Day: February 4, 2020

South Carolina Leads The Way

Closing Thought–04Feb20

I could be writing about the upcoming Iowa caucuses for the Dems….but I am not….they lead the way in another way.

I have been a very vocal critic of our many undeclared wars….and it gets worse every year……I have tried to get the government to try and end these endless conflicts but I have not been successful……

Now South Carolina has done something that could be the start of something big….

A bipartisan group of Afghanistan and Iraq war era veterans praised S.C. State Rep. Stewart Jones (SC-14) on Monday for introducing legislation requiring that South Carolina’s National Guard units cannot be deployed for foreign combat or combat support duties unless Congress has formally adopted a declaration of war as provided by the U.S. Constitution.

“As veterans, we strongly support the U.S. taking strong military action when necessary to defend American lives and interests,” said former Idaho Army National Guard Sgt. Dan McKnight, founder of BringOurTroopsHome.US, who served 18 months in Afghanistan. “We thank Rep. Jones for acting to ensure that when South Carolina’s men and women in uniform are involved, it’s done the right way, the way the Constitution provides.

“Rep. Jones’ bill simply says that before ordering South Carolina’s National Guard personnel to leave their families and do their job, Congress should first accept responsibility in the comforts here at home of doing their job. We shouldn’t ask National Guard personnel to have the courage to put their boots on the ground, unless Congress at least has the courage first to put their names on the line.”

http://www.golaurens.com/news/rep-jones-introduces-bill-to-keep-s-c-guard-home/article_3a988e9c-4148-11ea-87f0-f77b72d52912.html

A small step but an important step……maybe others will follow…our continuous war needs to come to an end…..we need that cash here where it belongs.

KUDOS SOUTH CAROLINA!  Even if you do have one of the biggest warmongers in the country….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

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2020 Vote–Iowa

The first official vote of the 2020 election……

Let us begin with the GOP vote for it will be the easiest to report…..

President Trump held a rally in Des Moines last week, though the outcome of Monday’s Republican caucus in Iowa was never in doubt. In contrast to the Democratic caucus, where results were delayed by “inconsistencies,” it took just seconds for Trump to become the projected winner, the Week reports. The president, who came second to Ted Cruz in the state last time around, won with around 97% of the vote, Politico reports. Former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh, whose campaign manager complained that his supporters were being turned away from precincts, had 1.4%, and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld had 1.2%. “Big WIN for us in Iowa tonight. Thank you!” Trump tweeted.

Now for the long awaited Dem vote…..

Democrats were in disarray Monday night after the Iowa caucus results were delayed due to what officials said were “inconsistencies” in the results. Sources tell the Hill that results from the first-in-the-nation vote are not expected until Tuesday morning. Mandy McClure, communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party, said the delay was due to the fact that for the first time, the party is reporting three sets of results—the first round, the second round, and the overall delegate numbers, the Des Moines Register reports. She said inconsistencies were found in the three data sets. “This is simply a reporting issue, the app did not go down and this is not a hack or an intrusion,” McClure said.

The counting is on-going….but nothing official as of yet……

With angry candidates, a confused public, and a gloating Trump campaign, the Democratic Party’s effort to recapture the White House is not off to the most promising start. Hours after the Iowa caucuses ended Monday night, with candidates and the public eager for news, party officials said results were delayed due to “inconsistencies” in the results from precincts. At around 1am, Troy Price, the chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said the results would not be available until later Tuesday, the New York Times reports. Some of the candidates had already made their speeches and departed for New Hampshire. More:

  • Campaigns left in the dark. Campaigns complained they had been told “literally nothing” by party officials about the reasons for the delay, the Hill reports. A lawyer for Joe Biden’s campaign wrote to state party officials Monday night calling for the results to be withheld until they provide “explanations and relevant information regarding the methods of quality control.” Sources tell the Times that party officials hung up on campaign reps who wanted to know when the results would be available.
  • An app to blame? The problem appears to have been a mobile app for reporting results from Iowa’s 1,700 caucus meetings, the AP reports. Caucus organizers say there were multiple glitches with the app—which was apparently largely untested—and when they tried to phone in the results to party headquarters, there was nobody answering. In some cases, reporting results took hours. The Biden campaign lawyer said both the app and the reporting hotline experienced “acute failures.”

Big change, big problems. This was the first—and probably last—time the party tried to report data from the first and second “alignments” of caucusgoers as well as delegate totals. Party rep Mandy McClure said officials had to verify data after they “found inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results.” “In addition to the tech systems being used to tabulate results, we are also using photos of results and a paper trail to validate that all results match and ensure that we have confidence and accuracy in the numbers we report,” she said.

What can I say…..this drama is very telling about the confusion this election will breed.

I do enjoy political games…..

Winners to be announced soon…..

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Senate Impeachment Trial–Day 11

We are getting damn close to the final chapter…..the vote will bring this portion of the Greek comedy to a close…..

Last month I wrote that there should be a censure instead of a impeachment…. https://lobotero.com/2020/01/13/would-a-censure-be-better/  ……..no one was listening….will guess what is being floated before the official vote?

It’s time for closing arguments in President Trump’s impeachment trial. Both sides are getting two hours apiece in the Senate on Monday, but the ultimate vote—an expected acquittal—won’t take place until Wednesday, reports USA Today. The reason? So senators can make speeches on the Senate floor before casting their votes. Coverage:

  • For the defense: “You understand the arguments that we’ve been making, and at the end of the day, the key conclusion, we believe the only conclusion based on the evidence and based on the articles of impeachment themselves and the Constitution, is that you must vote to acquit the President,” said White House counsel Pat Cipollone, per CNN. He reiterated a common accusation from the defense team, that Democrats are trying to overturn the 2016 election results.
  • Schiff’s plea: In his own closing argument, House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff said senators had a duty to act. “I do not ask you to convict him because truth or right or decency matters nothing to him, but because we have proven our case, and it matters to you,” he said. “Truth matters to you. Right matters to you. You are decent. He is not who you are.”
  • Censure? With acquittal all but a certainty, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen suggested Monday that Trump should at least be censured for his dealings with Ukraine, reports the Washington Post. “If they were serious about punishing misconduct and they don’t want to vote to impeach and remove, at the very least, at the very least, they should have enough respect for the system to introduce a resolution of censure after Wednesday,” he said of Republicans. Fellow Democrat Michael Bennet voiced a similar sentiment. Some GOP senators, including Lamar Alexander, have said Trump’s actions were inappropriate but not impeachable.
  • Maybe not: The chances of censure? “Zero,” said GOP Sen. Mike Braun. Even some Democrats weren’t thrilled. “What he did was an impeachable offense,” said Sen. Jon Tester. “A slap on the wrist doesn’t do any good.”
  • Done deal? By the count of Politico, 34 senators have indicated they will vote for acquittal, meaning Democrats face a “mathematical impossibility” in convicting Trump.
  • Those speeches: Senators aren’t allowed to speak during impeachment trials, so this week’s speeches required a parliamentary workaround. The Hill explains: After closing arguments, the Senate will adjourn as a court to allow for the speeches. When they’re done, the Senate will reconvene as a court at 4pm ET Wednesday, and the vote will then take place.

Soon all the whining, bitching and ranting will be over….and then what?

Why bother with a Wednesday vote?

We already know the outcome…..why waste valuable time on stupidity?

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

2020 Predictions

The Iowa count is in the can as they say…..but it ain’t over until the Fat Guy concedes……

I do not usually offer many predictions because I am not a sage of any sort….but this election is going to be a confusing one at best….but now that the voting for the nominee has begun I will offer a few observations…..

1) The attacks against Sanders will get increasingly ugly and transparent as his popularity rises;

2) We can expect more cheating of the kind we saw in 2016, but this time there are likely to be quicker responses, including possible lawsuits;

3)The attacks are likely to have the effect of bringing more media attention to Sanders and thereby ironically increasing his support;

4) If the DNC are forced to deploy Super Delegates to shut down a Sanders win, it will trigger a crisis not see in the Democratic Party since 1968;

5) If Biden gets the Nomination, he will name Warren as his Running Mate;

6) A Biden-Warren ticket (or a Biden-Anyone ticket for that matter) will result in a second Trump Term in November;

7) A Sanders Nomination will mean a Trump defeat in the General.

I realize I may be alone in this but it is something that I feel may have the ear of the voter.

Anyone care to join me in predicting the 2020 outcome?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”