If I were a…

CivicSkinny’s afterthought — “If Chuck Grassley were a lawyer, Joni Ernst would not be a senator” got me thinking…

If Washington had sons, he might have accepted that whole “monarchy in America” thing to keep them employed.

If Lincoln had Netflix, he might have served two full terms.

If Spiro Agnew wasn’t a tax-dodger, then Gerald Ford never would have been a president.

If Nelson Rockefeller showed two fingers (peace sign) instead of one (the bird), he might have become president.

If Clinton had said he inhaled, Ross Perot might have divided America into pie charts as president.

If your aunt had male pattern baldness, she would be your uncle.

If I were a writer (or a professor on sabbatical with a government grant), I would be getting paid for this gold.

No rest for the retail

It’s nice to see retailers ruin their own holiday for a change. With Black Friday shopping now starting Wednesday night, the idea of Christmas binge shopping ought to become as much a relic as, well, closing for the holidays.

Benghazi: Give it up, there’s nothing there!

Will the Republicans’ irrational obsession with Benghazi ever end? The House Republican-controlled Intelligence Committee investigating Benghazi, the attack on the U.S. Diplomatic compound in Libya, quietly summarized its latest findings on Friday night before the Thanksgiving weekend. Why do you suppose they chose a time in the news cycle least likely to draw attention from media outlets? Could it be that they can’t find any wrongdoing but refuse to admit it? Their report concluded, as have the previous six Republican Congressional investigations, that there was no cover-up, no conspiracy, no military stand down and no political manipulation.

However, not to be deterred by “pesky facts” showing no evidence of wrongdoing, the eighth Republican-led investigation began in May and will continue, apparently until they can satisfy their bases’ paranoia with all things Obama. Senator Lindsay Graham weighed in by calling his own party’s latest investigation a “bunch of crap,” I assume because the report contradicts his delusions.

Do you suppose at some future point the GOP might consider apologizing for all the wasted time, taxpayer money spent and personal attacks leveled at Susan Rice, Hillary Clinton and President Obama?

Braley needed to emphasize the positives

In response to the letter “Hopes to vote again for Braley one day,” I would hope that Bruce Braley would do a better job in selling the positive items that were talked about in this letter. In a previous letter, three reasons were given why an independent friend of the author didn’t vote for him.  Yes, that independent friend was fed those facts by outside PAC groups because that is what people heard on TV.  They didn’t hear those positive items that were mentioned about Braley.  All people heard from Braley was the negatives about his opponent. I would hope Braley would have a better staff and do a better job selling himself. It’s all about marketing. It’s time to move on. I voted for him last time and will vote for him next time if the occasion arises.