Politics

Election night of 2016 has come and gone and we have a new President Elect. As a lover of politics, this election caught me off guard, but not to the same degree as it did to others. I thought that Hillary Clinton was going to win, but would have only won by a few points. But at the same time, I wasn’t going to be shocked had Trump would have won either.

But as a parent, the boys have started to get a better understanding of politics and that we have a President. And on election night, as I settled in for the night to begin watching returns to begin flowing in, the boys began really asking a lot of questions. As we talked through the process of how people voted and why, I could see it was slowly starting to click.

Keeping my personal politics out of the conversations with the boys, it was great to see how intrigued the boys were to learn more about our government and the process. And when on Wednesday morning, I told them that Donald Trump had won the election and that he would be our next President, it was neat to ask questions about the transition process and to have them ask questions about previous Presidents.

I hope that these talks with the boys inspires them and continues their interests in politics.

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So I am going to keep this as non political as possible, because as a parent, it is my job to provide tools for my kids, but not to deter their thought process in how they plan on voting as they grow up. As with any election, this is the most important of our current time. And I don’t say this lightly, as I much love politics, this election really could shape some factors of our country for years. The Supreme Court makeup alone, is going to be leveraged off of this election.

Why do I mention any of this? Really, it is for 1 reason, I’m really hoping to take my kids with me on Saturday to vote and this will be the first chance that I can really introduce them to voting. Again, if they ask specifically who and why I vote the way that I do, I’ll share with them. If not, then I will use this as a chance to introduce the overview of Government and also the purpose of checks and balances of our government system.

And I have thought long and hard about how I would talk to my sons about politics and it is hard. On one hand, I want to tell them my thoughts and opinions and then on the other, which is really the best approach, I want to just give them the facts and let them decide their own political views. And that is the way that I was raised. My parents gave me facts and allowed me to make my own decisions and as a result, I am the only registered (not say how my family votes) Republican on both sides of my family. I want to make sure that my boys know and understand how the government works. Respect and appreciate those, regardless of whether they agree with the politicians or not, but they respect that they have run for office, were elected and it is our hope that they make the best decision for this country.

So as I look at the current make up of this years election. I have a strong idea on how this is going to play out and I’m ok with that. I am not a fan of either of candidate, let’s make that clear. I also feel that 1 candidate would do less harm than the other, and I’m not saying that I am voting for either of the candidates. But I am focused on the state, city and county elections at this point.

My hope though this Saturday, is that my kids at an early age, see that I am doing my civic duty in voting and that they see that I’m trying to make a difference.

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Today is one of my favorite days, voting day!

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved elections. In the President George W. Bush election with the hanging chads, I took two days off from work and was glued to the tv results. But as much as I love it, I also feel that it is my civic duty and responsibility to vote for those that best represent my views and values and who will do the best job. Lately, that has been difficult for me, not because my views have changed, but because the candidates have.

I no longer believe that candidates run for the sole reason of doing good and what is right. I often feel that today, candidates are running for the perks, for the salary, etc. I hope that I am wrong, but that is just my gut feeling. But I also feel that it is my duty to teach my sons about the importance of voting. That if they choose not to vote, then they are essentially giving up their right to complain about our politicians.

Voting is a privilege that we as US Citizen are afforded. It is also our right, as citizens of this great land, to elect those that will be partisan and reach across the aisle and compromise.  I personally feel that our country is going through another change. I think that President Obama, who, I fully admit, I do not agree with a lot of his views and stances. But that being said, I still respect him and his office. But, President Obama campaigned on the slogan of Hope and Change. What has come from his now 6 years in office, is really in my opinion less change. And I think that at that point in time in our country, change was needed.

People often forget that at the end of President Bush’s term, the Iraq war was still going on and we were looking at another war within Afghanistan. The housing market was taking a hit and jobs were being lost. Today, 6 years later, we are dealing with a lot of these same issues.

So, how does all of this relate to my boys? Pretty easy. The leaders that I cast my vote for today, will directly play a part in the next 4 years of their lives. I love my sons. I feel that it is my responsibility as their father to vote for those that will be represent me, but more importantly, who will represent my sons. Healthcare. Gun Laws. Taxation. Boarder control. And the list goes on. But these are going to be the upcoming hot ticket issues that our country is going to be faced with and at an alarming rate.

Today after work, I’ll stop by my local poling place and cast my vote. Voting for those that will represent my family the best. And hope that as my boys get older, they too will take an interest in the political world and love it as much as I do.

 

 

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For the first time in history a Majority Speaker of the House of Representatives has been defeated. House Speaker, Republican Eric Cantor was beaten by a virtual unknown. HUGE would be an understatement, to a point.

I’ll be the first to admit, I looked at the numbers a few weeks ago and figured that Eric Cantor had the race in the bag. But, something is at bay here, it isn’t a Republican Party vs. Tea Party as the media is making this race out to be. But instead I believe that that there is a great movement at hand and that is very simply this. I believe that the American people are getting fed up with our current direction with our country.

Our unemployment is at record highs and again, take a few minutes to not only see how unemployment is calculated but more importantly the real numbers.  The American people are concerned about the future of our jobs that are being outsourced, high taxes, immigration and big government.

Was Eric Cantor just the first of many changes in the upcoming races? I don’t know, but my guess is yes! I think that there is a growing concern that the government is trying to make more and more citizens dependent on the Federal Government. I don’t know that the Tea Party movement was the driving force behind Eric Cantor’s loss, as much as it was a vote against the current establishment.

As my boys grow up and I hope that they follow politics like I do, Eric Cantor’s defeat tonight might be a very historic moment.

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The morning after a major election and as most political junkies do, I think about what happened, what worked, what did not work, etc.

There are really a few key issues that to me, where very glaring:

  1. Tea Party Movement
  2. Obamacare
  3. Non Presidential Election year

1. The Tea Party Movement – I don’t even know where to really begin with this one, but here goes. These are people that, who I believe that for the most part were part of the Republican party, but really did not see the established party doing enough. And they certainly were not party of the Democratic party, so they started their own movement. The problem here is simple, the Tea Party is causing the Republican party from not only gaining traction, but actually causing potential Republican winning elections. Case in point, the Republicans did not really go out full force to support the candidate because he was more aligned with the Tea Party. Until the Tea Party and the Republicans can come together, this is going to be a long standing issue.

2. Obamacare – With all of the issues of people signing up and more importantly, the realization that the cost of premiums are rising, in most cases and a lot of people are being dropped by their insurance companies, people are upset. In the Virginia Governor’s race, it wasn’t until the final days that this message was really put forth and it seemed to have hit home with a lot of voters, but it was a little too late. But, I do think that if the Republicans can back off the negative ads and rhetoric, sit back and see how it plays out, then if it is still a issue next year, then really use it as a campaign issue and use it hard.

3. Non Presidential Election year – People do not care. Look at the numbers, lower turnouts in off year elections. I don’t forsee this really ever changing either.

So, it comes down to this for my election day recap – the Republicans have to change their strategy from the top down and they have to work with the Tea Party movement or else there is a good chance that the Republicans will be facing many more years of embarrassing defeats.  And until many of the issues around Obamacare are worked out, we really do not know how that will play out.

Campaigns are already starting to take shape for the next elections, so expect to see and hear more from politicians in the coming months.

 

 

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Today in many states marks Election Day!  And for me, it is really personal because I have a brother in law that is running for City Commissioner in North Carolina and a good friend that is running for City Commissioner in South Carolina. But maybe even more important than that, is the Governor race in Virginia.

Virginia is often referred to as a swing state and of late, has been a tale tale sign of the direction of politics. And this year, is no different. The Virginia Governor’s office has been held by a Republican for the last term, but this year, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, you might remember the name from the Bill Clinton years, taking on Republican Ken Cuccinelli. The race has been pretty tight coming down to election day, but Cuccinelli has cut McAuliffe’s lead to 2%, which sounds like a lot, but basically that is the margin of error of voters. The weather does not appear to an issue, so the question comes to this, will the Democrats base come out or will the Republicans come out? My guess and take it for what it is worth, it is an off election year and people aren’t motivated. People are also upset over the Obamacare issues as well.  And I will address my concerns with Obamacare at a later time, but I think that the middle class will come out and will support Cuccinelli. I also think that if the Republicans are able to win this election, that there could be a potential issue for the Democrats in next years elections for the House.

As the day goes by, I’ll be checking in with friends and family and paying close attention to the Virginia’s Governor race. I love election day!

I’ll post a recap Wednesday of the results and will see if my thinking is right.

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It isn’t very often that when the phrase “Tentative Agreement” is used and people are excited. Well, this might be one of those rare moments, as news has just broken that there is a Tentative Agreement within the Senate to reach a budget deal.

What does this mean, well not really sure yet? All of the details of the agreement have yet to be released, but for the moment this looks like we will be able to reopen the Federal Government and get a lot of Americans back to work. But let’s be honest, it is time. The political rhetoric has gone on too long and it is time to put partly politics aside and let’s do what is right for the country. Enough is enough.

So as the news is breaking and will be throughout the day a few things to watch or that I’ll be paying close attention to are:

  1. The House of Representatives and see what they are saying/doing.
  2. The stock market & how it views this. My guess is that if the agreement is in fact done, then there will be a favorable view and the markets will be up.
  3. The other countries, especially China, as they are in fact the largest holder of our debt.
  4. Leaders of both parties. Who comes out and says that this deal was done for the good of the country, not party politics.

As a political junkie, I love this stuff. As an American, I am beyond annoyed with our political parties and I am very disappointed in both sides of Congress.

But, one thing I do think that will come from this, is that politicians will realize that their jobs will be up for re-election soon and how many are going to lose their seats.

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As the clock struck midnight, our Federal Government was officially shutdown and over 800,000 US employees are now not getting paid.

And the sad part, is that this story is going to remind you a lot of when you were a kid, playing with friends in the sand box. One person would get the toy truck for 5 minutes and the next person would get the toy truck for 5 minutes and so on until someone didn’t want to play with the truck anymore. It is called compromise. And today, it is something that our Congress, a body of elected officials who can not play in the sand box with each party.

So today, as 800,000 employees are trying to figure out what they will do next, our members of Congress go to the airwaves and point figures and our Federal Government remains shutdown. And the shutdown is really because Congress has two different paths and views and neither party is willing to sit down and compromise.

So as the shutdown continues, Congress gets paid and the American public grow more frustrated with the broken system.

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Post Election Depression, it is a serious condition and I think that I am suffering from it. At first, I thought that it was just a funk. Then, I realized, that maybe it was more. And after a few Google searches (see results here), it appears that I am not alone.

Is it serious? No. Just more frustration than anything else. But I have realized a few things, 1) our country is changing and 2) I don’t know if the changes are for the good?

The generation that fought in WWII is often and should be referred to as the greatest generation to ever live. Where they? Sure. They were raised during the Great Depression and fought for our freedoms. They worked hard and made little money in return. But what they earned, they were proud of. What they had, they were grateful for.  Today, the generations that are growing up expecting something to be given to them. They want the government to help them. My grandparents didn’t sit at home waiting for the government to help them? No, they worked hard for what they had.

I have been really struggling with the results of the elections and especially with the fiscal cliffs that have been looming and I have often wonder, if my grandfather were the President, what would he or someone from his generation do? I came across this article today and it only further my thinking:

A Detroit city council member is asking President Obama to bail out the financially troubled city in return for residents’ overwhelmingly supporting his successful re-election bid.

“There ought to be a quid pro quo,” said Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, according to My Fox Detroit.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/05/detroit-councilwoman-to-obama-voted-for-now-bail-us-out/?test=latestnews#ixzz2EDMhyK4B

So, when does this mentality end? Where does our country go?  So am I really suffering from Post Election Depression? Maybe? But maybe it is more because I see that the direction of this country, is going in way that makes me sad. A direction that I hope that I can teach my boys is wrong and instill in them a hard work ethic and that they should not be dependent on the government.  Because in life, there are always teaching lessons, and this might be a hard one that our country has to endure.

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The day after the election. Where to begin?

Shocked. Frustrated. Disappointed. Those are just a few of the nice and clean words that I can use today, the day after the election.

You see, this election changes a lot of things, it changes the way that campaigns will be run going forward. The demographics have changed. Target audiences have changed. The amount needed to run a campaign set a new bar to achieve.

But you have to also look at the bigger picture too. What does this mean for families? Are the Bush tax credits going to be renewed? The President said no, so what does that mean for families? For me, at the minimum, it means an increase of about $5,000 in new taxes. But what else? There will be a new tax levied when we put our house no the market next year now.  But what don’t we know is what really bothers me.

A close friend of mine told me that “Love” won last night. And I told him that I didn’t agree. I told him that the middle class lost last night, and especially families of the middle class. And when I explained why, his first statement was, “I didn’t realize that would effect you”. That is right, he didn’t bother to look to see and learn what he was voting for. But, he got his “Love” vote.

So today, the day after the election, I sit discouraged and frustrated. Not that Mitt Romney lost, but that a new route this country is taking. Unemployment is at record highs (I’ve discussed how the numbers on this are wrong and that the real rate of Unemployment is double what is reported), dependency on the State and Federal Government is at all time record highs, and companies that were hoping to hire more people, are at risk of shutting down.

So what do I tell my sons? How do I tell them that the elections are about the future and right direction?  I am lucky, my sons will not understand politics for a while and I hope, that in the next 4 years, that things get better. I have my doubts though.

So today, I am. I am shocked. I am beyond frustrated. And I don’t know if disappointed is even the right word to used today, the day after the election.

 

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