Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Whither Donald Trump?

Donald Trump, multi-billionaire real estate mogul,
reality TV show star/host, and political gadfly is
running for president. Trump is seeking the GOP
nomination, and plans to stir the pot --- not just for
republicans, but for everyone as well.

Now keep in mind, friends, that Trump has toyed with
the idea in times past; in 2010 he publicly expressed
interest in campaigning for the presidency, but the next
year decided against doing so. He has been known to
do things that generate a lot of publicity, which he has
a constant thirst for. His TV show, "The Apprentice"
is one example. A riveting show, to be sure; your beloved
Peasant has watched it several times and enjoyed it quite
a lot, especially his "Celebrity Apprentice" edition.
But with a personal fortune of over $9 billion, business
interests galore, the Miss USA Pageant, golf games
for charity and other charitable activities, you'd think that
Trump would have enough to keep him self busy, too much
so to even consider engaging in what would be a grueling
run for the highest elected office in the land. Yet as
much as Donald Trump loves to make money (and who can
blame him for this?) Trump loves the limelight every
bit as much. Many believe, including your skeptical
Peasant, that Trump's first run for the big diadem was just
a ploy for the attention, simply an ego feast.

Trump announced his candidacy just a few days ago, saying
that he would spend some of his fortune to conduct his campaign.
In what was described as a rambling, boastful speech in
New York, his home turf, Trump proclaimed "the American
dream is dead ... But if I get elected president, I will bring it
back bigger, and better than ever before and we will make
America great again." A laudable, if broadly general goal.
And Trump always states that he will do, create, build, or
deliver something "bigger and better" than whatever has come
before, be it from Trump or from anyone else. That's what
big-moneyed tycoons from New York like to say, don't you
know? It's all part of the razzmatazz, you see, a very important
part of a New York pronouncement, proclamation, or a
Broadway show. It's expected.

While Trump may, this time around, take his campaign seriously,
not many political analysts think he is a serious contender but
merfely a pretender --- and a potential headache for the Repub-
lican Party.

Nathan Gonzalez, editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg & Gonzalez 
Report, commented "Any time that he consumes on the debate
stage and in the media is time he's taking away from a legitimate
contender." Fox News, sponsor of the coming opening debate,
announced that only the top ten ranking contenders in the national
polls would be allowed to take part in said debate, set for August.
Donald Trump, according to RealClearPolitics' rolling average
of the national polls, is currently in the #9 position, so he will,
barring any last-minute slippage, squeak in to the festivities.

Trump, 69, will put his role of host of his TV show on hold, or
perhaps the show itself, while he is campaigning, due to
requirements that the network might by law have to give to
other GOP candidates.

Meantime, Trump is contrasting himself against the rest of the
Republican field, taking pot shots at a few of them. Your observant
Peasant would advise The Donald to be on the lookout for big
broadsides fired his way by those whom he is currently targeting.
Although Trump may have some good ideas for solving our
country's many problems, especially our economic ones, he must
prove to all that he is for real, that his commitment to the race
and the commitment he would bring to the White House if elected
would be real, rather than just a whimsical rich guy with lots of cash
and too much time on his hands.


MEM









Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Hillary Clinton's Nixonian Ploy

It appears that Hillary Clinton has taken a page
from Richard Nixon's playbook regarding the
e-mail brouhaha that she got herself caught up
in. The once and again presidential candidate,
as you have been following, used a private e-mail
account to receive and send sensitive information
instead of using a government e-mail account
which would have provided more security for
the e-mail in question. When this was discovered,
Clinton was subpoenaed for the e-mail on her
computer's hard drive; although she turned over
a few of the e-mails in question she had scrubbed
her hard drive of all the rest. Remember Nixon's
Watergate tapes, with the 18 1/2 minute gap?

And get this: Clinton's actions have made some
of her fellow Democrats jittery. Some party
bigwigs have averred that it would benefit their
party to have some other Democrats step into the
contest for their party's presidential nomination,
even though said nomination seemed to have
Clinton's name on it. Add to the mixture the worries
that some Dems have over the Clinton Foundation's
practice of accepting money from foreign govern-
ments coinciding with Hillary's getting ready to make
another run for the White House.The foundation is
a supposed charity established by Hillary and her
husband, the former president, but some would call its
stated purpose into question.

And the House committee investigating the 2012 attacks
on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya has issues new
subpoenas to attorneys for Mrs. Clinton and to the State
Department for communications related to Benghazi,
which may well have been on Clinton's hard drive.
Oh, my! The things ganging up on the former First Lady
and former Secretary of State! And in the midst of it all
she declared her candidacy for the White House.
Your curious Peasant does not know whether ol' Hill is
showing chutzpah or stupidity. The aforementioned
scandals will certainly reveal whether she has the teflon
coating that Bill had, keeping him from succumbing to
his own scandals. Stay tuned.


MEM

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

B.B. King, R.I.P.

The Blues is a genre of music which issued from the
southern United States, in predominately black
communities soon after the Civil War. It is a uniquely
American genre of music, and B.B. King was its 
modern-day ambassador, interpreter, and indeed,
king. The king is dead, long live his legacy.
B.B. King passed away on May 14 after several 
several years of declining health at the age of 89.

Named to the American Hall of Fame and to the 
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, King had made fans
and friends the world over in his long and storied
career. He was given the nickname "The King of the 
Blues", and he traveled widely, performing often
through the years. King made an average of 200 
concert appearances each year going into his 70s,
slowing down only a few years ago when his 
health started to slide. In 1956, King was
reported to have made 342 such appearances
alone. 

In 1990, King was awarded the National Medal 
of Arts by President George H.W. Bush. He is 
regarded by many as one of the most influential
blues guitarists of all time, playing his beloved 
guitar Lucille in concert and in the recording studio,
inspiring many electric blues and blues rock 
guitarists over the years as he went. B.B. King
was certainly a great favorite with your appreciative
Peasant. I miss him greatly, as do the many fans of
blues music throughout the world. 

B.B. King was truly an American master. Rest in
peace, your musical majesty.


MEM