What We Have to Do to Prevent Another Trump

It really bothers me that Donald Trump could use a platform of fear and hate to become President of the United States of America. We can't let it happen again. However, I get how it happened.


I truly believe that most of the people who voted for him are not bigots. I truly believe they feel trapped in the current version of America. The other option spoke about continuing the good work that President Obama has started. That will not inspire someone to vote for you who wants change. The only road to improvement goes through change. We must remember this.


America, this is what you have to do.


1. Vote. For a nation that talks a lot about democracy, you really don't practice it. You only get about half of your eligible voters to vote. This changes your strategy to win. If three quarters of your population voted every time because it is important and did not need to be motivated to get out and vote, you would see different platforms and different results. If you know most people are going to vote, now you need a platform that appeals to at least half of your eligible voters.


2. Speak to the majority as well as the minority. Both sides of the aisle stopped listening to and asking about white working class voters. I truly believe most don't mind if other people do well but, if it feels like everyone but you is getting some help, eventually you are going to do something drastic to shake things up.


3. Simplify the message. There is a lot of clutter out there. People are working hard to grab your attention. People don't want to feel like they don't understand. People want to receive communication is a manner that they understand. As much as Trump's message was short on substance, it was simple and it spoke to a lot of people.


America, you have made a real mess. It didn't start when Donald Trump announced he was running for President. It didn't start this century. This has been building for a long time and finally it came to a head. Too many people who thought they were smart stopped listening to a lot of people who have just as much say in the general election as they do. They didn't break down the message into easy to understand and digestible bites. They dismissed millions of people as insignificant. Look what happened. A guy who knows how to reach people came along with a very simple message and won it all. He used the establishments perceived strengths against them. He spoke directly to the people. He used consumer data to understand what mattered to them. He went to them. He didn't ask them to come to him. He sold ball caps to people who wear ball caps and he wore one as well. He knew what he was doing and the other side didn't even notice. It was in plain sight. He didn't hide it.


So, what we have to do is, listen. We have to listen to the minorities. We have to listen to what may be perceived as the ideal. I know a lot of people think life is easy if you are a white man in America. It may be true but it really doesn't matter if you feel like things are not going well. You only know your own experiences and we have to listen to everyone's experiences. We have to acknowledge their problems because they are real to the person facing them.


Someone else is going to try and do what Trump did, and their agenda may be much more evil than his. We need to prevent this from resulting in the next guy's success.

What Happened?

Almost a year ago I was having dinner with my colleagues and bosses. At the time, I was working for an American company and the bosses were American. At one point the conversation shifted to the recently completed election in Canada and the upcoming election in the United States of America.


The conversation shifted to Donald Trump as President. The company's group vice-president turned to me and told me not to worry, there is no way that Trump would ever be President.


We are six sleeps from the US Presidential Election and it is not out of the sphere of the possible that Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States.


How is this possible?


Despite the fact that he has made a fortune, he is not fit for President. He has said horrible things. He acts without thinking. He is rude. He lies. The list goes on. I don't need to expound on the details here, they are readily available everywhere. Yet, with everything that he has done, he may still win. It is not a slam dunk.


Last Friday on his weekly show, Bill Mahr noted that Democrats really need to ask, "Why doesn't America like us?"


With any respectable candidate seen as an outsider, the Trump strategy would have been an runaway winner. Only his deplorable character is holding him back. (This is not a bad thing, I really think he should not run that country.)


Donald Trump was able to tap into a lot of people who feel lost in America. His slogan of Make America Great Again is really just the icing on the cake. His real strategy is find and mobilize disenfranchised Americans by using Hilary's calling card against her. By agreeing with the angry American that the system is broken and letting the Democrats remind the angry voter that Hilary has been doing this for 30 years, it sets her up to be responsible for the system being broken. When you throw in a few decisions that question her judgement, no wonder she can't pull ahead in what should be a one horse race. In 2016, nobody as deplorable as Donald Trump should be this close to potential victory but it's happening. One of the reasons why is his opponent's husband has significant character flaws as well. The fact that she remained with him after it became very public, removes the moral high-ground that she should be standing on. She won't speak to it. It's like she's trying to hide something, so can she really comment on his tax returns?


Hillary Clinton has been preparing for this moment for over 30 years and if she loses, that will be her undoing.


Nobody is going to win this time around, despite their best efforts, one of them is not going to lose. American's are big on the peaceful transition of power, and in four years they can transfer power from one of these two to someone who can lead that nation.

Sitting Around

I have changed jobs and I now sit most of the day. For a couple of years I was on my feet most of my work day and it really helps with personal fitness. Now I sit. I sit at my desk. I sit when I go on appointments. I sit in my car.


I sit too much and I can feel my waistline reacting.


I really don't like being inactive. However, when I'm tired, it's hard to convince myself to go to the gym. When I don't go to the gym, I feel soft an weak. It has an impact on the rest of my life.


I know I need to put a higher priority on living healthy. I need to put exercise ahead of almost everything else. I need to keep myself in better shape.


When I'm rolling and not skipping workouts I believe I can take on anything. No challenge is too much. It's all possible. Skipping workouts eats into that. I don't like it and won't stand for it.


Or will I accept it?


As much as I want to say it won't happen, I skip workouts. Not too many but I often don't have the drive to do everything that I should. I see improvements and I let them slip away. It's a vicious circle.


So, I'm working to change it up. I'm working to make sure I hit the gym and get the sweat flowing. I'm working to hold onto my youth.


I'm not perfect but I can be more consistent. The results I see here will help me be successful elsewhere. Success breeds success and who doesn't want more success.


There will be days I slip, those are the reminders that I can and will do better. I like to be strong an the easiest way to be strong is to work at it.


I will never be an underwear model but I can work hard and be a better version of me.

It's Her Judgement

In Canada we are celebrating Thanksgiving this week-end. I am most thankful that I do not have to make a choice in the US Presidential Election.

Trump is not fit for the job, he keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole. Hillary Clinton should be running away with it but she isn't. I don't like her either but, I've never really been able to put my finger on why. She has the right education and experience. President Obama has even declared that she's the most qualified candidate ever. That's high praise from the guy currently doing the job. The thing is, a lot of people don't like her.

This week I figured it out, at least for me.

Keep in mind, I have no dog in the fight. I'm Canadian.

With all her experience and education, Hillary Rodham Clinton lacks judgement. She lacks the fortitude and foresight to see how her actions can be seen. She does not make the right decision. Don't worry, I have examples.

There is that email scandal that just won't go away. At the time she was Secretary of State, there was a policy that all official email must use the government system. This is common for most organizations. It's hard to believe that she didn't know the policy. She chose to operate outside the policy and her defence has primarily consisted of stating that others were also doing it. She says it wasn't that uncommon at the time to use your own email server. This is not the judgement of a leader. A leader would use the proper system, even if it was inconvenient. A leader would also help to make the system better for everyone. She didn't take this approach. 

I recently read a profile about Secretary Clinton and it mentioned how that even before she married Bill, she knew he liked attention from women. I can't speak to why each couple decides to marry or why they choose to stay together but she married a philanderer and stayed with him after multiple instances of infidelity. She married a man that many people knew wouldn't be faithful. This begs the question as to why? I believe it's a lust for power. She is giving up a lot to try to be president. She just won't admit it publicly. I think if she said she was with Bill for the power, people would accept it. Her talking about families just comes off as fake, at least to me. She doesn't come from a place where she can talk about the sanctity of the family unit, at least to me.

Hillary Clinton lacks judgement. These are two examples but once you know what you are looking at, you can find more.

When it comes to the options out there, She is the best of a bad group. Nobody should vote for Trump. I hope she wins, not because I want her to be President but because I really don't want her opponent to hold the keys to that kingdom, even if they hate the idea of a King.

Too Bad We Can't Be Libertarian

For a long time when people ask me how I want the world to be run, I tell them that I want the government to stay out of my affairs, both business and personally. Liberals want to regulate how you do business but will give you a lot of personal freedom. Conservatives will tell you how you should behave but will let you conduct your business affairs with few checks and balances. A Libertarian wants to stay out of both.


I have come to realize that although I could function quite well in that system, most people could not, and we would end up with more problems that we would fix.


I like to see the best in people but I'm starting to think that most people need some help from the government. In the western world, our political spectrum is really about how we help and what we let go.


If I have learned anything from the current US Presidential Election is that a lot of people would not survive without some help.


No thoughtful person with a basic education should even consider voting for Donald Trump.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of Hillary Clinton. No matter how much the media paints her to be the best in the land to lead the land, I don't see it. I don't question her experience. I don't question her drive. Even though she had the right answers during the first debate, she really didn't show she could control the room and drive the conversation. The best leaders are the ones who don't need the title to be seen as a leader and I don't get that feeling from her.


However, despite my reservations, she is light-years ahead of Donald J Trump, except in the polls. The fact that she is not going to beat him with a ratio of 9:1 makes me believe that Libertarianism won't work.


Too many people are not responsible enough to do the research and make sound decisions so we can leave everyone up to their own devices. To many people would cause too much harm to themselves or others that society would crumble. Too many people cannot be trusted to do what's just and right to get rid if most of the rules.


I'm not talking about criminal acts. We have to keep adding consumer protection laws because too many people blindly make decisions without knowing the consequences of these decisions. People are expecting to be told every detail instead of doing some research for themselves. When something goes wrong, people are distraught instead of adapting and overcoming. I honestly think it's easier to be exceptional today than it was 20 years ago. This is not an environment where a Libertarian ethos can be effective.


So, as much as I want as little governmental regulation over any of my affairs, I understand that for the greater good, they need to step in and build a structure around protecting the weakest, because the weakest makes up a much greater percentage of the population than anyone wants to admit. The level of support received by Donald Trump more than proves this.

The Petty Fight for the Biggest Office

Last night I couldn't resist and I watched the first debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.


I'll put this out there right now, Trump is nuts. Most of what he said was garbage. He lied. He went off topic. He really didn't respect the moderator. He didn't respect the time limits. He was rude at times. He didn't like it when his brand was attacked. All that being said, he controlled the room all night, for all the reasons I just stated.


Clinton had her moments. She counterpunched. She let Donald set her up and she hit him, sometimes scoring. However, she never carried the narrative. She never controlled the room. If you wanted to, you could defeat her by saying nothing and waiting for her to attack. She never had a tendency to attack and often her voice sounded unsure.


To me, even though she said the right words most of the night, it lacked confidence and conviction. Saying the right thing is important but making it believable and confident is also important, especially if you want to lead.


Now, being Canadian, I don't get to pick in this election, even though there will be spillover effects felt north of the border. Unfortunately, I can't see either of them being President of the United States of America.


I know, Hillary Clinton should be a shoo-in, but she's not. She's in a dog-fight with a buffoon. Trump clearly lost last night but it's because of his pompous arrogant slick talking ways with no regard for the truth and not because Clinton kicked his metaphorical feet out from under him, stepped on his chest, and drove a wooden stake through his bigoted heart. And, unless she does that in one of the two remaining debates, she risks losing. Donald Trump talks about winning and how he is a winner. It has been part of his narrative since he started down this path to the oval office. For me it feels like Clinton will only become President if she comes in second last in a two horse race. It feels like her only hope is Trump becomes even more horrible and people see how bad he is instead of how good she is.


I saw a meme a while back that said, "A software interface is like a joke, if you have to explain it, it isn't very good." If you are running for President and your strategy is to show how bad your opponent is, are you really very good?

Justin, You are Slipping

So I'm not sure which is worse, having a toddler rebuff your high-five or telling his parents, "Let's get this over with," as they line up for a photo. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, had both of these happen to him this weekend while meeting with Prince William and his lovely wife Kate in Victoria BC.


I can let the toddler thing slip. It's a cute, fun antic dote. It's a story they can all tell when they are old and sitting around. However, to say such a thing to the future King of Canada, after you specifically invited him and his family to visit your country is simply unacceptable.


Here's the thing, photo ops are all the Liberal government really does. It's the Prime Minister's specialty. That being said, he often likes to take his shirt off and that really would have been out of place in this instance.


I would understand that if the Prime Minister was busy passing legislation he may want to rush through this encounter however, as the Globe and Mail reported last week, since taking power, the Liberal Government has passed ten (10) bills into law. That is not a typo, ten.


This is hardly the work of an activist government.


People are starting to notice. Mr Trudeau was a media darling when he was elected and now the press is starting to ask question. They don't really know why a majority government isn't really doing anything. They aren't seeing the words and actions lining up. Why has the United States of America and China ratified the climate change accord that was agreed to in Paris last year when our Prime Minister walked in, said Canada is back and declared we would be taking a leadership position on climate change? Maybe he should have been paying attention to what was going on instead of taking selfies.


Canadians elected a party without a recent track record. It's hard to judge what someone will do when they really haven't done much. It looks like a lot of Canadians were duped.


With the Conservative Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party taking their time choosing a new leader, you would think it would be clear sailing for the Liberals to reset Canada to what they want. However, they are taking pictures and well, I'm not sure what else.


Mr Trudeau, it's only a matter of time before a majority of Canadians see how little you are doing for them. Of course this is often the result of being elected because of what you are not instead of what you are.