A Few Words on the Presidential Election, Part II

The United States Department of Commerce has a Bureau of Economic Analysis. They tell us that the average GDP from 1959 through 2002 was 3.4%. From 1929 through 2012 the average GDP was 3.3% How about under Obama? Not once did the GDP hit the average of either period, or even 3.0% for that matter. (For those interested: 2009-2.8%, 2010-2.5%, 2011-1.8%, 2012-2.8%, 2013-1.5%, 2014-2.4%, 2015-2.4%. And the first quarter of 2016 started with a lackluster 0.5%.)

But Obama says unemployment is way down to 5%. Well, yes, if we do not count the millions who have given up looking and no longer qualify for unemployment benefits. Then, it would be more like 10%. But Obama says he created 14.4 million new jobs since 2010, but that does not even cover the 15.8 million people who entered the labor market during the same period. (Data from the 4/29/16 Investor"s Business Daily.)

As the Wall Street Journal pointed out in their 4/29/16 editorial, we have had "the weakest economic expansion in the postwar era." Says the Journal: "Even the Great Depression saw a snap back to rapid growth from 1934-1936." More recently, there was a faster economic recovery after "the savings and loan collapse of the early 1990s."

In a sign of the low growth rate/chronic unemployment under liberal Democrat policies, middle-aged Americans are committing suicide at an increasingly disturbing rate. Writes Betsy McCaughey in the 4/27/16 IBD: "New Jersey used to have one of the lowest suicide rates in the nation, but it's shot up 13% in two years." Citing one suicide prevention source about that: "We've seen a wave of suicides that resulted from the financial crisis a little bit later than other parts of the country."

And, noting what should be obvious to everyone, McCaughey wrote: "It (the cause of the higher suicide rate) is not inequality, despite Bernie Sanders' rants. It's lack of growth and the Democratic Party's refusal to make growth a priority. People don't don't kill themselves because their neighbor has more money. They take their life when they can see no way to get a job, support their family and regain self-worth."

If Obama and the Democrats cared about economic growth and expansion and the creation of new jobs, we would not have the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank, and multiple other new taxes and regulations. But Hillary will follow in Obama's footsteps. She believes, apparently, that raising the minimum wage will actually create new jobs, rather than stifle job growth. And Hillary has told us that she wants to shutter the coal industry.

But Hillary did a great job as Secretary of State, didn't she? No, she did not. She pushed for the overthrow of Qaddafi, resulting in another failed state in the region, and allowing for the growth of radical Islamic terrorist groups. She pushed the "reset" with Russia. Russia then took over the Crimea, invaded eastern Ukraine, and now threatens our military ships and planes with dangerous fly bys. When the US ambassador to Libya and other Americans were murdered by terrorists, she lied to the families and American people about some movie trailer being the cause. When caught in her lie when testifying before Congress, she gave us her famous: "What difference does it make?"

Then, of course, we have the email scandal (ignoring all the other scandals involving her and Bill). Obama, who again inappropriately stuck his nose into a pending criminal matter, recently said in an interview that he did not believe Hillary jeopardized national security. What a not so subtle message for his Attorney General. The FBI apparently has 147 agents working on the case. The Justice Department has granted immunity to the person on Hillary's staff who set up the private email server.

Hillary, like Obama and Bernie, wants to bring at least 100,000 Muslim refugees to the US. There will be little opportunity to vet them. So, I asked one liberal Jewish reader what Muslim country he would like to live in. Answer: none. I asked if he cares how many Muslims are brought here. Answer: yes. Finally, I asked if any country has been made safer for Jews as the Muslim population increases? Answer: no.

But, as the title to my 1/17/16 post indicates, the liberals have lost their instinct to survive. Will Obama have to pardon Hillary? Would an indictment or pardon deter liberal Democrats from voting for her? No more than the increasing anti-Semitism and hate crimes against Jews in the UK deter the liberals there from claiming that the problem is Islamophobia.

A Few Words on the Presidential Election, Part I

The Labour Party in the UK seems to be having a problem with anti-Semitism. (Bear with me and you will see a connection to our election.) Labour Party member, and former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, recently expressed his opinion that Hitler was a Zionist. Another Labour Party member posted on Facebook that "Israel is a terrorist state like ISIS." According to the Israeli ambassador to the UK, there are those on the left who are "in denial" about anti-Semitism. Labour is the left wing party in the UK.

Meanwhile, anti-Semitic hate crimes in Britain are up over the last two years, with a 50% increase in violent crimes. 2015 saw over a 25% increase from 2014 in anti-Semitic hate crimes; with over 1000 anti-Semitic incidents reported. One might think the Jews of the UK would be united against the increasing anti-Semitism. One would be wrong. 83 Jewish members and supporters of the Labour Party, in a letter to the Guardian, denied that there is a problem of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

Those 83 wrote in their letter: "As Jews, we are appalled that a serious issue is being used in this cynical and manipulative way, diverting attention from much more widespread examples of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the conservative and other parties." So you see, those on the left who are in denial about anti-Semitism in the UK includes many Jews. And isn't their letter reminiscent of the way the mainstream media in the US made Muslims the victims after the 9/11 attacks?

I am reminded of Obama's first campaign for President, when we learned about Rev. Wright. Fellow Jews were willing to make excuses for the hate speech - the anti-Israel hate speech - of Obama's Pastor and mentor. It was simply a non-issue for them. And now, it is happening again.

One of the main advisers to both Bill and Hillary Clinton has been Sidney Blumenthal. Sidney's son Max has written extensively, and negatively, about Israel. Sidney has not disavowed his son's writings; in fact, he sent sent many of those articles on to Hillary. Max has compared Israel to the Nazis, has said Jews should move out of Israel, and has compared the Israeli Defense Forces to the Nazi's SS. Hillary was consistently impressed by Max's writings, with comments such as "Pls congratulate Max for another impressive piece. He is so good."

But left leaning Jews here will make the same excuses for Hillary that they did for Obama, and that left-wing Jews make for the UK's Labour Party. In a 2012 speech, Hillary referred to Israel's "lack of generosity" and "lack of empathy" towards and for Palestinians. She took on the role "designated yeller" - at Netanyahu. (As an aside, I would bet no other world leader had a "designated yeller" assigned by Obama.) In one phone call with Netanyahu, Hillary yelled at him for 45 minutes because Israel had the audacity to build in their capital city of Jerusalem.

Bernie Sanders is no better. He accused Israel of slaughtering 10,000 civilians in the last war with Hamas in 2014. He said Israel's military response to non-stop rocket fire from Gaza was "disproportionate," meaning Israelis should do nothing to defend themselves. The UN, and even Hamas, put the number of civilian casualties at between 1400 and 1500. Israel claims half of those were Hamas fighters in civilian clothes. But Bernie is always willing to think the worst of Israel.

Recently, 83 US Senators (51 Republicans and 32 Democrats) signed off on a letter to the Obama Administration in which they were seeking an increase in military aid to Israel, as part of a new 10 year memorandum of understanding. Bernie did not sign that letter. Bernie appointed Simone Zimmerman as his Jewish outreach coordinator. Here are a few words from Zimmerman: "Bibi Netanyahu is an arrogant, deceptive, cynical, manipulative asshole...Fuck you, Bibi...you sanctioned the murder of over 2000 people this summer." Zimmerman was referring to the war with Hamas, and demonstrating how she, also, does not believe Israel had the right to defend itself against the constant rockets launched from Gaza.

But, maybe, liberal Jews and the left in general are happy with Obama's economic leadership; policies that Hillary will follow and magnify. Let's take a look - in Part II.