Category Archives: political solutions

by Barry Kelly | September 24, 2015 · 6:53 am

INSIGHTS 232 — CREATING CLASS WARFARE

The President had been so forthcoming during their last session, the Advisor thought, I’ve often wondered what the President knows about financial policies. Maybe, if he seems in a good mood, I’ll ask him to help me understand what he is trying to accomplish.

The soft buzzing of the warning the President is on his way sounded and the Advisor hurried to get prepared. Fresh coffee, a clean ashtray, and a freshly polished gleaming table top all set the stage for another of the unbelievable sessions he had been having with the President.

When the President was ready to begin, the Advisor asked, “Mr. President, with your permission, I would like to devote some time to understanding your financial policy.”

“Please go ahead. Financial policy is critical in the transformation process.”

“The basic principle of your transformation process seems to be the re-distribution of wealth from the haves to the have-nots. Yet, just the opposite is occurring. The people who have the money to invest in the stock market have done well while those who cannot participate in the buying and selling of stocks, commodities, and other securities are falling farther behind.”

“The redistribution of wealth is a complicated process. You have described only one step in the process. Yes, the income gap is widening. And it will continue to do so. I cannot move the United States from capitalism to socialism and state ownership of the means of production without first creating a large angry group of people. I am doing that by deliberately stimulating the stock market while depressing the capitalistic economy through taxation and constant regulations. The majority of Americans are not investors and depend on a growing economy to prosper. As this majority loses wealth in an economy that is far weaker than the numbers we release indicate, they will become more and more strident. ‘Occupy Wall Street’ was just the warmup. When the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, the country is ripe for a Progressive take over.

” You and 99 percent of the people are focused on the issue of growing the economy. I have used financial policies to create a large majority of Americans who see no downside in changing a failing capitalistic system for a socialist system that will greatly reduce the income gap. You see, ‘the issue is never the issue.’ I talk about doing everything I can to help the middle class. In fact, I’m destroying the middle class. They are an obstacle in the creation of a progressive system of government. I want only two classes, the growing class of have-nots and the rich who are the enemy.

“No party can overthrow a strong government with a historical belief in the power of capitalism and the free market. Progressive change depends on class warfare. There is no other way. We may need two more terms of progressive leadership of the American government before progressive socialism will be a welcome change. The more the Republican Party identifies with capitalism and the free market, the more they provide us with a perfect enemy. In my government there will be no place for people who resist socialism. It may be a good thing that I never closed Guantanamo Bay.”

“So, Mr. President, you do not believe the stock market is a true indicator of the economy?”

“No. And it has been a very long time since you could evaluate economic growth by the success of the Wall Street game. I hope that helps you understand how transformation works. If you’re still alive you may be the first person I send to Gitmo. You are just too intelligent and crafty to be running around in the world above this cave. Goodnight.”

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Filed under Alinsky, Capitalism, class warfare, complexity, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, financial policies, Intelligence & Politics, political solutions, Progressives

Tagged as class warfare, Conservatives, Republican, socialism, transformation

by Barry Kelly | September 17, 2015 · 3:33 pm

INSIGHTS 231 LEADING FROM BEHIND STRATEGY

While the President and the Advisor were engaging in a few moments of chatting about things that don’t matter, the Advisor wondered if he should ask the President a question he had had for a long time but was reluctant to bring it up. Finally he decided to be bold and ask. “Mr. President, you have used the term, ‘leading from behind’ in talking about foreign affairs. Just what does that mean and how do you use it?”

The President looked at the Advisor and said, “It is the core principle behind all my decisions. Under other Presidents this nation and the world has not fared well by the use of American military and economic power. How much better things might have been if they had been willing to exercise patience and let others advance their policy positions? You know the term came from Saul Alinsky. He used that strategy constantly when he was a community organizer in Chicago. I think it is a brilliant strategy. He would pick a subject he felt was important and work slowly behind the scenes to encourage others to adopt his ideas and take action to accomplish what needed to be done. If things didn’t go well, it wasn’t his fault, and he could quietly work to put his issues back on track. Often a breakthrough would occur that he hadn’t foreseen. And that was good. It indicated the value of harnessing the minds and energies of others to accomplish your objectives. At times he would pick the other side of the issue if the Progressives could use it to damage the opposition and clear the way for more ‘leading from behind’ probing.”

“What happens if the policy fails due to lack to leadership and direction?”

“If the strategy of leading from behind on an issue fails to advance Progressive goals it is because the people failed to understand the issue or were not adaptable enough in picking the tactics. It is difficult for the opposition to defeat Progressive ideology and actions because it appears as if the movement has no single leader. And that is correct. Leading from the front often results in failure and the loss of leaders. In my way the leadership cadre is very broad and if the leaders among the people are adaptable enough to change messages and positions, the deep leadership ranks are protected even when the effort seems to fail. Failure is rare because even if an effort is defeated by our opponents, we have been able to dictate the agenda and make some small gains and that is all we need to do to complete our transformation process.”

“Are you using the leading from behind strategy in the Middle East and primarily in Syria?”

“Of course. My objective is to change or transform the world order. How could I do that if I was openly leading the action? I’m leading from behind. Iran, ISIS, and Russia are doing exactly what I want. If Russia ends up being a power in the Middle East with warm water ports for their warships and control of oil from the region won’t that end the strife and lead to a world society where the people will be much better off and the world’s wealth and resources will be more equitably distributed? Russia will have what they have always wanted. They have no desire to occupy Europe. The balance of world power will be forever changed for the better. The need for vast military expenditures will be gone. Colonialism, Capitalism, and Imperialism will be history. Those are the real evil ‘isms’ of our world. Progressivism is the natural ideology for a world of equals.”

“Mr. President, I’m astounded at the breath of your response to my question. Do the leaders of your Administration share this view of the world?”

“Very, Very few. And that is good. Most of them would be more than astounded. They waste their time trying to either solve or pretend to solve the issues of governing. I only need a few people. The rest can mill about on trivial battlefields, as long as they do what they are told. Okay, I really have to go. Keep the questions coming. You help to keep me sharp. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Mr. President.”

The Advisor put his head down on the table and thought if you can’t handle the answer, don’t ask the question.

This is an account written by a fictional advisor who doesn’t exist but should.

Check out the latest Jack Brandon mystery suspense novel at your local bookstore. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80

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Filed under Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, Middle East, Obama, political solutions

by Barry Kelly | September 11, 2015 · 7:36 am

INSIGHTS 230 — THE ADVISOR, THE PRESIDENT, AND THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES

“Mr. President, I was hoping you would return soon so we could talk about the Republican candidates. I’m very interested in your take on the front runners and what their election might mean to your accomplishments.”

“I’m addicted to three things you offer, superb coffee, smoking a few cigarettes in peace, and discussing politics with someone who will never use or leak a single comment of mine to further their own agenda. So believe it, or not, I’m beginning to enjoy these meetings. I wish you had been here for my first term. Of course, I may have benefited from talking with your predecessor, but never went down to see him. Okay, where should I start?”

“You are the professional politician. Start anywhere you want.”

“I’ll start with the interaction between the candidates and the electorate. The Republican Party voting core knows, correctly, that this is their last chance. Another eight or even four years of Progressive Party government will end the two-party system. And that will be a good thing. When the losing party only exists to prevent the winning party from implementing the programs the majority of the people voted for, how can that be a good thing?

“The Republican leaders in Congress have failed to do what the people want. They are professional politicians whose only motivation is to maintain their jobs. They are the most socialistic elite people in America. Their pensions, healthcare, pay, vacations, expense accounts, do not in any way resemble the way their constituents live. It is shameless, every bit of legislation they pass always excludes members of Congress. People are tired of that. They are so above the people they have lost the ability to talk to or listen to those who elected them. They think talking at the people is the same as talking to them. If they have a positive message the people could identify with, they have kept it well guarded. They are so easy to outmaneuver it is not even a challenge to me. Over half of the Americans polled are against the Iranian nuclear weapons deal, yet the Republican leadership can’t even muster the support to override my guaranteed veto.

“Among the current candidates, is it any wonder that those in the lead are not professional politicians? The leader, Mr. Trump, is very good at talking to the people, not at them. Dr. Carson and Ms. Fiorina also have that gift. None of them are politically correct. They offer the people real choices and direct their anger at their own leadership as well as my party. Anyone of them could defeat any of the possible Progressive candidates. I knew by the time my two terms were up, the politically aware people who do not want my brand of socialism would be a formidable force. I can’t see the senators or maybe even the governors who are running, harnessing the growing awareness and anger of the people. In many respects, they are part of the problem and do not have a solution.

“Senator Cruz is the best debater. But I don’t think he can carry a high enough percentage of the independents and centrist voters. Probably is viewed as too conservative. He is very smart and probably would make a good president. But not electable. Senator Rubio is the best candidate on the issue of foreign affairs. The immigration issue will hurt him as well as his inability to carry Florida. Trump is right about Jeb Bush. Not enough fire in the belly and his last name is a killer. Americans won’t go for either a Bush or a Clinton dynasty.

“The governors of Ohio and Wisconsin have good local state records, but haven’t been able to excite the people. Governor Kaisch could probably deliver Ohio, but the conservative core doesn’t trust him. Governor Walker is the poster-boy for the anti-labor movement. That’s a lot of negative baggage. The other candidates don’t matter. Okay, that’s my run down. I have to go. I see by your body language that you agree with me. Right?”

“I agree with your overall analysis. You are a good political analyst. Maybe you can have my job someday.”

“No way. I haven’t seen a single golf course down here.”

This is an account written by a fictional advisor who doesn’t exist but should.

Check out the latest Jack Brandon mystery suspense novel at your local bookstore. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, political solutions, Politics, Presidential Debate, Progressives

by Barry Kelly | September 8, 2015 · 7:31 am

INSIGHTS 229 — WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?

The Advisor was all primed to ask the President about his understanding of Keynesian financial policies, when he suddenly changed direction. “Mr. President, we have talked extensively about your plan to transform America. I have a more limited question. What have you done to the Democratic Party?”

“So you’ve noticed. You’re the first person who ever asked me that question. It is the cornerstone of my entire transformation of America. I knew I didn’t have the tools I needed when I was elected. I needed to first transform the Democratic Party. The party of the past wouldn’t have cooperated with me. The old Southern Democrats, the Scoop Jacksons, the Tip O’Neills, the Lyndon Johnsons, and even the Hubert Humphries were all proud of America and its historic place in the world. I don’t share any of their pride in America. I couldn’t expect the Democrats I inherited who revered these prominent party members of the past to destroy present-day America.

“Fortunately, there has always been a strong populist movement in America. These people from the ‘rust belt’ area were ripe for a move to the left. The urban elites of the Northeast and West Coast who believe everything is subject to change for the good if directed and managed by an intelligent core of the faithful were anxious to be included in a move to more centralized government. They, too, hated much of the results of the presence of American economic and military power in the world. They actually feel guilty because the generations before them built such a powerful nation. Add to that the number of indoctrinated graduates pouring out of our leading universities where they were taught the evils of capitalism and conservative ideology. The revolutionary minded tools I needed were growing before I was even a Senator in the Illinois State House.

“We had the leadership necessary for a social revolution. Now, I needed a mass of angry disillusioned followers. Racism, Vietnam, Watergate, the growing gap of wealth and opportunity between the haves and have-nots, the Bush wars, immigration, and growing unemployment with the attendant accumulation of debt and dependence on welfare, provided the voters and the demonstrators. I should also point out that my candor about transforming America was never understood or resisted by the self-serving Republican leadership wedded to working within the imagined protection of traditional checks and balances. They still don’t understand. Power has always been there for those with the courage to take it.

“The Democratic Party is gone in everything except name. In certain states, thousands of people are turning up to hear an old do-nothing socialist speak about the utopia he will provide in America if he is elected. Under a true socialist one-party government under the control of my Progressive Party, nuts like the senator from a tiny state will only be preaching in the solitude of their cells. Don’t these people ever read history? The first decade or so of one-party leftist rule is not pretty. Some discipline can only be accomplished by using very harsh procedures.

“To answer your question. The Democratic Party is gone forever. I needed the Harry Reids and Nancy Pelosis in the Congress and my people in control of the civil service, especially the Department of Justice, to allow massive immigration and to control whatever Republican or conservative opposition that tried to stop me. The only problem is that I don’t have enough power to remain in office for a third term and the person who follows me must not allow American nationalism to turn back what I have accomplished. I don’t see a new leader I trust to carry the progressive banner further.”

“Mr. President, I suspected some of your answer but the scope and breath of your response has shaken me. You are a political genius but you know I do not share your vision.”

“It’s more than a vision. It is a reality. You are a very worthy adversary but there are too few of you and you are locked up in this cave. Thank God.”

This is an account written by a fictional advisor who doesn’t exist but should.

Check out the latest Jack Brandon mystery suspense novel at your local bookstore. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

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Filed under Capitalism, centralization, class warfare, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, financial policies, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, political solutions, Progressives, Utopian

by Barry Kelly | September 3, 2015 · 7:02 am

INSIGHTS 228 — GETTING READY TO TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMY

The Advisor was lost in thought, in between talks from his only visitor, the President.

The President has been so candid recently. I have to get ready to ask him some more challenging questions. I think he enjoys the challenge. He’s got to be immersed in the current economic crisis so I’ll start getting my background material ready. Many Americans do not see the economy, the process of making and selling things, as being different from the stock market. But they are two very different areas. While one affects the other to some degree, it is very difficult for experts to agree on the exact cause and effect of changes in the stock market. Economists talk knowingly about the state of the economy and what is needed to improve its performance. But in reality they should be called political economists because their analysis depends on whether they are supply-side economists or Keynesian economists.

The President’s progressive wing of the Democratic Party is nearly exclusively Keynesian. Those people believe the level and management of government spending is the key to growing the economy. The opposing side of free market/supply side economists believe growth can only come through the capitalist process of making and selling products outside the governing process. The fewer the regulations and the lower the taxes, the more the economy is free to grow. In their minds, a growth rate of between 4 percent and 8 percent is ideal with a tax rate on corporations around 15 percent.

The Keynesian monetary policies have never worked anywhere, though they were tried extensively during the Roosevelt era. Since government spending on sectors such as infrastructure can only be financed from taxes from people and corporations, Keynesian management of the economy inhibits the growth that is necessary to finance needed infrastructure, human services, and the military. Most everyone is in favor of these items but only the progressives with their Keynesian finance managers believe spending on social welfare and infrastructure stimulate the economy to grow. The first place they look for money for social services and infrastructure is the military budget. Few progressives believe in maintaining a strong military. I must remember to ask the President about his views on Keynesian economics.

Regardless of the financial philosophy, effectiveness of the process must be based on a real reporting and understanding of the facts. When the administration and talking heads go on about the well-being of the economy, they are mostly talking about the stock market that has done very well. Indeed it should with the Federal Reserve printing $86,000,000,000 per month for a program called Qualitative Easing. This level of printing money went on for many months. If you could afford to invest, you did well. The President’s program, instead of distributing wealth to narrow the gap in income between economic classes, actually widened the gap. Turning from the stock market to the business of making and selling things, the real economy, you see a much different picture. Real unemployment is closer to 12 percent than the 5 percent the progressives claim. Employment participation rates are lower than at any time since the 1970s. There are more people on food stamps and welfare now than ever before and that is not just due to the growth in population. Health care costs are growing. Wages are stagnant. Graduating college students cannot find jobs. Student debt is way up. People have given up looking for non-existent jobs. The economy is way below the growth rate needed to sustain services and our national debt. The only measureable that is up is the number of people on welfare. I wonder what the President will say about his commitment to the redistribution of wealth.

The last area to ask him about will be the energy sector. I wonder what he’ll say about the Saudi’s program of pumping oil at a level that is continuing to increase the glut of crude on the market today. Doesn’t he realize the Saudis dumping oil on the energy market is motivated by their need to remain the predominated supplier of the worlds oil and to weaken Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Russia, and the United States? Their strategy is working. Many oil drillers in the United States are gone. They and others like them around the world cannot profitably sell oil much below $60 or $70. Unless the Saudis change their strategy, the current glut of oil may be with us for a few more years.

The Advisor stopped his pacing and his thought process.

I think that is enough for more than one session with the President, he thought, feeling more prepared.

This is an account written by a fictional advisor who doesn’t exist but should.

Check out the latest Jack Brandon mystery suspense novel at your local bookstore. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.