About John McCain, Crocodile Tears

I'm not going to get into the pros and cons of the life of the late John McCain, but what does irk me is the great praise he only got once he began to condemn US President Donald Trump.

credit: Crocodile tears

Do you remember how unpopular McCain was when he ran for the United States Presidency? I do. The media, movers, shakers and of course the Leftists prefered the young, inexperienced, untested Barack Hussein Obama. They didn't give McCain a fair chance at all.

But eight years later, once Trump galvanized the Republicans, got the nomination and shocked the pundits completely by defeating Hillary Clinton, McCain's anti-Trump statements made him a media darling. And his brain cancer was just the icing of his popularity cake.

The dying, and now dead, John McCain became the poster child for the anti-Trump Republicans. Politics! I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

How Was Donald Trump Elected to the US Presidency?

First I'd like to make it clear that this isn't an article supporting Donald Trump as a person. I admit that he's certainly one of the least attractive and certainly one of the most problematic US Presidents ever elected. But Donald Trump was elected, because the Democrats put up a candidate, Hillary Clinton, with more faults and less charisma.

How Was Donald Trump Elected to the US Presidency?

1. Trump was elected legally, according to American Law
2. Trump was nominated because now there's a primary system, rather than allowing the politicians to wheel and deal.
3. Many Americans were completely turned off by Democratic policies and so-called "successes" of the Obama administration.
4. Hillary Clinton insulted many voters.
5. The Democratic Party has moved to the Extreme Left. 
6. Many Americans feel under attack by the Left/Democrats.
7. Donald Trump made many Americans feel more confident in the future. 

These are my observations from abroad. I've been living in Israel for almost half a century. In all honesty, I'm not only glad that we made the move right after our wedding, but I'm sure that if we hadn't done it then, we, too could have been sucked into American Jewish life.

As Israelis who've lived in Shiloh thirty-seven years, we had no problem seeing the growing antagonism from the United States. The anti-Israel policies that had formerly come mainly from the State Department, has now spread to almost all parts of America, academia, the Democratic Party, the media and hollywood. Please don't forget that Obama ended his presidency with a strong attack on Israel in the United Nations. 

All we in Israel have left in "our camp" are some committed Jews, mostly Orthodox, but not all, middle America and the Evangelicals. Coincidently, they are the same Americans, on the whole, who voted for Donald Trump.

• They are the ones who just can't forget how Hillary Clinton as FLOTUS kissed Suha Arafat after a hateful, lie-filled anti-Israel speech. 
• They are the ones who aren't overjoyed at the legality of same-sex marriage being legalized, one of the great accomplishments of the Obama administration.
• They are the ones who prefer to check the policies and platform of a presidential candidate, rather than the sex or race. 
• They are the ones who don't want how-to sex education for young children.
• They are the ones whose children serve in the US Military and Police Forces.
• They are the ones who don't think that a person's sex can be changed by surgery and hormones. 
• They are the ones who believe in absolute values and rules.
• They are the ones who fear that their country has been hijacked by radical extremists who not only rioted when they didn't like the 2016 Presidential Election results, but have made it difficult for others to voice opinions.

From my vantage point halfway around the world, I see the United States losing basic democratic values. The media and academia are preferring to voice and accept only one opinion. 

My husband and I greeting US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center

What do you think about my points?

Roseanne, Aliyah Would be Great, But Forget PM

Apparently, the irrepressible Roseanne has announced that she'd love to join her people in Israel and even become the chief aka Prime Minister.

“I want to make aliya, I do, and before all the stuff is sold – all the real estate,” she said. “I still have this fantasy of being an old Jewish lady living in the Jewish homeland... I want to buy a farm there and maybe bring my family.”
Of course, Barr won’t be moving just yet, since she just signed on to another year of her smash hit TV show, the revival of Roseanne. Barr said it’s true she committed to another year “but you never know what’s going to happen.”
Weiss asked Barr about the phone call she got from US President Donald Trump after the premiere of her show scored excellent ratings.
“He said ‘Congratulations on the ratings.’ He’s really into ratings like I am,” said Barr. And then the actress said she had a message for Trump – to thank him for his decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.

Being the rare TV star who not only supports US President Trump, but Roseanne Barr says so on nationwide television. The PCs don't seem to scare her.

I guess Roseanne looks at the real numbers, like the fact that although all the pundits and most polls had predicted an easy win for Hillary Clinton, it was Donald Trump who won the most recent United States Presidential Elections. So, nobody should be surprised that her revived television series is a hit. More Americans agree with her than the media and Hollywood care to imagine.

Roseanne would feel at home in Israel, though I hope that her talks of getting involved in running for the Knesset, which is the only way to be a Prime Minister, was just for the headlines. Like all Jews, she should make aliyah, Gd willing.

Why isn't Hillary Clinton POTUS?

aka Why did Hillary Clinton lose the American Presidential Elections?

And NOT Why did Donald Trump win?

Robert J. Avrech wrote some interesting things Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Understand George Orwell’s 1984, and I just had to throw my two cents 2¢ in the ring.

More than running a bad campaign, the truth is that Hillary Clinton just doesn't have the temperament and character to be a national leader.

• The other day I saw a clip of Hillary explaining that she couldn't do well on debates, because she was unnerved by Trump staring at her. Duh?! Need I say more about how she'd handle real pressure?
• Instead of presenting herself as a national leader, Hillary stressed her support for Extreme Left issues.
• Instead of presenting herself as a national leader, Hillary belittled and insulted Trump supporters.

Hillary Clinton a Feminist? You must be kidding.

• Hillary has stuck by Bill all these decades even though his philandering has been public knowledge.
• A true Feminist would sympathise with the female victims of her lecherous husband, but Hillary attacks them and stands by her man.
• A true Feminist isn't afraid to be on her own; Hillary has remained tethered to Bill.

Extremely important to remember: 

Hillary's policies were in opposition to Traditional Family Values which lost her votes in demographic groups which she had been certain were hers.

Someday a woman will be elected President of the United States, and for the sake of the USA and the world, I hope and pray that it will be a woman who can run on her qualifications and character, rather than trying to play the gender card. It's sexist to say that one should vote for a candidate, because "it's time we put a woman in the White House."

Grateful to be Living in Israel as World Falls Apart

When my husband and I made aliyah to Israel soon after our 1970 wedding it was considered a rare, incomprehensible and dangerous thing to do. There was an enormous difference between the two countries in what was then considered "quality of life." In those days those criteria were of modern conveniences, technology and toiletpaper.

Less than a half a century ago, Israel was more Third World than modern. Today we have everything one needs here in Israel. Today not only is technology in Israel topnotch, but the healthcare system among the best in the world and smoking is now prohibited in most public places. And as an added bonus, at "end of season sales," prices are slashed by 70% in many stores. This is not the Israel we moved to in 1970. Today it's not just much better than before, but it's a lot better than the United States of America.

The political and security situations in Israel are also better here. I know that the headlines give the impression that security is better in the states, but it's not really true when you calculate murder and violent crime in the USA. Israel is actually one of the safest places in the world.

And while many olim, immigrants to Israel find the political system too confusing, different or just plain strange, compared to the chaos and rioting in other countries, I'd say that Israel is most civilized.

Europe is undergoing a rapid metamorphose from white-Cristian to Islamic of all colors and backgrounds. It's a combination of non-replacement native European birthrates and the migration, legal and illegal of Arabs and Africans. The governments have welcomed them due to the lack of workers, but recently the extreme cultural differences, preponderance of males and subsequent violence have changed Europe for the worse.

In the United States the unprecedented riots by groups like "not my president" have crossed boundaries like never before. Never before has there been such massive and violent "sore-loser" protests in America. Having been born, raised and educated in the USA, I had always been taught that in democracy, you sometimes lose and then must accept the results. It's a sign of a fascist unstable government wehn people take to the streets the way they have been since last Novemenber. Democratic leaders, like Hillary Clinton, failed democracy when she called Trump supporters "deplorables." And Obama should have immediately ordered everyone home and threatened the protestors with arrest.

Donald Trump's far from perfect, but he should have been helped and supported, rather than being condemned for every breath. So, now he's feeling paranoid. Who wouldn't be when attacked the way he has been.

I am so thankful to be in Israel. Even with the attacks here on Bibi and Sara Netanyahu the political situation is more placid.

True, no place is 100% perfect, but I'm perfectly happy living in Israel.

Congress Finally Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's Capital

I see this biparty recognition as a great improvement in American -Israeli relations.

US CONGRESS PASSES RESOLUTION MARKING JERUSALEM UNIFICATION
In passing the resolution, the Senate reaffirmed its support for the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which compels the US State Department to relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the ancient city. (Jerusalem Post)
Senate approves resolution on Jerusalem reunification
By a vote of 90-0, Senate passes resolution reaffirming that Jerusalem is Israel's undivided capital. (Arutz 7)

And if you add the fact that United States President Donald Trump has been instructing his United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley to defend Israel and protest the anti-Israel policies there, you just can't deny that there has been a great improvement in relations with the State of Israel.

U.S. poised to warn U.N. rights forum of possible withdrawal

The United States is expected to signal on Tuesday that it might withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council unless reforms are ushered in including the removal of what it sees as an "anti-Israel bias", diplomats and activists said.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who holds cabinet rank in President Donald Trump's administration, said last week Washington would decide on whether to withdraw from the Council after its three-week session in Geneva ends this month. (Reuters)

None of us can or should forget the vicious anti-Israel swan song by Obama and Kerry as their reign was ending.

I certainly don't claim that Trump is perfect, but from my vantage here in Israel, we're grateful not to be the target Obama had made us. And I have no doubt that Hillary wouldn't have treated us any better. Her smile would have been brighter, but her policies would have been the same as Obama or worse.

And again I suggest that both American political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, start promoting some serious open/fair-minded presidential candidates for the 2020 elections. Look at people's experience and policies, not their sex or race as qualifications.

Vive La Différence, Trump versus Obama

This article is also posted on Israel Blogger.

Finally the United States has a president who isn't totally enamored with Arab terrorist leaders. I can't remember a time when an American President seemed more comfortable and supporting of Israel rather than the Arabs who want to destroy us.

As imperfect/flawed as Donald Trump certainly is, at least he and his family aren't as entwined, financially, emotionally, politically, ideologically, religiously with the Arab terrorists and their backers as his predecessors were.

Obama, early on in his presidency pledged to help facilitate the establishment of a Palestinian State, and his failure (thank the Good Lord) to do so made him bitterly and unabashedly anti-Israel at the end of his rule.  Yes, he took off the diplomatic "mask."

Trump, in his ignorance and naivete had announced that his brilliant Jewish son-in-law could pull off a "peace deal" with Israel and the Arabs, but it seems that after visiting here, he is starting to realize that it won't work. In the world of real estate, some projects get scrapped before making it past the early blueprint stage. I have no doubt that Trump's plan for "peace" here will be shelved pretty soon. His administration and especially Jared Kushner have too many more pressing issues to deal with, to put it mildly.

Many people keep asking me what I think of Trump and his presidency. All I can say is that I'm not afraid of the anarchy that seems to be the nicest word to describe what is going on in his administration. With all his faults, thank Gd, he isn't Hillary Clinton. I have no doubt that she would have been worse than Barack Hussein Obama, especially when it comes to Israel. And I wouldn't be surprised if the rather anemic Democratic Party does draft/pressure Michelle Obama to run in either 2020 or 2024. The only reason that she may refuse is if she really finds herself enjoying their well-paid celebrity life too much.

To make it clear, I want to repeat what I've written many times. The security and continued existence of the State of Israel is up to us, not any foreign country or international organization. We in the State of  Israel and the Jewish People all over the world have a strong invisible ally who can help us defeat all of our enemies, just like He has done in the past. Yes, Gd Almighty is our secret weapon.

Here we are a half a century after the totally miraculous Six Days War. No country supported us. Everyone stood on the sidelines to watch, expecting a certain defeat and destruction of the State of Israel. All over the world, the Jewish People and those who cared about us prayed to Gd for our victory. And Gd facilitated that miraculous victory!

It doesn't matter what goes on in the White House. Thank Gd Trump's main focus isn't on Israel and its enemies. I just hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu will stop looking for a human savior. Only Gd can save us, and He's right here with us waiting for the call. We must pray to Gd and thank Him for the miracles he has already done for us.

I'm Worried About The State of The USA

• Not everyone can win.
• The major Principle of democracy is accepting results including losses.

The "not my president" campaign/movement is undemocratic and I'd even say fascist.

The results of legally held elections must be accepted, even when you're upset by them. Not only is that life, but that's what democracy is all about.

If anything, the "not my president" campaign is probably just alienating more voters from the Democratic Party than it's attracting. And no doubt that there are some very embarrassed Democrats who are terrified to voice their opinions. 

Hillary Clinton and other Democrats who lost turned off voters by preaching that their ideology is the right and most moral one, and they didn't tune in to the worries, fears and priorities of the American voters in most of the states. Think of it as playing a violin like a banjo. It's going to sound really bad. And sticking a guitar on your shoulder to play like a violin won't be any better.

Sorry, but the truth, like election results, isn't guaranteed to the pleasant.

International Revolt of Ordinary People Against Mainstream Politics

During the recent American Presidential Primaries and actual campaign, I wrote quite a few times about the dissatisfaction many Americans, Right, Left and Center, had with the establishment candidates. And that is the big reason that Donald Trump is the President of the United States of America. Neither Hillary Clinton and the getting more Leftist by the second Democratic Party nor the mainstream Republican politicians, most notably the Bush dynasty attracted enough American voters in enough states to win the elections.

The Democrats, who preached their Radical Left New Morality, ended up scaring Middle America straight into the arms of Donald Trump, who, as a top marketing expert should, knew just what to say to appeal to the fears of ordinary Americans.

As I've written many times, politics can be as much fun to observe as sports. It is a sport in a sense. Like in most games, there is only one winner.

As the two candidates enter the final lap, each can reasonably claim a part in changing the face of French politics. Ms Le Pen secured 7.7m votes, 1.3m more than at the first round in 2012, and a big jump from the 4.8m her father got in 2002. When he made it into the run-off, he scored only 18%. That she might well more than double that on May 7th is a reflection of her success in turning the FN into a fixed feature of the French party system. Even if she loses, Ms Le Pen has had an outsized influence over this campaign.
As for Mr Macron, he has already pulled off a historic feat. Last summer, he was a rank outsider, whose hopes of running defied all French rules about the way presidential candidacies are slow-cooked over the years. Now, the man with a dream, a gamble and a heavy dose of luck appears well placed to become the youngest-ever president of France’s Fifth Republic. After that, the hard part begins. The Economist

CNN

politico.eu

In another week France is having run-off Presidential Elections between two non-mainstream candidates, Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Macron, like Trump, has never held elected office though he was appointed Minister of the Economy in 2014. Marine Le Pen has revamped her father's extreme Right party and may actually pull off a victory.

For the moment, surveys predict that Macron will win with a bit less than 60%, but Le Pen has been constantly rising in polls in recent days. Jerusalem Post

As "brand loyalty" is becoming a thing of the past in marketing, the same phenomenon is showing its head in politics. Nowadays, before buying a refrigerator or plane tickets, people check their options online and choose by price and servicing, rather than getting the latest model of their old fridge or sticking with "frequent flyer" options. That's why simple marketing and voicing the needs and worries of the voter is the modern way to win an election.

Americans, So You're Not Happy With Trump? Change the System!

As I've written before, the two main party nominees for the American Presidency were the two worst in the History of the United States of America. And as "unsuitable" Donald Trump may be as POTUS, I still shudder at the thought that if it wasn't for the Electoral College, we'd see Hillary* and her crooked cronies in charge.

One of my "visual aids" for teaching vocabulary

I'm a remedial teacher and have a knack to describe complicated things rather clearly. So, here's my very simple explanation why and how Donald Trump managed to mow down all the other Republican wannabes.

PRIMARIES

• Yes, by giving ordinary Americans the opportunity to choose a candidate, it was pretty easy to predict that they'd choose the better showman. Voters confused reality television with reality.
• Viewers loved the outrageous Trump statements, which encouraged news channels/sites to give him oodles of free publicity which snowballed and saved him advertising money.
• The financial cost of Primaries is so high that only the wealthiest or those with the richest backers** can afford to compete.

And there's another reason why Trump won, and that's the one even harder for the Democrats to accept. They just aren't in synch with the ordinary American citizen, rich, poor, Right, Left and Center. Yes, I know that many of you are about to shout that Hillary won the popular vote. Yes, she did, but that was due to her support in just a couple of very heavily populated states. The county results of 2016 should be taken very seriously.

2016 County Map

Democrats lost in the House, Senate and Governorships. ALL THAT RED AREA VOTED FOR TRUMP! Spooky, isn't it?

Before the Primaries season, Trump hadn't a chance at all. When he campaigned in the Primaries, even if Trump, himself, didn't take his campaign seriously, ordinary Americans did. And by the time the Primaries campaign was over enough American voters had identified with his anger and fears to support him, even though most of the media, plenty of their favorite athletes and pretty much all of Hollywood kept insisting that he was an unqualified, dangerous nut case, and they should make Hillary the first female President of the United States of America.

If the Democrats want to win, they must understand that ordinary Americans did not relate to their platform. They found many of the campaign promises, and the "accomplishments" of the Obama administration terrifying. And now, they still feel attacked by the Left, because Trump isn't being given a fair chance, at least in their eyes.

If the Democrats were smart, they'd just let Trump fail on his own.

If the Democrats want to win, they should be quickly grooming some young Centrists to run in 2020.

And if Americans want more qualified nominees, they must rollback the Primaries or they'll just get more and more reality stars in high office.

*It's not just that she's anti-Israel, but don't forget all the foreign funding supporting her fake "charity."
**That is how Hillary Clinton dominated the Democrats. She had already contracted with all of the big Leftist money well before the Primaries even began.

Americans, Please Put Down Your Swords and Make Peace

I'm sure that I'm not the only person in the world who has been horrified by the behavior of the American public, American citizens who have been condemning the results of the recent Presidential Elections, not with the usual benign disappointment, but with riots, lawsuits and more.

I don't know how Basic Democracy and Democratic Principles are taught nowadays, but way back when in the middle of the previous century we were taught that you had to accept your loss with dignity. Here in Shiloh, I've been on the Election Committee for almost every local election for thirty years or so, and it has happened many more times than once, that after the votes were counted, I'd discover that none of the candidates I had voted for had been elected. And sometimes I really don't like the results at all. That's life. I've always taken pride in how fairly and legally I've run elections, and that's why now two generations of Shilohnians like seeing me in charge.

Now, after at least two years or more of campaigning and mudslinging and worse, the 2016 American Presidential Elections are finally over. Yesterday was the voting of the Electoral College. And they voted, as is the law/custom according to the state voting results, for Donald Trump.

People protest against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as electors gather to cast their votes for U.S. president at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Republican Donald Trump prevailed in U.S. Electoral College voting on Monday to officially win election as the next president, easily dashing a long-shot push by a small movement of detractors to try to block him from gaining the White House.
Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, garnered more than the 270 electoral votes required to win, even as at least half a dozen U.S. electors broke with tradition to vote against their own state’s directives, the largest number of “faithless electors” seen in more than a century.
The Electoral College vote is normally a formality but took on extra prominence this year after a group of Democratic activists sought to persuade Republicans to cross lines and vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She won the nationwide popular vote even as she failed to win enough state-by-state votes in the acrimonious Nov. 8 election. (Reuters)

It's time for all Americans to accept the results. That's what true democracy is all about. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose, and sometimes it really hurts.

Worrying Antidemocratic Phenomenon

Yitzhak Rabin (photo credit: Flash90)

Over twenty years ago, when Yitzchak Rabin was Prime Minister of Israel and complaining against the growing popular protests against his approval/acceptance of the rogue Oslo Accords, he was recorded as saying* that he's "the Prime Minister of 98%**  of the people."

This statement of Rabin spooked me out then, and that unpleasant, worried feeling hasn't lightened one iota ever since I first heard it.

We all know that politicians in office do feel more kindly to their supporters than those who didn't vote for them, but they are supposed to their best to at least give the impression that they will serve all the people of the country or district they represent.

Awkward handshake as Trump and Obama meet face to face
for the first time. Photo: AAP

No doubt it wasn't easy for American President-Elect Donald Trump to meet POTUS Barack Hussein Obama the first time after all of the nasty hate-mongering things Obama had said about him. But they both did and said the proper things, literally gritting their teeth, (maybe holding in the bile,) as they posed before the cameras praising each other and promising a smooth transition for the good of the United States of America.

In Israel, Right, Left or Center, we're pretty used to the reality of finding ourselves with a Prime Minister we abhor, but we accept it as a fact of life and don't riot in protest.

I find the anti-Trump "not my president" riots, protests etc., which is even supported by schools and universities, not just the media, worse than disturbing. It's the protests and lack of acceptance that portends dangerous undermining of the Constitution and democracy in the USA.

The United States proudly claims itself to be one of the oldest democracies in the world, but it isn't behaving as one. This has me worried. I hope that Hillary and Obama will quickly and very publicly send everyone home for a good night's sleep and request that they do the proper thing and recognize rule of law that Donald Trump will be their next President.

**thanks to a friend who found this reference, indirect quote
"...Rabin, the man who proclaimed as prime minister that his opponents could continue to "spin like propellers" as far as he was concerned, and said openly that he was Prime Minister of 98% of the nation, not the 2% who so strongly opposed him.  (Another version of his remarks has it that he said his job was to provide security to 98% of Israel's population.) Either way, one could see why he was not loved by lovers of the Land of Israel."
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/2390#.WC3ypJAvDrc
*I couldn't find any reference in English, but a friend found all of these including the English above. The percentage Rabin gave was 98%. He considered the opposition to be very marginal in Israeli society, although many more than 2% opposed Oslo. Here are links and quotations in Hebrew:

בהתנחלויות הייתה אווירה קשה והרגשה שהממשלה מזניחה אותם (בעקבות התבטאויות של רבין כמו "לי אכפת מ-98% מאזרחי המדינה", "פרופלורים" ו"הם לא מזיזים לי").
https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%AA_%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C_%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%95%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%A9

('אני ראש הממשלה של 98% אחוז מהיהודים.' 
http://www.inn.co.il/Forum/Forum.aspx/t8447


"אני ראש ממשלה של 98% ולא של שני אחוז" ( אחרי פיצוץ אוטובוס בתל אביב. 2% - המתנחלים . שימוש ברצח כמכשיר הסתה נגד היהודים החושבים אחרת.( הציטטה הוזכרה בהצעת אי האמון בכנסת 27 פב. 95 - דברי הכנסת )
http://www.bhol.co.il/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=2837454&forum_id=5824

אדוני היושב-ראש, חברי הכנסת, לראש ממשלה יש קצת יותר אחריות משיש לכל אדם אחר בשאלות של ביטחון. לכן אסור לראש ממשלה שהוא גם שר הביטחון, להפריד ביטחונית בין ‎98% מהישראלים לבין ‎2% מהם. גם אם הוא אינו מסוגל לתת ‎100% ביטחון, אסור לה להפריד בין דם לדם. חובתו לדאוג לכל העם. אסור שישתמע שלא כל כך אכפת לו מהיפגעות של ‎2% מהעם. גם האמירה, שירידה מ-‎98% מהגולן לא נחשבת לירידה מהגולן, איננה נכונה. להישאר רק על המורדות פירושו לרדת.
http://knesset.gov.il/.../19950227@19950227002@002.html

Democracy 101, Losing Must be Accepted

The continuing antidemocratic, and yes immoral and fascist-style, "not my president" protests in the United States are terribly worrying.

Protesters demonstrate against the election of Republican Donald Trump as President of the United States in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 14, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Makela

Demonstrations protesting the U.S. presidential election victory of Republican Donald Trump entered their second week on Monday, with thousands of students chanting phrases like "Not My President" after walking out of classes across the country...
...The Los Angeles Unified School District estimated that 4,000 students walked out of classes across the city in protest of the president-elect, who campaigned on deporting undocumented immigrants and building a wall between the United States and Mexico. Officials with Seattle Public Schools said about 5,000 students walked out of 20 high schools and middle schools on Monday. That figure represented about 10 percent of the district's student body, according to schools spokesman Luke Duecy. (Reuters)

I am even more concerned by the fact that I haven't heard any strong condemnations of the riots and demonstrations by Hillary Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama. Their silence is damning and shows that they are complicit. They should be calling on those unhappy and horrified with the election of Donald Trump to take a strong sedative/sleeping pill, get a good night's sleep and then begin recruiting for the 2020 Presidential Elections.

Even Oprah Winfrey was condemned for telling people to " take a deep breath." She should be praised.

During the 2016 pre-election Democrat Party primaries, I was very surprised by the total dearth of opposition to Hillary, other than the extreme Leftist and relatively elderly Bernie Sanders. Now is the time to start recruiting and grooming and competing between potential presidential candidates among mainstream Democrats. IMHO, the more violent and extensive the protests get, the more ordinary American citizens and voters will be attracted to the Republican Party. I wrote about how Hillary's "deplorable" comments would boomerang against her, and I was right. I am correct here, too.

Yes, losing can hurt, but it's part of life. People lose, die, get sick, fail etc. If Americans want their country to thrive in the 21st Century, it must mature and accept. And if the Democratic Party wants to return to power, don't forget that it not only lost the Presidency, it also lost congress, it must speak kindly to all American citizens, show acceptance and true democratic values.

Reflections on Elections 2016

So, sue me. I just can't be quiet about the American Elections. Looking at this map, I finally understand the importance of the Electoral College. 

Yahoo News

I'm big on color-coding things, which is one of the reasons that this graphic is so helpful for me.

At this point, it seems that various news sites are still giving conflicting numbers concerning the popular vote, re:Trump vs Hillary. But when you look at this map, and you see the paltry amount of states that gave Hillary Clinton the majority or plurality of its votes, Trump's victory is much more convincing.

That swath of red which goes almost from coast to coast, certainly from north to south and demonstrates a very convincing show of support among the vast majority of states for Donald Trump.

If you go through the numbers state by state, you will see that many of Hillary's big popular vote victories/majorities were in the bigger states which gave her a "surplus" of popular votes which cannot be transferred to a different state.

Also in the states that had a close popular vote between Hillary and Trump, the win for Trump came from the fact that there were many who voted for one of the "third parties," a party that had no chance of winning. They could also be called the "spoiler" or "distorter" parties.

For decades, "middle America," or "the silent majority" have claimed to be disenfranchised by the mainstream media and also the party establishments of both Democrats and Republicans. Ronnie Reagan and Donald Trump both gave that segment of American society the feeling that somebody understood their concerns.

And in general, when you think of the very low voter turnout in the United States, it seems pretty obvious that people prefer complaining (and rioting possibly) to actual voting.

Also, don't forget that there's a shadow or illegal society living in America who have been there illegally, without papers/citizenship procedures sometimes for decades. Children born to them in the USA are citizens which create a very Kafkaesque situation. It's sad, but it's complicated and the media has been highlighting stories about them, as if they are innocent victims of American injustice, even though technically they are criminals. Before legalizing the illegals, I think the American Government should speed up citizenship procedures for those who have been so carefully following the rules and not reward those who haven't.

The pundits have been showing surprise at the higher than predicted Latino/minority/immigrant support for Trump. Those pundits were not listening; they were projecting according to racist ideology and totally misread the situation. The Latino/minority/immigrant sector working at precarious minimum wage jobs live in fear of losing their income to illegals who will work under the table for less. Also they feel like "suckers" having gone through the difficult bureaucracy to become citizens, when Obama/Hillary have been campaigning to make it easier for illegals.

I'm sure that the Clinton team is having major problems trying to figure out why, even after bringing in the most popular cinema and sports celebrities to campaign for her, she still lost. This is just proof of how totally ignorant that segment of American society is of the "other half."

On BBC I saw a graphic showing the difference in media support for Hillary vs Trump. She had this enormously high pile of newspapers that publicly supported her versus a very low pathetic looking pile for him. But he won. Most voting Americans don't give hoot about what the media thinks.

Way back when in the mid-1960's when I was active nationally in NCSY, the youth organization of the Orthodox (Jewish) Union people would try to tell me how New York is not like the rest of the United States. Looking at that colored map on the top of this post, I'm beginning to understand them more and more.

The United States is not united, not at all. There are dangerous divisions, no less than there were in 1860 as the pro-slave-owning south split/seceded from the union. Americans have a lot of thinking to do if they want to remain a united states in North America.

PS I haven't yet found the final count numbers of the popular vote which includes all the write-ins and "third party" numbers. I want to see if the total of write-ins and "third party" votes top the difference between Hillary and Trump. If you find it, please send to comments, thanks.

In Democracy, You Sometimes Lose

Winner takes all...

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Didn't we all grow up hearing that little truism? That's democracy in its purest sense. One wins, and the other loses, and the winner gets all the chips.

I'm very worried about the state of American society now that thousands of Clinton supporters have taken to the streets in a truly fascist display of antidemocratic rioting.

An AT&T truck burns as protests riot in Oakland, California, U.S. following the election of Republican Donald Trump as President of the United States November 9, 2016. REUTERS/Noah Berger

A masked demonstrator gestures toward a police line during a demonstration in Oakland, California, U.S. following the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States November 9, 2016. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

A Donald Trump pinata is burned by people protesting the election of Republican Donald Trump as the president of the United States in downtown Los Angeles, California U.S., November 9, 2016. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

In reaction to these dangerous riots, yes, dangerous to American democracy, Hillary Clinton must get out in public and request demand that everyone return home and accept the fact that they lost the election. That is exactly what they would have demanded from Trump supporters if the shoe had been on the other foot.

Hillary's Loss had Nothing to Do with Her Sex!

I keep saying that I'm not going to blog anymore about American Elections, but somehow it keeps drawing me, like quicksand.

A lot of people said that they wanted Hillary to win, because they wanted to see a female POTUS. They so wanted to see someone break that "glass ceiling."  I have no doubt that one day, there will be a woman elected President of the United States.

It's hard for anyone to get elected President. It's outrageously hard just to get the nomination.

IMHO there are a couple of things about Hillary Clinton and her campaign that caused her defeat, and it wasn't her new wardrobe. Actually, I think the colors were brilliantly patriotic and photogenic, and jacket-styling was a great improvement over her usual masculine-tailored suits. Also her wig and make-up were perfection.

Hillary lost for one big reason. Call it character.

• The constant corruption charges, including talk that her charity, the Clinton Foundation paid for her daughter's wedding made it harder for ordinary Americans to trust her.
• Her nastiness, going for the negative, culminating in her notorious "deplorable" comments about Trump supporters kept them away instead of charming them to her side.

So, now Donald Trump will be the United States President in a couple of months. Who would have thought....

Thank Gd I Live in Israel!!

http://thebainreport.com/

As awful as Israeli politicians and politics can be, I am so thankful that I'm an Israeli and expat American. In a few hours most American adult resident citizens will go to the polls. The 2016 Presidential Campaign has been going on for years. My guess is that it started, at least for the Democrats about nine years ago, when signs began to show that the then relatively unknown Barack Hussein Obama was going to grab the nomination from Hillary Clinton. The tipping point which upset all of Hillary's plans was the Kennedy women's surprise support for Obama. Their Uncle Ted was caught by surprise, too, and very possibly helped broker the deal that would give Obama the Presidency in 2008 and 2012 while the elder Hillary would wait until 2016 for her history-making chance. You must have noticed that she had no real opposition from any young, talented Democrats. They've all been waiting in the wings for 2020.

Donald Trump has also been campaigning for many years. And until just about a year ago, he was considered a joke. The mainstream American media and pundits kept insisting that his campaign and support would implode and disappear into a postscript in the history books.

Following American Presidential campaigns is a full-time job, even though Presidential elections are very regulated at every four years. In Israel we can have annual elections, which happened not that long ago, since coalitions can break down, or Prime Ministers can declare new elections at any time. But our actual Knesset* election campaigning time is strictly limited. It goes on for a few months, not years on end.

In Israel our votes are pretty ideological and direct, and the results even give the major losers a form of power. The Knesset is comprised of a number of political parties (which all received over the minimum percentage of the votes,) and the leader of the largest party not in the coalition becomes the Leader of the Opposition. In the USA, the loser of the Presidential Elections becomes history, or just continues campaigning for the next elections. There's no rest for the wicked.

There were no intelligent, ideological arguments and issues this election season between Hillary and Trump. It was more like a fight between two drunks by a bar's backdoor. And even worse has been the hatred between many supporters of both of them. On Facebook, opposing comments from both sides were as nasty as the candidates, and many people reported unfriending old friends and even relatives with whom they disagreed. In Israel, we are very used to having political disagreements and living with it together.

Israel, as a country, has real dangers and enemies, so there's a limit as how much mud we sling. I used to think that Israeli politicians/politics were the worst, but the Hillary-Trump battle and the mud being slung on American society dwarfs what happens in Israel.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face off, New Yorker vs. New Yorker, for the presidency. (Illustration: Andy Friedman/Observer)

Within a day or so, it will be over, but cleaning up the mess and uniting the American People/citizens will take years if at all. In Israel, with all of our infighting and ideological arguments, we still know that we are family, and some families do fight, but still care about each other.

*In Israel we vote for party lists of potential Knesset Members. Parties winning the most seats are given the opportunity to form a ruling coalition, and the leader of that party becomes the Prime Minister.

Nastiest US Presidential Elections Ever!

Last night on BBC they broadcast Obama campaigning for his former opponent Hillary Clinton. The racist scare tactics and dangerously inciting negative comments about Donald Trump would get someone jailed if it had been against a non-white candidate.

But since the Left is firmly coated in Teflon, even linguistically, he can get away with it.

TEFLON = ON LEFT

This is a nasty campaign. The so-called "debates" were more like street fights using verbal knives and sharpened sticks.

theatlantic.com

As poorly as our Israeli politicians sometimes act, I think that the Americans have been dragging politics to an even lower level.

More than that, this entire election season, from the runup to the primaries and now as the candidates slug it out to the final voting deadline, the entire world can see how disunited the United State really is.

• There is no "American People."
• The "melting pot" has failed to make a tasty "cholent."
• Even though the rates of all sorts of racial and religious intermarriage has never been higher, the disparate groups of people living in the United States of America are just getting more and more suspicious and hateful of those they consider "different." 

If Hillary wins, I just can't see her undoing the social damage of the campaign, especially after her repeated "deplorable" comments stereotyping and condemning Trump supporters. 

And if Trump wins, so many Americans can't stand him and don't trust him. I can't see him calming the waters either.

Neither of the candidates have displayed the talents, personality and character that the USA needs in their president right  now. And Obama's anti-Trump campaigning has been so vicious that there's no way he can undo the damage. 

The lines separating the disparate groups of American society may have been redrawn, but they seem deeper than ever. And trust between them is at an alltime low. 

Neither Trump nor Hillary has shown his/herself as "presidential," or does the word and concept "presidential" have new meaning in the twenty-first 21st century?

Good luck America and Jews come home!

Time for Me to Just Wait and Watch American Presidential Elections

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With just over a week to American Election Day, I think it's time for me to just find a comfortable seat to observe the fireworks. This is possibly the most bitter election campaign ever. Even when in 1964 Barry Goldwater ran against Lyndon B. Johnson, two very different candidates, it was nothing like this. OK, in 1964, nominees were still chosen by politicians and party "machines," not by primaries. So, Goldwater didn't have the super long build up of primaries campaigning that Donald Trump has had.

And if you don't know, Goldwater was totally shlonged by LBJ. I was in my teens, and I still remember one of, or the main, campaign slogans you heard from the Goldwater camp:

"In your heart you know he's right."

Now over fifty years later, decades after Ronald Reagan did the unthinkable and got elected by the "silent majority," I see Donald Trump as another step in the rising confidence of the Right.

America has changed a lot in these last fifty-two years.

wikipedia

Hillary Clinton was also a teenager when Goldwater ran against Johnson. I wonder if she had her plans to run for President hatched by then. Or was she more inspired by the aim to correct George McGovern's highly competent wife, Eleanor, who seemed to make peace with her role as hostess during the 1972 Elections, rather than using her talents for higher office. And just in case you don't know, Richard Nixon defeated George McGovern.

And about the upcoming American Elections, there's no unity in the polls. It seems that the various companies or NGOs that poll people about their voting plans each ask different segments of the American public whom they plan to vote for, because there are enormous discrepancies. Also,  there has been a rise in Trump's numbers and a drop in Hillary's.

I watch BBC TV News, and they are now trying to prepare people for a surprise. There's no consistency in poll results, so they have just been showing the range of numbers.

Considering that Hillary's supporters find Trump despicable, and Trump's supporters consider Hillary a criminal, whoever wins will have an awfully hard time governing and making Americans feel like one country.

And it's not just a matter of how the two disparate groups of supporter feel. I don't remember ever hearing such foul and nasty remarks by presidential nominees about opponents ever before. This does not bode well for the United States of America!

Taking Bets on When Michelle Obama is Going to Run for President?

CNN

I think we've all seen the pictures of Michelle Obama mouthing her husband's speeches, while he struggles with his teleprompter or little mini-earpiece trying to sound eloquent. And it's no secret that she's the one who had the superior law position...

And now that Hillary needs help, even with all the nasty stuff they've dug up about Trump, it's Michelle Obama who is now her star supporter. 

Now, I'm just "grading" her performance, Michelle's that is, and I see her as super far superior candidate to Hillary, Barack Hussein and Donald Trump. She has much more charisma than them all especially including the two Veeps and the daughters. I haven't read of any real dirt dug up about her. As much as I disagree with almost everything she stands for except for the healthy food, I'd say that she's easier to market than most politicians and obviously more intelligent than her husband POTUS.

My guess is that if Hillary still manages to lose the elections or has to resign for either medical or legal reasons, then Michelle will be forced to run in four years, though she may really want to wait until her younger daughter is in college to begin the primaries stumping. That would mean the 2024 elections. 

I can't see Hillary managing eight years as President of the United States, though proper coddling/cocooning by the party and staff could make it possible. I remember the Jerry and Betty Ford saying that their time in the White House was the most relaxing and easiest of their marriage, until then. He no longer had to commute between home/family and Washington DC. 

Another reason the movers and shaker of the Democratic Party may rush Michelle to run is that they really don't have anyone comparable waiting in the wings. Nobody but Bernie Sanders actually ran against Hillary in the primaries.

So, for those of you who haven't been happy with Barack Hussein Obama's policies and direction for the United States of America and dread the thought of Hillary Clinton taking over, I just wanted to warn you that maybe you ought to start packing your bags and move. It's not going to get much better...