Donny and Bobby, Sittin’ in a Tree . . .

Really? Another day in bizarro land. My, oh my.

I have to admit I am not a Trump fan. I just don’t like the guy. He is way too pompous for me to feel comfortable listening to him or watching him. Most people I’ve talked to who don’t like him, don’t like him for the same surface reasons. And yes, his being annoying as a person is indeed a “surface reason.”

But what about things that warrant assessment in determining if he would be a good president? (Well, for one thing, he was president for four years and you don’t have to go too far from that fact to decide his suitability for the job). The race for POTUS should not be a popularity contest, but unfortunately, most people seem to make it out to be just that.

If you look carefully at Trump’s platform, there is a lot there to be in tune with, considering you are somewhat conservative and adhere to a certain paradigm and worldview. I have to say that that “worldview” is not at all unreasonable, nor evil, nor set out to “destroy democracy” as the left loves to say.

Now, the propaganda out there on Trump, and his intentions, is mind blowing. Please don’t get caught up in that circus. As we all know, it is not a good thing.

Here are a few official points regarding Trump’s platform:

1. Economy & Jobs

• Tax Cuts: Continue the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, proposing further reductions in corporate and individual taxes.

• Regulation Rollback: Further roll back regulations, particularly in the energy sector, to boost job creation.

• America First Trade Policies: Implement protectionist trade policies to protect American jobs, including tariffs on Chinese goods.

• Reindustrialization: Encourage domestic manufacturing through incentives and penalties for outsourcing.

2. Immigration

• Border Wall Expansion: Continue building the southern border wall.

• Immigration Restriction: Implement stricter immigration policies, including limiting asylum claims and reducing legal immigration.

• Deportation: Increase deportation efforts for undocumented immigrants with criminal records.

3. National Security & Foreign Policy

• Strengthening the Military: Increase defense spending to enhance military capabilities.

• America First Foreign Policy: Reduce U.S. involvement in global conflicts, emphasizing the protection of U.S. interests.

• Counterterrorism: Intensify efforts to combat terrorism domestically and abroad.

4. Healthcare

• Repeal & Replace Obamacare: Repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a market-based healthcare system.

• Drug Price Reduction: Promote policies to lower prescription drug prices by increasing competition.

5. Law & Order

• Support Law Enforcement: Increase funding for police departments and oppose efforts to defund or reduce police budgets.

• Criminal Justice Reform: Advocate for stricter penalties for violent crimes and oppose progressive criminal justice reforms.

6. Social Issues

• Religious Freedom: Protect religious liberties, including opposition to policies perceived as limiting religious expression.

• Pro-Life Policies: Advocate for pro-life legislation and appoint conservative judges who align with this stance.

If I didn’t “know” Trump as an obnoxious self-centered buffoon (in appearance), these policy points would not altogether rub me wrong (some might, but not all of it).

How do they differ from RFK Jr.’s points? Take a look:

1. Environment & Climate

• Environmental Protection: Strengthen regulations to protect the environment, with a focus on combating climate change.

• Clean Energy Transition: Invest heavily in renewable energy sources and phase out reliance on fossil fuels.

• Pollution Control: Implement stricter controls on pollutants and penalize corporations that violate environmental laws.

2. Healthcare

• Universal Healthcare: Push for a universal healthcare system to ensure all Americans have access to affordable healthcare.

• Vaccine Safety & Choice: Advocate for vaccine safety and the right to choose without government mandates.

• Mental Health: Increase funding and support for mental health services across the country.

3. Civil Liberties

• Privacy Protection: Advocate for stronger privacy rights and restrictions on government surveillance.

• Free Speech: Defend free speech rights, including opposition to censorship on social media platforms.

4. Economic Reform

• Economic Equality: Promote policies aimed at reducing income inequality, such as progressive taxation and wealth redistribution.

• Workers' Rights: Strengthen labor laws and increase the minimum wage to support working-class Americans.

• Corporate Accountability: Hold large corporations accountable for economic and social impacts, including tax avoidance and environmental harm.

5. Foreign Policy

• Non-Interventionist Stance: Advocate for a more restrained foreign policy, reducing U.S. military involvement abroad.

• Diplomacy First: Focus on diplomatic solutions and multilateral cooperation to address global issues.

• End Perpetual Wars: Work to bring an end to ongoing military engagements and avoid new conflicts.

6. Education

• Public School Investment: Increase funding for public education and support for teachers.

• Education Reform: Promote educational reforms that focus on critical thinking and reduce standardized testing.

Yeah, some differences, but nothing earth-shattering. Note that both platforms mention war, and both say a major point in the candidacy platform is to end war.

Now look at Kamala’s platform:

1. Economy & Jobs

• Middle-Class Tax Relief: Propose tax cuts for the middle class and small businesses.

• Job Creation: Invest in infrastructure, clean energy, and technology to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.

• Economic Justice: Implement policies aimed at closing the racial and gender wealth gaps, including support for minority-owned businesses.

2. Healthcare

• Strengthen Obamacare: Expand the Affordable Care Act to cover more Americans and lower healthcare costs.

• Prescription Drug Price Reduction: Push for policies to reduce prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies.

• Maternal Health: Focus on improving maternal healthcare, especially for women of color.

3. Criminal Justice Reform

• Police Reform: Implement nationwide police reform, including banning chokeholds and requiring body cameras.

• End Mass Incarceration: Advocate for sentencing reform, particularly for non-violent drug offenses, and support reentry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals.

• Bail Reform: Promote the end of cash bail, which disproportionately affects low-income individuals.

4. Climate & Environment

• Green New Deal Support: Support the Green New Deal framework to combat climate change.

• Carbon Emissions Reduction: Set aggressive targets for reducing carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy.

• Environmental Justice: Address environmental injustices that disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities.

5. Education

• Universal Pre-K: Support the implementation of universal pre-kindergarten education.

• Student Debt Relief: Advocate for significant student loan forgiveness and reforms to make college more affordable.

• Teacher Support: Increase pay and support for teachers, particularly in underfunded schools.

6. Social Issues

• Women's Rights: Advocate for gender equality, including support for reproductive rights and equal pay initiatives.

• LGBTQ+ Rights: Promote policies that protect and expand the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, including anti-discrimination laws.

• Voting Rights: Push for stronger voting rights protections, including the restoration of the Voting Rights Act.

Nothing unexpected there.

But let me get back to the point of this article. Bobby and Donny in their newly formed love affair. How could Bobby choose Donny to get into the tree with? Well, when you consider the horror that the DNC has been regarding Bobby’s campaign, you can certainly see why he didn’t choose to endorse Kamala.

But there is more to it than that really. I think the most obvious reason for his MAGA alliance is that Trump et al offered him some sort of position so he could continue his work. Kamala totally dissed his efforts to create any sort of alliance with her. Her mistake I would think.

The second reason (if not really the first) is the one that has the most import to me—Donny’s view on the Ukraine/Russia war. This conflict, according to RFK, Jr., has already killed over 700,000 people, many civilians. And essentially for no reason at all. Yes, Putin is a bully, but according to RFK (and me) Putin has no intention of marching across Europe and taking every square mile he can scorch. He’s got enough troubles with his country’s immense portion of the globe, not to bring all of Europe onto his already burdened back. The issue for Putin is NATO and having nuclear warheads breathing down his border ala Cuba (and the US) in 1962.

Notice too that Kamala says nothing about the war, either one of them.

Any presidential candidate that says they will try to stop this carnage has my vote. Any candidate that says nothing about it loses it. What could make more sense than that?