Category Archives: Politics

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.

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Capitalism, class warfare, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, financial policies, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, Obama, oil, political solutions, Progressives, Russia, Saudia Arabia

Tagged as economy, free market, government, keynesian economics, Progressives, qualitative easy, socialism, supply side economics

by Barry Kelly | August 31, 2015 · 7:11 am

INSIGHTS 227 — THE ADVISOR, THE PRESIDENT, AND THE PRIMARIES

The President had been chatting with the Advisor for a few minutes about nothing in particular. He appeared to be very relaxed and at ease. The final 18 months of a second term will do that to a president, the Advisor thought.

He seems to be interested in the activities and prospects of the candidates in the Republican and Democratic primaries. Why not focus on what he is interested in rather than trying my prepared questions?

The President was topping off his coffee cup so the Advisor asked, “Mr. President, why do you think Hillary is losing ground to Senator Sanders?”

“Remember when I told you that I don’t follow the law, I use it? Well, to do that takes real political skill and a very thick political skin. I use the law, or my interpretation of the law, to move America to a more equitable political system, one to the left of the European models. I enjoy the good life but the people don’t see me trying to amass great wealth. In my opinion, the Clintons don’t have an image of a better America in their vision. Rather, they have a vision of more money and power for the themselves. Her problems with emails and the activities of their foundation have nothing to do with moving America to a better social and political system. Those problems were created by the need to hide irregularities of mixing a government position with the needs of a money-making foundation. They are far richer than I am and ever will be. It is hard to convince the people you are the champion of their well-being when your own capitalistic greed is there to see. Hillary kept secrets from me when she used her own email server instead of the required and mandated government system server. It’s probable that several of our national security secrets were exposed by being on an unprotected private server.”

“You believe her fading poll numbers are due solely to the way she failed to separate the nation’s needs from her own?”

“No, not solely. Senator Sanders is capitalizing on a little discussed but prominent feature of the democratic process. America started out as a republic. A system of government that used the political power of the states and the electoral college system of the election process to insulate the nation’s political process from the ‘one person, one vote’ premise that is necessarily a part of democratic ideology. Today we have moved away from the ways the American republic protected itself from exclusive control of the popular vote. As soon as the people realized they could vote themselves benefits, the door was open for politicians to begin promising them anything to win votes. Remember ‘hope and change?’ When America becomes a true democracy, where ‘one person, one vote’ is a reality, only the states with the most voters will control the nation. On the far left of American political ideology, where I am now, there is strong support for moving away from the electoral college system and adopting a nationwide popular vote, for all national elections. States will only have control of election to state offices. Senator Sanders maybe the first national office holder who is appealing solely to the wants of the people, not what the nation needs.”

“What about your vice president moving into the race?”

“He can’t win without my support. Unless the FBI investigation leads to Hillary withdrawing, I can’t see anyone else who could win the presidency other than her.”

“Will the FBI investigation lead to her withdrawing?”

“My position is that is up to her and the FBI. I won’t help her. Once it seemed clear she had broken the law and probably exposed classified national security information to our enemies, the FBI had to investigate.” The President finished his last sip of coffee and set the cup down. “Why don’t we talk about the Republican candidates the next time I can get down here?”

“Fine, Mr. President, I would like that.”

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

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

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Capitalism, Clinton, Conservative views, democrats, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, political solutions, Politics, Progressives

Tagged as bernie sanders, election, Electoral College, emails, FBI, Hillary Clinton, presidency

by Barry Kelly | August 22, 2015 · 7:29 am

INSIGHTS 226 — ARE WE THERE YET?

The president hadn’t been back down to see the Advisor for several days. The Advisor spent his time going back over the last several meetings. The president’s motivation was becoming clearer. The Advisor felt he was now able to understand the president’s actions. Once you broke the code his actions were understandable, but many would always believe he was a failed president who was just inept with a strange view of the world. The Advisor decided to record his thoughts in his journal.

The president has only one goal and that is to transform America into a socialist nation to the left of the European model of socialism. He doesn’t care about solving problems that do not contribute to his transformation process. For example, he has long known the Affordable Care Act could not provide medical care to the nation’s population. But it does bring nearly 8 percent of the economy under government management. Under his health care program, the medical treatment of citizens, especially the aged, would be become so costly with growing chaos that the people would clamor for the single payer system of true socialized medicine. A giant step toward complete socialization.

Under the Dodd/Frank financial legislation, the nation’s financial system is steadily coming more under the control of the federal government. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. Dodd/Frank regulations and the Keynesian economic policies of the Federal Reserve are forcing the closure of small local banks that provided credit to small businesses and new startups. Without access to local credit, many small businesses are downsizing or going out of business. Bringing all commerce under control of the federal government is a necessary step toward national socialism.

Large corporations are not immune from the impact of endless regulations flowing from the federal government. The coal industry is vanishing under this onslaught. Costs and regulations are preventing the building of new power plants and refineries. Exploration for new drilling sites is now limited to privately held or state-owned land. Even those areas are the target of increasing regulations. The tax structure with the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world is weakening the competitiveness of American businesses. You don’t need a revolution to convert a capitalist, free market economy into a socialist economy. The impact of high taxes, regulations that set standards for industry that cannot be met or are so costly they will destroy capitalism are enough. A few more years of progressive rule and the federal government will control whatever industries they chose.

Socialism cannot be forced upon a nation with a military force that is not totally controlled by a progressive/socialist elite and where the population is armed. Therefore, the government must use whatever methods necessary to take weapons away from the citizens. The military can be lured into socialism by cutting funds, discouraging the development of new weapons, reducing the size of the armed forces, and throwing thousands of young men and women out into an economy with no jobs. What will these disillusioned and angry young people do? Probably blame the wrong causes.

The last piece the president needs to transform America is to weaken the opposition. He has surely done that. Even though the people have spoken and rejected progressive control of the Congress and given the Republicans control of both Houses, the same hapless ineffective leaders are still in power. They don’t even know what is going on and are acting as if the president’s transformation of America is something they can handle over time by routine congressional procedures. By the time they wake up, it will be too late.

Example: The Iran deal. This is a treaty by any definition, yet the Senate let the president take this action under his executive powers. If this were a treaty, it would need 60 votes in the Senate to approve it.

Who can put a halt to transformation? The Supreme Court and the civil service are already won over to the progressive side. Only a new conservative strong leader can begin to turn this errant ship around. Time is running out.

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

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