Defining Dirt

Defining or finding dirt seems to be the sole pastime of politicians these days, including their supporters who fan their own appetites with the gore. Stuff and gore. Crud all.

What do we know? What do we suspect? What do we feel?

These three baselines of experiencing life are very different from one another. Knowing is based on fact. It is real. Whether the facts have meaning the finder hopes they have depends on what their expectations or suspicions were in the first place. Aha! I thought so! Look what I found. This is proof that my suspicions were well founded.

Well, maybe not. Twisting facts so they appear to support a preconceived notion is not actually fact based.

What do I suspect? Well, this depends on what your bias – or if you have a bias – is in the first place. Why are you looking into something? Is it based on what you think the person in authority did wrong? Or are you looking for the cause – effect – result  that actually developed into the fact we are living with in the present tense?

For example, a robbery takes place. One wonders what they took, how valuable it is, who sustained the loss, where did this take place and so forth. The who, what, where, when and why. This is fact finding work. The why is the last thing attempted. That’s the motive of the action under investigation.

The why is often the first thing contemplated in political discourse. It seems to me we need to reverse that thinking and aim for learning What is happening or has happened; How is the event described fully in scope and particulars; Why did it happen in the first place; and Who is involved in the occurrence. This does not begin with Who. It begins with What.

My life’s experience informs me that if an article or report begins with the Who, then the item is most likely political in nature.

American culture dotes on blame: “Who’s to blame for this happening?” “What were they thinking?” “What do they get out of it (the Why!)?” You get the idea. Politics people. Blame and shuddering.

Instead we should be focusing on what happened and what we would rather the result to have been if things were working properly. What’s the idea compared with the actual outcome? Then how do we get the next outcome to be more aligned with our idea? That’s goal driven behavior that repairs things, improves upon things.

If we learn later that a poor outcome was the result of poor performance on the job by some authority figure, then steps can and should be taken to correct that problem. If that person was motivated by personal gain and that caused the poor outcome, then the authority figure should be removed if not prosecuted in the justice system.

The Why of things ought not to be a blaming process. It should be a causal discovery so we can fix things. Do you see evidence that today’s political discourse is operated in this manner?

No. Tossing around accusations seems to be the only thing political events, stunts and ads tout these days.

In the presidential campaigns Trump claims Hillary is a liar and crook. No evidence has ever been found and prosecuted to prove these accusations. Ever. Just name calling and assertion. I guess they feel if they say it enough times then people will believe it. But belief does not rest on fact. Smoking guns? Smoke and fire? You’ve heard these canards so often you don’t even hear them anymore.

The facts tell a different story.

Trump is a womanizer, an abuser/assaulter of women, and acts on it. That is his story for decades now and there are even investigations and court cases that document it.

Hillary is not a crook or a liar. She has been investigated and sued by her enemies over and over again for over 30 years and still they haven’t found anything that sticks. It is all conjecture and bias and make believe facts that hold no water. Same for husband Bill. The enemies went after both Bill and Hillary and found nothing. Proved nothing.

I like Bill. I like Hillary. I trust both with my life. When all the acrimony and accusations have subsided, Bill and Hillary have accomplished much for everyone else. Along the way they earned money the old fashioned way – they earned it. By researching issues, writing speeches and authoring books. They have created programs on a global scale and executed them well. Millions of people have benefited all across the globe. That is their strength. That is their gift to the world community. Women’s rights, access to health care, the fight against AIDS, economic development in poor nations, the list is long and enviable of their programs and accomplishments. That’s what the Clinton Foundation does. It is not an employer or wealth generator for the Clintons.

I don’t like Trump. I don’t trust Trump. I think he is inexperienced in public policy and governance and not equipped to do the job of President. End of story. The facts support these conclusions. Not blame. Not innuendo. Not bias. Just facts. His life has been spent making financial profits at someone’s expense. Investors, tax payers and business competitors know this story well. He has not created wealth. He has abused wealth for his own benefit. And his foundation generates funds for himself, not charitable beneficiaries.

Feelings and suspicions should not run our country as they often do today. Facts should be the basis of our governance AND politics.

No wonder the youth today wonder what’s going on. They see so much crap they can only disrespect the system they are heirs to. I can only hope and pray they do a better job than we have.

October 18, 2016