The Theory of the Case for Hillary Clinton

The Theory of the Case for Hillary Clinton #CaseForHillary

I intend to present a "theory of the case" for electing Hillary Clinton to the office of President. The case will be laid in several sub-cases.

In an effort to restrict the topic (believe it or not, I have a more-than-full-time job and a vestigial social life extending just a wee bit beyond religion and politics), I'm going to look specifically at her proposed economic policies.

My methodology will be to look at the policies she's proposing on her web site, examine them in the context of her Wikipedia biography, her voting record in the Senate, her record of campaign donations, and analysis from recognized economic pundits from a variety of perspectives.

At the risk (nay, CERTAINTY :-) ) of further pissing off my Trump-supporting friends, I HAVE NO INTENTION of comparing Clinton's suggested policies to Trump's (presuming, at some point, he decides to have policies).

Because my case for electing Hillary is NOT directed at Trump supporters but, rather, as people who - like myself - find Trump as woefully unqualified for serious consideration yet are tempted to sit this one out or throw their vote away in the name of moral purity rather than support and vote for Clinton.

THEY may be amenable to a positive argument FOR Hillary whereas I doubt there is any such hope for those who consider Trump qualified.

The "theory of the case" AGAINST electing Trump is asymmetrical to the "FOR Hillary" case: it is a very simple case for the assertion that Trump is demonstrably unqualified in terms of foreign policy knowledge and experience, that he lacks basic leadership skills essential to the office of President, and that he is too temperamentally unstable to be trusted to command our military.

At the Olympics, two qualifying athletes may compete on their merits, but the athlete who fails a drug test is disqualified from competing at all.

And such is the case with Donald Trump. And I will continue to point that out regardless of how sick people are of hearing it.

As one 19th century evangelist said, it is hard to tell someone what they NEED to hear when they WANT to hear something different: in this case, Trump telling folks the problem is that the country is in ruins and if they will just cede all their trust and all their power to him, he will fix it.

It is, at best, an attempt to turn the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Rockefeller, Dole, McCain, and Gerald Ford into a party made up of Banana Republicans looking for a strong man to do the heavy lifting for them.

And if someone thinks Donald Trump IS qualified to compete in this crucial race, then I invite them to make to make their own positive case for electing Trump on the merits.

[I need not invite folks to make the case that Hillary is disqualified from consideration as the Republicans have turned that into a decades long, taxpayer-funded game for the entire electorate.]

http://www.law.indiana.edu/instruction/tanford/b584/CaseTheory.pdf

ASYMMETRIC MESSAGING FOR DEMOCRATS

ASYMMETRIC MESSAGING FOR DEMOCRATS
(& SANE REPUBLICANS & INDEPENDENTS)
#WeHe #Asym

In the context of Bernie Sanders, I can argue why Hillary is the better candidate and better president. (As well as noting how influential Sanders, Sherrod, & Warren will be influencing Democratic legislation in the Senate.)

In the context of Kasich, Bush (any of 'em :-) ), Christie, Cruz, Paul, & Rubio, I can argue why Hillary is better. (For some, especially Cruz, that would be a trivial exercise.)

BUT FOR TRUMP & THE BANANA REPUBLICANS... a qualitatively different message is called for.

Because Trump is singularly, demonstrably unqualified in knowledge, experience, & temperament to be Commander in Chief of, and it bears repeating, the most powerful, nuclear-capable armed force in the history of the world.

So I have TWO lines of argument for the wisdom of supporting Hillary Clinton as President.

Sadly, in the case of Donald Trump, the second asymmetrical line of argument renders the conventional first line of argument for Hillary, on her merits, moot.

It's sad because the American people deserve to hear those arguments between a qualified Democrat and a qualified Republican on important foreign and domestic policy and because wonkish Hillary

Clinton is fully prepared to HAVE that discussion.

But it's the Republican's own fault for following Pied Piper Trump, who HAS no discernable policies (beyond "leave it to me") and the Banana Republicans off the cliff.

"There are time when you just have to be a dick." (Former Camp Director who shall remain nameless)

I want to be unequivocal on this.

I thought GW Bush was a lousy president due to his invasion of Iraq. I thought his campaign was BEYOND dirty when they trashed John Kerry's war record.

But even then, faced with the prospect of a second Bush term, my alarms did not go off like they are going now.

Bush was a mediocre trending towards lousy president.

But Trump, in my opinion, is a threat to both the United States Constitution and world peace.

I have NEVER felt this way in any election and I've been voting since '72.

It's not a partisan thing.

My MOST CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS, with whom I substantially disagree in almost any policy area, whether it be global warming, the size and purpose of government, America's place in the world, LGBT rights, immigration, health care - you name it, SIMILARLY CONSIDER TRUMP A THREAT ON THE SCALE THAT I'M SEEING IT.

So, if the downside of spreading what I consider to be a justifiable alarm regarding a serious threat to our form of government is that people - including people for whom I have a great deal of respect - think less of me, I am prepared to pay that price.

I've been unpopular before, in my youth and, like riding a bicycle, you never forget how to do it.

I'll save the charm for presidential elections between two QUALIFIED candidates, one of whom I happen to favor over another.

This is qualitatively different.

Watergate & Anusgate: Compare and Contrast

@realDonaldTrump Trump is not a traitor because criminality requires the adult capacity of criminal intent. #GoTrumpYourself #Anusgate

Watergate & Anusgate: Compare and Contrast

Compare
The essence of Watergate was a sitting Republican president using the powers of state to launch a rouge intelligence operation against the Democratic National Committee.

The essence of Anusgate is a Republican presidential nominee encouraging a hostile intelligence service to launch a Putin-sanctioned intelligence operation against the Democratic National Committee and to use the "product" of that operation to influence the outcome of the American presidential election in his favor.

Contrast
President Nixon knew what he was doing and the consequences if his participation in the break-in and subsequent cover-up became public.

Donald Trump had no clue regarding the significance of what he was saying.

THE MADNESS OF KING BERNIE

THE MADNESS OF KING BERNIE (I think there's a method to it.) #GoTrumpYourself

WHY HE DID IT - MY TAKE

""I move that all votes, all votes cast by delegates be reflected in the official record," Sanders said. “And I move that Hillary Clinton be selected as the nominee of the Democratic Party for president of the United States," he said before being drowned out by cheers.

"Delegates erupted in a loud “aye,” when the call for the vote was made, though there were some audible “boos” in the arena as the song “Happy” began to blare.""

DURING THE MOMENT, the MSNBC news team caught the subtle difference between what Sanders did and what Clinton did eight years ago - he wanted his delegates votes recorded.

And he didn't actually CALL for nomination by acclimation, he nominated her for President (knowing full well, no doubt, that it would go down as it did).

Bernie isn't giving up. Bernie isn't caving.

Bernie is savvy enough to forge A STRATEGIC ALLIANCE between progressives and socialists, on the one hand, and the Democratic Party establishment.

This fits what he said last year when he said he'd considered a third party run but ruled it out as he'd need the benefits of associating with a major party in our country's de facto two-party system.

Between Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren & Bernie Sanders in the Senate, BACKED BY ALMOST 50% OF THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS, they will have Hillary's ear every bit as much as does Wall Street.

Because, as the Beatles sang & the massive amounts of cash thrown into the toilet by the Jeb Bush campaign demonstrates, money can't buy you love. Or, on occasion, even votes. :-)

Clinton Formally Nominated by Democrats in Historic First (Bloomberg)

VOTE HILLARY CLINTON! (No other reasonable choice exists)

This, at least as far as I'm concerned, is a clear decision.

In January either Trump or Clinton will command the military and control the nuclear arsenal.

IT MUST NOT BE TRUMP.

Trump lacks the moral character, the knowledge and experience, and the basic temperament to be Commander in Chief.

THERE IS A QUALITATIVE DIFFERENCE between his deficiencies in those regards and Hillary's.

Hillary's deficiencies - and, yes, she has them - are, as the Washington Post editorial says, well within the bounds of our "normal" rogue's gallery of presidential candidates.

Trump is off the scale.

Anyone up to and including Dick Effing Cheney would be more acceptable.

ALL OTHER ISSUES... money in politics, income inequality, globalization, global warming, cleaning the stables at the DNC... ANYTHING... is of secondary importance.

IF HILLARY WINS, she will no doubt do many things with which people more progressive than myself will find objectionable.

There's a good chance she'll do things that *I* find objectionable, possibly up to and including the misuse of force.

BUT A SPACE WILL BE CREATED where progressives can continue to expand their influence in the Democratic party for when the two-year, four year, and six year cycles come around.

Of course, they could do that even if Trump wins.

I'm just not sure it would matter a whole lot then.

Remembering Chaplain Hugh Flesher (Facebook post from 7/22/2015)

WHY MY "MOURNING FLAG" IS FLYING

One of my mentors, Chaplain Hubert Flesher , an Episcopal priest and onetime seminary professor, formerly of Lehigh University, has died.

Finishing his undergraduate work at Pomona College, he applied and was accepted at Yale for graduate work... by the Divinity school, the Law School AND the Medical School.

He chose to get an M.Div. from Yale which might have been the only unsound decision he ever made in his life. :-)

He and his entire family were there for me through some of the darkest periods of my life, including championing me in three, separate ordination attempts in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, keeping me just a bit to the side of sanity during my long and tortured experience at a local Episcopal church, and letting me sleep in his office at Lehigh when I was homeless for three months.

His was the first historical-critical, biblical studies course I took at Lehigh, which made a lot more sense than the fundamentalist nonsense I was being fed by my other (well-meaning, loving, and sincere) Christian mentors.

He also encouraged me to go to seminary and then encouraged me not to drop out. :-)

At Lehigh, his Chaplain's Office sponsored a film and discussion series and I remember him facing Inquisition from the on-campus evangelical student fellowships for showing the movie, "Carnal Knowledge" which he argued, to largely deaf evangelical ears, actually bespoke AGAINST the lifestyle depicted.

And, needless to say, when his office sponsored Lehigh tiny homosexual support group, Le-Hi-Ho, back in the '70s, WAY before it became anything like acceptable to do so, they figured he was beyond the pale. (Theologically, though, like most other students, they liked him on a personal level. And he made common cause with the evangelicals as well as the Catholic Newman Center on any number of issues.)

He was a friend of Presidents and Civil Rights Leaders, was a mentor to Jonathan Daniels, an Episcopal Divinity School student of his who participated in the march depicted in the movie "Selma" and, after being released from jail following his civil disobedience, was killed by a sheriff's deputy as he shielded 17 year old African-American Ruby Sales, his intended target, from the shotgun blast.

"Upon learning of Daniels' murder, Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that "one of the most heroic Christian deeds of which I have heard in my entire ministry was performed by Jonathan Daniels"." (Wikipedia)

Hugh and Mary's son Jon, is named for him.

When I first heard about Jonathan Daniels from Hugh I, for the first time, realized that the Christian faith was nothing to screw around with. It can get you tortured, maimed, or killed.

It is WHY I'm [aggravated :-)] when I hear evangelical Christian butchers and bakers and candlestick makers [mourning :-)] about having to provide their services to gays getting married and then acting as if there's ANY MEANINGFUL COMPARISON WHATSOEVER between them having to pay a fine for beliefs I suspect are both unbiblical and uncharitable and ACTUAL martyrdom.

 (Ruby Sales went on to attend the Episcopal Divinity School and has remained active in Civil Rights. Jonathan Daniels was one of only fifteen people in the 20th century to be recognized as a martyr by the Episcopal Church. The recognition day for all the martyrs of the Civil Rights movement (including Dr. King) is August 14th, the day of Daniels initial arrest. Daniel's icon is being crafted to be installed at the National Cathedral, I believe on Aug 14th of this year.)

Hugh had friends in high places - and low. :-)

He and his family are the closest thing Lehigh University had for a soul

Tagging David John Eisenmenger , Andrea Eisenmenger , William M Pottenger, Robert Kendall, Robert G Jerus, Richard Redd, Robert Morein, David Morein, and Alice Pinck.

Jonathan Daniels (Wikipedia)

ICH BIN EIN ELITÄRES

ICH BIN EIN ELITÄRES: My Facebook friends will always be in my heart BUT I will only allow those who respect education, intelligence, reason, and evidence from reputable sources to influence my mind.

They don't have to POSSESS any of those traits: but they must respect them.

I'm tired of arguing with ignorant folk who consider their ignorance compelling support for their opinions.

Openness vs. Closedness

I believe we are experiencing a major political realignment from left/right to 1%/99% & reconciliation / alienation. ‪#‎realignment‬

I suspect the major causes of this political realignment (global as well as in America) are globalization (the rapid movement & communication of capital, goods, information, technology, innovation, people, culture, AND terror), climate change, and income disparity.

Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Brexit, the Syrian Civil War, and self-radicalized, lone-wolf terrorism are the canaries in the coal mine.

Party System (Wikipedia)

The Coming Political Realignment (NYT, David Brooks)