Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

The revolution will be supervised.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

The willow is too close to the house.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Second rate reporter says what?

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2016 / Thursday Evening Open Thread: Elections Have Consequences

Reader Interactions

145Comments

  5. 5.

    JPL

    Well I just sent an email to Isakson asking him not to take any votes until the next election, since he thinks Obama shouldn’t nominate a justice.

  7. 7.

    Corner Stone

    I hate the way he hunches his shoulders up and his disgusting face down when he’s delivering some stupid fucking thing he thinks is smart. I also hate the way he does that little heel rise when he’s being his asshole self and rocks down and slightly back as he makes his assholish point.

  8. 8.

    lamh36

    So Donald Trump decides to call the Pope “disgraceful”…welp…guess we’ll see if this does anything for his number…doubt it though

  11. 11.

    Trentrunner

    I cried twice today at political stuff: The Hillary ad above, and Kasich’s hug to the very sad young man who’d lost so much.

    Empathy: It’s what’s for dinner.

  12. 12.

    Betty Cracker

    I’ve spent most of the day dealing with a fucked up laptop, trying to isolate whatever application is causing it to periodically shit the bed. Sometimes I think we’d be better off if we’d stuck to quills, scrolls and carrier pigeons.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    @lamh36: I wonder if the parties will ever get to the point of closing their primaries again to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

  14. 14.

    jl

    Cruz shows an alarming deference to laws and customs of other countries in that video. Who is ‘One World Government’ Ted Cruz, really and anyway?

    Nice to have Cruz on the record saying that there is no reason the US should do anything other than what some random other country would do.

  15. 15.

    jg

    Oh Canada Ted,
    Other countries around the world have single payer/Univ healthcare. And we dont. So does that mean we should do what the rest of the world does? Replace healthcare with guns, secondary education, family leave. Same answer.

    Pompous fckstick.

    To add to jl comment.

  21. 21.

    Davebo

    @lamh36: Miranda Hoover needs to go back and take English 101 again.

    “I am hopeful that the loophole will be fixed in 2020 and while I will neither endorse nor demean the act of Republicans taking part in both caucuses, but it is important for this issue to be recognized”

    Reminds me of someone.

    I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, uh, people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future. For our children.

  22. 22.

    Baud

    @lamh36: Yeah, I’m not sure how that’s all that different from what the Clintons got in trouble for in 2008 when they lost South Carolina.

  23. 23.

    boatboy_srq

    I really want to know where idjits like Cruz think their domestic staff, field laborers, groundskeepers, food servicepeople, construction workers, physicians, information technology professionals et al will come from if all the deportations happen like they think. They obviously haven’t learned from Nathan Deal and the Great Lost Georgian Crop of 2011. Also, where do they think the staff and budget for all ICE will come from: it’s not as if DHS is remotely capable of immediately deporting everyone not in the US legally.

    Sure makes you wonder what he’d say if we offered to ship him back to Canada Cuba.

  24. 24.

    JPL

    @lamh36: Well that’s not good. In other words, holy shit. The Clintons have always tried to raise the income of the lower and middle class.

  25. 25.

    Ksmiami

    OK – JUST CHIMING IN CAUSE MY DAUGHTER IS IN SCHOOL in the five college valley and there are armed gunmen at UMASS – whole school on lockdown. Eff gun rights. I’m done with any candidate that has supported this nonsense…

  28. 28.

    eemom

    I don’t care how much support Cruz has among republitards — I can’t believe he wouldn’t be smashed in a general election no matter who the Dem candidate is. He is a viscerally repugnant human being.

  29. 29.

    Ohio Mom

    @Trentrunner:
    Hillary ad made me cry too. She said all the right things.

    Did not see the Kasich ad but assuming it would make me nauseous. Please don’t fall for him. He is the only one who can beat Hillary. Yes, he is a dark horse but sometimes those steeds come from behind. He will be the third term of GW. I’m living through him being my governor and that’s enough, thank you.

    As for Cruz, Who would Jesus deport?

  30. 30.

    JPL

    @Baud: I think that was different.. Bill thought he was owed and that voting for Obama because he was black, ignored his accomplishments. imo It probably lost the election for Hillary though. I had heard the President speak at GA Tech earlier, so I was already sold.

  31. 31.

    lamh36

    @Mike J:
    Right, I mean she worked for him…she was a part of his admin, so maybe, just maybe, she’s cozying up cause how can she not?

  36. 36.

    debbie

    @Ohio Mom:

    Even if he is the GOP candidate, Kasich won’t win. The RWNJs hate him — they might be forced to start a third party. Stop worrying.

  37. 37.

    lamh36

    @Baud:

    Right, there is “SOME” air between Bernie’s BET interview and the Bill C’s SC ’08 bullshit…but let’s we forget, I mean folks STILL haven’t forgotten that

    How does this help him in SC or other states with a large Black votes…smh..

    I’m not enthused by either candidate, but damn it dude and his “dudebros” are just exhausting…and I find myself actually defending HRC more than I even care to..smh

  38. 38.

    singfoom

    @Ohio Mom: Jesus wouldn’t deport anyone, but American Christianity(TM) doesn’t truck with Jesus, but with MACHO JESUS.

    MACHO JESUS hates the poor and would throw them to the lions. MACHO JESUS will deport everyone, even citizens if they believe in that non macho Jesus.

  39. 39.

    Baud

    @JPL: If Bernie had said that Hillary is cozying up to Obama to win support from Democratic voters, I would agree. I don’t know why he singled out AA voters as particularly amenable to a “cozying up” strategy. Are non-AA voters supposed to be more politically savvy?

  41. 41.

    aimai

    @Ksmiami: Oh, fuck. My daughter is in Northampton.

    That being said–I’m for HRC. Grandma power all the way. I am so god damned ready for her to be president its not even funny.

  42. 42.

    ruemara

    @lamh36: hey, why do you want Sanders to “pander” by discussing black stuff instead of focusing on the real issues, breaking up the big banks which would not have prevented the crisis anyway but whatever, rich = evil.

    Also, free Mumia/Snowden!

    Now, what watch me tweet crap about Shillary, then decry the extreme rhetoric between liberal camps while saying we need to focus on the real enemy. /shade

    It has been an extremely silly day on the liberal wonkernet.

  44. 44.

    Mary G

    After nearly 18 months of remission from my RA, it has come roaring back with a vengeance. My CRP test, where 1-3 is normal, and anything over 10 gives a higher risk of heart attack, is at 60. Monday I am scheduled for a Rituxin IV, keep your fingers crossed for a good result. All the other biologic drugs have stopped working for me.

  45. 45.

    Betty Cracker

    @Ksmiami: Damn, I hope she is okay. I know that feeling; my kid texts me every time her school gets put on lockdown — has happened multiple times over the years. There’s not a more helpless feeling in the world. So far, it has always turned out to be okay. I hope for a similar outcome for you. And yeah, fuck ammosexuals laterally with a dozen oxidized farm implements.

  46. 46.

    Frankensteinbeck

    That Hillary video is beautiful, and I hope the little girl did feel better and Hillary was able to help her family specifically. I feel a little dirty introducing politics, but Trump will probably be the Republican nominee, and all reports suggest the Hispanic community(s) knows how much he hates them, and will vote against him much more actively than other Republicans. It will certainly help to have a candidate that will return the favor and care about their issues.

    And it helps ME to be reminded occasionally that the candidate I favor isn’t just competent, she gives a damn about people.

  47. 47.

    singfoom

    @lamh36: I’m curious, I read the tweet but haven’t watched the full interview. I don’t see anything horrible about what Sanders said in the tweet quote.

    I also don’t think HRCs “cozying” up to the president is anything wrong either, so….seems like a tempest in a teapot?

  48. 48.

    Brachiator

    @boatboy_srq:

    I really want to know where idjits like Cruz think their domestic staff, field laborers, groundskeepers, food servicepeople, construction workers, physicians, information technology professionals et al will come from if all the deportations happen like they think.

    Cruz is just trying to be tough as Trump. And unfortunately, it is not winning strategy to suggest that we need illegal immigrants to do these jobs. The reply will be that illegal immigrants not only steal jobs from Americans, but also that they keep wages low.

    The yahoos are too angry to consider compassion or even reality (nobody is going to round up millions of illegal immigrants so that they can be deported). But anger also means that the most rabid Trump and Cruz supporters don’t have to listen to anyone.

  51. 51.

    lamh36

    @Baud: I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was asked a direct question by BET, but still…THAT the answer he came up with…

  55. 55.

    Ksmiami

    @JPL: We can have GUNS GUNS GUNS or we can have a free society with law enforcement, but not both. If kids can’t be educated without fear of death, we no longer live in a civilized society.

  57. 57.

    MomSense

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    That video is beautiful. It demonstrates exactly the kind of care and concern we should all feel for children who look to us for compassion and wisdom. I’m so beyond disgusted by all the fear, hate, anger, and resentment that too many politicians are peddling for their own gain. Enough.

  59. 59.

    MomSense

    @Baud:

    We are all dancing around the reality of Bernie Sanders and his reticence when it comes to issues of race and gender. I’m not extending the benefit of the doubt. He should know better by now.

  61. 61.

    SiubhanDuinne, Annoying Scoundrel

    @Ksmiami:

    Oh fuck, that’s terrible. Keep us posted, please. And may we hear from Schrödinger’s Cat? Too many of these things are coming too close to home (by which I mean people I care about).

  62. 62.

    ruemara

    @Mary G: I’m gonna send you all the good health vibes I can conjure. I hope they find something that works for you. Let us know if there’s anything you need.

    @singfoom: No, it’s not.

  64. 64.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @singfoom: I also don’t think HRCs “cozying” up to the president is anything wrong either, so….seems like a tempest in a teapot?

    To me, it’s because of the history of Sanders calling for a primary challenger, at one point talking about being that primary challenger, in 2012.

  65. 65.

    Baud

    @MomSense: I think context matters. For instance, if that was his response to being asked, “How are you doing today?”, I think the response would be much more offensive.

  66. 66.

    Archon

    @Baud:

    It’s the, “of course Obama is popular with blacks” argument. Obviously Bernie didn’t say it out of a place of malice like right-wingers, but it’s still an offensive comment.

  68. 68.

    MomSense

    @Baud:
    The problem is that he and his surrogates have been running against Democrats and the President consistently this whole campaign. He also uses cozying to refer to Wall Street. It’s not helpful to our chances in November to run against the DNC the way he has.

  70. 70.

    JPL

    @Ksmiami: Keep posting.. that might help. My son had just graduated at seventeen from high school and was near the bombing at the Atlanta Olympics. He was working. Anyway it was before cell phones and it was awful for me until I heard from him. Pace and post.

  71. 71.

    singfoom

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I guess that’s history for people to be angry about if they want to be, I just don’t see any problem with the words in the tweet.

    I have enormous respect for the President. He’s a friend. We have worked together. But you know what? Like any other human being, he is wrong on certain issues.

    Seems pretty mild to me. But people remember things that piss them off..

  72. 72.

    SiubhanDuinne, Annoying Scoundrel

    @Mary G:

    Oh Lordy, that’s rough. Hope the new med protocol takes care of things and you are feeling better very soon.

  74. 74.

    patrick II

    @singfoom:

    The Clinton’s are very aware of Al Gore’s running away from Bill Clinton in ’00 election. Bill had his problems, but they were personal. His policies, while too blue dog for me, were generally successful, especially economic policies, and were something Al Gore could have built on. Instead, he lost to Bush. Hillary does not want to make the same mistake.

  75. 75.

    Brent

    @lamh36:

    Perhaps inartfully stated but I think his point, that he has a lot of respect for the President, but also some criticisms, is not a bad one. His point about Hillary is that her embrace of Obama is driven more from political calculation than any genuine appreciation for his policy. This may be right or wrong but either way, it strikes me as pretty fair in the realm of typical political rhetoric.

    I am black and from Nevada and plan to caucus for Hillary in a couple days but Bernie’s comment really doesn’t seem troubling to me at all.

  76. 76.

    Brachiator

    @MomSense:

    We are all dancing around the reality of Bernie Sanders and his reticence when it comes to issues of race and gender.

    Reticence on race? I’m not sure about that. Even BET noted:

    Numerous times just in the past year Bernie Sanders has met with black leaders to hear their solutions for improving conditions in their communities. In December, Sanders met with a plethora of black leaders in Baltimore behind closed doors, including Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant and Rev. Donté L. Hickman who both were heavily influential in the city after Freddie Gray’s death. He’s also spent a lot of time with Ohio Senator Nina Turner, Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison and Dr. Cornel West who’ve already pledged their allegiance to him and even helped him campaign.

    Perhaps most interesting was Bernie Sanders’ visits to numerous HBCUs and previous support for a shift in Pell grant funding from a focus largely on predominately white state or private institutions to HBCUs, who don’t see as much in scholarship funding from federal programs.

    I’ve got problems with Sanders seeking support from Cornel West, but I don’t think this has anything to do with reticence, and more to do with Sanders’ insistence on sticking to to his economic determinism comfort zone.

    I’m not sure how a supposed reticence with respect to gender squares with the support that Sanders is getting from younger women.

  78. 78.

    Archon

    @singfoom:

    If that’s all he said that would have been fine, especially since he’s says that all the time, but the first part of the quote (which you omitted) implies that blacks are too caught up in racial identity to see Obama’s mistakes and Hillary is exploiting that.

  81. 81.

    lamh36

    @gdebenedetti 2m2 minutes ago Paradise, NV
    Confirmed: in a significant move, SC’s own @Clyburn will endorse @HillaryClinton tomorrow, 8 days out from his state’s primary.

  82. 82.

    gwangung

    Sanders’ comment is puzzling given the decades of involvement of the Clintons with the black community. Trying to paint her as a Jonni come lately may work for the novices, but nit for those who have deep knowledge.

  83. 83.

    Mike in NC

    It was recently reported there could soon be about 100 flights per day from the US to Cuba. I’m willing to chip in to buy Cruz a one-way ticket.

  84. 84.

    lamh36

    @Brachiator:

    Hmm…over the past year since he started running for President. So, he may be doing different type of “pandering” than HRC, but pandering it still, is.

  85. 85.

    singfoom

    @Archon: Yeah, I don’t agree with the implication. Here’s the part of the quote I omitted earlier:

    You know, Hillary Clinton now is trying to embrace the President as closely– as she possibly can. Everything the President does is wonderful. She loves the President, he loves her and all that stuff. And we know what that’s about. That’s trying to– win support fro the African American community where the President is enormously popular.

    You said

    but the first part of the quote (which you omitted) implies that blacks are too caught up in racial identity to see Obama’s mistakes and Hillary is exploiting that.

    I disagree that he’s implying they’re blinded by racial identity, just that he’s popular which is true. Your mileage may vary.

    Cheers.

  87. 87.

    lamh36

    @Brent: here’s the thing…I’m not saying it “offends” me as a Black person, I’m not reading it that “deep”… In fact, it doesn’t “offend” me at all, but that answer makes no sense, as a reasoning, because even prior to PBO the Clintons have a connection to Black voters but as I said, Blacks are a large important voting block for ANY Dem candidate…and a Dem candidate should want and court their votes…they are both doing so, but in different was.

    Bernie can’t “cozy” up to PBO, not in his nature, but also, he is on record saying how he planned to primary PBO in ’12. So he can’t “cozy” up to PBO without folks eye rolling…

  88. 88.

    lamh36

    @MomSense: yeah, I just saw that…but of course…I didn’t comment on Killer Mike and I won’t really, but my reaction to Killer Mike’s comments were…”oh you mean to tell me, some random rapper isn’t the best surrogate”

    I’m shocked, shocked I tell ya

  89. 89.

    Roger Moore

    @Baud:

    I don’t know why he singled out AA voters as particularly amenable to a “cozying up” strategy.

    I don’t know. What could it possibly be about Obama that would make somebody think cozying up to him would help with black voters?

  92. 92.

    boatboy_srq

    @Brachiator: Agreed that “needing” illegal labor isn’t a winning argument. But (again) there have been attempts to remove the undocumented labor pool from the job equation, and they haven’t ended well: Georgia is just one example of a market segment shot to H3LL because the segment could not find enough legal labor to fill the need.

    The problem here is that all these magical high-paying jobs assume two things: 1) a sufficiently educated workforce and 2) a supplemental workforce willing to do the less-magical lower-paying jobs that go unfilled when the existing labor market skills up. Education has been the Right’s whipping boy for decades, so we can’t expect much on the first assumption. For the second, the Teahad isn’t prepared to improve the minimum wage or make working while raising a family remotely comfortable, and they’re determined to keep Those People from getting anything like a worthwhile job (that kind of employment is their Just Due after all). So my question stands: where do they expect to get all the workers for the jobs they no longer want, for work that is still necessary, and for which they’re not prepared to pay anything meaningful or allocate resources for childcare/eldeercare/etc to assist? Are they volunteering to pick vegetables, or clean hotel rooms, or prune shrubbery or any of the thousand jobs that still need doing in the modern economy? (No? Thought not,…)

    Flipside to this: skilled labor isn’t cheap, and businesses wooed by Reichwing tax breaks aren’t especially grateful long term. Indy is reeling from Carrier’s recent announcement that their plants there are being moved to Mexico. This means a loss of 2000-plus jobs – including some Indiana persuaded Carrier to relocate to Indy with tax incentives and other accommodation. And the new plants in MX will pay workers at most a third of what their US counterparts make. Whining over “jobs” is a Reichwing meme, but they say nothing about how few jobs their policies bring will actually last. Every time you hear some Teahadi recite the “jobs, jobs, jobs” cantrip, remember that those “jobs” are smokescreen for giving some favorite business tax dollars to do just whatever the fvck it pleases – so even if better-paying jobs are immediately on offer through new policies, there’s no certainty whatever that those will translate to higher standards of living or a career.

  93. 93.

    boatboy_srq

    @Ksmiami: Wow. Hope all turns out well. Where did all these school “incidents” come from? Twelve years in US schools, and 6 consulting to multiple school districts and I can’t remember anything like this.

  94. 94.

    Smiling Mortician

    @MomSense: Case in point: Robert Reich has been posting multiple FB videos every day in support of Bernie. Yesterday, he put one up about The Choice that Democrats face. He ends by saying that if you believe in our tired old system of government, vote for Hillary. If you wanna tear the whole thing down and start over, vote for Bernie. And I just keep thinking, and then what? Who’s gonna work with you? Within what system?

  95. 95.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Charlie Pierce is watching the Katich campaign:

    He’s just as far to the right as most of his party is; he’s still signed onto the Balanced Budget Amendment, aka The Worst Idea In American Politics, and he’s still devoted to the notion of devolving federal programs back to the kind ministrations of people like Rick Snyder and Scott Walker. But he’s not tempted to be rabid, not even a little. That’s getting him noticed. The phonies from the No Labels puppet show were all over his rally. “No Labels,” grumped a Kasich adviser. “Goddamn leeches.” I give the Kasich campaign many points for that.

    I could almost give Katich credit for that, but then there’s all the stuff Pierce mentions, and Katich is, AFAIK, still a devotee of trickle-down tax cuts, a union buster and a hard core “pro-lifer”. And the hug story notwithstanding, I think he’s just kind of a jerk.
    I saw some SoCaro voters being interviewed on MSNBC, one Katich supporter had to be reminded of his name, and another pronounced it “Kasishe”. Like wordpress, people don’t quite know who he is.

  97. 97.

    Brachiator

    @lamh36:

    Hmm…over the past year since he started running for President. So, he may be doing different type of “pandering” than HRC, but pandering it still, is.

    Politics is about pandering. It’s about whether you do it with style or you look rank and cynical.

    In Southern California, there are politicians who regularly deal with the black community. There are other politicians who show up at the black church on Adams a week before election day and say “vote for me.” People know who is who.

    And let’s be blunt. HRC has generally had good relations with the black community. But in 2008 she presumed incorrectly that the good will that people felt toward Bill automatically accrued in full toward her as well. And on top of everything, Bill got snippy. Big mistake.

    Sanders is neither hostile nor indifferent towards people of color. This in itself counts for a lot. He may not always say things the way that people would like them said, but this is not the same thing as being a hypocrite or uncaring. And this gives Sanders some room to move to reach out towards black people and other groups.

  98. 98.

    boatboy_srq

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: The think about Kasich is that he’s the kind of old-school GOPer who could be elected, believing and desiring all those things, but still govern with some remote semblance of responsibility and tolerance of the opposition. The GOP hasn’t valued that approach for at least the last seven years. I wouldn’t be the least sanguine with a Kasich pResidency, but I wouldn’t be scared quite as sh!tless as I would be of any of the rest of the pool.

  99. 99.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Smiling Mortician: If you wanna tear the whole thing down and start over, vote for Bernie.

    so… Reich is proposing a new Constitutional Convention? I’m on board for remodeling the Senate, open to other ideas. Is that the new Sanders campaign, or is Reich going rogue?

  101. 101.

    gwangung

    @Brachiator:

    He may not always say things the way that people would like them said, but this is not the same thing as being a hypocrite or uncaring. And this gives Sanders some room to move to reach out towards black people and other groups.

    I’m not that convinced that he’s that interested in doing so; he’d be glad if they came to him on his terms, but I don’t think that he feels the need to customize his message to fit the concerns of blacks and other people of color.

  103. 103.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @boatboy_srq: I don’t disagree with anything you wrote. We’d all be a lot better off is Kaisch were more typical of the Beltway GOP. I just don’t like the way the media defines moderate down.
    One advantage of a Katich nomination (which I think is one of the longest shots in either primary, maybe only Carson is a less likely nominee at this point– though I honestly can’t quite recall who’s still in it on their side), I think, is that he wouldn’t hide the ball. I think he genuinely believes in tearing up the New Deal, and thinks he can sell it. I’d love to have an honest, clarifying election on that, and a few other issues

  104. 104.

    Brachiator

    @gwangung:

    I’m not that convinced that he’s that interested in doing so; he’d be glad if they came to him on his terms, but I don’t think that he feels the need to customize his message to fit the concerns of blacks and other people of color.

    If Sanders is inflexible on this, it’s his loss. But this is not the same thing as either reticence or indifference. And in some circumstances, it may be preferable to people who have a good message, but who do nothing. And note that I am not saying that HRC is someone who does nothing. I think that she is doing more to reach out, and is even aware of some of the unnecessary hard feelings generated back in 2008. And around the South Carolina primary.

    But I think that Sanders can surprise people. Some of it is up to the voters, but the majority of what may be possible is up to Sanders.

  105. 105.

    Jeffro

    @MomSense: Yes, it is an amazing vid…brave on the part of the girl, brave (for which she will get no credit) on the part of HRC.

    I have to say, it’s great to see both Hillary and Bernie (and frankly most Dems these days, whether elected officials or just people you talk with at work and what not) standing up for Dem values. Long overdue.

  106. 106.

    Brent

    @lamh36:

    but that answer makes no sense, as a reasoning, because even prior to PBO the Clintons have a connection to Black voters but as I said, Blacks are a large important voting block for ANY Dem candidate

    Make sense? No, not really but only in the way that 80% of political rhetoric makes no sense. I feel like Sanders is basically speaking the millionth variation of “Hey my political opponent is saying what people want to hear just to get votes while I am a fearless truth speaker.” Sure, its bullshit but also pretty much bog standard politics the type of which Clinton is also, I am quite sure, also guilty.

  107. 107.

    Roger Moore

    @boatboy_srq:

    So my question stands: where do they expect to get all the workers for the jobs they no longer want, for work that is still necessary, and for which they’re not prepared to pay anything meaningful or allocate resources for childcare/eldeercare/etc to assist?

    Repeal the Thirteenth Amendment. That’s where this is really going.

  108. 108.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    so much unintentional comedy in these tweets

    Glenn ThrushVerified account
    ‏@ GlennThrush
    Source: Bloomberg at Peggy Noonan party signals run (?) says he’s tired of candidates beating up on ‘villains ‘ — aka Wall Street
    Glenn Thrush ‏@ GlennThrush 6m6 minutes ago Washington, DC
    Bloomberg sounding tonight, hitting lobbyists and DC creeps: ‘corrupt, gridlocked, and broken two party system that answers to lobbyists’

    I still can’t imagine Bloomberg doing the work of campaigning beyond being willing to receive the electors come to offer him their support. And Bloomers is gonna save us from the special interests being mean to Wall St. Guess he hasn’t gotten the Sanders message that HRC is signed, sealed and delivered for his cronies.

  109. 109.

    gwangung

    @Brachiator: Well, I’m not convinced of that, given what I’ve seen of his management on the campaign trail. He’s making several unforced errors, approaching Republican levels of clumsiness. I do not have the confidence that he can change and be flexible in general; he may listen, but I am not convinced that he will make any changes after getting a message.

  111. 111.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Sen. Lisa Murkowski
    ‏@ lisamurkowski
    I urge Pres. Obama to follow a tradition embraced by both parties and allow his successor to select the next Supreme Court justice. (4/5)

    I admit, I thought she might ditch McConnell about this.

    And of course, there is no such tradition.

  114. 114.

    gene108

    @lamh36:

    Welp…I have no problem with this critic, but…the Clintonistas will be livid.

    I see those criticisms a lot from Sanders supporters and I guess now Sanders himself, with regards to Wall Street deregulation, welfare reform, etc.

    What irks me is they act as if Obama’s the 43rd President of the United States.

    At the end of the day, Clinton left things in pretty good shape for any incoming President.

    There was a budget surplus.

    Unemployment was at record lows.

    Real incomes for most workers, were actually rising for the only time, since the 1970’s.

    There were some issue under the surface, such as Enron, Wolrdcom-MCI, etc., but with low unemployment, a budget surplus, etc. the tools existed to tackle these problems.

    The surplus could’ve been plowed back into the economy for infrastructure, instead of given away with a huge tax cut.*

    Anyway, here’s a list of Bill’s liberal accomplishment from a 1995 article:

    LEGISLATION

    1. Increased benefit levels and eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit–the biggest antipoverty measure enacted since the 1960s.
    2. Restored tax progressivity with higher rates on wealthiest taxpayers.
    3. Enacted gun controls, including the Brady Bill and restrictions on assault weapons.
    4. Passed the National Voter Registration Act (“motor-voter” bill), previously vetoed by Bush.
    5. Passed the Family and Medical Leave Act, vetoed by Bush.
    6. Restored First Amendment political rights for federal employees, vetoed by Bush.
    7. Passed crime prevention measures and new funding for community policing in crime bill.
    8. Targeted Chapter I funds to school districts with large numbers of poor children.
    9. Passed a child immunization program that provides free vaccines to six million additional children, covering over 90 percent of American two-year-olds by 1996.
    10. Passed legislation establishing national academic standards (Goals 2000).
    11. Enacted voluntary national service and education prepayment program for youth.
    12. Federalized college loan program.

    SNIP

    DEFICIT REDUCTION AND TARGETED FUNDING INCREASES

    17. Cut federal deficit in half.
    18. Increased Head Start funding by 20 percent, expanding coverage by 100,000 children.
    19. Increased coverage of Women, Infants and Children nutrition and health program (for pregnant and postpartum women) by 300,000 families, and broadened food stamp aid by an additional $2.5 billion over the next five years.
    20. Doubled the budget for aid to the homeless, to $1.5 billion a year.
    21. Expanded housing project grants, including aid to first-time home buyers and permanent extension of low-income housing credits.
    22. Increased funding by 12 percent for legal services for the poor after years of Republican attempts to abolish the Legal Services Corporation.
    23. Doubled training funds for dislocated workers, to $1.1 billion a year.
    24. Expanded AIDS public health services, including full funding of the Ryan White program.

    SNIP

    ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

    25. Repealed abortion counseling “gag rule.”
    26. Revoked import ban on RU-486.
    27. Stepped up consumer protection through Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Food and Drug Administration.
    28. Revived antitrust enforcement, including first retail price maintenance cases since Carter.

    SNIP

    34. Ended blacklist of fired air traffic controllers.
    35. Stepped up response to equal opportunity complaints.
    36. Toughened enforcement of Community Reinvestment Act, requiring banks to make loans in poor neighborhoods.
    37. Adjusted census undercount to increase federal aid to urban areas.
    38. Appointed most diverse cabinet ever, including five blacks, two Hispanics, and five women.
    39. Introduced new antidiscrimination rules and procedures for gay civil service employees.

    Link EDIT: There’s more at the link.

    * In the 2000 campaign, Bush, Jr.’s first round of tax cuts was proposed to “give the people their money back”, as there was no reason the government should take in more money than it was spending and any surplus should be given back to the people. He stated, if he’s elected everyone would get $300 back from the government.

  115. 115.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: ach, forgot that what made Murkowski mad at the GOP was what she saw as weak support from the national party against a Tea Party challenger in 2010– Joe “Palin” Miller, and she had to run a write-in campaign, which means she’s running for re-election as we speak.

  117. 117.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @boatboy_srq: Trust me, he hasn’t governed with any kind of responsibility while a Governor. He’s just quieter, until he gets pissed off, which will happen as his skin is somewhat thicker than Trumps, but in the same standard deviation.

  118. 118.

    Ruckus

    @boatboy_srq:
    You really should be scared of Kaisch as much as any of the others. His “strength” comes from his not quite as ruthless, fuck you talking. His policies are every bit as bad as any of them. IOW if you have never heard of him and all you know is listening to them all, he does sound not as rabid as the others, which leads to your comment of not being as scared of him. But it’s his style that is not quite as offensive, not his policies. That’s what makes him dangerous, his backstabbing you while smiling. The rest of them have lost or thrown away the veneer of “decency” that republicans tried to hide under for the last 40 yrs. His is still somewhat intact. Which is one reason he isn’t as well viewed by current repubs, they really wanted the shit underneath but accepted the outside to get it. But now they don’t need to do that anymore.

  119. 119.

    J R in WV

    @lamh36:

    Just maybe Hillary likes President Obama, maybe. Did anyone think of that? Bernie, I’m talking to you, Senator Sanders!!

  120. 120.

    geg6

    @Brachiator:

    What???? First, Pell grants are fucking grants, not scholarships. They are strictly based on financial need as calculated by federal methodology to determine EFC (expected family contribution). They aren’t directed toward any particular schools, but only toward particular students, regardless of what Title IV school the student may be attending. As long as the student meets the EFC requirement and the school qualifies for Title IV funding, the student gets it, regardless of race or whether the school is majority white, black, brown or green. If this is what Bernie is selling, he’s either totally ignorant about federal student aid and how it functions or he’s a fucking liar. Either one is disqualifying, IMHO.

  122. 122.

    J R in WV

    @Roger Moore:

    They are no longer Republicans, loyal to the United States of America and followers of their oath to defend the constitution. They are Confederates, seeking to destroy the United States of America, traitors to their oath to defend the constitution, and despicable vile sub-humans seeking mastery over others.

    People think I’m so calm, but really, I’m over the top with these people. Where did these ideas come from in today’s world?

  123. 123.

    DCF

    @J R in WV:

    The Clintons (historically) intensely dislike PBO…ironically enough, HRC is now holding Obama as close as conjoined twins…hmmmm….

  125. 125.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @DCF: …hmmmm….

    hmmmm….. you heard some gossip eight years ago, now the facts are at odds with the gossip you heard….

    ….hmmmmmm…. indeed. Deep stuff, man, deep.

  127. 127.

    Ohio Mom

    @retiredeng: then Cruz would finally serve as useful purpose, maybe. I can’t help but imagine he’d be too rotten to eat.
    @Mike J: Wow. Nice to know. Hope that little piece of history gets widely disseminated.

  128. 128.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @boatboy_srq:

    where do they expect to get all the workers for the jobs they no longer want, for work that is still necessary, and for which they’re not prepared to pay anything meaningful or allocate resources for childcare/eldeercare/etc to assist?

    All those lazy bums on welfare, of course!

  133. 133.

    Darkrose

    @lamh36: I don’t think so. It’s dismissive and condescending, which more and more seems to be par for the course for Bernie when talking about anything other th an economic inequality. The idea that paying attention to race, gender, orientation or identity means the same thing when applied to a privileged group as to a non-privileged group is awfully tone-deaf, especially coming from someone who already has perceived issues with regards to race and gender.

  134. 134.

    lumpkin

    That fucker is more disgusting than chewing on gum that was stuck to the bottom of your shoe. I hope his bible is accurate about hell and who goes there.

  135. 135.

    mclaren

    Single biggest reason why none of these clowns will become president.

    Read Cruz’s crazy tax cut proposal. It’s budget-busting. Look at Trump’s lunatic mexican wall scheme. Where does the money come from? Study Jeb Bush’s absurd deficit-exploding tax-cuts-for-the-billionaires proposal. It’s insane, like Dubya on LD-50 doses of LSD.

    The economy’s still in the shitter and people are scared. Back in 2000, America had a massive budget surplus and the economy in the middle of the dot-com bubble and everybody felt fat and happy and smug, so who cared if we elected a guy whose tax cuts would cost a lot of money?

    Today, things are different. People are not gonna elect lunatics whose budgets will blow up the economy merely so some billionaires can get yet more tax cuts.

  136. 136.

    Kitty

    Thanks Ted! Our country’s voracious insatiable drug consumption has turned hers into a living hell hole but consequences! So sad too bad.

  137. 137.

    DCF

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Once again, your ignorance is on full display…YES, there is a significant amount of animosity between the two parties…if you bothered to stay informed (for the last eight years), you would know that…but once again, you eschew content for reactive drivel….

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