Liberalism 101 Minimum Wage Hikes = Prosperity

The minimum wage for fast food workers in California will increase on April 1st, 2024.  Since most of the blog staff live out here, we witnessed the masses cheering this revelation on.  They will finally be able to get their own apartments, buy nicer things, and not have the massive credit card/overdraft debt.  While this sounded great, the joke was on the workers once again.  Yesterday the big news out of southern California was several major Pizza Hut chains fired all their delivery drivers.  Yup, every single driver at these franchised stores got a nice New Year’s gift.

Rather than pay delivery drivers $20 an hour — under a new California law set to go into effect in April 1, 2024 — Pizza Hut franchisees in Sacramento and elsewhere in the state are laying them all off.

The franchisees, one of which operates restaurants in the Sacramento area, are letting go more than 1,200 delivery drivers across the state, according to Business Insider, which reviewed a federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act document filed with the state Employment Development Department.

Pizza Huts in California, including Sacramento, laying off drivers rather than pay $20 minimum wage

So, are the stores going to be takeout only?  I don’t think so, pizza is synonymous with a delivery driver, so they will all likely be contracting through Uber Eats, Door Dash or Grub hub.  In all three cases they will not be fast food employees and as such not subject to the $20 an hour wage. 

This is the problem with liberal, hive mind, groupthink.  Let’s give everyone a raise and all will be well in the world, folks will not be in poverty.  It is going to have the opposite effect.  These workers laid off will be making a low wage, plus a possibility of a tip as a delivery driver for a third-party company.  They will be responsible for the wear and tear, insurance, and gas, while hoping for tips to balance it out.  More on this in a moment.

The prices will increase, so sticking with Pizza Hut; your $12 pizza will now be $17.  This makes you less likely to tip your delivery driver, who as pointed out above won’t be partaking in the increase in wages.  Sticking with this theme, do you think the franchisee will eat the increased costs?  No chance.  There will be a headcount reduction in workers as well.  What may take 4 to cover a dinner shift, will likely be reduced to three.  There will be increased ordering off an app or self-serve kiosk, as this will help reduce head count as well.  No one needing to work the till means a savings.

The price increases elsewhere will more than offset the increase in the minimum wage.  Folks a sandwich I got at Jersey Mikes today is listed on the menu board for $11.85, this is prior to any real minimum wage effect on the sub.  There will be increased costs at gas stations, grocery stores, and you better bet rent will be going up.  The rising tide doesn’t lift the boats, it just shows which ones are taking on water.

Some of the employees in the store will be flushed out of society.  It’s sad but inside you know it’s true as well.  At the local Burger King I visit when I make bad life decisions, like forgetting lunch at work, the majority of the employees appear to not give a rip.  No chance those folks are kept around making $20 an hour, along with the increased menu prices.  The consumer will demand more, and the franchisee will expect it.  Those in this group will be part of the unemployable class.  Same goes for folks who didn’t finish high school, you will be deemed not worth the cost of employability.  Looking to make some extra cash over the summer or winter during your school break?  Not going to happen, as the cost of onboarding and off boarding you will be too much.

The cold-hearted truth is these positions were created for high school and college aged kids, a resume builder for someone who didn’t want to go to college, criminals exiting the “system” and folks who may be a little on the spectrum.  Those people will now have no chance.  Wait and watch as this will raise wages at all other jobs too; the health club, the spa, the grocer, the gas station.  Again, the workers at the lowest level will be frozen out.

This is called Liberalism 101.  Do the thing that feels good, ignore any chance it could backfire and when it does, double and triple down hoping for a different outcome.

It’s a nice sentiment, but wow, they didn’t foresee the consequences.

The Chief

68 Billion Reasons Gavin Newsom is in Trouble

68 billion, yes with a “b” that is California’s projected budget shortfall for next fiscal year.  That is a big problem for our governor.  To give you an idea of just how bad it is, our entire rainy-day fund will only cover about 2/3 of the shortfall.  So draconian cuts will be needed/required.  Unlike the federal budget, the state must balance its budget.  True, they can and do use voodoo accounting tricks, but you can only do that for so long.  One trick CA used once was to pay their employees on July 1st rather than June 30th , the last day of the fiscal year, essentially pushing the payment forward a year.

Then came the Covid 19 windfall money.  The federal government gave lots of cash to support state and local governments affected by the shutdown and as a result, because flush with cash.  Folks also got stir crazy and decided to re-do their landscaping or the interior/exterior of their dwellings.  The Home Depot, Green Acre’s, Lowe’s, and Costco had lines miles long each day, let alone on weekends. 

While this was great, as usual, the government thought it would never stop.  It did.

CA you see has had a steady stream of people leaving it for decades.  Ditto with corporations and small business closing.  Elon Musk, who most would think would be revered and welcomed in CA was essentially run off. 

Now some will point out that we added jobs in California for so many years, even during the Trump administration…. they are correct.  But there is a caveat.  Most of those jobs were retail, minimum wage type jobs, or government ones.  The former don’t really help as minimum wage employees don’t provide much stimulation for the economy, as most are on a form of assistance or not a head of household earner.  The latter are an outflow of government monies and come with high unfunded costs like pension commitments and healthcare.

So how do we cut the 68 billion?  It’s not easy at all.  Gavin is going to be unpopular.

How can you cut electric vehicle subsidies/incentives when we are outlawing cars with internal combustion engines soon?  Ditto on cutting incentives/subsidies for solar systems on your roof.  Want to put off maintaining the roads? A judge may have something to say about that as gas tax is collected specifically for that.  Even eliminating all the incentives above, its likely only several hundred million, we need 68 billion… again with a “b”.

Uncle Joe Biden may want to try to help, but if there is one thing that is bipartisan in Congress, bailing out crazy California in a budget bind isn’t one of them!  Halting the high-speed rail is off the table since we have spent 15 years buying up land and suing every owner who dragged their feet.  The delta tunnels?  Ditto, off the table.

Closing down a government office building?  Unless you are planning to turn it into a homeless housing unit, that ain’t happening.  If you are in a lease, you owe the money, it’s just like a utility bill or rent payment.  Just because you didn’t turn it on or were on vacation all month doesn’t mean you skip the payment.

That brings us to the big cost cutting that needs to happen.  The reduction of pension/payrolls.  P and P as I call them likely takes up 70% of the budget, the pension is the golden goose, and you cannot cut that.  So, it comes down to cutting bodies.  Terminations are not really a government thing, layoffs aren’t either.  The way the contracts are negotiated, furloughs may be the only option.  I remember the Friday furloughs put in place under Governor Arnold were heavily criticized but found to be legal. Also, the State doesn’t cut management. They may keep some positions unfilled for a time but ultimately, they will cut entry level positions (the lowest paying ones) and just add more to the next rung up the ladder.

Also, keep in mind that a balanced budget is required by the State Constitution, but the reality is that the governor and legislature just need to agree to call it “balanced.” In reality the math doesn’t really have to work as long as both sides agree to the smoke and mirrors employed. Look for much to be papered over or pushed into future years. Also, special funds will be looted and their contents diverted to the General Fund in exchange for IOU’s.

Barring some kind of miracle that allows Gavin to run for President and thus avoid this nightmare, he is looking at being one of the most unpopular governors in the country when he starts making tough decisions.  The furloughs were hell on wheels for Arnold, will Gavin bring them back?  Will he cut back on programs? If so, which ones? CA is the liberal mecca for green energy spending, try to put the brakes on that?

The man in the 68-billion-dollar hole is coming for you. 

Not going to be fun…

The Chief

Beat Trump Legitimately and He will have to go away

It’s easy to say, harder for the Democrats to do.

Honestly, the thing I remember most about Trump is not a slogan, a hat, or clichés.  He made a big deal out of being treated fairly.  He demanded it.  He skipped a debate when first running because he said he wasn’t being treated fairly.  He did not do interviews on certain networks or shows and claimed the same.  Back when I had cable (before the Blog Father straightened me out) I remember Trump telling Bill O’Reilly that he wasn’t treating him fairly.  On Fox no less!

Voter fraud was his thing… and he was very vocal during Covid.

How do you beat him legitimately?  Easy.

Stop sending a ballot to every Tom, Dick, Harry, and everyone else.  Yes, even in liberal mecca California you used to have to request a mail in ballot.  Have voting centers open for dropping the ballot off.  The local library, heck even the local watering hole may have had a drop off box for ballots last election.  In California (and elsewhere) ballots are also sent to each person who wants one, even if you have died or move away.  When I bought my house, the ex-owners got ballots for 3 years.  Even when presented with proof of out of state registration (wife) or a death certificate (husband), the county registrar’s office didn’t care. Literally voter fraud is supported in Sacramento County. 

My point?  Quit this process.

Count all ballots on election night.  None of this California bullshit of counting ballots for a good month plus after the election.  (The truth is that in many areas, all ballots are not counted.) No broken pipes, no leaving for the day and coming back tomorrow.  Bring in temporary workers, I could care less.  Make sure the water main doesn’t “break” or have the webcam be “down.”  Do vote count updates in real time.  We need to know the winner by midnight in California.

Vote in person or request a ballot via mail.  Require ballots to be returned by a certain date.  A webcam should be live streaming the vote counting process.  Count them all that night.  No breaks, pauses or anything.  This removes Trumps biggest card of fraud and not being treated fairly.  Trust me, do what I suggest and the conspiracy folks will have nothing to shout about.  Beat him fairly, like I laid out, and there will be no insurrection, stealing, cheating, or anything else.  If he tries to pull that card, he and his supporters will be laughed at.

The Chief

Colorado Ignores the Rule of Law Re: Trump

Series of quick blogs coming, likely will not be able to be posted in time, due to Blog Father’s well-deserved vacation.

So yesterday the State of Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that Donald Trump will not appear on the 2024 ballot for President in Colorado.  This is a wild case of judicial misuse.  Keep in mind all 7 judges are Democrat appointee’s so this isn’t a case of the “right” or “left” wing stacking a court, which Democrats love to pull. 

Please note this from the dissenting opinion, “I have been involved in the justice system for thirty-three years now, and what took place here doesn’t resemble anything I’ve seen in a courtroom.

Translation: the Democrats will rue this day.

The truth here is Donald Trump has virtually no chance of winning in Colorado against any Democrat.  Why is the heck would the Democrats waste their capital on this?  It is pointless, they will now have to spend more time and attention to defending this practice, as it will be appealed to the US Supreme Court.

Again, just to point out, 7 judges–all Democrat appointees–basically split on this one.  4-3.  Again, it was a 4-3 decision.  In a state where Trump will not win.

In today’s news it appears CA Secretary of State Shirley Weber wants to do the same thing.  Our Attorney General and fellow brainless Democrat Rob Bonta appears ready to defend it all the way to the US Supreme Court.  Again, in a state Trump will not and cannot win to begin with.  Word has it at the press conference, Weber had to read off very large Kindergarten style cue cards and Rob Bonta immediately excused himself to the gender neutral (neutered?) bathroom to change his panties as the excitement from blocking a white male from a top job became too much for his body to handle.

Now for serious commentary.

Folk’s this is patently illegal.  It will not take much but this will be overturned.  Actually, I would not be stunned if the Supreme Court went 8-1 on this.  It sets a very dangerous precedent.  Think about it, what if a red state governor comes out and says, “Biden has had too many slips and falls, incoherent moments, etc. and by the power invested in me, he is henceforth banned from a ballot?”  “Or a blue state governor says we cannot allow candidate ____ or ____ on the ballot because they are hostile to; trans, LBGTQ, business, abortion, churches, etc.?”  This would be opening Pandora’s box like never before. 

Is this the type of world we want to live in?  A hyper-partisan society where a sole and single leader aka a dictator or ruling family decides who can and cannot run?

Here is a novel concept…let Donald Trump run.  He won’t win either state, not even a meteor killing all Democrats and decline to states as the dead vote in far bigger numbers for the Democrat than the Republican.  He won’t win there. 

Donald is a very flawed person, and a flawed candidate.  Regardless of your thoughts on stolen elections, the January 6th thing was not a pretty sight.  Donald is a polarizing figure as we have pointed out here, even against a very bad Joe Biden, Trump is up just a few points.  Let the election play out and you may just beat Trump twice! 

While folks like William and the staff here have soured on Trump, imagine the rank and file?  However, when Democrats pull this crap on Trump, they are saying that we are next. Trump is cast once again as an outsider and a threat to the Elites. This causes us to rally around Trump. Were they to ignore Trump during the last three years, DeSantis would be leading the pack by 30 points.

To the Democrats who think this extra-legal political persecution is a good idea:  Think about groups who get upset when they are excluded from things for no reason.  Black People, Asian people, Hispanic people, Jews, Palestinians are some that quickly come to mind.  They do not like being excluded, restricted, charged with crimes, perp walked, mug shotted, etc. yet you are doing this very thing.  Trump would likely be getting molly-whopped in the primary, yet you continue to indict and convict without even a trial!  I have a feeling if someone actually could break down the polling for Trump, he is going to get a record high number of “non-white” groups for a Republican.  I doubt many of the above-mentioned groups feel like Trump is getting a fair shake.

Watch Trumps’s poll numbers next week.  I bet he picks up another 2-4% lead on Biden in the polls. 

Again, if you hate Trump, let the election play out and should he prevail then beat him in the General Election fair and square. The fact is Democrats can’t trust voters to agree with them and thus must deploy every dirty trick and political gambit they can think of.

FYI: I feel the same about rumblings in Texas that Biden should not be allowed on the ballot due to his failure to fix the border.  Knock it off.

This is so funny because when I was in school, I remember the USA and allies calling rigged elections out in North Korea, Russia, China, and various South American, and African nations for doing this same thing.  Now that we are a third-world country, I guess it’s, ok?  Wow.  That’s something.

The Chief

The Democrat Conundrum for 2024

We have blogged about how both Joe Biden and Donald Trump can win next year in the election, but we haven’t spoken about the elephant in the room.  The elephant is the Democrat machine.  The machine knows Joe Biden is too old and is definitely in cognitive decline.  Congressman Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Senator John Fetterman have both made comments about this very thing.  Phillips is an obscure congressperson who announced a primary run against an incumbent, which is a big no-no in either party.  Fetterman who had a stroke during his run for Senate last year has said Gavin Newsom is running a shadow campaign for president.  Folk’s comments like those don’t just come out unless there are legs to them. 

So how do they remove Joe from the ticket you may ask?

Easy, at the nominating convention for their party.  The delegates basically can pick the nominee, and just have a majority not vote in his favor.  You may remember Bernie did this last go round, taking his delegates all the way to the convention, even though he had zero chance of the nomination being his.  I fully believe this is why that Phillips guy is running, just to carry a name to the nominating convention.  I also do not think RFK will be on the general election ballot as an independent, I can’t put my finger on it, but I just don’t see a Kennedy not on the Democrat line. 

Simply said, Joe has major health and mental health concerns, and this blog feels the Democrats are waiting for an error similar to the dreaded “blue screen of death” Windows users fear their computer contracting.  For those reasons we feel Joe will not be the nominee.

Here is the bigger problem.

If not Joe, what do the Democrats do with Kamala Harris?  Democrats have always thrown the black person overboard when necessary, but in this case it is different.  Harris is the sitting Vice President.  She and Gavin do not like one another.  They will not be on the same ticket. Two folks from California is a liability not an asset for the Democrats.  This is what creates the issue.  Kamala was a Senator; however, she will not “path back” to the Senate. First, it’s a demotion, and second, she will look weak trying to get her old seat back.  (BTW her old Senate seat currently has a primary with 3 sitting Democrat congressmen in it, making it no sure thing).  Removing Harris is very risky, as throwing a black woman under the political bus will be viewed in a bad light by the black community.  BLM would be outraged, and we have seen what happens when they riot.  For those who say let Kamal be governor, again there is a problem.  That requires Gavin winning the presidency, which is no sure thing, even against Donald Trump.  Also, there is a primary forming for that position as Gavin terms out in 2026.  (In heavy red and blue states there is a pecking order, and folks get very nasty when you mess up the rotation).  Again, it’s no shoe-in for Kamala.

Kamala doesn’t seem like the type to go quietly into the night when she doesn’t get her way.  It will get ugly.

Let’s say Joe bows out, and Gavin takes over.  Who is the VP?  Can’t pick a white person in that party, not to replace a black woman.  Michele “my belle” Obama doesn’t seem to want the job, and I think Barack wants to just hit the speaker circuit, he seems out on politics.  Al Sharpton has too much blood on his hands, so he is out.  I think there are 2 logical choices, there are 2 Castro brothers from Texas, either would be safe choices, the other being Xavier Beccera.  I am contradicting myself with Beccera as he is a Californian, but if you can read between the lines, you wind up throwing a bone to the Hispanic voters.  Democrats love racist dog whistles and here is another chance to play the “Trump is a racist” card.  Hispanic people outnumber black people about 4-1 (not counting new residents that arrived over the southern border) so any votes lost in the black community are likely more than accounted for moving forward.

It may seem like tin foil hat thinking, but it could work for the Democrats.

They needed Joe in 2020 to beat Trump.  There was no way; Bernie, Mayor Booty judge, or any of those other clowns out that stage was beating Trump last go round.  They knew it and rigged it.  Now that Joe is a liability, looking worse and worse with each speech or appearance, he makes it high time for him to go.  Need more proof?  David Axelrod (Obama campaign manager) and James Carville (Clinton campaign) are both saying Joe cannot win. Regardless of your thoughts about those two, they are very savvy and smart.

Need more proof?  A Fox News article recently advised Joe to “Throw his son Hunter under the bus to save his campaign.”  Folks, a father throwing a family member under the bus is a bad look, even in this case.

Still not convinced?  Why did Newsom vs DeSantis debate happen in Georgia?  Also why was it on Fox and moderated by Sean Hannity?  DeSantis looks like yesterday’s news and Gavin isn’t running so why have this?  Answer…. if Gavin looks good, Joe will be taking a tumble down the stairs, either on his own or someone will be pushing him.

For the Democrats the stakes are too high.

LBGQ ≠ T

One thing I will never understand about the LGBTQ community no matter how many times its explained: why do they accept the Trans community?  Think about it. If you are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or queer those are human sexuality/lifestyle choices.  I dated a girl, and after we had broken up, she decided she liked both girls and boys, so she became bi-sexual. (Note to the weirdos out here: I understand it meant she discovered her sexuality but still my point stands.)  I also know a friend who decided she was only into girls (lesbian) after seeing a movie where Jennifer Aniston got completely naked.  (Contributors to this blog have a much different reaction to seeing Jennifer in the buff.)

Friends of our family have gotten divorced and decided they too preferred same sex relationships as opposed to traditional relationships.  In all of these cases while it was not always taboo, most forget we banned gay marriage as a state in 2008; nevertheless, acceptance has become far more prevalent today. 

I understand full well why those groups are all accepted into the LGBQ crowds, it’s a matter of sexual preference.  Note: many at the blog have lifestyle issues with these folks, but do not see them as disruptive to civilized society.  The Nine in Black Robes made it the law of the land and we chose to accept it.  No hate is needed here.

However, one group who in my opinion pigeonholed themselves into that crew who is doing heavy damage to our society: The transgender crowd.

Trans folks have a very different set of circumstances than the rest of the rainbow crowd.  This is not about sexual preference or attraction, this is about making yourself into a real-life science project, one where undoing it may be impossible.

In the case of the folks that I mentioned above that changed their sexual identity or attraction, their circumstances were different; however, trans folks are cut from a much different cloth.  No one I know who is LBGQ has openly advocated for folks coming out who are not in fact LBGQ.  The “T” crowd is doing exactly that.  Bruce “Caitlyn” Jenner started all of this, and Fox News gave it a place to spew their filth unchecked.  It has since taken off like wildfire.  The trust the science crowd from Covid fame are just as guilty here.

Folks who become transgendered are mutilating God’s creation. If you refuse to believe in God, fine… your birth parents can get credit for your creation.  As a baby develops, its body creates its own chemicals and biological functions based on genetic information programmed into its very being at conception.  Adding care, nutrition, and time will follow the genetic code. Gender is determined for you before you are ever born. In what crude world would someone try to stop testosterone or estrogen from being created?  Or worse yet, chemically reverse it?  These are the questions no one is asking this crowd.  I’m sorry but having someone put a dress on or a halter top does not make them a girl.  Like I said this is nothing but a science project.

I’ll back up a minute.

Say a young boy decides, likely via his “friends,” that he is really a girl.  Perhaps he buys some sex toys, follows some unorthodox people on Instagram or Only Fans, and is stunned at how dirty old men/perverted women will “pay/tip” to watch a show.  Soon he goes deeper down the rabbit hole and starts buying girl’s clothing.  He buys a wig, and heels and now he has a full-on persona of a female.  There is still a problem, He is not satisfied with mere cosplay. His body knows he is a boy, even if he has a problem with that mentally and/or emotionally. Somewhere in all this confusion, he still feels he is not good enough. He is convinced by others that taking chemicals to alter his body into thinking it’s a girl will fill the emptiness inside. He gets a prescription from a local baby killing factory for hormone blockers. His body will now begin to grow female organs and he will be having the male ones diminished, suppressed via chemicals, or outright removed.  To further the change, he legally changes his name.  Now the transformation is basically complete even if there are a few details to iron out.

Now you let me ask you this.  Say this person who was in high school/college during this period gets closer to 40.  All his friends are married or seriously dating someone else, whether the same gender or opposite.  “She” now realizes that this gender switch isn’t what he thought it would be. Most of us have something that we did in our youth that we regret but very few of us pay as high a price as this unfortunate soul. Depending on the level of self-mutilation, there may not be any path to return to your former state. It’s too late.  The science likely won’t be available and if it is, likely won’t be covered for free like the initial change was.  The devastation will be so much, they likely will kill themselves.  Look it up, stats don’t lie, and suicide among this crowd is far higher than any other group…. by far.

Congrats to the crowd who is pushing this science project on families across the USA.  The devastation from this will be felt for generations to come.  It’s not science, its mutilation thru manipulation, we used to try to bring awareness to this in Africa, now we accept it.

I feel at some point, the LBGQ group will wise up and get this crowd out of their inner circle.

One of those things isn’t like the others. 

The Chief

How Joe Biden Can Win in 2024

Can Joe Biden win re-election?  Absolutely he can.  It will not be easy, and won’t be fun, but he absolutely can.  I will explain how.

Do everything possible to not have in person debates: 

This is easy, have one of Biden’s inner circle get Covid just before the debate.  This allows the debate to be remote and allows Biden to have his handlers hold up cue cards or the like to help him navigate the debate.  I know this sounds harsh for ole Joe, but he is very obviously in declining health, so much so even his fellow Dems are saying he should step aside.  It only takes one slip up (answering the wrong question, rambling, telling odd stories, staring into the abyss or wondering off set) to erode his support for good.  The perception of being too old won’t sink him, reality will, and his handlers know this.

Make the election about Donald Trump:

Simply put Joe doesn’t have much to run on; the economy is teetering; layoffs are being considered/happening and globally some think WW3 could happen any day.  As a result, he must make it all about Trump.  Insurrection, wanting to overturn an election, and the general chaos that is Trump needs to be front and center all the time.  Remember this folks, Trump is to Democrats what the Clinton’s are to the GOP, essentially the anti-Christ.  The mention of Trump will drive Democrat turnout. 

Make the 3rd party candidates, 3rd party candidates: 

Simply put, RFK cannot be getting anywhere near 17% in the general.  No way.  If he does, Trump will have a really great night.  Every vote for Jill Stein, RFK, or Cornell West is a vote taken from Joe Biden.  Joe must shore up this flank and knock the support for each to around 1-3% RFK included.  Note:  neither William or any of the blog staff see a candidate getting 17% who isn’t a major party one.  We see RFK topping at around 5-7% nationwide on election night.

Point out Trump is in no-man’s land: 

Each time Trump comes out with an idea I would immediately question how it would get done.  Simply put, his Party doesn’t like him.  Most in our opinion wanted him to never get elected so they could “own the issue” not the solution…. Healthcare ring a bell?  Trump will be a lame duck, and quite frankly will likely have very small majorities/minorities in both Houses of Congress.  He will need to “twist the arms” of his own just to try to shepherd legislation through.  If the Democrats win the House, I would say more impeachment inquiries will happen.  I would be pointing out constantly that Trump has no support from his own Party, and tepid at best support from moderate Democrats.  We do not know who his VP pick will be, and frankly he pretty much fired his entire cabinet at one point in time or another during this first term.

So, there you kind of have it.  Biden can absolutely win; it may not be easy or fun.  However, I will tease my next blog…. I do not think Joe Biden or Kamala Harris will be on the ticket.

The Chief

How Manchin Retiring affects Sleepy Joe

Note:  This blog is a direct reflection on William pointing out Senator Joe Manchin retired after I sent my blog to him yesterday.

Kind of a weird retirement announcement yesterday from Joe Manchin am I right?  Manchin who I best describe as a centrist, more of a watered-down Democrat announced he was retiring.  At age 76 he is pretty young in political years.  All in all, he likely would have lost re-election, current governor, former Democrat Jim Justice is running, and he likely beats Manchin by decent numbers.  However, Alex Mooney a congressman, hard right Trump supporter is also running.  I do not think Mooney a carpetbagger who moved from Maryland to win a congress seat beats Manchin.  Manchin despite being a democrat is very popular in dark red West Virginia. 

The weirdness about Manchin’s announcement?  He made a reference to traveling around the US and spreading his political message.

What I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see whether there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together

If you are wondering, there is a group called “No Labels” who for months has been laying the groundwork to try to field just that…. a bi-partisan ticket for the presidential race.  Manchin is the perfect person to top that ticket.  He is personable, likeable and spews common sense.  No one at this blog would vote for him, however. 

This creates another headache for Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.  Machin will be very popular in certain parts of the country (think Midwest and some parts of the southwest and south), running a centrist campaign with some decent sized donors behind them.  My understanding is “No Labels” has qualified to be on the ballot in several states already.

This is from an August 2023 press release but here are the states so far:  The ten states are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota and Utah.

Spotlight Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina as 5 definite swing states based on recent elections.  I have a feeling far more states are to come. No Labels is not forthcoming about their progress on getting on the ballots of various states, but they maintain they are adequately funded to meet their goals.

Think about this, Manchin will need a running mate.  This brings another interesting couple of names up for speculation.

Mitt Romney, he also a soon to be former Senator.  His retirement is also due to kind of dubious reasons.  Romney hates Trump and is a “middle road” moderate type with no future in the GOP.

Kirstin Sinema, the current, no longer Democrat, Senator from Arizona is another option.  She also has no chance of being re-elected as an Independent.  Sinema, a former Democrat, could be a tough sell as a running mate with Manchin.  In a sense it will look like a spoiler ticket to hand the election to Trump.

Romney comes with the baggage that no Trump supporter will flip to this ticket. People in the Romney crowd are either solidly in the Biden camp or supporting RFK.

No one knows what will happen but let me lay out a nightmare scenario for Joe Robinette Biden and his crew.

Assume these following tickets nominate someone in all 50 states.

GOP:                                                     Trump
Democrat:                                           Biden
Independent:                                    Robert Kennedy jr.
Also Independent:                          Cornell West (He is the socialist type, weirdo black guy)
Green                                                   Jill Stein (2020 nominee)
Libertarian                                          There will be a nominee here
No Labels                                            Manchin/Romney/Sinema/Someone else?

The problem above is outside of the Libertarian and maybe RFK, no other party will draw votes from Trump.  The Green will suck maybe 1% from Joe in states that matter.  No Labels could very well take 2-4% pending the ticket and each state they run in.  RFK, as we detailed, will take roughly the same, again pending the states he is running in.  Cornell West is pulling the 1% insane folks vote nationwide. 

Therein lies the issue.  It gets more complex with No Labels likely fielding a ticket in quite a few states.  If Manchin is their guy, how many votes does he steal in Pennsylvania?  Virginia?  North Carolina?  If Sinema is on the ticket, how many from Arizona?  Colorado?  Romney is another wild card, as he will likely be stealing Biden votes in EVERY STATE.

Like I blogged yesterday, none of these third parties win, but how much does the race change?  Biden is looking at his “soft” support ceiling cracking little by little each passing day. I don’t expect significant Biden support to go to Trump, but I can see a number of people abandoning Biden for someone shiny and new. As a result, look for Dems to play hardball by deploying any gimmicks and dirty tricks at their disposal to try thwarting No Labels from fielding candidates.

The Chief

Last note:  Manchin may also be angling for an Exxon Mobil Board seat as he was the top beneficiary of their donations over the years, and he, via his family, owns a gas company. If he is genuinely finished with politics, this would be a logical move.

My Thoughts on Israel/Hamas

What the Hamas terror group did is horrific.  I use the present tense because they are still holding/torturing hostages, American citizens included.  No matter your political or religious beliefs cutting people’s heads off, killing babies, and torturing people is wrong. 

As a sidebar, I do not agree with Israel cutting off the water and power supply to Gaza.  As I will explain later, this helps create a narrative that Israel is committing war crimes as well.

The dirty little secret in that part of the world (Middle East), I trust nothing that comes out of there as far as news goes.  Pretty much every country over there double deals and values their own interests/religion over anyone else’s.  Israel is our only true ally in that space. I say that in a literal sense because Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and Bahrain typically have been found to be pretty weak allies of ours depending on the enemy.  Sure, we have a large air base in Qatar, I’m sure we likely pay a heavy price in dollars to have it there.  Yes, Egypt and Jordan seem to come down on our side when it comes to Israel and not letting Gaza refugees cross their borders. Oh, Egypt is allowing us to use the Suez Canal; at least for now, but again at what cost?  Don’t believe me?  Check out the foreign aid sent to these countries each year! 

In addition, many countries in that region are aligned with China, Russia, and North Korea, three countries who either legit hate us (Russia and North Korea) or have no real use for us in this conflict (China).  They love nothing more than to see our military spread even further.  Think about it, Russia knows we would prefer to supply Israel than Ukraine, so they win on that front.  China wants Taiwan, and us moving our carrier strike groups that way lessens our ability to help Taiwan.  North Korea?  Well, they get to taunt us even more.  Add Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, and Afghanistan to that list as well, who are actively supporting the Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi terror groups in that area.  Groups who hate Israel. The Mid-east is a web of competing interests that are being united in their opposition to Israel and the United States.

Add a wild card, Turkey.  Turkey is the 2nd biggest army in NATO (ally of ours) in the region.  They have been very vocal about us sending all those aircraft carriers, destroyers, and cruisers to the area. 

Turkey is correct about wondering aloud why we are sending all those ships.  It does from afar look like a provocation.  While I do not agree with Turkey’s president about us/Israel committing genocide, and completely disagree with him saying Hamas is a liberation group, I do think he misspoke.  One thing about Turkey they have the ears/eyes of both sides all over this region.  They have open dialogues with Russia, while supplying Ukraine with drones.  They are also in talks with Israel, while being able to speak to Hamas.  I know he cancelled his trip to Israel this week, but he wants to negotiate a peace deal.  I believe him.

Back to the war.

Israel needed to strike back at Hamas, they always do.  Most of the time they strike back 3-4x harder.  However, this time it’s different.  The killing of innocent people at a concert, beheading babies, old people, taking hostages, torture is a horse of a different color.  Israel is going to militarily attack the Gaza strip.  They want to wipe Hamas off the globe.  They have had enough. 

What is happening now is the cause of dividing the world in that region.  Jordan and Egypt say no refugees are welcome from Gaza.  This is because they don’t want the terrorists firing from their countries because this pisses off the USA and next thing you know Israel is lobbing rockets into their countries.  Turkey is warning us to back off the ships we sent into that area.  Iran backed terror groups are firing missiles/drones at our bases in Syria and Iraq, so far, we know 21 military folks have been injured.  Iran, Yemen, and North Korea are going to supply Israel’s adversaries with all they need for this war. 

The heart of the problem here is that Israel has no allies in the area.  Egypt and Jordan merely tolerate them.  All the Muslim countries basically hate them, they are in affect isolated. 

Enter Lindsey Graham, Joe Biden, and the globalists. 

So, we started sending our military might to this area.  The ships are already there.  Our bases in Syria (I do not understand this at all) and Iraq are getting more troops.  We supposedly activated 2,000 troops; I believe this is closer to 20,000, but I digress.  Our meager involvement thus far has evoked a response of laughter from the world.  Israel basically told us F-off.  Iran, North Korea, and Russia are daring us to do something stupid.  The terror groups love this.  Turkey is now likely questioning its role in NATO and all for what?  No one respects us anymore because we are not a superpower.  Our military cares more about pronouns and vaccines than training.  It’s sad.

My solution?

Hard to say.  Israel seems hell bent on going in with tanks and troops and “cleansing Hamas off the earth.”  If they want to do it, I say go for it, but with caution.  There is a reason I think Turkey has ratcheted up the rhetoric.  The area is unstable and is likely going to turn into a powder keg if the tanks move into the Gaza strip.  Put simply, if Israel moves in, I think Iran and their terror friends turn Israel into a microwave.  It will get really ugly, really quick.  Knowing the USA, we will somehow get ourselves right in the middle and WW3 will break out.  We will find out who our friends are, and I think more people dislike Israel than like us. 

Simply put, we shouldn’t be operating in that region.  Haven’t we lost enough young people already?  Also, at what stage do we have to worry about our own stockpiles?  We have given a ton to Ukraine and Israel.  Let Turkey decide on a solution in that area.  They do not want missiles flying over their country.  Dirty little secret is the other oil producing states don’t want that either. 

The Chief

My Thoughts on Kevin McCarthy’s Removal as Speaker

There is a saying in life, don’t let a group of whackos hijack the group you belong to.  Well maybe not, but there ought to be. Anyway, I said it.  Well, what happened this past week in the GOP House Caucus is exactly what that saying of mine is all about.  The House Democrats and 8, yes 8, Republicans voted to vacate the Chair of the House, removing Kevin McCarthy as Speaker.

First some background and commentary.

I do not like Kevin McCarthy one bit.  He is a snake and is an embodiment of all things wrong with the GOP.  He loves to talk tough in person or with small groups, you know the sayings, quoting Reagan or at least claiming his legacy, saying no one is more conservative than he is, cut budget, reduce debt, etc.  He votes the opposite.  EVERY DAMN TIME.  Then he goes on Hannity, Limbaugh (Rip), Levin, or any other GOP based show, and waxes poetic about how he made a great deal and how the GOP won the negotiations; when in fact, we lost. (can you say unilateral capitulation?) McCarthy has done this his entire political career; he is a former Assemblymen from CA.  McCarthy, despite his faults, has some things going for him. He is telegenic and can give a good speech, but that’s about it for the positive side.  He also has a documented history of chasing skirts, and to me a more disturbing one, his “hospitality suites” at state GOP conventions seemed geared toward very “young republicans” like as in high school age kids. 

However, what happened to McCarthy ever since the GOP took over the House last election is not right.  Kevin is a very big fundraiser and helps the party win and defend seats in every cycle.  He helped chair “Young Guns” which was a recruitment device to recruit and help younger GOP types run and win races nationwide.  He is/was very good at that.  With his aid, we took back the House last cycle.  Albeit only by about 8 seats. I do not blame that showing on him, I blame Donald J Trump.  Then we had a vote-a-rama as I call it to elect a Speaker; keep in mind there was no actual competition for the speakership.  I believe it lasted about 2 weeks, having an ungodly number of votes.  McCarthy finally won.  Matt Gaetz was leading this rebellion, more on him later.

So, we removed the Speaker, now what?  Well, I really do not know.  (Neither did they when they voted.) Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan have thrown their names in.  Scalise is battling blood cancer so he may not be the best choice.  Jordan is a good one, but I feel he is better used as an attack dog on committees.  Think Paul Ryan, much better as budget committee chair than Speaker.

As far as Matt Gaetz?  What the hell is wrong with you?  I guess what you have going is you are from a very red district (I think DeSantis’ old seat) so he is basically furniture, he is going nowhere.  I guess he and McCarthy had a rivalry, with McCarthy filing an ethics complaint against him.  I guess Gaetz won the battle, McCarthy was removed, again by 8 GOP, and the entire Democrat caucus.  Seems like a pyric victory, something the CAGOP loves.  Gaetz for his part, I hear, really loves the college interns in the Capitol.   So, he and McCarthy do share common ground, preying on young women.  Frankly, if I were Gaetz, I would just call Boebert; she seems game to drop her panties at moment’s notice as witnessed with her “date.”  While some will mention Gaetz is married, that has hardly stopped some in the past.

In closing I will say this.  I do not like McCarthy. I feel he is a CAGOP guy to the core, a go along to get along Republican.  He is more concerned with “owning an issue” than doing anything about it.  Think Repeal and Replace of Obamacare.  It’s better to fundraise off an issue than do anything about it.  McCarthy was the wrong choice for Speaker, it happens.  He is no leader, he is a go along to get along guy, the worst part about him is he will follow up a bad performance by going on Fox to try to brandish his credentials.  Now we have a mess on our hands.

In short congress under McCarthy as Speaker looked like the CAGOP I have known my adult life.

The Chief