Political Insanity Project

Either I am clinically insane or am a glutton for punishment, but I am working on a thought project where I have registered an email address with each of the "major" party remaining campaigns as a supporter.  Now I am ready for the messages from Hillary, Bernie, Jeb!, the Donald, Marco, and the host of other characters that will be thanking me for my support and how I can help each of their campaigns achieve their goal of being leader of your "Fine Federal Government"....or at least until I am fed up with the whole project and delete the bs mailbox.  :)

I also am hoping to track how the various campaigns sell "my" information throughout the campaign and what other political ads I receive.  I fully expect by the end, the box will be inundated with Republican and Democratic propaganda on why I should support the ultimate candidate.

Political Slogans for the "Major" Party Candidates

Update 10.24/15 with latest dropouts and choices

Update 1/26/16 with current candidates

Update 2/1 with Iowa fallout

Update 2/4 with additional GOP drops

Update 2/10 with New Hampshire fallout

Update 2/12 with the Gilmore dropout

With a little more than a year to go to the general elections, maybe it is time to correct political nicknames or slogans?

Democrats

Confirmed

• Bernie Sanders  - "Feel the Money Bern" 
• Hilary Clinton - "I did what to my mail server? "

Maybes

Maybe Nots

• Elizabeth Warren - "I'd rather be the puppet master" 
• Joe  Biden - "3rd Time is a Charm"

See You Later

• Jim Webb - "Thank me for my service, but I know I have no chance at the nomination"
• Lincoln Chafee - " What party am I today?"
• Lawrence Lessig - "The Referendum President?" 
• Martin O'Malley - "Can I get a debate please @DWStweets?" "Mr. 0.6%" - Dropped 2/1

Republicans

Confirmed

• Donald Trump - "My tongue is sponsored by Dr. Scholl's"
• Jeb Bush - "Need a Bush in the White House about every 8 years, right?"
• Marco Rubio - "You have heard my immigrant's son story, right?"
• John Kaisch - "Republicans can't win without Ohio.  I am from Ohio, pick me."
• Ted Cruz - "Tea Party is still relevant, right?"
• Ben Carson - "Proof that intelligences does not equal common sense"

See You Later

• Rick Perry - "Adios, MoFos"
• Scott Walker - "Come on Iowa, you know I am governor right next door.  Wisconsin isn't that bad, is it?"
• Bobby Jindal - "Why do I sound like Kermit the Frog when I debate?" - Dropped Dec 2015
• Lindsay Graham - "Bomb them, Bomb them, and Bomb them again" - Dropped Dec 2015
• George Pataki - "Still making Rudy Giuliani look like a more viable candidate from New York" - Dropped Dec 2015
• Mike Huckabee - "I too was born in Hope, Arkansas.  Worked once" - Dropped 2/1/16
• Rand Paul - "Why do libertarians like my daddy more than me?" -Dropped 2/3/16
• Rick Santorum - "I haven't changed positions since 2008...worked for me then, right?" - Dropped 2/3/16
• Carly Fiorina - "Who wouldn't love this face, now sponsored by the Military Industrial Complex" - Dropped 2/10/16
• Chris Christie - "I would have to think if Congress outlawed Krispy Kremes if I would enforce that law with troops" - Dropped 2/10/16
• Jim Gilmore - "Must be in the witness protection program for Presidential candidates" - Dropped 2/12/16

Libertarians

Confirmed

• Gary Johnson - "Can you take me higher?"
• John McAfee - "I wrote antivirus program and I am crazy...might make me qualified."
• Austin Peterson
• 9 others that have no chance

Green

Confirmed

• Jill Stein

Political thought of the day

You know, Bernie Sanders supporters in the Democrat Party and the Donald Trump supporters in the Republican Party, it is very cute that you get excited about their rise in the polls.  There is almost zero chance that either one of them will be the nominee in their respective parties. The powers at be in both  of the parties will see that the establishment candidates of Clinton and likely Bush will be the candidates.  The Donald may run as an independent candidate a la Ross Perot in 92, but the oligarchy of having a Bush or Clinton in the senior levels of government since 1980 with the exception of the last 2+ years will probably lend to another Bush-Clinton election cycle. 

Just sit back and grab the popcorn and see how much laying to waste the darlings will do before the party leaders will step in and tell them where they stand.  

Why the political process is broken...

Let me start by saying, though libertarian in many of my thoughts, I do not belong to any political party, and will likely never will.  Political parties, in their current structure, have completely eliminated the middle of the road, common sense ideas from the political spectrum.  If you "reach across the aisle" or even endorse a concept by your "rival" party, then you are called out as a RINO or DINO (Republican or Democrat In Name Only)  and may eventually be targeted by an even more partisan political hack to roust you from your seat in the primary (with gerrymandering, that tends to be the only way political incumbents are defeated),

When someone who does not belong to any particular party gets candidates at the general election, the choices we are given are 2 "major" candidates that have appeased the most partisan of their party, and "minor" party candidates that in general have very little chance to break the 2 party system that has been stacked against them.

How can we fix this?  Open up the primary process system.  Put all candidates on the ballot in a nonpartisan blanket primary whenever feasible.  Let the top 2 vote getters in the primary move forward to the general election.  This forces all candidates to focus their ideas to appease the general public and hopefully allow the best ideas go through.  In addition, it can increase voter turnout in the primary process, as the number of independent voters has surged over the past 20 years.  

Will it affect the minor parties?  Maybe, in a surprisingly positive way.  So be it if the top 2 are Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greenies, etc.  This should reduce partisanship because politicians will reduce their dependance to party and increase their responsiveness to their constituents.  

ACA numbers in a meme

So...the President wants to tout his "Obamacare" number?

ACA (Obamacare) failure in motion

The hits just keep on giving.  Remember, you were told that you could keep your insurance if you wanted. 

But what has come of the truth? 

•   Sticker shock from "supporters"
• Blaming insurers for dropping of coverage
• Continuing to say they aren't taking away health plans. 
•  President Obama new that people would have have to lose many of their health plans.  

But they forged ahead anyway, even with major failures just before launch.   

To be continued.... 

Is the #Shutdown designed to infuriate the public?

...or is it just a stupid failure where the administration attempts to "barrycade" the public from the open air monuments, through the orders of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  Let's take a look at the incidents that makes the administration look petty and irrational.

• Barrycades at WWI Memorial (very limited), WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial,   Jefferson Memorial, National Mall, Iwo Jima Memorial, MLK Memorial, etc.  Some of these were created and funded by private funds and costs the government nothing to keep them open.  And these people must be critical to government function?
• Trying to block access to Florida Bay?  I guess we can't have access to the ocean?
• Harry Reid's irrational comments about funding the NIH for children with cancer? 
• Shutting down of government websites, including "We the People." 

Just because the Republicans and Democrats can't play nicely, the White House and OMB just choose to punish the populace with these petty and petulant displays of disdain for the American public.  President Obama, tear down these "barrycades".