Today has been a very painful day for me and many Americans. I consider myself politically savvy. But, I cannot understand how my fellow citizens could have voted for someone so unqualified, racist, divisive, and unethical for president as Donald Trump over such a talented, caring, hard-working and experienced person like Hillary Clinton.

The pundits say that this is a change election. And, there is some truth to that. People are fed up with the political infighting and quagmire in Washington and want change. But, change to whom and with what values?

We say that we are a “United” States of America. Yet, we close our eyes and allow a person to win the Office of President with an arbitrary electoral vote margin based on a few individual states when someone else, Hillary Clinton, wins the national popular vote of all of our citizens, just like Vice President Al Gore did in 2000. Though easier said than done, the antiquated electoral college must end.

Today’s results are filled with talk of the uprising of hateful voters, rural voters, blue collar working class and other “left out” voters. Those groups may well have been factors in the results. And, FBI Director Comey’s ill-advised, unnecessary and reckless two letters concerning Anthony Weiner’s emails – unrelated to Hillary Clinton – were, as he admitted in his second letter, much ado about nothing. But, on the eve of the election, his pronouncements served to create undeserved negative press and to undermine a Clinton campaign postured to win the election.

However, in my view, in addition to all those factors, a key factor in Hillary Clinton’s loss was her failure to gain the support of an important segment of the women’s vote. The election’s results rekindle the same disappointing message – and loss factor – as did my 1986/87 races for Congress in Connecticut when our internal campaign polls showed that many non-college educated, working-at-home Moms, wouldn’t support my candidacy – one of a college educated, successful career woman, like Hillary Clinton.

Yesterday, thirty years later, non-college-educated women also deserted Clinton – by a 2:1 margin. Sadly, we have not made much progress in three decades. There were likely male voters who did not support Clinton. Sexism is still alive and well to some extent in our country. But, until women support their fellow women to the same extent that the good ole boys have supported their cohorts for decades, we will not break that seemingly impenetrable glass ceiling and finally have some equality and a woman President to succeed the 45 men who have come before her.

Straight Scoop Politics is an independent blog and, thus, I have tried to call it as I see it without the tinted glasses of one party or another. I have not always been complimentary of  President Obama – especially his inability or unwillingness to demonstrate the Washington/Hill political skills necessary to forge the compromises necessary to move the Congress forward (although he has faced some rather strident Members on the Hill who seem to care less about doing what’s right – or possible – than stopping what they perceive as wrong without an ounce of negotiating at the expense of the American public).

But, I cannot stand by for another minute and listen to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani attest that Barack Obama does not love America. Who is he kidding? As a former elected official, Giuliani knows better than most the grueling personal commitment required of all Presidents to serve in office. He must take the American public for fools to think that any American truly believes that any person – Republican or Democratic – who commits to devoting 4-8 years of their life 24/7 to tackling our nation’s problems (let alone the grueling campaign required to get elected these days), could somehow not love America. I, for one, don’t believe it. And, I suspect most Americans don’t either. Come on, Rudy, get real, or get off the podium. If the Republican Party expects to field a viable presidential candidate in 2016, prominent voices in the party need to be more sensible than you were this week.

With less than 24 hours left before the polls open in the Connecticut gubernatorial race, the outcome in this toss-up race between Democratic Governor Dan Malloy and his Republican challenger Tom Foley may well hinge on the two candidate’s differing views on gun control in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in Newtown in December 2012. Read More »

The results of the Washington Post/ABC Poll conducted May 29 – June 1st have just been released. Yes, the numbers look good for Hillary Clinton should she enter the presidential fray in 2016: 66% support for Hillary Clinton and just 12% for her nearest Democratic rival, Joe Biden, among registered lean Democrats. And, in prospective 2016 match-ups, Hillary Clinton holds a 10%+  margin of support among registered voters – 53% to 42% for Rand Paul, similar to her April poll numbers of 53% to 41% for Jeb Bush, and 53% to 41 for Chris Christie in January of this year.

The typical support margins for a Democratic presidential candidate among women, nonwhites, Democrats, liberals, and under age 50 voters are all there for Clinton, too. And, she scores well among voters who believe she is a stong leader (67%), honest and trustworthy (60%), has new ideas for the country’s future (59%), and understands their problems (55%). But, how much stock can we place in these positive numbers as predictors of a Hillary Clinton 2016 election for president? Not much. Read More »

Sixteen days after a partial federal government shutdown and just hours before the expiring federal debt limit, Senate leaders announced a new legislative deal today to end the budget crisis in Washington, calling it “historic.” But, all it is is just another effort – far too common in Washington these days – to kick the can down the road and deal with ironing out substantive legislative differences another day. Read More »

Nine days and counting and the federal government’s doors are still closed. Social services and federal benefits and food and safety protections programs for American citizens, just to name a few, are stalled. Markets are starting to react and citizens are growing weary of the constant quagmire in our dysfunctional Washington. John Boehner is on the ropes – and he should be. He is the Speaker of the House, but has been acting like the Minority Leader, and then again the minority leader of a minority of his own party. Passing cherry-picked amendments to restore some popular federal programs instead of re-opening the entire federal government, and forcing House Democrats to vote against this piece-meal restoration of government so that the Republicans can use their votes in political ads in the 2014 election reeks of minority politics. Read More »

Albert Enstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” By that definition, the U.S. House Republicans in Washington have exhibited insanity. Voting 42 times to repeal Obamacare and repeatedly failing to succeed makes this past week’s vote to defund Obamacare as part of the continuing resolution to fund the federal government beyond October 1st pure political theater. Read More »

Four years and waiting. . and finally. President Obama reportedly invited a dozen Republican U.S. Senators to dinner Wednesday night at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington. You might say, “no big deal.” I say “it’s about time.” Leadership is about ideas and passion.  It’s also about persuasiveness and gathering all factions around a table and schmoozing them with your ideas, with your compelling arguments, with some carrots and sticks, and, yes, maybe even with a steak, a salad and a glass of wine thrown in for good measure. Read More »

Former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s Nominee for Secretary of Defense, took a beating from many members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee last week. Some of it was style. Hagel is always candid which can irritate his former colleagues. And, he can be abrasive and uncooperative. Schmoozing the big egos of Members of the “Senate Club” has never been Hagel’s forte. However, some of Hagel’s difficulty was also Senators settling old scores on Hegal’s up to a decade-old positions on the Iraq War and Iran policy, his failure to endorse John McCain in 2008 – and not mentioned but surely his endorsement of two Democrats (Joe Sestak and Bob Kerrey) for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and 2012, respectively, his opposition to “openly aggressively gay” James Hormel as Ambassador to Luxembourg, and his description of pro-Israel lobbying groups as the intimidating “Jewish Lobby” (a common description inside the Beltway). But, does Chuck Hagel have the foreign policy and defense knowledge, government and war experience, and management skills necessary to serve well as Secretary of Defense? Should Hagel be confirmed? Read More »

OK, Folks. Why this “softball” interview of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by Steve Kroft on “60 Minutes?” Clearly, but for the Benghazi terrorist strike and resultant tragedy, Hillary Clinton would have left the State Department with a blemish-free, exemplary four year record as Secretary of State. But, according to the independent panel, the failure of a few members of the State Department’s staff to react correctly to requests for increased embassy security in Benghazi led to the deaths of four U.S. diplomats. Read More »