Day: July 25, 2016

Wassup Philly?

I will take a break from my normal days of fun focusing om international stuff and terrorism and write about the best comedy in the world….a political convention……

Today is day one of the Dem convention in Philly…..some say it will be messy, messy, messy…..(shades of ’68?)

This year’s Republican National Convention was the wildest in decades—and with legions of disgruntled Bernie Sanders supporters, dozens of planned protests including a fart-in, and the sudden resignation of DNC chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz on the eve of the convention, things could get just as crazy for the Democrats this week. A round-up of coverage as delegates gather in Philadelphia:

NPR looks at some of the protest groups that have obtained no fewer than 28 permits for marches and rallies. They include “Black Men for Bernie” and the “Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign,” which is stocking up on beans ahead of a planned “fart-in” to be held as Hillary Clinton accepts the nomination.

The Wrap lists the “fart-in menace” as one of three ways that the convention could go wrong for Clinton. The others are Bill Clinton veering badly off-message—or having nothing go wrong, which would leave Hillary with no way to “demonstrate her resilience and ability to roll with adversity.”

A full list of speakers and caucus meetings at the Wells Fargo Center can be found here. Sanders speaks Monday night, followed by Michelle Obama.

The Hill looks at the story Hillary Clinton’s campaign plans to tell over the four days of the convention, finishing with a speech Thursday night that Clinton ally Rep. Emanuel Cleaver says will be her most important ever—and possibly the most important at a Democratic convention since JFK in 1960.

The protests, most of them involving Sanders supporters, began Sunday and the ones to follow are expected to be bigger than anything seen at the RNC, the AP reports. They will also be hotter, with the region in the grip of a heat wave that will bring temperatures over 100 Monday.

Politico looks at Democratic efforts to calm the “chaos” in the party following the leak of DNC emails that revealed an anti-Sanders bias. Insiders say party leaders hope to get things under control before there is a “Ted Cruz moment.”

Sanders has called for unity, but some of his supporters still hope for a contested convention and may seek to nominate an alternative candidate to Tim Kaine for vice president, the Washington Post reports.

The DNC won’t be dealing with nearly as many high-profile no-shows as the RNC, reports Politico, but one big name who won’t be there is Al Gore. The 2000 nominee, who has yet to formally endorse Clinton, says he has “obligations in Tennessee.”

But there will be an unexpected high-profile speaker: Michael Bloomberg. A Bloomberg adviser tells the New York Times that the former Democrat, who was a Republican during his years as mayor of New York City and is now an independent, will endorse Clinton during a prime-time address.

A Politico survey of Democratic operatives in 11 battleground states highlighted the challenges Clinton faces in getting the party fired up: Only 10% think she will make the best case for the party this week. Some 49% said President Obama will be most effective, and 26% chose Elizabeth Warren.

There you have a rundown of the possibilities…….more come…..messy is as messy does…….

Let the fun begin!  Stay tuned…..same bat channel……

 

Just Blame It On Russia

The big news over my weekend was not the announcement of Kaine as VP…that was sorta predictable….no the big news was that Wasserman-Schultz finally got called out on her blatant support for Clinton…she was making sure that Clinton would be the Dem nominee over all others….

Her campaign is blaming everybody but Wasserman-Schultz for her downfall….but the best was from her manager….

Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager is alleging that Russian hackers are leaking Democratic National Committee emails critical of Bernie Sanders in an effort to help Donald Trump win the election in November.

It comes on the heels of “changes to the Republican platform to make it more pro-Russian,” Robby Mook told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” Sunday.
“I don’t think it’s coincidental that these emails were released on the eve of our convention here, and I think that’s disturbing,” he said.
(CNN)
I think we are looking at the center point of a Clinton foreign policy…..counter Russia at all points.
This should please all her war hawk buddies….It will make for a new arms race and the beneficiaries will be the M-IC.

Don’t You Just Love Karma?

No secret that during the primary season I was supporting Bernie Sanders and like many on thew Right I could see that the Clinton presidency was a coronation……what makes me say that is the actions of the head of the DNC, Debbie Wassman-Schultz.

Instead of being a supporter for all the DNC she was an outspoken supporter of Clinton…..so intense was her support that she would game the system in favor of Clinton….

Bernie supporters decided to bite back……

On June 28, the Miami-based law firm Beck & Lee filed a class action lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee and DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

“There are essentially six legal claims we are asserting in this lawsuit on behalf of the composed class members,” said attorney Jared Beck in a YouTube video announcing the lawsuit. “The first is a claim for fraud—against the DNC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz—based on the revelations from the recent Guccifer 2.0 documents purportedly taken from the DNC’s own computer network.” The Guccifer 2.0 documents include internal memos in which the DNC broke legally binding neutrality agreements in the Democratic primaries by strategizing to make Hillary Clinton the nominee before a single vote was cast.

As they say “karma is a bitch”…….revenge is sweet….

At least one head is starting to roll in the wake of leaked emails from the Democratic National Committee that show officials working to undermine Bernie Sanders’ campaign: DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz will no longer speak at the convention she was to preside over, reports Politico, and for Sanders, that move doesn’t go far enough. “I think she should resign, period,” Sanders said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. “And I think we need a new chair who is going to lead us in a very different direction.” Of the leak, he said, “it’s outrageous, but it is not a great shock.” He told CNN: “I don’t think she is qualified to be the chair of the DNC not only for these awful emails, which revealed the prejudice of the DNC, but also because we need a party that reaches out to working people and young people, and I don’t think her leadership style is doing that.”

All of Wasserman Schultz’s convention appearances have been hastily scrapped, notes CNN, and Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge has been named convention chair in her stead. “She’s been quarantined,” a Dem tells CNN of Wasserman Schultz. The move is seen as an effort to head off open revolt among Sanders’ supporters when the DNC kicks off in Philadelphia on Monday. Wasserman Schultz’s term with the DNC ends next year, notes Roll Call.

Her final act is one of falling on her sword…..’never fear Clinton will make sure that she is well protected….

Embattled Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced Sunday that she will step down, CNN reports. The announcement that she will resign following the party convention, which begins Monday, comes on the heels of leaked emails that appear to show that DNC officials were working to sabotage Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. Wasserman Schultz’s role at the convention already had been reduced to simply opening and closing the event. “I am confident that the strong team in place will lead our party effectively through this election to elect Hillary Clinton as our 45th president,” she said in a statement, adding, “Going forward, the best way for me to accomplish those goals is to step down as party chair at the end of this convention.”

Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge will chair the convention, the New York Daily News reports. And, per NBC News, Vice Chair Donna Brazile will steer the DNC through the election as interim chair. “I am grateful to Debbie for getting the Democratic Party to this year’s historic convention in Philadelphia, and I know that this week’s events will be a success thanks to her hard work and leadership,” Clinton said in a statement. Republican nominee Donald Trump tweeted, “I always said that Debbie Wasserman Schultz was overrated. The Dems Convention is cracking up and Bernie is exhausted, no energy left!”

Bernie accused her of wrong doing and all DNC seem to come to her defense…..a little late but at least we can get rid of this bitch…..and Bernie when he called her out early in the process has been proven right.

In essence thanks to Wasserman-Schultz the Right in their prediction of a coronation was right on so many levels…..

So much for free and fair elections.

See Irene…… there is a God…..he just may be a little slow on the uptake…….(probably a Clinton fan)…..

Dem Official Announcement

The GOP convention is over and in the books….and as usual the other party has to try and steal a little thunder from the convention….Hil is NO different.

Late Friday the announcement was made of her VP pick….a yawn at best….

It’s Tim Kaine. Hillary Clinton says in a text message to supporters that she’s picked the Virginia senator to join her on the Democratic ticket as her running mate, reports AP. In the message, Clinton says: “I’m thrilled to tell you this first: I’ve chosen Sen. Tim Kaine as my running mate.” Kaine, 58, is expected to join Clinton at a rally in Florida on Saturday. A favorite since the start of Clinton’s search for a running mate, Kaine is a former governor of the battleground state and former mayor of Richmond. Kaine won election to the Senate four years ago after serving as the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He is not, however, Mr. Charisma. Kaine has referred to himself as “boring,” a trait that Clinton acknowledged with a laugh last week in a PBS interview: “I love that about him.”

Some quick reaction:

  • Washington Post: The pick completes “a Democratic ticket that prizes experience and traditional notions of public service in a political year dominated by Republican rival Donald Trump’s unorthodox, highly personal brand of leadership.”
  • Politico: “He was considered a safe but boring pick. Kaine serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations panels in the Senate and is the type of candidate who is unlikely to hurt the ticket with controversial stands or painful gaffes.”
  • The Hill: “Clinton insiders say Kaine was selected foremost because he has the qualifications necessary for the job, particularly when it comes to national security experience. Clinton wanted someone with a thick national security portfolio, and Kaine holds seats on the Senate Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations committees.”

This will do NOTHING to bring Bernie supporters around to the DNC…..Kaine is a friend to big business and the wealthy….plus he will not take away from Clinton’s celebrity…..plus he is in Bubba’s pocket……

Kaine was a supporter of the TPP…..Clinton says she is against it now….so is she lying?  If so, what else in her campaign is she lying about?

Clinton does not care about the progressives and this pick will help them decide to look elsewhere for a candidate. (Think Green)

Hillary Clinton has joined Donald Trump in selecting a white man from a swing state who describes himself as “boring” for a running mate—and liberal Democrats, especially Bernie Sanders supporters, aren’t exactly fired up about Sen. Tim Kaine. Clinton, however, describes the former Virginia governor as “a lifelong fighter for progressive causes,” and both Wall Street donors and labor groups are happy with the choice. Republicans, meanwhile including RNC chief Reince Priebus, were quick to highlight the party divisions. A round-up of reactions:

  • The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is among the groups not happy about Kaine’s past support for the big trade deals criticized by Donald Trump. “The mood of the country is a populist one,” group co-founder Stephanie Taylor said in a statement to Politico. “Unfortunately, since Tim Kaine voted to fast track the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Republicans now have a new opening to attack Democrats on this economic populist issue.”
  • Union chiefs expressed their support for Kaine, including Service Employees International Union chief Mary Kay Henry, who called him “an experienced leader with a proven track record on issues from raising wages to immigration reform and racial justice,” the Washington Post reports.
  • The Trump campaign wasted no time coming up with a nickname for Kaine: It is calling him “Corrupt Kaine,” based on gifts he received as governor, the New York Times reports. “It’s only fitting that Hillary Clinton would select an ethically challenged insider like Tim Kaine who’s personally benefited from the rigged system,” a Trump spokesman says.
  • Wall Street lobbyists are satisfied with the choice, especially since the other candidates being vetted included Elizabeth Warren. “He’s a sign of Hillary being Hippocratic in her pick—he does no harm,” a top lobbyist tells Politico. “Time will tell if progressives show real angst or if it’s just fringe groups.”
  • The National Organization of Women supports Kaine: “The combination of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine stands in sharp contrast to the turn-back-the-clock, step up the war on women platform of Donald Trump and Mike Pence,” NOW President Terry O’Neill said in a statement. “Women know this is the most important election in a generation, and we also know that we have a steadfast advocate in Tim Kaine.”
  • Norman Solomon, who says his “Bernie Delegates Network” represents hundreds of Sanders delegates, calls Kaine “a loyal servant of oligarchy.” “If Clinton has reached out to Bernie supporters, it appears that she has done so to stick triangulating thumbs in their eyes,” he tells the Washington Post.
  • The AP spoke to convention delegates and found that Clinton supporters consider Kaine a “solid” choice who will appeal to a range of voters, while Sanders supporters are deeply unhappy with the choice. It “was a horrible pick,” says Angie Morelli, a Sanders delegate from Nevada. “In a time when she is trying to cater to Sanders supporters, it was more catering to conservative voters and she’s not going to get any wave from it.”

The perfect choice…he will not upstage her in any way and he has been in the Clinton pocket for years…..

Today is the opening salvo for the Dem convention…..4 days of antics and drama and yes, even some comedy…..

Turn The Page!

We Have Seen This Bitterness Before

2016 is being billed as the election of bitterness…..the American people, according to some, are unset and yes, even bitter, about the way this country is governed and even the path it is on…..

But it is nothing new!  This is where I insert some sort of historical perspective to the chagrin of many….

Mark Naison: Though some people died, others burned themselves out, and families fractured, the nation survived and we stumbled on without our political system collapsing.

I have many friends, most of them younger than me, who are terrified by the divisions in the country, by the violent acts that periodically add to the tension, and by an election which brings out a level of fear and anger they have never seen before.

Unfortunately, this is not new to me. I have vivid memories of the year 1968 and that Presidential election. We had a terrible war. Assasinations. Riots in every major city. Campus take overs. And a country divided down the middle over race and politics

Source: We Have Seen This Bitterness Before: Reflections on 1968 and Now – LA Progressive

So far this election is nothing new…..we could say that the outsiders were the story but that is yet to be seen…..

Just as the election of 1968 the Dem Party has missed the boat….yet again…..

Barring any unforeseen circumstance, Hillary Clinton will likely become the Democratic nominee during next week’s Democratic Convention. With that nomination, the Democratic Party will have missed the opportunity to win a generation.

It’s no secret that Sen. Bernie Sanders polls well with millennials – during the primaries the candidate won more votes than Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump combined, taking more than 80% of the age group’s vote in some states.

Source: The Democratic Party missed the opportunity to win a generation | TheHill

This election will do harm to this country than anything in the past….no matter who wins the damn election.

Next up is the Dem Convention….let’s see what antics are played out on that stage….