The democrats are playing for our side!

There could not be anything more helpful to republicans than the current craziness that is going on in the democrat party. With their current call for socialism, third trimester abortions, gun control and increased taxes and regulations they seem to be getting further and further out of the mainstream. Add in their religious like belief in intersectionality and you get a party that is no longer relevant to most Americans. Even those who would consider themselves to be liberal are feeling increasingly left out.

While they move towards more extreme positions the Trump republican party has a firm grasp on the center politically. Our President has an intuitive feel for where most of America comes down on these issues, even if the establishment of the party doesn’t. He knows that controlling illegal immigration is an important issue for a large swath of Americans. Also that lower taxes, less regulations and reasonable restraints on abortion are where most people fall politically.

What has been interesting is the shift between republicans and democrats on free speech and war. Democrats used to be the party of free expression and have abandoned that in favor of restricting speech that which they disagree with. This is evident at universities, in the media generally and certainly on social media. The Republicans are now the party of free speech. It’s a huge change from the days of the religious right attempting to control expression. It will be increasingly important for the republicans to be champions of free expression to survive as a party and to use as a unifying factor for Americans.

The democrats have also become the party of continual war and have assumed the position that the neocons have consistently advocated for. It’s amazing to see Bill Kristol and the dems having so much agreement and certainly calls into question the judgement to value him a a “thought leader” for so many years. The dems firmly believe that overthrowing leaders that are problematic and installing “democracy” is the way to go even after the failures in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya among others. It’s been a disaster for the people in those countries, for our service members and a massive expense for the taxpayers in the US.

Amazon pulling out of NY is the latest concrete example of the effect that the drift towards socialism has had. The debate over the tax inducements became so intense that Amazon took their ball and went home along with 25,000 jobs. The far left wing of the democrat party were incensed that tax breaks were offered to Amazon to get them to choose Long Island City as there latest home. Somehow they missed the huge number of jobs and the resulting additional business that would be created. Think restaurants, dry cleaners, grocery stores, real estate, auto sales and repair, etc. Because they were ONLY focused on the tax breaks that were offered they missed the massive economic potential of the deal overall.

This brings us to what to do as the dems get nuttier and nuttier. First - when you hear the latest wacky proposal from them you should cheer them on. The wackier and crazier they get the better the chances for rational and intelligent proposals. Second - you should share their craziness far and wide. They do NOT represent the majority of Americans. So, when you hear the democrats talk of the latest third trimester abortion plan, or getting rid of air travel, or pushing for much higher taxes amplify that message.

Don't listen to the media. There is actually room to agree.

Every day we see our country more and more quickly dividing into two tribes. On one side are the people who are appalled and horrified by our current president and the direction that he is taking the country. On the other side we have people who wake up each day happy and hopeful for the current leadership. This isn’t new. Every presidency has its detractors. And that’s good. You want a check on such a powerful position. That’s the job of the opposition party and to a certain extent the media.

We have always been politically divided. And for the love of God, disagreement is ok. We all don’t need to share the same thoughts and opinions. Division is normal BUT hating your countrymen is not. And we are seeing way too much of that now. And it’s got to stop.

What’s interesting is that the actual divide is smaller than most would imagine. If you listen to the media you would think a new civil war is brewing. But, amazingly, there are many areas that although we may not agree exactly are certainly areas of shared concern. I’ve had numerous conversations with Bernie fans and have always found considerable overlap in their political views with those of Trump voters. Most of the New Republicans believe in ideas that are a great distance from traditional republican viewpoints.

One of the areas of common ground between those on the right and progressives is the power and control of corporations. Both sides agree that corporations have too much influence in our political life. The trade deals are a great example of this. Since NAFTA we have been lead to believe that outsourcing is inevitable and is ALWAYS a great thing. The economists make sensible arguments about the freedom of capital flow and the benefits of reduced prices of goods. The corporations desire cheap labor and pliant countries in which to produce their goods. The politicians, whether well intentioned or not have crafted laws that have encouraged companies to move their manufacturing facilities to less developed nations.

Both sides agree is that this has been terrible for those who have lost jobs and been left out of the decision making process. The tariff issue is also connected to this. Once again, the economists and foreign trade experts are almost uniformly opposed to using them to try to even out our massive foreign trade deficits. The same with our political leadership. Somehow other countries using tariffs against our products is ok. It’s also ok that they hold massive trade surpluses with the US. And once again our political leadership has chosen to side with the interests of the corporations and donors. This is just one of the areas that President Trump and those on the left can agree on.

The Trump movement focuses on the aspects of American life that have been ignored for years. The overwhelming power of corporations and the resulting trade deals are some of the many areas that more left leaning folks and those on the new right can agree on. One thing missing from the current political debate are areas where we can find common ground. When you view those on the opposite side as simply people with unique views and opinions and NOT haters discussion becomes possible. One thing that is absolutely obvious is that MORE not less discussion is needed. More to come…in the meantime, be respectful and love your fellow Americans.

Build that wall?

Every week or so the pundits in the media find something else to shriek about.  Over the last couple of months it's been the North Korea summit, the NATO meeting, the meeting with Vladimir Putin and now the threat to shut down the government if there is no funding for the wall.  It's like watching Groundhog Day.  You would think the hosts and pundits were reliving every controversy as if it was their first.  There is no acknowledgement that they have seen how this plays out.     

Look, here's how it works.  President Trump goes in hard and says things that shock the DC establishment.  Recently,  there was a hue and cry over the threat to shut the government down if an immigration deal doesn't come to pass.  This is an interesting example because a majority of Americans public believe that illegal immigration is an issue that should be fixed.  80% of Americans want a secure border and 54% want some kind of physical barrier based on a recent Harvard Harris poll.  Building a wall is a commonsense answer.  Just ask Mark Zuckerberg or President Obama. They have nice walls around their homes.   The elites are well aware that walls are an effective way to keep people out and provide needed security.  

Interestingly,  the very people who live behind the security that walls provide are loath to provide the same security to the the cititzens of the United States.  It's anathema to both the Republicans who want the cheap labor and the Democrats who want the future voters.  However, the will of the people is clear as the polls show.  Americans want better controls on immigration. Donald Trump was elected on a few specific issues.  The biggest was the promise to build a wall.  The odd part of the immigration debate is that an illegal act: crossing into another country without proper authorization is treated as an act of heroism.  

We hear from the Democrats that these are refugees fleeing horrible conditions in their own countries.  And that is true in some cases.  The highest murder rates in the world are in Central America.  It's a mess and has been a for a long time.  The countries have suffered from poor leadership and a tiny group of people who have profited from the political situation.  It's not a problem that is easily solvable.  There are nearly 43 million people in Central America.  Mexico has roughly 128 million people. Simply migrating the entire population of the region to the United States isn't in the cards.

Think of our policy in the middle east.  We have spent TRILLIONS on destroying and then rebuilding countries like Afghanistan and Iraq.  The goal was to remove a dictator who fell afoul of US foreign policy in Iraq or to stamp out radical Islamist forces in Afghanistan.  These countries are thousands of miles away.  Afghanistan isn't a country that will be redeveloped to western standards in my lifetime. Iraq is a sectarian disaster currently with the Shia, Sunnis and the Kurds fighting it out. Yet, countries that are close enough for people to literally walk to the United States are seemingly forgotten. 

Perhaps instead of focusing on far away places we should focus closer to home.  Mexico is one of our biggest trading partners and has enormous potential.  Yet, it is a country beset by crime on a scale that we simple can't imagine.  The journalists brave enough to report on the cartel violence have been killed and the others who value their life have been paid off.  The same goes for their politicians. If you are presented with the option of truth telling and being assassinated the safe bet is to opt for safety.  Most of us would.   

Most of those who emigrate from Central America would prefer to stay in their home country.  Generally, there are a few individuals who are bold enough to move to a country with a different culture and language.  Because of the nature of this type of move it's anomalous.  It takes a brave and hearty person to upend their entire life and go someplace new and different.  The simple fact that so many people are willing to make this tremendous transition indicates extremely troubling times in their home countries.  The question is what can we do to help or can we help at all?

Americans are a giving people.  We have a generous spirit and are accepting of peoples from all across the globe who want to participate in the American experiment.  We are also believers in fairness and equality under the law.  The main problem Americans have with illegal immigration is the fact that it is illegal.  It's much less about the ethnicity that the open borders folks would have you believe.   Most of the people on the Trump side are FOR immigration.  What we do want is a systematized, orderly process for bringing in the people that we need.  As a country it should be our needs that hold priority.  There are billions of people who are impoverished and millions who live in war torn areas across the globe.  We simply can't accept them all.  There is such a thing as the accident of your birth place.  It's a shame, but a reality that won't change.

That the elites are fighting the will of the American people is interesting.  We see all of our supposed betters lecturing us on why we are morally deficient.  But we live in a republic.  The will of the people is expressed through our elected representatives.  Ultimately, the question is whose will are they going to represent?  Will it be the multinational corporations and the chamber of commerce who donate heavily to the Republican party?  Will it be the elites of the Democrat party who believe that their path to power is based on the explosive growth demographics of the new immigrants?  Or will it be the American people who love all people, but who know that OUR benefit should be the first consideration.  Time will tell.