Democrats, Stop the Madness

Democrats need to stop attacking each other; we have Trump to do that for us.  We need to stop making promises with detailed plans that can be picked apart.  Hell, Trump promised the Great Wall of Trump that would run from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.  That new beautiful wall would protect America from the brown hordes of drug-crazed rapists.  His detailed plan was simple; he knew how to build things and Mexico would pay for it.  Well, the wall isn’t here, part of it fell into Mexico the other day, the brown hordes have cut holes in it with battery-powered saws, and the Mexican check must still be in the mail. 

Trump promised to cancel Obamacare and replace it with his own plan.  Well, Obamacare is still the law of the land and it turns out that Trump had no plan of his own.  His actual plan was later announced and it was very specific, he expected Congress to figure out what to do.

Section of Trump border wall falls into Mexico

The great dealmaker with the genius IQ was going to put China in its place and he would put tariffs on many products made there to restore our balance of trade.  He thought that China would pay for the tariffs, apparently not understanding how business works.  Well, China retaliated with tariffs of their own that hurt American farmers and manufacturers.  Trump then tried to fix some of the damage he had done with the tariffs by offering subsidies to those industries that were suffering.  In a recent article, I read about the cost of SSDs (solid-state drives for computers) and the article stated that while prices for SSDs had been falling, as is typical for electronics, SSD prices had seen an unusual uptick of around $20 to $30 due to the Chinese tariffs.  The article offered no hope for Americans to recover that money from China.  I tried to call Trump for an answer but his cell reception around the twelfth-hole at Mar-a-Lago must be sketchy.

Trump has spent over $134 million or our tax dollars golfing at his own resorts.
Trump is shown here demonstrating his gardening skills.

I went to the GOP and DNC websites where they each outlined their party platforms for public consumption.  Both were filled with the usual bullshit, i.e., things that nobody can challenge.  If you read them both you would wonder why we are at odds with one another and why we aren’t all at a gathering somewhere singing "Kumbaya my Lord" in creole.  Both parties want a balanced budget, lower taxes, and better wages for all, healthcare that puts doctors in charge, support for our veterans, equal opportunity for a great education, support for family values, and mom’s apple pie.  I had to add that last one but I’m sure they meant to put it in there.  The GOP even had, and I quote, “Our Constitution should be preserved, valued, and honored.”  I guess that last item is for after this 2020 election since they have certainly abandoned the principal for this term.

Platform Plank

Democrats also need to stop trying to prove they are holier than the next guy or gal.  The Trump administration has long abandoned the moral high ground.  When you are running against Donald Trump, you don’t need to prove your commitment to morality. 

Positon Abandoned

With Donald Trump, the Access Hollywood tapes, his cheating on each of his three wives, his paying porn stars for sex, his overt racism, his association with Jeffery Epstein, his defrauding poor students at his Trump University (over $25 million), his stealing from a veterans charity which forever prevents him from running another charity in New York, his money-laundering financial ties to American mobsters and Russian oligarchs through Deutsche Bank, his insults hurled at war veterans, a Gold Star family, and a disabled reporter, all put Mr. Trump in a class beyond further comparison.  He is by far the most corrupt and morally bankrupt individual ever associated with our government.  I would defy you to find someone who is or was more amoral.  Beelzebub himself would envy the Trump record of misbehavior.

I can't compete with Trump

I would propose that the Democratic candidates stand in unison and declare a simple to understand platform with but three or four planks.  Use the “Keep It Simple Stupid” (KISS) standard and make each platform plank a point of universal agreement.  Differentiate yourselves with any ideas you deem relevant beyond these simple ideas but get the basics of agreement out to the voting public.  Remember they don’t need details at this point, just some simple ideas they can understand and support.

To that end, I have outlined three simple planks as suggestions.  I would doubt that any candidate would have an objection to any of these.  You don’t need to go into detail on paying for these any more than Trump needed to explain how he would have Mexico pay for his wall.  Let each candidate come out in support and form a united front for the basic platform.

Healthcare

Healthcare should be the number one issue facing America.  Our system is broken and millions of Americans are one illness away from financial ruin.  Insurance companies should not be the developers of our healthcare system any more than an investment banker should or an air conditioning contractor should be in the mix for developing our health plan.  Healthcare should be developed by medical professionals given the task of providing fair and meaningful coverage for all Americans.  Any such plan would need to be phased in over a period of time so as not to be too disruptive.  All pharmaceuticals and medical equipment purchases for government-sponsored plans would be put to bid and managed by individuals familiar with the efficacy of the medications and medical equipment involved.  Paying for any such plan would be a congressional budget decision.

Big Pharma and Medical Lobbying Efforts

Climate Change & Energy Management

One could debate placing this in the number two slot, as it is as important as healthcare but it sits here primarily because of urgency.  Healthcare involves immediate life-saving decisions but both that and the climate change/energy management crisis solutions can be developed simultaneously.  Any rational decision on climate change should involve a serious effort to move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources.  Technical limitations on energy storage mean that the intermittent solutions of solar and wind will have to co-exist with natural gas and nuclear for the time being.  Our shift from coal and oil-fired energy sources have begun but primarily because of technological advancements and financial considerations.

Climate Change

Wind and Solar to supplement Natural Gas and Nuclear

Infrastructure

Our American infrastructure has been long ignored.  A renewed effort involving massive construction projects to address our highways, rapid transit, Internet/Wi-Fi expansion, bridges, railways, electrical grid, waterways, water management, schools, etc., provide a much-needed improvement in the quality of life and needed employment for a wide range of skilled and semi-skilled labor.

Minneapolis Expressway Collapse During Rush-hour 

Some of our Infrastructure

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I’ll leave a fourth platform plank open for suggestions.  I didn’t include immigration here, while important and in need of repair, perhaps it’s good to let the Republicans own the current disaster created by the Trump White House.  I also left out gun control, campaign finance and election reform, abortion, criminal justice issues, the national debt, defense spending, and foreign policy.  All are important and worthy of inclusion; just keep it simple and avoid divisive issues.

Over 300 bills have been blocked by Graveyard Mitch

The list may seem a bit anemic but the reality is that, while Mitch McConnell is still in control of the Senate, nothing will be done.  Beat Trump with whomever we can, make positive changes from the executive branch, then work to either regain the Senate or at least restore the ability to negotiate and compromise with the other side as originally intended by our founding fathers.  Goal #1 is to beat Trump and goal #2 is to bring some sense of normalcy to Congress, particularly the Senate.