Who Will Win the Election (#BOTB Results)

      Failure can be a means to an end as much as it can be the end of meaning. If we try to make sense of things that don't turn out the way we want then we might in the end lose our senses.  The preppers--the survivalists who want to disappear off the grid rather than be just another pawn in the big machine run by dictatorial government--might not be as loony as some might believe.  Who knows what will come next in the United States?  I haven't been real optimistic in the worldly sense, but I do believe something better will come, if not with the current election, then somewhere down a different road.   And it will be the road less taken...

       But enough rambling.   On with the results of the November 1st Battle of the Bands...

Battle of the Bands Results

       Let me start right in with the results.   I took the ill-advised route of pitting a very well known song by a popular group up against an unknown song by an essentially unknown group.   The latter pick was a song that took me several listenings to appreciate and that should have told me something right there.   I know when someone asks me to listen to something that they like a lot and I've never heard before, I'm often somewhat resistant to that song.  I think that's partly what happened here.

       My guess is that many of the voters were already locked into a vote for Green Day because that's the song they knew best and they didn't have patience to give the unknown factor a real chance.  I understand how that works because I'm the same way much of the time.   The Good Rats were at a disadvantage from the git go, but under those circumstances I think they did fairly well.

Final Vote Tally

Green Day      17
Good Rats       11

The Election Prediction?

      Considering the fact that Hillary Clinton has President Obama, the Department of Justice, and most of the media and the world of celebrities on her side she is at a definite advantage.   It's an unfair and unreasonable advantage in my opinion, but that's just the way it is.  Despite those incredible odds Donald Trump has made an incredible showing and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could win this election.

        Did my Battle of the Bands predict anything at all?  Firstly, my thought is that "American Idiot" represents Hillary Clinton mainly because of the anti-Bush sentiments coming from a songwriter, Billie Joe Armstrong, who is a Democrat supporter.  Some voters went by the title to suggest that the song better fit Trump.  Similarly, as in most elections, voters will go by superficial things and not the meat of the platforms the candidates represent.  This means the presidential vote based on this BOTB outcome could go either way, but if we went strictly by Battle voting we might surmise that Hillary will win the election.

        However it is a much closer outcome when I take out votes the were submitted by those not from the United States.   Using only American voters in the Battle the count for Green Day is 10 with 8 coming in for Good Rats.  And some of those voting for Green Day indicated they preferred Donald Trump in the election.   From what I extrapolate regarding comments and what I think I know of those who voted in my Battle I think that puts Donald Trump in the lead for the election.

         So in the final analysis I will prognosticate a win for Donald Trump in the upcoming election. If this is the case I see it as a win for God and His people.   On the other hand we must take into consideration that "Satan...is the God of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4).   Make of it what you will.

        If you haven't done so already, don't forget to vote in the presidential election.  It's going to take a lot of legitimate votes to outnumber all of the fraudulent votes that have been cast.

   Next Battle of the Bands post will be on Tuesday November 15

         Be here next Tuesday for my next Battle of the Bands which will likely be the next post I put up on Tossing It Out unless I think of something that needs to be said in the interim.  My next song will depend on the outcome of the election.   I've got a few in mind and whatever the song it will be a great choice.  Mine always are.  But that is my opinion to which I am entitled to have--so far at least.  Which in a side note, I got kicked off Quora for my one and only response to a question answer on that extremely biased site.  I'm not sure how I got on Quora--I guess I accepted an invite.  Now that I've been kicked off those are just more silly email notifications that won't distract me from getting other more important things done.

        Do you think my prognostication makes sense?   Do you have an issue with anything I've said in this post?    What is your vision of the United States in the years to come?

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How Big Is Your Ego?

 Then President of the United States of America, George W. Bush invited then President-Elect Barack Obama and former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter for a Meeting and Lunch at The White House. Photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 in the Oval Office at The White House. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

       Summer's ego is flaring with a vengeance in the southwestern U.S.   Predictions are that we in Los Angeles will be seeing unusually high temperatures for the next ten days or so.   Forecasters are saying that places like Las Vegas and Phoenix will be seeing temps in the 120 degree range.  Not especially unique for those folks who live there, but damn hot any way you look at it.  And summer of 2016 has barely begun.  What does this bode for the upcoming months?

        One thing we in the U.S. are facing is a heated political climate with an idiosyncratic presidential race ahead of us.  The primaries were kindergarten stuff compared to what we might be seeing in the months ahead of us.  Divisiveness of the parties and the nation as a whole may set tempers flaring and nasty words flying.

        Plenty is said about the over-inflated ego of Donald Trump.  No denying that the guy has a super big ego.  What public figure doesn't?   Bill and Hillary Clinton both have such humongous egos that one can only wonder how they can stand each other's company.  The ego of Barack Obama shows an air of superiority that gives him a sense that he's talking down at us or lecturing us. Even the good out boy presidents like George W. Bush or Jimmy Carter are driven by ego otherwise they would have never made it as far as they did.

        An egoistic Fidel Castro fueled a revolution to overthrow one dictator's grandiosity to replace it with his own bloated self-image that expected total allegiance or else from the citizens of his nation.  Recently, the passing of Muhammad Ali reminded us of the swaggering young Cassius Clay who pronounced "I am the greatest" and charmed much of the public with his egotistical antics. By no means was I a fan of Ali, but I will admit I was amused by his early escapades before he changed his name and became what some feel was a traitor to his country.

       We are entitled to our opinions just as we have a right to brand ourselves in whatever way we wish.  Criticism can be expected when we put ourselves in the public eye, but when we attack another we are attacking ego and that is like going for the throat.  Backlash can be expected from some while hurt might be the outcome for others.   Even those with the most fragile egos will usually make some attempt to defend their pride, their image, and their sense of self-worth.   My opinions reflect my own ego and when someone attacks my opinion, they are attacking a certain part of who I am.

        Openness to discussing differences is a good thing as is amicable debate concerning why one party believes what they think is right.   If we are open to listening to each other rather than jumping to the conclusion that we have the right answer and nobody can come up with a reasonable counter argument, we might end up learning more about others as well as ourselves.  There are some points, especially those dealing with preference, where there is no right or wrong, but merely a difference of opinion.   If I were dictator of the world, it might be assuaging to my ego for a while, but eventually that world would likely get pretty boring if everyone else were forced to share every opinion that I have.

        This will be the last post in my "Love and Ego" series in the official sense, though this blog will always be some reflection of my own ego and a study of ego in general.  And love will always make appearances here, especially in the many more songs of love that I have in waiting for future Battle of the Bands blog posts.

         Love and ego are ever present with all of us.  Just as the heat that scorches us here in Los Angeles affects the moods and attitudes of those of us who have to deal with feeling the burn (I'm talking climate here), love and ego will shape the directions we take in our lives and influence the way we treat others.

         Between love and ego, do you think one force tends to overpower the other or do you feel there is a parity between the two?    Do you feel that your ego is strong or do you tend be a relatively acquiescent person?     Can you think of any politician without a strong ego?  If so, explain why you think this.

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A Result Is Gonna Come

What Did He Say?

      Crazy stuff about Pope Francis casting judgment upon Donald Trump's being a Christian.  Or did the Pope really say what the news media said he did?  If the Pope truly made a direct declaration such as this then he is wrong.  After all he is not God and only God can read what is in the hearts of any of us.
 
       The problem is that media often twists and mangles what public figures say in order to create the news rather than report it. Perhaps in the days to come we'll get this controversy unraveled with the media clarifying what really happened.  Or maybe not.   Whatever we get from the media sources or the Pope himself might result in greater understanding of the truth, but I doubt it.  As is often the case, seeds of discord and distrust have been planted in our minds where they will flourish into bigger confusions or wither away covered by way too much fertilizer.

        In the meantime, some of us may be wondering why the Vatican is surrounded by walls and protected by armed guards?  And how many Muslim refugees have they allowed to come in to stay in the hallowed halls of the papal seat of government?

The Next Round in the Primaries

        Something is going to happen on Saturday that could bring us closer to projecting where the presidential primaries are heading.  Things have been getting out of hand for the Republicans in South Carolina though some say this is just business as usual.   Maybe so if the business is monkey business.

          I'll admit it can get entertaining at times watching the antics of the candidates and listening to all of the nonsensical back and forth nasty politics.  I'm sure that the Democrats are going to have some rich material for their future political ads when it just comes down to the two main party candidates and they'll be letting the Republicans do all the mean talk for them.

          However it might be that the most interesting event on Saturday will be the Democrat caucus in Nevada.  Bernie Sanders is gaining ground on Hillary and she might be getting nervous.  She's even taken to barking like a dog.


     
       In fact, according to Fox News:   Sen. Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton nationally for the first time in the Democratic presidential primary race-- by three points-- in the latest Fox News Poll, which also shows Donald Trump leading his closest rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, by a 36-19 percent margin among self-identified Republican primary voters. 

         I'm thinking that the old-school establishment politicians might all be in the doghouse together after this year's election.  A lot of people are not very happy with those who have been running things  in our country and maybe this year will be a huge turning point where we will see the result of too many years of mismanagement in the United States government.  The world just keeps getting weirder.


What about Battle of the Band Results?

        The results of my most recent Battle of the Bands contest will be coming on Monday February 22nd.   You've still got time to go back and cast your vote for your favorite version of the song I used this time, "A Change Is Gonna Come".   I'll be tallying the votes on Sunday afternoon so if you'd like to vote this click this link.  

          Are you keeping up with the political shenanigans?   What do you think about the comments made by Pope Francis?   What breed of dog do you think Hillary was impersonating?  

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