2016: I think that there are more surprises ahead for Democrats

(My new American Thinker post)

Democrats are having a little civil war about the direction of the party.  On one hand, you have Senator Sanders pushing the party to the left.     On the other hand, you have a lot of Democrats between New York City and San Francisco wondering about the future of the party.     Then there is Mr. O'Malley, who is demanding debates!  He may have finally found his voice, as my friend Barry Casselman writes.

The Democrats have been here before.

The Democrats' party war did not start with Sanders or O'Malley.  It was clearly evident in 2000, when 2.8 million voted for Mr. Nader, a protest vote against the so-called centrist Clinton policies. 

One of those liberals who opposed Gore was a fellow named Michael Moore, who blasted the Clinton-Gore economy.

The internal party war was put off by the the Florida recount.  Add the Iraq War, and the left had a lot to hate Bush about.  The party would have exploded if VP Gore had pulled off the 2000 election, especially if he had invaded Iraq, as I think that he would have after 9/11.

In 2016, they won't have Bush to complain about, although some will.  They have the Obama record, a wimpy economy, and a foreign policy that no one loves, unless you are an Obama cultist first class!

Mr. Sanders keeps going around talking about the lousy economy and landscape for the middle class.  Can someone whisper in Mr. Sanders's ear that he's talking about the Obama years?  Ditto Governor O'Malley.

What will 2016 be like for Democrats?  Will it be more like 2008 or 1968?  My guess is that it will be more like '68 as we see the left go for the party's throat and potentially lead it to an electoral disaster.

Ironically, some of the people running for president, or contemplating a run, are old enough to be part of that generation of 1968.  

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.   

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Tags: Iran nuclear deal, Trump 2016, Clinton 2016, Biden 2016, Bush 2016, Jorge Ramos vs Donald Trump To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda

Guest:  Bill Katz, editor of Urgent Agenda.........a police officer is killed in the Houston area.........is the Obama administraation doing enough to support the police?    we will look at the latest vote numbers in the US Congress about the Iran nuclear deal......it's very close......a majority of the US Congress is likely to reject it........the Trump-Ramos encounter and the emergence of "activists" in journalism.......Trump continues to expand his lead..........Hillary Clinton is losing her lead..........the talk of VP Biden is likely to grow as the Congress comes back to town in September........more Planned Parenthood videos..........and other political stories from the front pages..........

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Tags: Iran nuclear deal, Trump 2016, Trump vs Ramos, Clinton 2016, VP Biden 2016  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

The problem is Jeb, not Bush

Click to read my new American Thinker post:

Blog: The problem is Jeb, not Bush

We hear that Jeb Bush's campaign is in trouble.  Donors are not donating, according to Politico:

Three top Jeb Bush fundraisers abruptly parted ways with his presidential campaign on Friday, amid internal personality conflicts and questions about the strength of his candidacy, POLITICO has learned.
There are different versions of what transpired. The Florida-based fundraising consultants — Kris Money, Trey McCarley, and Debbie Aleksander — have said that they voluntarily quit the campaign and were still working with Bush's super PAC, Right to Rise Super PAC. Others said the three, who worked under the same contract, were let go because they were no longer needed for the current phase of the campaign.   None of the three responded to requests for comment. Bush spokesman Tim Miller would only say that “Governor Bush has the widest and deepest fundraising operation of any candidate in the field. Ann Herberger — a longtime aide with more than two decades of experience in state and national politics — will continue to lead the operation in Florida with our team in Miami.

Okay, let's give Bush the benefit of the doubt and file this under "no chemistry between us."  

My guess is that this is more than a personality conflict.  Like the inevitable Clinton on the other side, the inevitable Bush is struggling, too.

Jeb Bush should thank God that his campaign has hit a wall and take the time to correct a few things.  Otherwise, he may find himself sitting at the convention watching someone else accept the nomination.

Jeb does not have a Bush, or Common Core, or immigration reform problem.  I understand that there are pockets in the party that oppose him on those issues, primarily the last two.    

He has a Jeb problem, such as Jeb is trying to please everybody and trying to win votes from people who aren't going to vote for the GOP anyway.  Jeb is trying to be nice to the media.  He should talk to John McCain about that.

At the same time, he can override those concerns by talking about his record as governor, a good performance according to every one of my GOP friends in Florida.  I hear criticisms of Bush's record in Florida, but it comes from people who are not going to vote for him anyway – i.e., liberals.

Let's go to the recent Ramos vs. Trump incident.  Jeb Bush came out and said that Ramos deserves more respect.  Wasn't Ramos the one who was ranting on the floor, demanding that Mr. Trump answer his question first?   

Frankly, it would have been better if Jeb had said nothing.  Zip your mouth, and let Ramos and Trump deal with it.

I understand that the media is asking Jeb Bush about the incident.  He could have said that Ramos should have waited his turn and that Trump should be more specific on immigration proposals.  Next question, please!  Why get dragged into this?

In my opinion, Jeb Bush is a very decent man, with a solid conservative record.  However, he needs to watch a little bit of Trump and borrow a few Trump-isms.   

Jeb does not look as though his heart is in the game.  My guess is that some donors are starting to feel the same way.

Thankfully, he's got time to turn this around, but he'd better get started pronto – a Spanish word that he understands!

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

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The state of race relations in the US

Monday Aug 24: The state of race relations in the US with Patricia Dickson, political analyst........... 

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Thanks to Judge Erickson for curtailing the EPA

(My new American Thinker post)

President Obama's latest case of executive overreach has hit a wall or Judge Erickson:

A federal judge in North Dakota acted late on Thursday to block the Obama administration’s controversial water pollution rule, hours before it was due to take effect.
Judge Ralph Erickson of the District Court for the District of North Dakota found that the 13 states suing to block the rule met the conditions necessary for a preliminary injunction, including that they would likely be harmed if courts didn't act and that they are likely to succeed when their underlying lawsuit against the rule is decided.
The decision is a major roadblock for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers, who were planning on Friday to begin enforcing the Waters of the United States rule, expanding federal jurisdiction over small waterways, like streams and wetlands.

The EPA has turned into President Obama's favorite agency.  The EPA is out of control, as many businessmen will tell you.

More important, the EPA is exhibit A of how President Obama goes around Congress or simply governs without Congress.

Like the immigration order halted by a Texas judge, President Obama is learning that it's tough to govern on a unilateral basis.  In other words, sooner or later you will run into a judge who understands the US constitution.

P. S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

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Tags: Obama and the EPA  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

The US economy plus China..with Dr Ileana Johnson, author & economist.

Guest:   Dr. Ileana Johnson, author and economist.............she has written extensively about the economy and her homeland of Romania..........We will look at the US economy and the situation in China.......it has has cause turbulence in the stock market................and a few other thoughts....click to listen:

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Tags: US-China economies  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

Ramos and Trump: Never send a partisan to do a reporter's job

(My new American Thinker post)

There are many "holes" in Mr Trump's positions on immigration, trade, taxes and so on.   For example, is Mr Trump calling for tax increases?   Is he willing to create a trade war?   How is that going to help the thousands of US companies who export?

In other words, Mr Trump has a lot of great lines but not too many specifics.   Frankly, a guy named Obama had a lot of good lines in 2008!

Unfortunately, Mr Ramos is too much of an activist to ask the questions that Mr Trump has not answered.  He also represents a network with a long history of support for Democrats.    

Ruben Navarette mentioned this point earlier this year: 

"Republicans seem to have finally figured out the Spanish translation for “Democrats’ Communications Department.”It’s pronounced: “Univision.”

Mr Ramos should have dropped the theatrics and asked a few serious questions:

1)  Mr Trump, will you go to Congress or issue an executive order to deport the people here?   what about the ones born here?    aren't they going to challenge your order and throw this in the courts?  

2) Will you go to Congress and call for something like "the brasero program" that worked so well in the 1950's?     Is your objective to have a legal path to working here?  

3) Will you separate the so called "dreamers" from the total population?   Are you willing to treat this group differently, as you apparently said when you met with some youngsters a few years ago?   

4) Would you like to see the US Supreme Court settle the issue of babies born to mothers without papers?  

Ramos went in on a mission to destroy Trump but exposed his obvious partisanship on these issues.   

It is incorrect for Mr Ramos to say that the US Constitution guarantees citizenship to any one born here.   The Constitution does not say that.   Ramos expressed an opinion not a fact.    

Mr Ramos should stop saying that Hispanics will not support Trump.   We don't know that.   Again, Ramos should stop giving us his opinions.   Hispanics are very disillusioned with Democrats, or the party that promises but does not deliver.    

Maybe Hispanics will look for someone who understands the economy rather than another politician who tells them what to hear!

Most of all, the 2016 election cycle has been a disaster for the experts.    Who predicted that Mr Trump would be leading the pack in late August?   or that VP Biden would be considering running?   or that Mrs Clinton's campaign would crash because of a private server?  or that Gov Bush would be trailing Dr Carson?

Jorge Ramos had a chance to ask serious questions.   Instead, he made it "The Jorge show".   

I guess that we will have to wait for a serious Hispanic reporter to sit down with Mr Trump.    My suggestion is Jose Diaz-Balart of Telemundo, a serious guy who wants answers rather than put on a show!

P. S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

Thursday August 27: US-Cuba talks plus the Trump-Ramos encounter...... http://t.co/U0rwNpjFAu

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) August 27, 2015

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Tags:  Ramos and Trump  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

US-Cuba talks plus the Trump-Ramos encounter with Jorge Ponce

Guest:  Jorge Ponce, Cuban American writer.......We will look at the latest in US-Cuba talks......the Trump-Ramos encounter ...............and a few other thoughts...

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Tags: Illegal immigration, Trump vs Ramos, US-Cuba talks  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

Ramos vs. Trump: Down goes Ramos! Down goes Ramos!

Ramos vs. Trump: Down goes Ramos! Down goes Ramos! ...........http://t.co/bacZjxGrAv

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) August 27, 2015

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Tags: Illegal immigration  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

A few thoughts about Jorge Ramos, Donald Trump & and the front pages

We will look at the US economy and the political scene.....the incident between Jorge Ramos of Univision and Donald Trump in Iowa.........oil and Venezuela........the turbulence in the stock market............and a few other thoughts....

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Tags: Illegal immigration, Jorge Ramos, Donald Trump, Venezuela  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

Immigrants: The other consequence of pulling out of Iraq

(My new American Thinker post)

As we debate "anchor babies" and the US-Mexico border, Europeans are dealing with their own immigration problem.    

They are coming from places familiar to us, as reported in The New York Times:    

Roiling everything in its path, a wave of tens of thousands of migrants and refugees — many fleeing wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan — has worked its way up the length of the Balkans in recent days.    Like a movable feast of despair, the mass of people has overwhelmed the authorities in one stop after another, from the tiny Greek island of Kos to impoverished Macedonia, which declared a state of emergency last week, and now the train and bus stations of Serbia, as they head north to their ultimate destinations in the richer nations of the European Union.    The next link on their route, almost inevitably, are towns like this one on the Hungarian frontier with Serbia. But Hungarian officials say they have a firm, if unwelcoming, answer to the slow-motion tide: a fence.

These are war refugees, or people who can no longer live peacefully in their homelands.     The numbers are staggering, or 46,000!   I doubt that a fence is going to keep them out.   They will go to another country.

Why are they looking for peace?   The answer is complicated but two things are certain:  

1) ISIS is overwhelming city after city; and,

2) We walked out in 2011 to satisfy a silly campaign promise about ending wars.      

What war did we end?   What peace did we create?

We left a vacuum and thousands of people can no longer live in their homes of centuries.   

Another tragic consequence of a failed foreign policy!

P. S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

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Tags: Iraq and the consequences of an early withdrawal  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

Hola Jorge Ramos: Wait your turn!

(My new Babalu post)

For the record, I am not a supporter of Donald Trump.  His idea of deporting 11 million illegal immigrants is not workable and would throw the whole issue into the courts for a long time.    

It would be better to deal with the illegal immigrants by enforcing workplace laws or eliminating the employment magnet that brings them here.    Furthermore, I’m willing to accept a path to legalization (not citizenship) for some, specially the kids who’ve grown up here.  Some of these youngsters are excelling in schools and want to serve in the US armed forces.

At the same time, I understand the anger about illegal immigration.   People are frustrated with the chaos, the costs and the violation of national sovereignty when people cross your borders and demand to be legalized.    

Speaking of costs, National Review posted this:

“71 percent of illegal-alien headed households with children received some sort of welfare in 2009, compared with 39 percent of native-headed houses with children. Illegal immigrants generally access welfare programs through their U.S.-born children, to whom government assistance is guaranteed. Additionally, U.S.-born children of illegal aliens are entitled to American public schools, health care, and more, even though illegal-alien households rarely pay taxes.”

Do you understand now why people are angry?  They should be angry!

The US has every right to have immigration laws, as Mexico does.  

What does Mexico do with illegal immigrants from Central America?  They deport them as most countries do!

Yesterday, Jorge Ramos did not show a lot of respect for journalism, his fellow journalists or the rest of us.    

As you can see from the video, Jorge Ramos started making a speech as the news conference was getting underway.  

Mr Trump asked Mr Ramos to wait his turn but he kept on talking.   So Mr Trump had Mr Ramos escorted out of the room.    

For the record, Mr Ramos came back and got to ask lots of questions.    

Mr Ramos could have avoided the whole thing by raising his hand and waiting his turn, like everybody else does.  

Finally, Mr Ramos and others need to come to terms with the anger over illegal immigration.    It is not rooted on racism or anti-immigrant attitudes.    Instead, it is about the rule of law and respect for those of us who waited our turn to come legally into the country.     

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.:

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Tags: Illegal immigration and Mr Trump  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

The US economy and a few other thoughts

Guest:  Frank Burke, businessman, author and contributor to American Thinker, joins me for a chat about the US economy.........what is going on with the stock market.......are these problems related to China............how much of a factor is the Fed's policy and low interest rates............also a word about Trump, anchor babies and the Democrats....

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Tags: US economy and China, GDP growth under Obama  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

Oil prices are hurting oil countries like Venezuela

(My new American Thinker post)

Remember that song by Blood Sweat & Tears:   

"What goes up must come down Spinnin' wheel, got to go round

Talkin' 'bout your troubles, it's a cryin' sin

Ride a painted pony, let the spinnin' wheel spin...."

 

It sure feels like a crazy spinning wheel in countries like Venezuela and Iraq as we read in The New York Times:    

"While the price has been declining for months, forecasts have always been hedged with the assumption that oil would eventually stabilize or at least not stay low for long. But new anxieties about frailties in China, the world’s most voracious consumer of energy, have raised fears that the price of oil, now 30 percent lower than it was just a few months ago, could remain depressed far longer than even the most pessimistic projections, and do even deeper damage to oil exporters.   “The pain is very hard for these countries,” said René G. Ortiz, former secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and former energy minister of Ecuador. “These countries dreamed that these low prices would be very temporary.”    Mr. Ortiz estimated that all major oil exporting countries had lost a total of $1 trillion in oil sales because of the price decline over the last year."

Of course, blaming oil prices is a quick excuse.    The real problem in countries like Venezuela is mismanagement financed by high oil prices.  

Down in Venezuela, "Chavizmo" was built on the assumption that oil prices would be $ 150 forever.    It's not so pretty now that the price is closer to $ 50, as we see in CNN: 

Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, but the country is essentially bankrupt. Last November it started importing, of all things, oil. There are shortages of practically every conceivable consumer product, from toilet paper to beer, from milk to antibiotics.A shopping expedition is an exercise in frustration and endurance. Venezuelans have to stand in line for hours in the stifling tropical heat in pursuit of products that are more often than not completely out of stock.As his predecessor did, Maduro blames the shortages on the opposition, on his political enemies, and on the rich. But the real reason why the economy is simply not functioning is that the government has introduced wrong-headed policies that defy all logic.What started as an effort to alleviate poverty -- the most worthy of goals in a poor country -- turned into a failed experiment in populist-infused socialism. The government expropriated businesses, tried to control prices and markets, and generally disrupted the mechanisms of supply and demand to the point where producing anything became unprofitable.The first and biggest target of government intervention was the state-owned oil company, PDVSA, which was used by the Chavez government as a funding source for social programs.What was once an efficient, profitable, well-run business became a political tool run by party loyalists. Instead of investing in maintenance and production, the government wrung out all it could from its oil firm, using cheap oil to buy the loyalty of Latin American regimes, and using the profits to finance a multitude of unrelated projects.If done with more foresight it might have worked, but in the end it all came crashing down. This all started during the years when oil prices spiked above $100 a barrel, bringing oceans of money, none of which was used to expand production and maintain equipment. The government broke the piggy bank.Oil production has collapsed. And, making matters worse, much worse, the world price of oil, the lifeblood of the regime and the country, has fallen by about half. The country's cash flow problems were already serious before oil prices swooned. They will only get worse now. 

We know from press reports that the late Hugo Chavez kept asking his countrymen to pray for a miracle, or a recovery from the cancer that eventually took his life.   

In fact, Chavez was rather lucky in retrospect.   He is not around to see the mess that he created!

P. S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

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Tags: Iraq, Venezuela and oil prices  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

War on women? "Say si si" in Cuba!

(My new American Thinker post)

A week after Secretary Kerry saw the US flag go up in Havana, the Castro regime is not changing at all.     

It's still the same island that we knew last December except that a US flag watches Cubans get pushed around for simply expressing themselves.

Las Damas de Blanco, or the Ladies in White, continue to be harassed in Cuba, as reported by Nelson Rodriguez Chartrand: 

For the last 12 years, these brave women have held peaceful street demonstrations every Sunday after church. Armed with only a single flower in one hand, they march for the freedom of political prisoners, justice, and peace.+How do you think the Cuban government has reacted? This bloodthirsty dictatorship, which some people still cynically praise, has responded with further repression, threats, and arbitrary arrests.+So, while you rest with your families each Sunday, and deservingly so, remember that these brave, defenseless women continue to be assaulted, threatened, arrested, and forcefully taken to what was previously a José Martí pioneer camp, now converted into a detention center.

We are not calling on the US government to invade Cuba and throw out the regime.  

We are calling on President Obama and Secretary Kerry to say something and call on the Cuban government to stop it.     Is that so difficult to do?   Who are they afraid of offending?  the Castro brothers who are now demanding money from the US?

Also, where is the Black Congressional Caucus?   About half of these women are Afro-Cubans.   

Where is NOW and Hollywood?   It would be nice to see some artists go to Cuba and walk with these ladies.   

Most of all, where is President Obama?    Where is he when this kind of repression is happening in the island?

P. S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

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Tags: Las damas en blanco marching in Cuba, war against women in Cuba To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!

African Americans issues with Patricia Dickson, writer

Guest:  Patricia Dickson,  contributor to American Thinker, joins me for a look at issues of interest in the African community in the US.......the Obama presidency....the Democrats........."Black lives matter" movement......black on black crime......the breakdown of black family.......public education and school choice.......the GOP and Democrats...............

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Iran nuclear deal, Clinton emails, Trump 2016 and other stories

The week in review with Bill Katz, editor of Urgent Agenda..........

Guest:  Bill Katz, editor of Urgent Agenda.........we will look at new information about the Iran nuclear deal....is Iran going to inspect itself?......the Trump factor and the GOP.........the Clinton emails story gets more complicated day by day.......there is more and more talk of VP Biden jumping in.............Obama vs Clinton talk from Monica Crowley..........a war in the Korean peninsula?......

click to listen:

Sunday Aug 23: The week in review with Bill Katz, editor of Urgent Agenda................. http://t.co/Jc8gjbw3Bo

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) August 23, 2015

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Tags: Iran nuclear deal, Clinton emails, Trump 2016 To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!