Trump VS Hillary: Round 1

After the first debate between Hillary and Trump, the debate analysis from the media is unsurprising. Trumpsters say he did well, and “held back,” that next debate he’ll really dig into her. Clinton supporters (AKA Trump haters, as not many actually support the secretary) claim she was poised, healthy, and actually alive with a pulse. They even claim she wasn’t a robot. I concur, hesitantly. The last third of the media, who either dislike both candidates or are decently objective, believe that Trump won the first 30 to 45 minutes of the debate, while Clinton won the remainder. Many ideas have been analyzed, including the idea that Trump is used to being on the debate stage with 17 people, and the 1-on-1 style debates fare differently. Political pundits further discussed the fact that Hillary was well prepared, to the point of sounding robotic, while Trump was completely unprepared, making him look less stable.

But they all missed one major point. A point so HUUUUGGEE that it completely neutralizes all other analysis. A point that, once discovered, explains why many Americans know in their minds that Trump lost, but in their hearts they felt it a victory for The Orange One. It’s the difference between facts and feelings, between objective fact and subjective emotion. This overlooked and under-analyzed fact is this:

Trump is not a politician.

Sounds obvious. But take a closer look.

Trump not being a politician means that he’s playing on Hillary’s home turf. As an example, in high school, a group of friends and I were hanging out. Half of us were football players, half baseball players. The baseball players were talking trash, saying they could “pancake” us if we went head to head. So, the baseball players got their biggest, baddest dude (“Troy”), and the football players got their hero (“Joe”). Now, if they tied, the baseball players would never stop bragging, because football is Joe’s powerhouse. He’s expected to win. So nothing other than an utter, bone-crunching pancake by Joe would suffice. Luckily, when the two put on pads and helmets and lined up a few yards apart, Joe knocked Troy a few yards back an onto his rear, while Troy had difficulty getting to his feet. Utter destruction. Nothing short of that would do.

The same is true with Trump and Hillary. Hillary, politics being her wheelhouse, must completely and utterly dismantle Trump. She must knock him on his rear, and laugh at him while he staggers to his feet.  But she didn’t.

Let us imagine Trump as former NFL star Marshawn Lynch. Both are polarizing figures, everyone has an opinion on these men, they both have an aura and mystique about them, but we must respect their mastery of their craft. Whether it’s Lynch with the ball, or Trump with real estate or on reality TV, their skill set is obvious, whether you love them or hate them. Let us imagine Hillary as Kobe. Both legends in their respective arenas, as Hillary is a masterful politician. This does not mean she has been beneficial for the American public; rather that she has mastered money, power, and influence and used it to remain relevant. Plus, both have a few scandals in their past. If Kobe and Marshawn Lynch were to play a 1-on-1 game of basketball, and we were forced to bet money on who would win, most would gamble on Kobe. Both are athletes, both are legends in their respective sports, but when Lynch walks into Kobe’s house to play Kobe’s game, we expect Kobe to blow Lynch out of the water. 10-2, 10-3 would be acceptable scores. If Lynch loses 10-8, although he lost, he would not only have gained respect, but some would walk away thinking that he had won a moral victory, or an emotional victory. Yes, he didn’t “win,” but he “won,” similar to how Bernie Sanders didn’t “win” the democratic primary, but “won” in the sense that he gained influence, popularity, and stoked passions among the American left.

Trump lost 10-8 to Hillary. Yes, this is a loss. But he played Hillary’s game, a game in which she’s been playing for 30 years, on her home court, in front of a home crowd, with a “hometown referee” (Lester Holt, the moderator).

Trump lost that debate. I agree with many in the political realm who believe that Trump won the first 30 to 45 minutes of the debate, then Hillary got under his skin and shook him up, taking the ultimate victory during the last 45 to 60 minutes.  

But there’s more to the story. Lynch played Kobe in basketball and proved competitive. Must be a quick learner, an athlete. Trump must be a quick learner, too. He’s been a politician for less than 4% of the time that Hillary has been one. Imagine if Hillary entered into real estate or reality TV, without insider knowledge (see her cattle futures scandal), and attempted to compete with The Donald. He would crush her. Knock her back 3 yards on her rear; she would stumble trying to regain her footing as if she were walking to her van on a scorching hot 77 degree afternoon in New York. He would crush her 10-2, and she only scored because he gave her a free shot.

All in all, it was a loss for Trump. Was it a moral victory? A “feelings” victory? An “emotional” victory? An “image” victory?

Trump versus Hillary round two. October 9th. We’ll see if he really is a quick learner.

This election cycle is like a mental tug-of-war. Or, I could be going crazy here. Definitely a possibility.

Either way, I’m having fun. Hope you are, too.

PS: I bet Marshawn Lynch wouldn’t exactly be pleased with the idea of being compared to Trump. But I love Beastmode, fellow Golden Bear!!

www.GenerationWho.com

Hate Both Candidates? Here's What To Do.

Hate Both Candidates? Here’s What To Do.

If you are anything like me, then this election is giving you cognitive dissonance overdose. On one side, we have an evil, corrupt liar who has defended a child rapist and traded favors for foreign donations, many of those donations coming from countries where killing homosexuals is seen as morally warranted. On the other side we have a man whose ego and narcissism has no limits, who flip-flops on nearly every single issue, and who has openly bragged about sleeping with married women. Most Americans dislike both candidates, and of those who rabidly support one candidate, view the other as “Hitler.” These observations are based on the fact that both candidates have record-setting unfavorable ratings, and the obvious sense that this election cycle has manifested vast quantities of hatred not only for the opposing candidate, but for supporters of the opposing candidate. During Romney vs. Obama 2012, if one supported Romney, it was rare for that individual to be slandered. Currently, if someone comes out and supports Trump, people are called all the typical empty descriptors such as “racist,” “misogynist,” “Islamophobic,” and the like.

Each side has their fanatics. Hollywood celebs such as Katy Perry have staked their post. Conservatives such as Sean Hannity have done the same. We even have people such as Mark Levin who basically says he’ll vote for Trump, but that doesn’t mean he likes the fact that he is doing so. Then, there is the #NeverTrump crowd, who are conservatives who claim they do not want to sacrifice their values in order to push for a weak candidate who does not align with them ideologically. Last, we have the far left (i.e. Jill Stein) and the far right (i.e. Gary Johnson). Of course, we have Sean Hannity saying that not voting is a vote for Hillary, while Obama says not voting is a vote for Trump.

So what is the average American to do? You know, people who are more pragmatic than ideological. People who could care less about the D or R by the candidates’ name, and care more about their plans for furthering this Nation’s greatness.

People who, like me, dislike both candidates.

Well, making arguments against each candidate is easy. But trying to figure out whom to pull the lever for is much more difficult.

Here’s my approach:

I honestly and viscerally hate Hillary Clinton. Her policies are destructive to our nation, to our freedoms, and she lies so much I don’t even listen to her most of the time. Not to mention that evil chuckle thing she does. Everything she touches catches on fire, burns to the ground, then a stray dog walks over the ashes and defecates on it. See: Benghazi, “Russian Reset,” Haiti earthquake relief, Iran deal, Clinton Foundation, etc. etc. etc. as infinitum.

Trump was not my first choice in the primaries. He was, however, one of my top two or three picks for VP. He is great at bringing eyeballs to the Republican side, and his attitude is something that the party has needed for years. He isn’t afraid to get in there and throw a couple haymakers, knowing full well he will be hit a few times. So when he won the primaries, I wasn’t thrilled, but I also wasn’t upset. I figured Trump could win, and with people like Cruz, Gowdy and the like in his ear, perhaps he would be a good representative of traditional American values. The longer this campaign has dragged on, the more disenchanted I become with Trump (although I was never on the “Trump Train”).

So here’s the brass tacks. Trump is a guy who goes big (HHUUUUUUGGEE) or goes home. He either makes a few million, or claims bankruptcy. He either bangs (a few) models or he’s having a petty argument with Rosie O’Donnell. Therefore, I believe his presidency will be the same. He will either be the best president since Reagan, or he’ll be the worst since, well, Obama. I think the chances are roughly 80% chance he’ll do terrible, 10% chance he’ll do great, and a 10% chance he’ll do something in between (these are very rough estimations). That’s a gamble, a roll of the dice. Presidential Roulette. Trump runs into a major problem if he enters office, because no matter how well he actually does, the media will crush him. He can do no right in their eyes. The man could cure cancer and the media will claim it’s due to greed and racism. Whether it’s hard news like CNN, or the late night comedy shows like Colbert, he will constantly be hit with brick after brick. Are you willing to bet on those odds? The best case I have in voting for Trump is that it will “trigger” a lot of uber-leftists. This is a fun thing to do. It would make many of the know-nothings of the far left go crazy, lose their minds, and I would pay good money to watch that happen. If, however, Trump does poorly, then that scar will take years to remove from the Republican party and the conservative movement. Is it worth the risk?

I cannot justify voting for Hillary with one exception. You see, with Hillary, we know exactly what we are getting into. Another four years of Obama, of the status quo, only with an adrenaline boost. It will be more of the same, but with more intensity, with a shot of caffeine. Furthermore, Hillary ruins everything she touches, including her husband and her aid Huma Abedin (married to Anthony Weiner). So we can assume another four years of disastrous policies both at home and abroad. This is good and bad news. The good news is we know what’s coming. If you’re fighting Mike Tyson, that’s going to be a rough night, but at least you can prepare for it. If you don’t know who you are fighting, and George Foreman shows up, good luck. The bad news is that Hillary will further take away our freedoms and damage our nation. This is the part we can use to our advantage.

A drug addict cannot get clean until said addict decides to help themselves. Nobody can do it for them. That drug addict must hit a “rock bottom” before they make the decision to get help. Just like the addict, the Leftists in this country (not all democrats, just Lefitsts) must hit a “rock bottom” before they decide to help themselves, open their eyes, and begin to believe facts, history, and common sense. Perhaps, by electing Hillary, these next four years will be so disastrous that they will wake up one day and think “man, this is not going well. Maybe I should look into other options.” This opens the door for conservatives to truly make a case for their values, and act as an interventionist or a rehab counselor. Here are our values, here’s why we know they work, and here’s our plan to fix this mess. Next, in four long years, we can have a true conservative ride into Washington to fix this country. Someone like Ted Cruz, whose opponents’ biggest concern is that his face is ugly, or Trey Gowdy, my personal favorite.

Maybe, just maybe by voting for Hillary (heartburn…), we can have a strong conservative uprising without having the brand of conservatism tarnished by a false conservative named Trump.

This is a long-term view, this is postponing gratification. This is the kid who doesn’t eat the first marshmallow with the promise of having two marshmallows later on.

Or, you could vote for Trump, and roll the dice.

Your call, America.

                                                                            www.GenerationWho.com