Displaying 301 To 330 Of 13,190 Comments If Superdelegates Weren’t a Fraud, Could they Help the Dems Win the White House? Thanks so much, AdLib! (I’m so sorry it’s taking me a while to reply at times. We’ve been on the road on and off over the past week.) I really appreciate that affirmation. When accusations of “class warfare,” “Wealth envy” and just plain “crazy” are flying in the direction of Sanders supporters, it helps so much to see that some people do get it! Speaking of “crazy,” I just have to say that I think this is one of the best political ads ever!
» Posted By kesmarn On May 29, 2016 @ 8:50 am I think the problem arises though, Homie, when we consider that there are many people in situations in which incrementalism isn’t an option. They needed help last week, not next Tuesday. There is a degree of genuine desperation out there that I think the bureaucracies of both parties are more or less oblivious to. These people are way past settling for a 5% improvement by 2019 in their living situations. And if the Dem Party doesn’t communicate that it understands that, there are other places these people will turn to. Trump. Gary Johnson of the Libertarians (God forbid also.) And Jill Stein with the Greens. This is not a good time in history to try to sell pragmatic “progress by inches” — however practical it may be. » Posted By kesmarn On May 27, 2016 @ 4:51 pm PPO, kudos to you for being spunky enough to post the point of view of the “loyal opposition.” That’s what the Planet is really all about! My good friend in Australia (Brisbane) is also a Hillary supporter and she and I have had many a civil conversation about our differing takes on this election. So far no blood has been drawn. I would just say that (if I might presume to speak for Bernie) he doesn’t see his candidacy as a “hijacking” of the Democratic Party. I think he sees is as a restoration of the Party to its FDR roots. Its authentic self. I think it could be argued that the hijacking actually occurred in the 1990s. Rightly or wrongly, Dems felt back then that they were losing the culture wars to the GOP and the Religious Right — that the whole country was drifting to the right — and that if the Democratic Party didn’t swing right as well, it would soon be extinct. So we ended up with crackdowns on crime, oppressive welfare “reform,” and trade deals that benefited corporations much more than workers. Over time, that didn’t work out so well. Now we have a nearly-destroyed middle class and about half the population who are making $28000/year or less. This does not a happy electorate make. But the traditional system was working so well for both major parties’ bigwigs that they failed to notice that unhappy electorate. Which resulted in big surprises for both the Dems and the GOP. Surprises named Sanders and Trump — although that is definitely where the resemblance ends. Like you, I believe the odds of Bernie’s becoming the nominee are not great, but I also understand completely why he’s not dropping out. Every primary he wins, every massive (and massively enthusiastic) crowd he draws is political capital that he brings to the convention. The Dem Party is practically spring-loaded to twang back into centrism. It’s so appallingly safe. And it’s the politics that Hillary knows from the 90s. So the Party needs to be pushed, pulled, prodded and poked back to the left. Kicking and screaming if need be. Unlike some, I don’t believe that the Sanders campaign is hurting Hillary. If Bernie were running as a 3rd party candidate that would be a different story. But if she’s having trouble staying on her game now — with one person pushing her to the left and another just being a silly ass — she may not be ready for the presidency, where this would be considered a good day. And we all know she’s not that fragile. Not by a long shot. I believe Bernie will do the right thing — the thing he promised at the beginning — when the time comes. (Including not running as an Independent.) But the time isn’t here just yet. Donkeys are noted for their stubbornness. » Posted By kesmarn On May 27, 2016 @ 12:39 pm I’m with you in hoping that the whole superdelegate situation becomes ancient history after the Dem 2016 Convention, AdLib. My son is in town these days, and this gives me a window into the way the millennials think about political issues. (He’s been in grad school in Madison, WI the past few years.) He fills me in on what he and the students he teaches think about this year’s campaign and American politics in general. What I’m hearing is that party loyalty with these kids is considered to be somewhere between being a dark-humored joke and utterly incomprehensible. Most of them have been Sanders supporters and when they look at DWS and the Democratic Party, the last thing they feel is respect, admiration and/or loyalty. They’re stunned that a system that seems to have been the dream design for getting Clinton elected is supposed to make sense to them. And that after the way their candidate has been treated, they’re now expected to fall in line and support/contribute to her campaign. The superdelegates are a major reason that many of them say they’ll never identify with the Democratic Party. After this election season, they’re done. I think DWS and her cohorts have been “too clever by half” in winning the battle for Hillary’s nomination. They’ll likely succeed there. But they may find that they’ve lost the war. And they may have lost a whole generation of younger voters. Possibly forever. » Posted By kesmarn On May 26, 2016 @ 4:11 pm Trump Picks Darkseid, Destroyer of Worlds, As VP – GOP Support Stays Solid AdLib, terrific article. Today the closest thing to real life comic book characters we have in America would probably be “professional” wrestlers. (If you don’t count politicians, that is.) Today my son sent me links to a couple of YouTube videos in which Trump was playing the character that he has played in the WWE for a while now. (Not that my son is a Trump fan! He has been for Bernie since day one.) Honestly — there was no difference between the cartoon image he presented there and the persona he adopted for the GOP debates! His “truth” is really even stranger than his fiction. And that’s pretty scary…
» Posted By kesmarn On May 12, 2016 @ 6:29 pm MSNBC Hires Toddler to Oversee Programming There are days when I’m so glad I got rid of cable, AdLib! And this reminds me of why. Thanks so much for a perfect analogy for what’s going on in the business of corporate-controlled news. About a week ago, armed gunmen killed 140 people in a massacre in Ethiopia. Even without cable, I was able to get the impression that this awful event was going almost entirely unreported. If this had happened in Rome or London, what would have been the reaction? Meanwhile the latest insult-swap between Lyin’ Ted and The Donald will be analyzed ad nauseam. It really does seem like the 4 year olds are running the show in cable news now. In fact, the average pre-school class probably has a better grasp on the concept of fairness than 90% of the management at CNN or MSNBC. And the use of the “Breaking News” crawl is so overdone that Kim Jong-un could drop a bomb on a nuclear power plant in Kansas and everyone would just yawn and go back to sleep at the sight of that “This Just In” banner rolling across the screen. “The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf Blitzer,” anyone? » Posted By kesmarn On April 25, 2016 @ 7:48 pm Nobody Wants To Be The Bad Guy – Political Conversation In The 21st Century Oh believe me, Homie, I would never say that all Trump’s supporters are decent but desperate low income folks. Some of them are not-even-in-the-closet racists and xenophobes. But I do think there’s also a “persuadable” element there that might be worth reaching out to. » Posted By kesmarn On April 20, 2016 @ 8:20 am AdLib, I love the way you worded that comment on Trump supporters: …ears plugged up with denial and rationalizing away Trump’s horrible statements (“I don’t think he really means it!”) to give themselves permission to support a toxic candidate because they see him as voicing their frustration. So are they bad people deserving of attacks? No, I don’t think so. They do frustrate me because I think it is self-destructive to be co-dependent like that towards an egomaniac but they aren’t doing it out of hatred. And I think you’re absolutely right in saying that Bernie’s brand of Progressivism isn’t going to go away after November. Recently the NY Times published this article — which I have the almighty nerve to think is completely wrong! No. I don’t think Trumpism and Clintonism are the future. Quite the opposite. I think there’s a fairly strong possibility she’ll be a one-termer. I think the Democratic Party may already have lost a generation of young voters. I think 1990s style politics is in terminal condition. And I think what may come after Hillary is a loss of the center — altogether. And a split between Socialist/Green Party younger voters and Trumpish/Corporatist older voters. But then… my crystal ball may be in need of a reboot… We shall see! » Posted By kesmarn On April 19, 2016 @ 6:42 pm Hey, Homie! Oh have I been there too. I have also been the one who resorted to snark and sarcasm when I sensed that the person on the other end of the conversation was a troll. I was mortified a while ago when someone filled me in on the fact that the person I thought was a middle-aged Bundy-type Libertarian jerk who was trying to bait me into an argument was actually just an 18 year old kid whose parents were going through a divorce. Ouch! I felt terrible. I had really pulled out the sarcasm guns and was clobbering him, then I felt about 1″ tall when I learned the truth of the situation. By then he was already gone, so I didn’t get a chance to apologize to him. Which I most certainly would have done. I think that was the beginning of my feeling that I might need to rethink the tone of my rhetoric this campaign season. I think I can get where the “Never Hillary” people are coming from. They’re really at the absolute end of their ropes and they see her as being centrist — which they feel they’ve had enough of. But as undesirable as centrism is — it’s better that RW extremism. I also voted for Bernie in the Ohio primary and would be thrilled if he became the candidate. But the numbers are not especially encouraging at this point. (Haven’t abandoned all hope, though.) And I feel that I’m very likely to vote for her in the general. The only other scenario I could envision might be if she were — say — thirty points ahead of Trump (or whoever) in the polls. That might give me the lee-way to do a “conscience vote” for Jill Stein of the Green Party. Her values line up with mine much more than Hillary’s do. But if the race is even remotely close I wouldn’t take that chance. I’m not at all impressed with Hillary’s close ties to AIPAC, and little tricks like stating that VT is the gun supplier for NYC’s gang guns do not endear her to me in the least. She was also very, very late to the dance when it came to LGBT rights. However. She is not crazy Inquisitor Cruz who wants to “abolish the IRS and made the sand glow in the Middle East.” Nor is she “Kill the Families of the Terrorists” Trump. The man who never met a water-boarder he didn’t love. Now we’ll just have to wait and see what sorts of flattery and bribes the DNC offers us Bernie supporters as November draws nearer! Are ya holding your breath? 😀 » Posted By kesmarn On April 19, 2016 @ 6:03 pm AdLib, I like your comment so much more than I do my own post! It’s so eloquent and well-thought out. Thanks very much. I agree that when you’re dealing with a person sans conscience, no amount of good will can break through the psychopathy. Trump is that sort of person I think. And he’s a lost cause at this point. Oddly, though, I don’t think all of his followers are. Granted, some of them are just straight-up racists who love the way his rhetoric seems to give them permission to let their KKK inner-self burst forth in public — without their having to don the inconvenient, sweaty and itchy white sheet and pointy hat. But I think what may be overlooked is that there’s also a subset who are “regular people” who have been pushed to desperation by huge global changes that they can’t control and don’t really understand. They’re poor, not college-educated and they’re angry (because anger is almost always rooted in terror and they’re terrified). Many have lost jobs and homes and have fallen off the middle class cliff. They feel like objects of ridicule (and in many cases they’re not wrong — I plead guilty to having made fun of Trumpistas myself) and contempt. Which only serves to make them angrier. I wonder if this might be the subset that is still reachable. If I recall correctly, the Planet’s own choicelady once commented that the Democratic Party made a huge mistake when it distanced itself from (and felt very superior to) white working class voters in the 1970s. I think the sons and daughters of auto-workers in Michigan or coal miners in West Virginia and not too stupid to know when they’re being mocked. After all, the internet exists even in flyover country. Trump’s (admittedly waning) appeal was based on the fact that — if nothing else — he took them seriously. He gave them a whole Pandora’s box of wrong solutions to their problems — but at least he recognized that they were having problems. These people are winnable yet! I think if we really, truly hear them. Hear their stories and show them a little respect — for the first time in a while — they can open their minds to alternatives to Trump. I love your sentence: “It’s better to be right than righteous.” Even though the word “humility” is out of date and misunderstood in the 21st century, that’s what it might take to pull back from short-sighted Tea Party tactics and rhetoric. I suspect that — for the Democratic Party — the alternative is extinction within another generation or two. » Posted By kesmarn On April 19, 2016 @ 8:47 am agrippa, I’m with you in that there has been too little thought given to “what happens next.” No matter who takes the nomination for the Dem Party (well — the GOP too), that person is going to need the votes of the former opponent’s supporters! There’s a difference between an opponent and an enemy, and extreme partisans forget that to their own peril, I think. » Posted By kesmarn On April 19, 2016 @ 7:07 am Thanks so much for those kind words, Nirek! I read an article from an objective source (I think it might have been Politifact) that gave “3 Pinocchios” to the claim that VT was was a “gun-running” state. The Feds have a tracking system for guns and they keep records on which state supplies which guns that have been used in the commission of crimes. I think VT ranked #49 in the nation for being the source of crime guns!! So — yes — that statement was totally false. That did not set well with me either. » Posted By kesmarn On April 19, 2016 @ 7:03 am Thanks so much for the kind words, Kalima! I guess what struck me about this situation is that it rang a bell. I’ve been part of a non-violence committee for about a year now. And one of the things they emphasize is that words can be used in violent ways. And can be as painful as physical blows. But more recently this committee has been mentioning that it’s one thing to put an end to an episode of violence. It’s another to have the last part of the interaction be — reconciliation. To have reconciliation be the final step is part of what they refer to as “Kingian Non-violence.” (Drawn from the writings/philosophy of MLK.) When that actually happened in “real life,” I was impressed and — frankly — surprised. “Hey, this stuff works!” 😀 I guess those Gandhi and King guys were on to something! » Posted By kesmarn On April 18, 2016 @ 6:36 pm Bill Cosby to Host Fundraiser for Donald Trump Wonderful, AdLib! And I know that you’ve mentioned how often the far right tends to take your parodies and turn them into real life — or something waaay beyond real life. And they’ve done it again! Not only is Trump declaring that men should not be punished for assaulting women, he’s now saying that it’s the women who need “punishment”! Yes. Women who have gotten abortions “should be punished.” How? He doesn’t know for sure. Is there a statute of limitations? We haven’t heard yet. (Look out, ladies in nursing homes! The Abortion Inquisition may be coming to a bingo game near you to do some interrogation.) You have to wonder what the punishment will be. Stoning, perhaps? To show our superiority to those Muslims that he wants to ban from the country? A little time in the stocks? A scarlet letter? One thing we can bet on for sure though: no male who refused to use a condom will be “punished.” After all, irresponsible sex is a 1st Amendment right — for men. (Or would that be 2nd Amendment in Trump’s case? Given his unfortunate tendency to go off half-cocked.) It’s all about “freedoms.” But not for the little ladies. They should take their cue from Melania. Smile and stare at Donald in adoring silence. Otherwise…. there may be “punishment…” 🙁 » Posted By kesmarn On March 30, 2016 @ 6:37 pm Donald Trump Accidentally Beats Himself Up At Rally Wow…Trump is actually — for once — telling the truth when he says that Cruz is the biggest liar of all time! » Posted By kesmarn On March 22, 2016 @ 6:26 pm AdLib, here’s another guy who completely agrees with you! Ben Carson insists that there are two (at least) Donald Trumps. And The Donald both agrees with him and disagrees with him at the same time:
» Posted By kesmarn On March 18, 2016 @ 10:31 am Election Night Thread – Super Tuesday III – 3-15-2016 monica and friends, as you probably know I was working the polls in Ohio yesterday (6 a.m. to 10 p.m. this time), so I’m even later to the party than usual. Kasich’s win was pretty nauseating, I agree. But at least Ohio chose him over Trump — which is a very small consolation, but still better than having this state hopping on the Bigotry Bandwagon staffed by clowns. A tough road ahead for Bernie, and a heartbreaker in MO. But he has gained some delegates. I have to say that my opinion of Hillary has declined so drastically over the last few weeks (hard to believe I was ever pretty much neutral about her), that I find it hard to resist hoping that she just makes some major gaffe or blunder that knocks her out of the running. When she accused Bernie of opposing the auto bailout and being a Koch-puppet, that was the last straw. I can handle almost anything but a straight-up liar and to suggest that Sanders hates auto workers and loves billionaire bullies puts her pretty much in that department imho. At least the turnout was good in Ohio and we had a lot of first time — including 17 year old — voters. Always heartening to see that. (And today was recovery day. Blast those $#@%@& heavy Diebold voting machines.) » Posted By kesmarn On March 16, 2016 @ 7:00 pm The Clueless GOP Pours Romney Gas on the Trump Fire AdLib, some well-known people must have been reading your posts again because this same topic came up on the PBS NewsHour and some of the same comments were made. It was (I think) Stephen Moore who said that Romney only succeeded in insulting a lot of GOP voters by referring to them as “suckers” and to their candidate as “a fraud.” (As if Romney would know a fraud if it rode down to their back door in a car elevator.) He insisted that every word Romney spoke today will come back to haunt the GOP in November. I agree with your take that it’s unlikely that Trump supporters are simply going to fall in line behind a GOP establishment candidate if the establishment does succeed in knocking Trump out of the running at (or before) the convention. Why would they? I wonder if there’s a similar (but less intense) dynamic going on on the Dem side as well, though. The Dem establishment has its own version of Romney-like nay-sayers when it comes to Bernie Sanders’ candidacy. I know that Madeleine Albright and Gloria Steinem have both apologized for their remarks, but it’s hard to erase the sting (for a Bernie supporter like me) of being called — in effect — a boy-chasing, hell-bound traitor to my sex who is too dim-witted and math impaired to be able to calculate the number of super-delegates needed to win the nomination. I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve been told to “give it up,” “get over it,” “be pragmatic,” and to recognize when I’m licked. One ardent Hillary supporter posted — the day after Super Tuesday — a graphic of a militant Hillary in body-armor, wielding a flame thrower, saying “FEEL THE BURN!?” Call me childish, but those words and those types of images make me less inclined to vote for Hillary that I ever would have believed I could be. It isn’t that I’m a grudge-holder (hope not, anyway), it’s just the persistent sense that the Dem establishment and Hillary refuse to take seriously the point of view of Bernie’s supporters. A lot of people backing Bernie are young people (or not so young people) is circumstances that — without exaggerating — could be called desperate. When Hillarites react with mockery, sneering condescension, or insults to that desperation, it only fuels the rage. Just as Romney’s statements today are likely to do with Trump’s (much less decent and intelligent, if I do say so) followers. The Planet’s own ChoiceLady has said: “Poor people are not just going to roll over and die.” And she has also lamented the way that the Democratic Party — in many ways — turned its back on non-college educated laborers in the 1960s (even mocking them), losing them (even though they might have been union members) to the GOP for generations. I think the same could apply now. Hillary supporters are going on the assumption that Bernie people will automatically move to her camp, should Bernie lose to her. I wouldn’t be too sure of that. I think it’s wise to do whatever it takes to keep Trump from the Presidency, but I’m not sure how much snideness and condescension other Bernie people are going to tolerate before they say: “Screw it. I’m voting Green and Dr. Jill Stein.” I’ve considered that myself. Of course, if the election looks to be very close between Hillary and Trump (or whoever) I wouldn’t throw away my vote on even a worthwhile 3rd party candidate. But if it looks as though it’s going to be a total Hillary blowout, I’d be strongly inclined to deny my vote to the camp that has — frankly — done nothing but ridicule and insult me for most of this campaign season. “Paging Dr. Stein…”? » Posted By kesmarn On March 3, 2016 @ 4:59 pm Election Day Thread – GOP SC Primary and Dem NV Caucus – 2-20-2016 It just occurs to me that we’ve heard Clarence Thomas and Melania Trump speak. On the same day. Remember February 20, 2016. » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 7:19 pm He could give Fidel Castro a run for the money…! » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 7:14 pm I’ve heard this too, monica. It needs to be looked into. There were some questionable activities in Iowa too. » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 7:13 pm His “low battery” warning is going to go off any minute. » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 7:10 pm Joe Biden thinks that’s the way things will play out, AdLib. » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 6:54 pm You’d almost think he’d won, wouldn’t you Monica? 😀 » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 6:48 pm I was talking over the GOP prospects with a really partisan GOPer, and he was saying that the GOP has done nothing but win seats in Congress and governorships recently, and that this would extend to the Presidency in November. When I said: “Good luck with candidate Trump,” he completely disappeared. Vanished. LOL! » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 6:40 pm I’m sticking with Bernie too. He did very well today. Nothing to be ashamed of there in the least. » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 6:31 pm March 15 is the primary here, AdLib. Then it’s probably (I hope) “Adios, Kasich!” » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 6:29 pm Rubio-Roboto delivering yet another of his canned, memorized speeches. No need for the networks to replay it at 11 p.m. » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 6:21 pm Heh… I just realized everyone is over here! So Jeb! can go back to running his fantasy football league now — the thing that was always his first love. Is the Trumpster stoppable? » Posted By kesmarn On February 20, 2016 @ 6:10 pm Election Day Thread – The 2016 New Hampshire Primary Let us know right before you do that, AdLib, so we can all make a few bets before you make your predictions public. » Posted By kesmarn On February 11, 2016 @ 5:48 pmComments Posted By kesmarn
He can deliver it word-for-word all over again then.
And at 2 a.m.
And on Meet the Press at 9 a.m….
«« Back To Stats Page
Home Stats