LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Campaigning Game Rules as updated by David L Lewis

Long, long ago, in a world that never was and shall never be again, the game of presidential politics began on the Labor Day before coming Election day. Now, it officially begins when the last polling places close to voters for the last such election.

Actually, in addition to changing the time line of campaigns, deciding who can be a candidate has evolved, also. There was a time when no one thought a Catholic (Kennedy) could win, of if a divorced man could (Reagan), or someone who admitted smoking pot and ‘monkeying-around’ with an aid in White House (Clinton) was suitable. Of course, Eugene Debs had run while in Federal prison in Terra Haute, so being a law-breaker involved in insurrection is okay.

Now it seems all pretense of the traditional rules have fallen. However, lest some mistakenly believe just anyone can run for the office, I herewith submit updated ‘rules’ to fill this moment in the midst of political time.

Here Are New Campaign Rules

The Ronny Rule – It’s Not About Age

At the 1984 Presidential debate a 73 year old Ronald Reagan famously quipped: “I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."

The Nikki Rule – It Is About Age

If elected President, Nikki Haley says she will seek mental competency tests for Presidents and federal lawmakers over 75 years of age. Perhaps a ‘72-hour Hold’ at some secret neutral site?

The Rupert Rule - It's About the Green

"It's Not About Blue. It's Not About Red. It's About Green.” Rupert Murdock is founder and Chairman of News Corp, which owns FOX News, Wall Street Journal, and other ‘conservative news’ media entries around the world. He proclaimed this Rule during court hearings in which his firm admitted that to keep ratings up they intentional, repeatedly lied following last election. Lies for which it agreed to pay $700-million in reparations.

The Costanza Rule – Lying Is Truth

George Costanza of Seinfeld fame offers this classic Rule: '...just remember. It's not a lie… if you believe it.' To which may rightfully be added the famous Joseph Gobbles version: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”

The Kellyanne Rule – Have Alternative Facts Available

"Alternative facts" is phrase coined by Kellyanne Conway when Counselor to the president. To aid in this rule, and help readers have the facts your Party approves, example alternative facts are shown below in no particular order of political correctness. Feel free to use these, and to add your own in facts. This way we will no longer need to consider anyone else’s part of the story.

DEMOCRAT FACTS	REPUBLICAN FACTS
Radical Right-Wing Republicans	Radical Left-Wing Democrats
Radical Right-Wing Media	Left-Wing Legacy Media
Politically Appointed Republicans	Deep State Democrats
Biden Haters	Never Trumpers
Trump Phantom Policies	Biden Unproven Policies
Koch Brothers	George Soros
Ronald Reagan	Clintons
Conspiracies	Cancel Culture
White Supremacist	Antifa
Antiquated Immigration Law	Evil Foreigners
Rule of Law	Witch Hunt!

The Messenger Rule – Don’t Bother Killing Messenger

It is said that in ancient times if a messenger brought bad news of a battle or some such, the remedy was to kill the messenger. This we no longer need to do! Just keep changing media until you find one that says what you want to hear and go into the game armed solely with their facts. You will find some media which makes It’s money by telling you what you want to hear.

The Cohn Rules - If Implicated In Wrong-Doing

[Roy Cohen was a lawyer who represented and mentored New York real estate developer Donald Trump during his early business career.  A full discourse on Cohn is beyond scope of this blog.]
Deny!
Distract!
Delay!
Never back down!
Always attack!

The Judge Judy Rule - If Indicted by Grand Jury(s)

If Innocent, refute the allegations, provide your defense.
If Guilty, refute the prosecutor, attack their personal life.
If have no defense refute the Judge and/or Jury, yell a lot.

To be dutifully submitted to US Election Commission by

theCandidateForWorldsMostNearlyPerfectDaddy!

 

President’s Day 2024

Impressions of all those Presidents serving during the lifetime of David L Lewis

In one of my more ‘difficult’ entries into a hospital I was asked if I could name the President? Not exactly a question heart problems focuses the mind upon. When the nurse came back to the room, however, I told her all the Presidents back to Franklin Roosevelt, and VPs back to Truman.

It is curious that the three men considered to be our greatest Presidents – Washington, Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt – were also the most vilified during their administrations. This is part of reason no historian or serious student tries to ‘rank’ a sitting President. You simply don’t know how the current administration is going to work out until it’s too late. As to past Presidents, there are two well known surveys which are generally acknowledged as authoritative, C-Span and Siena College Research Institute Survey of Presidents.¹

Following are those men I named to that nurse, all those whom served during my lifetime. And, yep, they’ve all been men, so far. They are listed here in order of ranking according to Siena College Research Institute, with my personal impressions of each.

1^st of 45) Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)

I was born in 1943; so, no, I don’t remember him. He led the world though the Great Depression and World War II. Turns out that’s a really big job for any man.

6^th of 45) Dwight D Eisenhower (1953-1961)

This is first President of whom I have living memory; just not much of one. As Conservative Movement leader William F Buckley said of Ike: “He didn’t do anything, and that’s what we want a President to do.” Heard he did deport those 1.5-million illegal aliens in 1958 alone. So, Ike, did that solve anything?

7^th of 45) Harry S Truman (1945-1953)

“Give them hell, Harry” did just that. Over my lifetime Harry has risen in historian’s appreciation from day he left office. He made hard decisions, including the hardest ever handed a fellow from Missouri with high school education. He honestly did what his sense of duty demanded, and took responsibility for errors of those under him.

8^th of 45) Lyndon B Johnson (1963-1969)

A politician’s politician, only truly selfless act of his presidency was to not run for re-election in 1968. But, he changed our world, as written in a previous blog: https://blogsbythedaddy.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-bullet-that-changed-america.html

9^th of 45) John F Kennedy (1961-1963)

First President who made me aware of what an idyllic President would be. Stood up to the greatest crisis in human history, inspired a post-war generation, and died too soon to know what might have been.

11^th of 45) Barack Obama (2008-2017)

Siena survey ranks Presidents across twenty-one different categories.^2. In this observation President Obama ‘checked all the boxes’, and was best ‘person’ in office of my lifetime. That said, for those who hoped he could change Washington, he was a disappointment.

14^th of 45) William ‘Bill’ Clinton (1993-2001)

His highest accomplishments may have been avoiding Impeachment and playing the Saxophone. But he was pretty good at that president stuff and, as they used to say, ‘made the trains run on time.’ He did bring us an acceptance of moral turpitude in a sitting President.

18^th of 45) Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

The questions of his running were his advanced age (73) and whether a divorced man could win Evangelical vote. He was President while I was “Busy making other plans”. It is not clear whether he was a President who had been an actor, or an actor who had been a President.

20^th of 45) George H W Bush (1989-1993)

The last decorated veteran of World War II to serve as President. As a former Congressman, Ambassador to UN and liaison to China, CIA Director, and Vice-President, he may have been the best qualified by experience and knowledge ever elected to the Office. None of which got him re-elected in a bad economy.

#24 of 45) Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

Perhaps the most honest, spiritual, and dedicated President of my lifetime. None of which made him a particularly effective President.

28^th of 45) Richard M Nixon (1969-1974)

History will show he should have been remembered as great, but he brought “Trickie Dick” Nixon with him to the White House. Tried to stop inflation by freezing all prices. When Court said he couldn't do that prices, and therefore wages, exploded.

30^th of 45) Gerald R Ford (1974-1977)

The grandfather-president we needed to calm the waters of Watergate; and gave us a few laughs when he promised to “Whip Inflation Now”. How’s that going, Gerry?

35^th of 45) George W Bush (2001-2009)

Being man of the hour on 9/11 may have been his finest hour. Used this to launch America into not one, but two undeclared wars against whom we had vastly superior forces, on-going diplomatic talks, and no particular moral justification. Other than all that he is not ranked very high as an effective President.

43^rd of 45) Donald Trump (2017-2021)

In interview seen on YouTube video last October Trump acknowledged to have been known as a “liar, manipulator, and bully” since third grade. He smiled and tilted his head to side as he does and answered the reporter, “Guess that’s true. It’s why I am so successful.” [It appears this video has been removed.] As to ranking, his may rise in time; however, at this point he doesn’t seem to have checked very many ‘boxes’ of Siena survey.

For the record, #44 is James Buchanan, President just prior to Civil War; and #45 is Andrew Johnson, who followed Lincoln³.

Just in case some nurse asks, who is first President you remember?

He who is ignorant of history wasn’t watching while it was happening?

theWouldBeHistorian

Footnotes

¹Since 1982 the Siena College Research Institute Survey of U.S. Presidents has conducted a broadly-based, non-partisan survey of historians, political scientists and influential presidential scholars. Cited as one of the most respected surveys. Previous surveys of US Presidents have been reported in Presidential Studies Quarterly, Scholarly Reviews, and national news outlets. Issued annually, as of this writing the most recent survey available is 2022.

²This survey ranks Presidents across twenty-one different categories:

• Background

• Imagination

• Integrity

• Intelligence

• Luck

• Willing to Take Risks

• Avoid Crucial Mistakes

• Court Appointments

• Domestic Accomplishments

• Executive Appointments

• Foreign Policy Accomplishments

• Handling of U.S. Economy

• Party Leadership

• Relationship with Congress

• Ability to Compromise

• Communication Ability

• Executive Ability

• Leadership Ability

• Overall Ability

• Acceptance of Responsibility

https://scri.siena.edu/us-presidents-study/

³https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/presidents-ranked-worst-best/3/

 

Ten Memorable

February 14^th Events

As compiled by pseudo-historian David L Lewis

269 – Bishop and patron saint of Terni known by his friends as St Valentine was executed the Roman way. Valentine had defied emperor's orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war (that’s their story and they are sticking to it).

496 – Feast of St Valentine established. Since then February 14th has been a day of celebration—though it has generally been less about religion, and more about romancing and spending money on some girl(s).

1477 – Earliest known Valentine was love letter written by Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston. Referring to him as her “right well-beloved Valentine” she beseeches him to marry her despite fact she hasn't been able to convince her father to increase her dowry. [When us daddy’s no longer had to pay some guy to take a daughter off our hands came later.] Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used.

1849 – James Knox Polk was first serving President of United States to have his photograph taken. Not a particularly good start for commercial photography as it was blocked by Facebook and Polk was banned from Facebook 17 hours.

1899 – Voting machines approved for use in Federal elections. Also trademarked at the time was the word “rigged”.

1920 – League of Women Voters founded in Chicago. The 19th amendment which granted women right to vote wasn’t actually ratified until August 18^th. Contrary to all Poll opinions at time, the Republic did not collapse.

1929 – Saint Valentine's Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone's gang, were murdered in Chicago. Unfortunately, the idea of celebrating Valentine’s Day in this manner did not catch on.

1949 – Parliament of Israel convened for first time, making official the state of war between Jews and the world which has been continuing since Abraham begat Ishmael.

1965 – Dated girl met two days before at Hodge’s Skating Rink. If I recall correctly we went to St. Louis Planetarium. Think her name was Kay something. Wonder whatever happened to her?