh Urges Republicans to Vote for Hillary

Thursday, February 28, 2008 09:25 AM

By: Jim Meyers

It may be sound unbelievable, but conservative Rush Limbaugh is urging Republicans to cross party lines this Tuesday in primaries in Ohio and Texas and vote for Hillary Clinton.

During his No. 1 rated radio show and on his Web site, http://www.rushlimbaugh.com, the former Clinton archenemy has told listeners to “pimp themselves” for just one day vote by voting for Hillary to keep the Democratic Party “at war with itself.”

Citing a story in a Texas newspaper headlined “Many Republicans to Vote for Obama,” Limbaugh told listeners this week: “I understand I’ve got a big challenge here to try to get Republicans to change their minds on this and vote for Hillary to keep her in the race, to keep that party at war with itself . . .

“It’s clear that Republicans in Texas have been listening to this program where we have advised Republicans to pimp themselves for a day and go vote in the Democrat primary . . . I just think, at this stage, the longer Hillary can stay in this, the better for us.”

Limbaugh said he wants to see Hillary and Barack Obama continue battling, noting that the battle will end if Hillary is vanquished and Obama can focus completely on presumptive GOP nominee John McCain.

“I know I’m fighting an uphill battle . . . vote for Hillary to keep this campaign going, this ‘uncivil war,’” Rush said.

“Remember what this is, this is about us winning. You have to understand, it’s not about Hillary winning; It’s about us winning. It’s about our party winning. It’s about those people losing. They’ve got some problems in the Democratic Party. It’s not all sweetness and light over there . . .

“If Hillary loses this thing, all of that’s going to come to a screeching halt. We want all the disruption in that party as possible. It’s about us winning.”

 http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2008/03/12/rush_the_vote_operation_chaos

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Open Letter: Regarding Southern Democrats and All Presidential Campaigns

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , , on November 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

If the GOP presidential primary process continues deep into the winter, all candidates will benefit in some way (including President Obama.)  We should pause to think about Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels—good guys that most voters never got to know as presidential candidates because they exited too early.  Those exits should be a lesson for current candidates who don’t see much of a lifeline at this point.  Your lifeline might be open primary states Democrats, a pool of voters rarely mentioned but prime for the taking.

http://unlikelyalliesproject.com/

President Obama will be the Democrat nominee, so most southern Democrats are free to vote in the GOP primary and change the game.  In my opinion, the following presidential campaigns should support our Hear Me Out/ “Unlikely Allies Project.com” effort for these reasons:

President Obama: The GOP candidates’ fighting among themselves shortens the coming barrage against Obama/Biden 2012.  Smooth, reasonable GOP candidates being ignored on the national stage bodes well for the president’s effort because voters wonder why these quality candidates aren’t doing better.

Herman Cain: The best crowd-pumper-upper in the GOP field; has Black Democrats looking seriously at conservatism; fundraising master. The GOP nominee will need him everywhere (if he isn’t the nom.)  

Jon Huntsman: Reasonable guy who Obama appointed ambassador to China; having him in the GOP field makes moderates wonder why the Republicans are looking elsewhere.  Huntsman might get more primary votes from moderates and centrist Democrats than Republicans.  The GOP nominee will need him to campaign for moderate voters; might be U.S. ambassador to U.N. or Secretary of State; the GOP candidate Democrats don’t want in the general election.  

Rick Perry: Despite recent events, Perry could get a support boost from blue –collar southern Democrats; governs a state with an economy larger some nations.

Newt Gingrich: Southerners remember his speakership and Contract With America; ideas guy who needs a little more time to get back in it; some Georgians support Gingrich and Cain for regional reasons.

Ron Paul:  Many Independents, Libertarians and politically homeless people love this guy’s straight talk ; GOP polls don’t reflect his true potential.   

Michelle Bachman: Might do big numbers with Democrat women.  

Like college football 2011: President Obama is like L.S.U. and that would make Mitt Romney one-loss Alabama and Rick Perry maybe Arkansas.  Well, brainy Huntsman (Sanford) and undefeated, unchallenged Cain (U of  Houston) are who Obama/L.S.U. wants to face in the general election/national championship game.  “To be the best you beat the best” sounds great in theory but in reality you want an easier opponent at the end.  LSU/Obama fans are cheering for Houston/Cain and Sanford/Huntsman.    

Summary: We think every presidential campaign (except maybe Romney) should support and promote our UnlikelyAlliesProject.com effort to education open primary states Democrats about their options.  These campaigns should get their folks to “like” our facebook page then come to public forums to speak up.  With the importance of the issues, we must all be engaged every step of the way.

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Presidential Candidates: Rebranded

Posted in politics, tagged , , on November 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

When did branding become so important in politics?  A brand, as defined by the American Marketing Association, is a name, term, sign, symbol or design or combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of others sellers. It is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problems.

We know branding from Coke and Tide but now Sarah Palin and Rev. Al Sharpton have joined Puff Daddy, Deion Sanders and Martha Stewart as brands with multi-dimensional money-making divisions. 

I personally think some candidates seek office with post-election/service branding opportunities in mind.  The funny thing is that master branders Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich are close to the White House than they planned and could be there  if their branding operations gave way to actual campaign operations.

I should take a stab at writing a rebranding statements for Cain, Gingrich and my guy Obama:

Herman Cain: “Okay..okay..I was initially running to push the conservative message and “stay paid” in the process.  Who knew that the presidential field would be this weak and that I would be the front runner. If I knew this would happen, I would have written an Obama style book that put any juicy stuff out there from jump street.  Well, it’s rough at the top but I will survive with my new-found support from those in the Black community who I have avoided to date but who are in my corner because they hate seeing one of their own recreationally ripped apart by the media.  I went to Morehouse College and yes I should have seen this drama coming.”

Newt Gingrich: “I really am as smart as Obama but sometimes smart guys get caught up in the game.  The dumb, mean act was design to get Tea Party support but I miss calculated.  I don’t have Romney’s hair but the brain under the hair I have is huge and could be reprogram to create sound governmental policy. I am hella presidential.”

Barrack Obama: “If you check the video history, I never said it would be easy or that I could do it alone. That was you’ll….not me.  Since the far Right insists on talking about matters that shouldn’t be part of governmental policy, I am going to “flip the script” and do the same.  In my second term, I will devote my time and energy to pointing out the limited role of government and what the average person can do with hard work and determination to have a Huxtable or Obama like family.  That won’t be easy either.”

It’s time for these candidates to be less Madison Avenue branding and get down to some Main Street/Country Road real talk branding.  As a matter of fact, they should forgo branding and simply be themselves.

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Red State Democrats and Hillary’s PUMAs: Inconsequential or Potential Game-changers

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 25, 2011| 1 Comment »

To hear experts talk, the next presidential election will be decided in a few swing states.  Democrats in red states must sit back, donate and watch.  The only say many moderates have during the process is the primary elections. 

President Obama will be the Democrat nominee but should Dems hedge our bets by voting in the GOP Primary for the most moderate Republican or the candidate we would like to see faceoff against the president.

When told to fall in line in 2008, Hillary Clinton’s supporters created the moniker PUMAs (Party Unity My Ass.)  They felt it was her turn and that she was better prepared to be POTUS.  Eventually, they got behind the Dem nominee and without them it would be President McCain and yes Vice President Palin.

In 2012, the passionate, committed conservatives won’t compile with party bosses so easily if their guy/gal doesn’t make the final cut.  They talk a good game but must make a PUMA-like decision between selecting a nominee who is most like them (Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman) or selecting someone who can appeal to political moderates and independents (Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman.)

Did I mention that Red State Democrats have nothing but time on our mischievous hands?  

Red State Democrats should consider these GOP Primary options:

Those Who Love Obama’s vibe: vote Huntsman.

Those Who Love An Economic/Jobs focus: vote Cain, Romney or Gingrich.

Those Who Want to See a Georgian In the Oval Office: vote Cain or Gingrich.

Those Who Want to See the GOP nominee be Just Like the Average Far Right Conservative and therefore Unappealing to the Political Center thus Improving Obama Chances: vote Cain or Perry.

Summary: Red State Democrats are consequential after all but can they be organized to make such crafty, cunning poll move.  “Hell Naw” is the likely answer.

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Politics and Football’s Veer Option Offense

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , , on October 21, 2011| 1 Comment »

Triple Option Veer

Presidential politics puts college football’s option offense in my mind.  Mixing metaphors is risk as we remember Obama/Palin with lipstick on a pig and more recently Herman Cain’s 999 with apples and oranges.  Those other candidates at the Western debate knew full well what he was saying.  State sales tax will still be there anyway on apples…whatever. I like a flat 14% income tax personally.  

While I am no expert on football, I know that the triple-option, the veer or the wishbone is the base formation that allows three running options: the fullback receiving the handoff, the quarterback side pitching to the half back or the quarterback running the ball himself.  The quarterback might also pass to a receiver.  With the new “spread” option, the quarterback is in the shotgun formation and the defense is spread because several wide receivers are used. 

In 2008, Barrack Obama was basically the quarterback of a spread, wildcat offense because we put the best player on the team at quarterback and said run fast and think on your feet. 

(Here is where the metaphors get murky and confusing.)

Today, the American voter is the quarterback, Obama is the tailback; Biden is maybe the blocking fullback; and Hillary joins Timothy Geithner as wide receivers going deep.  A sound economy is the goal line/endzone and some feel that Hillary should be quarterback.

We can stay with the current starters or put in the red-shirt (red as in Republican) freshmen who really to play.  Romney wants to be tailback while Rick Perry is a tight end who needs to block but can also catch the ball.  In from the pizza concession stand, Herman Cain could be Hershel Walker or another Marcus Dupree.  Coach Newt Gingrich knows the Xs and Os but coaches don’t suit up.

Bottomline: Voters need options.  If something isn’t working, we need to pitch, pass or put someone else in the game.  Of course, the GOP could be the other team and they are keying on Obama because he might be all the weak Dem team has.  Check this out, we are all on the same team and penalty flags are flying everywhere. 

Ultimately, the people drive the economy and we have been weak in the weight room, weak in practice and unprepared on game day.  The developing world might be the other team and they have become the manufacturers we once were.  The game shouldn’t be decide in the press box (the media) by has-beens or never-weres….dog- gone Monday morning quarterbacks.

Oklahoma’s J.C. Watts was the sweetest option quarterback in history while Texas’s Earl Campbell and O.U. Billy Sims were the best running backs.  You never knew if Watts was running or pitching to his tailback and sometimes he pitched down field.  Former GOP Congressman Watts recently brought liberal former House Armed Services Chairman Ron Dellums into his governmental lobbying firm.  J.C. is smart enough to know that you scheme for gameday by knowing the other side or using a scout team of red-shirts.

The presidential primary is like the recruiting process and we want good red-shirts on the team because we might need to change late in the game or season if the starters aren’t producing (double-digit unemployment, four dollar gas.)

Obama is my starter but who do we need on the sidelines in waiting—Romney, Cain, Perry, Gingrich.   “Veer right…and pitch down field on two.”  

  http://www.ktvu.com/news/29525390/detail.html

  Longtime Democrat Dellums working for Republicans

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Double Dog Dare: Primary Vote for Herman Cain

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , , , on October 17, 2011| 1 Comment »

Herman Cain’s presidential campaign has created a fascinating scenario for southern voters.  Since folks are digging his simple, straight-forward style, I will break it down straight, no chaser.

Romney vs. Obama:  The White House is prepping for Romney because he is the candidate, as a former moderate, who would be most attractive to centrist voters.  His downside to conservatives is that he is a traditional Chamber of Commerce establishment guy without dirt under his nails.  

Newt Gingrich vs. Obama: Newt is as smart as President Obama and fully prepared to govern but the GOP base sees him as a nerdy professor.  I like the idea of a Georgian in the W.H. to protect our regional interests.

Rick Perry vs. Obama: While the media is insinuating that Rick isn’t ready, we must remember that he governs the planet of Texas, a state that was once a republic and a state which has the world’s 14th largest GDP.  We should never sleep on a Texan with power and funding.   

Cain vs. Obama:  First, see the Georgian comment under Newt’s section.  Georgian Cain must have been raised on Coke, peaches and peanuts like me.  Cain is a real southern conservative.  In his senate race, he was to the political right of Senator Isakson.  Southern conservatives want leaders who are just like them– leaders who shoot from the hip and cast a big shadow like John Wayne.  Herman Cain and Rick Perry fit that image.  

Summary:  10,000 Maniacs isn’t a political convention but a cool band that wrote “Candy That Everyone Wants.”  The 10K maniacs who will be at the GOP National Convention will be manic for a red meat Republican like Herman Cain when Romaine lettuce Romney would be a select the Center would find more appetizing in November.  Oh yeah, the Far Right does not care what the GOP establishment or the Center wants because they think they have the numbers. 

It’s like a kid in the candy store and parents should let a kid have all the candy he wants once then watch him get sick.  As Natalie Merchant and the 10,000 Maniacs sang, “Give ‘em want they want.”  I want a Georgian to be president if not Obama; so, I am a Democrat who will be voting for Cain or Newt in the GOP primary since Jon Huntsman will be long gone by then.

Herman Cain is like candy to my Tea Party friends and they swear they have the numbers to win the general election with him.  As southern kids say, I “double dog dare” you all to put Cain up against Obama.

Centrists and moderates in the South (whose primary vote would be otherwise wasted) should vote in the GOP Primary and give them what they want.  If Cain became president, regular folks would know that they need to get their “blank” together because it will officially be survival of the fittest. Guess what, it’s survival of the fittest NOW but the Democrat leaders are too soft to admit it.  The Piss and Vinegar conservatives might actually be healthy for the nation….like a drill sergeant.   

Democrats voting for any Republican isn’t approved by the D.N.C. but my father is dead so nobody tells me what to do (except the police.)

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The Entitlement Mentality: Unlikely Allies Project

Posted in politics, tagged , , , , on September 1, 2011| 4 Comments »

An entertainer called Chapter recently released the satirical video “It’s Free, Swipe Yo EBT.”  I was ticked off until I realized the song was a poor attempt at parody.  But, the bigger questions are the social responsibility of so-called artists and the direct effect they have on the entitlement mentality.

  Warning: strong language

If you grew up when and where I did, you know that the government isn’t your friend.  The limited role of government ranges from delivering the mail and defending the borders to helping hungry children.  The truly heartless are the only ones who want to see hungry babies resulting from some people have children at the wrong time with the wrong people.

Chapter or Keywanda actually started an important discussion.  When people on the far Right argue that the federal government should be extremely limited, they should remember that Black people appreciate the intervention of the fed into the affairs of southern states during the struggle for freedom.

In the 1990s, Newt Gingrich pushed  Bill Clinton in the correct direction and Speaker Gingrich had me convinced that the roles of federal, state and local governments are to create a level playing field or fair opportunity for Americans to develop.  If an individual blew those opportunities in the best country on earth, that person made their bed.

We spend so much government money addressing bad personal decisions and it’s not free.  Yes, temporary assistance is a needed safety net but some people misunderstand the intent.  With medical science, proper diet and regular exercise, people are living longer.  So, young people should enjoy being young, develop a career path and have fun until they are in their mid 20s—there will be ample time for marriage and parenthood after the club days are over.  Club sweethearts aren’t necessarily spouse material.   

This video was made in California but southern Blacks who actually vote are appalled by the mindset that this video highlights.  We must get and keep the government out of our business and no one should need to tell any parents of any color to care for kids who didn’t ask to be born.

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