Lucifer in the flesh is OUT! At long last, Ted Cruz has suspended his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination. He announced his campaign suspension just minutes after officially losing the primary in Indiana to Donald Trump. And Cruz’s withdrawal came less than a week after former speaker of the House John Boehner called him “a miserable son of a bitch” and “Lucifer in the flesh.” Coincidence? Well… I don’t think the voters cared much about what Boehner had to say about Cruz, except that the American people had overwhelmingly come to their own conclusions about Cruz. The general feeling was and is “I hate that guy.” Perhaps it’s a testament to how worried some Republicans were about Donald Trump that Ted Cruz got so far in the primaries.
In case you missed it, he clocked his wife in the face (accidentally) after his speech:
Ted Cruz accidentally punches, elbows his wife in the face after dropping out of the GOP race pic.twitter.com/l6uYiX4mKB
— GIF The News (@NowThisGIF) May 4, 2016
So, do you feel sorry for Ted Cruz? He’s just so unsympathetic, it’s difficult to feel anything about this. While I loathe Donald Trump and I think he’s an unhinged buffoon, I’m sort of glad Trump was able to take down Ted Cruz. That, for me, made it worth it a little bit.
As some of you know, I was a Ted Cruz Birther from the start – I always thought that the fact that he was born in Canada made him ineligible for the American presidency. Which is why I chuckled at Carly Fiorina’s introduction of Cruz last night. Cruz named Fiorina his “running mate” and vice-presidential nominee last week, and Fiorina’s duties seemed to be convincing everyone that Ted Cruz is really a citizen. He is a citizen… but the Supreme Court would have to decide if he was considered a “natural born citizen.” But now no one cares. Donald Trump will be the GOP’s presidential nominee. We won’t have Lucifer in the Flesh to kick around anymore.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Bittersweet. Was looking forward to a bitter, chaotic Republican convention. Guess I’ll have to look to the Democrats for that, since the trolls online have succeeded in pitting like-minded supporters against each other. And the idiots are falling for it.
–TheRealPinky
As a Democrat who hates everybody right now, I have to disagree. I think a debate is good and it’s about time. Hillary was just assumed to be the nominee from the beginning, no debate, nobody else better oppose her, don’t dare buck the big political machine known as the Clinton’s, it’s Hillary’s “turn.” F that. She’s a terrible candidate and almost anyone else in the world could beat Trump with their hands tied behind their back, but I’m not sure she can. Let’s talk about it, at least.
That is what is terrifying me. Anyone should be able to be Trump and the thought that he could actually become president – that it is a real possibility. Yikes. I feel sorry for all of you Americans and for the world too. Ugh.
Agreed. The DNC shot themselves in the foot with their BS shenanigans for Clinton and now there are many many Sanders supports that will sit out this election in November. If they had given him a fair shake maybe this wouldn’t be the case. Right now Clinton is projected to lose. So yea the end times are nigh and you can thank the GOP and the last year of vile rhetoric towards the president for this.
It’s a sad day when countries are issuing travel advisories for the US. I suspect that will continue even more now
@Nicole you say;
“many many Sanders supporters that will sit out this election in November.”
And as an outsider Canadian I need to ask why. Are they idiots or just sexist? So what if Hillary is a terrible candidate, they’re all terrible! They’d rather the bigoted sociopath? Hillary will be status quo for a few years. Not great maybe, but the alternative is America losing its place at the world table in ways I don’t think all its citizens yet understand. I just cannot believe there are people who rather than at least containing an out of control fire prefer to sit at home and burn to death out of spite. They need to grow up, fast!
I don’t understand that logic either, if they don’t vote because Sanders didn’t get the nomination then Trump will win by default because you know the nutbars will come out in force for him. I’d understand if the Republican candidate was even 1% human but Trump is just vile and honestly dangerous for America, plus I have yet to see anything concrete on any of his policies, his campaign seems to be just bullshit and abuse and backflipping depending on who he’s talking to.
It’s a catch 22 I understand but wouldn’t they rather their own party is in the WH than this racist bigoted crapbag??
Because of the DNC, this is my last election as a Democrat. As a lifelong
Democrat, I’ve felt vilified and dismissed by Clinton and her surrogates.
Clinton doesn’t need to worry about the Democratic Sanders’ supporters because they will probably turn out for her in the fall. But he has a ton of independent supporters and those are the ones that should keep her up at night.
@Mia4s
“Are they idiots or just sexist?” My exposure to Bernies supporters is mostly from Reddit or Gawker, and I can confirm that many of them are both these things. The last time I attempted a discussion with one, a bunch of them trolled my profile, discovered I was a woman of color and branded me a “low information c-nt”. Low information because I am not white and c-nt because…. you know. So sexist racist idiots accurately describes a chunk of them.
@Mia4s, @Lindy79
Right. Sometimes strategic voting is a necessity. Not to get into Canadian politics, but I am typically a supporter of the NDP. However, last election, I voted Lib, because it was the best route to getting rid of Harper.
@Naya
That is just despicable. What is wrong with people? Seriously. This US election seems to be bringing out the worst of most people.
@Naya
I am so angry that someone would ever speak to you that way. Inexcusable. Gross and disgusting, evil and stupid. And I have no way of knowing how many of Bernie’s supporters are so horrible. But I do know that my nephew supports Bernie and he is a very sweet and very intelligent young man. He’s also very idealistic and naive as he is in high school and still lives at home. So I think that youth might explain some of his support as well?
Any democrat who sits out this election, or does something dumb like writing in Bernie’s name, is a fool. If Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush was the nominee, then fine. Do whatever.
But Donald Trump as president cannot happen. He is a vile, disgusting, racist, sexist piece of garbage. Even is you dislike Hillary, sometimes you have to hold your nose and do what’s best for this country.
Even on a more civil level, to try and engage many Bernie bros on flaws in their candidate results in the immediate accusation of being a corporate shill, or (gasp!) a Republican in disguise.
The argument for sitting out is to either attempt to force a third party run, or to let Trump blow up and bring the revolution (see:Susan Saranadon). Either way, it’s a selfish and privileged position to take.
I can’t believe people spoke to you like that. Out of all the candidates, I would have expected Bernie’s supporters to be the most intelligent, but I guess not. Or maybe there are just awful people everywhere.
I am DISGUSTED with the process and my fellow citizens. I cannot believe that Trump is the nominee and most likely the next POTUS. The fact that the Republican party and non-racist voters did not call BS on this vile man months ago still makes me angry.
On the democratic side, if Clinton is the nominee (which is pretty certain) then the party has just handed Trump the presidency. She cannot garner excitement, empathy, sympathy, warmth, humor and the list goes on and on. If we focus on policy, continuing the same way forward is not the answer.
But why should she garner symphaty, warmth or humour? She’s a presidential candidate, not on the X Factor.
Mia:
“the alternative is America losing its place at the world table in ways I don’t think all its citizens yet understand”
I’m a British leftist and I see LOADS of comments from my peers who would prefer Trump to beat Clinton. Rationale being that a Clinton presidency will just see business as usual in all the areas of foreign policy that leftists don’t agree with and with which we are wedded to the US position. With Trump, the joke, the powers that be could no longer force these policies on us with a straight face.
I hasten to add that I do not agree. Not that I want hawkish foreign policies to continue, I don’t, but I couldn’t wish Trump on 360 million human beings. That’s beyond the pale.
But I think it does illustrate one aspect of what you are saying. A Trump presidency doesn’t bode at all well for US standing in the world. Or its diplomatic ability to further its interests.
GNAT, I’m with you. Debate is very important in the process. As a Libertarian who generally tends to vote more conservatively, I hate literally ALL of them. Well that’s not exactly true. I’m not a “socialist” by any stretch of the imagination, but Bernie seems to me to be the most sincere and, er…”not evil” candidate, so it’s hard to hate him.
@Locke – ultimately it is an election with people voting for the candidate that they “like” better so not terribly different than an X Factor especially this year. Likeability is subjective and hopefully based on policy positions as well as personality and my point is that Clinton seems to lack that ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’ that will bring over voters. Personally I will be voting against Trump so Clinton will get my vote but not because I think she is a good candidate.
For the record, I’m glad to be immune from Trump’s Je Ne Sais Quoi.
The money and the talent behind Hillary’s campaign make it even more crazy that she is losing any of the primaries. I think it goes to show what a terrible candidate she is. Is she the best that the Democrats can offer?
Why is it if people don’t vote for Clinton they are sexist? That is a serious question.
As a WOC I don’t find her hard enough on issues that are important to ME, the biggest being police brutality/race issues. Are there sexist Bernie supporters? Sure there are. There are also people in the Clinton camp that call us idiots if we don’t support Clinton as if we don’t have valid reasons to dislike her. Both are pandering and I’m not here for it.
The fact of the matter is the DNC didn’t think anyone would garner the support Sanders had and they did a lot to torpedo him and yes he is still winning votes. When you “accidentally” leave a major candidate off a ballot ahead of a primary that reeks of fraud to me. So yea this is why I’ll be switching my designation back to unaffiliated or independent after this election
It has nothing to do with money or talent. In the past this has been true but America is finally sick of it. The Clinton machine, and indeed all of the political establishment, has been completely taken aback by this and has failed to react effectively. What we’re seeing is the aftermath, the fallout from people finally decided they don’t want the same old bullshit.
@Nicole I think you misunderstood some of what I’m saying. I have no doubt you and others have legitimate reasons for disliking or even hating Clinton. I take zero issue with that. The reality is this though; she will be the candidate. The alternative is a crazed racist. Lesser of two evils? So the Sanders supporters who are “staying home” or voting for Trump are either too foolish to see the disaster that will bring and that they will share blame in; or they are literally so sexist that a crazed racist is the better option than a deeply flawed (but not crazy) woman. I stand by what I said.
Any Sanders supporters who vow not to vote in November for Hilary Clinton if she is the democratic nominee need to really consider the ramifications of that decision. Not casting your vote is foolish. Not voting is concession.
The reality is your choice to not vote if your candidate is not the presidential nominee is in reality a vote for the opposition.
YOU WILL BE VOTING FOR DONALD TRUMP PEOPLE.
The Presidential election is not a game. We are not voting for the president of the school council. Whoever wins may hold office for four years but the ramifications will endure for years, decades even.
Trump is unqualified. PERIOD. Google his exploits. He has failed upwards. He is NOT a successful real estate mogul. Google Carl Icahn. That man has made MILLIONS off of Donald Trumps mistakes and bankruptcies. He has beaten Trump in every deal and made money hand over fist because Trump has talked a big game and overextended himself time and time again. Icahn has won control over Trump properties, made MILLIONS and while Trump may have personally survived, Icahn has pushed him out every time.
A cursory investigation of Trumps business will show that he makes money because he leases his name. Very few people do real estate business with Trump. He manages very few properties. His business acumen is awful.
Trump is the Kardashian of business. He makes a lot of money but he will not make America great. He charges that China is doing great economic harm to the United States and he will place huge tariffs on China. Yet the very products carrying the Trump name are not made in America. Ivanka Trump has clothing that has been recalled n the past year because it is dangerous because it is too flammable. Where is it made? China.
Please vote. Obviously I believe Trump is a poor candidate. I was previously a Sanders supporter and I still believe in some of the ideas he has. As time passes I don’t find that he has shown any substantive way to support his policies. Sanders not only will not commit to supporting Clinton if he is not the nominee he does not seem committed to supporting democrats at any level. Sanders is running on the democratic ticket but is NOT a democrat. I have a problem not because he is not a democrat but that he PRETENDS to be. He has raised millions of dollars by PRETENDING to be something he is not. This is politics as usual. If Sanders was true to his beliefs and really creating a movement he would be running as an independent. He is not and is no better in that respect than any other candidate. He is playing a role.
@Naya, so much of political discourse has coarsened, but of course there is no excuse for what happened to you. I’d love to say that those yahoos who were so insulting only act that way from behind the safety of their computers, but they might be just as obnoxious in person. Idiots like that are one reason why this is the only site where I comment. Celebitchy is a safe place in my opinion. For what it’s worth, in my experience the big Bernie supporters are like GNAT’s nephew; having their first political experience and excited about their candidate. But whoever trolled and attacked you has no excuse and I am so sorry it happened to you.
Sitting out the election? No, no, no, no, no!! I and many others sat out in 1968(the assassinations, Chicago riots, etc.) and we got Nixon/Agnew. The only saving grace there was watching all the perp walks following Agnew’s petty kickback reveal and Watergate. It would be insane to sit out this election.
BTW-By today’s Republican standards, Nixon was a flaming Socialist.
@Nicole The DNC has given Sanders a fair shake. He joined the party last year and had a shot at running the whole thing. He’s not winning because he can’t win over Democrats, African Americans, and in many cases women. You can’t become the democratic nominee, through the votes of Independents alone. At some point, you need to appeal to the base of the party and Sanders has yet to do that.
You never EVER have to vote for anyone you do not genuinely support. Never. If that means Trump is the 2016 President Elect, then that is on the people who voted for him, not the people who didn’t.
@Cran
“Sanders not only will not commit to supporting Clinton if he is not the nominee he does not seem committed to supporting democrats at any level. Sanders is running on the democratic ticket but is NOT a democrat. I have a problem not because he is not a democrat but that he PRETENDS to be. He has raised millions of dollars by PRETENDING to be something he is not. This is politics as usual. If Sanders was true to his beliefs and really creating a movement he would be running as an independent. He is not and is no better in that respect than any other candidate. He is playing a role.”
At a certain point there comes a time to stop blaming everyone else for it not working out. I don’t like that Bernie ran as a democrat, it’s disingenuous to me but he did and he was given his shake at the rules of the position he CHOSE to enter. He’s just not winning the popular vote or pledged votes, don’t worry about the superdelegates.
He’s not polling well with minorities and the fact he hasn’t been able to adapt his message to address their concerns is an issue for his campaign. If you can’t find enough support with your message then that’s just the way it is, stop doing the Republicans job for them by attacking and insinuating and implying without any concrete evidence to point to.
“If that means Trump is the 2016 President Elect, then that is on the people who voted for him, not the people who didn’t.”
I disagree. People certainly shouldn’t vote for someone they don’t want to vote for, but on the other hand they can’t act like they were powerless to stop a Trump presidency. The ONLY way to stop a Trump presidency is to vote for the other candidate. It is a tough call to make, but these are adult responsibilities. Life doesn’t always present you with options that will make you happy.
Naya- not familiar with Gawker, but you definitely should pay no attention to the obnoxious ones on Reddit. Their unmoderated forums easily become dominated by such people on all subjects. Lack of moderation attracts them like flies to honey. I read a reddit forum about a game and it’s quite a chore wading through the attacks and stupidity to get to any useful information.
Obnoxious people just latch on to any opportunity to be obnoxious, it’s no reflection on any candidate they happen to fixate on. These are folks who can and do make 180 degree turns very easily, for example shifting from ultra-liberal to ultra-conservative in an instant. They are quite likely to be a bundle of various bigotries, so it is quite conceivable that some are driven by hatred of women in general and by specific racism. They are just unstable and have found a way to anonymously express their dysfunction with no fear of somebody punching them in the nose or calling the police.
Trump is a narcissistic megalomania, I don’t like Hillary and I LOVE Bernie – and I would vote for Hillary’s dog before sitting out or writing in Bernie’s name. Trump, like Palin before him, should not get within 10 miles of the White House.
The thing is, people like Susan S, have all seemed to have forgotten Nader. We’ve been down this road before and it doesn’t end well for democrats who stay home. FWIW, the republicans saw the same thing with Ross Perot. Vote! People died so that you can. Honor them by going to the polls for large elections and small.
@GNAT: I agree with everything you said, overall, in its details and in dark, testy distaste.
Just in case anyone needs an additional incentive, I read the words “future GOP SCOTUS nominee Ted Cruz” today and recoiled in horror. Think about the Supreme Court.
Forgive me as I am Canadian and not completely sure how the primaries work. So, does this mean that there will not or cannot be a contested convention for the Republicans now? Has Trump now reached a number of delegates that absolutely guarantees his nom?
This is the first American election that has truly terrified me.
Don’t worry, we’re not completely sure how they work, either. It’s not official, but appears to be inevitable. He still has to get more delegates, but who’s going to stop him?
And if by some chance he doesn’t then I think he’ll run as an independent, he knows he has the support now
My understanding is that the RNC has to still write the rules for the convention.. I tried to pay attention and learn but it’s so complicated trying to weed thru the BS.
With that.. so long Zodiac Killer.. lol.. I can’t believe his campaign had to actually address this and confirm he was not the ZK.. best reality TV there is folks.. sadly
Not good at all…. “GOP chairman Reince Priebus tweeted “Donald Trump will be presumptive nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating Hillary Clinton”.
Trump has not yet reached the number of delegates he needs to be the nominee. He needs 1237 to be guaranteed the position. Some states still haven’t voted yet (like California, New Mexico, Oregon, etc) but with Ted Cruz and now John Katich out of the race, he will likely get there before the convention. If he doesn’t get to 1237 before the Cleveland convention, then it technically could be contested. I seriously doubt it will be contested though, he has a pretty clear path to the magic 1237 number.
Rationally I knew it was coming, but I’m still shocked that Trump is the nominee. And afraid that I’m in similar denial about what could happen in November. Isn’t it time to start freaking out?
Yeeeeeeeessssssss!! *runs in cupircles, flapping arms wildly, crying and occasionally bumping into wall* It’s totally time.
Would you guys seriously be happier with Cruz? They are both huge huge evils, but Trump seems to he the lesser one.
Nooooo way. But the reality is just now sinking in that Trump could go all the way. (Can barely type that last bit, still in denial that something so nonsensical could actually happen.) Cruz supporters, the religious right, while perhaps growing in stature or numbers?, are loud but not a majority so are more easily dismissed.
LL, I’m with you. I do think Trump is the lesser of the two evils. But I do hope Dems/Independents/Sanders supporters can get past their hatred of Hillary, hold their nose and just vote for her. Because I can’t imagine life would be possibly be worse with her as the POTUS than him.
No, Locke Lamora, that’s the point. THERE’S NOBODY. It’s a free fall and nobody is there to save us. And Esmom, you KNOW how much I love Hillary but I’m probably going to vote for her because THERE’S NOBODY!
I’ll just sit here and quietly weep.
Locke-I know! I’m still hoping Sanders pulls off a miracle but I’ve been mentally preparing myself to be ok with voting for Hilz. The GOP is f*cking psychotic, straight-up nutso and I refuse to have that for my country.
I’m preparing my bunker as we speak
Everyone is welcome
I feel like this is too monumental to truly panic. It’s more like an earthquake or a hurricane. You KNOW you should be scared because you might die but really, what’s the point? The disaster will obliterate everything so you might as well enjoy the time until it hits and then go peacefully.
I’m so chipper today.
It’s like evil vs. insane. But don’t despair, the US isn’t the only country whose people revolt and will rather vote for the nutjob (or the racist nationalist f*cks, take your pick) than for the establishment. The establishment has f*cked the poor and the middle class and now everyone’s paying. It’s such a sh*tshow. Pardon my French today.
For some reason, I really thought that we would get a different nominee out of a contested convention. Not realistic but at least my denial about the candidates would have lasted a few more months.
Littlemiss – globally speaking, this is exactly how I feel. British politics is as bad, sometimes even worse, at the moment. It really is a sh*t parade.
great analogy littlemiss–I rode out the loma prieta earthquake holding on to my friend who was herself clinging to the doorframe, both of us wondering “how bad is this going to get?”
evil vs insane sounds like game of thrones. who’s betting on dragons being hatched soon?
Sixer, not to sound alarmist but I am actually filled with a sense of foreboding right now. It’s like Trump would only be the beginning. Historically speaking, I think especially Europe is due for some awful crisis. I mean how long do we think Greece will hold up? How long until people are truly done with the “migrant crisis” and the ECB burning billions every day? A relative who recently passed at 93 years of age kept saying that she was terrified that now a generation of politicians rules Europe who were born a long long time after the war. They can’t imagine how fast things can go south. I used to think she was just traumatized but my father who grew up in a civil war says the same.
Well, that post turned out darker than I intended. But it’s not like the signs aren’t there.
Littlemiss – you are not alone. We are having this ridiculous EU referendum. If we vote to Brexit, there’s another hugely destabilising event for Europe to deal with it when it is struggling already – think of the ensuing trade wars over the finance sector of the City of London in a world that STILL hasn’t fixed the financial disasters of 2008. The election of Drumpf would be yet another massively destabilising event. What if NATO goes tits up because he is a stupid insane man? I’ve absolutely no love for Clinton, along the lines of what people like GNAT have posted in all the threads hereabouts. And I agree that the political establishments in both the US and Europe have failed at improving the lives of most of their citizens. But, but, but…
What Europe needs is STABILITY so that it can get itself together. It’s all a lot bigger than our personal political positions as individuals. We can address them only when we are assured of stability.
Seriously. I feel as you do. WORRIED.
Littlemiss and sixer, the problem is that it’s us, the USA, that has the nuclear arms. Does anybody want Trump getting that code?
Susanne – quite. And, here in Europe, the last thing we need is a Trump election destabilising us, giving an extra in to a far right already beginning to get more confident (although this applies more to continental Europe than the UK at the moment, I wouldn’t count on it not reaching my shores). Britain is also a nuclear power.
I have great sympathy for all the anti-establishment movements going on at the moment. I really do think citizens across the world have been betrayed by their various political establishments. And I agree with the points being made by those movements on the left – as personified by Sanders in the US and Corbyn in the UK, and by the likes of Syriza and Podemos. But everyone needs to take a breath. We need stability first. Then we can address the other stuff.
Sixer- I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion for you, and part of me is just playing devil’s advocate, but… How is Europe to gain stability when MILLIONS of people are pouring into it everyday, putting immense strain on an already deteriorating system?
I think people are moving to the right because they don’t don’t see an end in sight and they know all too well that the situation isn’t sustainable. At some point you have to protect yourself and your family. It’s like putting the drop down mask on yourself first before you put it on your child.
Europe currently doesn’t seem to have any answers to the problem. Stability is great and all but what then? Because the current situation isn’t stable. And merely saying don’t rock the boat we’ll figure it out later doesn’t seem to be working. Because people have lost faith in the establishment to figure it out later.
SloanY, I know where you’re coming from but there are two aspects of your statement that I don’t think are unpopular so much as they are just not true or practical. One, there are not millions of people pouring into Europe. I know you were exaggerating but if you look at the numbers, it is not as catastrophic as you might think watching the news. I understand that when the cameras are pointed at large groups of people crossing borders in the middle of nowhere and we see this for months, it’s an image that sticks. But I work with refugees in my free time and while it’s no picnic (especially for Germany), it’s still very much manageable. Every person who has paid attention to what’s been happening in the world in the last 10 years knew this was coming. I very much blame our politicians who kept hitting the snooze button. We could’ve been prepared.
What I do understand is the single mom on welfare who was told to just deal with sh*t because sorry, there’s no money for adequate childcare so she can go back to work. And suddenly we found a few billions for a million refugees. Again, the establishment f*cked everyone. I still hope that woman doesn’t vote right but I could see why she would.
As for people voting right-wing, well I have my own theory about that. Let’s just say that these people run on a platform of fear, nationalism, and promises they can’t keep. Securing our borders is not practical, it simply isn’t. Have you ever driven across Europe? The borders are open fields. This is not the way to protect ourselves. If you live in one of the richest countries of the world, you live off the backs of those in the poorest countries. Sorry, it’s an ugly truth. At some point you’re going to have to pay a price, take responsibility, and voting for nutjobs won’t help you. All these so-called solutions are no solutions at all. This is our time to pay and we better accept it.
I think by “stability” Sixer means accepting that times are rough and sticking together. Because really, what’s the alternative?
Sloane – no, I agree. Not that I am for the awful treatment meted out to that desperate tide of humanity and not that I don’t think we should be doing more for them. But there comes a point where we reach critical mass and it can’t go on.
My general position is that thanks to all the other stresses and strains on the EU post-2008 – think Greece and the troika, the TTIP fiasco and all the rest of it – that the EU itself is at present unable to deal with it in any kind of constructive way. So, for this reason, the last things we need are further destabilising events, such as Brexit or a Trump presidency…
… of course, this brings us full circle back to Clinton, the arch hawk, and all the peers I’m having arguments with, who say anyone but Hillary and her inevitable bombs and wars creating more refugees on our borders, and yes, to them that means Trump is the better option and sod the Americans.
Someone tell me there’s room for optimism somewhere! This is an American site. Everyone knows that Brits are glass half emptiers and Americans are glass half fullers! One of you come and tell me that it’s all going to be ok!
ETA: Littlemiss was posting as I was. And what she said, too.
Very well said little miss.
I hear what both of you are saying.
It’s manageable now, but for how long? Especially when there’s only been a small ebb in the flow. You may not be able to protect all the borders, but there’s a big difference between, say, taking existing refugees from established camps and rolling out the welcome mat to anyone and everyone who can make it.
And telling already poor and disadvantaged people that they have to pay the piper when they never heard the music to begin with is just going to go over like a lead balloon. Because you are right– it’s the single mothers, the low skilled workers, the poor, the disadvantaged, the ones barely getting by that are having to bear the brunt of this.
And inviting in all the world’s poor isn’t going to help anyone’s situation in the long run. Feeling guilty doesn’t put food on the table. I also don’t think that rich countries are always necessarily living off the backs of the poor ones. Some do, but that doesn’t have to be the case. I just think the situation there is going to turn into a powder keg. (I really hope not, but….).
Maybe a brexit would be destabilizing…or maybe it would force Europe to re-evaluate and actually try to solve their problems. Sort of a re-set, if you will. I really have no idea.
I do, however, know that Trump is a massive idiot, and even this Bernie supporter wouldn’t vote for him for dog catcher.
Sloane – as Littlemiss said, it’s a hard truth. The rich countries are rich because they are living off the backs of the poor ones. That’s what globalisation/neoliberalism is: a modern day colonialism. It’s not nice to think on, especially when the rich countries have their own citizens in penury, but it is true.
In principle, I agree with Littlemiss. We should accept our responsibilities and give succour to all those who need it. In practice, I have to concede that I am in the minority – in the UK at least. And this means that there is a very real tipping point at which the far right has an opportunity. And I don’t want that. This is why I want stability above all – so that we can fix what needs fixing by working together without a background of hate, fear and mistrust poisoning every effort.
@Mia4s
“but the alternative is America losing its place at the world table in ways I don’t think all its citizens yet understand”
THIS. SO MUCH THIS. An alarming number of people in this country absolutely refuse to understand how this country has to play nicely with others and that we actually don’t get to just wave guns around and drop bombs and everyone will roll over and capitulate.
and that’s a huge part of the reason (idiotic) people support Drumpf.
his shtick is “who cares what other countries think – I’ll tell them what to think and what they have to do and they’ll do it” because he’s treating the presidency like a business and other countries like his employees. and his supporters eat it up…”‘Murica – F*CK yeah!” they have no world view.
Oh my god you guys please preach!
It’s unbelievable the laissez-faire attitude that this country has in terms of where we stand on a global level. As Doofus said, the lack of interest and understanding of foreign policy is part of the reason why Trump has been so successful with his campaign. He tapped right into that American arrogance and insularity. Orange Julius was very savvy in that regard.
Please, haven’t you been LISTENING? He’ll simply put America first and that’s that. The Mexicans pay for the fence, he will destroy ISIS, and the Euro fools can clean up after him in the Middle East. A small part of me wants him to have to deal with Putin but then the rational part of my brain starts yelling at me.
I think my beloved *cough* Angela Merkel will just throw in the towel in the face of President Drumpf. This is what’s going to kill her.
Couldn’t agree more. See my comment above. A Drumf presidency will increase instability internationally – financially and diplomatically – and it is VERY scary for those of us in other countries, too.
Agree with everything you all have said, plus I would add that morally, how can we elect a man who is racist and sexist? Mean, forget about what everyone else thinks about us for a second. What are we saying about OURSELVES? My husband told me that the majority of Trump supporters are uneducated white men who are angry about seeing their centuries old grip on power slip away. Are we going to let them win? Is that the majority in our country? Have the rest of us been growing and changing and they’ve just been simmering on the back burner and now it has come to a boil and next week I’ll be vacuuming in high heels? This scares the crap out of me and if you’re a woman or a person of color or a white man with a grip, we have to do something or this …thing…is going to be our president. I am so scared right now.
GNAT, as someone said (wish I could remember…Elizabeth Warren, maybe?), he’s got more support among KKK and other white supremacy group leaders than he does among the leaders of the party he’s representing.
as for those old white men, when you’ve been privileged your whole life, equality feels like oppression…and that’s what’s driving them.
I feel like we are in the eye of a hurricane. The calm before the next storm comes.
If Orange Julius (hey there Kitten) supporters think they know all about him they are mistaken. If fellow Bernie supporters stay home then they are big babies who need a refresher on what the word consequence means. They are not thinking straight and need to think about how far this megalomaniac will go to ensure he can rule like a dictator.
This is the moment sane people need to stand together and vote for our future because we are beyond voting for the lesser evil.
America will be a punchline all over the world.
GNAT, you sais this: “My husband told me that the majority of Trump supporters are uneducated white men who are angry about seeing their centuries old grip on power slip away.”
Delete “white” and the last part of your sentence is the reason for the global rise in religious fundamentalism and hatred/fear of others. The world has changed incredibly rapidly in the last few decades, and centuries of tradition and custom are less relevant. There’s an enormous amount of fear and uncertainty globally, especially among men, who are seeing their traditional roles and priviliges changing without their input. Add in low education standards (hello, USA!) and poor employment prospects worldwide, and a sizable percentage of the population is desperate for a solution. Trump’s bluster and bravado, ISIS’s promise of a restored world, and the far right’s promises in Europe all appeal to that desire for security.
Frankly, I’m terrified. And anyone who sits out the US election if Sanders doesn’t get the nomination is morally reprehensible. There’s too much at stake to pout in a corner while the world burns around us.
But the USA really should have lost its place at the table long ago. I’m old as dirt but we have been at war since before I was born. We never got out of the war mentality, it was decided that it was profitable and great for the economy even though it really isn’t if you’re in the 99%. People drew the wrong conclusion from WWII — any influx of cash from the government (veterans benefits on housing and education, for example) would have boosted the economy, while continuous war and preparation for war has steadily brought us down. As one retired high ranking military officer with the Center for Defense Information (promoting a more reasonable military budget) said once, if you build a truck you create jobs while if you build a tank- it’s a dead end.
And we are stocked with enough WMDs to make all your problems moot very quickly because we can quite literally make the planet uninhabitable (for you and for us) very quickly. As you are seeing with The Donald’s campaign, US elections are won and lost on purely domestic issues and idiots can and do get elected for reasons having nothing to do with you or the security and welfare of the world. At least The Donald may function as a wake-up call on this point, if he doesn’t kill us all first.
The rest of the world has to start realizing how terribly dangerous it is to allow any one country to have the level of destructive capability the USA has. Stop going along with idiot wars and warlets orchestrated by the U.S. government – they are not in your best interests, they are motivated by profits for a few and not by any concerns about defense of anybody or the laughable “promoting democracy and freedom”. Exert the same kinds of pressures on the USA to disarm and stop meddling with the rest of you as you would with any other rogue nation. Push US military bases off your soil, they are an expense we can’t afford and an alarming concession to a foreign power for you.
You said it Pinky.
Tbh though at this point what will happen will happen, looking over the presidency and turn of this country for centuries it’s not like many of us has seen any kind of development that led to great economic change for those of us considered minority. A significant new law or program here and there but that’s it.
If Trump gets the presidency, so be it. Many of us are already used to working hard and not seeing much benefit. I’m starting to appreciate some of the Bernie bro’s fervent calls for revolution by voting for Trump, though not for the reasons they want to, but because it will certainly be interesting to see how many of those same racist sexist hateful types that Naya and others have experienced come online to share how frightening and unbalanced their comfortable world suddenly became.
Anarchy isn’t so much fun when it’s no longer chatter on your computer screen but knocking at your front door.
Just the term “Berniebros” is f*cking gross. There’s a faction of his male supporters who want to separate themselves from his female base in a very marked and intentional way.
I know I sound like a broken record at this point but I’m SO disappointed in that sh*t.
FTR Sanders isn’t a fan of these guys either.
“We don’t want that crap.” Sanders told CNN on Sunday that the so-called “Berniebro” phenomenon is “disgusting” and that “anybody who is supporting me that is doing the sexist things — we don’t want them.”
I’m late to the party and don’t come around here much anymore anyway, but please please if you care about what is happening with US politics, get involved and organize. Stay away from the media bullsh-t (especially Reddit, etc.) and talk with real people in a hands on way. I said this on the last Sanders post, but I am a delegate for Bernie have spent many weekends with members from both camps. There is no name calling, there are no threats of not voting or not voting the party line. If you are a Democrat, we need to come together and shut out Trump. That’s it. That’s all we have to do.
I cannot emphasize this enough. You have to meet with actual people who are working on the ground level. Don’t listen to the trolls and if you do choose to get your info from the media, try to find a non-partisan source who is reporting hard facts. The level of fear mongering happening right now, even here on this thread, is late Weimar Germany levels of frightening. Every single one of you can make a difference, but you have to do the work. ✌🏼
mimif, Wise words. Thanks for fighting the good fight.
@mimif, so good to see you! Why you no come round here anymore? We miss you. Very wise words you speak. I wish I could vote here, and you are so right, a world that could countenance a Trump as the POTUS is not a world I ever want to see. It’s a shame that the alternatives are also flawed, but hopefully the checks and balances of the political echelons will keep them relatively honest. Nothing could be more terrifying than Trump let loose on the proletariat.
Mimif, I have missed you and thought about you and hoped you were well.
mimif – I miss you. I feel you too. The same thing happened here in the UK with both the election of a leftist to leader of one the main political parties and with the Scottish independence referendum. The internet crazies can really add to misinformation and it’s horribly frustrating.
Great post! I have campaigned before, and it is hard but it is so rewarding and pays off big time.
If Hillary ends up being the nominee, I really hope Bernie gets out there and rallies his supporters to vote for her. I don’t think they will listen to anyone else.
Hi ladies! :waves:
@Tiffany:
“Sure I will,” he (Sanders) said, when pressed by CBS News’ Charlie Rose in an interview. “Look, as I said a million times, I think the idea of a Donald Trump or a Ted Cruz presidency would be an unmitigated disaster for this country. I will do everything in my power and work as hard as I can to make sure that that does not happen. And if Secretary Clinton is the nominee, I will certainly support her.”
Good to hear!
mimif, thanks for the great post and it’s good to see you here again. You’ve been missed. You are the only one who will appreciate that fact that I got into the big July footrace back home, on a special appeals. I get to be a cool kid for a day.
Mimif!!!!!! *waves*
I was avoiding this post. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for being so involved!
wrong spot
damnit i had the best comeback too!
I mean it’s just posted in a different spot if you really want to reply to it. Just a little further up.
@BabyJane
You are so wrong I’m (almost) speechless. When there’s only two candidates left, not giving your vote for one means letting the other win.
In France, the presidential election does not work the same way. It’s a two-round system with a lot of candidates in the first round, and a run-off in the second round. In 2002, everybody was unhappy with the candidates proposed by the main parties. And like frenchies tend to do (a lot) we expressed our discontentment by voting for anyone but said candidates. (I personally voted for an obscure environmental causes lobbyist.) The one who actually voted for their candidates were members of an extremist racist party on the far right. Big and nasty surprise, for the second round we had only two choice left : one mainstream right-wing candidate and the devil. Long story short : left-wing, right-wing or unaffiliated, we proudly told the devil to go back to hell. I’ll let you borrow our then slogan : Vote for the Crook, not the Fascist. You can adapt it and replace crook with anything you want, from woman to bore.
Sometimes it’s not about who you’d like to represent you, but about who you can NOT let represent you.
I still love that his old college roommate tweets about how much he hated Ted.
He seriously looks like Grandpa from the Munsters
Bingo
True but insulting to Grandpa Munster.
I loved those tweets, though.
Palar, that is exactly what I thought looking at that pic (and yes a bit of an insult to the late Al Lewis who played the character).
He looks just like Spiderus from the Little Miss Spider cartoon:
https://41.media.tumblr.com/aa43065679cce25b8c9daea5ea141e9c/tumblr_np984ws5FL1s40d5wo1_500.jpg
Oh my god your last line is killing me. Well written and giving me such a laugh this morning!
I’m so glad about this. But at the same time very disgusted that Trump rolls on, knocking over every obstacle on the road to the White House. It’s terrifying. The KKK is celebrating. Dark times here in the USA.
I kinda wonder if Trump started this on a lark, thinking it would “build his brand” but it wouldn’t get too far. Somewhere he turned a corner and decided to WIN because he is a WINNER and everybody else is STOOPID.
Trump plays fast and loose. He contradicts himself all the time. He lies. He never apologizes – he hits back harder. He believes his own hype about being a “very smart person” yet he can’t figure out that Mexico is already tunneling under our walls – no matter how high they are. His solutions are simpleminded and won’t work the way he thinks they will.
Whenever anyone feels compelled to tell you how smart they are, it’s a good sign that they’re not.
Bye, Fat Dracula. I guess God changed his mind.
I am repulsed by the idea of Donald Trump getting the nomination, and was hoping for a really dramatic contested convention, but keeping Ted Cruz away from any potential power is a good thing. Now his own voters need to boot him out of office next chance I get.
I’m repulsed too – but part of me would prefer to see someone who is upfront super crazy getting the nom, over someone who is like…sneakier crazy. At least you can prepare more for Trump crazy, because he does nothing to try to hide it.
He is loathsome, and I’m glad he’s out, but it just made Trump pretty inevitable as the nominee (obviously) so I just feel sort of numb.
@gnat. I am really scared.
He is the creepiest of all creepy dudes. Goodbye Ted Cruz. No one likes you. #FreeHeidi.
However, now we have an orange, racist, sexist buffoon as a presidential nominee. #FreeAmerica.
Well said.
#FreeHeidi indeed. The only thing I’ll miss about Cruz is his daughters.
I hope Heidi goes back to Goldman Sachs job and gets the hell out of dodge. Could you imagine being married to someone who talks to you like a televangelist?
As good as it is that he is officially gone, we are left with a fascist like Trump as the last man standing. A Democratic win is by no means assured, God help us all.
But I thought he couldn’t lose because he had GOD on his side?
So I rest my case. There is a God, and he has nothing to do with right wing nut jobs.
Exactly!
Lol!
Fully agree. God would probably just shake his head at the mockery the right wing nut bags have made of christianity. I can’t help but shudder when people make a point of telling me they are christians, it makes my stomach turn as its becoming more synonymous with hate and bigotry as the days go by. (No offense to the few remaining true christians that love and accept all of their neighbors for who they are) And this is not a christian nation…stop trying to make fetch happen!!
Yep. The greater power said-Nope not in my name.
Jumping up and down applauding gnat 👏👏👏
Even god deosn’t like Cruz.
That’s why He gave him a penis-shaped nose.
@kitten. Penis shaped nose.. First good laugh of the morning, big Thank you!
Can’t stand him. The one good thing Trump has done for the country. On the other hand, I don’t think Lucifer is going away. He’s young. He’s still a Senator. I predict he will be back like a bad penny.
You know, the comments about Cruz being a ‘distasteful character’ could be said about SOOOOOO MANY lawyers….maybe you would want them handling your case but you wouldn’t want them as a friend.
I hate this guy but I hate that he is out, he would have been easier to beat in the general. Trump can exploit the fault lines that Bernie created in ways that Ted couldnt. Anyway, he kept Trump occupied. Now, the entire republican machine turns their attentions to Hillary while she is still dealing with Bernie.
Oh my god please stop it…you’re freaking me the f*ck out!!!!
Hold me because I’m getting scared. If I wasn’t at work I’d be hitting the peace pipe hard right now.
Nailed it. I do think we’ll see a major ideological battle come November with what people prioritize and consider important and I mean that in a lot of ways.
Business vs. immigration vs. equal rights vs. women’s rights and etc.
Should be interesting since I think people often don’t necessarilly vote with equal rights/women’s rights in mind but Trump has been such a flagrant figure so who knows.
Naya, let us just hope that if Bernie is not the nominee that he will make an impassioned plea to his supporters not to protest by dividing the party. The thought of The Rump at the helm makes me dust off my passport and dig our a suitcase…
Ahem, Mr. Trudeau, did you mean what you said about potential American immigrants to Canada?!?!?!?!
Do you think that Hilary will ask him to run with her as her VP? And could he possibly accept after all this? Will the DNC machine pressure him into it?
@Birdix Not in the slightest. Bernie is a persona non grata to the Clinton campaign and he brings nothing to the ticket. She’d be better served picking someone from a swing state.
No, I definitely do not see that happening. Their ideologies are too far apart. I can see her tapping Biden again if he’s up to it. As for a woman, since Warren is not interested ( last i heard) , I can see her asking Claire McCaskill. Just my thoughts.
@Birdix
Chiming in to add I don’t see it happening. Bernie probably wouldn’t accept either, nor should he honestly.
A year ago I would never of guessed that Trump would end up being the nominee, it’s just so bizarre from a non American perspective.
It’s bizarre from an American perspective too. Apparently I live in a bubble.
believe me, it’s bizarre from an American perspective, too. unless you’re a bigoted xenophobic misogynist.
As an American active in the political scene, it’s beyond bizarre. Suddenly this country has become a reality show – Survivor.
It’s surreal. I’m thinking more Hunger Games than Survivor, though. 🙁
Here is the truth the media is barely talking about, white men are angry. Very angry about the loss of jobs and power in recent years. They will heavily vote for Trump, some of their wives will vote for Trump and the south will heavily vote for Trump. A lot of them are voting for Bernie and honestly think those votes will secretly or openly switch to Trump. Won’t be surprised if he wins large midwest states. Democrats are highly underestimating his chances of winning the election. Its scary but we need to get out and vote because he has a better chance than we believe of winning this thing.
My dad hasn’t voted for a republican in 30 years but will probably vote for Trump—he loathes Hillary(especially for coming into NY and being senator) that much plus he will always vote for a NE candidate. Sadly, a lot of New Yorkers will stick to new Yorkers, even if it is Trump. He says that Trump said things in poor taste but really doesn’t mean them; said them to garner votes. Put a southerner republican on the ballot, he will never vote for him. Who is my dad: a retired wealthy white man who thinks he will get help from a rich man like trump to not have to pay his fair share of taxes. I am scared when my dad votes republican for the first time in this long. Scared for all of us.
I’m looking forward to the Trump v Clinton debates if nothing else. It’ll be interesting to see if he can drag her down to his level and make her try and beat him at his own game. It’d be a tactical mistake if she did. But who knows how it’ll play it out?
+1!
I’m sure she’s dealt with the likes of hm many times over in her long career.
I dont think she can afford to remain above the muck that Trump rakes. If the nomination process has taught us anything is that the lowest denominator makes up a large voting block. She just needs a very high profile surrogate who can wade in the mud with Trump while she retains a presidential demeanor. Her husband maybe?
Also, Trump is using the National Enquirer to muck rake (they started the rumor that Cruz snr was part of the Kennedy assassination), she needs to look into getting TMZ or some rival outlet to do her mud slinging for her. The tactics of old just dont work with Trump, as Jeb and others learned.
I agree. She will need to stay above it, because the things she has going for her are 1. She has experience and he doesn’t and 2. I can actually visualize her as a national leader, even though it makes me vomit. But you’re right, she’ll need somebody to get in there and fling the dirt back at Trump. Don’t worry. She knows a guy.
YES. I’m betting Bill will come out to do the dirty work.
I don’t think Bill has the fight in him anymore.. sadly.. and I do think Hillary will take the bait and get in the mud with him – unless she picks a VP who will do the dirty work for her.. but it will def get dirty and quick.. will be a long, hot summer of this BS on steroids
In theory, she should stay above it but that in this cycle that would be a mistake. While Trump will be pitching a fit and throwing out lies all over the debates he will at least appear engaged. She needs to try to at least match his enthusiasm.
Not sure that it matters, he is now working on a VP candidate, digging dirt and getting ready to blast Clinton. Since Cruz is out, he will now have 3 EXTRA months of dirty ads/tactics while Clinton stays busy with Sanders.
Cricket, he might. Remember how he turned the election around in 2012 after Obama’s first lackluster debate with Romney? I was floored by his speech and I think he energized a ton of people.
I’m sure we’ll be hearing about Gennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinsky again soon. Not sure Bill can help out there.
Esmom.. I guess what I meant was physically, he just doesn’t seem strong enough. I’ve seen him recently and he appears a shadow of himself. He seems to not be as laser focused when confronted and frail. In 2008, I was lucky enough to see him while he was stumping for Hillary and it was very impressive and I’m thankful I got to see them. Say what you will about him as a man, but he was quite impressive in his speaking and I saw firsthand the charm and charisma and ‘it’ factor he has in captivating an audience..
what i’m interested in seeing for 2016 is if Hillary in the nominee if the Obamas get out and stump for her. I think they could be extremely helpful and I think both he and Michelle have the ‘it’ factor. We’ve seen them both – and the recent WH correspondent’s dinner, Obama just has great timing and no one speaks better than him. And before the WH, I saw on C-Span (hangs head) Michelle giving college graduation speeches and she was quite impressive. (as an aside, C-Span is awesome during college grad time, I love watching all the commencement speeches, but I’m a nerd).
In regards to Trump.. I guess what I’d like to toss into the muck is this.. I think the media has done its duty in providing the necessary spin and tossing grenades into the process to keep their 24/7 news cycle going.. but please remember (and I don’t say this as a Trump supporter) he is nothing like Cruz and prior to this run, he was a democrat. He is a born and raised NYC business man who knows how to play the negotiation games and maybe we just need to see what happens. And in a Yank .. glass full comment.. maybe he could be a big surprise and help fix all this stagnate mess that has encompassed the world in the last 10 yrs. In regards to American politics.. I look at it this way.. there must be a reason why the establishment politicians fear him – he won’t play their status quo games – and he knows where the bodies are buried so to speak. One thing he has made clear, he doesn’t care what enemies he makes along the way in getting what he feels is the best deal completed – and I mean this from an American govt. angle. Truth is, the ‘R’ and ‘D’ mean nothing to establishment politicians – there is NO difference!! They are all in for saving themselves and are selfish to their own agendas.
Ask yourselves this…. how is it that every establishment politician is extremely wealthy yet their income from their job does not justify their net worth. How do they go in – many with no prior CV experience and far from being a millionaire – and almost every one of them is now multi-millionaires? I honestly think it’s time for a major shake up to them all. They – if Trump or Sanders is elected – have the most to lose and will quickly become desperate for their power plays to succeed.
She really isn’t great in debates & think it where she will end up losing a lot of votes. She is too stiff, practical and rehearsed.
Nope, Clinton doesn’t do well in political stump speech though but in debates, she’s great in counter-punching. And yes, the rest of the world are terrified of a Trump presidency especially here in the South East Asia, well we’ve got the North Koreans missile testing , the South China Sea territorial disputes, et al……to put it bluntly we need the help of the US so please, please don’t vote for the racist and a bigot.
All I can say is…he creeps me out in a major way. Like he would be all clammy, sweaty hands and try to sniff you or something. Good riddance.
My sister in law actually met him once long ago in NYC. I asked her if his hair really did glow and if he really looked orange in real life.. and she said yes.. ;yikes
Accidentally punched and elbows his own freaking wife like she’s a sack of potatoes. Truly feel sorry for this guy’s long suffering family. I hate him more than Trump.
AND- his hug was really toward his dad ( cheek to cheek with daddy), as if his wife were a second thought. Seeing the gif made me wonder if she is used to that. Sad.
Favorite response to this so far?
“Shouldn’t Ted Cruz have been forced to carry his suspended campaign to term?”
LOL
+10000! great comment.. thanks for sharing
OMG LOL
Oh that’s genius.
Today’s winning comment.😂
As a Clevelander, I’m still terrified of what this convention is going to do to my city. Trump inspires SO MUCH HATE and it’s flooding into this city in July.
I can understand your trepidation. I hope you and yours are safe.
Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Please be careful.
Yeah I’ve heard the city bought riot insurance, good luck and stay safe.
I had not heard that but I wouldn’t be surprised.
I’m worried for you guys, and sad that we’re all worried. It shouldn’t be this way.
Stay safe. I’m concerned for you all too.
Yes, definitely cause for concern. Hopefully better than what might have gone down with a brokered convention.
I’m honestly not convinced that there isn’t more going on behind the scenes and it’ll still be a brokered convention. I am not willing to believe that the GOP has fought against him so hard these last 6 months only to turn around and let him destroy their party (b/c let’s face it, that’s what he is doing). I think Cruz and Kasich dropping out is a sign of worse to come honestly. And it does concern me that this City (mainly the people who have made a life here) is going to get caught in the cross hairs (for lack of a better word) and suffer the most. I am planning on being as far away from the downtown area as my job will allow me that week.
yikes. for Cleveland, I sure hope not. Although the thought did cross my mind when I heard about Kasich.
You know how in Men in Black, the big insect alien comes down to earth and kills a guy and inhabits his skin so he can pass as human while he’s searching for the Mcguffin, that’s what Ted Cruz reminds me of. Like, there’s an alien inside him, desperately trying to pass as a human.
Cruz is awful, detestable, nobody likes him. Yet, he was the Republican party’s establishment’s best hope for months, ever since Bush dropped out. And as awful as he is, he got this far. It took Trump how many months to put him away? There’s something really rotten in the state of the GOP. (Am I using that right?)
(On the last Cruz post, I asked why people hated him so much and somebody provided me with links which were fascinating to read,but I forgot to say thanks at the time, so thank you.)
lol..your first paragraph is perfect.
A friend of mine posted a meme of him and Carly with the words “These human suits are itchy”.
@ Ninks IKR! Those were fascinating reads! Particularly the New Republic where they just published quotes by colleagues, former classmates and so on….
What I found most fascinating was the public perception of him was spot on to the private revelations of being universally despised. I couldn’t get out of bed the next day if even one of those comments were said about me , let alone carry on a national campaign.
If Heidi read that I’m sure she musing over her life choices….
http://www.tedcruzforhumanpresident.com
This is all you need.
as a Canadian, i won’t comment on the politics. Ted Cruz looks like the guy wearing the pantyhose mask robbing the 7-11. his features are quite strange.
Ted “Vaginas are Evil” Cruz still sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Don’t worry Ted, Vaginas feel the same way about you! (Shudder!)
lmao!
He’s a young man – expect him and his hate towards vaginas to reappear in a presidential campaign every four years for several decades. Think about it. 👀
only if he has the $$ and insider support .. which I think went poof last night. I think Cruz not only threw away his senate career but also lost any possible chance of gaining a spot on the supreme court. I think he’ll be toast and end up a preacher like his dad.. I also think his wife (she so reminds me of Alicia Florrick) will quietly leave him, take their daughters (who apparently refer to him as a ‘guest’ when he is home) and move on.
I wonder if some big money backers (Koch brothers) pulled the plug on Cruz after his meltdown yesterday morning. He was practically frothing at the mouth and couldn’t have looked less presidential. While he ranted Heidi’s adoring mask started to slip, and it began to dawn on Carly Fiorina what a mistake she had made.
The brothers had already announced they wouldn’t be involved in this election.
Good riddance to Ted! I’m voting for Trump.
The word your looking for, in regards to Mr. Cruz is unctuous, look it up, he should change his middle name. Suits him to a T.
I found Cruz to be the most vile candidate of them all and I’m glad he’s out of the running. But at the same time there is this sense of doom because it pretty much made it official that DONALD TRUMP is going to be the republican nominee for the President. of. the. United States. How did this happen? Jeb! never looked so good. I am glad to be off Facebook because there would undoubtedly be Trumpettes in my news feed making my blood pressure rise.
What’s Kasich doing anyway? In it for the food?
God Bless the USA. We need it now more than ever.
Lol, in it for the food.
Goodbye Zodiac Killer and his robot wife!
ha! I wrote that above.. that was the funniest thing.. Zodiac Killer.. OMG
I don’t know if anyone has discussed this on another page but I read this article last night and found it fascinating on a lot of levels.. First because.. gross he is just so gross.. but secondly about how they put these videos out on the internet so the super PACs can access them and use them for their advertising.. if nothing else, this election cycle has taught me two things: the whole delegate/super delegate think sucks and should be done away with and secondly, the super PAC nonsense should go too..
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/12/ted-cruz-b-roll-family-videos-213429
OMG!! The lengths Cruz will go to to change the entrenched narrative of him! Only someone truly sinister would have an obviously traumatized nephew dredge up his mothers unsavory past so he could “appear” to be the white knight. That story is the most cynical political move I’ve ever read….and that’s saying something!
Just nasty and beyond filth. and seems he has no qualms to use his daughters as ploys in his perfect candidate mold.. yuck.. he is just so nasty.. I’m so happy he lost last night. Cruz frightens me 1000% more than Trump.
One interesting note about Cruz’s mom’s remark that she never learned to type so that while working as a programmer, she wouldn’t be expected to type up letters and such for the guys. She could just honestly say “I don’t know how to type.”
When I was in college, I taught myself how to touch type and was pretty fast at it (am even speedier now). When I went off to grad school in the physical sciences back in the 1970s, my brother had an uncharacteristically sage bit of advice for me: “Don’t ever let them know you can type.” I used to carefully slow down to hunt and peck speed if I heard anybody in the hallway while I was typing up the draft of my dissertation. He was absolutely right, since I was “the girl”, the guys would have been pressuring me to type up their stuff for them.
By the old gods, and the new- Shireen’s sacrifice had meaning after all.
Cruz has his eyes on something even bigger…Scalia’s empty seat on the Supreme Court. Trump said he would consider nominating him. Despite all the “Trump is the Devil” rhetoric, compared to Cruz, Trump’s views are those of a liberal Republican. Cruz is definitely a conservative Republican.
I’m not sure a SCOTUS nomination would be viewed favorably by the Senate Judiciary Committee, but you never know.
Don’t get caught up in what the media is feeding you, keep your eye on the Big Picture:
Whomever is elected, is going to create a lasting impression on America via SCOTUS.
Posted something along those lines yesterday. Cruz as a Supreme Court justice?? That is beyond terrifying/ the Senate would love to be rid of him. And I fail to see how a Sanders supporter could consider voting for Trump- he IS Wall Street. Seriously, what position of Sanders could one ever see Trump supporting? Can’t wait to see more “see you next Tues” and their ilk start being thrown around. Misogyny w/o even using code words!!
He’s so universally despised, I’d hope no one would vote to confirm him. I’m hoping in 2018 the Texas voters have had enough of him too and he loses his Senate seat.
totally agree! Cruz just kissed his entire political – and SCJ career goodbye yesterday. Part of me wonders if Trump was playing a game about the whole National Inquirer crap about Cruz dad in NO with LH Oswald just to see Cruz implode. The OTT reaction Cruz had gave Trump the out to ever consider him for anything – if Trump wins – and based on what has come out, he has zero fans in the Senate and would never get past the confirmation process.
The Senate would Bork a Cruz nomination.
speaking of Bork…. did anyone watch the HBO documentary Confirmation.. with Kerry Washington as Anita Hill? It was very fascinating and highly recommended to see the ploys that go on and how so many are mere puppets in the power grab.
Honestly surprised he suspended his campaign, he seemed like the type to take it all the way to November if he had to just in hopes of getting the contested convention nomination.
Still not surprised that Trump is the front runner, only mad I’ll have to see his orange self on my tv for so many more months. I will say this he’s probably got a good 5-8 tantrums left in him so it should be fun to see what he unleashes on next before backtracking or giving some speech written apology on Twitter.
I’m guessing Sanders will still go until California, that will be his big win or loss as to whether he suspends his campaign or keeps it going.
I’m with you in being shocked about Cruz suspending his campaign. I also thought he was stubbornly in it for the long haul. He just seemed like the type to dig in his heels harder the more the prevailing wisdom might say otherwise, on pretty much anything. But I am glad he’s not a possible nominee anymore. As much as I loathe Trump, I think Cruz is much worse.
I think Cruz had zero choice in the matter.. all his $$ dried up and he had nothing left in the coffers to fight on.
Back in ’08 it was the same thing. Hillary supporters vowing not to support Obama. By the time the election was in full swing everyone knew the reprecussions of not supporting their Dem candidate. I think we forget how ugly that was too. The whole minister scandal, whispers of Obama being a muslim, etc. I was a Hillary supporter then and by the time Oct rolled around I had an Obama sign on my lawn (and now see him as one of the greatest presidents). Bernie supporters, at least most of them, will come around I believe when they really see the possibility of a President Trump “shudders”!!!
I think you’re probably right.
I know several Bernie supporters who hate Trump and Clinton and plan to stay home come election day.
I hope Bernie can bow out gracefully with some class. Hillary showed a lot of class when she conceded and she campaigned for Obama. However Bernie isn’t really a democrat and has no ties to the party.
No ties except his history of the caucusing with the Dems for almost his entire tenure in Congress.
People need to calm down. Lucifer has left the building . Trump is not a Democrat or Republican, he is a Populist like Roosevelt. Just as Sanders isn’t a Democrat he’s a Socialist running on the Dem ticket. Trump is not a racist, that was a Rubio and Cruz ploy to label him, and unfortunately, it seems to have grown legs. He is just for America First. The illegals are the one’s violently protesting, because they get EBT cards, free medical and free education and sometimes free housing, and don’t want their gravy train to end. But ‘We The People’ pay for that. I couldn’t go to Italy, overstay my Visa and stay there for 10 years, have children and call them citizens. We are the only country that seems to allow that. They need to go back home if they are here illegally . We have many wonderful Veterans that fought for our country that need those benefits and aren’t getting them.
I’m a Progressive who has always voted Democrat, but this year I”m voting for Trump.
“The illegals are the one’s violently protesting, because they get EBT cards, free medical and free education and sometimes free housing, and don’t want their gravy train to end.”
That’s a hilarious amount of untrue bigotry. So in spite of your claims you typically vote Democrat it sounds like illegal immigration (which has been going down in recent years) is of more concern to you than other issues correct?
Yeah. Just about everything said in that post was false. Illegal immigrants are stealing benefits from anyone; especially not the military.
Besides the whole focus on immigration is just a giant red herring to distract people from the truth, which is, that Donald Trump doesn’t get it.
He is a man who has spent his whole life taking advantage of the system, he doesn’t care about Joe the Plumber. He is getting people hyped up and making promises that he will never be able to deliver. It’s a pity that so many have fallen for it.
Unauthorized immigrants aren’t stealing from anybody. They get stuck in jobs with low pay and no benefits and can’t say anything about abusive treatment because they need to fly under the radar. They have taxes withheld from their pay (often under false social security numbers supplied by the employer) but can’t file a tax form to get refunded the excess over what is really owed. They pay FICA but won’t get social security benefits. They pay property taxes because those are included in the rent, and rent goes up whenever property taxes go up. They pay sales taxes just like everybody else. They are paying more taxes than others at the same income level because they can’t get refunds. Plus of course they are providing the same non-monetary services that everybody does in their families and communities.
Read our history. We had open borders for ages, the documentation and authorization required today is modern and was not always seen as necessary or desirable. Immigrants have always been an asset, not a liability. If you want to reduce immigrants, documented and undocumented, don’t let American companies and politicians promote conditions elsewhere that are the driving force for people to leave their homes. Don’t let your tax money support tyranny and corruption, keeping bad situations alive elsewhere and really losing American jobs because companies can close their doors with no notice to go to some country where they don’t have to pay people decently. A local city council member tried to get two weeks notice required before a company could shut down, and the business people successfully prevented that from becoming law. People literally can show up for work on Monday and see a sign on the door, telling them that their jobs have vanished.
I find it interesting that you claim Trump isn’t a racist and then move on to racist-lite propositions. It’s been proven time and time again that should we deport “illegals” ( I hate that characterization) that our country would suffer an irreparable economic meltdown. The whole immigration debate is another wedge issue to bait racists to vote GOP. You’re drinking the koolaide and chasing a non-existent solution as it’s never going to happen
Yes, all those “illegals” taking our stuff and fat women not being attractive and other thing bringing our country down. Let’s punish women for having abortions. Let’s never let Muslims into our country again. Yep, he tells it like it is. If you’re a racist and/or a sexist.
This has to be trolling right? This person is here presenting as a Trump supporter and proudly displaying his/her ignorance just to show us how idiotic and uneducated Trump supporters are (as if we had any doubt), right?
RIGHT?!?!?!?
I think it’s a troll because they spout a bunch of racist garbage and then end with ‘I’ve always been a democrat until now’. Sounds like a troll to me.
Yup. That part is always casually slipped in at the end.
Its a TROLL for sure.
Could be an older New Deal Democrat. They’re like my parents in that they appreciate FDR style protections and programs for the working class but are generally pretty conservative … And in the case of my parents, not at all averse to overt racism and xenophobia.
If veterans are not getting benefits, it is because Congress has decided not to grant benefits through legislation. And it is never a “do we give to veterans or illegals?” Situation. Also, by far, the vast majority of welfare beneficiaries are the children of white, natural born women. I am so sick of hearing bigoted lies about welfare.
It’s so frustrating because it literally takes 3 seconds of Googling to find out that the majority of people on welfare are disabled or in a position of financial disparity where they TRULY need it. But this fallacy that welfare recipients are all able-bodied leeches or teenage moms or minorities gaming the system keeps the GOP’s base fired up so who needs the truth, right?
According to the statistics, whites form the largest racial group on welfare; half of all welfare recipients leave in the first two years; and teenagers form less than 8 percent of all welfare mothers.
You aren’t a progressive, lol, no way. You may want to look up the definition of it, because you know it includes supporting immigration. Horrible attempt at TROLLING.
You need to take a look at who keeps voting to restrict benefits to veterans, and it’s not the democrats.
Trump isn’t a populist. He cares nothing for people. He worships money and power. He bends over for those with money and power in order to give himself more money and power. He would sell the entire USA if he could get a better deal on resort projects in China.
“Trump is not a racist”
If so, why did he have his buildings mark apartment applications with “C” for “Colored” during the 70s? Why did his buildings tell minority renters there were no units available, and on the same day, telling white renters there were plenty of spaces available? The Justice Dept. charges were not drummed up by Rubio or Cruz.
To be technical, a populist doesn’t have to actually represent the common people … just CLAIM to represent them, and use language calculated to play on their hopes or fears. So, by that definition, Trump is a populist. So is Sanders. Their ideas are different, but that’s just right-wing populism (nationalism) vs left-wing populism (anti-establishment).
Like you, Kaiser, I never thought Cruz had the credentials to lead this country, including his birth status. He’s NOT a natural-born citizen! I’ve often surmised he was simply a pawn to advance Trump.
Cruz was more terrifying to me than Drumpf, because he believes in his own righteousness. I think he would be way worse for women, taking us from being the second-class citizens we are now right back down to third.
I’m still crossing my fingers and my toes that Bernie can pull out a nomination, because he’s the only candidate who’s been liberal enough for me my entire voting life! But I’m not some idiot bro who will sit out the election or vote for the Orange Horror rather than vote for Hillary.
That’s good to hear, ClaireB. I was listening to a political scientist day talk about past elections and how Trump is the least qualified, least prepared candidate of any election in the modern age. I can’t believe how many people are willing to overlook this fact.
NPR?
When it comes to presidential candidates, Americans have never been deterred by lack of credentials, sadly.
Kitten, Yes. And you’re right, sigh.
All of us who dismissed him as a passing phenomenon right here on these pages are eating our words. Even Obama made a reference to it in his speech the other night. I’m glad he could laugh about it but it seriously makes me want to cry. What kind of country are we leaving for the next generation? I guess I can at least take comfort in the fact that my teens and all their friends and classmates are still dismissing Trump, too. Except for the one lady in the parking lot with her car/sign thingy. But she’s a parent, I think. Holy hell.
I honestly can’t believe he’s gotten this far. I know the average American has very few critical thinking skills, but business skills, if Trump has many, don’t actually translate to government. I know that’s an idea conservatives have been pushing for the last decade or so, but it’s a very bad one and continues to be a bad one.
And anyone who agrees with Bernie Sanders about the evils of the corporate, lobbyist government we have these days enough to vote for his liberal policies should be horrified at the idea of voting for Trump. Sure, he says he’s financing his own campaign, but that doesn’t mean he won’t take anyone else’s money later. That’s how he got “very very rich.” He’ll be perfectly happy to make deals with anyone who offers enough if he gets to the White House.
I don’t feel sorry for Ted,I feel sorry for America if Trump is elected POTUS.
Kasich just announced he is suspending his campaign too
I was waiting for that.
And then there was one.
Congrats America, Donald Trump is your Republican nominee for the Presidency.
I’m a Canadian but I have lots for relatives and friends who live in the states and I’m scared. Trump has nothing to offer the American people and he completely underestimates the complexity of the issues that the country is facing. I can’t shake the feeling that if he wins, and let’s be real, there’s a possibility of that, he’ll set back the country at least 100 years.
And with that this long national nightmare of a primary is over. Barring a catastrophe, it’s going to be Trump vs. Clinton. Sorry, Bernie has been rejected by the Democratic base and there aren’t enough independents to give him the margins that he needs to stand a chance. Even his Indiana victory was a lose because since he only gained around 51% of the delegates, his target of 64% of the pledged delegates has only increase to 65%.
The super delegates are not going to shift to him over a view polls if he is losing in the pledged delegate count and the popular vote, especially when he routinely loses among registered democrats and African Americans. He had a fair shot, but in the end, he hasn’t made any headway with non-white voters since SC and that’s on him. I think he will stay in until DC, but there won’t be much of an argument that could swing him the nomination that wouldn’t reek of hypocrisy. Every single super-delegate argument that’s he or his supporters could use, would inherently benefit Clinton since she has won larger/more diverse states with more SDs in large margins as well. I’m predicting that Obama will endorse Clinton on June 8-9th and the Bernie will suspend his campaign around June 18th.
CNN is saying that Kasich will make a statement this afternoon that has is dropping out also. Priebus is calling for the GOP to unite behind Trump. So I add my voice to others here and beg all to vote. If you know young people getting disappointed in the nomination process, please tell them how important it is to vote. They don’t have to love Hillary, but she is qualified. I can’t imagine the scenario where Trump is better than Hillary. Republicans are being called on to unite behind Trump. Democrats and Independents need to unite behind Hillary. Otherwise Trump will coast into the Presidency and chaos will follow.
Polls have shown that millennials overwhelmingly support Clinton over Trump. Anecdotally, most Bernie or Busters that are sitting it out are hard left middle age folks that wouldn’t have voted anyway. This GE is going to be a fight for the independents in the middle, not the few to the left.
Glad Cruz is gone. Clinton scares the beejeesus out of me but Trump even more. I am just terrified by this election. I am over 50 and have Always voted, but feel like a deer in the headlights this time around. I think I will go find a corner to cry in…..walks away defeated
Can I ask why you think Clinton is “scary”?
I mean, what kind of harm do you think she’d do to this country?
I’m genuinely asking because I’m a Sanders supporter who doesn’t think Clinton can offer us anything new or fresh for our country nor does she most effectively reflect my values, yet I would not characterize her as “scary” even though it’s an oft repeated refrain around here. I don’t find her particularly liberal, but her voting record has been mostly in-line with Sanders.
When I think of “scary” I think of a candidate’s potential to affect our positioning on a global scale or a candidate’s potential to destroy this country socially. Clinton is more than qualified to handle foreign affairs and she is at least somewhat in-line with my social views so I’m having trouble seeing anything particularly frightening about her.
Is it because of her corporate ties?
Any elucidation is welcome BTW. I’m not trying to battle, just trying to understand the different perspectives.
Bengaza for starters. Throw in her connections to wall street, and several instances on the campaign trail where I feel IMO, that she hadno time for people that asked legitimate questions or concerns. Don’t get me wrong, I do not support Trump, just not comfortable at all with Hilary. Status quo may be maintained under Clinton, but I am not sure that is a good thing. If, omg cannot believe I am typing this, the Donald wins, hopefully there will be so much scrutiny of everything he says and does,that maybe he can be kept from too much damage…I will vote…holding my nose
@ Kitten You took the words right out of my mouth! This narrative that Clinton is “scary” is right out of the GOP handbook and we’re used to this narrative coming out of their ranks but recently it’s bled into the democratic ranks. I to was a Bernie supporter but will happily cast my vote for Clinton. The Repubs will happily exploit this split in ranks so I hope former Bernie supporters will really do some research, the charges about their Foundation are baseless and the email dust-up has delivered nothing. Get out the vote and let’s kill the Drumph disaster!
Kitten, I can’t speak for Dlo but I too am terrified of Hilary because of her record on foreign interventions. There are many articles that outline this, even the NY times ran an article, and they endorsed her.
Here is one :
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/02/11/the-warmongering-record-of-hillary-clinton/
@Sanders-Thank you for that but I was kind of looking for personal opinions, not links. Don’t get me wrong-I enjoy some of what Counterpunch has to offer but they are far from unbiased. They’ve been slamming the Obama administration for 8 years now, sometimes fairly and other times not so much.
In terms of the details outlined in the link, it seems as if the author either has a failure to understand diplomacy or he simply doesn’t think it’s something we should strive for. Don’t get me wrong: Hilary is not beyond reproach. Hell, she voted for the Iraq war. However, at least she had the ovaries to admit that she was wrong in doing so and Hilary’s vote alone is NOT what led to that war.
Ultimately, I just can’t get down with this characterization of her as “evil” or a “war monger”. I view her more like her husband in that she’s not a traditional leftist. She’s more willing to use US military force for humanitarian reasons (as in Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo) unlike Cheney/Rove/Bush Administration and other neocons who use happily and carelessly use military force for global domination.
The narrative around Hillary is that she can’t be trusted. I think the greater truth is that she doesn’t trust anyone. After what she went through, her last trip through the White House, who cam blame her?
Unfortunately, it’s made her guarded, secretive and appear untrustworthy. She should have released those Wall St. speeches already and then it wouldn’t still be a point. If she does it now, it will just be used against her by Trump.
You may already know this, as I may have mentioned it before, but I’m not a big fan of Hillary’s character. It disturbs me that she will be rewarded for decades of breaking and skirting the law and the truth with the nomination. It bothers me that people don’t care about character anymore. However, I think she would be a far superior choice to Donald Trump. I don’t think Hillary is a feminist except when it suits her, I think she is racist when that suits her and I don’t think she really supports the LGBT community, BUT I think she will vote like she does support women, POC and gay people. Once in New Orleans, there was a race for mayor in which one of the candidates was a known crook. But the other was so bad, people had signs made up that said “Vote for the crook. It’s important.” So that’s my take on Hillary. Vote for the crook.
Sorry I forgot to add: @Dlo, AnnieFannie GNAT-thank you for the replies 🙂
@Neelyo-Yes you are so spot-on with that analysis about Hil and I agree about the Wall St speeches so much. Did you read The Huff Post piece from a few days ago? Where the f*ck were her campaign strategists on that one? Even if we believe her that she did not foresee running for higher office in 2016 she still had at least two years prior where she was actively considering it.
This is why I’m a Sanders girl though. Say what you want about him, he doesn’t seem to have any secrets.
Kitten, yes Counterpunch has no love for democrats or republicans and has a bias like any other publication. Politically, it is outside the 2 party system. I have a real issue with the cop role that America plays on a national scale. I have seen the personal fall out from it working as a therapist with refugees from Vietnam and Central America. And now watching the chaos in the middle east is quite depressing. It has a human cost, these policies, and I can’t get behind Clinton who said about Libya- we came, we saw, he died or Madeline Albright referring to dead Iraqi children as collateral damage. I don’t think US foreign policy is about diplomacy as much as it is about maintaining control through its military. Wouldn’t you rather see money spent on the military going to health care and education?
Hilary’s primary interest is not humanitarian, if it were, she would not have accepted money from the Saudis for the Clinton Foundation and then greenlit a sale of arms to them. We know they fund terrorists. There is so much more out there about her time as secretary of state whether in Honduras or the middle east.
I live in Alberta and we have had big changes in government – provincially and federally. I don’t think big change is necessarily great during times of instability. It makes investors unsure, and the US requires investment. Trump has had so many bankruptcies that I can’t see foreign investors having a ton of faith in his ability to make sound decisions. He is so temperamental and very willing to play chicken that I doubt he will be invited into the inner circles of the decision makers. I would always need to feel united with the rest of a group before inviting him into a conversation because he always needs to make a change to something for the sake of winning the pissing contest (see: the flag issue in Mara Largo, the zoning for his houses, and there are others). He’s just so bombastic that I think he would be a detriment.
I was going to ask the same. Sure she’s shady and the opposite of Obama that way, but he had 8 years and wasn’t able to change the voting system and pretty sure he didn’t touch big food which is a harmful thing to society. Anyways he’s great but the only real change was social things (gay marriage, some healthcare,) and is Hillary going to undo those things? What do you think she’s going to do? (And I felt the same about Stephen Harper… That’s another story) I see it like this- trump would provoke North Korea or some other nation to blow up the world . Hillary would be very careful not to provoke anything like that. Thus, I will vote for her. If trump makes abortion somewhat illegal it can always be legal again in 4 years. Not many women would die from illegal abortions in 4 years. Compare to the deaths of the homeless, soldiers, drug users, people who don’t have healthcare, lack of-gun control victims (and even first responders!). The scariest thing to me about trump is the chance he’ll provoke nK, Iran or Russia. Thank god China is wise. His sexism isn’t contagious and is easily reversed. Sorry kitten the trump stuff isn’t really responding to you. Oh and why are we mocking his names old spelling? I find that xenophobic.
Dlo- don’t hold your breath waiting for Trump’s words and actions to be scrutinized. Check out the history of Ronald Reagan’s campaigns and Presidency. The man could hardly open his mouth without lying or repeating something horribly inaccurate. His lies were killing people abroad and hurting people here at home, but the scrutiny just wasn’t there. Instead, people assumed nobody would make up stuff out of whole cloth like he did and so what he said was accepted as gospel truth. The media tried briefly, but they couldn’t keep up with him. I know people assume all politicians lie, but he was doing it on a grand scale never seen before. He even lied about the Pope agreeing with his Central Anerican policies! That made the front page, the Vatican’s protest “oh, no he doesn’t” was buried elsewhere. He lied about the Nicaraguan government running drugs when his own drug agency said they weren’t but his beloved contra mercenaries trying to destroy that elected government certainly were. He lied about Grenada many times before he invaded and took it over. So don’t for a minute think it will be any different with Trump.
Obviously American opinions are what is important here, but if you’d appreciate a foreign perspective: Hillary as the Democratic candidate feels like a step backwards. We were all so happy for you guys to have voted for Obama – for hope and change – in comparison to that, Hillary feels like a vote for defeatism and status quo. Not really “scary”, but disappointing. And to be honest, it’s not the fault of her politics – I have no clue what her policies are – it’s just the fact that being a Clinton means she’s part of the old-boys-network. (And I lean left for an Aussie … by American standards I’m a crazy tree-loving hippy … so Clinton is too right-wing for my personal taste.)
I guess I’m with Dlo. Trump is potentially scary, but I’m not sure he’d actually manage to get anything done. I imagine a Trump presidency full of racist rhetoric and general WHARRGARBL, but mitigated by a hostile parliament (what do you guys call that? congress?) voting against any extreme changes … then followed by a huge swing to the left next elections. So, from that glass-half-full perspective, Trump would lead to real change. I can’t imagine Hillary managing any real change. She’s safe, but she’ll maintain the status quo … and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
This international leftist “at least he’ll cause some change” ‘s a very dangerous and misguided perspective to take. Trump can do a LOT of damage, even without the support of Congress (and there’s no way the GOP will lose the House, and it’s by no means guaranteed they’ll lose the Senate).
Think of what Obama has been able to accomplish, even with an actively hostile Congress. The Iran deal, etc. On foreign policy alone, Trump would almost certainly leave the US’s interests in Asia in a very precarious position. And he doesn’t need Congress to prevent Muslims from entering the USA, as he has promised to do.
Domestically, the next President is going to appoint Scalia’s replacement, probably Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement and possibly others as well. This would almost certainly mean overturning Roe v Wade and ensuring the illegality of abortion not just for the next four years, but far in the future. Don’t kid yourselves – if you have any fondness for the USA and its people, you should hope fervently for a Clinton presidency.
jwoolman – you’ve got Gil Scott-Heron’s B-Movie going around in my head now. “From Shogun to Raygun”.
@ Tina, I was replying in context of Dlo’s original post, which is quite clear that Trump is worse than Clinton. I rather assumed that was a given. But if you need me to say it explicitly, I’m happy to do so: Trump is much worse than Clinton. Orders of magnitude worse. Not even comparable unless you use some freaky log-scale.
But that said, I stand by the fact Clinton doesn’t fill me with hope. And she’s not being marketed as such internationally. It’s simply “she’s not Trump”. Which is enough. But it’d be nice to have MORE, you know?
As for Trumps policies … in relation to foreign policy, if Trump screws things up, and America loses some of it’s international power, that’s not necessarily a bad thing for the world as a whole. (Well, unless he sets off a nuke.) For example, Trump being Trump would be a decent excuse for us to abandon the ANZUS treaty and withdraw from the Middle East, leading to fewer injured/killed Aussie soldiers. And if you slap tariffs on China, Oz will benefit as China searches for better trading partners. So Trumps foreign policy hurts the US, but isn’t necessarily universally bad.
The social/moral implications WITHIN the US are a different kettle of fish. I would indeed feel sympathy if what you fear came to pass … but I guess I have more faith in the system than you do. As I said, I’m leaning glass half-full at the moment. I think the Muslim ban would be unconstitutional, and if not, it’s so darn impractical that it’d get tossed. Are you Muslim? No? Okay, here’s your visa. That’s absurdly unworkable. The stupid Mexican wall idea will get tossed as soon as he realises he can’t force Mexico to pay. And he’s changed his stance on abortion so many times that I don’t think it’s a real issue for him, I think he’s saying whatever will get him votes. I don’t think he’d make it a major platform. But you’re right on the fact that he maybe could have an indirect effect on social policy via appointments to the Supreme Court. I had forgotten the American Supreme Court was so political (works differently here.)
@Lucrezia, apologies, I didn’t parse Dio’s original post the way you did. I know Dio said Dio didn’t support Trump, but then said the following sentence: “If, omg cannot believe I am typing this, the Donald wins, hopefully there will be so much scrutiny of everything he says and does,that maybe he can be kept from too much damage…I will vote…holding my nose.” I didn’t necessarily assume that meant “for Clinton,” but I could well be wrong.
On foreign policy, this probably comes down to where you stand right- or left- in a non-US system (I am right-wing in the UK but would be left-wing in the US, in the Obama/John Kerry/Hillary Clinton mould.) I look at Obama and his initial optimism and plans about closing Guantanamo, opposing the Iraq war and not wanting the US to get involved in foreign wars. He found, as the next President will find, that it’s not as simple as that. If Australians don’t want to send their troops to the ME to support the US/EU forces, that’s a decision Australians must make (as Canada did when it sent troops to Afghanistan but not Iraq). But I don’t like to see Assad slaughtering his own people. Do I think we should send in ground troops? No. Do I think we should do something? Yes. I think Hillary is wonkish and sensible and she’ll follow Obama’s foreign policy fairly closely.
On domestic policy, he really can do a lot of damage. The Muslim ban, whether or not it “works,” would cause untold harm to the reputation of the US in the Muslim world. And he can do a lot with a GOP-led Congress, which he would almost certainly have. He’d be an unmitigated disaster.
Curious, does anyone think Clinton will pick Clinton (Bill) for a running mate? What a twist up that would be. Many do not like H but I do not know anyone that doesn’t love B. Hey is Trump can be the Republican nominee why can’t Bill be VP nominee
I’m rooting for Cory Booker! Seems a long shot, unfortunately
Booker would definitely bring the charisma that Hillary lacks
that was my guess too. plus it would be a nice set up (which Obama doesn’t have sadly) for Booker to take over after the Hill.
Nope. You would run into constitutional issues should anything ever happen to Hillary. Bill is term limited and quite possibly could be barred from fulfilling the roles of the president if needed, i.e. Hillary has a procedure and needs to be put under for 30 minutes. The next person in line would be the speaker of the house and barring Trump completely wrecking down ballot races, that will almost certainly be a republican until 2020. My money for VP would be on Sherrod Brown, Julian Castro, Thom Perez, Cory Booker or Tim Kaine. Maybe Warren. Kaine and Brown are senators from swing states, that Donald needs to win if he has any shot at all.
Was only thinking term limits on him running for Pres, didn’t think about what would happen if H were not there for any reason. Just a crazy thought among all this craziness 😀
If Clinton wants to appeal to the Bernie supporters she should pick either him or Warren. I don’t think they’res any love lost between them as she’s viewed as a loose cannon but I think it’s time we had a true progressive in the WH.
Why do people pretend like Warren isn’t already in office? She’s a Massachusetts senator who will be serving her term in the senate until 2019.
But even if she wasn’t already in an elected position, she has stated over and over again that she has no aspirations for higher office.
So sorrynotsorry but y’all can’t have her, she’s ours and she is very beloved here in Boston 😉
I just discovered this today, but still hilarious. He’s so awkward.
http://www.tedcruzforhumanpresident.com
I am so sick of people labeling Bernie supporters are Bernie Bros and sexist. Really? Maybe a few trolls, but absolutely not the majority. I am a female in my 20s, I have moved a lot and have friends all over the US (Washington, Oregon, California, Ohio, West Virginia, and some of the NE), and a big chunk of them are Bernie supporters. Many are female. All are kind and thoughtful and think things through. The whole point of being a Bernie supporter is for change, real change, for people to be nice, for money (and corporations) not to rule our country anymore. I’m sorry for anyone that was rude as a Bernie supporter; however, I can tell you that is not the case for most of them. Because my friend group incorporates all kinds of people- from all over- and they simply aren’t like that.
I won’t be voting for Clinton, and that’s BECAUSE I’m thinking of what’s best for our country. It’s time for a third party. I will no longer have anything to do with the DNC. They really messed things up this time around. And I dislike the republican candidates too. But Hilary is full of lies and corruption. So- an evil idiot (Trump) or an evil sociopath (Clinton)? Assuming Sanders doesn’t make it, I’m hoping this revolution paves the way towards a third party, and the saving of this country.
Apologies for the rant. First time ever posting on my favorite Cele-site, and of course it’s about politics 😛
Hope to write more on here at some point!
Good comment. I’m not American but if I was I’d vote for Bernie for the same reasons you support him. However the one thing I do like about Trump is he’s very pro American. Can you imagine a group of men outside a mosque chanting death to American soldiers? This is what happened in England and it’s allowed!!! It happened on Rememberance Day when we honour our soldiers who fought for our freedom. So offensive! I can’t picture Trump ever putting up with that.
Trump can’t get rid of the first amendment to the US Constitution. Freedom of speech in the US permits Nazis to march in Skokie and it would permit men outside a mosque to chant death to anyone. As distasteful as it is, that’s what freedom of speech means.
How exactly did the DNC mess things up this time around? I see that being thrown out there, but it is never substantiated by facts. The only thing that most folks could point to is Datagate, when 4 staffers of his accessed Clinton’s private voter data. That’s been backed up by an independent audit and the Sanders campaign dropped their lawsuit because of it.
Bernie is losing because he could not appeal to the Democratic base. He gets trounced by non-white voters and in primaries, open and closed. In fact, the most telling sign of whether or not Bernie will lose a state has become the white to non-white population ratio of a state, not whether or not a primary is open. There isn’t some insidious case against the guy. He’s just doesn’t have the demographic reach to have any reasonable claim to the Democratic nomination. You can’t win the nomination alone on caucuses and independents. Hell, the only foot that he has to stand on is that proportional representation has kept his campaign on life support. He lost as any democratic candidate in 2016 should if they can’t reach out to minorities.
“In fact, the most telling sign of whether or not Bernie will lose a state has become the white to non-white population ratio of a state, not whether or not a primary is open.”
It’s funny you say that, my friend and I realized that recently and have been mentally making bets that are so far pretty accurate.
Maybe they are disenfranchised by the delegate / super delegates. I know back in 2008, I supported Hillary and was in utter shock to learn this voting process .. popular vote doesn’t count as much as super delegates – many as I understand it – pledge their support before their associated state even votes. It reeks of establishment and the ‘rigging’ of the system. If you start out 500 points down out of the gates, it’s hard to catch up.
#imwithlydia
If you’re a true Sanders supporter then you should be blaming the aholes that are spreading absurdly out-of-touch conspiracy theories, labeling themselves as “bros” (because celebrating misogyny is cool), and spewing racist sh*t at Hilary’s black supporters.
These are the same guys who just discovered the word “superdelegate” two days ago.
You should be actively slamming them every chance you get to show that Bernie supporters are NOT like these toolsheds, not blaming other people for lumping us in with the sh*tbags. These Berniebros are helping to sink the Sanders campaign and Bernie himself wants NOTHING to do with them. They don’t make up the brunt of us, but they are a very vocal, very public, and VERY active group of Sanders-supporters. Whether we like it or not, they have elected themselves the “face” of the Sanders base and have been front-and-center in the battle between Hil and Bernie for some time now.
If you feel the need to blame, blame THEM. Because I sure as hell do. They have done us NO favors.
Thank you Kitten.
I think it’s been said over and over repeatedly that we don’t consider all supporters to be ‘bro’s’ but there are a VERY vocal reality.
Half of politics is outreach and approach and the approach has been toxic online. If you don’t worship at the feet of Bernie you’ll get a level of vitriol that seems to have little to do with him as a candidate. This is a reality. I also think for some, much like Kitten, there’s a level of apprehension at being attracted to the same candidate as these people.
@The Eternal Side-Eye
I think have it twisted. If you don’t worship at the feet of Hillary or promise your vote her, you’ll get a level of vitriol that seems to have little to do with her as a candidate.
Tell me again, which side told young women that there’s a “special place in hell” for them if they don’t support Hillary? Or called them thirsty because “that’s where the boys are”.
“I also think for some, much like Kitten, there’s a level of apprehension at being attracted to the same candidate as these people.”
And being attracted to a candidate who called young black men superpredators (a comment which Hillary herself had to apologize for) and who just recently supported gay marriage in 2013 makes Hillary supporters so much more thoughtful right? Sorry if I don’t side-eye Hillary fans.
@Kitten
Why am I not surprised that you’re trashing other bernie supporters again and spreading the tired “bernie bro” narrative? You do realize Hillary supporters tried this exact same tactic in 2008 with Obama right (does “Obama boys” ring a bell)? Congrats for using the same disgusting smear tactic Kitten.
Your eagerness to call a group of supporters “Bernie Bros” is a lovely way to erase the identity of anyone who isn’t a young white male. I guess when Rosario Dawson was called disgusting names like hoe, b-tch and c-nt online over her support for sanders, that was all “Bernie Bros” right?
wow.. i like to read about politics and become informed and all this ‘bros’ stuff is new to me. I hadn’t heard about it in 2008 nor with the Bernie thing. Guess I don’t read the right blogs/sites. Thanks for sharing this, really, cause I like to see where everyone gets their insight from.
I think it’s repugnant that anyone gets trolled over their thoughts or beliefs.. it goes towards my surprise that anyone would put themselves out there as a candidate or supporter to only be trolled like that and there are some crazy people out there.
@Jess
I always appreciate it when someone who has xenophobic beliefs suddenly develops a racial conscience just in time to tell me about how awful – fill in the blank is – .
Do you know where the phrase ‘super predators’ came from? I mean beyond the talking points, do you ACTUALLY know where the term came from? No? How about the fact that the leaders of the black community worked hand in hand with Hilary to address that ‘superpredator’ issue in the 90’s?
Same with the gay rights issue when as recently as Obama’s first year in office the majority of Americans were against gay marriage and polled they would vote against it if it came to a public vote, including Obama. Guess what passed during his tenure as president? National gay marriage.
It’s the same talking points without context or fact meant to paint the image black when it’s gray.
@jess
It occurred to me you might be a different Jess than the one who made the horribly xenophobic comment above, if so then I apologize for the first half of my comment if you didn’t say that. The rest however still stands.
@Jess “If you don’t worship at the feet of Hillary or promise your vote her, you’ll get a level of vitriol that seems to have little to do with her as a candidate.”
Aside from 2 proxies (Albright & Steinam), who were immediately & resoundingly chastised by Clinton supporters, I have seen nothing even remotely like this from the Clinton camp or her most ardent supporters – not even when I was more in Bernie’s camp than hers.
I have seen a boatload of this and worse from the #BernieorBust side which is now demanding Clinton drop out despite the fact that she has an incredibly substantial lead without the superdelegates (and if Bernie is so against them as undemocratic then shouldn’t he demand they have no power instead of demanding they vote for him)? I am also seeing a lot of hissy fits from Bernieorbusters because people are pointing out exactly what is at stake with a Trump presidency. Trump will be able to name Scalia’s successor because the GOP senators refuse to do their job and he will probably be able to name a successor to RBG (my wish that she be immortal probably won’t come true). He is likely to name folks just like Scalia or worse: hello President Trump goodbye right to self determination & protections for LGBTQ/POC/religious minorities. And all that Wall Street breaking apart that Bernie wants to do? Yeah Trump is not gonna create policies that hurt the fatcats but, according to the BernieorBusters, pointing that out is rude and mean and shows you’re just trying to help the DNC maintain the status quo. I didn’t register to a party because I support party politics or march lock-step voting the party line. I registered with a party because, even at 18-years-old, I knew I lived in a state with a closed primary and I wanted to have some say in the candidates for the party that was closest to my political leanings.
Also, I encourage people to turn off mainstream media. It’s corporate owned, and done with corporate interests at heart. Bernie is not who they want.
Please, seek alternative news sources as well 🙂 xoxo!
Maddow & Hayes are unabashed Bernie supporters (who do a pretty decent job avoiding bias) and even Maddow pointed out the danger and insanity of what Bernie insists on doing during the convention
“evil sociopath”
Right. The disagreements between Bernie and Hilary supporters are there but it’s this kind of narrative that doesn’t really allow the two groups to ever find much common ground. Once you believe someone to be evil there isn’t anymore room for intelligent discourse. It’s partly what allowed someone like Trump to thoroughly confound and control the Republican Party.
I don’t believe they’re actually evil, as in the black and white term. It’s just the easiest, most simplistic way to describe people that are very, very bad.
I am weary ESE. Trump is an example of how absurd our country has become. Look at the reality stars getting attention and being legitimized. People are trained to overlook lack of substance and accept superficial promises.
People believe a racist bigoted buffoon married to an ex soft porn model is suitable to represent our interests on the world stage. But look at pop culture and what we have accepted.
I am not surprised as much as sad.
Absolutely true Magnolia. Trump honed the game after years of celebrity apprentice and selling his brand as the biggest and best business (pay no attention to those bankruptcies behind the curtain) and is running amock on the Republican political field.
It does say a lot about our country, whether we use enough critical thinking and how easily manipulated some of us are.
It says more about our country than I ever wanted to believe. It scares me for us and for the world. He’s a man with no moral compass and empathy. He’s a snake oil salesman and it seems millions have fallen for the con.
I know plenty of Bernie people who will not vote for Clinton and plenty of Republicans that will not vote for Trump and hate Hillary.
So I think this is causing a complete mess on both parties. I think it’s a sad day when citizens in either party or an independent say I am not voting. I know some who will vote in opposition to Trump so I would never really trust what ever Hilary’s true numbers are if it gets to Hillary and Donald.
IF they are the only two choices than it is a sad day for America
I don’t know if anyone will read this but I highly recommend reading a speculative fiction book called Parable of The Sower by Octavia Butler. She was one of the first black female science fiction writers. The book is dystopia but so close to being possible given the current political climate.
I don’t know why anybody would assume Sanders’ supporters will happily let The Donald win out of spite if Bernie doesn’t get nominated. We don’t have voter quorums in this country, so not voting doesn’t really have the clout it has in countries that do. We can’t tell the parties to go back and try again, and then have another election. We have to vote for the least dangerous candidate when a nutter like The Donald is a possibility. Many people don’t vote in primary elections, so winning primaries is not necessarily an indicator of success in a national election, so we shouldn’t get too twisted up that Trump is winning primaries. He quite frankly might just be the most recognizable name on the ballot to the relatively few who do vote in primaries (there can be other local things on the ballot besides the national party primary candidates, by the way). They may know very little about him but even less about the rest. But really, the idea that rational people who support Bernie think Trump is better for the country than Hillary does not compute. There is too big a gap between Trump and Sanders in too many ways for that to be a logical possibility.
Irrational supporters of anybody are a different matter. Obnoxious online trolls who obviously are not very familiar with Sanders’ thinking and behavior (since he doesn’t think or act that way and never has) are just loud and obnoxious dysfunctional people, they don’t represent the majority. (The same goes for the obnoxious trolls supporting any candidate, including The Donald. People with problems seem especially attracted to political campaigns and other kinds of issues, it’s an opportunity to vent and to fanatically focus on something and feel like part of a group.) Most people are not even spending their time arguing online, it just seems that way to people who do spend a lot of time online. My brother checks the weather on the computer and that’s about it. It’s the same thing we see with tabloids- people who follow them, especially online, tend to think that what they see looms large in other people’s minds also. But most people don’t really care. They might glance at the front page of a print tabloid while waiting in line at the grocery store, but that’s all.
In other words- even though certain online forums may seem dominated by the obnoxious trolls, that doesn’t mean most people agree with them. Unmoderated forums tend to be taken over by the obnoxious because regular people are repelled by them and avoid getting involved in the fray or just don’t even bother reading those posts. Silence never implies consent on the net. More likely people just say “that’s ridiculous” to themselves and don’t bother responding or simply haven’t even read it or are too busy to get involved. You’re not seeing a groundswell of representive public opinion, you’re seeing a small group of people talking to themselves ultimately. And literally, some people actually post from different accounts and respond positively to their own posts…
“I don’t know why anybody would assume Sanders’ supporters will happily let The Donald win out of spite if Bernie doesn’t get nominated.” nobody’s assuming it, they’ve been saying it for a couple of months now and they’re getting louder this week
I’ve just read a couple of Vanity Fair articles from 1990 on line re Trump and if Cruz was ‘Satan incarnate’ then Trump is ‘BS incarnate’, good Lord I can’t imagine what deals he will be making if he gets into The White House. Cruz was a total slime trail but everything he said about Trump in his last speech was spot on. A commenter somewhere said he was a classic case of ‘Hypomania’ , yes he fits every marker. Hilary better win this (as flawed as she is) because the USA will be flying by the seat of it’s pants if Trump becomes POTUS.
It’s odd that now Trump could actually do it, the same people who were like oh don’t worry never gonna happen are going insane. I’m a big Bernie supporter and if he doesn’t get the nomination I hope he’ll run as an independent / makeup another party or something because I refuse to vote for Clinton or Trump – I can’t do it, it’s not a democratic process it’s a farce!
I’m all for voting third-party and encourage write-ins. I don’t see any other way of breaking the hold this two-party system has on us. If you or anybody you know is dead set against voting for Hillary, encourage them to find out ASAP the options in their state. They might not be able to write-in candidates with the machines, so they need to know exactly what to ask for at the polling place or exactly how to do it with the machines. Do not count on poll workers to have any idea how to do it, they are more likely to assume it can’t be done. You may possibly have more options with an absentee ballot, so check that out long before October. If absentee is feasible, vote as early as allowed in case there are any problems getting or returning the ballot. There also may be restrictions on who you can write in to be counted, sometimes a petition is required. Once you find out all the details, publicize them. The one thing that is completely useless is not voting at all. Our system doesn’t offer any benefit for that and it will be assumed that you’re equally okay with TweedleDem or TweedleRepub.
But I myself will vote for Donald Duck if the Democrats nominate him. All the Republicans are downright scary this year. Trump will be a worldwide disaster, and I’ve survived some awful Presidents. This is not the year to make a statement to promote more political diversity, in my opinion. Trump or any of the Republicans can do very serious and irreversible damage to both this country and the rest of the world. We have allowed way too much power to be invested in the U.S. President. Donald Duck is far better qualified and much safer than any of them.
Oddly , in some countries Trump is called a ‘McDuck’ their term for a billionaire (via Scrooge McDuck) , I hope your Donald Duck joke isn’t prophetic.
Some here, like myself, are hoping for a third party candidate. There was a commentary in the WP on 5/3 titled,”Trump’s impending nomination means it’s time for a third party.” Although Cohen worked for several GOP administrations, he appears to be calling for a candidate with more of a libertarian ideology. It is interesting to mull over how a third party candidate might come about and who might be a good candidate. The first person I thought of was Robert Gates. Gates has worked in a variety of posts with both Dems and Republicans. He recently wrote a book called,” A Passion for Leadership.,” that described the traits needed in a POTUS. I think he would be a great candidate.
@Cricket: thank you for such an insightful analysis. I’m one of the loathed Bernie supporters who will probably write him in. I’m leaning toward a wait and see approach precisely because the status quo with entrenched politicians has so predictably kept the course charted for constant war and enrichment of the already rich.
I’m bracing myself for whatever knee-jerk moniker Hillary supporters come up with to blame us for not succumbing to fear voting. I’d like to reply to 2 common themes/arguments they put forth under the guise of common sense.
1) Bernie is a fake democrat. He joined late and refuses to commit to supporting to a swath of candidates based on their nominal political color. To this I say: most democratic politicians are fake democrats. For years the DNC has steered and bullied the party to the right. Before Obama was elected, the party as a whole seemed in a state of abject subservience to the republicans. Obama, surprisingly, didn’t play ball after he was elected. He called out childish, pugilistic behavior where he saw it. Frankly, I can’t imagine the DNC was all that happy with him, but he is smart, likeable and brave.
I turned in my “blue” badge years ago when the DNC ran a candidate in the Georgia primary, against popular incumbent Cynthia McKinney. They smeared her and poured money into that campaign to remove her from office… Because she was about to assume a position of power on a committee where she intended to start an investigation of the quizillions unaccounted for by the pentagon. The DNC won that one, but she was back in office after the next election, minus the seniority that would’ve put her in a position to investigate. To me, whatever the ostensible party affiliation, Bernie is more of a democrat than the party as a whole; the ball was stolen a while ago–he’s just trying to get it back for us.
2) Trump will be the fault of everyone who doesn’t vote for Hillary because NADERTRAITORS2K. Face it. The 2000 election was stolen, not won. Yeah, maybe the votes for Nader made it easier, but the powers that be intended to install Bush/Cheney. I don’t believe anything short of a coup or revolution would’ve changed that. Speaking of Cynthia McKinney, she put forth evidence in congress of systemic violation of voting rights for POC. Gore himself shut her down. I like him, but always resent him for that… And wonder what deal or threat was behind it. American Blackout (2006) is a compelling documentary on the systemic disenfranchisement of black Florida voters in 2000: https://youtu.be/hWzC_AHh_mY.
Ex-Mayor Bloomberg was right…… “we’ve seen more demagoguery from both parties; for Republicans, it’s Mexicans here illegally and Muslims. And for Democrats, it’s the wealthy and Wall Street…….Today, when a populist candidate promises free college, free health care and a pony, or another candidate promises to make other countries pay for our needs, remember: Those who promise you a free lunch will invariably eat you for breakfast.”
Bloomberg makes a valid point – Why do people believe candidates that promise all sorts of great things without any realistic plan?