Ever since Orange-American John Boehner abruptly resigned his position as Speaker of the House last September – the day after his outright sobs in the presence of Pope Francis – he’s been in the wind. He gave his notice, ushered in his replacement (Paul Ryan) and Boehner was gone, poof, like a Cheeto Keyser Soze. But Boehner returned to public life briefly this week when he sat down for a discussion and Q&A session at Stanford University. The discussion went down Wednesday evening, and certain key phrases of Boehner’s talk were trending on Twitter all day Thursday. Which brings me to my theory of gossip, and my job: everyone gossips. Everyone thrives on gossip. Politics thrives on gossip. And these days, it’s difficult to differentiate between entertainment, gossip and politics. Which is to say… John Boehner delivered some really juicy gossip during his talk. Some highlights:
He doesn’t mind if you call him Boner: “You can call me boner, beaner, jackass, happy to answer to almost anything.”
On Ted Cruz: “Lucifer in the flesh. I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.”
He’s friends with Kasich & Trump: Boehner described other Republican candidates as friends. In particular, he said he has played golf with Donald Trump for years and that they were “texting buddies.” His friendship with Ohio Governor John Kasich, however, was a little more ambiguous. “[Kasich] requires more effort on my behalf than all my other friends … but he’s still my friend, and I love him,” Boehner said…The former Speaker did say he would vote for Trump in the general election if he becomes the Republican nominee. He said he would not, however, vote for Cruz.
On Bernie Sanders: While stating that he disagreed with Sanders on all the issues, he also called Sanders a nice guy and the most honest politician in the race.
On Hillary Clinton: Early in the talk, he impersonated Clinton, saying “Oh, I’m a woman, vote for me,” to a negative crowd reaction. Later, he added that he had known Clinton for 25 years and finds her to be very accomplished and smart. Boehner also speculated about surprises that could come closer to the Democratic National Convention if Hillary Clinton’s emails became a larger scandal. “Don’t be shocked … if two weeks before the convention, here comes Joe Biden parachuting in and Barack Obama fanning the flames to make it all happen,” Boehner said.
I personally think Lucifer and Lucifer’s main homegirl (Kris Jenner) should be mightily offended at the comparison to Ted Cruz. At this point in the election cycle, I honestly have to change the channel whenever Cruz is on the screen, he makes my skin crawl to that level. I just don’t understand how people can’t see through his patronizing dickishness. It also goes to show you that even though the GOP is looking at a Donald Trump nomination head-on, they still can’t bring themselves to get behind Cruz. His coworkers LOATHE him. And Lucifer In The Flesh has already said many douchey words about Boehner.
As for Boehner’s gossip about Hillary Clinton… if some scandal breaks over the summer, I do wonder if Joe Biden would try to get elected from the floor of the convention. I don’t see Obama maneuvering it though.
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
Cheeto Keyser Soze … ha! 😀
“Cheeto Keyser Soze”
@Kaiser – that is top-shelf writing.
Hilarious.
I am crying laughing!!
I know, I choked on my tea at that one, had to change my shirt for work.
I, too, can’t fathom how anyone finds Cruz anything but a patronizing dick not to mention evil. He makes my skin crawl, too.
he’s Greg Stillson.
I proudly wear my black “Ted Cruz was the Zodiac Killer” tee-shirt.
@Kaiser
Your writing on this – right out of the Michael K – Dlisted playbook
fantastic!!!!
scary. reminds me of – You point the finger – you have Three Pointing Back at You.
“Vote For The Crook. Not The Fascist”
You had me at Orange-American, Kaiser. You had me at Orange-American.
Right? Still chuckling.
I know I chuckled too.
Me too! 😂
Yes too funny and accurate- Trump can join that elite group.
Thinking of this republican field – I blame Jeb Bush- others sat out of this race either out of respect or due to his huge cash reserve – and then he proved to be a dud and it was too late- there is simply no other explanation for the kind of clowns – trump, Cruz, Fiorina, Carson, Huckabee, Jindal, Santorum- who ran this year when there are so many republican Governors and other office holders .
Hey, I agree with the boner! I don’t get people who vote for Cruz – his own party hates his guts. How is he going to get anything done?
I totally agree with the Biden scenario, and hope it happens.
Everybody who has known or met Cruz from grade school to Congress cannot STAND the dude. If you Google it’s amazing how many pieces have been written about how unbearable this guy is, going back for years, before he ever ran for president. He’s a huge HUGE ahole.
If the hate is *that* universal, there’s something wrong with the guy. His college roommate’s tweets about him are hilarious, though.
It’s amazing to me that he’s gotten to where he is when it seems like everyone who knows him completely loathes him. Forget President, how do you get to be a solicitor general or a senator when all your work connections can’t stand you? There’s so much networking and behind closed doors dealings that go into reaching those positions, and Cruz is so hated by everyone I just can’t see how it went down.
This whole presidential race has turned into a clown circus. It’s a joke. Let’s have decorum. All the trashing of everyone is stupid. I know kids that behave better than all the losers campaigning.
Count me in on the Biden scenario. So, so many skeletons in the Clinton closet —
Agreed.. but Biden has his own skeletons.. he lost me when he made it a campaign prop to use the man driving the tractor trailer that hit his wife’s car head on. I read so many articles about this back in 2008.. it was disgusting the way he played the death of his wife and daughter and ruined the man’s life for votes! He said the truck driver was drunk and they were killed by a drunk driver when it was PROVEN in court and investigations that it was his wife that crossed the yellow line and got in the truck’s lane. Theory was that his wife was distracted and took her eyes off the road. The truck driver had no where to go. It haunted him the rest of his life and tarnished his name in vain. So sad.. sorry it’s a v sensitive sticking point with me having lost someone to a drunk driver on Christmas Eve.
I’m so glad to hear women saying they hope Hillary goes down in flames….partly because
she’s the definition of sleaze & corruption, and partly because it’ll keep my ex-boyfriend Rahm from being her running mate.
There is no way she would choose Rahm as running mate. Unless they run on the “indictment ticket.” Plus, it’s widely known that she despises the guy. Hated him when he worked for Bill and still does.
Pretty sure Julian Castro will get the veep spot if Clinton is the nominee.
@Gatita — I think it is going to be someone with a little more experience than either of the Castro brothers. Hillary is not in great health (nor is Bill). Castro brothers need more time. Look to 2024. Deval Patrick. That’s who I think it will be.
Just saw Bill Clinton on tv speaking and damn, he doesn’t not look well. He is frail, thin, his voice shaky.. very sad to see.. I saw him in 2008 at a Hillary event and he was in fine shape and impressive. First time I ever saw a president in person and it was pretty cool, regardless of where you stand politically.
On the other hand, agree this has become a total circus but (hides my head) would love to see a Trump v Hillary debate. The gloves would be thrown down and would be better than watching Ronda Rousey v Floyd Mayweather WWE match.. totally worthy of a pay per view with proceeds for our veterans or seniors. I bet it would even attract an international audience… but ok.. back to reality….
I don’t know how anyone could vote for Cruz .. between his creepy ass face and facial expressions to that voice.. I can’t even imagine…
ETA: and I too am glad there are women who won’t vote for Hillary just because she is a woman. I would love to live to see a woman become president BUT hope it’s not Hillary..
I could get onboard with that. It would me a mind blower for my southern Catholic extended family. I just want it so I can watch their inner conflict. Truth is I do love them despite some things about some of them, but it would be interesting.
Ugh autocorrect and editing. me=be.
I’m finding my level of loathing this election cycle growing by the passing hour. Can’t stand Cruz or Boehner for that matter and wish they would go away along with Trump.
I like Biden but if anything it should be Sanders that gets drafted in the case of a scandal – he at least went through the process and has some pretty good support.
@em yes! Why Biden? Bernie should get the nom if Clinton gets busted. I vote for the person I believe to be best for the job, I don’t care if they are pink blobs from mars, if they are the most qualified they get my vote.
Em.. totally agree with your post.. why Biden when Bernie has gone the distance and achieved many votes and supporters. And held his dignity as well.
If you google his college roommate, he has done a AMAZING series about Ted Cruz and having been his roommate. It’s hilarious.
That freshman roommate even says that the seniors included him on their parties because they felt so sorry for him having to live with Cruz!
Did you see the video where something white came out of his mouth and he was trying to suck it back in? He got it back in his nose or mouth, I don’t remember. I literally gag when I think of it.
Lucifer with a booger.
Several commenters on that video speculated it was probably a tonsil stone. Tonsil stones cause nasty breath odor. Maybe that explains why his kids always recoil when he goes in for hug or kiss (other than the fact he’s a total creep).
The large contingent of SandersorBust supporters who are saying they will allow Trump or Cruz to become POTUS by abstaining or voting 3rd party if Clinton is the democratic nominee are already pitching a hissy about anything that could prevent Bernie from becoming the Democrats nominee – it’s amazing how many complained that it’s unfair that independents can’t vote in the democratic primaries (in stares with closed primaries) and that it was set up to rig the system against Sanders. I can’t imagine that they’d be OK with anyone other than Bernie as the nominee under any circumstances if they’re not even willing to accept someone who actually got more votes than Bernie being the nominee
Bernie Sanders is the most honest politician I’ve ever seen. My heart is set on him and I know my heart is going to get broken. But still, he’s an extremely important figure leading a huge movement and I love him. Even Boner knows he’s truly honest and upstanding.
I love this outright shade towards Cruz. Cracking me up this morning.
Legitimate question… Is it “outright shade” to call someone “Lucifer in the flesh”? Or something more? Feels more than just shade.
Because it IS more than shade.
Yeah that would be more than shade. Shade is subtle.
OK yes shade was the wrong word choice lol. What should it be called then? Outright bashing? Lambasting? Keeping it real?
Yes it is because of Ted’s religious views and those of his minions.
The correct term for what occurred is “read.” As in “John Boehner read Ted Cruz for filth.”
Shade is indirect and subtle, a read is direct and aggressive. The things you learn from watching RuPaul’s Drag Race!
Bernie lost me when he voted to put militia men on the border and when he talked sh*t about Planned Parenthood. He’s just another evil old white man an probably one of the most egotistical people I’ve ever seen.
He also had to be coerced into releasing his tax returns and even then didnt release the standard 7 years plus. I hold all politicians with suspicion but those who present themselves as paragons are extra suspicious. That man is hiding something in his finances.
He lost me when he tried to call Hilary unqualified (which there are many many things to call Hilary out on, but unqualified isn’t one of them), when he described women’s issues with abortion and equal pay as being “a distraction from real issues”, when he’s gone out of his way to tell his voters not to care any local/congressional campaigns. “We’ll see.” Those were his words. When SO much happens on a local level with judges, state houses etc it’s a very short sided and frankly selfish way to look at it.
Bernie’s view of the revolution is only about Bernie and the white house. Not any other level of government and that’s a problem.
“when he’s gone out of his way to tell his voters not to care any local/congressional campaigns. “We’ll see.” Those were his words.”
Yes, that was a big deal for me too. If you understand how our government operates, you know that in order for a “revolution” or any positive change to happen, you have to have action in legislatures at both state and federal levels.
I started off thinking of Bernie as an idealist; someone who wouldn’t be able to implement his platform but had beliefs I could respect, but at this point I think he’s an egotist looking for his moment in the sun.
I just don’t understand Bernie’s numbers. Taxing all speculative trade on Wall Street– well isn’t ALL trade on Wall Street speculative? How does that not affect anyone who has any dealings with any commercial bank — eg student loans, mortgages, car loans, credit cards. I think, in addition to raised taxes for everyone, there would be a second sucker punch for the population through increased banking fees across the board….
However, I agree with Boehner, I think Sanders is sincere about income inequality and has raised good points about it. The rich and wealthy tend to save and hoard money– that money needs to be circulating and moving about more in an economy than tied up. People of lower income brackets tend to spend more overall, keeping a economy liquid….so something should be done to get those numbers back to the middle class, at the very least.
And another set of numbers that I don’t understand with Bernie: there is no viable mathematical path for him to the white house unless a significant number of superdelegates flip. His staying in the race to further impune Clinton just feels like bloody mindedness to me, and makes me angry bc I don’t want a Trump or Cruz presidency — Hilary is not the most ideal candidate for many people, but I feel that all politicians have a coat of sleaze. However, she’s got to be eons better than Trump or Cruz… why gamble this? I sometimes feel that Sanders supporters absolutely deserve the wakeup call of a Trump or Cruz presidency if the attacks on Clinton (at this point) are continued. The rest of us don’t, but bloodymindedness never ends well. 🙁
Bernie lost me when he began personally attacking Hillary instead of the issues. He has no chance mathmatically, but continues to damage her. He has been asked to not do this by higher up Democrats, yet continues. This could damage her enough to throw the election to Trump! Also, I completely agree that Bernie’s ego has gotten out of control.
@Patricia, my nephew is running the Bernie Sanders campaign in his part of his state, and Bernie (I feel we are on a first name basis now) has been so kind to him. I love him for that alone. I’m afraid you will both have your hearts broken, though, and I’m truly sorry. I hope it doesn’t kill his love for politics or being involved. I’m actually pretty worried about it.
I hope it doesn’t kill his love for politics, too! No matter what happens, Bernie’s campaign HAS made a difference in this country and has put democratic socialism on the map as an option that many Americans want to explore.
Jumping in here because I worked for his campaign as did some of my family. I’ve been listening to him on the radio and have been familiar with his politics because I have spent time in Vermont since I was a child. I love his views and honesty, but I used to argue with my ex who told me he believed he should run for president several years ago. I did not believe it. He probably won’t get the nom but he’s changed the conversation and inspired many.
Add me in for loving Bernie as well. I can’t wait to vote for him in my state’s primary! Also he said Hillary wasn’t qualified because of her judgment not her resume – which more than qualifies her. Which I agree with that statement, she ticks all the right boxes but what she did with her time in each position is suspect. I worry about Hillary fans who are this sensitive and say he has gone negative, because they are in for a shock when whoever the Republicans nominate gets going – but I guess they can write that off as a right-wing conspiracy and not have to think about how she maybe isn’t the best candidate for the job.
@KG, I agree with EVERYTHING you said and I’ve voted for Democrats all my life including her husband Bill. Where are all of the other intelligent, capable women in politics that I would love to see run?….Elizabeth Warren and Claire McCaskill come to mind.
An honest politician will not hide his tax returns and only release a summary for one year.
An honest politician will not attack Hillary for voting for the Iraq war but he himself voted for the funding if that and Afganistan wars. Infact, he voted twice in support of regime change in Iraq. In 1998 Sanders voted in favor of the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which said: “It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime.” 500000 Iraqi children were killed because of this.
An honest man would not supported the NATO bombing of Yugaslavia in 1999.
An honest man would not supported the 1 billion aid support package for the coup government in Ukraine.
An honest man would not have Supported Israel’s assault on Gaza and put the blame entirely on Hamas. When a woman asked at a town hall why he didn’t condemn the attacks, he told her to shut up and that she doesn’t have the microphone.
An honest man would not voted for the 2001 Authorization Unilateral Military Force Against Terrorists (AUMF), which pretty much allowed Bush to wage war wherever he wanted, backed Obama’s Libyan debacle and supports an expanded US role in the Syrian Civil War.
I don’t disagree with you at all Maya. I don’t believe this honest shtick at all.
I just also realized there is a difference between an honest person and an honest politician.
I do believe there is Clinton dirt. But I also don’t like this narrative of her be contrived, etc. They all are. For some reason it’s ok for the men (Lucifer) to have political ambitions (since college) but not the woman. I guarantee lucifer’s wife would get going if he got in the White House. (Shiver)
Listening to you lesser of two evils types argue over which murderer, with blood on their hands, is the least evil sickens me.
Don’t forget a honest man wouldn’t point fingers at Hilary for promoting the crime bill when he also promoted the crime bill and voted for it.
I’d argue that Hilary has tons of issues and doesn’t even approach the idea of perfect, but Bernie Sanders is still a politician. He’s about selling a image and putting him up on this perfect pedestal just rubs me the wrong way.
Sorry but there is something called math and it has defeated Bernie. Wishing Math wasn’t real won’t make it so.
I love Bernie. He had a remarkable run taking on the most powerful political machine in America, and he pulled Hillary left and continues to do so. Bless his heart!!!
#feelthebern
My husband had the misfortune of making Cruz’s acquaintance. He agrees with Boehner. The guy is, by all accounts, a miserable rat bastard.
I can’t understand how ANYONE would vote for this guy, and yet here he is. He rings every alarm bell I have, from pathological liar to egomaniac to pervert (that film of him aggressively kissing his daughter, who was trying to get away from him, made me extremely uncomfortable). I can’t even look at his face without cringing – and we haven’t even gotten to his ideas! If someone told you a candidate was universally loathed, wouldn’t you wonder what was wrong with him? Why don’t people see that there is something very wrong here?
He is so damn creepy. That video with his daughter says it all. Poor kid.
Belle,
Totally agree. My hubs usually keeps his professional dealings to himself (the finer points, at least), but when he came home after working with Cruz and said he wouldn’t piss on the man if he was on fire, I knew he must have been AWFUL. Mr. Goats doesn’t talk like that about ANYBODY.
Um, look who’s beating him. The Donald. What the hell happened in this country?
That picture of him kissing his daughter was so creepy, although I saw a longer clip and it wasn’t inappropriate in a sexual way or anything. She was pouting, as kids her age will do, and he tried to kiss her. It looked fine until she resisted. He should have just let go, but he gripped her tighter and forced the kiss on her. I thought it said a lot about his lack of sensitivity and boundaries, stubbornness and childishness.
It’s weird because his wife seems like a pretty smart woman and his kids seem pretty clever as well. I’m guessing she’s with him for the connections or lifestyle? Because even his own family can’t seem to stand being around him.
YES. Exactly. He doesn’t appear to have one redeeming quality.
Sloaney, I believe his wife married him purely because she was attracted to his ambition. I may be wrong, but I think I’m justifying how anyone could actually have sex with him…twice!
Cruz is horrible beyond belief. Everyone who has met him is shocked that he has made it this far. As for his wife, Google the police report on when she was reported sitting right by a major highway at ten at night. Concerned drivers had called it in, and an officer found her sitting in the dark with her head in her hands five feet from traffic. After questioning her he became convinced that she was a danger to herself and took her home. A lot has been redacted from his report, but it implies that she didn’t want to go home. This was ten years ago, but obviously she was in crisis. If I woke up and found myself married to the human lizard/weasel cross I would be in crisis every day.
I thought I was the only one, that thinks this guy is a psychopath. I will never forget what his room mate from college said about him – “If I agreed with all Ted Cruz’s believe, I would still hate him 99% as a person.” – That tells you all you need to know!!!!
Verry interesting. Thanks for the insight. He makes my skin crawl.
He reminds me of Dracula from those old horror films in the 50s, he does seem very creepy to me, and I laughed out loud when Boehner said those things, he really let it out, good for him. I am not a Donald Trump supporter, but I think I would pick him over lyin Ted!
He’s a jerk and a dangerous one at that. No one has a kind word for him. I hope your hubby took a hazmat level shower to get rid of the stench.
Its interesting though that Cruz was the only Republican candidate that could deflect Trumps insults. Trump didn’t ruffle Cruz’s feathers like he did Jeb and Rubio. I think that’s why he is the only one left who can fight Trump for the Republican nomination. IMO If there was no Trump in the presidential election, there wouldn’t be a Cruz.
Most of congress loathes him. Its a poorly held secret.
Can’t believe I want to high five Leatherface.
I can’t believe I think leatherface is a wee bit hot.
Sit down, sweetheart. There, there. I know he said a good thing, but let’s not be hasty. Would a nice glass of water help? Vodka? I’m here for you.
Maybe she meant hot as in temperature. He does look like he could use a fan in the pics.
@ GNAT
Perhaps it’s best if you just leave the bottle because, apparently, I have “issues” to work on.
@SloaneY
Yes, that’s what I meant. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Tbh, he’s not bad looking. He’s got nice eyes. *runs and hides*
Come on guys…some of us are still having breakfast.
I’m with you, he does have lovely eyes. Objectively he is a handsome man, though perhaps too much time is spent in the tanning salon than is good for him.
You guys are cracking me up, thanks for the laughs…wish I could hang around here but I have so much work to do. I need to shut down my browser so I’m not tempted!
His weepy face gives me the giggles every time I see it.
I wonder if he cries after sex? Hehe 😂
I’m trying really hard to see it but I can’t. I really can’t.
I have to say I think he is not a bad looking man, and I love his gruffly voice, there said it, youre not the only one.
“Lucifer in the flesh” has been one of my nicknames for John Boehner. And whatever you do, John, just pretend that Dennis Hastert never existed.
Yep. Let’s just skip over that one. He’s not much better than any of them.
If the Republicans successfully torpedo Trump at the convention, they sure as heck aren’t going to nominate Cruz. He doesn’t seem to get that.
He’s ignoring reality. That move with choosing a running mate when there is no hope of securing the nomination? Desperate. He should have some self-respect and bow out gracefully, but this is Ted Cruz, so…
He’s just trying to make sure that Trump doesn’t get the electrit numbers he needs. That way there will be a “legitimate” reason for the republicans not to nominate Trump no matter which way the people vote. The entire system needs a revamp STAT because there is nothing democratic about it. Still, it’s a better system than where I live so….
@goats. I thought that was weird. I think he was trying to up his appeal to voters and delegates by waving his female VP running mate
Slate has an in depth article about Manafort, the lobbyist who built his career rebranding dictators and torturers. I think THAT man is truly satanically associated. And, he’s Trump’s new political advisor. They met through Trump’s attorney who was Joe McCarthy’s henchman. Yes, THAT McCarthy.
This election scares the s@!# out of me.
I need to go live in a bunker
Move over, I brought the wine.
Does the bunker have wifi and room for me? I’m from Texas but I swear I didn’t vote for Cruz.
Yay for wine and wifi – and so glad for the fine company 🙂 I’ll bring the butter croissants
We’ll also need some keanu kittens with us.
We may be down there for a while
Croissants and kittens? I’m so there.
Seriously. We need a big bunker. I’ll bring chocolate. As for the “original” satan, I remember thinking of John Ashcroft in those terms and being very, very frightened of him.
@snazzy, can I come too? I will bring the herb and munchies😁
Just to be on the safe side, I will invite you all to my bunker in Australia (Canada is too close).
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right? I may need to get drunk asap.
sorry wrong place.
I’m surprised there are people still around from the McCarthy era.
Election 2016 is like a crazy slasher movie. Every time you catch your breath they’ve unveiled another psychopath.
@em. Truer words were never spoken!
LOL! (That was the kind of startled screech you made when you saw Johnny Depp be sucked into a mattress.)
That is scary! Wow.
By the way, as a non American – when are these conventions? I feel like this is the longest election cycle in history. I hope to be living on Mars by the time it’s over
It’s always been four years between elections, Snazzy, but the hype and runup gap has been steadily decreasing over time, to the point we’ve reached now.
Most of us also have campaign fatigue, but the stakes are high, so the more sensible among us have to pay attention. I pretty much know which party’s candidate I’ll support in November, and based on that, haven’t come out screaming for any single candidate. I do think this election will be particularly important as a referendum on the direction we take as a nation in terms of our values. I also think that when someone is pitting the people against the people, it’s time to ask questions about who benefits from that kind of activity. (Okay. Enough armchair political commentary before coffee….)
The conventions are in July.
Republicans = Cleveland, Ohio on July 18-21, 2016 (BTW Cleveland just purchased riot insurance. This one will be fun for all)
Democrats = Philadelphia, PA on July 25–28, 2016
RIOT insurance? OMG. Are you in Cleveland? Want to come join us in the bunker? There’s lots of room.
They absolutely need riot insurance. And not just for Trump supporters who may see the nomination stolen from their candidate. Who in God’s name thought hosting the Republican Convention in Cleveland, a city currently talked about more for systemic police brutality and BLM protests than anything else, was a good idea? The decision was made in 2014 during the worst of the anger, so perhaps its too late to change now but I’ll eat my left foot if riots don’t happen. Especially now that the likely Republican nominee Trump is seen (correctly or not) as the face of racist conservatives. I sincerely hope other local, State, and possibly even the National Guard are at least standing ready because the idea of Cleveland police and out of control protesters from every conceivable side coming together is simply terrifying.
Snazzy – Your bunker is the place to be …. I’ll bring chocolate 🙂
I’m not in Cleveland though but read about the insurance yesterday. Considering a riot or two is pretty much unavoidable, how much do we think the taxpayers have paid for this policy? The RNC better add a big ‘ole tip jar on the way into the convention.
Never before do I remember a politician that everyone was so quick to say “oh yeah EVERYONE hates him”, especially with in their own party. It be hilarious if he weren’t so terrifying, and he makes my skin crawl too.
I’m a European so Cruz only came on my radar during this campaign, but literally from the very first moment I heard about him, I heard how much people hated him. I’ve never seen anybody say a good word about him. So who the hell elected him? How did he get this far if he’s so universally loathed? And what has he done to make people hate him so much. I see the hate, but there’s never examples of why he deserves it. I’m guessing it’s more than he just has one of those faces?
*raising hand and jumping up and down*
Oooh Oooh! I can answer this one.
Evangelical Christians.
Evangelical Christians are why Ted Cruz has made it this far.
Glenn Beck to Evangelicals: If you don’t vote for Cruz, you’re not listening to God.
Cruz represents the extreme conservative right … send us all back to the days of Mad Men. Not a John Boehner fan but he is right here. Cruz is pure evil and scarier than Drumpf.
https://newrepublic.com/article/128808/everybody-hates-ted
That page led me to this hilarious quote.
“If I went in to buy a car and Ted Cruz was the salesman I’d travel five towns over to buy that car from someone else”
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/why-dc-hates-ted-cruz/426915/
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/12/why-everyone-in-congress-hates-ted-cruz.html
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/05/ted-cruz-election-2016-political-goat
RE: The Eternal Side Eye’s link – check out the Carly Florina quote – clearly stated before she became his vice presidential pick. That she accepted his invitation after sharing that says a lot about her, none of it good.
Oh my GOD Original Kitten…….I will back you up on this!
Once I started self publishing, I friended a bunch of authors in my genre (on FB, obviously)…………and there is this one lady, who basically looks like a white haired, pearl wearing, Stepford wife in her pic……but she looked nice, she was an author, etc…..so I friended her. Then I went to her page.
She is, as another one of my author says, is PSYCHOTICALLY Republican. And religious. Everything on her timeline that wasn’t about her books, was about praising Ted Cruz, pro-life shit, OR anything anti-Obama (to the point of a monkey looking Obama in a cartoon)………….so I basically threw up in my mouth a bit, and then unfollowed her, case closed, and continued my interaction with her, which consisted of sometimes liking something funny or witty she said about Darcy or Elizabeth, etc…..
Of course it didn’t end there……..
Despite the fact that I am a massive blabbermouth on here, I am not on FB, and I maybe post once or twice a week…..and it’s mainly a share of something funny, but I sometimes get political, and I posted something Anti-Cruz. And good Lord. I swear that woman has a like a homing beacon and jumped right on it! And then unfriended me, because I dared to say something about her precious Cruz…..and I’m like what? If I can be…..somewhat objective when I see your FB wall, which includes racist caricatures……..especially as a black/biracial person, you better put your big girl panties on, maybe with some Bible verses sewn on them, and be a freaking adult.
And almost all crazy religious people I have met/know are voting for Cruz. They see it as a good sign that NO ONE Likes him in Washington. He’s not a “liberal elite”.
Thanks for those articles eternal. The fact that Cruz has this much vitriol said about him by colleagues and former classmates and can get out of bed, let alone run for President is really revealing.
VC, I liked your story, thanks for sharing. It reminds me so much of the time right after I moved in 2010 and I struck up daily conversations with a fellow mom on the playground at school. She seemed nice enough, and all we ever talked about was kids and school so I didn’t know too much else about her. Then she friended me on FB and I went to browse her page, it was all pro-Sarah Palin and anti-Obama, that same hypocrisy and racist vitriol you describe. Needless to say I changed my playground pickup time and place so I wouldn’t have to run into her. She’s toned it back on FB since then but occasionally will “share” some hate-filled Tea Party-esque gem.
The thing I’ve found with people like her is that you simply can’t reason with them at all, or present the facts, or try to have an intelligent discourse. And in fact the more you try to present an alternative view, the harder they dig their heels in on theirs, like stubborn children. Those are Cruz supporters to a T.
@Esmom
Exactly! It is so crazy…..I’m glad I don’t have to interact with her in real life, but it was like REALLY? Because it’s not like I was going on her page with my politics or beliefs…..like she was on my page. And then she gets pissy with ME! Like really? Ugh. But it’s even more creepy because she looks like a nice grandma……..now all I can see is the crazy.
You guys, I so cringe when I go on my Facebook pages now. There is such obnoxious vitriol being posted from both sides, and it makes me sick.
This says a lot about American voters, when so many people hate this guy and he still gets elected to the Senate and wins a lot of states in the presidential primary elections. Also, he’s not alone all the congressman voters say they hate, but re-elect anyway. I never understood the founding fathers insistence on the electoral college, but it seems even now there is just such a big portion of voters who are just off their rockers. Maybe the founding fathers were on to something and it might save us in the long run.
“This says a lot about American voters”
Nah. This says a lot about the American electoral system.
Kitten, I think it’s a bit of both. At the local level we’ve had some real loons elected by the fringe Tea Partiers in town because most everybody else can’t be bothered to vote. Our turnout numbers are beyond abysmal. Thankfully after 8 years I think people are finally waking up.
You make a great point, Esmom. Man, this country is so f*cked 🙁
When perpetually buzzed Boehner doesn’t like you….
The best description I’ve read of Cruz’ appearance was that he looked as if he was wearing an ill-fitting skin suit that zips up the back.
That made me scream and run tell my husband! He says you’re a genius.
Thanks and I wish I could take the credit, but i read it in a comment section somewhere.
OMG. OMG! That is the best, and most creepily accurate description, EVER. Combine that with his soup obsession and you’ve got a great horror movie.
He’s obsessed with…soup?
GNAT, you HAVE to see his wife tell the soup story.
http://gawker.com/after-his-honeymoon-ted-cruz-immediately-bought-100-ca-1770893594
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–nsqt3xjH–/js5uhs2vyt5u3hecuhv0.jpg
This pic is of his favourite meal lol
Disgusting!!! … But so damn spot-on.
Ohogodohgodohgod. He does. He really does. My husband said he has such a slappable face. I said I wouldn’t touch him even to slap him. The man skeeves me out that much.
I heard someone (John Oliver perhaps?) describe him as Fat Dracula.
I think it was on SNL’s weekend update, and made me laugh so hard.
He always looks like a supernumerary Munsters family member to me, like a creepy step-nephew of Grandpa.
LOL! I always thought that he looks like a grown up Eddie Munster. And what with the Brylcreem? Ugh!
Great description! I also heard a comedian (can’t remember which one) say that Cruz looks like the shape the devil takes when he wants you to sign a contract.
Haha yes he does. Like he’s made of rubber and melting.
Best election meme ever.
https://i.redditmedia.com/fQbOz57iGsC4OT-y4ecQXrYXySpWJuN956x4Xfv_1ZE.jpg?s=5766acf3cd4f9a72551971db0df9dd0b
That is just mean. But oh so funny.
I do have a question though. If they hate Cruz (understandable) and they fear and loathe Trump (uh, yeah, me too) then how the f*ck did they not manage to establish even ONE candidate they can get behind as a party? How large is that pool we’re talking about? Is this a result of the electoral system? I know I know, it’s not like they didn’t try or like there weren’t more in the beginning. But that was also a problem, wasn’t it? Too many. So nobody stood out until Trump simply shouted everyone else down. What a huge mess. And how interesting at the same time. I can’t believe that at this point, whatever happens now, Trump has secured himself a place in the history books.
Well tbh we have to look at where the Republican Party is these days and how it got there. It was suffering a decline until it publicly created and courted the Tea Party (and with it a wash of idiocy, Joe The Plumbers, and Palin). Republicans were seen as the elite unconcerned with the common man so embracing that Tea Party ideal they were able to strengthen their base and create a counterpoint to the Democrats strong hold on the lower income individuals.
Of course what you love today will bite you tommorrow. Because they typically manipulated these people for their votes by making outlandish claims and false promises (if you vote for me we’ll DEMOLISH Obamacare!) that they knew they couldn’t and didn’t deliver on their base began to distrust them.
They had 15 candidates, and tbh not a good stand out one among the pack, but Trump is the type of individual who appeals to their current base of supporters. All of the others fizzled out or failed because of their obvious weaknesses AND because frankly their base doesn’t want a reasonable candidate right now. They want a Trump. Someone angry, who speaks plainly and who makes promises that they feel sound reasonable. They enjoy his appearance and aura of success and the establishment didn’t try to take him down because they kept hoping another more balanced candidate could do it (Rubio, Bush, etc).
By the time they realized how bad it was the options had dwindled down to four (when Rubio was still in the race) and they were pushing to get him support but he couldn’t top it and because of his own weakness appears to have left politics conpletely. Now all they have left is a man they know will fail, a man they hate, and a man no one seems to care about.
Very nicely summarized.
Trump appeals to nationalists and rebellious fringe groups like biker gangs and people who’ve never really cared enough about politics to vote before now. The lunatics love him and the proof is in the violence that inevitable ensues during so many of his rallies.
Also, too, the base allowed Fox News to control the narrative far too much: “the government is coming after our guns so we need to fight for our second amendment rights; the democrats do not understand foreign policy and this is why we have ISIS; the government wants to control our healthcare and make this country a socialist nationk; the government believes in killing innocent babies who deserve a chance. Women who have abortions need to be punished; the government isn’t doing enough to stop homosexuals from marrying…” and on, and on, and on it goes. I honestly believe there isn’t too many differences between moderate republicans and moderate democrats. I think on social issues there is probably a lot more they can agree on than fiscal issues but even with the fiscal issues I think compromises probably could have been made if these right-winged wing nuts had not been elected to Congress, wing nuts like Ted Cruz, who would rather shut down the government than reach a compromise with a democrat.
I agree with your assessment, but one thing I don’t think it was the tea party courting that did this it was before with the religious right. We owe Karl Rove and company for this debacle. When they made social issues the main criteria and litmus test for politicians they created this mess, and split the party. Take abortion, if you honestly believe it is murder of a child, then it is hard to find a compromise. Now with Trump he is the antithesis of what a lot of these people truly believe, but they like his I don’t give a S*&(&*( kind of attitude, and they are naive enough to believe that a billionaire businessman who inherited a large portion of his wealth and power is on their side and will help them. There is a sucker born every minute. Funny because they don’t like their bosses or wall street, but yet Trump is great.
Thank you for the explanation! On the one hand, it’s fascinating and slightly fun to see that the people really do have power. To see Republicans flounder like this, to see them be thwarted by the one thing they love most – money – is almost heartwarming. Without this system that they love so much, without money having so much power in elections, none of this would’ve happened. They wouldn’t have relied on it so heavily, they might have been prepared. On the other hand, I feel like the end is near. It must be. It’s like Trump is the fifth horseman. The one coming to get us on an orange horse.
I keep asking myself what happens if the GOP manages to somehow get rid of Trump during the convention. People will lose their sh*t. And frankly, rightfully so. But at this point, there doesn’t seem to be a palatable option on that side. I love Bernie but come on. The man is running in the wrong country.
I’m wondering if I honestly prefer the German parliamentary system. You do need party support, without it you’re nothing. But at least THIS can’t happen as quickly.
Great points.
One analysis I read of about this GOP nomination mess is that Jeb Bush had raised soooo much money thru SuperPacs before even announcing his run- many establishment candidates thought he was a shoe in and couldn’t even come close to the fundraising capability so didn’t bother to run. That just cleared the field for the lunatics to run the asylum (especially as Bush ended up having the charisma of a wet rag).
It’s unbelievable it’s come to this, isn’t it? It’s like the inmates are running the asylum there, with all the factions trying to take control and none of the decent people getting any traction.
I’m liberal and registered Independent. I’ve always voted Dem in national elections because of the scary state of the GOP, but my God, I WANT a decent GOP candidate too. I want a moderate, intelligent, non-crazy GOP contender, even if I likely wouldn’t vote for them, because I don’t want to spend 4 years terrified should they win. I would love to feel comfortable with all of the candidates. Back in 08 when it was McCain, Obama, and Hillary in the running, I remember thinking I’d be good with any of them winning, though I planned on voting for Obama. It was a nice change, feeling like we had good choices. Then Sarah Palin happened.
It’s like you spoke my mind. I’m a Democrat, not an Independent. But this is how I feel to a T regarding the Republican Party, and I also felt the same way with the ’08 election until Palin emerged.
@lucy2:
“It’s unbelievable it’s come to this, isn’t it? It’s like the inmates are running the asylum there, with all the factions trying to take control and none of the decent people getting any traction.”
I really like your point and I have to say that we all need to look in the mirror and point our finger when assigning blame for creating this situation. People don’t bother to vote-especially in primaries. And more importantly, folks don’t communicate with their elected representatives during their term and tell them what issues they think their representative should be addressing. Yes, it takes time, but to me, it’s part of being a good citizen. And, my own goal for this weekend is to write a letter to my own state representative!
They thought Jeb Bush was just going to coast on in by virtue of being a Bush, and by the time they realized that wasn’t going to happen it was too late. To be fair, absolutely no one woke up to Trump and Cruz early enough, except their supporters.
The same kind of thing is happening with Hillary. There’s a reason Obama was able to come out of nowhere and defeat her even though she was meant to be the surest of things in 08, and why Sanders, while losing, is doing so much better than even his biggest supporters ever expected. The party and her supporters aren’t acknowledging there’s an issue there. It’s her last chance, but with people on both sides rallying behind the idea of change and truth, this really wasn’t the election cycle to run a candidate like her. Both parties have made an absolute mess of this election.
@pepper: “The party and her supporters aren’t acknowledging there’s an issue there. ” – You said it Pepper.
This write up was brilliant, bravo. Had me laughing with the words Orange-American.
Trump is the outside candidate that the party is terrified will be creamed in the general and lose many of the down ticket elections for them because of his brash nature and way of responding when he’s angry.
Cruz is the inside candidate that they all hate because even in the Republican world of blocking and stonewalling he’s the worst. When the govt. shutdown happened much like with the Obamacare response they knew they didn’t have an equivalent option to put on their side but they stonewalled and it hurt them. With the shutdown they knew they couldn’t make good on their threats so they faced but Cruz still publicly bashed the party, said they gave up too soon, and said he’d have let the govt. be shut down indefinitely. He also has a very strong God complex.
Kasich is still terrible when you look into what he’s saying and the judgements he’s made but he’s the ‘safest’ option and it kills the establishment that he doesn’t have enough votes to come anywhere close to Trump.
Hence why everyone’s hoping for a contested convention for them to at least pick the option that won’t get them killed in November or want to set fire to themselves, but it’s looking bad as Donald gets closer to the golden number.
I worked in politics for many years–nice assessment except for one small fact. The Republican party is not terrified Trump will lose . They think he has a good shot at winning. This would be very very bad for business as usual in DC. Lobbyists and Congress and the current way of getting things done will be affected. I’m not a Trump supporter but a registered Republican. I don’t see my values and views reflected by any of the candidates. Washington is broken. The general public has no idea the depth of disaster.
When is the last time you liked the GOP prez or candidate?
Pot, meet kettle………
Right. No matter how much I loathe Cruz I still can’t muster up the ability to commend Boehner for sh*t.
Yeah, that was my first thought when those tidbits were first being reported. Somehow coming from the Orange American these sentiments, while true and valid, are somewhat tainted and lacking in credibility.
Ok so for the longest time I have kept thinking how can anyone vote for trump he is a racist, sexist, facist? And well Ted Cruz is Ted Cruz…yuck different side same coin really.
Then I started listening to republicans I know (grew up in a red state live in a blue state) and the people I know from growing up and disgusted, they can’t vote for Donald Trump, they don’t like Cruz and by the time they got to vote people they thought were ok were gone. And now primaries are about stopping trump it’s all strategies to stop him to get a contested convention.
So I was like ok then who is voting. And I think the reason trump and Cruz are doing well is because the party hates them and the majority of Americans (new pew poll) hate the Republican Party so they are in line.
Oh and I know the republicans wet dream is for this email thing to be a scandal or a thing but it’s not going to be. It’s just not.
That’s not how voting in the primaries works, also I will say this don’t be fooled by your friend’s own opinions. Look at any news video interviewing Trump supporters.
They’re out there and they’re a special kind of people.
Sadly reasonable Republicans are part of a party that doesn’t know how to appeal to them anymore and will likely split at some point.
I know how primaries work, I also know what is going on in small states that the national media isn’t covering so I’m not wrong on what is happening.
Also I don’t know how you can say my actually talking to a large group of long time republicans who I have never agreed with and they know I’m enjoying the falling of their party isn’t more accurate then the news who will always find the most outlandish person to put on tv.
The appeal of trump is he is an outsider, they think he is his apprentice character, they think he is successful at business even though he sucks honestly, and he speaks to their racism but we aren’t just talking about trump it’s Cruz and the party as a whole.
Not to add to the fodder, but keep in mind a lot of these elections aren’t primaries but caucuses with different rules for each state which makes the whole thing odd to begin with. I love how some think the rules are changing because they hate Trump. It has never been that way as not everybody has a chance to vote in the first place.
I agree Trump’s appeal is the celebrity outsider with an appeal that is a brand and persona not real. They think he is this successful self made billionaire, but in reality it is not so hard to make money when you have a lot of money to begin with. I just don’t think the average joe realizes that. Yes there is a significant portion of Trump that appeals to the racist part of the Republican party, but I don’t think that is all of his support or at least I hope not as that idea make me really sad.
Cruz’s support is the religious social conservative portion, but he just really can’t get along with anyone and it is having an effect on his chances.
?
Maybe I misunderstood but it sounded like you were suggesting Democrats and other republican haters were voting for or supporting Trump/Cruz in an effort to cut down the Republican Party. If not then my bad.
Not sure what you mean by the news pushing the most outlandish. I never said that Trump didn’t have detractors in the Republican Party or people who hate the current crop of available candidates. I merely said that he does have a fairly large very passionate supporting base so while your experiences with your friends give you one impression, a larger look at the total national votes and opinions might give a different impression. A lot of moderate Republicans are up the proverbial creek right now and I’m sure those are the ones you know.
OK- here’s a terrifying scenario- saw some headline that suggested Cruz would be a great SUPREME COURT justice?!!??? Remember come Nov- a president is gone after 4/8 years- the justices sit for life.
And so tired of men saying Hillary pulling the “woman” card. Why doesn’t someone ever say “why not? Men pull the men know best card all the time”.
Whenever I hear someone use the “pulling the FILL IN THE BLANK card,” I know i am dealing with an outright bigot and I inform them that they just identified themselves as such.
The woman card!
http://hellogiggles.com/womancard-twitter-hillary-clinton-donald-trump/?utm_campaign=socialflowfacebook&utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Facebook
I saw a funny meme yesterday that said, “Everytime you accuse Hilary of getting votes only because she’s a woman. Carly Fiorini sheds a tear”
This is the sexism that dominates the world. You can clearly be a woman but don’t dare talk about it or any of the experiences related to it. No, then you’re playing the ‘woman’ card. Guess it’s in the deck next to the race card.
We’re all supposed to default to being a white male. Anything outside the white male experience is pandering or divisive or playing a card.
I’m still reeling over the Florida GOP official (John Sutton) who said that Clinton, in s debate with Trump, would “go down like Monica Lewinsky.” wth???
Yeah that was linked in the Aniston/Steinham story from yesterday.
SO f*cking gross.
Yeesh. That’s uh…wow.
So, he believes the RNC will waste $40 million on prepping Trump for the debate, put on a ridiculous show, including somebody dressed as a character from the Mikado, and Clinton will win?
We grow them super-special here in Florida.
I have a question for you and other Hillary supporters and anyone really.
I’ve pretty much stopped looking at all of my social media at this point because of all the political sh*t, but I have one friend who has never had any strong political interest until Bernie. She’s been NONSTOP posting links about how Hillary is stealing the election from Sanders. All the comments below her links are from like-minded people expressing their outrage and how Hillary is evil incarnate, etc.
So I noticed all these links are coming from the same two sources, which automatically makes me a bit skeptical…yet I know how ruthless Hillary can be about winning. But it makes ZERO sense to me that she would need to steal votes because she was always the frontrunner to begin with, right? Well the conspiracy theorists are saying that several media outlets are in collusion with Clinton and painting her as the clear frontrunner when really it was far closer than that.
After falling down a black hole regarding the topic of Hillary stealing electoral votes, I came to the conclusion that this simply makes no sense. Voter fraud is very, very serious and could easily sink an entire campaign. Why would she risk that when she’s been the clear front runner for some time now?
Some of the comments under my friend’s post were expressing outrage that the media is ignoring this story. I’m not convinced that this is what’s happening. I’m thinking that this is more a case of my friend getting her info from one or two pro-Bernie sites and rolling with it.
Any thoughts? I’m interested in hearing from both sides–Hillary supporters and fellow Bernie supporters.
Oh Kitten there isn’t enough space in this post for me to accurately explain why I think the Bernie supporters who do cling to these conspiracies are on the tear they are but to try and…sum it up the best way I can.
I think, first of all, that for SOME Bernie supporters you’re looking at a very young and uninformed crowd about politics in general. Some have been apathetic up to this point, others lean towards the far far left and haven’t had a candidate they can feel passionate about up till Bernie.
I go on a very pro-Bernie website (like to the point they mock Hilary for not pleasuring Bill properly and thus Monica Lewinsky) and they love the conspiracies too. What I’ve found from looking at the links they post of ‘proof’ or the ‘story the media is ignoring’ is that often their proof comes from a place of not understanding the political process at all. Or as another person on the site liked to put it “Ascribing malicious intent to what can easily be explained by human stupidity or error”
For instance I heard a lot of raging that independent voters were not allowed to vote in NY and how that was clearly the work of Hilary. Except that has been the law for decades. Many states do not allow independents to cast votes until the general. I’ve heard about how all the super delegates are in Hilary’s pocket but the same Bernie supporters don’t want to admit that Bernie ran as and functioned as an independent for decades. Even now he’s not supporting down ticket democrats, so the idea that some delegates (because not all super delegates are the big bad establishment, some are ordinary voters who volunteered) arent supporting him isn’t a scandal it’s common sense. To them he isn’t supporting their party or ideals except for his own good.
I see a lot of misunderstanding of political parties “It’s all a scam. They appointed Hilary! Our votes never mattered!” or “We need a third party!” when A. Hilary is leading in the popular vote and B. We have dozens upon dozens of other political parties anyone COULD vote for. Many of the places with voter and election ‘fraud’ actually were in places that losing votes probably hurt Hilary more and she’s been the one leading the charge for investigating what happened.
There’s more but really…its a never ending story. I usually just mentally respond to every claim I see because frankly I’ve seen and heard every conspiracy claim known to man about Hilary by being on this website.
I will say I think Bernie did a great disservice to himself as a candidate and to his supporters by running on the Democratic ticket and as his options for winning slip further away some of his fanbase will just get angrier and angrier.
I knew I could count on you for a thoughtful and measured response, ESE. Thank you.
The superdelegate issue has been such a huge one for Sanders. It’s been interesting so see how it all played out as this isn’t something we’ve really witnessed in politics before.
I read a story about how a Sanders supporter published a Superdelegate Hit List and encouraged Bernie-backers to call and harass SDs, most of whom were women and many of whom were getting calls at 10:30PM on their landline or whatever.
I know I’ve said this before around here: I love Bernie but I am horrified by the political ignorance and sheer nastiness of some of the people who support him. I really struggle with reconciling the fact that myself and my close politically-minded friends support the same man as some of these aholes who I have ZERO in common with. I suppose there will always be some bad apples but it’s still really disappointing to me because Bernie and his base are supposed to represent something better, to be above this kind of crap but here we are–politics as usual. Sigh.
I respect political passion so much, but I hate that we’ve been reduced to fighting amongst each other, knowing that the GOP is loving every second of it.
Thanks again for the additional information. As much as I’m burnt out on politics, I also feel like I have a responsibility to be as informed as possible on every issue.
You sound pretty half hearted about Bernie, Kitten. Normally you’re fairly tenacious on these boards when it comes to debate, but I’ve not really seen you go to bat for him when the Clinton fans on this site have ripped into him.
@Dangles-I haven’t seen him “ripped” but I also don’t feel a need to go to bat for him against Hillary supporters because I don’t think it helps the Dem ticket to fight amongst each other. That’s been my stance since the beginning and I’ve stood by it consistently.
I can’t complain about dirty politics and what I perceive to be essentially infighting while simultaneously participating in it because, hypocrisy.
Look, I have a low level of tolerance for political ignorance on the part of any candidate’s supporters yet I expect as much from the likes of Trump, Cruz et al. Not so much from the people that back my candidate. It’s disappointing and disheartening to see and I make it a point to distance myself because these people are doing a disservice to my candidate of choice and cause more harm than good. I actually think a lot of them are directly contributing to Sanders’s drop which frustrates me to no end.
I quite enjoy being a quiet supporter of Sanders because from what I’ve seen thus far, the ones who are the loudest seem to be the most ignorant–not an unusual scenario in American politics BTW.
If that makes me appear as somehow less enthusiastic or less supportive of Sanders than others, then so be it.
Same. The best way I’ve found to approach life is to try and just inform myself as much as possible so that even if I don’t agree with something I at least know why it works and how it works.
In that way everytime some Bernie supporters have shouted conspiracy I have been able to learn something or better inform myself on a topic I didn’t previously know, so that’s awesome.
Yeah the Superdelegate Hit List is among the reasons I think he made the mistake in running as a Dem. The simplest way to explain superdelegates is that they exist to ensure a Trump never makes it to power in the Democratic Party, an activist who’s motives and past actions seem entirely suspicious but who has swayed the people through promises that logically can’t be backed up. They don’t exist to further the establishment or the ‘expected’ winner and publicly support the popular vote. Famously they backed Obama when everyone was sure they’d pick Clinton.
But that’s the point. Their focus is on the party and its message and intent. If Bernie was leading in the popular vote he could probably win with the superdelegates following the majority’s lead, but he’s not. He could try to go to the supers now and convince them that he’s a good option to nominate as candidate because of his beliefs but he’s derided them before and he doesn’t support the party. His followers could try and call the supers and sway them in a grass roots effort but what should have been calm and logical plea turned into an online hit list and harassing phone calls so yeah…
The feelings you have and the way you describe them are sometimes how I wonder what more moderate Republicans feel looking at the members of their party who are more fringe and radical. There’s supporting different candidates and then there’s harassing everyone who doesn’t support your guy.
You haven’t seen him ripped into? Look at Maya’s post further up the thread.
One thing about New York – it wasn’t just that ny always had that law and people didn’t know. It was that they lost their dem status “somehow” (conspiracy?) and it was too late to get it back to vote in the primaries
Source : dear Wendy . Com
I like Sanders and support him over Clinton however I’ll vote for her in the fall if I must.
BUT I am done with the Democratic party after this election. I am beyond disgusted with the Establishment Democrats treatment of Sanders and his supporters. I am not a ‘bro’ nor someone who’s never voted before and just wants free stuff. You can’t lump all voters together based on internet commenters.
The Democrats are going to have their own Tea Party situation after this election and after the way they’ve treated almost half of their party, they deserve it.
@Fiorella
According to some commenters and those who live in NY as a result of the 2013 redistricting many of their previous information was lost and left subject to unknown (since politics relies heavily on proving you are who you say you are and you live where you say you live). They had to correct it to regain their status and make sure their political information was up to date.
If they never made any attempt to correct this information after 2013 then they’d likely still be marked as independent/unknown. If they didn’t know this and attempted to vote they’d have been turned away.
“Do not abscribe malicious intent to what can easily be explained by human stupidity or error”
First, I think Bernie in the race has helped Hillary immensely, at least until Bernie’s not so great NY Daily News Article. Before then they both seemed like the two adults in a room full of middle school boys talking about their penis size. After the interview Bernie was a bit upset, and kind of went after Hillary a bit for commenting about it. Can’t blame her for taking advantage of his faux pas, and he got a bit angry and went the wrong way on this. This process takes so long no wonder candidates have so many mistakes along the way. Now I think it has calmed down and he is bringing light to a whole lot of people and issues that may have been ignored.
The reality is more people have voted in primaries for Hillary than Bernie. As far as voter fraud, while it does exist it has been studied by nonpartisan groups and is such a small problem it is inconsequential. Unfortunately, for the Bernie Sanders group they have to realize voter fraud has historically been used to prohibit certain groups from voting, and when you make it an issue without any proof you only give rise to a group that wants to suppress the vote. I think it is reasonable to say if you want to vote for the Democratic or Republican nominee then you have to register as a Democrat or Republican. People think these are US rules, but it is the party’s rules. You can run with another party or independent if you want, but if you want the party’s support you follow their rules. They are just getting the honor of running for the Presidency for that party not the Presidency. Change the party rules if you want to, but people have to understand the thing that Bernie hasn’t been good at is it also has to be done at a local level. I know he wants to change how this is done, and I agree with him, but he should have helped and endorsed lower level candidates in order to change the system. He really hasn’t done that.
Eternal side eye , I’ve only read about this once on dearWendy, so it’s anecdotal, but I believe it was said there was a large number of people it affected, and that they weren’t notified. It was shocking to me. as Lainey would say coincidence or conspiracy? I was more team Hillary before that. Now, meh.
Who knows. I recently read an article on slate or salon about trump having great or at least respectable foreign policy ideas (not that he necessarily came up with them himself), which also mentioned his controversial hateful campaign ideas (the wall, closing borders to Muslims) are impossible to carry out. So who knows what his real plan is?Biden swooping in would be pretty cool though.
@ESE “But that’s the point. Their focus is on the party and its message and intent. If Bernie was leading in the popular vote he could probably win with the superdelegates following the majority’s lead, but he’s not. He could try to go to the supers now and convince them that he’s a good option to nominate as candidate because of his beliefs but he’s derided them before and he doesn’t support the party.”
This exactly. Sigh. In Bernie’s haste to show how anti-establishment he is, he made a crucial error by not courting the SDs from the beginning. It’s too bad because his honestly and desire to be transparent and forthright doesn’t work within the political construct. It’s depressing as f*ck but Sanders is further proof that you cannot win in politics without playing the game.
@Dangles-So go reply to Maya’s comment then if it bothers you so much. I couldn’t have made it any clearer in my comment that I refuse to fight with Clinton-supporters so I’m not sure why you’re trying to drag me into your battle.
@Noway-Thanks so much for your reply. More stuff I hadn’t thought about. Damn, there are too many smart people on this site 😉
My cousin moved to NY last fall. She was a registered independent in PA and registered as an independent in NY. When she learned earlier this year that she couldn’t vote in the primary as an independent, she went to change her affiliation to Democrat. She said she found out shortly after that New York voters had to register as Dem or Rep before a certain date to be able to vote in the election, and she did not make the cut off and was not able to vote. Now, this is just her anecdotal story, but she now also believes in some vast conspiracy. My personal experience has been that a lot of Hillary voters are older (50 plus) and much more quiet about their support. I am also dismayed to report that since winning Maryland, I have seen all sorts of Trump signs creeping up in Baltimore county ;(
I don’t slug it out at all. I agree with neelyo and I know no one is going to sway my opinion. The Bernie supporters I know are very well informed and are politically active. I didn’t come to this decision just out of nowhere. I would say Hillary supporters are too. We just see things differently. I see Hilary supporters sling plenty of crazy and Bernie supporters do the same. When they say why won’t he leave the race I say why should he? They point to him being Independent like its a bad thing. Independents are key demographic to sway for the win in November. I’m not a party supporter, I’m an issue and candidate supporter. It’s what I hate about our system. You have to ride or die or pass some litmus test to join in and that’s ridiculous.
I didn’t support her in 2008 and I’ll only vote for her because of the Supreme Court.
@Fiorella
The redistricting would have affected millions but only a small amount of people complained they were unable to vote. Some independents who would have never been able to vote and some who never updated their registration information (as confirmed by other NY residents) and didn’t realize their party had been marked unknown/independent. Furthermore most of the people effected were in Brooklyn which had been polling very high for Clinton (meaning the absence of those votes hurt her more than Bernie).
I think conspiracies make people feel better because when things don’t work out then they can blame someone else. Sadly life is actually just a mundane exercise in realizing mistakes happen and human error is the leading cause of most accidents.
@Kitten
Sometimes I think he tried to play and just failed. As we come to the sort of conclusion of this election cycle to me it becomes clear he should have remained and run as an independent. By trying to force himself to fit into a label that he always outright refused all he’s done is cause a rift in the Democratic Party. He wants to be anti-establishment which isn’t a bad thing, but then he went to the establishment to do it. Then when things didn’t work out some of his followers blamed everyone else. Knowing most of his followers are independent/non-party affiliated if he had run as independent they would have known exactly how and when to vote for him instead of being allowed to in some states and forbidden in others since some primaries are closed.
@OG
Yep that’s exactly what I mean. There are rules for this whole thing and not understanding them or making mistakes doesn’t mean there’s a whole evil conspiracy. It just means you didn’t understand or made a mistake, unfortunately for some Sanders supporters it means there’s a legion of doom plotting to keep Bernie down.
@Magnolia
Agree individuals on both sides can behave in ways that are embarassing. To clarify when it comes to independents what people are saying that there’s a disconnect happening in our perception of Bernie when a man works as an independent and bashes the Democratic Party for decades but then joins them solely for the purpose of running for office. I don’t know how to view that but in a self-serving way. I also think he made it harder for his followers and those who’s support he’s gained by running as a democrat knowing the democratic primaries rules. Primaries are basically an internal nomination process for the choice of nominee, some states allow independents to vote for this private organization and some don’t. Bernie knew that before he chose to join. If he had no joined he could have campaigned all the way to November with no pressure from the party. Instead he’s trailing behind the candidate who is winning with little mathematical reality of winning, thus why he’s being pressured.
@Kitten: You missed the point. You said you hadn’t seen anyone rip into Sanders on this site, I merely pointed out an example. I wasn’t trying to drag you into anything.
Thanks Eternal!
I have to argue all the time with family who claim they won’t vote in November. It’s just bitter lemons talking because I know they will not vote 3rd party and I also know they will never abstain from voting. Once we get past the convention and Obama gets involved, they won’t feel so irritated. My Republican relatives have mostly said Nope to their nominees left standing and probably won’t vote except for down ticket.
I believe once Hillary gets through with Trump people will finally see who he really is. I’m not worried but I’m not sleeping either.
You are always polite and thorough. 🙂
I am glad Bernie is in the race. I am glad Hillary is in the race. I hope they both stay in the race up to the convention. Why? Because they actually discuss issues of governance. And somebody has to do that. They keep one another discussing issues of governance instead of spending months just slinging insults at the Republicans. We have enough Republicans doing that’; somebody has to talk about governance. And frankly, I am fine with either Hillary or Bernie.
As for Boehner’s crack about Hillary and Biden, I don’t believe a word that man says. They’ve been poking around at her and Benghazi and her emails for almost four years now and they have nothing. I am tired of them wasting my tax dollars on investigating Clintons and finding nothing. And if we must investigate the emails of Secretaries of State that weren’t on the proper server, why are we limiting the investigation to Clinton? Both Powell and Rice did the same thing and, unlike Clinton, they were Secretaries of State who started multiple wars.
@Magnolia
Thanks! We can all disagree, but we don’t have to disparage or insult each other just because we do. It’s sad that folks sometimes forget that, but we’re all human.
I know I shouldn’t like MSNBC but I do. I get that they are the Fox News of the left wing, but during the run for president, I get sucked in and tend to believe everything that is said. Well, yesterday, I wanted to pull my car over and cry when I heard on With All Due Respect that Cruz is going to keep running for president. He isn’t going to get the nomination this go round, but he is going to come back and come back and come back. He is in presidential politics for the long haul. I can’t stand him and Boehner’s insult is the best I have heard in a while.
He’s been gunning for this for 20+ years. His ambition is so evident if you look at his history. He’s egomaniacal and isn’t much different from Trump, just is a more traditional panderer. He wants to be president. Because he wants praise and worship yes, but more importantly HE WANTS POWER.
He’s so vile. It’s unreal. Actually tried to argue that self-pleasuring devices should not be sold in Texas when he was solicitor general. Google it.
Yeah, I heard about that. His college roommate commented something like, “Ted Cruz doesn’t want people to pleasure themselves? He certainly didn’t have a problem with it in college.”
@Rhiley that’s a better comment than the Lucifer one, but I like them both.
Not one of my Republican friends or relatives has a single good word to say about Cruz. Not one. My mom pretty much starts spitting battery acid any time she starts talking about him. They didn’t like McCain much either, but I think they might have swerved to miss McCain if he’d stepped out in front of their car.
I don’t understand how Cruz ever got elected dog catcher, much less US Senator.
It was timing. Rachel Maddow did it a piece on it a few weeks ago. I can’t recall why, but his election was delayed to the summer and nobody showed up besides the die hard Tea Party types and he won. That is the only time he’s ever run for office.
Here is a scary thought: Imagine if Trump wins and chooses Sarah Palin as his running mate? Some may laugh, but a year ago would anyone have thought Trump would make it this far? Stranger things have happened
I’m not laughing. Not laughing at all.
In fact, just imagining this horrific pairing makes me want to hide under my desk.
I don’t really think he will – gross and horrible as he is, I think he (hopefully) is smart enough to know she wouldn’t gain him anything within the party. Reaction to her has been pretty listless lately. I could see him thumbing his nose at the party and choosing an independent.
But at this point I think he’s capable of anything.
Obama (who I am a fan of) and McCain were somewhat close. So I think it’s fair to say McCain might have won without palin. So trump may have her categorized as a loser. He also may see how she has made money off her 15 hours of fame and feel she’s a winner? Can’t stand her :/ never want to hear her talk again
I SO much liked and respected McCain before he ran that abysmal campaign. He used to be an outlier within the GOP, quick to speak out against the war, etc. Plus, I always found something so gentle and kind about him. I haven’t seen THAT McCain in years…..
He won’t choose her, no way. You can tell by his body language, he doesn’t like her and she is a woman. Trump won’t choose a woman as his sidekick. More likely to choose Carson or Christy.
I think it will be Chris Christy.
I was looking at putting money on Biden about a month ago because I thought he might be parachuted in if Clinton’s email stuff derails her campaign and if that happens I think he’ll beat anything the GOP serves up. However, I ran it by a few forums and people were adamant that it wasn’t going to happen. But now Boehner says it might. Hmm…I may have to throw a lazy hundred bucks on Biden just in case. I’ve had these hunches before and kicked myself afterwards for not putting money on it.
The Twitter account of Cruz’s college roommate is everything. His name is Craig Mazin. He does not hold back.
If you spot it, you got it.
Ok, that’s a nasty comment coming from that man.
Just finished reading over the comment section, and as an outsider, it was an interesting read.
This comment section has, so far, no devolved into a pi$$ing contest, which is nice to see. I am however amazed that there are people (either on this board or referenced to) that believe there is such a thing as an honest politician. I work with them pretty much daily and while I enjoy many of them and am friends with many, I take anything any of them say about public policy and politics with a grain of salt, ALWAYS. I truly believe that most of them get into politics for good reasons, wanting to make change and better the world, but I know that it changes most of them along the way. There is no way that you get to the level of politics that these people are playing at without skeletons in the closet. That’s how it works. I may like some of Bernie’s stances but there’s no way in hell that he is the innocent type that people play him out to be. He is a career politician. That means there is definitely some nasty stuff hiding. I’m not picking on Bernie, it’s just that he really is the only one that is played out as more innocent than the others.
I also am amazed at the level of nastiness that plays out within the parties themselves. The amount of mud slinging and name calling of each other is disgusting. You are suppose to be members of the same party, with at least some of the same values. It is beyond comprehension to me. Sure, we have mudslinging up here, but that is party to party and even then is nothing compared to what we see coming out of the American process. When a leader is chosen within a party here, it is done with a little mudslinging, sure, but nothing of the magnitude that happens internally there. If that is how they treat their own party, imagine how they will treat the rest of the world. No thanks.
Oh, and on Monday I saw my very first real, live Trump supporter. Big ol’ sticker in the back window of the vehicle. Amazing really. I knew they were out there but it’s like actually spotting a Sasquatch considering I live in the northern part of Canada.
Ha, I live in Chicago and I saw my first Trump car sticker/sign combo recently at our high school when I was picking up a carload of boys. They saw it, too, it was parked right in front of me and the ensuing mockery was swift and decisive. 🙂
You probably won’t be laughing so much if he wins. It’d be bad if Trump won but the silver lining would be watching the faux progressive Clinton supporters go into a meltdown over it. 🙂
I have an answer for the thread in regards to the nearly universal revulsion Ted Cruz’ face creates. It has to do with a Duchenne Smile
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/3/6/1496901/-Why-Ted-Cruz-s-Face-Makes-My-Skin-Crawl
His eyebrows also bug me for the same reason. They slope down at the ends and point up in the middle whenever he speaks as if he’s always sad and the body language on that always effects me.
So basically we’re all predisposed to hating him on sight.
Nailed it! His eyebrows have such a bizarre slant that it renders him perpetually inquisitive looking and/or sad. Such a weird combo.
His face does make me lose my faith in humanity. He’s creepy and has an arrogance about his face that begs for an uppercut.
I should also note that republicans did this to themselves with the “winner-take-all” strategy in some states and proportional delegate allocation in others.
This comment from Boehner made my day yesterday. It rang so true. Drunk orange-american kept it real. I have 2 questions:
1) How did Ted Cruz get his wife? She seems pretty normal… Can you imagine waking up next to that?
2) Who do you think Hillary pick for VP?
P.S. I just heard on the radio that satanists are protesting being compared to Cruz. LOL
1) Maybe he is good in bed. Just kidding I learned a long time ago never to try and figure out anyone’s attraction.
2) Tim Kaine, Senator from VA.
P.S. If I was a satanist I might be a bit upset too.
1) Ew. You and I are in a fight for imposing that visual on me.
2) Kaine has officially rejected that rumor
P.S. Hell called and said there’s no more room at the Inn.
I agree with your comment that you don’t see Obama maneuvering Biden into the nomination. I adore our President, but I don’t think he could maneuver his car in a three point turn. The man just has no political deal making instincts.
Lucifer in the flesh? Look in the mirror John.
Pot meet Kettle
He makes 2 excellent points there and I have to agree!
How shocking to be in agreement with this idiot, but, how astute of him.
If Ted Cruz and Carly get elected, Pap smears would be illegal!!!!!!!!
Scary to agree, but he is horrible. ..who’s voting for this guy?
“As for Boehner’s gossip about Hillary Clinton… if some scandal breaks over the summer, I do wonder if Joe Biden would try to get elected from the floor of the convention.”
If the Dems and GOP both had brokered conventions…well that would be something. I do think that the GOP will implode as a result of this election–nothing lost as there is too much pandering to big money and no party ideology. The Dems will be next for the same reason. Biden was honest in not pursuing a presidential bid; he and his family need to focus on healing. And, he is too old, frankly. RE: parties, I really think it’s time for both parties to go away and to follow a more European model with many different parties representing clear ideologie, who work together in a coalition. It’s crazy that a candidate (Bernie) who has consistently run as an independent-with socialist ideology-or a libertarian (Rand Paul) runs for office as a republication. We need folks to ‘come out’ and be who they are.
Although I like Boehner, I wish he hadn’t made this statement. Cruz was flaming out anyway…
There are plenty of parties to vote for, honestly. The problem is partly the apathy of the American people (a straight ticket vote is easier than researching the alternatives) and partly the corrupt system that is blatantly designed to keep two parties in power. (What the hell kind of “democracy” blocks independents from the debates unless they have permission from the traditional party candidates?)
@Veronica:
It’s my understanding that the parties underwrite the primary debates, so they can block whomever they want. There are guidelines for the general election debates: ” Rule 1: The candidate must be constitutionally eligible to hold the office of the President of the United States. Rule 2: The candidate must “have achieved ballot access in a sufficient number of states to win a theoretical Electoral College majority in the general election.” Rule 3: The candidate must have achieved “a level of support of at least 15 percent of the national electorate, as determined by five selected national public opinion polling organizations.”
Ultimately the issue is $, if a candidate wants to run outside the major parties. That’s why holding fundraisers for $35K-$300K pledges., as George & Amal Clooney have, is so antithetical to the democratic process.
1. We live in a republic, not a democracy.
2. The political parties are private groups. As in these private groups can decide on a state by state level whether they want people outside of their private group to nominate their internal choice for candidate.
3. There are dozens of other political parties. Many of whom have been running for decades+ , if no one actually votes enough for the them then there will be no change in the third party status.
“1. We live in a republic, not a democracy.”
Although we do pledge allegiance to a republic, the pragmatics of our government is democratic IMO. I think this is one of those issues that can be debated…
1. I am aware that we are technically a representative republic. The principle of voting for representation is generally considered democratic, hence why I used the term. This argument is fundamentally semantic.
2. Political parties are not private entities, but the two dominant parties control the regulations put forth by the FEC. Amelie pretty much summarized the obstacle independent parties face when attempting to break into the mainstream political consciousness. You cannot generate 15% of the general vote if you lack the kind of financial backing and an unbiased media. Even if people have increasing access to third party candidates through online media, they still lack a platform where they watch a candidate hash out their position in debate form to see how those policies hold up under investigation.
3. I’m a little confused by your response here. This was the entire point of my comment.
3. “There are dozens of other political parties. Many of whom have been running for decades+ , if no one actually votes enough for the them then there will be no change in the third party status.”
But sadly the vast majority of voters are sheep who obediently consider only the corporate parties that the corporate media champion. Or alternatively they know full well that both parties are imperialist war mongers and rationalize voting for one of them with their lesser of two evils BS. Or simply just don’t care.
This poster does a pretty job of summing up my feelings about the two party mentality:
“I would like to thank you for your patriotism, your love of injustice and corporate hegemony. You get another 4 years to pretend that resource wars of aggression are “humanitarian interventions” when Democrats wage them.
You get another 4 years to pretend that increasing police-state powers are no problem when there’s a female Democrat in the Oval Office creating the predatory presidential precedents.
You get another 4 years to pretend that the ruthless global economic exploitation of neoliberal policies is beneficent, when the POTUS has a (D) brand.
You get another 4 years to pretend that mandating higher profits for greater denial of private insurance medical bill claims is healthcare for all.
You get another 4 years to pretend that critical thinking skills result from teaching to the test when Democrats “educate” the kids to be obediently unthinking.
You get another 4 years to pretend that “safe” fracking dependent Democrats ignoring existential catastrophic climate change is better than Republicans denying it.
You get another 4 years to pretend that your cowardly collaborating with corporate persons against all natural persons and Nature is better than Republicans not doing that as well as you will.
When America’s retrograde and deeply depraved lib/prog electorate provide yet another vote mandate for the corporate (D) party’s sociopathic policies, again, one thing is clear: The people who voted for the corporate Democrats deserve to suffer the horrific consequences of their voting… but we, those who have not voted for either evil do not deserve the Hell to come that you have voted for.
(D) liberals are the true conservatives. To pamper their so privileged especial selves, they protect all the rot that should be removed.
There is no life form lower, nor anything more despicable than the disingenuous and devious Democrat liberals who are the more effective evil.”
Great discussion here…I think this presidential election cycle is at the very least a great opportunity to reset how we participate as citizens in our ‘democratic republic.’
scary. Reminds me of: “you point the finger – You Have Three Pointing Back at You”
Meh. ‘Puppet on the right or puppet on the left’?
More like puppet on the right or puppet further to the right?
The comments are hilarious. Thanks for the laugh ladies. Cruz gives me the chills!
Well, if you’ve got nobody you enjoy voting for this year, at least your consolation is watching both parties have complete meltdowns over the public’s rejection of their primed and ready candidates.
It does sort of have that apocalypse comedy charm.
Has anyone else noticed that Cruz’s daughters are dressed exactly the same but they are not twins? I find it very odd and wondering why they are.