Spending too much time on X (nee Twitter) and getting caught up in the nonsense there.
Time to focus on the real issue.
The country and its people were far better off under Trump than under the Zombie now in the White House.
That's the bottom line.
The country and its people will be better off after the elections under a Trump or DeSantis administration than under a Biden/Harris/Newsom administration.
That's all that matters.
The rest is just noise.
Meh. Very unimpressive overall. Poor moderation, too, by the hosts, including the usually excellent Stuart Varney.
Who won?
Well, the easy answer is Trump.
It confirmed the wisdom of his not participating. He remembers, obviously, what he did to Jeb Bush back in the debates of 2016. We forget that the wise opinion then was that Bush would be the nominee, and that Trump was just a distraction. In those debates, Trump lasered in on Bush, and demolished him. Why would Trump, the clear-front runner now for the nomination go up there and be the punching bag for 7, 8, 9 whatever the number of opponents? Not saying it's fair or just or ideal, just saying that's how the politics play out this time around.
The debate?
Lousy questions and a clear effort (I think) to marginalize DeSantis. I haven't seen the analysis of how many questions or how much time each candidate got, but doubt it was DeSantis with the most.
Despite Varney's presence, the economic questions were flat. I am surprised no candidate, especially DeSantis, didn't just butt in and say what we all know, "The economy is in terrible shape. You don't need fancy stats to tell you. Go to the supermarket, go to the gas station, try to get a mortgage or a car loan, look at your bank account. You used to have money, now you don't. Go downtown in almost every major city: see the havoc wrought by Bidenomics and its Soros allies in the DA offices. Look at the border. Our money goes to protect Ukraine's border and ours stays wide open. Look at our foreign policy as we skate ever closer to a major hot war with Russia, drive China closer to Russia, and placate the mullahs in Iran, and the dictator in Venezuela."
Nah, none of that.
No mention of the weaponization of the justice system, and the blatant corruption of the Biden family and administration.
Nah, none of that.
Just a lot of shouting and talking over.
Haley (horrors!) had the best reply on education issues and on that basis alone I would give her the "win." It's a meaningless trophy, but it's hers. Her foreign policy stuff, however, was just typical DC establishment blather about the importance of Ukraine. The debate about the curtains at the Ambassador’s residence was nonsense.
DeSantis better step up his game if he wants a real shot.
More thoughts later.
As the four or five regular readers of this irregular blog know, I own two Corvettes bought on line at the height of the pandemic hoax. Well, yesterday after dinner the Diplowife asks me to take one of my son's friends--he's dog sitting--to my son's house which is about 20 miles away. She said, "Take him in the Corvette. He's never been in one. He'll be thrilled." Well, dear readers, you know me, I am all about thrills. So I uncovered the six speed, 2013 427 and got this friend into the thing. I put the top down. I don't know if he was thrilled as he spent the whole ride texting to various friends. By the time we approached my son's house it had gotten quite dark, and North Carolina can be quite dark once away from the big cities. I missed the turn-off and decided to go ahead to the next street to turn around.
Now the adventure begins!
As I reentered the road, out of the darkness, at high speed with no lights on, a small SUV came charging down the road and--WHAM!--into the Vette. Both cars stopped. I got out and approached the other driver, who leaned out the window and mumbled ¿Que pasa, hermano? While waving his arm in circles. ¿Que pasa? You've smashed my car. He waved his arm, and muttered,"Bah." I asked in Spanish and English if he had insurance and a driver's license. I got back the same, "Bah." I then told him in Spanish and English, "I am calling the police."
That was the starting gun, I guess. He accelerated his car, ripping off a piece of his own vehicle, and sped away. I got the license number and called the police.
Meanwhile, neighbors had come out of two houses. The nicest people you could imagine. All offering me their homes so I could wait for the police and the tow truck. One gent even offered to drive me home the full 20 miles. One lady said I could come to her house and she would give me something to eat, and so forth and so forth. Wonderful folks.
Did I mention all of these ten or so people who came out to help were black? It shouldn't matter but in today's charged and divided atmosphere, I think that's worth noting.
The police came and arrived at the same conclusion I had: the other driver was an illegal alien, probably drunk and with no driver's license. The plate number I gave them came back to a completely different car than the one I described. Probably switched or stolen plates.
Anyhow, the bad and the good.
That is all.
Got back from Spain a couple of days ago. Not happy.
Have been spending way too much time and energy on X (nee Twitter) duking it out with the supporters of the Biden Crime Family. A hopeless enterprise; they lie and gaslight to an extent hardly seen before in modern American politics. They insist that things you see with your own eyes, smell with your own nose, and experience with your own wallet, just ain't so. No. Not at all. Biden is the most wildly successful President in American history. He is honest, strong, truthful: he is the epitome of the patriot. There is no two-tier justice system.
Everything bad is due to Orange Man! Kamala has fixed the border and will now fix "gun violence." OK.
Ignore the collapse of the border; the censorship; the growing insecurity on the streets; the rising prices at the pump and supermarket; the drop in real wages; the decline of the real estate market in the face of skyrocketing construction prices and mortgage rates. Insulin is going to cost seniors less! The military is going to be evermore diverse and inclusive! You are going to pay off the college loans of all those feminist literature majors! Buy a $60,000 electric vehicle, but don't charge it unless we say it's ok.
Be happy and grateful!
I am at the point of giving up trying to make a go of it in the USA. Should I live out my remaining years in this mess? Maybe go somewhere where I can live in peace, and get good coffee.
I don't know.
Back in Spain to "celebrate" my birthday. Relatives here make a big deal out of a birthday, while I would rather ignore the date. No such luck. Big lunch is scheduled for later today at a nice restaurant in San Sebastian. I will be forced to smile, while secretly looking at my watch.
My son is here with his kids and they are seeming to enjoy Spain. It's still a good country for raising kids. The numerous parks are full of the little ones and dogs until very late at night; parents sitting on benches or at near-by terraces having drinks and snacks. The parks get power washed every morning. Quite amazing.
The news from home is not cheery. The methodical destruction of the American nation continues apace.
The imbecilic mummy in the White House and his giggling VP put out a steady stream of delusional tweets and press releases about "wins" and progress that nobody in his right mind could possibly believe. All very Orwellian. There is a constant distortion of inflation data which belies what one sees with his own eyes in supermarket, gas station, and retail stores of all kinds. Mortgage rates are through the roof, along with car loans. Meanwhile criminal gangs have the OK to steal and loot, with those seeking to protect their property made out as the villains.
The border? Not even mentioned anymore. Millions pour across, and hardly a peep.
The power elites continue their Stasi-like war on the political opposition, locking up opponents, hitting them with outrageous sentences, and a docile press goes along.
What will the next few years bring?
I kinda hope not to be around to see. I feel great sorrow for my grandkids; they are going to inherit a collapsed Western civilization, worthy of a Mad Max film.
I violated the rules. I watched last night's GOP debate AND I watched the Tucker Carlson interview of President Trump. I never understood why some were making it into an either/or proposition.
Let me start with the Trump interview. It was fine. No new developments. It would have been better if the interview had been recorded after the debate, so Trump could react to the debate, but, that's what we have. Trump was mellow, funny, and perceptive, but didn't say anything we haven't heard before. I think his explanation for not participating in the debate was good enough, i.e., why give those other guys too much publicity? I am sure Biden will use the same excuse for not debating Kennedy, or whomever else emerges from the DNC swamp to "challenge" him.
The debate. Well, before I start, let me pass along the Diplowife's words of wisdom: it's the first debate, give the participants time to develop their debating tactics and messaging. OK. Fine. Now let me state that it was kind of a bore. I am not sure there was a "winner," but Ron DeSantis did not hurt himself, which was probably his main goal. He did come off as stiff, and clearly free-wheeling debate is not his forte. He does fine on the stump and in one-on-one interviews. I'll come back to RDS.
I thought Vivek Ramaswamy came off as just too clever: he's obviously smart and would have been a terror on a college or high school debate team. He, however, was too cute, too much of "I am the smartest guy here," for my taste. He needs to calm down a bit, show more gravitas, and not jump around so much. I don't think he hurt himself, but it's just not clear if his is a serious candidacy. Nikki Haley? I don't know. She reminds me of Mitt Romney. She's got the establishment foreign policy talking points down pat, but I couldn't discern any particular vision for how to get us out of our current mess. Her words on abortion I found vapid, just empty. Tim Scott, was a nice guy who had memorized a lot of economic data, but didn't give me a feel that he has a plan. The big loser, I think, was Chris Christie who at times seemed to forget that he is running for the GOP, not the DNC nomination. His attack on Trump did not go over well, and will gain him nothing. I think he burned himself. Mike Pence? Nothing to say about him. People weren't buying his explanation for his actions on January 6. The other two were basically nothing-burgers who couldn't explain what it was they were doing on the stage.
Back to RDS. He did well when explaining what he's done as Florida governor and in laying out a tough approach to illegal aliens and drug smuggling. He, however, let himself get overrun by Ramaswamy and Christie and needs to get into the fight a bit more. I like RDS, but not sure this is his time. Who knows?
OK. What did it all mean? Not much right now. I doubt these debaters ate into Trump's lead for the nomination. I would be surprised if Trump picked any of them as VP.
OK. About to head back to Raleigh from Wilmington. I'll write a word or two about falling planes in Russia.
I have proven reluctant to weigh in with commentary on the avalanche of indictments against President Trump: I am not a lawyer, certainly not a Constitutional expert, I don't play either on the internet, and so many others already have commented to the point of nausea.
But, of course, weigh in, I will.
I have read the indictments, and, as I said, am not a lawyer. That said, the indictments don't pass the smell test, and seem clearly driven by an overwhelming political animus not only against Trump, but against any questioning of the "liberal orthodoxy." Even more troubling is the "burn the witch" caterwauling coming from so many in the media, precisely the industry which should serve as the most jealous guardian of the freedom of expression and political activity. The bottom line comes down to they don't like what Trump says, especially about them, so, put him in prison. They are aided by a "weaponized" FBI that from even BEFORE the first day of Trump's presidency conspired against him and his inner circle. Other federal agencies protect the Biden crime family and persecute any whistle-blower brave enough to sound the alarm.
This little post is a request for help from those who know the laws better than I. The Georgia indictments have me particularly outraged. They seem to be nothing burgers of the most empty kind, but then the punishment is the process, the process is the punishment. Just wondering does a County DA have the authority to indict a person who was President at the time he committed the alleged offenses? Shouldn't he have been impeached and convicted by Congress first? If not, this opens a whole can of worms for hundreds of DAs, all across the land, to start seeking indictments at a state, county, or city level. Chaos.
Let me know.
