Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

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

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

T R E 4 5 O N

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Republicans in disarray!

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Let’s finish the job.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

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

You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2016 / Wish I Could Have Heard This Conversation

Wish I Could Have Heard This Conversation

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Interesting:

President Obama called Sen. Bernie Sanders Sunday afternoon, according to a source familiar with the conversation, reports CBS News’ Julianna Goldman.

While the source didn’t characterize the conversation, Sanders spokesman told CBS News’ Kylie Atwood that the two have spoken on multiple occasions.

The call between the two lasted 30-45 minutes, CBS News’ Nancy Cordes reported. Sanders also spoke with the president by phone in mid-May.

The Vermont senator took the president’s call on the side of the road in the financial district in San Francisco, at around 2:30 p.m. ET. Atwood said that as the press bus drove by, Sanders could be seen standing on Market Street, legal pad in hand, as he talked on a cell phone.

The best part of this primary ending is that Obama can start beating Trump and the Republicans about the head and neck in support of Hillary because he no longer has to be neutral.

Reader Interactions

77Comments

  2. 2.

    dmsilev

    Apparently Obama is going to be in New York on Wednesday for “a Democratic fundraiser”.

    I imagine one part of the conversation was him telling Sanders that he (Obama) will be publicly endorsing Hillary then.

  4. 4.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    Shorter Obama: we can do this the easy way for you or the hard way.

    Sanders will concede by the end of the week.

  6. 6.

    srv

    Sanders is probably getting nervous Obama hasn’t delivered on the indictment yet.

  7. 7.

    Kathmandu513

    I can’t wait for this to happen.

    Big Dog, EW, Unca Joe, and Obama? That’s a deep bench of surrogates who know exactly how to hit Trump

  8. 8.

    Poopyman

    There’s zero percent chance the “source familiar with the conversation” is on Team Sanders. Leaking to the press is a nice way to put the screws to the old fart.

  9. 9.

    Kropadope

    Nice to see the party’s number one peacemaker and charming campaigner stepping in.

  10. 10.

    Mike J

    Matt Y says Sanders concedes on Friday. Cohn thinks the 1AM eastern time start for rally tomorrow night is a sign he’ll quit then,.

  11. 11.

    Germy

    Big Dog, EW, Unca Joe, and Obama.

    The golden wrecking ball will be shrieking on his knees before sunset.

  12. 12.

    dmsilev

    And, meanwhile, over in the Mirror Universe, Mr. Dead-Ferret-on-Head again demonstrates his famous thick skin and ability to shrug off criticism:
    Trump Orders Surrogates to Intensify Criticism of Judge and Journalists

    An embattled Donald Trump urgently rallied his most visible supporters to defend his attacks on a federal judge’s Mexican ancestry during a conference call on Monday in which he ordered them to question the judge’s credibility and impugn reporters as racists.
    “We will overcome,” Trump said, according to two supporters who were on the call and requested anonymity to share their notes with Bloomberg Politics. “And I’ve always won and I’m going to continue to win. And that’s the way it is.”
    There was no mention of apologizing or backing away from his widely criticized remarks about U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing cases against the Trump University real-estate program.
    When former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer interrupted the discussion to inform Trump that his own campaign had asked surrogates to stop talking about the lawsuit in an e-mail on Sunday, Trump repeatedly demanded to know who sent the memo, and immediately overruled his staff.
    “Take that order and throw it the hell out,” Trump said.

  13. 13.

    Poopyman

    The Vermont senator took the president’s call on the side of the road in the financial district in San Francisco, at around 2:30 p.m. ET

    Would have been more poetic if he’d taken the call at 3 AM.

  16. 16.

    sigaba

    @dmsilev: This was in the last thread but I still like reading it. I cannot help but wonder how that man summons the intellect to breathe regularly.

  17. 17.

    dmsilev

    @Germy: But of course that raises the obvious question (obvious to us, anyway): Who was responsible for hiring those stupid people?

  19. 19.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Kathmandu513: It will be a general election season for the ages. Can’t wait to see it go down. Trump won’t know what hit him. He’ll deserve every lick.

  20. 20.

    Germy

    @Mike J: tonight show with Jimmy Fallon? I haven’t watched him in a while. Would he even ask, or would he just put him in a comedy sketch?

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    General public will turn eyes momentarily to the political during the conventions, then be distracted by the Olympics in August and won’t, as usual, devote attention again until after Labor Day.

    Debate schedule, FYI:

    Monday, Sept. 26 (Dayton, OH)

    Tuesday, October 4 (Farmville VA – v.p.)

    Sunday, October 9 (St. Louis, MO)

    Wednesday, October 19 (Las Vegas, NV)

  23. 23.

    Germy

    Sorry, I’m one of those Baud Or Bust people. You can have the hildebeat with her emails and her support of the contras and her poor campaigning skills and her endorsement from Obama. If Baud isn’t on the ballot I’ll be writing him in.

    Or maybe I’ll just stay home. That’ll show you all.

  24. 24.

    Kropadope

    @Germy: Don’t stay home, think of the down ballot, man. Also, are there ballot initiatives where you’re from?

  25. 25.

    Mike J

    @Germy:

    President Barack Obama will join Jimmy Fallon for late-night antics for the first time since 2012.

    NBC said President Obama will appear on its “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” for the first time, on Thursday, June 9. Obama previously appeared with Fallon during the comedian’s tenure on NBC’s “Late Night” – and then, it was during a special broadcast from the campus of the University of North Carolina. During that cameo, the President helped Fallon “slow-jam” the news in a memorable bit.

  28. 28.

    huskydown

    The only people thinking Sanders would not bow out after the primaries were fully completed were the naive fools of BJ. Sanders is pushing still because there’s a big stage called California voting tomorrow, a conceding now just means his voters will wind up staying home. And if he makes California competitive, it adds to his delegate count in order to continue to push his issues with the Clinton centrists.

    There’s plenty of time still for a move to the general election to “beat Trump”. None of this is “damaging” Clinton. Its not even the first day of summer yet – with Labor Day waaaaaay far away, and you nincompoops have been crying about the sky falling for the past two months because Sanders won’t leave poor Hillary alone.

  29. 29.

    dmsilev

    Also, The Hill:

    Sanders to ‘assess’ path after California

    Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Monday said he’d “assess” his path to victory after California’s primary.

    “Let’s assess where we are after tomorrow before we make statements based on speculation,” Sanders told reporters in California when asked whether he would step aside if he loses on Tuesday night.
    “We are speculating before what is in fact the most important primary.”
    He added that he would be flying back to his home in Vermont after the California primary.

    Flying home to ‘reassess’ is a traditional lead-in to throwing in the towel. I think this is going to be over sooner rather than later.

  30. 30.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I expect Hillary to be declared nomination winner immediately after polls open. No, seriously. At this point, Sanders would have to damn near sweep all the remaining delegates, and once the evidence is on the table that he won’t, all that’s left is how big her margin is.

    Mind you, this has been all but over since Iowa. Sanders needed to outperform state-to-state expectations, and when it became clear that wasn’t going to happen, we were left watching the blocks fall. About the same with Trump, really.

  31. 31.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @huskydown:

    The guy’s a total grifting whiny fraud, but cool story bro.

    ETA: Sanders spent $13,758 for one night in a 5 star hotel in Rome while stalking the Pope. Real man of the people amirite?

  32. 32.

    gf120581

    I would love to have heard that conversation. I imagine Obama was courteous and polite as always, but there’s no doubt what the message was. He’s got that “iron fist in a velvet glove” approach patented.

    Judging by Bernie’s demeanor today, I think it’s finally dawning on him what’s going to happen. I wonder if they got some bad polling numbers that shows CA’s not going to go there way and if that happens, the last meager justification of staying in goes up in smoke.

  33. 33.

    burnspbesq

    @huskydown:

    Sez you.

    Sanders unnecessarily created a big pile of dog-poop in the Party about which he didn’t care until he tried to hijack ots Presidential nomination. He should have been scooping for the last several weeks, but he left it to get progressively (no pun intended) smeillier.

  34. 34.

    dmsilev

    @Frankensteinbeck: She’ll pass 2383 the instant NJ polls close (24 hours and counting…), as she only needs a couple dozen delegates to pass that hurdle. 2026 pledged, which is the more important number, will have to wait until there’s enough of the California vote counted to get a rough estimate of the delegate breakdown. Maybe 9 or 10 Pacific. A final total for California could take until the end of the week; mail-in ballots have to be postmarked tomorrow at the latest, but they count if received by Friday. That only matters if (a) the vote is really close and (b) you care about “who won” rather than the delegate count.

  35. 35.

    Chyron HR

    @dmsilev:

    Flying home to ‘reassess’ is a traditional lead-in to throwing in the towel.

    Just like when he did it after losing New York?

  37. 37.

    Aqualad08

    @huskydown:

    The only people thinking Sanders would not bow out after the primaries were fully completed were the naive fools of BJ.

    Yes, yes, the naive fools of BJ, NOT the naive fools who believed what he was ACTUALLY SAYING and kept sending him money for the last two months… good try though, pookie…

  38. 38.

    dmsilev

    @Chyron HR: Touche.

    Still, I think this is it. Maybe that’s hopeful thinking on my part, but I guess we’ll find out in a couple of days.

  39. 39.

    Fair Economist

    I’m wondering if Trump is having money troubles and the stress is freaking him out. It’s generally agreed that the 10 billion is fictitious and he’s worth quite a bit less than that. The Trump brand is also taking a big hit right now, and that’s got to be cutting into his cash flow. If he’s actually highly leveraged (quite likely as that’s how real estate people roll) he might be having some real cash flow troubles now.

    It might explain some of the incredibly dumb decisions he’s been making lately, like tripling down on the Trump University business.

  40. 40.

    Ten Bears

    Could just as readily wait until July to stating beating Trump and the Republicans about the head and neck in support of Sanders. Not unlike premature ejaculation, presumptively traveling forward under the assumption of victory often results in moving the cheese.

    What’s the hurry, in particular now? You can’t wait a couple or three weeks to see how it all plays out?

  41. 41.

    germy

    Sanders pinned his chances in the state’s primary to voter turnout.

    “If the turnout is high tomorrow, we will win,” he said. “If the turnout is very high, I think we will win by big numbers. If turnout is low, we will probably lose.”

    But Sanders repeatedly batted away questions about how his campaign would proceed in the all-but-certain event that his rival, Hillary Clinton, wins enough delegates Tuesday to claim the Democratic nomination.

    “You’re asking me to speculate. Let me just talk to you after the primary here in California,” Sanders said when asked whether he would endorse Clinton before next month’s national convention in Philadelphia. “Let’s assess where we are after tomorrow before we make statements based on speculation.”

    When asked about the possibility that President Barack Obama may endorse Clinton this week, Sanders dismissed it as “speculating before what is in fact the most important primary.”

    Sanders did not lob much criticism at his Democratic competitor; instead, he directed most of his fire at Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, whom Sanders accused of “running his campaign on bigotry.”

    Sanders called Trump’s attacks on the Mexican heritage of Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over a lawsuit involving Trump University, “really quite incomprehensible.”

    http://www.rawstory.com/2016/06/watch-live-bernie-sanders-finishes-california-campaign-with-san-francisco-rally/

  42. 42.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Ten Bears:

    Oh fer fuck sake it was over months ago. Nothing has changed since Super Tuesday, when St. Bernard dismissed the delegate rich South. It’s way past time for him and his supporters to acknowledge reality.

  43. 43.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Ten Bears:

    You can’t wait a couple or three weeks to see how it all plays out?

    See how what pans out? Barring a meteor, Clinton wins the nomination.

  44. 44.

    rikyrah

    Nicole ‏@errotababy 14h14 hours ago

    On #LastWeekTonight John Oliver bought nearly $15 million of medical debt for $60k and then forgave it all, relieving 9,000 families

  45. 45.

    Hungry Joe

    It’s time to re-double — as it will soon be time to redouble again and yet again — our GOTV efforts for the election. Want some inspiration? Here it comes:

    Today my wife was phone-banking for Proposition I (that’s, letter-I) here in San Diego. It would raise the minimum wage to $11.50, ahead of the statewide raise. And do you know who was phone-banking with her? Bill Walton, that’s who. Yeah, Bill Walton of UCLA and NBA fame. He also showed up at a city council meeting two years ago to speak — passionately — about the need to raise the minimum wage, and how it’ll make a difference in working peoples’ lives.

    He is SUCH a good guy. He doesn’t have to do any of this, but he does it because it’s right, and because he cares. So here comes the first of what will be several of my pleas over the next few months: You can do more than just vote. Volunteer. Walk precincts or phone bank or just ask local Dem headquarters what you can do to help. A few hours’ work almost always results in a few more votes. If it’s worth Bill Walton’s time it’s worth yours, too.

  46. 46.

    Elmo

    @dmsilev: So I live in the flight path for AF1 landings, and today on my commute home I saw the plane taking off big as life while I was driving home near Andrews AFB. If he’s not in NY till Wed, where is he tomorrow?

  47. 47.

    Mnemosyne

    That reminds me, I need to do my sample ballot tonight so I can be ready to vote bright and early tomorrow morning. Hillbots forever!

  48. 48.

    Mike J

    @rikyrah: Imagine if churches did that. Just once a year, every church in America bought a tranche of debt. It would be like the debt forgiveness jubilee that is mandated in the bible.

  49. 49.

    Renie

    @Fair Economist: I think I read his campaign has no money at the moment and the RNC doesn’t have any to give him yet. With Sanders fading away and Trump on the verge of an epic explosion, get all the popcorn you can!! This will be great!

  50. 50.

    JPL

    According to AP, Hillary is the first female democratic candidate for President. Congratulations, Secretary Clinton.

  53. 53.

    Percysowner

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    I expect Hillary to be declared nomination winner immediately after polls open. No, seriously. At this point, Sanders would have to damn near sweep all the remaining delegates, and once the evidence is on the table that he won’t, all that’s left is how big her margin is.

    Chris Hays on MNBC just announced the AP has stated that Hillary now has the delegated to win the nomination. Details to follow, but it looks likes she’s clinched it.

  54. 54.

    smith

    @Mike J: As I recall a group was formed some years back to do just that — buy discounted medical debts and then forgive them. I gave them some $ but before it went very far TPTB changed the rules so that the only parties that could buy the debt were scumbag debt collectors. I read that Oliver actually formed a company to do his action, and assumed that’s why.

  55. 55.

    Mike J

    @Elmo: He’s in DC tomorrow[1]. Probably a different fundraiser, which doesn’t appear on the presidential calendar.

    [1] PDB at 7am in oval office, followed by briefing at FEMA, greeting Villanova bball team in the east room.

  57. 57.

    magurakurin

    @huskydown: whatever. As long as he concedes. Pretty sure anyone who thought he wouldn’t is overjoyed to be wrong. I know I am. Happy just to see it end. I really no longer care what Sanders does going foward.

  58. 58.

    Renie

    The irony of Bernie getting the call in the FINANCIAL district. Must be a Clinton conspiracy.

    LOL

  59. 59.

    Mike J

    @Mike J: Scratch all that. When I switched to day view from week view i fat fingered and went back one week. Don’t know the sched for tomorrow.

  60. 60.

    aimai

    @Ten Bears: No. We shouldn’t wait three weeks. A national campaign is a huge lift, takes lots of moving parts. Maybe Hillary wants to be able to hire Bernie’s workers to work her campaign so they don’t get fired and dumped without jobs like they were a few months ago?

  61. 61.

    SciNY

    According to the Washington Post website, the AP is calling the Democratic presidential primary race for HRC, based on pledged delegates and superdelegates. As they point out, BS cannot reach the 2,383 delegate threshold even if he wins all remaining pledged delegates and uncommitted superdelegates.

  63. 63.

    Mnemosyne

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I saw that on LMM’s Twitter feed! Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever been to the Lincoln Park Zoo, but there was a local kids’ program that did a segment from there every week that I used to love.

  65. 65.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Elmo: @Mike J: Do you need to know where he will be tomorrow?//

    Remember:
    http://www.carolecgood.com/401px-INF3-232_Anti-rumour_and_careless_talk_You_never_know_who's_on_the_wires_(Hitler_figure_sitting_on_telephone_wires).jpg
    https://lemurking.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/someone-talked.jpg
    http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8319/7986341330_5980a22d5f.jpg
    http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/posters/l3.jpg
    And just for good measure!
    https://gjkimball.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/syphilis3.jpg
    Also, sarc tags: //!

  66. 66.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Ten Bears: @aimai: Its also that Trump’s campaign informed GOP Senators Chiefs of Staff that the campaign was out of money and couldn’t do much of anything but the rallies and free media until after the convention when they can tap the RNC funding. This provides weeks where Secretary Clinton’s campaign and allied groups can hammer him on TV and radio and the Internet and social media and he can’t fight back because he doesn’t have the money to fight back. If you can hammer him now, and define him for the independents and the not paying a lot of attention folks before everyone tunes out over the summer, then its going to make things easier going in the Fall through to the election.

  68. 68.

    Miss Bianca

    @Hungry Joe: For my sins, I’ve just committed to being a speechwriter/policy wonk for the Democratic candidate for state House District 60.

  70. 70.

    The Gray Adder

    @Germy: I find it hard to believe that any real Democrat uses the term “Hildebeast” to describe HRC. So go ahead, stay home. See if we care.

  72. 72.

    mere mortal

    “beating Trump and the Republicans about the head and neck”

    Is that an intentional Adam West Batman reference? It is bouncing around my brain, but I’m pretty sure “pummel you about the head and shoulders” was a Thing that Happened in the old Batman show.

  73. 73.

    Karen Bidwell

    We were all young once. Even in our thirties. You will be disillusioned with this woman. Bernie has his problems, but he is without doubt on the better side of the angels. Hillary has hemmed and hawed for so long there is no knowing where she sits. And Bill back in the White House is something that younger persons cannot even begin to contemplate. Go for it. Its going to be like a car going off the cliff. Just stop being so damn smug about it.

  77. 77.

    Miss Bianca

    @Karen Bidwell: I’m in my 50s, I voted for Bill Clinton twice, and I for one can’t wait to welcome the next President Clinton to the White House. So, your point regarding age would be…?

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