Presumptuous

Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. I thought he was unelectable. I was wrong. Newsweek magazine was sure that Hillary Clinton would easily win the election, and in anticipation, jumped the gun by printing this special commemorative edition. 

It reminded me of the famous picture of former President Harry Truman, holding up a newspaper with a front page story announcing his defeat, when he defied expectations to defeat his Republican opponent Thomas Dewey in the 1948 presidential election.

The United States is in for an interesting 4 years. I'm shocked at the election result. I didn't see it coming. Watching analysis on television news channels, I saw that some commentators are speculating that Trump won't seek a second term, and that the progressive agenda of the Obama administration, centred on identity politics, will be overturned. I don't see how. There's no turning back the clock.

I actually feel sorry for Hillary Clinton. She must be devastated that she will never achieve her ambition of becoming President. As for Donald Trump, during the campaign the media class asserted that he did not have the character or temperament to be President. They might yet be proven right.

Bewilderment

This is the first time I've posted anything about Wikileaks. Why is Hillary Clinton still a viable candidate for the office of President of the United States? A cursory reading of this list of leaked Clinton emails, supplied by Wikileaks isn't very flattering to either her or her associates, to say the least.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/nick-cater/us-election-clinton-campaign-has-been-rocked-to-the-foundations/news-story/da2083829faae49de7888de468774243

http://themillenniumreport.com/2016/10/the-top-100-most-damaging-wikileaks/

You know my name

According to statistics compiled by the United States Social Security Administration, and recently highlighted in an episode of ABC TV's Planet America, the name baby name Hillary has dropped dramatically in popularity in the years since Hillary Clinton became first lady of the United States in 1993. Fast forward 23 years, and she is the first female candidate nominated by a mainstream party for the office of President of the United States. If she wins the election in November, then expect this trend to continue for at least the next four to eight years.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/planet-america/

Put a sock in it, Donald Trump

Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee for the American Presidency. Shudder. A few years back he appeared in a television commercial for Holeproof Computer Socks, a brand of socks sold in Australia. He also had a cameo role as himself in the 2002 romantic comedy film, Two Weeks Notice, which starred Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-27/trump-wins-enough-delegates-to-clinch-nomination-reports/7450462

Psephology for fun and profit

A prominent Australian newspaper columnist thinks it's newsworthy to report that an opinion poll gives presumptive Republican presidential nominee a 46 per cent favourability rating, compared to his likely opponent, Hillary Clinton, who has a 44 per cent rating.

Historically speaking, polls at this point in the electoral cycle are not a reliable indicator of general election results. Back in February and March 1980, Ronald Reagan trailed President Jimmy Carter by 15 points in opinion polls. Reagan won the presidential election in a 44 state landslide. In May 1988, Democrat Michael Dukakis was 10 points ahead of George Bush in opinion polls. Bush went on to convincingly win that year's election. More recently, in October 2012, Mitt Romney was 7 points ahead of Barack Obama in opinion polls, but still lost convincingly to Obama in the general election.

I'd be very surprised if Trump wins the election, but I'm happy to be proven wrong, either now or on election day. All Hillary Clinton has to do to win is to get all of Barack Obama's voters to vote for her, and she's a shoo-in.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/begrudging-wapo-poll-trump-46-clinton-44/article/2591982

Verbatim

United States House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan has ruled himself out as a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. "Let me be clear: I do not want, nor will I accept the nomination for our party," Ryan said in remarks from the Republican National Committee's headquarters in Washington.

This sounds clear cut to me. The speculation surrounding Ryan should now end. Perhaps it wasn't just coincidence that Ryan's statement used almost the same words that former President Lyndon Johnson used in a televised speech in March 1968 that he would not be seeking another term. This video shows the announcement.

Trumped off

This Sauron meme is obviously directed at current Republican frontrunner (shudder) Donald Trump, and his campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," whatever that means. 

As is often the case with these memes, there's often a point to it. The prospect of such a dangerous man becoming American president is very concerning. Equally concerning is his high level of support from American evangelical Christians. 

This editorial from The Christian Post is a wakeup call to these Christians before they vote in upcoming primaries, particularly the crucial Super Tuesday contests. 

http://www.christianpost.com/news/donald-trump-scam-evangelical-voters-back-away-cp-editorial-158813/

Life imitates art

The other day I watched the HD version of Independence Day (1996), Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich's star-studded alien invasion of Earth popcorn movie extravaganza.

As I think about next year's American presidential election and the current field of candidates, I think about Bill Pullman's character in that movie, the fictional President Thomas J. Whitmore. Insofar as he is young and idealistic, Whitmore was described as being by reviewers at the time as being "Clintonian." Plainly speaking, he was partially based on then President Bill Clinton, who was running for re-election at the time.

Bill Clinton's enemies unfairly smeared him as a Vietnam War draft dodger, but allegations of his philandering turned out to be true. By contrast, Whitmore is a retired Air Force pilot who served in the 1991 Gulf War, a faithful husband, and a loving father. He proves his worth by rising to the challenge of defeating a global threat.

It's almost a pity that a man of Whitmore's calibre is not a candidate. Just over a year from election day, there is no candidate in the current field who has captured the imagination of the American public. Hillary Clinton will probably be the Democrat nominee, but the Republican field is too crowded. It's anyone's guess who the eventual nominee turns out to be. I just wish the oxygen thieves would drop out and improve the chances of those who actually have a chance of winning, and are actually capable of doing the job.

Joey come lately?

United States Vice President Joe Biden may or may not be about to declare that he is running for the Presidency next year. If he does, it will add an interesting dynamic to the race. The Democratic field will have more than one viable candidate in it. Hillary Clinton will have some serious competition.

Telling porkies?

The news media has unanimously declared Hillary Clinton to be the winner of Tuesday night's CNN Democratic presidential candidate debate held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

If Ben Shapiro is to be believed, she has been somewhat elastic with the truth about her record as First Lady, Senator for New York, and Secretary of State. I'm all for calling her to account, but I'd like to see the other Democrat candidates subjected to similar scrutiny on Breitbart. 

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/14/liar-liar-pantsuit-fire-27-hillary-fibs-obfuscations-lies/