That’s A Bunch

       It’s 16 months until the next presidential election, and the list of those running seems to grow by the week. So far, there are 14 Republican candidates and five Democrats. That’s a bunch of people with big, big egos.

But in reality, it gets worse. There are 217 other declared candidates of the two parties, along with one third-party candidate – a Libertarian and a couple of write-in candidates. I’m sure there will be more, as we’re still early in the election process.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for elections. Considering the alternatives, an election system is far and away the best process for selecting political leaders. It has just become a never-ending process or we could even call it a business these days.

Some candidates have been running for eight years. Take Hillary Clinton for instance. She has always been in a high profile position and has staked out the election for eight or nine years. Now she is the top candidate running for the Democrats and has been out there speaking a lot, except to the press. And she’s definitely not answering questions from the press. One wonders how long she can keep it up. If I ran a network or cable news program or company, I would just ignore her. Politicians hate to be ignored. They want their face always out there. Like her or dislike her, she is the front-runner for the Democrats. She is smart, has competent people with experience around her and this isn’t her first rodeo. She may win the nation, but she will not win Wyoming, I would guess. So far anything the Republicans in Congress throw at her just seems to bounce off.

The Republicans, all 14 strong, are out there taking pot shots at each other and spreading the word on each other’s weak points. It’s no love fest there. Donald Trump jumped in and is waging war on the Mexican people. In some instances he has spoken the truth, and at times I have to appreciate him for his business experience, but most of the time he comes across just as a side show. His ego always gets in the way, and his foot tends to end up in his month. However, he is a winner, in general. In his business, he has learned how to use the bankruptcy laws to make money by acquiring properties, and if he does lose the election, he has a lot to fall back on.

There are a number of good conservatives running, but usually, as a whole, America doesn’t elect staunch conservatives. Americans typically want someone with a more moderate view for President. For Vice President, you just have to smile a lot, enjoy funerals and be an asset to the President. It helps if you invented the internet but that’s not mandatory.

We are still the greatest nation and have the best form of government, but it seems like the voters nationally have changed. Many have enjoyed not working but still making a living off the government. That mindset has become the culture across America. Work ethic is something that the grandparents had, and it is going to be hard to change.

As I’ve said before, everyone wants to eat at the government table, but no one wants to do the dishes.