Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

In after Baud. Damn.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Monday Morning Open Thread: Cat and Dog, Living Together!

Monday Morning Open Thread: Cat and Dog, Living Together!

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karen m lucy gracie
From commentor Karen M:

Attached is my favorite picture of my current cat and dog (Gracie and Lucy)…

Just for the heck of it, also attached is one of our Gracie as a baby with her previous dogs, James and Patty.

***********
Apart from applauding comity among all species, what’s on the agenda as we start another week?

karen m gracie james patty

Reader Interactions

196Comments

  1. 1.

    Poopyman

    Driving 44 miles to work in the DC-Ballmer corridor. Again. Hopefully less than 3 years of this shit to go.

  6. 6.

    Mustang Bobby

    I spent part of yesterday on an air boat ride in the Everglades; first time I’ve done that. Way cool, and I found out that alligators do come when you call them…

    Also saw Captain America Civil War over the weekend. Kinda fun, and amazed at the CGI work they did to make Robert Downey, Jr. look like he’s in his twenties at one point. I’ll bet there are a lot of people wondering how they did that, and can it work for them? (PS: I’m told they did not CGI Chris Evans’ biceps. Really?)

  8. 8.

    raven

    Trey Gowdy’s Former Top Lawyer Undercuts The Benghazi Committee

    “I don’t see any way to influence what occurred there,” he told Bash at another point. “But what I am worried about is we’re caught by surprise on 9/11, we’ve got nothing postured to respond in a timely manner — and you can debate what’s timely, what’s untimely, but nothing could have affected what occurred in Benghazi.”

  9. 9.

    Mustang Bobby

    @raven: Not in the wild, but they had one in their little “wildlife exhibit” area.

    Unless you mean one with feathers, and no, it’s not a good place for a drag show.

  11. 11.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    @raven:

    Clearly, the dude is a conservative in name only…

  13. 13.

    Schlemazel Khan

    I fly out for my last trip to Potomac MD this morning. We have finally reached the end of this “educational” BS management decided to impose on us this week. I have been talking to the contractors back at the office & have learned that several layers of paperwork have been added to the job but no actual commitment to doing security better has occurred. I am so looking forward to this brave new world.

    OTOH – the family went out into the woods and rounded up a mess of morels yesterday. The weather was cool which made for less sweating & the rewards were great.

  15. 15.

    satby

    Good morning everyone! (We have to thank rikyrah for bringing some class to the joint.)
    It’s the countdown to the last two weeks of school for the girls. They’re mentally prepping to return home, and there’s a bit of melancholy hanging in the air, which surprises me just a bit because it seems early. It’s normal, and in teens it’s a PIA because they just drag around. I’m trying to get them to decide what else they want to accomplish here, but last weekend was lousy for anything outside.

  17. 17.

    Germy Shoemangler

    Madeleine Lebeau, Last Living Cast Member of Casablanca, Dies at 92
    French actress Madeleine Lebeau, who played Yvonne in Michael Curtiz’s classic Casablanca, died on May 1 at 92. Though she had several small roles in other American films, as well as Fellini’s 8 ½, she’s best remembered for her emotional proclamation of “Viva la France!” at the end of the ensemble performance of “La Marseillaise” in Casablanca.

    http://www.vulture.com/2016/05/casablanca-actress-madeleine-lebeau-dies-at-92.html

  18. 18.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @satby:

    (We have to thank rikyrah for bringing some class to the joint.)

    Bleccchhh. I blame her for all the early am chirpiness… And there is nothing classy about it. grumble grumble… goes off in search of more coffee

  19. 19.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    I’m with you, cheeriness before 9 AM should be outlawed! just sip your coffee & contemplate!

    mornin’ rikyrah & all . . . [grumbles, pulls bathrobe tighter]

  21. 21.

    bystander

    @satby:

    Good morning everyone! (We have to thank rikyrah for bringing some class to the joint.)

    I’d rather be thanking rikyrah for bringing a joint to class, but good morning, anyhow.

  22. 22.

    sm*t cl*de

    I have read too many stories about irresponsible dog owners, so it is a refreshing change to see Gracie.

  23. 23.

    bystander

    If I’m ever forced to adopt a new moniker, I’m going for Grandma’s Wrinkle Trick.

    See, those ads are good for something.

  24. 24.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Watch out everyone. Capt. James Kirk has a new command: The star ship USS Zumwalt.

  25. 25.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    They already have their excuse lined up. In public, “Drumpf is not a Republican”, “Drumpf never was a Republican”. In private, “Drumpf was a Clinton plant”. This will paper over the fact that a substantial number of serious GOP voters love the ugly things Drumpf said during the campaign and want cruder, ruder, less thoughtful and more brutal leadership but the press will be kind enough to ignore that bit. In many ways the nation would be better off with a Cruz campaign because the GOP could not deny him like they will Drumpf.

  28. 28.

    JPL

    The pictures are wonderful. Thanks Karen for sharing.

    The news leads again with John Miller, aka Donald Trump. The real story is his taxes, and why he won’t release them, but both stories indicate, he’s a phony.

  36. 36.

    Kay

    My husband and I are doing a “government” class with the fifth graders this week- we go in 5 days for about an hour. He used to do a presentation on the 4th amendment for the 6th graders where he would yell at them “do not consent to a search! sign nothing!” and they would look freaked out and terrified, but the teacher who started that retired and now we get 5th graders for just the branches of government and basic process.

  37. 37.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    Haha. I hope he told them that the NSA was watching everything they do online.

    just the branches of government and basic process.

    That would be hard to do with a straight face these days.

  38. 38.

    PurpleGirl

    @Mustang Bobby: Did your guide tell you mot to put your hand in the water? I took an air boat ride back in the late 90s with one of the private companies that do tours. And the guide warned us us not to but our hands in the water — i.e., there’s a reason it’s called saw grass.

    I once saw a science documentary about the Everglades. It’s not a swamp actually, it’s a slow moving, shallow, 400-foot wide river. Some scientists let go some colored water at the headwaters and then followed the water as it moved down stream. Really interesting.

  39. 39.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    My favorite Trump bit of news this morning was his response to Cameron’s calling him ignorant: “I won’t forget that.” Lovely and so presidential.

  40. 40.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    I play this straight, Baud. Library of Congress materials. I have no control over my husband, who editorializes. I’m thinking about a disclaimer in the intro. I feel a little like Paul Ryan.

  42. 42.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    I just waded into a Berniebro comment section of Gawker, where I learned that Hillary is far, far to the right of Trump on every issue.

  46. 46.

    Baud

    @debbie: GMA spent a lot of time on Trump, including the GB issue. At least most of the coverage was negative.

  49. 49.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Iowa Old Lady: You’re supposed to see that HRC is a fascist!!!1. Duh.

    Um, that’s Naked Capitalism being linked. Quite the unbiased news source.

  52. 52.

    Kay

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    decided to change the rules at the last minute

    From your link;

    the Nevada state party put through rule changes weeks before the state convention

    You have to know the rules and that’s always been true.

  56. 56.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    @Baud: that’s not even true. Every time he’s been asked Judge Roy Bean Sanders has repeatedly said Snowden is guilty and has to do time. He’s already convicted him without trial.

    “He did—he did break the law, and I think there should be a penalty to that.”

    “There is no debate that Mr. Snowden violated an oath and committed a crime.”

    Hang ’em High, Senator.

  59. 59.

    Kay

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    And there was time for a court challenge:

    Basically, NDems enacted some rules that were designed to give convention authority to the state chair. You can read about that here:
    That group challenged these rules in court. That challenge was denied, essentially because the court didn’t feel it should intervene in party politics.

    Jonathan, I feel as if Sanders supporters are making a basic category error again and again- Party events are run by the Party. Obviously you’re unhappy with the process but it’s not a state process. It doesn’t have to have all the protections of voting, obviously, or there would never be caucuses of any kind.

  60. 60.

    Keith G

    @OzarkHillbilly: If those were the only outcomes possible, I would imagine that Hillary would be agreeing with Trump.

    Game of Thrones was a hoot last night (Spoiler) A powerful woman brutally took out the men who preparing to harm her (not uncommon in GoT Land). As the males’ comments became more insulting and the woman became even more calm and locked in on her strategy, I began hoping that someone with the right skilz plays with the clip and insets a bit of Hillary in the scene – all except the very end.

  62. 62.

    Jonathan Holland Becnel

    @Kay: no not that rule change.

    I’m referring to the the Voice Vote at the beginning of the Nevada Convention:

    Yesterday morning, around 9:30AM (while many delegates were still in line to get in ), the leadership at the convention, led by Roberta Lange, decided to hold a quick “voice vote” (essentially, a shouting match between the two sides) about whether to change the rules of the convention. Now, I must warn you — prepare to get angry. The rule change that they voted about was, in a nutshell, to disregard the results of the second-tier county conventions — where Sanders’ had won — and only to count the results of the first-tier caucus that Clinton had won. I’d like to remind you that this “voice vote” was held before all of the delegates were present and — as is fairly clear in this video — was, at the very least, inconclusive.

  63. 63.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Why are the DudeBros so fanatic over meaningless Nevada?

    They’ve been doing this for months.

    If he won, at most he would net 5 measly delegates. There’s only 35 delegates in the entire state. If he won all of them it would hardly dent Clinton’s 300 delegate lead. It’s a big nothingburger.

    Yet the DudeBros obsess over Nevada like it’s Stalingrad: an all consuming focus on a tiny target to the exclusion of vastly more important objectives.

  64. 64.

    Jonathan Holland Becnel

    @Kay: agreed!

    It’s been quite a learning curve figuring out the myriad processes of all the different states’ caucuses!

  65. 65.

    Baud

    Caucuses need to be done away with. Apparently, some of these caucus states also hold primaries, so it doesn’t even save anyone any money to have a caucus.

  66. 66.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @Keith G: Movies, or a show like GoT, sometimes show the flaws in a book more clearly than the printed page did, and to me, this season is better for being freed of the bogged down books.

  67. 67.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: When it comes to Snowden, I don’t believe anything I read, which is always that he is either a hero of the first order, or that he is a dirty treasonous SOB who needs to be shot on sight.

  68. 68.

    Jonathan Holland Becnel

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    I wanted to show you what is going at these caucuses and their undemocratic flavor of the day!

    Today, the Nevada Dems are serving the plebs cake!

  69. 69.

    Kay

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    Again, though, you’re making a category error. It’s not direct democracy. They changed the rules to vest authority with the chair, right?

    I feel like some of this comes out of the Occupy faction (I don’t mean that as an insult). I ran into it here where we had an Occupy activist (Dolores, who I like) get furious with me because i wouldn’t let her set up in the Dem booth. The Party chair had rejected that. I wasn’t at the meeting where it was rejected and either was she but we all don’t get a vote anyway It’s essentially representative government- it can be BAD government and it sounds like it is at that caucus but it’s not direct.

  70. 70.

    D58826

    Well if the cats and dogs can get along maybe we should not be surprised at this:

    OKLAHOMA CITY — Despite bitter resistance in Oklahoma for years to President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, Republican leaders in this conservative state are now confronting something that alarms them even more: a huge $1.3 billion hole in the budget that threatens to do widespread damage to the state’s health care system.
    So, in what would be the grandest about-face among rightward leaning states, Oklahoma is now moving toward a plan to expand its Medicaid program to bring in billions of federal dollars from President Obama’s new health care system.

    and even more amazing

    What’s more, GOP leaders are considering a tax hike to cover the state’s share of the costs.

    “We’re to the point where the provider rates are going to be cut so much that providers won’t be able to survive, particularly the nursing homes,” said Republican state Rep. Doug Cox, referring to possible cuts in state funds for indigent care that could cause some hospitals and nursing homes to close

    With this kind of news Palin as VP seems like a shoe-in
    http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/in-surprising-turnabout-oklahoma-eyes-medicaid-expansion/ar-BBt63bF?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=iehp

  71. 71.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @Baud: Iowa has a primary next month for its Senate, House, and state elections. No reason there’s couldn’t have been another line at the top of the ballot.

    ETA: Now that I think of it, wouldn’t every state have a primary at some point?

  74. 74.

    D58826

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    the Nevada state party put through rule changes weeks before the state convention

    If you don’t like the rules enacted by the party, weeks in advance, elect enough members to the state party apparatus to get the rules changed to your liking.

  75. 75.

    Baud

    @Iowa Old Lady: If a state has a really late primary, I can see how it could interfere with the convention. But we’d like to shorten election season anyway, so there’s that.

  76. 76.

    Jonathan Holland Becnel

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:

    Lol DudeBro haha

    I suppose you could call me a DudeBro. I have used the term, “bro,” on occasion if the situation is appropriate.

    I hardly think we are obsessing over Nevada. I mean, I hate to break it to you, Mr. Canadian Anchor Baby, but 5 more delagates cut down the pledged delegate lead.

    A Nevada here, a Wyoming there, and California looming in the distance…

  77. 77.

    Dadadadadadada

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: Snowden should not get a trial. He should be unconditionally pardoned for whatever crimes he’s alleged to have committed, up to and including stealing that stick of chewing gum in 2nd grade. He should get a Medal of Honor and a full package of veteran’s benefits and whatever cushy no-show government job he wants. That man is the greatest American hero of this century.

  78. 78.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Iowa Old Lady: MO has 2 primaries, one for Pres in March, and another in August for all other offices. Why? I don’t know, I guess because we like blowing money on elections.

  79. 79.

    Chyron HR

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    A Nevada riot here, a huge loss in California there, a bomb set off at the convention to punish that filthy [REDACTED] for stealing the nomination from our God looming in the distance…

    We can’t wait.

  80. 80.

    satby

    @Baud: yeah, I’ve never lived in a caucus state, but just from the descriptions I can tell I’d never have been able to take part, I worked 60+ hours a week for most of my adult life. Any system that automatically disenfranchised anyone who doesn’t have a day to blow on a primary caucus is unfair.

  81. 81.

    D58826

    Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is beginning to hint at what role her husband, former President Bill Clinton, could have in her administration if elected president.
    At a campaign stop in Fort Mitchell, Ky., Clinton said her husband would be “in charge of reitalizing the economy.”

    well I guess he won’t be picking out the china and the curtains in the east wing.
    http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/clinton-id-put-bill-in-charge-of-revitalizing-the-economy/ar-BBt57uT?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=iehp

  83. 83.

    Kay

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    I went thru the whole thing in 08 and I thought the rules were really complicated. I still have no idea what happened at the state convention, which is where we went PRIOR to the primary, if I remember correctly. I did go in understanding this was “their” process and it wouldn’t be run like a state-directed election, though. I knew that.

  86. 86.

    Jonathan Holland Becnel

    @D58826:

    If you don’t like the rules enacted by the party, weeks in advance, elect enough members to the state party apparatus to get the rules changed to your liking.

    Look, I agree with you. All I’m trying to point out is how much of an ass the Nevada Dems made of themselves when they arbitrarily cut 60+ Delegates to the State Convention.

  87. 87.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @Baud:
    Caucuses are a good way to identify the loyal, get names & addresses for later campaign work. Additionally, they make people commit to the party. It was this rule that got people in a snit in NV, convention goers had to actually BE Democrats in order to participate & this was just a bridge too far for some of the poor dears. We have a history of the GOP screwing with DFL primaries out here on the tundra so I am not a huge fan of the primary either.

    @D58826:
    But that takes commitment & time and compromising with people who disagree with me and thats hhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard! easier just to piss and moan and complain you got cheated

  88. 88.

    satby

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel: you’re complaining to mostly deaf ears here. We mostly don’t care how unhappy the Johnnie-come-latelies to the Democratic party are with the rules set up by the party for it’s own primary. Everyone has access to the rules and process and can learn to use them. Whining about them when you lose is infantile. And Sanders is losing because he gets less votes overall. Changing rules doesn’t change that.

  91. 91.

    Baud

    @Schlemazel Khan: I don’t want to oversimplify the issue, but I don’t think we can continue to maintain a practice that blocks so many Democrats from having a say on who the nominee will be.

  92. 92.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: My preference is all primaries, all closed. Maybe with being able to change party registration 3 months before the primary.

    ETA: Having lived through the Nixon administration, I take ratfucking seriously.

  93. 93.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @Baud:
    I have no problem allowing Democrats making the choice but I have a big problem with people who don’t care about the party or activly want to hurt the party having a say. If it is too much to ask you to join the Democratic Party maybe you shouldn’t decide who our candidate is.

  94. 94.

    Jonathan Holland Becnel

    @Kay:

    I had no idea there were so many levels to this thing. Winner take all, Proportional, etc. Here in Louisiana, I know a lot of us were trying to play catch up with understanding state party rules, because we had never participated in that area of the process.

  96. 96.

    Kay

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    I like Ohio’s, where you’re registered as D or R based on the last primary you voted in but you can decide to vote in a primary when you get there. I think it’s a good balance between access and ‘closed”. It can be gamed, but you’d have to be really committed :)

  99. 99.

    satby

    @Schlemazel Khan: that’s a good case for BillinGlendale’s suggestion. Locking registration changes 3 months in advance cuts down some ratfucking. No system is perfect, but I never miss an election and I would have missed caucuses every time. Not to mention that I’d probably be arrested for homicide at my first one anyway.
    I’m an utter failure at suffering fools.

  103. 103.

    Dadadadadadada

    @yellowdog: Yes, much like Frederick Douglass was a coward for seeking refuge in the North. Or De Gaulle in England. Etc.
    The real shame is that the US government created a situation that gave Vladimir Putin of all people an opportunity to position himself as a defender of truth and liberty.

  104. 104.

    Kay

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    The proportional part is baffling, but I think that was intended to extend access to newer or less well-funded candidates.When I pledged as an Obama delegate it was easy because it was early in the process and my CD was heavily Clinton. Essentially they needed O delegates on tap. I didn’t think he would win but I wanted a race and thought he should be in it.

    It was Jesse Jackson who got it put it in, right?

  106. 106.

    Jonathan Holland Becnel

    @satby:

    I’m sorry did you say I’m acting “infantile”?

    Hahaha, I guess I am. I’m a Young Strapping Buck of the Age of 31 in a Blog Comment Section chock full of Wizened old Party Apparatchiks!

    Whining is an understatement. What does a party do when huge swaths of the electorate are motivated to come out and participate in the process???

    YOU CUT THEM OFF AT THE FUCKING KNEES AND TELL THEM HEY THATS JUST THE PROCESS!

    It’s hard enough getting people engaged in Democratic politics down here in Louisiana when the Republicans have a stranglehold on everything.

    P.S. Sorry about the capslock whining :)

  109. 109.

    D58826

    The lizard party in action. Or if you prefer Bruce Bartlett’s Wanker party.

    Carlos Beruff, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Florida, repeatedly referred to President Barack Obama as an “animal” at a county GOP meeting on Thursday.

    Addressing party faithful at a St. John’s County GOP gathering, Beruff accused Obama of destroying America and its military.
    “Unfortunately, for seven and a half years this animal we call president, because he’s an animal, OK — seven and a half years, has surgically and with thought and very smart, intelligent manner, destroyed this country and dismantled the military under not one, not two, but three secretary of defenses,” he said. “And they’ve all written books about it.”

    Fortunately he is only polling at 1%.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/carlos-beruff-obama-animal_us_5738a0cce4b08f96c1836a00

  110. 110.

    Jonathan Holland Becnel

    @Kay:

    TBH, idk. Like many my age I’m new to the process. This might shock you, but I had no idea Jesse Jackson even ran for President! I was just a wee lad when he ran.

  111. 111.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Dadadadadadada:

    The real shame is that the US government created a situation that gave Vladimir Putin of all people an opportunity to position himself as a defender of truth and liberty.

    If that is how you read Putin’s position in this, let me just say your reading comprehension is a little lacking.

  113. 113.

    Hal

    @D58826: The country and the military are destroyed, yet he still has a job, food and a place to live? They don’t make post apocalyptic world’s like they used to.

  115. 115.

    rikyrah

    I had to get a new phone yesterday. So, technologically challenged as I am, I’m pissed. I went out and bought the damn SD card for my previous phone- that died after only a year. Put it in the new phone- went into the settings and set it to the SD card. Went and downloaded the apps/games -they put it on the damn phone!!!
    So, I spent the afternoon looking up WHY the phone doesn’t take the SD card. Went and downloaded the new program that they said I needed to change the ‘internal storage’ to the SD card, and dammit, it still doesn’t work.
    I’m so frustrated because I’m almost out of storage with the stupid phone, and…UGH!!

  118. 118.

    rikyrah

    I am not tech savvy. I am thinking about taking the new phone back, and paying more the next model, which is a Samsung. So, folks, with the Samsung, does the Samsung take the SD card, and can I switch it over easily?

  119. 119.

    Poopyman

    @Hal: You didn’t notice that the ChiComs have taken over the country? Report to your nearest Walmart for indoctrination.

  120. 120.

    Betty Cracker

    @rikyrah: I don’t have a Samsung, but when I switch phones, I take my old phone to a local carrier outlet (Verizon, in my case), and they transfer all my shit to the new phone. Is this an option for you? It sure makes things easier.

  121. 121.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    He used to do a presentation on the 4th amendment for the 6th graders where he would yell at them “do not consent to a search! sign nothing!” and they would look freaked out and terrified,

    Maybe he could be a little softer, but those kids need to hear that.

  122. 122.

    rikyrah

    @debbie:

    My favorite Trump bit of news this morning was his response to Cameron’s calling him ignorant: “I won’t forget that.”

    Trump ain’t ready for British shade.

    Cause nobody does shade like the Brits.

  123. 123.

    D58826

    The judicial confirmation rate under the Republican-controlled Senate is less than half of what it was when Democrats held power under George W. Bush. There are so few judges that it’s hurting the country.
    It’s not just Merrick Garland—this Senate isn’t confirming anybody.
    That’s the takeaway from a variety of new data that has emerged in the wake of the Garland stalemate, showing that his non-confirmation (and non-hearing) is the rule, rather than the exception, for the Republican-led Senate.
    “It’s absolutely absurd,” Marge Baker, executive vice president of liberal group People for the American Way (PFAW) told The Daily Beast. PFAW has been tracking the issue closely and released new findings this week. “And it’s qualitatively different from anything that has gone before.”

    aside from the obvious on this. I hope a Pres. Hillary with a senate majority avoids one of Obama’s early mistakes and that was to be slow in filling vacancies in 2009-2010.

    I think she she push as many nominations as possible thru the senate as early as possible. This would also apply to agencies with rotating terms like the NLRB, Fed, etc.
    I would like to see her go one step further, even though the ethics might be questionable. Quietly suggest to some of the senior democratic officials/judges in their mid to late 60s that retirement is in the interest of the country. Even suggest that an ambassadorship in a country with a nice climate would be the perfect way to cap a career in public service. The point being to load as many young (40’s) and diverse individuals into these posts as possible so that they will be influencing policy long after Hillary leaves office. It is important to do it in the 2017-2018 time frame with a democratic senate since the 2018 map favors the GOP regaining the Senate. Since there is little or no chance of taking back the house and the window of opportunity in the senate may be just two years this might be the only way to cement Obama’s and her legacy. It would also lay the long term frame work for a progressive agenda when the political environment improves.

  124. 124.

    rikyrah

    @Betty Cracker:

    I don’t have a Samsung, but when I switch phones, I take my old phone to a local carrier outlet (Verizon, in my case), and they transfer all my shit to the new phone. Is this an option for you? It sure makes things easier.

    Man didn’t want to help me as it is yesterday.

    I want to keep my phone number – that’s the thing for me, which is why I don’t want to switch carriers.

    If I could get this storage thing all figured out, I’d sorta really like the new phone.

  126. 126.

    rikyrah

    @D58826:

    I would like to see her go one step further, even though the ethics might be questionable. Quietly suggest to some of the senior democratic officials/judges in their mid to late 60s that retirement is in the interest of the country. Even suggest that an ambassadorship in a country with a nice climate would be the perfect way to cap a career in public service. The point being to load as many young (40’s) and diverse individuals into these posts as possible so that they will be influencing policy long after Hillary leaves office.

    Sounds good to me.

  128. 128.

    rikyrah

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    The Nevada Democratic Establishment decided to change the rules at the last minute and show its true Authoritarian face.

    I read, in terms of registrations, that you have to be registered, formally as a DEMOCRAT, by May 1st.

    MAY phucking 1st.

    And the Bernie bots couldn’t be bothered?

    Really?

    SERIOUSLY?

    and, the Caucus was in, what, February?

    whatever.

  129. 129.

    LanceThruster

    @satby:

    That wouldn’t be a requirement. It’s just that I’d trust them to deconstruct the shenanigans.

    Seems a little heavy handed. If the presumptive nominee is so solid, why would this be necessary?

  130. 130.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I hope a Pres. Hillary with a senate majority avoids one of Obama’s early mistakes and that was to be slow in filling vacancies in 2009-2010.

    She will have an advantage that Obama did not: A long list of already vetted qualified nominees from the previous administration that she can go thru and pick what she and her staff like.

  131. 131.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    They do need to hear it. I talked to them about Facebook and online activities generally because Facebook is an absolute treasure trove of info on them for police and they don’t understand how sending pics of themselves in various stages of undress can be such a serious crime. We’ve had probably 6 “scandals’ related to picture-sending in area high schools in the past three years. It isn’t the scandal that’s problematic- it’s that it can be a serious crime one that could stick to them for a looong time. I feel like they have no room to fuck up sometimes- everything is so grim and serious.

  134. 134.

    rikyrah

    Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is beginning to hint at what role her husband, former President Bill Clinton, could have in her administration if elected president.
    At a campaign stop in Fort Mitchell, Ky., Clinton said her husband would be “in charge of reitalizing the economy.”

    Really?

    Seriously?

    We’re at 5% Unemployment.
    We’ve had 73 straight months of job growth.

    What’s he gonna revitalize.

    and, yeah, I’m gonna say it..

    DOES.SHE.EVEN.UNDERSTAND.HOW.THIS.PHUCKING.SOUNDS?

    SHE is running to be President.

    sigh…

    The OPTICS of this..

    THE OPTICS…

  135. 135.

    D58826

    @OzarkHillbilly: And the fact that the lizard party has made it perfectly clear that they have no intention of allowing government to function with a democrat in the White House. While the lizards behaved badly while Bill was in office it certainly did not reach the level that Turtle has pushed since Obama was elected. I was afraid that a Hillary candidacy in 2008 would bring out the CDS again and that an Obama candidacy would not. So much for that theory. I’m not sure any one was prepared for the degree of obstruction and destruction of our governmental/political institutions that the Lizard have inflicted on the country in the past 8 years.In fact I think we can do away with the terms Obama/Clinton derangement syndrome and replace it with ‘Any democrat derangement syndrome’.

  136. 136.

    satby

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel: what I said was

    Everyone has access to the rules and process and can learn to use them. Whining about them when you lose is infantile.

    “An action” (whining) is infantile, I didn’t specifically call you “as a person” infantile. But I suppose selectively reading things for maximum poutrage goes along with not understanding the basic rules of the primary system of the party.

  137. 137.

    karen marie

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel: My understanding is the people cut weren’t registered Dems, which is why they got cut.

    Thanks, all, for the compliments for our Gracie and her canines. It’s been really interesting watching her relationships with them, especially with Lucy, who Gracie totally owns.

  138. 138.

    LAO

    I know it’s an open thread, but still O/T — yesterday, I was mugged by a goat! Who stole my goddamn phone! I swear to all that is holy, I may never leave NYC again, its not safe at there in the country. The only positive was, once I retrieved my phone — I saw that I had snapped a kick ass picture of Francine (the goat) right before she snatched my phone.

  139. 139.

    ruemara

    For those who don’t know what happened in NV, the Sanders delegates largely deregistered as Dems after Sanders lost in NV. So, when they showed up to participate as delegates, they were barred because, you guessed it, dropping the party affiliation made them inevitable. To see just how infantile they were, the Las Vegas Sun & Jon Ralston of Ralston Reports had a live tweet day long session. It was as horrible as the stuff that came out of the East L A for Hillary rally. We can also stop blaming young people. The most violent, petulant, nasty stuff is coming from people old enough to know better. They think they’re recapturing some 70’s protest glory. There’s some of all age ranges, but nope, it’s not all young people.

  140. 140.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @D58826:

    I was afraid that a Hillary candidacy in 2008 would bring out the CDS again and that an Obama candidacy would not. So much for that theory.

    You and I both. So much for thinking that the GOP can respond to reason.

  141. 141.

    satby

    @rikyrah: you can keep your phone number no matter what carrier you use. That’s a law and it applies to most cell numbers, so feel free to look for better service or a better deal.

  142. 142.

    Emma

    @rikyrah: I have been using Samsung phones for years because they will take any card used by another Samsung phone. My card has survived two migrations. When I migrated from Blackberry to Samsung the card wouldn’t work.

    (added): I have t-Mobile if that helps.

  144. 144.

    D58826

    @rikyrah: Bill made a campaign stop in a small town in WV the other week. He was greeted with a lot of booing and folks with Trump hats. He told them that the economy was changing and that the coal based way of life was ending. There was nothing anyone can do about that. But he said we can help the folks in these types of towns/industries to transition to the new 21st economy and that every person in the audience, regardless of age, had the smarts and the talented to make that transition. He left to a standing ovation.

    I think it is to those folks who have been left behind that she was making a pitch to. That would include for example full time workers at Walmart who don’t count as unemployed but haven’t seen the benefits of the new economy.

  146. 146.

    satby

    @ruemara: oh that’s even better, they quit the party after Bernie lost and then were pissed off that that made them ineligible? That’s some industrial strength stoopid right there.

  148. 148.

    Brachiator

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    After a week of make-up meetings with Donald Trump, Republican party leaders have arrived at a new strategy to accommodate their presumptive presidential nominee: ignore his problematic attitude to women, his tax issues and his fluctuating positions on trade, immigration, foreign relations and a host of other topics, and instead embrace the will of Republican voters.

    Just whistling past the graveyard. Yeah, that’ll work for ya.

    Exactly. Trump keeps upping the ante by making more crazy statements that reveal his ignorance and his incredible thin-skinned instability. Another poster mentioned this, but here’s a bit more on Trump’s very recent insult of the British government. From the Guardian:

    Donald Trump has warned that he may not have a “very good relationship” with David Cameron after the prime minister branded his proposal to ban Muslims from the US as “stupid”.

    The US presidential hopeful also sniped at the new London mayor, Sadiq Khan, calling him “ignorant” for comments he made after being elected and warning him: “I will remember those statements.”

    The presumptive Republican nominee, who is likely to go against Hillary Clinton in a bid for the White House in November, was speaking to Piers Morgan on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

    The crazy thing is that this kind of thing will only make Trump’s supporters love him even more. They seem to be defiantly infantile and love the idea of a Bully-in-Chief who will do whatever he wants as he smashes everything in sight to “make America great again.”

  149. 149.

    D58826

    @ruemara: Another argument for a closed primary. Still doesn’t totally prevent the ratf**kers from trying to screw up the process but it does make them have to work a bit and register.

  150. 150.

    karen marie

    @satby: Thanks! Gracie is also polydactyl. She has seven toes on each front foot (only six each on the back), so her claws point in crazy directions. They are so extreme, when she was spayed as a kitten, the vet removed one claw from each front foot, leaving her with an even six on each. As it is, I have to clip them twice a month so she doesn’t get caught in the carpet when she walks around.

  152. 152.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @satby: I believe the other requirement was residency, though it’s unclear to me if that was of Nevada or the county they were supposed to be representing. Some folks didn’t meet that requirement.

    Re open caucuses, Iowa allows you to change your party registration at the door. It is a good way to gather names for GOTV.

  153. 153.

    Soylent Green

    Currently trending at #NeverTrump:

    1. Trump will bring about the end of civilization as we know it.
    2. Clinton is worse.
    3. We must all vote for Trump.

    Even Erick Bin Erick will come around.

  154. 154.

    Amir Khalid

    @rikyrah:
    I wouldn’t get so alarmed. Economic revitalisation and/or renewal is an ongoing job for any national leadership. The economic landscape changes over time. Entire regions can miss out on decades of development if you don’t steer economic opportunities their way; this is something you’ve seen in America again and again. You have to look ahead as much as you can and prepare for what’s coming. It’s not a knock on Obama at all for Hillary to be thinking about economic revitalisation.

  155. 155.

    satby

    @karen marie: poor Gracie! Trimming my cats claws is always traumatic for all of us, especially me because if they nick me at all with a claw I break out in hives (yep, allergic). But I never met a black cat that wasn’t a total lovely with just about any human or dog it met. Makes me want another just thinking about them, but I am capping the herd at 9 for now.

  156. 156.

    Brachiator

    @rikyrah:

    Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is beginning to hint at what role her husband, former President Bill Clinton, could have in her administration if elected president.

    At a campaign stop in Fort Mitchell, Ky., Clinton said her husband would be “in charge of reitalizing the economy.”

    This has got to be a joke or a mistake. Please tell me that this was taken out of context. Solmeone? Anyone?

    We do not have co-presidents. And Hillary does not seem to understand that this suggestion undermines her seeking to be the first woman president. Who would be the “real” president in the White House, her or Bill?

    And even though some people still think it wonderful, Bill Clinton made a huge mistake in putting Hillary in charge of health care, not because she was not capable of doing the job, but because he put a person who was not elected or a cabinet member or formally approved by the Senate in charge of a huge chunk of government policy. Because she could not be safely opposed without provoking the anger of the president, other Senators and Congressmen dug in and opposed her.

    And HIllary wants to duplicate this insanity by putting Bill in charge of economic policy? Madness.

    Worst of all, any talk of a formal role for Bill in her Administration invites the full force and fury of the Clinton haters. “You despised us both before, now you got us both again.”

    It gives voters a new and more valid reason to vote against her, because they can tell themselves that they are really voting against a third Bill Clinton administration.

    And yeah, Hillary may quickly walk this back, but it may become another distraction, and an easy inspiration for a new Trump anti-woman attack.

  159. 159.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Brachiator: head hits desk…

    Because she could not be safely opposed without provoking the anger of the president, other Senators and Congressmen dug in and opposed her.

    head hits desk even harder

  161. 161.

    magurakurin

    We should feel honored. The Sanders Campaign is sending actual staff our way to troll us. Of course with the personnel cuts and all I imagine even Jeff is out there taking a turn.

    Our latest guest troll Jonathan Holland Becnel organized several official campaing events here and here. This appears to be his Colorado voter registration which was “Inactive due to an undeliverable ballot” Pretty sure this is him since his DOB is 1984 and he just said he was 31. Surprise of surprise…in 2014 (you know that mid term election) he was registered….unaffiliated. So, not a Democrat.

    I bow to your greatness. We’re not worthy

  162. 162.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @LAO:

    I may never leave NYC again, its not safe at there in the country.

    “oooaaaarggh” [shudder] “NATURE!”

    /Adrian Monk

  165. 165.

    magurakurin

    @Brachiator: It was a one liner at a stump speech in KY. It’s a brain fart, more or less, garden variety that Hillary is so well known for. I really have grown to like her but she just sucks at the stump speeches and off the cuff remarks that always seem to fall flat. What can you do? It’s part of who she is. There will be many more to come. Get used to it. She’s still going to win. But you’ll have endure more of these types of comments before November.

  166. 166.

    D58826

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ducked a major ruling on a challenge by Christian nonprofit employers to an Obamacare mandate to provide female workers health insurance covering birth control by sending the cases back to lower courts for further proceedings.
    The court unanimously threw out lower court rulings that had favored the Obama administration but did not rule on the merits of the challenge brought by the religious employers, forcing the lower courts to reconsider the dispute

    Not sure if this is a win, lose, or as the article says ducking the issue for another day. Legal Eagles???????

  168. 168.

    Brachiator

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    head hits desk even harder

    Hit it again.

    It always causes a shit storm in government when a personal favorite is given a position of power. Shit, kings were chased out of their countries or beheaded when this was judged to be intolerable.

    The Brits went out of their way to restrict Prince Albert from having any official duties or doing anything in any way that suggested that he was equal or superior to Queen Victoria.

    First Lady or First Gentleman is not an elective office. It ain’t an office at all. It does not freaking exist in the Constitution.

    JFK upset a lot of people when he appointed his brother to be Attorney General. But that job at least had to have Congressional approval.

    But I am not that interested in reliving the ups and downs of the Bill Clinton Administration.

    Do you think it a great idea for Hillary Clinton to promise (or appear to promise) that her husband will have an official role in shaping and directing domestic policy?

    Would you feel the same way about the spouse of any other president?

  169. 169.

    Brachiator

    @D58826:

    Not sure if this is a win, lose, or as the article says ducking the issue for another day. Legal Eagles???????

    There have been a number of reports that the Court has decided to pass on some major cases for now because they do not have a full Court. They are refusing to play the Republicans’ game and appear to despise the Senate’s refusal to consider Obama’s recent appointment to the Court.

    A 4-4 tie would affirm a lower court decision. The Supremes don’t think that this is appropriate for major cases where the Court’s opinion should carry more force.

    The Balloon Juice legal commentariat hopefully will offer more on this.

  172. 172.

    D58826

    @Brachiator: to my none lawyer mind
    5-3 for Obamacare would have been a win
    5-3 for little sisters a clear loss
    8-0 not to decide sounds like once an Obama/Clinton nominee fills the seat it would be 5-4 for Obamacare
    and if Scalia were still with us it would have been 5-4 for little sisters (would not trust Kennedy as far as I could throw him).

  173. 173.

    Brachiator

    @magurakurin:

    She’s still going to win. But you’ll have endure more of these types of comments before November.

    You may be right. I hope she wins. But this kind of stuff eats away at her lead.

    I had hoped that she had learned to be better as a political campaigner. And it is not just that she does not compare to superstars like Bill or Obama. She is sputtering along at Dukakis levels of ineptitude.

    And yes, I like Hillary and will vote for her. I far prefer her over Sanders. And although she is smart and capable, she is not an experienced politician. Watching and assisting with her husband’s campaign’s is not the same thing as being in the thick of a campaign as an actual candidate, and her Senate run and previous, failed, presidential run is not deep experience.

    She keeps giving people reasons not to vote for her. She has to sell herself better, and not depend on NotTrump fever to carry her to a win.

  174. 174.

    D58826

    @Brachiator: I’m not sure. It would depend on the qualifications of the spouse for the job. Since there is no constitutional ‘first person’ they are just like any other citizen. Presidents appoint special advisers in charge of ????whatever all the time. If the spouse was a nuclear physicist by training and was put in charge of developing a nuclear non-proliferation agenda then might well be the best person for the job. If Jimmy Carter had put brother Billy in charge of the White House motor pool just because Billy ran a gas station, then not so good. But if Jimmy had put the guy I take my car to in charge of the motor pool that would not have been smart either.

  175. 175.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Brachiator: Ok ok I get it, you’ve got your panties in a bunch. Sorry if my outrage meter just can’t go there over a nothing burger like this. You do realize that an administration is FULL of THOUSANDS of people who not only weren’t elected, but never had to go thru a confirmation process? Including the 2nd most powerful person in the administration, the Chief of Staff?

    As far as

    And Hillary does not seem to understand that this suggestion undermines her seeking to be the first woman president. Who would be the “real” president in the White House, her or Bill?

    I am more than a little surprised you would even utter such a sexist Trumpianism as tho it were a valid point of argument. You are better than this. Much better.

    And when it comes to the Hill and Bill Show, what? Did you really think the GOP wasn’t going to try and bring up all those tired old allegations anyway? Relax. Smoke a doobie if you need to. This will all be over in November. And when it is we will all deal with whatever comes out of it.

  176. 176.

    D58826

    I guess we can leave that last word to Justice Sotomayor

    Just to make sure that the lower courts understand what the Court says by “no view on the merits of the cases,” Justice Sotomayor wrote a concurring opinion putting an exclamation point on that part.
    She writes “I join the Court’s per curiam opinion because it expresses no view on ‘the merits of the cases,’ ‘whether petitioners’ religious exercise has been substantially burdened,’ or ‘whether the current regulations are the least restrictive means of serving’a compelling governmental interest,” and warned the lower courts that they “should not construe” either today’s order or its earlier one in the case “as signals of where this Court stands.”

    http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/5/16/1526981/-Deadlocked-Supreme-Court-punts-on-Obamacare-contraceptive-mandate

  177. 177.

    rikyrah

    @Brachiator:

    This has got to be a joke or a mistake. Please tell me that this was taken out of context. Solmeone? Anyone?

    We do not have co-presidents. And Hillary does not seem to understand that this suggestion undermines her seeking to be the first woman president. Who would be the “real” president in the White House, her or Bill?

    see, you read it as I did.

  178. 178.

    Brachiator

    @Amir Khalid:

    How is it different from President Bill putting Hillary in charge of healthcare reform back in 1993?

    As I noted some people thought this was the greatest thing since sliced bread and an affirmation of the value of strong, capable women.

    And most of the opposition to Hillary was purely political or just more Clinton hating.

    Another poster has noted that Hillary’s remarks were off the cuff and not deeply considered. But the role of a spouse in government, especially when that spouse was also a former president, has to be carefully considered.

    I’ve noted before that First Lady is not a real position. It is not an elective office. It is not provided for in any way in the Constitution. As far as I am concerned, there should be a Chief Protocol Officer who is hired to sit with the spouses, male or female, of visiting heads of state, and do a lot of the trivial crap that traditionally is done by a First Lady as hostess of the White House.

    This might free some First Gentlemen/Ladies to do whatever they did in private life, subject to conflict of interest considerations. Or they can tool around with the president or sit in the White House and get drunk.

    Or they could be formally appointed to some office where they can be fully accountable, and subject to being fired, if a president wants to take the heat for that.

    Or they can be unofficial advisors.

    But part of the 25 Amendment, which makes the VP acting president if the president is ill or otherwise cannot perform his duties, looks back to Woodrow Wilson’s wife, who assumed some presidential duties after he had a stroke.

    I’m sure that the Republicans would love to get into a fight over a president appearing to illegally delegate some of her powers to her spouse.

    Hillary and future presidents should avoid anything that even hints of this.

  179. 179.

    Aleta

    How I long for the good olden days when party machinists would emerge squinting from smokey rooms to announce their candidate, a man who’d spent years fighting through their ranks. And it was not even imaginable that that they would announce an AA or Asian or NA or Hispanic person, or a woman, socialist, or non-Christian of any color.

  180. 180.

    J R in WV

    @Jonathan Holland Becnel:

    I think that in any type of convention, the chairman, if they care to do so, can wield quite a bit of power. Even in legislative environments, minorities can be rode over roughshod by the Speaker. [ See Mitch McConnell re Confirmation of Supreme Court Justices. ]

    And when the situation is becoming out-of-control, the chair has a duty to stop those who are running out of control. I think that was pretty clearly what was happening there.

  181. 181.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Brachiator: FYWP. ate my reply. Shorter: Sorry, I can’t get my panties in a bunch over something this meaningless. Administrations are filled with who knows how many appointed individuals who serve at the president’s pleasure and aren’t confirmed by anyone. So the F what?

    As to

    We do not have co-presidents. And Hillary does not seem to understand that this suggestion undermines her seeking to be the first woman president. Who would be the “real” president in the White House, her or Bill?

    I let it slide before but on reading it a 2nd time, I can’t. You are better than this sort of trivial sexist bullsh!t. It is the sort of thing I expect to hear from Trump in a stump speech and we will hear that and a whole lot worse before this is all over. Again, so the F what?

  182. 182.

    D58826

    @Brachiator: While I agree with the potential dangers you list, I really wish Dubya had appointed bush 41 as his special adviser on all thing Saddam. Might have avoided a lot of bloodshed and wasted money.

  183. 183.

    J R in WV

    @yellowdog:

    He didn’t seek asylum in Russia. The government canceled his passport just before the plane he was on landed at the Moscow airport, where he was stranded for quite a while. He was traveling to Bolivia where he had been granted asylum, but couldn’t proceed without a valid passport.

    Finally he requested asylum so he could leave the F’in airport. Being trapped in an airport is cruel and inhumane punishment for anyone.

  184. 184.

    Brachiator

    @D58826:

    Since there is no constitutional ‘first person’ they are just like any other citizen.

    Except that any other citizen is not married to the president. And neither you nor I could drop by the White House and take over a remodeling job a la Jackie Kennedy, just because we were citizens.

    Presidents appoint special advisers in charge of ????whatever all the time.

    Advisors, absolutely. People rightfully praise FDR’s wife, who was more than advisor in many ways. But an even better example might be Teddy Roosevelt’s sister, Anna Roosevelt Cowles, who might have run for president had she had been born a man. Teddy would constantly look to her for advice. She was almost an unofficial cabinet member.

    If the spouse was a nuclear physicist by training and was put in charge of developing a nuclear non-proliferation agenda then might well be the best person for the job.

    Ernest Jeffrey Moniz, Secretary of the Department of Energy, is a nuclear physicist. That’s how you do it. You appoint people with credentials to high level positions, and make sure that they get appropriate Congressional approval.

  185. 185.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Brachiator: And just in case I haven’t made myself clear already,

    Do you think it a great idea for Hillary Clinton to promise (or appear to promise) that her husband will have an official role in shaping and directing domestic policy?
    Would you feel the same way about the spouse of any other president?

    No, it would not bother me anymore now than it ever has before. It is something that has been going on since the very beginning of our nation. I can assure you, Abigail Adams did. To think a President, any President, does not talk things over with their spouses on subjects both major and minor is just simply naive.

  186. 186.

    Brachiator

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Administrations are filled with who knows how many appointed individuals who serve at the president’s pleasure and aren’t confirmed by anyone. So the F what?

    People who serve at the president’s pleasure can be fired. A wife, not so easily. People who serve at the president’s pleasure can be vehemently opposed by other presidential staff. A wife or other favored family member, not so easily.

    RE: We do not have co-presidents. And Hillary does not seem to understand that this suggestion undermines her seeking to be the first woman president. Who would be the “real” president in the White House, her or Bill?

    I let it slide before but on reading it a 2nd time, I can’t. You are better than this sort of trivial sexist bullsh!t. It is the sort of thing I expect to hear from Trump in a stump speech and we will hear that and a whole lot worse before this is all over. Again, so the F what?

    I specifically said that Trump and the Republicans would blow this out of proportion and exploit it specifically because it is easy anti-woman bullshit. I specifically said it was trivial and a distraction.

    But why hand your political enemies an easy stick that they will then use to beat you over the head?

    I also specifically noted that any hint of Bill Clinton as co-president gives Clinton haters an excuse to vote against HER by saying that they were really voting against HIM. The idea of anyone considering Bill as co-president also immediately invokes Constitutional issues over third term issues.

    This has nothing to do with sexism, and everything to do with politics. This is why I tried to frame much of this in terms of a president whose former spouse was also a president. This has nothing to do with gender. I fully expect there to be a woman president, hopefully soon. I fully expect there to be a gay president who also has a spouse.

    And in mentioning JFK, I also expand the issue to close family members of any gender. I would feel just as vehement about this if we were talking about a President Jeb! appointing Dubya to some position of authority in his government.

  187. 187.

    D58826

    @Brachiator: Actually I think you made the point with some of your examples. Just in the case of the two Roosevelt it wasn’t done in such an obvious manner. But long before there was Clinton derangement syndrome there was an FDR derangement syndrome, with an exceptionally virulent strain called Eleanor derangement syndrome. Nancy and her astrologer pushed Reagan in the direction of talking to the Russians. On the other hand I can’t really see Mamie Eisenhower having taken a public role on anything.

    But the individual and the accountability do matter. If Bill is going to be a significant adviser (try to shut the BIG Dog up) I would rather have it out in public with a clearly defined role, rather than pillow talk or every one in the WH has to check to see what Bill thinks first.

  188. 188.

    Brachiator

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    It is something that has been going on since the very beginning of our nation. I can assure you, Abigail Adams did. To think a President, any President, does not talk things over with their spouses on subjects both major and minor is just simply naive.

    And I brought up the example of Bamie Roosevelt, who was Teddy Roosevelt’s sister and unofficial chief advisor, or Edith Wilson, who was de facto president in 1921 after Wilson had his stroke. I am pretty good on past presidential history.

    But there is a huge difference between unofficial advisor and official policy maker.

  189. 189.

    D58826

    On a different Hillary topic its from a link of a link on my smart phone. Charles Pierce is commenting on the Hillary surrogates that can hit Trump in ways that Hillary can’t.
    He lists
    1. Obama
    2. Uncle Joe Biden
    3. Professor senator Warren
    4. The Big Dog Bill.
    He then says when you have depth chart with the Big Dog as # 4 your doing pretty well going into the general.

  190. 190.

    D58826

    @Brachiator:

    But there is a huge difference between unofficial adviser and official policy maker.

    In the world of the WH that might be a distinction without a difference. More than a few liberals figured that Nancy lead Ronnie around by the nose. I think I would prefer the ‘the official policy maker’ out front and center, even though I am uneasy about it.

  191. 191.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Brachiator:

    I specifically said that Trump and the Republicans would blow this out of proportion and exploit it specifically because it is easy anti-woman bullshit. I specifically said it was trivial and a distraction.

    My apologies

    But why hand your political enemies an easy stick that they will then use to beat you over the head?

    They were going to use it anyway. They were always going to use it because that’s what they do. She didn’t hand them anything. She gave herself a stick with which to beat back at them. Say what you want about Bill’s admin, you can’t say it sucked economically while blowing up the deficit.

    I also specifically noted that any hint of Bill Clinton as co-president gives Clinton haters an excuse to vote against HER by saying that they were really voting against HIM.

    They were always going to vote against her. You yourself say they are Clinton HATERS.

    The idea of anyone considering Bill as co-president also immediately invokes Constitutional issues over third term issues.

    No, it doesn’t. Not in any way shape or form. Just ask a SC Justice.

    This has nothing to do with sexism, and everything to do with politics. This is why I tried to frame much of this in terms of a president whose former spouse was also a president. This has nothing to do with gender. I fully expect there to be a woman president, hopefully soon. I fully expect there to be a gay president who also has a spouse.

    And that I can not disagree with more. We are talking about Republicans. EVERYTHING is about sex. Even bathrooms.

    @Brachiator:

    But there is a huge difference between unofficial advisor and official policy maker.

    A distinction without a difference. Really.

  192. 192.

    J R in WV

    @Brachiator:

    There are official Protocol Officers, both at the White House and at Embassies around the world, members of the Diplomatic Service at the State Department. There are international treaties about diplomatic protocol, intended to keep people from killing over perceived slights in meetings between enemies.

    A President may appoint nearly anyone to represent them, some of these more formal or constitutional offices require approval by the Senate, and some do not. I think one President may safely appoint a former President to nearly any office they choose. Those with CDS will oppose any appointments by any Clinton regardless of qualifications or Senate approval.

  193. 193.

    D58826

    Interesting piece on Politico for hillbots and Bernie Bros
    http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/is-sanders-2016-becoming-nader-2000-213893

    I think one President may safely appoint a former President to nearly any office they choose

    From wikipeadia and obviously they weren’t married

    The Hoover Commission, officially named the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, was a body appointed by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 to recommend administrative changes in the Federal Government of the United States. It took its nickname from former President Herbert Hoover, who was appointed by Truman to chair it.

  194. 194.

    J R in WV

    @D58826:

    Some good history on that. I used the term one President may appoint a former President to avoid gender and specificity. It’s obvious that a former president is qualified to perform any role in government, at least to me. Not that I would be appointing W to anything more important that the Rose Bowl Parade Marshall.

  196. 196.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @J R in WV:

    It’s obvious that a former president is qualified to perform any role in government, at least to me. Not that I would be appointing W to anything more important that the Rose Bowl Parade Marshall.

    Proving once again that there is an exception to every rule.

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