- With apologies to Marvin Gaye.
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Over the last few months, I have written a series of political essays attempting to explain how the Democrats see the world today. Now I want to put it all together to demonstrate how the party has changed. It is no longer the home of moderates as it has turned to the far-left. In the process, many have abandoned the party, either to join the Republicans or vote independently.
Let's consider what we know today:
First, in January, the Gallup organization determined 51% of the Democrat Party now consider themselves to be liberal. This is a significant figure as this is the first time Gallup's polls showed the party was now in the hands of the far-left.
According to the study, here is how DEMOCRATS view themselves:
51% – Liberal
34% – Moderate
13% – Conservative
34% – Moderate
13% – Conservative
This also means control of the party is being wrestled away from moderates.
Even though the party is currently gravitating to former VP Joe Biden, who has positioned himself as a moderate presidential candidate, the race is far from over as the far-left desperately wants a more radical candidate. Of the 24 Democrat candidates currently running for president, everyone but Mr. Biden can be described as either a socialist or progressive. In other words, it's a long time before the presidential candidacy is secured, and the former VP will likely face stiff opposition from his own party.
To this end, there currently appears to be a movement to purge the party of moderates. To illustrate, if you are a Democrat and pro-life, the far-left wants you to either change your mind (and fall in line), or get out of the party completely.
What's next; if you don't believe in open borders, should you leave the party? What if you don't believe in entitlements, gun control, or a redistribution of the wealth? Essentially, they are trying to get their troops in lockstep.
Also from the Gallup poll, conservatives still outnumber liberals by 35% to 26%, and, not surprising, 76% of Republicans consider themselves conservative.
Next, the far-left has been making some outrageous leftist demands, things moderates have deliberately avoided over the years as it was considered political suicide. For example, presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders in a recent CNN Town Hall meeting, insists convicted prisoners and terrorists, like the Boston Marathon bomber, should have the right to vote from prison.
In the beginning of our Republic, only land owners could vote in elections. The premise here was that only RESPONSIBLE people should vote as they would do what was best for the country overall. This has evolved over the years to include others, such as women, former slaves, and young people, all of whom were assumed to vote RESPONSIBLY. The fact prisoners and terrorists are incarcerated means THEY ARE A DANGER TO SOCIETY and, as such, forfeits their rights, such as freedom, owning a gun, and, Yes, voting.
From my perspective, we already have too many IRRESPONSIBLE voters, people who couldn't pass a simple civics test if their life depended on it. I am still convinced people should pass such a test to be allowed to vote.
This was followed recently by Sen. Sanders declaring abortion is a "constitutional right," an apparent response to the recent state abortion bans just passed. There is, of course, nothing in the Constitution regarding abortion, yet the far-left would have people think otherwise.
Taking it a step further, another presidential hopeful, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) recently said today's anti-abortion laws are "against Christian faith." In other words, she believes it is Christian to abort a fetus just before birth.
Not to be outdone, presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) recently raised eye-brows by calling for a federal ban on "Right-To-Work" (RTW) laws in the United States, an obvious pandering to American unions to support her candidacy. Other Democrat candidates will likely follow suit.
As we discussed in an earlier column, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, ties financial success in state governments to RTW (and political parties), whereby the Top Ten states all have RTW laws and are run by Republicans, and the Bottom Ten do not have RTW and are run by Democrats (with the exception of Kentucky which just adopted RTW legislation in 2017).
Democrats currently support reparations for former slaves, including Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Former Secretary of HUD Julian Castro, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA), and Sen. Cory Booker (NJ), all well known liberal candidates.
As I indicated earlier, why do they want reparations from Americans only and not the Africans who sold them into slavery to begin with? And what about the northerners who fought to free the slaves; why should they be forced to pay for it, or any Republican for that matter as they were the party of Lincoln, aka The Abolitionists? Come to think of it, the Democrats should be footing the bill as they represented Southern interests and were the slave owners (and introduced Jim Crow laws to thwart Reconstruction).
This is being done in an attempt to keep African-Americans in the Democrat's corner, as they are very much concerned of the recent economic prosperity triggered by President Trump.
Next, we come to gun control, where Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) is proposing a gun licensing program and a ban on assault rifles. Likewise, Sen. Kamala Harris said, if elected, she would sign an executive order mandating background checks and more stringent regulations of gun manufacturers.
Finally, we come to the issue of God and organized religion. Gallup recently released an interesting report discussing the erosion of attendance and membership in organized religion.
They claim membership in churches, synagogues, and mosques has reached a new low, 50%. From 1938 to 1999, membership averaged 70%, but since then it has steadily declined to its current level.
Republicans show a modest 8 point decline in terms of membership, dropping from 77% to 69%. However, Democrats showed a more dramatic decline, going from 71% to 48%, that's a 23 point drop.
There are other indicators of lack of support for God from the Democrats:
* Elimination of "So Help Me God" in swearing-in ceremonies from House committee meetings.
* Elimination of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America," and calling into question the integrity of famed singer, Kate Smith.
The anomalies to common sense seems to be endless.
THE 4-C's
It is perfectly obvious the Democrats are rebelling against the 4-C’s of Republicanism:
- Christianity – Democrats are not only abandoning church, they are working to subvert it because of the moral values involved. In short, they have become the anti-God party.
- Capitalism – Democrats are trying to replace it with Socialism in order to expand government control and create dependencies (aka, "Master/Slave" relationship). Democrats have abandoned the concept of "earning a living," preferring entitlements instead. Again, this is training people to accept a Master/Slave relationship. Today, you hear the expression, "Democratic Socialism" - this is nothing more than an attempt to implement Socialism under the Constitution. The problem is, capitalism requires freedom to work as expressed in the Constitution, Socialism does not, requiring control instead, thereby putting our governing document in peril. And let us not forget, they do not understand the concept of Democracy. The fact remains, we live in a constitutional Republic, not a Democracy. The Democrats themselves do not operate as a Democracy, but rather as a Republic. I defy them to show me one country in the world that operates as a true Democracy. They are either Republics, a Monarchy, or Dictatorship.
- Constitution – The Democrats have made numerous attempts to undermine our governing document as it is perceived as an antiquated encumbrance against the Democrat agenda. This is why they wish to eliminate the Electoral College, change the makeup of the Supreme Court, implement gun control, and other changes to our Bill of Rights. It's all about control, not freedom.
- Conservative values – These are values developed over the country’s history and includes such things as love of country (patriotism), citizenship, reverence for family, belief in deity, being a good neighbor, lending a helping hand, etc.
Consider, for example, the Democrat controlled House of Representatives voted recently 236-173 in favor of the "Equality Act," which would require schools to include male athletes who identify as transgender girls on female sports teams.
The fact remains, the Democrats have developed a set of moral values diametrically opposed to conservatives in an attempt to redefine history, government, freedoms and rights.
According to Gallop polls in 2017 and 2018, liberal positions have led to a sharp decline in morality in the country as we know it today. This is greatly assisted by the entertainment and news media who no longer feel restrained from promoting liberal values and demeaning those of conservatives.
Not surprising, Democrats are beginning to panic about the anti-abortion bills as put forth by states such as Missouri, Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia, which will inevitably lead to a challenge of Roe vs. Wade.
They are also scared of what will be uncovered by AG Bill Barr's investigation of the origins of the Russia probe. This is one reason why they are desperately insisting on the impeachment of the president, even though it will not pass the senate and will ultimately cost them the 2020 election.
One last note in this regard, when was the last time you heard a Democrat publicly say, "I love this country"? The truth is, today's Democrats, as represented by the far-left, do not.
SO, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
- No, this is not your father's Democrat party. It has shifted to the radical left. If the party nominates former VP Joe Biden as their candidate for president, look for a new socialist party to emerge. They will fight him tooth-and-nail, and keep him away from the party platform.
- As we should all know by now, they will do anything to win, including cheating. Why? Because they are morally corrupt. We saw this in Florida during the midterm elections where they tried to steal votes on more than one occasion. We must remain vigilant against the Democrat threat.
- Education is the key to combat Democrats. They are counting on an ignorant and gullible public to swallow their tripe. Republicans have to teach youth the differences between Capitalism versus Socialism, Democracy versus Republic, Freedom versus Entitlements and slavery. We need to reclaim civics and American History in public education, and above all else, teach the Constitution of the United States.
It frightens me to realize I knew more about civics and history by 5th Grade, than today's High School graduates.
The differences between yesterday's and today's Democrats are so pronounced, one has to wonder if mental health problems have reached pandemic proportions. It appears to have started under the Clintons, and propagated by the Obamas. Maybe there is something in the water after all.
So, "what's going on?" An overthrow of the American government. Not since the period before the American Civil War has the country been so sharply divided. Only one interpretation of the "American Dream" can remain. It will either be based on the Constitution and the values of our past, or a new radically different society will emerge.
Friends, we can ill-afford to rest on our laurels; complacency got us in the mess, now we have to recover for the sake of the country. It is now time to get to work.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb1557@gmail.com
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My mother recently made the observation that people seem to be angrier these days. Frankly, I couldn't argue with her as I see it too. I would like to believe there is something in the water causing this, but I'm afraid it is a bit more complicated.
As we get older we're very much inclined to talk about the "good old days." I'm sure I have bored my kids to death over what happened back in the 1950's, 60's, and 70's. My parents liked to talk about the 30's and 40's as they survived the Great Depression and World War II. And my grandparents used to talk about World War I and the Roaring 20's.
Something that really irritates me in the corporate world today is how companies interview candidates for a job. Instead of having you describe who you are, what you've done in your professional life, and what skills you possess, Human Resource types today ask questions like:
The short answer is simple, No. Let us not forget that in the beginning of our Republic, only land owners could vote in elections. The premise here was that only RESPONSIBLE people should vote as they would do what was best for the country overall. This was expanded over the years to all citizens, including former slaves, women, and younger people (when the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972). Nonetheless, it was assumed these people would vote RESPONSIBLY, but this hasn't proven to be the case as we have a relatively poor turnout during elections, and many of those who vote are misinformed about history, current events, and how our government works.
Following the release of my new book, 
We're getting close to election season. The Democrats are almost done with their draft for presidential candidates, but don't be surprised if a few more enter the race. Now it is time to announce the playing schedule, just as the commissioners of MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, etc. announce the upcoming schedule of their seasons. So, get your scorecards ready as I am pleased to announce the 2020 schedule for U.S. elections, including local and state elections, congressional, and of course, the presidential race. Actually it's pretty simple, but there are still a few loose-ends remaining (see "To Be Announced" below). Frankly, I do not understand why any state hasn't announced its primary/caucus date yet, particularly New York. Talk about bad planning.
In Major League Baseball (MLB), for many years there was just one division within each league, American and National, and winning the pennant flag was a very big deal. Fans were glued to the newspaper or radio to follow the progress of the teams. It was kind of like watching a horse race as each contestant jockeyed for position. However, as the league expanded to the western states, the MLB found they could break each league into multiple divisions and devise a playoff system. At first, each league was broken into two divisions, East and West, but then split into three as we know it today, East-Central-West. As an aside, I always thought it was funny that the Cincinnati Reds were originally placed in the West of the old two-division system, while the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs remained in the East, even though they were much further west than Cincinnati (I never could figure that one out).