10 novembro, 2016

Trump Trumps Clinton




TRUMP TRUMPS CLINTON

 
The United States 2016 election Red Map.

What has been consistently labelled an impossibility, a catastrophe, or both for the last 18 months has become reality: Donald trump has won the 2016 election with a comfortable advantage over Hillary Clinton, thus becoming the President elect and the future 45th President of the United States of America.

Mr. Trump not only held to virtually all states won by Mitt Romney in 2012, but he also made good on his word, breaching and then demolishing the so-called Midwest Blue Wall, a set of medium to large states that have been pivotal in the last Democratic election victories. Starting with a single state (Indiana), Mr Trump beat Mrs. Clinton successively in Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, he is still disputing Michigan and almost got Minnesota.

Mr. Trump’s victory is the ultimate popular backlash against a political-economic system that has let down a substantial share of the population, mostly non-college educated whites, stricken by unemployment, bereft of prospects and facing destitution. These Americans rebelled against an establishment they deem corrupt, oblivious of their plight, vastly benefiting an elite and pushing income inequality to ever new heights.

Donald Trump, in spite (or because) of his unorthodox behaviour, rhetoric and policies, managed to convince that electorate of his sincerity and ability to fight the established interests and corruption and to give opportunities to the downtrodden. The fierce and constant criticism from the establishment politicians, media and commentators, only served to reinforce the conviction that Trump was the real thing; otherwise the powers that be would not bother to attack him so viciously. Add to this concoction a well-known but very unpopular Democratic candidate with a trail of suspicious activities and a total lack of candour, and the American electorate was ready to give change a chance.

The result was a clear 31-State, 305-delegate victory for Donald Trump. After defying all odds to become the Republican nominee and defeating even greater odds to become President, Donald Trump will face the ultimate challenge of delivering. If he does, he could go down in History. If he fails, he could go down the drain. Only time will tell.

07 novembro, 2016

Establishment Fatigue and Rejection



ESTABLISHMENT FATIGUE
AND REJECTION

 
Voting “NO” to the establishment is becoming increasingly popular.

The media have spent the better part of the past few years feeling puzzled, shocked and outraged. And the same goes for the political establishment.

They are befuddled by politicians like Marine Le Pen (France), Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn (United Kingdom), Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Beata Szydlo (Poland), Viktor Orban (Hungary) Gert Wilders (The Netherlands), Kristian Thulesen Dahl (Denmark), Jimmie Akesson (Sweden) Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders (USA), Alexis Tsipras (Greece), Catarina Martins (Portugal), Beppe Grillo (Italy), Pablo Iglesias (Spain), Norbert Hoffer and Alexander Van Der Bellen (Austria) winning elections, faring well in the polls, or having some significant degree of success, following or impact.

If these people/parties who are comfortably established in power for decades could just bother to step down from the pedestal for some time and actually see, understand and internalise people’s problems, difficulties, hardships, complaints, fears, ambitions, creeds, goals, maybe they would figure out why the electorate is leaving them them in droves.

If these people/parties could come to terms with the fact that Democracy is NOT about choosing between two different persons/parties with a single platform, but that it is about REALLY choosing between different platforms, policies, paths.

If these people would stop trying to sell the Stalinist idea that there is only one way forward: their own.

If these people would understand that there are millions who cannot stand them, or their parties, or their policies, or their minions anymore.

If these people in the media would stop from sheepishly caving in to the one way, one thought, one policy creed.

If these people and the media would stop being intolerant to those who do not toe the line, their line.

Then maybe, just maybe, they would not be so shocked with, so surprised with, so contemptuous of the reality that is unfolding before their eyes.

Then maybe, just maybe, they would understand that if people do not like the political platform X, they will not vote for it. And if both Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones present X to the electorate, it is only natural and obvious that many people will shun both Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith.

At this point, people have basically four options:

1- They abstain.

2- They return blank ballots.

3- They rebel and overthrow the regime.

4- They vote for an alternative, any alternative which is an actual alternative.

Option 1 is by far the most popular one. Millions of people shun the vote, the elections and the candidates. And their members are generally growing.

Hundreds of thousands, like me, choose option 2 and they are also increasing. It is a more proactive version of option 1.

Option 3 is mostly not a realistic one. At least not yet.

Option 4 is an increasingly popular one. People are growing angrier and more disappointed at the establishment which they view as an undeserving, unbecoming, corrupt elite with obnoxious privileges.

People are aware that Jones & Smith will not introduce any changes. People are fed up, they are mad, they are afraid and many just cannot put up with Jones & Smith anymore.

That voters are even willing to vote for a nutcase instead of the usual parties, speaks volumes of the disgust that mainstream politicians have incurred in much of the electorate. Real change is in order.


31 outubro, 2016

Sschauble




SSCHAUBLE

 
Sschauble
in “Political Cartoons” em http://www.politicalcartoons.com/

Wolfgang Schauble tem um histórico pouco lisonjeiro no seu relacionamento com os países do sul da Europa. Para ele, Grécia, Portugal, Espanha, Chipre, talvez mesmo a Itália, são as marcas meridionais do IV Reich habitadas por uns bárbaros que urge disciplinar à boa maneira prussiana, com mão de ferro.

À falta de uma mão armada para subjugar a barbárie, Schauble recorre à pressão, à ameaça, à chantagem, à ofensa, nem sequer hesitando em proferir falsidades que têm como objectivo (e porventura efeito) prejudicar economicamente e financeiramente os visados.

Portugal foi recentemente alvo de pelo menos dois desses ataques. Isto porque, para Schauble, há dois tipos de pessoas na Europa meridional: os que acatam servilmente os éditos do IV Reich e os que se lhes opões; por outras palavras mais carregadas, aqueles são os colaboracionistas e estes são os resistentes.

Ter na marca sudoeste do Reich um governo que ele detesta, incomoda visivelmente o velho patife e manifesta-se na encarnação SSCHAUBLE. Pelo menos essa irritação permanente em que parece viver proporciona uma certa satisfação. Contudo, enquanto que os países acossados não mostrarem firmeza e coragem, Schauble e acólitos continuarão a semear miséria por essa Europa.