You Can Love America and Think the President is a Dangerous Idiot

Today I am going to do something a little different.

I have been talking a lot about basketball, movies and music lately, but I want to do something a bit more timely, and political. I know that I have said that I don't like to talk politics. It makes me angry, I get all red faced and I tend to rant. But, the most recent remarks from that moron that sits in the White House right now have really made me disgusted, angered and scared for the future of this country. It has also made me take a hard look at the young voters, and people my age that may not have voted in the last election, or voted for the buffoon in office because they "didn't like" Hilary Clinton. And, before I get into the meat of my piece, you all know how liberal I am, and I consider myself a firm Democrat. Keep that in mind as you read.

The thing I want to talk about today, which was given to me by my father as we went out for our weekly cup of coffee, was how much the parties, and voting, has changed since I was eligible to vote way, way back in 2000. In 2000 I was about to become a senior in high school, and Bill Clinton was sitting in office. I lived in a household that has 2 liberal parents, and all my brothers were liberal Democrats as well. I knew, or heard, that Bill Clinton had done a fine job, save for the Monica Lewinsky stuff. He helped the country get into the green. We were doing okay. There were no wars. The economy seemed fine. Everyone seemed happy, or at least okay. I'm sure some parents of friends of mine didn't like Clinton because of the Lewinsky stuff but, as far s a nation, they really had nothing to complain about.

When I became 18, and legally able to vote, I did not know any better. I did know that I did not like George W Bush. He seemed ill fitted to take office. He was a silver spoon kid that didn't really have to work hard for much of anything. Everything was handed to him. I did like Al Gore. I mean, he was boring, very milquetoast and I think he assumed he was just next in line to president. I also didn't really know what he stood for. I was going to vote for him simply because he was the Democratic nominee, and I was, and still am, a Democrat. But then I read, and really got into, the third party candidate, Ralph Nader. This was simply based on the fact that he wanted to legalize marijuana, I am not a pot smoker by the way, and that he LOVED the NBA. He went as far as to write a letter to then commissioner David Stern about the injustice that the Kings faced in that ridiculous game 7 that the Lakers won, where they shot a million free throws. This swayed me. This made me think twice about who I wanted to vote for. And, like an idiot, I voted for Nader. I didn't realize at the time that voting for a third party candidate was essentially throwing your vote in the trash. I still regret it to this day. But, I figured all was good when Gore won the popular vote by over 500,000 votes.

This was my first time realizing that the popular vote didn't matter in the presidential election, it was all about the archaic electoral college. Bush somehow won this, and for the next 8 years, I grew more and more angry, and more and more liberal. I did not agree with anything Bush stood for. I am violently anti war. He started a war with Iraq because he felt like his daddy wanted him to. I do not think the rich should get richer and the poor should get poorer. All he cared about was his rich friends and rich donors. He was a horrendous public speaker, and his speeches that were broadcast embarrassed me to no end. He lost trillions of dollars while in office, basically erasing all the good Clinton had done. He famously fumbled the handling of September 11th. Everyone remembers the "Mission Accomplished" sign, right? His eight years in office, for me, were horrific, embarrassing and very, very rocky. It was near a nightmare.

Then in 2008 we had Barack Obama win the Democratic nomination. I was absolutely stoked by this. He was the first African American to win the nomination. He was eloquent. He was sharp looking. He gave me a feeling of comfort and enthusiasm Bush never gave me. I ran to the polls to vote for him. I could not have been more ecstatic. I was so ready for him to become president, and he crushed his way into the White House. After his first year, things started to get back to normal again. We started pulling troops out of an unnecessary war. We were making money as a country again. His people got Bin Laden. When he spoke, I stopped what I was doing so I could listen. He took a terrible situation from Bush and made it so much better. Sure, people have their problems with him, but the country was good. We were good as a nation. No one seemed to worried about war, debt or any other thing that could go wrong. We were in safe hands. I was even more stoked when he won reelection in 2012, but that seemed like a foregone conclusion. He exceeded every expectation, and became, in my opinion, the greatest president ever. He is also cool as hell, and in this day, that is important. Obama would show up to basketball games, he listened to hip hop, he was happily married with 2 great kids and a dog, he had a court out in at the White House, he would do podcasts. He understood the young generation of voters, and spoke to them. He is, without a doubt, the best representation of a Democrat that I have ever seen. I show pictures of him to my kids and sing his praises. I want them to know what a real president looks and acts like. I was in heaven for the 8 years he was in office.

Then November of 2016 came around.

Look, I was sure that Hilary Clinton was going to be president. So much so that I showed her to my kids and said "there is the first female president" about a month before the vote. She crushed in all the debates. She is a real politician. She is a genius. She knows how to handle herself, and she isn't a complete goon and doofus. Then something very weird happened on election night. She wasn't crushing the way I expected. She was killing it in the popular vote, but for some reason, that damn electoral college thing kept popping up against her. I was playing basketball that night, and I kept checking my phone and saying, "no, no, no, this cannot be happening". And then it was announced that the dickhead that lives in the White House now, was going to win. I was stunned, dismayed and terrified all at once. I went on for days afterward telling myself to wake up from this nightmare. Either I'm still asleep, or what is happening right now is real life. I wish I were asleep, but every time I pinch myself, or tell myself to wake up, I feel it and I am awake. These past three years have been nothing short of an absolute train wreck. I wake up everyday to something new that makes me even more terrified. I simply cannot believe what I am seeing, hearing and reading. It just gets worse and worse and worse.

It all really came to a head a few days ago when that dipshit was holding yet another rally, and his mouth breathing supporters started to chant "send her back" about Representative Ilhan Omar. Representative Omar is from Minnesota. She migrated to this country legally in 2000. She is more American than any person that was at that Klan rally the other night, Yet, when he is asked about it, he says he told them to stop. No he didn't. When other Republicans are asked about it, they skirt the question. When reporters at Fox News are asked about it, they make up excuses.

This is frightening. This is not the Republican party anymore. Sure, I very much disagreed with Bush, but he never put human beings in cages. He never put babies in cages. He never slept with multiple prostitutes. His wife wasn't a prisoner who only cares about money. His kids weren't all over the TV spewing racist rhetoric. His kids weren't involved in Ponzi schemes. He didn't, at least publicly, say racist homophobic and xenophobic things. He never said to "grab them by the pussy" when talking about ladies. And you better believe that Barack Obama never did any of this stuff. He was, and still is, all class.

Since the jackass that is currently in office has been there, not a day goes by that I am not afraid, embarrassed and want to shy away from being an American. We, as Americans, have become a joke and looked upon as idiots because of the current "government". I don't think this is what the Republican party had in mind when they nominated this idiot. But, they will not say a bad word about him, and even worse, they are now defending him. History books will remember everyone involved with this as horrible, horrible monsters. My kids will read about this in history books, and it will look to them like Nazi Germany looks to me.

What scares me most is my generation, and the generation younger than us. My generation has a few groups. You have the super liberals like myself, the "Bernie Bros" and angry people that will not admit they are racist, even though they clearly are if they support this current regime. The problem there is, the angry people go out and vote. Super liberals do too, but it is the "Bernie Bros" that decided to sit out the last election, and are now thinking about doing the same in 2020. Please, if you don't want to be afraid for the next 4 years, do not sit out the next election. Your vote matters. The generation younger than me is filled with rich white kids that think what has been going on for three years is funny, and that it won't affect them. Believe me, it will, and it will hurt bad. You will not always have mom and dad's money. You will have to work for something one day, and then, when you may be in a bind, this won't be as funny as it is to you now. When you can't find work, and the bills pile up, you may get desperate. And you know who won't be there for you, the current "government".

The current state of American politics sickens me and makes me sad. Also, if you can look at what is going on right now, and think it is okay, even if you are family, do not speak to me about anything political or racial. You are clearly a closeted racist, and you have no heart. This country has become a shell of itself since I was able to vote back in 2000. In 2020 we can change that and get back to where we were from 2008 to 2016, when Obama made me as proud as I have ever been to be an American. Now lets go out and make our voices heard, and show these bullies that we don't work for them, they work for us, and we want change.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Legacy of Barack Obama

Legacy demands a great building

Late into the night on Tuesday November 4th, 2008 history was made. For the first time in over two-hundred years of Presidential contests, the American people elected the first non-white man to be President of the United States. The election of 2008 had it’s moments of racism and sexism, but they were mild. The candidates who fought it out to gain their parties nominations played politics in a manner that Americans had become accustomed to. There were the typical smear campaigns, but most of America did not care. The Republican Vice Presidential nominee, Governor Sarah Palin, was downright civilized compared to the person she would become. The GOP’s Presidential candidate, John McCain, was out on the campaign trail corrected voters who believed that Barack Obama was a secret Muslim trying to usurp our nation. It was a different era. The feeling was that America had matured beyond the damage of things like the Swift Boats and the Southern Strategy. Barrack Obama won the 2008 election, by a large margin, because American voters believed in his vision of hope for the nation. The first non-white man to win the Presidency happened because Americans believed that we could all do better, and Barrack Obama was the leader who was going to bring the best out of us.

Within minutes of Obama being inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, the Republican thought leaders worked to make the new Executive’s job a living hell. Glenn Beck would go out of his way to paint Obama as a dangerous communist, and a racist. The half-wits at Fox News went into their old “Bill Clinton” mode and amplified any minor story out there that would embarrass the White House. The fringes of the Republican party constantly questioned the President's place of birth, and therefore his legitimacy to be President. The morons who pushed the birther issue were given more news coverage than the people trying to restore hope back to America. From the very beginning, President Obama faced a temper tantrum throwing right wing media, and a ratings starved mainstream media, who refused to let his vision of hope to take hold.

While the network news, and the jv squad that is cable news, were incompetent and unamerican in their activities, the Republicans in the US Congress were historic in their dealings with President Obama. Then Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner would use every arcane rule in the history of the United States Congress to stop President Obama’s agenda. When McConnell and Boehner would not get their way, the two would run to the media and complain about the President trying to do his job. There was little hope to found on Capitol Hill.

Once the Republicans took over the House, and eventually the Senate, the Republican obstructionism went from outrageous to downright dangerous. McConnell proudly declared that his number one job was to make Obama a one term President. The Republican leader failed miserably at this number one job since Barack Obama was easily reelected in 2012. Since McConnell could not accomplish any tasks, he worked to make sure the President could not govern. The “highlight” of Mitch McConnell’s tenure has to be the Un-Constitutional act to not allow the President’s Supreme Court nominee to have a hearing or vote. Never in the history of the United States has a politician spit on the ideals set forth by the US Constitution like Mitch McConnell has.

Eventual Speaker of the House John Boehner, and his replacement Paul Ryan, used their power to tie up the legislative authority of the US House of Representatives with meaningless show votes, and expensive politically motivated subcommittee hearings. The endless votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act were taking up time that should have been devoted to combat the rise in gun violence, and the price gouging being conducted by unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies. Elementary kids being killed with legal guns, and other kids being denied lifesaving medicines because of personal greed, was of no importance to John Boehner’s caucus. Along with Mitch McConnell, John Boehner and Paul Ryan assured their place in history as the most ineffective, and immoral, Congress in the history of the United States.

How did President Barrack Obama deal with a historically terrible Congress and a media that was ineffectual? With little choice, President Obama seemed to present his vision through the pulpit of the White House, and not get in the way when history started to move forward. The President is an incredible communicator, and was be artful in presenting his message. On the campaign trail in 2012, Obama was able to dull the right wing noise, and make people believe in hope again. Once the next group of people were killed by a bad man with a bad gun, the President would share the heartbreak of the American people. With historic movements in rights for the LGBTQ community, the President communicated his joy and compassion towards all Americans. When the GOP Congress would spout off Tea Party talking points, the President would counter them head on, and present a better view of the nation. President Barack Obama will go down as one of the greatest communicators who has ever occupied the Oval Office.

Much like Ronald Reagan before him, Barrack Obama has been given credit for many things that happened because he was in the White House when history happened. In the 2008 campaign, then Senator Obama was not fully onboard with gay rights. In fact, no major viable political candidate was embracing basic human rights for the LGBTQ community. Generations of hard work by people on the ground led to the landmark decisions made by the courts to give all Americans equal rights. Obama did not create this culture, but he did not impede it either.

The death of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is also listed as a high point in the Obama Presidency. Many people give credit to Ronald Reagan for the release of hostages from the Iranian government, not thinking about how the Carter government really did all of the work. The killing of Bin Laden happened because President Obama gave the order, but any person in his position would have done the same. Like it or not, the George W Bush administration created much of the ground work to finding Bin Laden We were going to find the al-Qaeda leader no matter what, it was just a matter of time.

When it comes to actually policy, the Obama legacy is a little thin. The last eight years have not been as impactful as what Lyndon Johnson, Theodore or Franklin Roosevelt accomplished. Some things like the Lilly Ledbetter act should have been done decades ago. The stimulus was a necessary program started under Republican President George W Bush. The booming stock market has been great for very few. The growth in the economy has been slow, but has moved in the right direction after the disaster of the previous administration. All of these actions occurred mainly because President Obama did not get in the way and allowed them to happen on their own.

The one signature law championed by the President and passed by Congress is the Affordable Care Act. Once again the do-nothing Republicans, assisted by the media, painted the law as something extremely terrible. The fact is the Affordable Care Act is not that great. It has been responsible for the rise in healthcare costs, mainly because there is no incentive for the self serving health care companies to lower costs. The bill was loaded with so many corporate handouts not just because of Republicans, but also because of Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. The congressional democrats wanted to make sure their corporate donors were rewarded in this massive government program. In a place where President Obama could have led, he instead stayed out of the way as the Pelosi/Reid Congress passed a flawed law. Even the President’s incredible communication skills could not hide the problems behind the Affordable Care Act.

The Obama Presidency should also be judged by the state of his political party. The Democratic Party is currently in the worst condition it has been in for over a generation. Under Obama, the Democratic Party has lost a massive amount of elections at all levels of government. Terrible Governors like Chris Christie in New Jersey, Sam Brownback in Kansas, Bobby Jindal in New Orleans, Rick Scott in Florida, Rick Snyder in Michigan, and many many more have won reelection after awful first terms. They win because the Democratic Party spends no resources to launch any meaningful campaign against these terrible leaders. If the party spends no resources on Governor races, that means they spend no time working to get people elected to any levels of government.

This lack of resources is directly related to Barack Obama and his campaign machine. In 2008, and again in 2012, the Obama campaign would take all of the resources out of competitive states and leave nothing for the local candidates (what we like to call The Ohio Problem). When the President does not care about the down ticket races, the down ticket loses badly. This strategy extended to the Hillary Clinton campaign, and 2016 saw even more losses for the Democratic Party. Couple this with the fact that President Obama would defend ineffectual leaders like Debbie Wasserman Schultz at the Democratic National Committee, President Obama staying out of the way, and not intervening in down ticket races, has been detrimental to the majority of the country who support the ideals of the Democratic Party.

Does President Barack Obama leave with a historic legacy? Will his Presidency be notable, or just another one of insignificance? It is easy to look back at the end of one man’s Presidency and think about what has been, and what could have been. Anytime a new President takes office, we are filled with angst. Barack Obama’s legacy will not be truly known for many years. In the meantime we can have our immediate reactions dictate what impact the man has had on the nation, and the world. Will his great communication skills be studied? Will his laissez faire approach to the moment of history be admired by future leaders?

The fact remains that Obama’s election was a moment of great historical significance. He will be one of the most recognizable Presidents of students in the far future. The question is will he be remembered like the Roosevelts for being figures of profound change, or will he be remembered like John Quincy Adams for being someone of trivial curiosity.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Do have thoughts on legacy? Tell us all about it.

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The Day After: Democratic National Convention Edition

The halls are empty, beware your front door

History has been made. Hillary Clinton is like the 40th woman to ever run for President of the United States. She follows in the grand footsteps of Victoria Woodhall, Lenora Fulani, and Roseanne Barr. I know about all of these other women because my Republican leaning friends on social media want everyone to know that Hillary is not making history. Republicans need to find anything that will take the spotlight away from the Democratic party. Plus, they have been playing the hate Hillary Clinton game for over two decades. Sorry to say, but all the Republican apologists out there are wrong. Hillary Clinton is the first women to ever be the nominee for President by a major political party. The former First Lady, US Senator, and Secretary of State is the first women ever who has a chance at actually winning the election. The Republican voter can continue to try and deny progress. The fact is that history was made in Philadelphia this week. A woman has a legitimate chance of becoming President of the United States.

Once the unpleasant affair with Debbie Wasserman Schultz was swept away, he 2016 Democratic National Convention was everything the Republican National Convention was not. The star power was real, and not filled with c listers from 30 years ago. The speakers talked about the growth and greatness of America. The candidate was not a suprise usurper, but someone who has been working to this moment for almost a decade. The defeated rival gave a full endorsement to the nominee. The four days in Philadelphia saw the Democratic Party celebrating their recent past, and getting ready to create a new future.

The speakers of the 2016 Democratic National Convention were the exact opposite of what was seen in Cleveland and the best of the GOP. It is clear that the Democratic Party is currently blessed with a group of great orators. Former President Bill Clinton can give a speech to thousands of people, and make each every one of those people feel like Bill is talking only to them. Current President Obama can build excitement like no other politician. Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine did his duty by attacking the bluster of Donald Trump. Vice President Joe Biden talked of personal tragedy, and the need to be a servant to the people. First Lady Michelle Obama used her place in history to talk about the evolution of American society. Khizr Khan, whose son died in Iraq protecting his squad, showed the backward looking GOP what being a 21st century American is all about. It was the best speech of either convention.

Late last night, Hillary Clinton walked out to engrave her name into the history books. Dressed in a white pantsuit, a clothing style owned by former Secretary of State, she took the stage and gave the most important speech of her career. Last week I showed dissapointment in the overly long, and incredibly gloomy Donald Trump speech, Clinton exceeded expectations with her address. I was worried that she could not deliver on the same level as all the other DNC speakers. Clinton is not known for giving many speeches in public. Yet for nearly an hour, Hillary Clinton laid out her plan, and knocked down her opponent. The GOP's nominee used hate and fear. Clinton used the words of Ronald Reagan and FDR. Trump said America was failing. Clinton said our greatness is still growing. The thing I kept thinking is that if this was a high school student council election, Clinton is the candidate that actual cares about student government, and Trump just calls out the football team (San Dimas high school football RULES). The goody goody always wins the election over the meathead. 

The dark cloud hanging over the Democratic National Convention was that of the Bernie Sanders supporters. After Ted Cruz used is time to not endorse his party'e nominee last week, many feared the Vermont Senator would do the same thing. Sanders enthusiastically endorsed Clinton, even to the misguided boos of his supporters. As the week went on, anytime someone referenced Sanders, the tv cameras would cut to the runner up looking quite disgruntled. The inept media kept trying to make it look like the Democratic Party was fracturing, and unity was not going to happen. Outside of a few ego filled protesters chanting during big speeches, the Sanders revolution fizzled like the Never Trumpers. In order to have a story, the press need a split party, like that of the GOP. Poor Fox News, and even venerable PBS, could never get that fight going. Lord did they try.

The long grueling primary season is officially at an end. Trump v Clinton: Dawn of an Ugly Presidential Race is now upon us. Battleground states will be terrific, until their not. The endless narrative of the Clinton scandals will occupy our television sets. The only thing I know at the end of July is that Trump will somehow make America great again, and Hillary Clinton will try to be the liberal icon Democrats have been waiting for since Mario Cuomo. Oh I also learned that the White House was built by some well fed slaves. Thanks Bill O'Reilly, your idiocy is the thing that never changes with each Presidential Election.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He would be happy to go on The O'Reilly Factor and tell confront Bill on his lack of historical knowledge and his lack of human feeling. Come on tough guy, contact us.

The Day After: Republican National Convention Edition

Time to move this mess to Philadelphia

It is now official. Donald J. Trump is the official Republican Party nominee to be President of the United States. I never thought this would happen. Even today I am filled with confusion and apprehension. The ascension of the New York businessman, and reality television star, to being one of two assumed choices for President is a story for the history books. For four days in Cleveland Ohio, the country got to witness what the Trump Republican Party was all about. Last night, for over an hour, candidate Trump had the attention of the nation all to himself. No more debates with ten or more people. No more primaries or states needing to hold a caucus. No more wrong media analysis. The GOP of 2016 has been solidified, and now onward goes the campaign for victory on November 8th.

The 2016 Republican Party National Convention was feared by many, and hoped by some, to be one of chaos and fighting. There was an expectation of political fisticuffs in the convention hall, and real violence from protesters who had descended on Cleveland. The Never Trump movement had one more chance to derail the nomination. Stories of the 1976 Republican Convention, and the Ronald Reagan supporters trying to block Gerald Ford's nomination by changing the rules at the last minute, were being linked to what may go on in Cleveland. The Cleveland police were requesting help from other cities. Public officials wanted to suspend the right to open carry firearms. The nominee himself was promising an exciting and non-traditional list of speakers. I for one was not looking forward to the violence and hate, but was intrigued by what a showman like Donald Trump could pull off. The 2016 RNC was going to be unlike anything we have ever seen in American politics.

The reality is that the 2016 Republican National Convention was a bit of a letdown. Thankfully we did not have any horrible violence in the streets of Cleveland. The protests were typical for any political event. Flag burning, yelling, and being drunk while political, typical protester stuff. Inside the convention halls, nothing much happened. The Never Trumpers tried, and failed. They failed in a spectacularly quick manner. The speakers were nothing to be that excited about. Typical Fox News republicans like Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and Chris Christie did the same tired act they have been doing for years. An endless parade of actors and sports figures most of us have forgotten about would take the stage and yell about how horrible President Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton are as Americans. Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence put a lot of America to sleep. Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made their expected speeches, and both men were not welcomed with open arms. The Trump children were the only speakers that garnered any bipartisan praise. Possible First Lady Melania Trump stirred up some non-news by possibly plagiarizing a 2008 Michelle Obama speech. It was a dumb story kept alive by an underwhelming convention. 

Then there is Texas Senator Ted Cruz. The 2016 Presidential Primary contest was one of the most personal, and drawn out, contests in American history. Senator Cruz and Mr. Trump were both trying to run as outsiders, and Mr. Trump came out as the eventual winner. To the surprise of no one, Trump used personal insults and general bullying to gain voters. Florida Senator Marco Rubio tried to use Trump's tactics against the New York blowhard. Rubio was out of the race a few weeks later. Senator Cruz and his family were prime targets for Trump. It was ugly. By giving Senator Cruz a Wednesday speaker slot at the convention, many Republicans thought the Texas Senator would move past the primary, and endorse Trump to show party unity.

That did not happen. Senator Cruz instead used his time to take a passive aggressive swipe at his own party's Presidential nominee. Why show up and do this? Marco Rubio and John Kasich, who both have ambitions in four years, were smart enough to stay away and not take a chance at ending their national aspirations. The only reason I can see Ted Cruz going this route is that the man must be crazy. He has an irrational want to be the GOP's next Ronald Reagan, and maybe his speech was supposed to start an inter party revolution like Reagan's 1976 convention speech. The thing that the Texas Senator seems to forget is that the Gipper did not try to undermine the nominee, Reagan endorsed Ford and worked to try and get the incumbent President reelected in 1976. Cruz has tried to undermine his party and has used shady tactics in every campaign the man has ever run in. He attacks Republican and Democrats alike. The only reason Cruz could last as long as he did in the 2016 primaries is by being shady and because the Republican party on the national level is a mess. By allowing so many people to run in the primaries, Reince Preibus doomed any hope of a moderate Republican from emerging. Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump, should have been done in January, but incompetence at the RNC allowed their fringe campaigns to survive. By not supporting Trump, Senator Cruz has given up any chance of ever being the Republican Party's Presidential nominee. He is not a smart man who has shown everyone that the only thing that matters to Ted Cruz is Ted Cruz's own political ambition. The end of Senator Cruz's Presidential dreams is one good thing to come out of the Republican National Convention.

Finally, late last night, Donald Trump ended his speech and officially became the flag bearer for all Republicans this November. I for one was really looking forward to seeing the Trump acceptance speech It was going to be unlike any political speech in my lifetime. Unfortunately is more of the same from Trump, just louder and longer. I went to bed feeling a bit let down. It was boringly typical Donald Trump. America is a hellhole of crime. Illegal immigration, pointless war, and free trade have led us down a dark path. Hillary Clinton is incompetent, a crook, and dangerous to all Americans. President Obama has failed for almost eight years. The only thing that can save Lady Liberty is the awesomeness of Donald Trump. There was no actual solutions to these problems, just the awesomeness of Donald Trump is the only cure needed. Oh, and for the first time ever a Republican Presidential nominee said we should be nice to the LGBTQ community, and he was applauded. That was weird.

The balloons dropped, confetti fell, and my brain is still trying to accept that Donald J. Trump is on the ballot as the Republican candidate for President of the United States. The entire Republican National Convention felt like a big letdown. No grand solutions, only problems. The action on the convention floor did not seem to be well planned. Most of the speakers did not embrace their nominee. Many people gave rambling, or over the top, speeches that only incited the fringe of the right wing. Conspiracy theories were being given more time than actually trying to court new voters. From my perspective it seems like the RNC has given up on the Presidential race and is going to rely on Democratic Party incompetence in the down ticket races so the GOP can hold onto everything below the executive office. That is probably the party's best path forward. Donald Trump's new Republican Party had its star shine bright, and dim with the four days in Cleveland. 

RD 

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. We are looking for people to talk about the 2016 election from their local point of view. Have something to say? Come write for SeedSing.

Brexit, Democracy, and the Ash Heap of History

The first on the fire?

Have you heard about how the Brexit referendum has destroyed democracy? It definately ended Prime Minister David Cameron's political career. Since the British people voted 52%-48% to leave the European Union, almost everyone with an opinion has decided that Britain made the wrong decision. The "Leave" voters have been called racist, children, and ignorant. People are trying to make the referendum vote as proof that there is a divide between people living in urban areas and those living in rural parts. Those of two different generations have views that are diametrically opposed. The young urban intelligentsia have compassion, and the old uneducated hick is an idiot. The war between the future and the past was fought during the Brexit referendum, the old barely won, and the rest of the world has lost. Democracy has failed to secure our future.

Almost everything written, or televised, about Brexit is insulting and wrong. The coverage is focusing on a small group of angry remain voters, and discounting the 17 million plus majority voters who want to leave the European Union. Let's take a closer look at how the British people actually voted.

A big deal is being made out of the urban "Remain" voters against the rural "Leave" voters. The majority of the urban centers did vote for "Remain", along with all of Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was not just the far out, lowly populated, rural areas that carried "Leave to victory. The majority of England and Whales voted "Leave". Once you exit the center of the urban areas, nearly all of the suburban parts voted "Leave". Almost all of the blue collar, highly populated, areas pushed "Leave" over "Remain". 

The higher educated were also applauded for wanting to remain in the European Union. Nearly three quarters of UK citizens with a college degree voted "Remain". The problem here is that less than one third of UK citizens have a college degree. The media tries to make it look like half the country is college educated and the other half is not. The fact is that by using this group in one's analysis, the whole truth cannot be seen. A minority this small is insignificant in swinging an election.

Another interesting piece of the Brexit vote is party affiliation. Predictable the "Leave" voters mostly identified with the conservative party and the UK Independence Party (UKIP). The conservatives are currently the majority party in the Parliament, and had won a hard fought election just over a year ago. Even if the former Prime Minister David Cameron was backing "Remain", many of the voters stuck to their conservative principles and voted with their nationalistic hearts.

The most telling voter data can be easily described by the BBC.

"Younger people voted Remain

According to polling by Lord Ashcroft, younger voters were much more likely to vote Remain than older voters.

But turnout in areas with a higher proportion of younger residents tended to be lower."

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36616028

The millennials who are being championed in the media as the sensible losers in Brexit, most of them did not even vote. Lack of interest in voting is not being discussed in the Brexit vote because the media would rather paint the millennial generation as victims of baby boomer excess. Once again voter turnout is a problem.

Why do we swallow the media narrative of the disappointed electoral minority and immediately discount the majority votes of an entire nation? More than seventeen million people voted to leave the European Union, and the global narrative is focused on the exact opposite. The answer is quite simply. It's all about the money.

Every single post Brexit story focused on the fall in the global stock market and the devaluing of the British Pound. The concern for a few peoples wealth was way more important than the humanitarian consequences of Brexit. President Obama and Speaker Ryan supported Britain staying the EU because of how it would effect US trade policy and what an exit would mean to the business owners in the United States. That is exactly what the elected leaders of the United States should do. It was the same thing around all the industrialized economies of the world. The world's economy was going to suffer if Britain left the EU. Quietly, Vladimir Putin supported Great Britain leaving the European Union, but that has more to do with consolidating power than it does for global economic stability. If Putin supports something, it usually means the rest of the global economic powers will be against it.

If the economic consequences are so dire, why would 52% of the voters want to bring about the chaos? The answer is that the majority of Britain's citizen's, and the citizen's around the world, have been exploited and held down by the politicians and business leaders of the twenty first century economy. When David Cameron took the keys to 10 Downing Street, he immediately enacted programs that drained the social programs of needed funds. These so called austerity measures were supposed to restore the economy to pre-2008 levels. The Prime Minister's family was named in the Panama Papers as someone who was avoiding taxes. He has no idea how important the government funded social services are to people that cannot afford to hide their money and dodge taxes. Cameron did not have anything to lose by demanding that the working people pay more, and sacrifice much more. He did not care how much the majority would suffer.

The non-college educated working class suffered the most from Cameron's austerity plan, and the rich got even richer through tax cuts/incentives. London Mayor, and fellow conservative, Boris Johnson enthusiastically blamed immigrants for the city's economic troubles. The people who could not afford to live in downtown London saw their social safety net being cut to shreds by Parliament, and had immigrants to blame through the mayors racist rhetoric. Nigel Farage, the head of the UKIP, was even running advertisements in the suburbs telling people that the money saved by leaving the EU was going to help strengthen the drained National Health Service. The day after the vote, Farage sort of rescinded that promise on national television. When the majority of your voters are non-college educated, struggling to get by, and looking for a way out, leaving the European Union was their only viable choice. That is why leave carried the day.

The myth of democracy is what caused the Brexit vote. David Cameron could not find anymore of the people's money to give away to his rich business donors, so he approved the Brexit referendum. Boris Johnson had a small period of time to maintain the immigrant hatred, so he pushed hard for Brexit. Nigel Farage is another demagogue he wants to justify his hate through the will of the people. Brexit was formed out of fear and economic hardship. The rightfully elected majority party in Parliament created and fed this flame of discontent. The will of the people was created by these leaders of government. Modern democracy created the majority leave voters.

Today we are questioning the will of the people. It has been weeks since Brexit, and our global economy is begging for a do over. David Cameron has resigned, and new Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to carry out with Great Britain's exit from the European Union. Democracy must be respected. The people have spoken, even if their voice said the wrong thing.

Brexit should represents the end of our love affair with democracy. The fact remains that 52% of Britons voted for the wrong thing. The leave supporters were fed a bunch of lies, and voted on baseless fear. The voters were used as pawns by rich men who were trying to hold onto the little bit of power they can still embrace. Austerity did not work, it only made things worse. With the failures of austerity, the leaders turned to racism. That will also one day fail. Great Britain has shown that an up or down popular vote is not the answer. The conservatives gained power by standing on top of the majority. The weight of the conservative party's greed has crushed their nation. Leaving the European Union was politically their only way to hold onto ill gotten power. The fallout from Brexit will hurt all of Britain, and leave the conservatives with no avenue forward in their quest for wealth and influence. 

Democracy has exposed the mob as not fit to govern. Brexit is the most glaring example popular voting's failure. More than 17 million people believed that leaving the European Union would improve their rapidly declining economic conditions. They never thought the people they supported in previous elections were the ones who were causing the economic decline. Once democracy relies on racism and fear to gain power, it is time to find a new way. Leave won because the supporters relied on lies and fear, while the opponents were met with low voter turnout and disorganization. Is this the best way to govern an entire nation, or a global economy? Democracy has failed, and Brexit is one of many examples to come. The fires of history has produced a lot of ash. Democracy will be next. What do we do know?

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. What is our new way forward? Tell us by writing for SeedSing. 

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Empire of Dirt

Time for some rehab on DNC HQ

Current Democratic National Committee chairwomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz is not a very popular person these days. Vermont Senator, and current candidate for President of the United States, Bernie Sanders has endorsed the challenger in the Florida Congresswoman's Democratic primary. Most of the reports surrounding her tenure as the DNC chairwoman have not been flattering. The Democratic party has lost an extraordinary amount of down ticket races since the chairwoman took over the DNC. Many of the millennial voters who identify as Democrats view her unfavorably. Even Bill Moyers, a highly respected member of the Democratic Party intelligentsia, has repeatedly called on the chairwoman to resign. With so much discord, and an awful electoral track record, what kind of influence can Debbie Wasserman Shultz have in the 2016 election?

To the dismay of many democrats, Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz is one of the most powerful people in the current election cycle. Her influence has already helped steer the party in helping to make Hillary Clinton the party's Presidential nominee. During the early days of the 2016 primary season, Wasserman Schultz worked to get the number of Democratic Presidential Candidate debates very limited. Many political insiders felt that the debates hurt Clinton in the 2008 primaries. By reducing the number of debates, many felt that the DNC was trying to save Secretary Clinton from making any mistakes that could alienate Democratic Party voters. In one of the first DNC sponsored debates, Clinton did slip up by blindly defending Wall Street when the she was questioned about her ties to big money. This early slip up has stayed with Clinton the entire primary season. Any more debates would lead to more slip ups. 

Once the DNC and Chair Wasserman Schultz were called out on their obvious tactics to help Secretary Clinton, more debates were added. These new debates were scheduled at times not known for being friendly to television audiences. The Chairwoman was called out again for being biased towards the Clinton campaign, and once again the DNC was losing support of many Democratic voters.

Chair Wasserman Schultz influence is strongest through the use of party money and the superdelegates. The Democratic Party has used superdelegates, party insiders who get a vote at the convention to elect a Presidential candidate, since 1980. In 2008 Senator Clinton was trying to use superdelegates as a tool to give her campaign a narrow victory in the primary. At the same time Senator Obama was collecting more state primary wins and talking about the will of the people. Once Senator Obama had a majority of voters, the superdelegates were obliged to switch their support. Wasserman Schultz was a co chair to the 2008 Clinton campaign, and in 2016 the use of superdelegates is once again a key Clinton strategy. Senator Sanders won over 60% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary, yet all six of the state's superdelegates have pledged their support for Clinton. Why would these Democratic party insiders go against a large majority of their own voters?

Money is almost always the answer to why someone would do something against their own people. Under Chair Wasserman Schultz, the DNC has been virtual bankrupt. The chairwoman seems more interested in raising money for her own campaign, which she always wins with relative ease, than she does with raising money for the national party.  The only thing seemingly keeping the DNC financially afloat is the influx of money coming from the Clinton campaign's victory fund. The use of a victory fund means a candidate can pool large amounts of money from a single donor. No more separate checks for the primary, party, and general election. The victory fund allows these high dollar donors to write one big check. Secretary Clinton created a victory fund in conjunction with the DNC. The money raised is then distributed by the DNC to state party leaders. The large majority of these state leaders have pledged their support to the Clinton campaign. The New Hampshire Democratic party received $124,000 from the Clinton / DNC victory fund. Senator Sanders, like President Obama in 2008, does not a victory fund in conjunction with the DNC.

The undemocratic methods being employed by Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz is not the only reason many in the Democratic party want her to resign. The horrible record of getting democrats elected around the country has been a mighty thorn in the chairwoman's side. Since 2011, Democrats have lost an incredible amount of ground in municipal, state, and congressional races. The Ohio Problem has become a national problem under the leadership of Debbie Wasserman Schultz. What used to be seen as unelectable candidates, such as Matt Bevin in Kentucky, have been winning races because the incompetence at the DNC. The Democratic party is not embracing a new and young generation of leaders. The current practices of the DNC are turning off the next generation of voters. The Democratic Party is facing an extinction event thanks to Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz.

Under the leadership of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic Party has a name, and no real substance. The Democratic Party is an empire of dirt. It is time to rebuild with new, younger, and inspired leadership. This new leadership needs to embrace a whole country approach to the Democratic Party. The President can not make any real change without a Congress of like minded people. The Supreme Court will not be full unless the majority is run by grown ups who understand how the process works. The States will only thrive when their citizens are put ahead of out of state rich donors. Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz has watched the party decay. It is time for her to go so new leaders can build a better, more inclusive, future.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Are you running for office? Let SeedSing tell your story.

Donald Trump and the End of a Center Right Nation

Our political compass has no direction

No matter how many times the political experts predicted the end of Donald Trump (see the many, many times I have said so) , the New York businessman is going to be the Republican nominee for President in the 2016 national election. This means we will have six more months of Donald Trump and his great ideas to make America great again. Six more months of the national press treating these ideas as credible ones. Six more months of the liberal pundits on HBO and Comedy Central being apoplectic about Trump's ideas.  We have six more months of Donald Trump's Republican Party. A party that can in no way claim to be conservative or center right. The days of a center right nation are gone.

Shortly after the election of Barack Obama as President in 2008, the professional media class started to use the term "center right". Center right meant that Americans did not fully subscribe to the ideals of the far right or far left, but sat somewhere in the middle. Americans sat in the middle, but were leaning more to conservative ideas. The media class thought that Americans were moving away from supporting social safety programs, moving towards national defense, and wanted to slow down on changing excepted social norms. The term center right was used to make it look like the country still believed in the brand of conservatism that President Reagan and Bush II practiced. Barack Obama may have been elected President, by a very large margin, but the country was not willing to embrace the Democratic party's plans to implement health care reform and to scale down on military intervention around the world. 

The media was invested in the idea of the United States being a center right nation because of the disaster that was the George W. Bush presidency. By the end of 2008 the US was mired in an endless war with no real purpose, an economy that had crippled the middle class, and public confidence that was at an all time low. The media of the early 2000's was built to cater to Bush and the conservatism of John Boehner, Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell. The tea party had not been given a national platform in 2008. Fox News gained strength in the first part of the 21st century because they embraced the notion of being the "news channel" for the right. The other media outlets quickly raced away from journalism and into republican propaganda to try and catch ratings on the coat tails of Fox News. NBC, CBS, and ABC used their nightly newscast to gin up support for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Journalism was replaced by ratings friendly war mongering. The same "fair and balanced" media were also defending the destructive economic ideas of the republican party. Story after story of a booming housing market were being fed to the Americans, while no one was talking about the obvious coming collapse. Vice President Dick Cheney made secret deals with the energy industry, there were no investigative stories until after 2008. The media was an accomplice to the bad policies of the Bush administration, and they wanted to cover their own rear ends. Saying America is a center right nation took the blame off of the media, and put the blame on the voters.

The idea of America being a center right nation was wrong in 2008, and it is wrong today. The Republican party may hold the US House of Representatives and the Senate, but that has more to do with shady manipulation of the electoral process and general incompetence of the Democratic Party. In 2008 and 2012, President Barack Obama easily beat his republican challengers. Neither of those races was even close. Obama still won with the media allowing the right wing to paint the President as a foreign born communist who hates America. Rights for the LGBTQ community have grown at a fast, and much needed, rate. The press keeps giving the bigoted side a voice, but the large majority of Americans are on the correct side of history. Hillary Clinton is having trouble sealing the deal on the 2012 Democratic Presidential nomination because most Americans are not supportive of protecting the wealthiest of our citizens at the expense of everyone else. The media has tried to marginalize Senator Bernie Sanders, yet here in the middle of May and Clinton is still not the nominee. America was not center right in 2008, and we have been moving further and further left since then.

Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee, the center right lie can finally be buried on the ash heap of history. The story surrounding Trump's ascension has centered around how much everyone got the New York businessman's rise so wrong. Even liberal darlings like Nate Silver and the people at fivethirtyeight.com have egg on their face. The real story should not be how wrong everyone was, but how in the world did the Republican party nominate someone who has held mostly Democratic Party ideas his entire life. Trump has a history of being pro-choice, pro raising taxes on the wealthy, and pro healthcare reform. The Paul Ryan's and Mitch McConnell's of the Republican party have used their entire careers railing against these ideals. Ohio Governor John Kasich could only win one state, and rarely broke 10% of the vote in any other state. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, the poster boy of Republican obstructionism, only gained traction in the primaries once he was deemed the true Republican alternative to Donald Trump. No one in the classically defined Republican establishment could take Trump down. One could say that Trump's win in the 2016 Republican primary means that the GOP is becoming a center left party.

The rise of Trump is unfortunately not the rise of a center left Republican party. In hindsight it is very easy to see how Donald Trump was able to beat the rest of the Republican field. The blind hatred of the GOP towards Obama and the Democratic Party has created a lot of tiny fractures in the national Republican party. The tea party was built on blind racism. Radio and television personalities like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity demanded purity in the philosophies of elected republican officials. The right wing worship of the founding fathers (most of them were slave holders) and the original Constitution (where African-Americans were counted as 3/5ths of a person) started to show the party as being unreasonable and not have the ability to properly govern in the 21st century. The national identity of the Republican Party was split into many pieces. The fiscal conservatives never found their candidate, and that hurt voting. Kasich, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush could never gain any unified support. The religious conservatives had incompetent buffoons as their choices. Former Governors Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee, and former Senator Rick Santorum were so idiotic even the media could not shield them. Ted Cruz was hated by most of his party, Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson were so bad that they helped bring the GOP brand further into the dirt. The only unique option int he filed was Donald Trump. His persona appealed to the angry white man. His ideas fueled the racist, misogynists, and bigots, in the Republican party. Donald Trump was the only Republican in the field that had a voting block to himself. This voting block turned out in high numbers, and Trump was able to survive the cage match that was the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary. His victory is actually quite easy to understand, now.

A minority of the Republican Party was able to nominate a life long Democrat to be their 2016 Presidential candidate. White male christian persecution complex has replaced conservative social and economic philosophy in the GOP. Donald Trump may be a Republican now, but many of his ideas lean to the left. The professional media created Donald Trump, and helped destroy their own narrative of a center right nation. For better or worse, America is stuck with Donald Trump and his new Republican Party. For at least six more months.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Hear RD and Ty talk about Trump and the 2016 Presidential election on the latest episode of the X Millennial Man. 

The Day After: South Carolina Edition Part 2

The cold of February gives way to slightly less cold of Super Tuesday

Can we finally close the door on feeling the Bern?

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton predictable crushed Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina primary on Saturday. Clinton won almost every demographic by an extremely large margin. There was one demographic it looks like Sanders did best Clinton in,  white voters under 30. Unfortunately for the Green Mountain State Senator, that demographic accounted for less than 15% of the Democrats that voted in the primary. With wins in three out of four February primary states, and the large amount of committed delegates, Hillary Clinton is well on her way to securing the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States.

Should Clinton be worried about Sanders once again winning the white millennial vote? According to Pew Research, the youngest millennial is now 18, and the group makes up the largest voting block in America. They have surpassed the number of baby boomers, and have their first real chance to wield political power. They unfortunately do not vote in high numbers, like the baby boomers. Most of the boomers tend to favor the older, more conservative candidates. Hillary Clinton is that candidate for the Democratic party. Bernie Sanders has excited the white millennials by talking to them directly, and they have responded by being the vocal backbone of his longshot White House candidacy. When it comes time to actually vote the millennial turnout falls below 50%, while the gen xers and baby boomers turnout well over 50%. As long as the millennials stay home, Hillary Clinton has nothing to worry about as she confidently marches toward the nomination.

President Barack Obama was the last Democrat to really ignite the passion of millennial voters, but he also had the support of nearly all of the generation x democrats. Hillary Clinton's baby boomer support kept her in the primary into the summer of 2008, but Obama's broader message carried him to victory. That message of hope has become a reality of bowing to the established political and financial institutions who are desperate to stay in power. Eight years later the gen xers have joined the boomers in near universal support for Clinton. The former first lady is also winning every minority group in the Democratic party. Bernie Sanders appeal has been limited to mainly young white liberals. That is an incredibly small group under the large diverse umbrella of the Democratic Party. This group seems fanatically drawn to Senator Sander's message of money and political corruption. This exact same idea seems to be working more for Donald Trump and the Republican primary voters. Most in the Democratic Party have accepted that Hillary Clinton is another, in a long line of, of candidates who are beholden to Wall Street and big banks. Bill Clinton was one, John Kerry another, Chris Dodd helped protect the housing industry,  and Barack Obama has gone out of his way to keep Wall Street in power. Sanders message is an important one, but it is one that the overall democratic party is not ready to face. Not yet.

Super Tuesday is fast approaching and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a commanding lead in most of the states who will be voting. Senator Sanders is feverishly working to shore up support and eek out a few wins on March 1st, but it will not be enough. Unless over 90% of all the registered young white liberals get out and vote for Sanders, his campaign will be over by the morning of march 2nd. History says that the millennial vote will be much lower than the gen x and boomer vote. It was a fun ride, and Bernie Sanders has brought up extremely important issues, but it is over. Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. The Bern is starting to cool down.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He wishes for two things - at least one President who is not a stooge for Wall Street and for you to like SeedSing on Facebook.

The Next Supreme Court Justice Should Be Named Obama

Welcome home Mr. President

With the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the time has come for President Barack Obama to make his third selection for the highest court in the land. Those Republicans who want to block the President's constitutional duty must not be as true to the US Constitution as they claim to be. If you are truly a "strict constructionist" then you can not believe politics takes precedent over the founding document. Maybe these so called "Constitution Conservatives" are really just a bunch of partisan hacks. The GOP Presidential field, and the elected republicans in D.C., really seem to think that the Constitution is not that valuable in governing the nation. It seems that they are all unfit to represent the people since there is no guiding document of law that the GOP believes in. We deserve people who believe in the Constitution to lead our government. The Republican Party has once again put their personal partisan politics ahead of settled law.

Antonin Scalia served on the US Supreme Court for nearly three decades. He was instrumental in giving voice to modern conservative philosophy. He was also instrumental in being the voice of exclusion to many US citizens. He did not want the US to confront climate change because he was not a scientist. He used antiquated, and hateful, religious views to deny rights to gays and lesbians. He believed that high money donors had more right in swaying political elections than people who were not quite as wealthy. He, along with four other Supreme Court Justices, stopped a legally mandated recount in the state of Florida during the 2000 Presidential Election. There was no legal, or constitutional, reason to stop the recount, yet Antonin Scalia felt like his personal political views took precedent over the law of the land. If you look at the Bush v. Gore decision, Justice Scalia and the majority say that their decision can not be used as precedent for any future similar cases. It is obvious that the conservatives on the court wanted to Bush to win, even if he had not. Antonin Scalia was  the voice of the Supreme Court for an ideology that is living in the past. This is a philosophy that is doomed to be on the wrong side of history. The views Antonin Scalia brought the the US Supreme Court will be judged in the same ways the views of Henry Billings Brown (Plessy v. Ferguson) and Roger B Taney (Dred Scott v. Sandford). They will be judged poorly.

With the death of any high profile figure the media and public at large want to wait in passing judgement on that person's life. That is moronic. When someone like an Antonin Scalia passes, his work should be on display. It is naive, and insulting, to try and forget what harm Justice Scalia has brought to many Americans. We should never sweep under the rug the vile decisions of any person, much less a public figure. We need to remember but we do not need to dwell that long on the unfortunate tenure of Antonin Scalia, we need to look towards the future. The thing we should be focusing on is who will be the new justice of the US Supreme Court. That person should be named Obama.

First Lady Michelle Obama is an accomplished attorney. She has all the academic credentials the US Senate looks for in a Supreme Court nominee. She has a long paper trail and was a very successful lawyer before moving to the White House. Michelle Obama has a bright mind, and quick wit. She would be a huge asset to the high court. The problem is that the partisan hacks in the US Senate would lose their minds in trying to tear down a woman who is vastly more qualified than they are. No person deserves the vitriol, misogyny and racism that would be hurled at the First Lady by the Senate and the national media. She does not deserve the hassle. Someone else in her house is more than ready to take these anti-constitutionalists head on.

While Michelle Obama would be the best choice to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, there is another White House resident who could truly make history by being appointed to the high court. President Barack Obama has the resume to be the next justice of the United States Supreme Court. He is a constitutional scholar, former Illinois State Senator, US Senator, and two term President. He has the education, experience, and thirst to serve his country. Never before in the history of the United States have we had the opportunity to fill a Supreme Court vacancy with someone so qualified. The American voters have twice elected Obama by  large margins. The public will and the resume makes is a no-brainer that President Obama should be the next Associate Justice.

There is the issue of President Obama being the sitting President. Could he actually nominate himself? The easy fix is for Obama to step down from the Presidency and let Vice President Joe Biden take the office for the remainder of the term. It would be a great way to honor Joe Biden for all of his decades of public service. The new President Biden could then nominate former President Barack Obama. Easy fix.

Now the US Senate would have their nomination, and the confirmation process can begin. We all know that having Barack Obama in front of a Republican dominated senate would not be an easy confirmation process. The obstructionists in the Senate would use the hearings to try and legislate the entire Obama Presidency. It would be a huge and pointless circus. There would be a zero percent chance that a vote would be taken on Obama's nomination within the year. The timing should not matter because the Senate Republicans have already said they are going to disregard their Constitutional mandate and will not allow a Supreme Court nominee a confirmation vote until a new president is inaugurated.

Why not let Obama go through the hearings with no hope of confirmation this year? Because this will absolutely destroy any Republican effort to take the White House and will severely hurt their down ticket races. The public will get a full view of the fringes in the GOP, and how they control the entire party. The Presidential field will be consumed by the confirmation process. President Obama is still way more popular than any national Republican figure. The attacks coming from the Senate, Fox News, Right Wing radio, and the GOP Presidential hopefuls will drive many voters away. The Democratic party can use the obstruction of the Republicans as further proof of the party who currently controls congress can not govern at all. Once the election is over, and the Republican have suffered their losses, the next President can go ahead and resubmit Barack Obama as a nominee for the Supreme Court. The next President will be a Democrat after the lunacy the country will see from a Republican party who spits on the true intentions of the US Constitution. It will be a cake walk for the Democratic party.

The passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was quite a shock, and a great loss for his family and supporters. The loss of the strongest conservative on the high court is a huge advantage to the Democratic Party. The President has the Constitutional duty to appoint a replacement. The Senate has a constitutional duty to vet and confirm this nominee. The first family has two members who could fill this vacancy magnificently. The GOP will continue to disrespect the US Constitution in order to serve an outdated political philosophy no matter who gets nominated. Barack Obama could once and for all fully expose the Republican Party hypocrisy by being put forward as the next Justice of the US Supreme Court. He would once again make history, and help the Democratic Parties electoral chances in 2016 more than he has in the previous eight years. It will be one of the biggest political fights in US history. Let Obama use his skill to once again frustrate and annoy the GOP. It is going to be epic.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. He originally was going to suggest his other host of the X Millennial Man be the next Supreme Court Justice. Ty said he was to busy complaining about his least favorite sports teams. Nominate yourself for great internet commentary by writing for SeedSing.

The Day After: Iowa Edition

Your up next New Hampshire

Now begins the end of our long national headache. Iowa has spoken and it's majority old white male population has decided on Texas Senator Ted Cruz and defender of personal home computer servers Hillary Rodham Clinton. Pack up your bags, we do not need to worry about anything until the general election on November 8th. The nation will make history on that day when we elected the first female President in United States history. This by no means is a statement of political preference, Hillary Clinton will steamroll Ted Cruz. The national electoral numbers favor the Democratic party nominee, and Ted Cruz cannot grow any new voters. Many republicans will not vote for the Texas senator who has made a career out of being an obstructionist and demeaning people in his own party. Thank the gods this whole affair is over. Iowa has spoken, the nominees are set.

How much I wish it was true that the 2016 Presidential campaign was complete. Once the votes are certified in Iowa, the annoying itch of Election 2016 is going to turn into a painful infected sore. The media has doubled down on their incompetence in trying to turn the election of the President into an awful reality show. The news out of Iowa was presented in two ways - Donald Trump loses and Hillary Clinton barely won. New Hampshire will be reported in exactly the same way. The press knows they get ratings when they talk about Trump's ascension and Clinton's struggles. Ratings are way more important than actual journalism. We deserve real journalism in respect to who we elected to lead the nation.

So did the Iowa caucuses actually tell us anything of value concerning the Presidential campaign season? Iowa is a valuable predictor for the Democratic party nominee, not so much for the Republican. Over the last twenty years the eventual Democratic Party nominee has won every Iowa Caucus.  In contrast only Bob Dole in 1996 and George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 (unopposed) has won the caucus. Go back another twenty years and the only Democratic Party nominees to lose the caucus are Bill Clinton in 1992 and Michael Dukakis in 1988. The only Republican nominees to win the caucus are an unopposed Ronald Reagan in 1984 and incumbent Gerald Ford eked out a victory in 1976. In the last forty years the Democratic nominee has won eight out of ten Iowa caucus where the Republican nominee has won five out of ten (two of those Republican wins were by incumbent Presidents who were unopposed in Iowa). If the Iowa Caucus did say anything about the 2016 election it is that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party nominee and the Republican Party is still in disarray.

The tight margin of victory in Hillary Clinton's win is something the candidate should be worried about. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders made a better showing in Iowa than expected. His near win is due to the great ground organization his campaign built in the Hawkeye state. Hillary Clinton dismissed Barack Obama'a ground game in 2008, and she never recovered. It does look like the former Senator and Secretary of State may be making the same mistake again. Bill Clinton barely registered in Iowa during the 1992 caucus, but still won the nomination and eventually the White House that year. His biggest opposition, Missouri congressman Dick Gephardt,  did not take Bill Clinton seriously as a candidate. The conventional wisdom was that Gephardt was the true democrat, and Clinton was not in line with the party's philosophy. Bill Clinton capitalized on the youth vote who felt disconnected from the old Democratic Party. This strategy helped sustain the Clinton campaign, and the out of touch Gephardt was eventually defeated. Hillary Clinton seems to be having the same Bill Clinton problem that Dick Gephardt had. Bernie Sanders is going right after the established DC Democratic Party machine, and he is winning the youth vote. Barack Obama has proven you can beat Hillary Clinton with this strategy. The Iowa Caucus did show us that Hillary Clinton is once again relying on the money from the old Democratic machine, and is quickly being seen as out of touch with the youth vote. She needs to be afraid of losing the nomination again if she does not start embracing the Democratic Party that sits outside of the DC think tanks. Iowa should be a wake up call to her campaign.

Ted Cruz's narrow win does not mean a thing. He won Iowa, like Rick Santorum in 2012 and Mike Huckabee in 2008. The Republicans in Iowa sure do like their candidates that have zero shot on winning the nomination. Bob Dole crushed eventual nominee George H.W. Bush in 1998. Republican Presidential nominee John McCain finished a distant fourth place in 2008. Iowa is completely insignificant to the national Republican Party. The New Hampshire Primary is a much better predictor for who will be the party's nominee. Since 1952 the eventual Republican Party Presidential nominee has won the New Hampshire Primary thirteen out of sixteen times. On the day after Iowa, the Republican Party is right where it was on the day before.

The beginning of the end that is the 2016 Presidential campaign has begun. The caucus goers of Iowa have spoken, and told us nothing. The Clinton campaign needs to learn from 2008 and not make the same mistakes. It does not look like they have learned. The Republican Party needs to not read that much into Ted Cruz's victory, Iowa rarely matters to their base. The 2016 election has officially started. Our long national headache is coming to an end.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He really wants some great writers to assist him with the 2016 election season - write for SeedSing. He also really wants to pay those writers - Support SeedSing.

Ty calmly teaches Donald Trump about the fine history of American - Muslims athletes

One place covered in gold not owned by Trump

The wonderful President Obama gave a very eloquent, powerful speech on Sunday night in regards to the horrific shooting that happened in San Bernadino, California.

It was a tragic event that happens way too often in the US. These mass shootings need to stop and we need much better laws involving gun control. It's sickening that you can walk into a local Wal Mart or Gander Mtn and walk out with a gun. What has this country come to? Why does everybody need a gun?

Those are questions for a different blog at another time. What I'm writing about today is the ignorant, arrogant, stupid, maniacal and just plain wrong comments world class moron and very racist Donald Trump made during this speech. First of all, he will never be the president. There is no possible world that he becomes president. He's grossly under qualified, he's stupid and he is way too arrogant for the job. He can't run his own business properly, let alone this country. And before you say, you're a liberal and these are just your beliefs, not true. I've heard many prominent conservative republicans that are very pissed and very outraged that Trump is still being talked about as a viable candidate for the republican party. He's a cancer that needs to go away. He's no different than the Kardashian family. He's a joke and his campaign is a joke akin to something "The Onion" would mock on a daily basis. But, like the douchebag he is, he live tweeted President Obama's speech and made one of the most asinine and flat out racist comments on Twitter that I've ever heard.

The President said, "Muslim-Americans are our friends and neighbors, our co-workers, our sports heroes". Then, in his infinite stupidity, Trump said, and I'm giving an exact quote again, "Obama said in his speech that Muslims are our sports heroes. What sport is he talking about, and who? Is Obama profiling?". First things first, that tweet has terrible punctuation. Even I, a career ready college grad, can spot all the grammatical problems with this. He needs to end the first thought with a question mark, not a period. Second, he needs no comma between about and who, just leave it alone. Third, what the shit is he talking about with profiling?! The only person who's been profiling is you, you stupid son of a bitch!

Lets look closely at that quote. Clearly, Trump hates Muslims, be they American or any other country born. If that isn't the definition of racism, I don't know what is. Secondly, there are actual pictures of Trump giving a humanitarian award to one of the greatest Muslim athletes of all time, Muhammed Ali. So, we all now have photographic evidence that he damn well knows of at least one very famous Muslim sports hero. But, Muslim American sports heroes don't just stop at Ali. We have Kareem Abdul Jabaar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shareef Abdur Raheem, Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, and even Shaquille O'Neal, just to name a few. Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal may be shocking surprises to you, but they have gone about keeping their religion to themselves, making me like them that much more that they don't push religion on anyone. Shareef Abdur Raheem and Mahmoud Abdul Rauf may be lesser known, but they some of my favorite NBA players of all time. I used to have a Abdur Raheem Vancouver Grizzlies jersey when he was first in the league. I loved his game and the tenacity with which he played. Mahmoud Abdul Rauf may only be known to the outside sports fan as the guy who wouldn't stand for the national anthem, exercising his religious right, but he was one of the top point guards in the NBA in the mid 90's. He was a great assist and defensive specialist and he could score buckets when needed. And of course there's Kareem Abdul Jabaar, one of the NBA's all time greats. He was a star at UCLA, going by the name of Lew Alcindor, and that was his name while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, but he later converted to Islam when playing for the Lakers.

So, let's take all the other guys out that I just mentioned and let's focus on Kareem Abdul Jabaar and Muhammed Ali. Can you think of two bigger names in American sports? Some will throw out Michael Jordan or Mike Tyson, but I know that Ali is a more famous fighter than Tyson and Kareem is right up there with Jordan. And guess what, they're both Muslim-American athletes Donald Trump, you dumbass. Also, in response, both Ali and Jabaar have come out and denounced Trump. I didn't think I could look up to these men anymore, but they just gained a lot more respect from me. Something needed to be said and who better than two uber famous Muslim athletes. Jabaar put out a very eloquent, very poignant piece in "Time" magazine, basically saying that what Trump is doing is basically terrorism. One part of his piece stated that Trump is basically a Manchurian candidate, putting fear into people where it need not be, essentially doing ISIS job for them. He also said that Trump is ISIS greatest triumph. This is exactly what they want out of American's, fear, and Trump is putting it into people that ISIS has no beef with. He also stated that saying Muslims aren't sports heroes is dimwitted and cruel, suggesting that Muslims are "less worthy"  and a "lesser person" because of their beliefs. Jabaar is 1,000 percent correct and I'm so glad he came out against this monster. Something further needed to be said about this and in swooped Ali. Ali stated, and I quote, "there's nothing Islamic about killing people and that goes against the tenets of the religion. Islamic jihadists go against the true spirit of Muslims". He further added, "speaking as someone who's never been accused of political correctness, I believe our political leaders should bring an understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify the misguided ones that have perverted people's views on what Islam really is". Pretty god damn poetic words from Mr. Ali if you ask me.

I figure at this point Trump is just saying whatever comes into his tiny little pea brain. He's never had a filter, but now, he's off the rails. He's Fox News come to life. My brother and editor of the website RD had a perfect response when I posed the idea for this article today, he said that "Trump is saying what all the Fox News anchors think. He's just as racist and ignorant as the whole crew at Fox News". I couldn't agree more. I hope Trump gets the message loud and clear that he's a dip shit of the world class variety. He's so arrogant, that when he speaks, no matter what he says, he believes it. It can be wrong, racist, idiotic, he doesn't care because it's coming from his mouth. Trump is the true terrorist.

I hope that the people who back him get their wish and he runs the country. It will be a shit show of the highest caliber. As I already stated, he can't even run his own company or his own TV show without it eventually failing, so imagine how terrible he'd be as president of the USA. God, it would be awful. I bet he'd get impeached before year one even ended. Go to hell Donald Trump. I hope you get gonorrhea and have to suffer horrible pain for the rest of your life. That's what a racist asshole like you deserves. You suck. And thank you Kareem Abdul Jabaar and Muhammed Ali for being the inspirations you've been your entire lives. You still inspire millions of people today, no matter what some random dick head says. Kareem Abdul Jabaar and Muhammed Ali are more heroic and more American than Donald Trump will ever be.

Oh, and they're Muslim too.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He admires the patience and humanity of Kareem and Ali, yet Ty can not share their civility when discussing Mr. Trump. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Terrorism Turns us into Monsters

The only way to defeat the terrorists

The tragedy in Paris is still raw. Many people have expressed their unfiltered opinions of the attacks. Some have been more careful in their reactions. The common chorus coming out of the political class, and the media, is that ISIS needs to be bombed into oblivion. Another horrible terrorist attack on an industrialized country, another call to level another nation. We see those like us being killed and maimed, we demand double retribution. The only way to end terrorism is to counter with our superior firepower. This is a trap. The terrorists need our aggression The way terrorism thrives is when we become the monsters.

The way we used to respond to terrorism was through strategic police action. The criminals would be identified, their locations would be found, and the terrorist activity would end via death or capture of the bad guys. Some of the time we would change policy to make terror activity more difficult, such as London removing trash bins from the tube and central downtown. That all changed after September 11th. President Bush days after the horrible attacks promised to do to the attackers what they did to us. Bush promised to level a nation for America's wounds. Bush was good to his word, he did level a nation, two nations. The American people cheered on our campaign of "shock and awe". We incorporated words into our culture like "collateral damage" in order to justify the death of Afghan and Iraqi innocents. The new way to respond to terrorism was to retaliate with our superior might and technology. We became angry when terrorism hit our shores, and the world did not like us when we are angry.

Terrorism caused America to turn into the Incredible Hulk. Extremely powerful, unable to control, and a danger to everyone around us. We were big, green, and willing to destroy anything that got in our path. The United States was so focused on the enemy, that any unfortunate thing between us and our prey was going to be caught in the crossfire. It did not matter how many weddings were bombed, we had to get the Al Qaeda number two. A few hospitals get destroyed, we must depose of Saddam. The US was angry, the US must smash.

In the safety of our shores we cheered on this destruction. The destroyed hospitals, weddings, and innocents was never shown on the news. The bodies of kids sent to die in war were not covered on the network news. When Saddam was executed via hanging, we celebrated the end of Iraqi unrest. We were wrong. When Osama Bin Laden was gunned down in a bedroom we celebrated the end of Al Qaeda. We were wrong. When Jihadi John was bombed off of earth, we celebrated the death of ISIS. We were wrong. 

Every time the United States used over the top crushing force to destroy the latest identified terror group, we create a new and more dangerous group. The Bush administration was built for starting wars. These hawks had no idea, and no intent, to end these wars. Bush's folly of endless wars created the unstable and overtly dangerous ISIS. The terrorists who use a warped incorrect version of Islam as their ideology need to have a clear cut enemy. These monsters need the western world to be overtly aggressive to Islam. Charlatans like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly are some of ISIS's greatest weapons. The need to define Islam as a central problem helps ISIS to recruit. Young, unemployed, and ostracized Muslims are more receptive to the idea of hating the west when the popular media of the west preaches hate towards Islam. When innocent Muslim families are destroyed in a drone strike intended for a few terrorists the idea of the west as the enemy starts to take hold. When the U.S. can justify the killing of innocents in the name of global security, ISIS will use the killing of innocents as an equal method of war. If ISIS was able to wipe an entire US city off the map because a military base was close by, the world would scream in horror. When we kill innocents because they unfortunately live close to terrorist bases, the monsters gain sympathy. Our fear and anger is delivering new, desperate, recruits to the terrorists. 

The monsters of ISIS caused over 400 casualties in Paris. So far 129 innocent people have died. The French government over the weekend bombed known ISIS strongholds in Syria. Innocent families were undoubtedly killed in these bombing runs. Here in the United States we continue to bang the drums of war. Hillary Clinton regrettably used the specter of terrorism to justify donations to her presidential campaign from Wall Street billionaires. Egoist Donald Trump ramped up his hate filled campaign for President of the United States by telling the nation he would consider shutting down mosques he deems dangerous. Failing republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is using the attacks to try and jump start his fading campaign. The rest of the republican field is falling all over each other to blame President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and anyone else their followers hate. Hours after the attacks, the US political class was screaming for more war. The media was demanding the current crop of presidential candidates to come up with a plan to destroy these terrorists. We were angry, we need to smash.

Smashing everything in our path is not a solution. Terrorism needs to end. Peace is the natural evolution of humanity, and terrorism is causing us to not evolve. To honor the innocents of terror, we should not create more terrorism. Killing Saddam, Bin Laden, Jihadi John, and a number of other monsters did not end terrorism. Killing children and families has increased the perception of the West wanting to destroy Islam. The media feeds the terrorists when they cheer on war. The political class emboldens the terrorists when they argue over what words we should use to describe the monsters. The need for the right wing to alienate all Muslims is making fighting terrorism much more difficult. Our past and current course of action feeds terrorism. We need a new plan. We need a global community to end terrorism. Paris should be the wake up call. Terrorism has turned us into a rampaging monster. Peace will bring us calm.

Stand with Paris, and with Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, anywhere else terrorism and war has touched. Stand proud and demand peace. Terrorism will end when we refuse to be the monster. Peace will prevail when we learn to not be the Hulk.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. His opinions are strong, but really needs your strength. Write for SeedSing. 

First Annual Get Your Ass Out and Vote Call to Action

The beginning of the end

Hello All

It is election day. I assume many of our good readers are well informed of the candidates and issues. You all probably woke up bright and early, presented your voting credentials, and are now wearing the "I Voted" stickers to the embarrassment of your non-voting friends, co-workers, and family. To all the good voters out there, good job, you make America proud. 

The preceding paragraph represents less than 30% of America's eligible voter population. Off year congressional elections have voter turnout rates less than 50%. In over 75 years we have seen Presidential election turnouts rate top out at 65% of eligible voters participating only one time (1976 - Jimmy Carter's victory). What the hell is the problem? Why do people not vote? The onslaught of the 24 hour media, and the subhuman conversation on talk radio, make elections into a quasi philosophical battlefield. Cowards like Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck use their time on publicly created radio and television airwaves  to claim America will be ending if their chosen politicians do not win. The professional left (once again thanks Robert Gibbs) makes every election into a referendum of their latest cause. With all of this noise, very few people actually vote, especially in non-presidential elections.

What the hell is wrong with you people? I get that a non-presidential election is not very exciting, but it means so much more to your life than you know. The national (and most state) Democratic Party has totally given up on local elections so they can win the "Best in Show" ribbon that is the Presidential election. Way to go Democrats, Obama won two elections. How has that worked out? We have the psychopaths of the tea party in congress now, non-stop obstructionism, and the glowing profiles of dirt bag Paul Ryan because he is the least crazy person we could get to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Democratic Party's lack of developing any local candidates, and supporting them, has led to nut jobs like Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and worst of all Ted Cruz. The mighty party of the people has completely failed at building a strong stable of candidates, and left the power to the most self serving political movement in American history.

The people who are on your school boards, city/town councils, and municipal courts have a ton more power over your lives than anyone who is elected to Washington DC. Your kids go to schools run by the philosophical whims of the school board. Your emergency services are managed by your city councils. Your home values are dictated by the people elected today. Yet nobody seems to care. We all get excited to vote for history (Obama) or vote to take our country back (anyone in the modern Republican field), but we care not to vote for the person who will give the next generation a chance to thrive. What is wrong with us? The election you do not participate in today will elect the crazy person to your school board. That person will next move on to win a city council race you refuse to vote in. Next thing you know, that crazy person is being featured on "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" as another crazy right winger who belongs in the 1800's. They got there because we refused to stop them from winning their first election.  We elected them by not participating.

Wake up and get your ass out to vote. I know that levies, school boards, and trustees do not excite our electoral urges. Grow up. Your home values, your kids education, and the overall future of our society depends on who wins this November 3rd, 2015. If you decide not to vote, I will blame the next Ted Cruz on you. 

Vote.

(Special thanks to FairVote.Org  for help with research. Plus I do know about John Oliver's recent episode about local elections. I only wish he did the episode a few weeks ago when people could still register to vote.)

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor of SeedSing. He does not know what to write over the next year because Hillary has already won the 2016 Presidential election. Is he wrong? Go tell him.

The Papacy Complex of Washington DC

New uniforms for DC police?

I am absolute and will never be wrong.

That is the attitude that has taken hold in Washington DC. We have popularly elected a government of Popes. These "representatives" believe they were chosen by a higher source, and their message cannot be questioned. Our national government has no curiosity, ability to compromise, or empathy. They are infallible. They are the Alpha and the Omega. We are mere vassals to fatten their coffers.

The infallibility complex of Washington DC is the number one reason our government is completely worthless. Starting with the President and filtering through every office on Capitol Hill, our government would rather feed us lies than actually fix the problems facing the nation. These elected officials cannot be dumb enough to think that their never ending lies are being bought by the majority of citizens. How can our representatives think that we buy the garbage they are selling? Philosopher George Costanza once said "It is not a lie if you believe it". Is our government a bunch of Costanzas? Would you rather have hundreds of Popes or hundreds of Costanzas? Does Speaker Boehner believe that people think the Republican Party is for the lower and middle class working family? If he believes that, it must not be a lie.  Does President Obama believe that we think he boot strapped his way to the highest elected office? If he believes that, it must not be a lie. These are the leaders that will steer this country through our next great crisis (it is coming soon). We deserve better. We need to have a better group of leaders.

The best recent example of the Papacy complex is the current Benghazi fiasco. What fascinates me about Benghazi is how easy it is to figure out what all parties want. The Republican Party wants to find a way to impeach Obama, and they want to torpedo Hillary Clinton's presidential ambitions. Those are the republicans only goals. They do not care at all about terrorism. The current Republican establishment will only use terrorism as a fear tactic when they can assign race to the issue. A white man with an agenda kills a bunch of people, that is an unfortunate crime. A non-white person does the same thing, and it is the worst terror attack since the last. They do not care about the lives lost. They only care about gaining an edge on a political issue. The Republicans want Meet the Press and Politico to continue the cheerleading of Benghazi in order to embarrass the highest profile Democrats. 

President Obama and the Democratic party has their infallibility problems with Benghazi as well. Since day one, President Obama has been afraid of being weak on the War on Terrorism. Anytime we have had a terror like issue, the Obama administration has been very swift in making a statement condemning the act. These swift actions have yielded unclear, and confusing, official statements on the terror activities. Morons like Sean Hannity get upset because our non-white president will not scream terror. I do not believe we need to use code words to appeal to the sub par intelligence of Master Hannity. I do think that the Obama administration has rushed to finding a reason for the attacks in order to protect their political identity. Benghazi was not about a movie, yet the administration kept floating that narrative out. To this day, the White House has yet to ascribe a motive to the deaths of four American foreign services workers. In order to not be wrong, in order to be infallible, the administration would rather not correct the record.

Benghazi is just one recent example of how the need to appear right has destroyed any credibility in our government. Every person I know that has an opinion on Benghazi will defend their position based on what side they want to defend. The Republicans look only to weaken President Obama or Hillary Clinton. The Democrats seek only to paint the Republicans as investigation happy zealots. There is no room for thinking. The narrative has been set. If we deviate from what the story is, the lie will be exposed.

What happened in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 is a tragedy. Four Americans were not the only ones killed, over one hundred Libyans also lost their lives protecting US interests. It is very likely that we will never know what happened to cause the tragedy. We honor no one by being political opportunists. We insult those who serve by being self serving and lying about our motivations. Investigations should yield answers. Our leaders should lead the country, not a party. Being a partisan hack only gives you the reputation for being a hack.

Accepting the infallibility of people is a tricking proposition. I was raised catholic. The Pope is infallible because God is speaking through him. Right or wrong, that is the belief handed down to me. I have stopped believing the idea of any human being infallible. I do not believe anyone in our government is a pope. Everyone else needs accept that Washington DC is not infallible. Only then will our government start to work on solving the problems coming our way. That is the only way America thrives.

RD Kulik

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. In order to break his infallibility complex, we need you to write for SeedSing. RD is also willing to tell everyone your product is the best, no lies - advertise with SeedSing.