I've been amazed at how many people actually read a political post written by someone who calls herself Tipsy Mommy. I'm even more amazed that some people took the time to email/message me with feedback.
I got a few messages explaining that I left out some very important issues in my original blog and they suggested that I needed to research those before I rule out voting for either candidate. Given my self diagnosed ADHD, I can't say I blame them for assuming that I stopped halfway through my research and started watching funny cat videos on You Tube instead. However, I'm happy to report that I actually HAVE contemplated most of the hot button issues, even though I didn't spell them out in my blog. I am thrilled that at least 2 people are happy to read a 15 page dissertation written by Tipsy Mommy about the current shit show that we call the political process.
So, here's my take on which candidate seems to have shit figured out in (some of) the key issues this election.
1. Foreign Affairs
They even cover this sort of shit in US Weekly, so it's obviously on my radar. For the most part, Hillary is the clear winner in this department. I know Trump hates ISIS (at least he's got THAT going for him) but I think the extent of his expertise on the middle east is that he visited there once and it was BEAUTIFUL and that he got along quite well with all the people who lived there.
Trump is definitely a wild card here but I can appreciate his sentiment. We probably need to grow a set of balls that lines up with the size of our bank roll and figure out a way to be in charge of the playground again. And Trump has really been effective at highlighting some horrible trade deals that have been negotiated by career politicians so perhaps we could add that one to our "notes for next year".
VERDICT: HER
2. The Economy
I feel like I sort of addressed this in my last blog? Maybe not? Trump is the winner here. Hands. Down. Please don't do the whole "he filed for bankruptcy" business cuz it's weak. Super weak. Just for background, Trump avoided taxes LEGALLY and, ironically, it was because of legislation put in place by your buddy BARACK OBAMA to stimulate the economy. I'm sure this is somehow Bush's fault, even though the OTHER Clinton, in between cigar sessions, is the one who allowed no income verification loans through Fannie and Freddie which played a HUGE role in the fall of the economy. And don't try to tell me that Clinton was an economic genius because we were so prosperous during his reign. A main driver in the economy was the fact that the INTERNET WAS INVENTED!!! And, no, Al Gore can NOT take credit for it. Oh, and the "trumps clothing line is made in Chiiiinnnnaa". Yeah, and that's less than ONE TENTH OF A PERCENT of his entire empire. The huge portion of his empire is in BUILDINGS in the good ol' US of A.
I know people think we should tax the shit out of corporations but the problem with those damn for profit enterprises is that their only purpose is to make money. So, if we raise taxes on business (whether they're small or huge), they have to make cuts elsewhere. This is a concept that the American people can't always grasp because they treat credit cards with the same disregard that we treat the National Debt. The art of budgeting and living within our means has fallen by the wayside for the American people and without a doubt, it's long gone for the government. However, it's alive and well in the business world so increased taxes means they look for cheaper ways to get things done. This might mean off shoring call centers, factories and distribution centers. These are MIDDLE CLASS jobs that are lost and the wealth gap in this country gets worse.
VERDICT: The Donald
3. Immigration and Guns
I lump these together because, in my opinion, they need to be treated in a similar manner. We can't have full access and we can't have no access.
Guns: You're a complete lunatic if you don't agree that we need common sense gun control. But you're equally delusional if you think that LAWS will keep people from obtaining guns. The crappy thing about criminals is that we just can't seem to get them to follow the laws. Weird.
BUT, the whole "we need guns to protect ourselves" is also moronic (is that a word?). Unless you are trained by the military or in law enforcement, you have almost a ZERO PERCENT chance of effectively using a gun to defend yourself. However, there is an argument for allowing law abiding citizens to bear arms. First and foremost, it's in the Constitution (well, literally in the bill of rights but, whateves). When you talk about something that important, it seems like trying to regulate it is probably a little easier to tackle than taking it out altogether. My family cares about the second amendment because they're hunters. I get that, and I respect that. So let the argument be that people need guns for recreational purposes because deer are a real problem. If you don't think they are, you've obviously never totaled your car by accidentally hitting one.
Immigration: I mean, the "big beautiful door" would likely become the 8th wonder of the world so maybe we should do it?! We need something more than nothing. And we can be compassionate to people around the world who need our help and our protection without being naive.
Verdict: We are totally screwed.
4. Social Issues
I'm socially liberal. For example: Gay Marriage. I personally discourage ANYONE from getting married cuz it totally sucks, but, if someone wants to do it and they're having an open bar, I'm in. I don't care about any of the other details.
I'm pro life because I have babies and heart beat means life to me. But I don't think that means everyone else has to be pro life. And the reality is, the time and money that would be spent trying to enforce anti-abortion laws, even with some of the "exceptions" republicans claims to support, is just not feasible. Not to mention the absolute anguish it would cause the mother.
I think a handful of social issues are driven by poverty, which could be partially resolved by creating more jobs, incentivizing companies to keep jobs/production/distribution in the US instead of sending it overseas.
Sexism. I feel like any inequity I received at a job was because I was generally inappropriate and annoying. Not because I'm a chick. However, sexism exists and that's probably not okay.
My household is most impacted by fiscal policy so that is what drives my vote. And, no, I'm not one of those fiscal conservatives who thinks we can save billions by focusing on waste, fraud, and abuse. It's a small fraction of one of the many versions of that damn graph that everyone alters and then sends around with the official government seal on it. But there is some low hanging fruit that we should really just deal with. Like, for example, GOVERNMENT PENSIONS. I mean, come on people, this is such an archaic concept that companies don't even offer them anymore. And, in general, I don't think throwing more people at a problem (i.e growing the government) ever helps solve it.
VERDICT: So f'ing screwed.
If you have a candidate you feel strongly about, I envy you. I know I'm not the only one who feels like I am faced with two bad choices for our President. I am a (sort of) informed voter just begging for one of these candidates to prove they are worthy of my vote. And neither of them have done that. I'll probably end up voting for the lesser of the two evils (whatever that means) but I'm not going to like it.
In the meantime, I'm going to send the RNC a quick email and let them know that we have another election in four years and if they haven't started contemplating their candidate pool, they're already late.
And stay tuned for Tipsy Mommy's election coverage in Ohio which I'll be doing via FB Live! I hope I don't get shot!!
TIPSY MOMMY FOR POTUS!!
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