American Presidency: Is It a Joke (III)?

Written by Frank Li

Have you paid any attention to the 2016 election so far? If yes, aren’t you at least a bit troubled by it? You should be, because it’s almost turning into a comedy, from the style (e.g. Trump and Cruz frequently exchange personal insults) to the substance (e.g. Hillary tries hard to out-Bernie Bernie on the left)!

Will this election result in yet another joke President? Sadly for America, it seems highly likely …

More profoundly, has the American Presidency become a perpetual joke? Yes, it seems so! Having already formally answered the question twice (American Presidency: Is It A Joke? and American Presidency: Is It a Joke (II)?), I see the need for yet another sequel …

1. 2016: the Democratic side

There are two candidates left: Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist, and Hillary Clinton, a self-proclaimed progressive. Who are they, anyway?

1.1 Bernie Sanders

Having spent the past 20 some years in the U.S. Congress, the 74-year-old U.S. Senator is running as an anti-establishment outsider. What a joke and it’s on us!

1.2 Hillary Clinton

Can you name one single significant accomplishment during her tenure as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2012?

Not funny is the huge buildup of ISIS during her lackluster tenure! Now, as the Democratic candidate for President, she claims she can defeat ISIS that came into power on her watch? Is it a joke? More on this later …

Bottom line: She is riding on her last name – What a joke for America! For more, read: America: Are We Still a Republic?

2. 2016: the Republican side

There are three candidates left: John Kasich, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump.

2.1 John Kasich

To me, he was by far the best GOP candidate, who offered the GOP the best chance not only to win the general election, but also to actually govern as President (The 2016 GOP Ticket: Kasich-Martinez!). However, the GOP primary voters have decided otherwise. Yet, Governor Kasich is hoping for a chance at the brokered convention … Pipedream – What a joke! For more, read: John Kasich: Drop Out, Just Drop Out!

2.2 Ted Cruz

He is Obama II, a first-term U.S. Senator without any major accomplishments, but is simply trying to talk his way into the White House, with his glib tongue!

Worse yet, this rookie U.S. Senator built his U.S. Senate career on an anti-Washington platform, but is now the GOP establishment candidate. Huh? What a joke!

Worse still, Cruz has been following the footsteps of Rick Santorum 2012, without any appeal nationally. Why not? There are simply not enough Republicans, let alone conservatives, left in America to power the GOP to the Presidency!

Worst of all, Cruz is ineligible for the Presidency, because he was born in Canada, thus not a natural-born citizen!

2.3 Donald Trump

His campaign looked like a joke initially (Donald Trump and His Presidential Campaign), but he has finally earned my endorsement for one simple reason: he is the choice of the people! For more, read: Okay, It’s Donald Trump!

3. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama

There are many ways to evaluate these two most recent Presidents. But let’s focus on one issue: ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), because it is by far the biggest problem in the world today and for decades to come!

Let me discuss ISIS in five points:

1. Who created it in the first place?
2. Do we, America, have a real strategy to defeat ISIS?
3. Stop blaming Islam for ISIS!
4. Why did the two Presidents do what they did?
5. Denouncing Democratic Imperialism!

I will elaborate on each …

3.1 Who created ISIS in the first place?

Presidents Bush II and Obama! Specifically,

1. President Bush upset the delicate balance in the Mideast by launching the Iraq War on March 20, 2003! In other words, he broke the jar (Colin Powell: “If you break it, you own it”)
2. President Obama failed to hold the fragile balance in Iraq, reinstated by the Bush administration, by announcing a withdrawal timetable first, then following it by withdrawing all American troops from Iraq by December 2011! In other words, he failed to hold the broken jar.

Now, back to Hillary Clinton – She is guilty on both counts! Specifically,

1. As a U.S. Senator, she sided with President Bush by voting for the reckless Iraq War!
2. As Secretary of State, she was behind President Obama’s reckless withdrawal from Iraq!

3.2 Do we, America, have a real strategy to defeat ISIS?

No! It will take decades to restore the lost balance, if possible at all! Meanwhile, we must deal with the mess we decisively helped create!

In other words, it’s impossible to put a broken jar back and it takes a long time to create a new jar that is as good as the old one! Meanwhile, we must clean up the mess caused by the broken jar. For more, read: The Middle East without America?

3.3 Stop blaming Islam for ISIS!

Two main analogies:

1. America did not blame Christianity for KKK!
2. ISIS has been using Islam as a cover, just like some Americans have been using 9/11 as a cover for the Iraq War. For more, read: 9/11 Attack vs. Pearl Harbor Attack.

Bottom line: the last thing the world needs is a religious war between Christianity and Islam!

3.4 Why did the two Presidents do what they did?

1. President Bush: for his re-election in 2004!
2. President Obama: for his re-election in 2012!

For more, read: American Presidency: Why is One-Term a Must (Version 3)?

3.5 Denouncing democratic imperialism!

Let’s be absolutely clear: on ISIS, President Bush bears far more responsibility than President Obama. Unless the GOP clearly acknowledges this fact and distances itself from the reckless war-hawks like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, it may never recapture the American Presidency again! Why not? Because most Americans understand it, and they hate wars!

Bottom line: the GOP must denounce Democratic Imperialism in order to recapture the American Presidency, or it will remain the party of “nothingâ€. For more, read: What Is The GOP, Anyway?

4. Discussion

Leadership matters! Experience matters! The American Presidency matters!

Unless we, America, fundamentally reform our political system as I have suggested (Solution for America (Version 3)), the next American President will again prove to be no match against Russian President Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping, either in style or in substance!

Now, here comes Donald Trump … Maybe he is exactly what America desperately needs today: a peaceful transformational leader who will fundamentally reform our political system by turning it upside down first …

Give Trump a chance!

In case you are hesitating, ask yourself this question: can we, America, get any worse than now?

How bad is America? She will be destroyed by debt (U.S. Federal Debt Clock), thanks to Democratic Socialism from the left and Democratic Imperialism from the right! In other words, both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are addicted to spending (i.e. buying votes with goodies from the public treasury), ultimately destroying America like Greece, ancient or modern!

Trump can change that! Trump is neither a conservative nor a liberal. Instead, he is a mad-as-hell American like most of us!

5. Closing

Let’s give Donald Trump a chance to “make America great againâ€!

Maybe it’s another joke. But it’s a risk worth taking, given the dire situation of America today …