[su_testimonial photo=”http://614now.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/croyle-thumb1.jpg”]By Steve Croyle[/su_testimonial]

TOPIC: Politics

The President we deserve

Donald Trump is a fiasco with a pulse. Whether he’s turning an address to the Boy Scouts of America into a rambling egomaniacal screed, effectively condoning police brutality at an address to law enforcement officers, or taking to Twitter in the wee hours of the morning to covfefe, it’s hard to believe that this is our President. George W. Bush often seemed to leave his brain plugged in on the nightstand before taking the podium, but Trump doesn’t even have a brain. He’s a cartoonish manifestation of America’s id.

The dystopian future is now. Our 2016 election was a sick joke. On one hand we had the polished, hand-picked Washington insider who would guarantee another 4 years of status quo, politics as usual. On the other we had the a guy who made us long for Idiocracy’s  Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbet Camacho.

People on both sides of the aisle despise Trump, and they should because he is a global embarrassment. This is a man who respects nothing. He doesn’t have class, or taste, or humility.

He’s the original reality star. In a society obsessed with reality shows that boost our self esteem by showing us how stupid, vain, and generally screwed up other people can be, it’s hardly a surprise we’ve selected a president from the genre.  Donald Trump’s prowess as a real estate developer has long been questioned, but Donald Trump’s true success comes from his ability to turn being a jerk into an industry. Nobody has made phallic overcompensation so lucrative. Even while his ballyhooed deals were falling apart, Trump’s brand was on the rise. Hating him meant we could hate ourselves a little less, and eventually people grew to love him for it.

The elected leader of 300 million people ought to be smarter than most of them, and he certainly shouldn’t embody their worst traits.

Complaining about politics is a national pastime in the US, but nobody wants to admit what the real problem is. No, it’s not money, or corruption. Those are symptoms. The problem is a lack of participation by the citizens. In the US politics is like the Olympics. We care once every four years.

Candidates don’t just grow on trees. If you’re not dialed into your state legislative district, your city council, or your county trustees, you’re not taking control over who is in the pipeline, and if you’re not taking control over that, somebody else will. Enter money. Politicians will answer to whatever puts them in office. Money is nice, but votes are better. Ask Jeb, or Hillary.

If you know who Taylor Swift, or the Horse-faced Kardashian girl is dating, but you can’t name your State Senator, you’re part of the problem.

If you skipped the special ballot for city council because you didn’t want to miss your fantasy football draft, you’re part of  the problem. The reason so many Americans wanted  to wreck Washington by throwing a flaming orange bag of dog poop on its porch is because we haven’t been taking care of our political system.

Lincoln said it. Of the people, by the people, for the people. You can’t turn a blind eye to the off year elections. We have three branches of Federal Government, and a whole bunch of state and local posts. If you don’t take ownership of all of them, you’ve taken ownership of none.

Trump is the price we have to pay for decades worth of laziness. If you want to fix this, you’re going to have to spend a few minutes each week keeping abreast of politics. Not just Trump’s tweets; you need to get your hands on a newspaper and pay attention to the local stuff. Who is voting for what? And if there’s something you want done, get a hold of your representative and ask for it.

Showing up at the polls with your little cheat sheets doesn’t help. Taking your marching orders from the party isn’t how you fulfill your duties as a citizen. Have you seen our city government? We have a mayor and council members who took bribes, but avoided federal charges because they had a patsy who stood up and took the fall.  All of the people who received money from Redflex were on the last ballot, fully endorsed by the Democratic party. How does that make you feel?

Pay attention. Show up.

It’s so easy, but our failure to do these two things is the reason we’re so disgruntled with our political system. Whether you voted for him or not, Trump is the embodiment of our disdain. He’s not the president we want, and a far cry from the one we need, but he’s definitely the president we deserve, and if we don’t get our crap together as an electorate, it’s only getting worse from here.

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HATE TROLLS IN CLINTONVILLE

The hate group that distributed propaganda in Clintonville was most likely trolling for attention, knowing they’d get a rise out of a community that has formally designated itself a “no hate zone.”

While there’s little question that pea-brained bigots have certainly experienced a bit of a revival recently, and the kind of hatred borne of this ignorance can be dangerous under the right circumstances, we can take solace in knowing  this is the last gasp of White Supremacy.  

Non-Hispanic whites account for just over 60% of the US population, with a death rate that outpaces births. Whites are projected to become a minority by 2040, if not sooner. This scares the hell out of bigots, and there’s nothing they can do about it. We’re truly a melting pot, and the color of the stew is brown.  

Not only are whites destined to become a minority, but most white people couldn’t care less. Many whites (hello!) are proud to be part of mixed race families. You’re not going to convince a Clintonville grandfather who loves his mixed-race grandchildren to join your cowardly white power movement. All you’re doing is reinforcing the perception that racists are impotent morons.  

Why stand for such a worthless lost cause? Hating other people isn’t going to make your insecurities go away. You can’t win, so set the ignorance aside and join the human race. It’s never too late to start doing the right thing.

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OBAMACARE IN TROUBLE

Three days after declaring John McCain public enemy number one, Liberals and Progressives were singing the Senator’s praises as he defiantly stuck a fork in Trumpcare.  It’s great that people are now engaged in politics, but the knee jerk outrage is getting old. McCain knew what he was doing when he snatched the bill from Mitch McConnell’s clutches and threw it to the floor for a vote, and he followed through on that plan when he let Mike Pence kiss his butt for the better part of two hours before showing the VP up with a “no” vote. McCain, and other GOP moderates wanted to send Trump a message, and they did it by killing off the GOP plan to repeal and replace “Obamacare”.

Democrats will readily admit, however, that the Affordable Care act is in grave danger and major overhauls will be necessary to keep it afloat.  That makes the paucity of activity on the part of the Democrats almost as vexing as the callousness demonstrated by Republicans as they played their internal political game while real people faced the real possibility of losing their healthcare coverage.

Both sides of the aisle are playing us. Democrats are sitting on their hands trying to figure out if Republicans will hang themselves, while Republicans are engaged in a power struggle. Both sides are sticking it to us, and it’s time to call them out.

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“These are opinions!”

The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of 614Now, 614 Mediagroup or its employees. Take a deep breath… it’s just one man’s opinion. If you want your voice heard beyond the comments section, we invite you to send us your thoughts here

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