Proving Donald Trump Supporters Are Stupid

The other day I wrote a long post about the resentments that white people think they have in this nation.  Many of those people seem overly excited by the rants of Donald Trump as he campaigns for the Republican Party nomination.

Today on front page of The Wall Street Journal was a story about Joey and Tina Ellis from Alabama  that fit absolutely perfectly into the narrative of my post on this topic.

I will take the passages from this story to demonstrate that supporters of Trump are not overly bright and therefore are easy to confuse and target by politicians like the New York billionaire.

The first line that popped off the page was a summation of the Ellis’ feelings which included they were “convinced the Obama administration wants to take their guns and leave them defenseless in an unsafe world”.

Really?

What guns exactly are proposed to be banned or taken away, and how exactly would a gun allow for safety from an unsafe world?   The fact that these two people without–as the story states a college degree–can be so easily swayed by the gun lobby or conservatives who see a terrorist around every corner is part of the problem when it comes to Trump supporters.  They simply are not able to think in the broader terms required to come to reasonable conclusions.  If should be noted that 62% of Trump supporters have no college degree.

Then there was the bright bulb better known as John Pohlmann, 37, a Pensacola musical-equipment salesman, who says he has never voted in a presidential election!  How can someone be 37 years old and never once felt compelled to vote in a presidential election?    Now he thinks it is time to weigh in with his wisdom about what is best for America?

Let us see what he offers for a rational reason to consider Trump for president.

“He gives you a one-sentence answer. By the time a career politician gets to his third sentence, I’ve forgotten what the question was.”

So, the world problems can be summed up in one-sentence answers?  No long paragraphs of information needed for Pohlmann!  The fact Pohlmann seems unable to hold thoughts in his head for brief periods of time leads me to conclude perhaps a test for early dementia might be more of his concern than pondering politics.

Joey Ellis also proved how unaware he is of larger issues when he waded into the matter concerning trade.  It should be noted that 55% of Trump supporters believe free trade—a GOP staple—is bad for the U.S.

Mr. Ellis, who said he voted for Bill Clinton in the 1990s, remains distrustful of foreign commerce.  But then we learn his job depends heavily on international trade: His company refurbishes engines for military planes the U.S. sells overseas.

You just can not make this up if you sat down stone sober and made an attempt.

The lack of education among Trump supporters is stunning.  By now I am sure there are some readers who think I am being unkind to the stupid ones or wondering why anyone needs to care about this at all.  But we need to care.

Some of these stupid people may very well cast a ballot for Trump.  That should scare the hell out of everyone.

Stupid people should not carry the day when it comes to elections.

Who Needs Donald Trump When We Have Jim Gilmore

Donald Trump has jumped the debate stage which allowed for conservative pundit Erick Erickson to ponder if Donald Trump “can’t handle tough questions from Megyn Kelly, but he’ll be able to handle Hillary Clinton.   Hahahahahahaha.”

But fear not my dear readers as all is not lost.

Fox News has announced that at the little kiddies debate the candidates who are allowed to be on the stage will be the factually challenged Carly Fiorina, the squirrel-eating Mike Huckabee, the self-righteous Rick Santorum, and drum roll please for making a return appearance after having failed to be able to do so for weeks…..the man who makes watching bread mold look like pure fun the one and only….Jim Gilmore!

What Angry White Men–And Those Who Use Them–Need To Know About Election 2016

One great read from Greg Sargent.

If the GOP nominee tries to win primarily by increasing the white vote, it would not only require a very large mobilization of whites, and/or very high levels of support among them, but it would also require the minority share of the vote to remain somewhat depressed relative to what demographic trends dictate. But the very rhetoric and proposals needed to mobilize and/or win over whites in that fashion would probably energize minorities in opposition and potentially drive away some college educated whites — both of which would work against the overarching goal of the strategy in the first place.

This Is What Sound Government Spending Looks Like

Do not let anyone tell you spending federal dollars on NASA is a waste of taxpayers’ dollars.  It is one of our proudest accomplishments as a nation when we explore beyond our planet.

For a rover with a prime mission of only 3 months, NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity sure is going above and beyond the call of duty.

On Monday, the veteran wheeled rover celebrated its 12th year (yes, that’s 12 Earth years, or 144 months) on the red planet and, although it’s been a hard road for the robot, it is still doing science. And it’s doing science during the most aggressive period of the Martian year, which is nearly 687 Earth days long.

Since landing on Meridiani Planum on Jan. 24, 2004, Opportunity has provided some huge clues to Mars’ ancient wet environment, the planet’s unique geology and atmospheric dynamics. Having an unexpectedly long-duration rover on Mars has also taught NASA a thing or two about engineering and how to deal with aging robotics on a planet tens of millions of miles away.

Despite obvious limitations in what Opportunity can accomplish, valuable science is still being done. Most recently, the rover used its rock abrasion tool attached to its robotic arm to scrub a circle in the surface of a rock dubbed “Private John Potts” in “Marathon Valley,” a location so-named for being Opportunity’s “finishing line” when it completed just over 26 miles driven since landing in 2004. With the surface of the rock removed, other instruments on its robotic arm can be used to study its composition and therefore help geologists understand the conditions in which the rock was formed.

Would-Be Dictator Donald Trump Meets Match With Fox News

This is a first for Caffeinated Politics.  I stand on the side of Fox News as they spar with would-be dictator Donald Trump.

Lets make it clear again for all to hear and know.  Those who run for office do not get to set the agenda for which journalist, reporters, or as with the case of Fox News which Republican promoters and spin masters, get to ask the questions.  

Donald Trump has no say in who Fox News places in the moderator chair for the presidential debate.  None.  Zero.

For all the words I have said over the past many years on this blog about Fox News I have never said the following.  I am glad how Fox News has handled something; in this case how they have dealt with Trump who threated to not show up for the debate if Megyn Kelly is the one asking the questions.

Fox News may not know what real journalism is but they do know how to phrase what needs saying in a press release.  Everyone can be proud of Fox News stating Trump’s withdrawal is “near unprecedented,” adding that giving into Trump’s demand that Kelly be replaced “violates all journalistic standards.”

Maybe there is hope in the air after all that something good will come out of this presidential season.

Can You Imagine What Ronald Reagan Would Say?

This is just another stunning example of why the Republican Party can not allow Donald Trump to be their nominee.  The GOP will no longer have a party that anyone will recognize when it is over.

Donald Trump said that it would be hasty to judge Vladimir Putin in the face of a British public inquiry’s allegation that the Russian president “probably approved” of a 2006 killing on British soil, Business Insider reports.

Said Trump: “Have they found him guilty? I don’t think they’ve found him guilty. They say a lot of things about me that are untrue, too.”

He added: “If he did it, fine. But I don’t know that he did it.”

Class Warfare Within Republican Party Central To Nomination Fight

White Americans–and namely white men–who feel ticked off with how the world has evolved in terms of economics and social progress are seeking ways to lash out and show everyone else how unfair life has become.   They are causing one hell of a mess in the Republican nominating process.

Now before anyone thinks I am just side-stepping what many feel to be legitimate political issues with this group might be interested to know I follow the polling data and know this is a real segment of the electorate.    The anger they want us to know about is not just over why many have lost on average about $4,000 in their paychecks since the 2008 recession, but also why the party they vote for is made of up Wall Street defenders and lovers of all things related to the Chamber of Commerce.  They want to know why Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, (select more Republicans of your choosing) are not more concerned about the lives they live.

The Wall Street crowd that has long controlled the Republican Party are being taken to task by the angry villagers carrying torches.  As we have seen the angry crowd does not care what it destroys–which should scare the hell out of the GOP.

I have heard the resentments from white men since the creation of the Tea Party.  But while I read and listen there is no way for me to be empathic to this line of discussion.

Back in the early 1990’s I recall talking with my best friend about how white men in America had the world in the palm of their hands.  Where women and minorities had to struggle over a raft of problems with sexism and racism, white men on the other hand, had no reason to complain about anything.    It was a genuine feeling then and one that I still hold.

Then, like now, the question that must be asked of those white men complaining about their station in life is what did they do to make sure they were on a path for success?  It is not meant as a harsh question but it requires pondering given the polling data this election season.

According to a YouGov poll half of Donald Trump’s supporters within the GOP stopped their education at or before high school graduation.  Only 19% have a college or post-college degree.

Now I am the first to feel sorry for folks who lose their jobs.  I have a big heart for those who have a tough path to trod as teenagers and in need of a helping hand to get higher education.  But one can not make a case for every Trump supporter who is angry at how life turned out and wishing to blame someone.

Our nation always seek ways to make progress in this land, and while succeeding bit by bit so all feel upward movement, there is also the truth that white males are still the best positioned for success.  To deny it is simply unacceptable.  Let us be honest that the loudest in this land–the most angry from the base of support for Donald Trump–are also highly uneducated.  I suggest also that is by their own choosing.

The resentments expressed by some white males focus on immigrants ‘taking our jobs’ or ‘underserving’ people getting benefits.  All of this and more are aimed to fit their narrative that white people are getting the shaft.

Not only are these malcontents upset with brown people but also with the Republican Party establishment who they feel are unable, or more to their argument unwilling, to stop all the woes they face.  The establishment’s desire for tax cuts for the wealthy, trade deals that  will assist the business community, and cozy relations with the financial industry all run counter to the new class warriors who are beating their chests in this nominating season.

Donald Trump has tapped into this mindset and played the angry while males like a Stradivarius.  In so doing he has moved the long simmering dispute about class warfare that so long had been  between the two main political parties to instead being waged with the GOP itself.

The ugly debates about birthright citizenship, religion, and a raft of other matters that many thought were not ones Americans would ever lower themselves to fighting have become ripe fruit for the picking this election cycle.  The populism, or as I like it to be termed as heartless nativism and xenophobia, has made a large stain on the body politic.  But for the GOP it has become a class war which has fractured their party in a way that will find any healing most difficult to undertake.

This post in no way is to suggest there are not real problems that need national attention and problem solving.  I also am not suggesting that white middle to low wage earners are not deserving wage increases or better opportunities in the job market.  I am well aware some of the Trump supporters would have benefited from a better way to afford college education.  We surly need to reform the large banks.   There are a raft of things we could applaud here.

But raging in a mindless way–as Trump and his supporters do–without caring for facts or deeper policy only underscores one of my main beefs with this white demographic.   Trump may want to play to the class warfare angle for his own gain, but we know the role education plays is central to determining how life turns out.  Instead of class warfare the focus should be on education.

Senator Steve Nass Shows What Is Wrong With State Government

Without doubt if the average citizen were to be queried about the state of our politics there would be a deep concern voiced over the level of bombast and verbal body slams that takes place in our government.  The responses from the people would clearly state, be it in Wisconsin or in Washington, the rhetoric is too high and the old-fashioned notion of sitting down and talking in a civil way with those we may have divergent points of view with happens too rarely.

So when we read last week about a long and healthy conversation at the UW-Madison between two sides who have different perspectives the first thing many people felt was a sense that maybe a sensible middle ground could be found which will leave rancor behind.

But that is not how State Senator Steve Nass reacted when hearing about the meeting of University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross and the United Council of University Students.  The topic discussed is one that has festered for a long time on state campuses–the way to deal more honestly and effectively with diversity.

No one can claim there are not legitimate matters that students of color have with the powers who administer the UW-System.  It also goes without saying that leaders of our state universities are not content with the playing field as it now exists.    Adjustments are called for and the way to remedy where we are today, and where we want to be, requires a mature dialogue with the other side.

Ray Cross is to be applauded for his time and statements with this matter which makes it clear he is not just pretending to be engaged on the matters of diversity but keen on finding a way forward which leaves the UW schools in a stronger position.

But Nass, or more likely his top aide Mike  Mikalsen who is the mouthpiece for the office, took a totally different perspective.  Their press release in part said Cross, “was wasting time appeasing the political correctness crowd”.

It took less than a page of partisan ‘hackery’ to undermine the intent and desires of both sides who sat down to talk about real issues that real students experience on our state campuses.  For Nass to cheapen the dialogue in such a cavalier way strikes to the heart of what so many citizens know to be wrong with our government.

When people with disagreements talk with one another it means they are not yelling or staging some high profile, but in the end meaningless event, just to gin up press attention.  When in this case the United Council sat down with Cross, and he with them, it proved to each side a level of respect and appreciation for the way reasonable people resolve disputes.    It is that style that more and more average folks on the street wish would happen in the halls of power both in Wisconsin and nationally.

Nass and his staff sent out a blasting press release that was only aimed for a sliver of the GOP base.  That effort comes at the expense of striving to make future conversations on campus more likely.  What Nass did not only sends a wrong message about higher education in this state, it also sends a clear message as to what one of the real problems in state government happens to be.

I know it is not a word but everyone will know what I mean when saying we have too much political ‘hackery’.  Steve Nass–and his office–seem to be the current experts at it.