It’s my week for getting stood up, first by my LIFT bus Monday, and then Lu didn’t show up yesterday, leaving me unshowered. Her phone is out of order, so she has had one of her emergencies and has no way to let me know. Unless she shows up this afternoon, I’ll have to give myself a whore’s bath in the sink tonight to prepare for my medical appointment tomorrow. Please expect no more than a Personal Update tomorrow.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:41 (average 5:10). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Real Clear Politics: The latest delegate count.
|
State |
Date |
Delegates |
Clinton |
Sanders |
Delegate Allocation |
Open/ Closed |
|
(2,382 Needed to Win) |
– |
4763 |
1599 |
844 |
– |
– |
|
Delegates Won |
– |
4051 |
1112 |
806 |
|
|
|
Superdelegates |
– |
(712) |
467 |
26 |
|
|
|
Iowa |
February 1 |
44 (8) |
23 |
21 |
Caucus |
Semi-open |
|
New Hampshire |
February 9 |
24 (8) |
9 |
15 |
Primary |
Semi-closed |
|
Nevada |
February 20 |
35 (8) |
19 |
15 |
Caucus |
Closed |
|
South Carolina |
February 27 |
53 (6) |
39 |
14 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Alabama |
March 1 |
53 (7) |
44 |
9 |
Primary |
Open |
|
American Samoa |
March 1 |
6 (4) |
|
|
Caucus |
Closed |
|
Arkansas |
March 1 |
32 (5) |
22 |
10 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Colorado |
March 1 |
66 (13) |
28 |
38 |
Caucus |
Closed |
|
Democrats Abroad |
March 1-8 |
13 (4) |
|
|
Primary |
Closed |
|
Georgia |
March 1 |
102 (14) |
72 |
28 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Massachusetts |
March 1 |
91 (25) |
46 |
45 |
Primary |
Semi-closed |
|
Minnesota |
March 1 |
77 (16) |
29 |
46 |
Caucus |
Open |
|
Oklahoma |
March 1 |
38 (4) |
17 |
21 |
Primary |
Semi-closed |
|
Tennessee |
March 1 |
67 (9) |
42 |
22 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Texas |
March 1 |
222 (30) |
145 |
74 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Vermont |
March 1 |
16 (10) |
0 |
16 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Virginia |
March 1 |
95 (15) |
61 |
33 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Louisiana |
March 5 |
51 (8) |
35 |
12 |
Primary |
Closed |
|
Nebraska |
March 5 |
25 (5) |
10 |
14 |
Caucus |
Closed |
|
Kansas |
March 5 |
33 (4) |
10 |
23 |
Caucus |
Closed |
|
Maine |
March 6 |
25 (5) |
7 |
15 |
Caucus |
Closed |
|
Mississippi |
March 8 |
36 (5) |
30 |
4 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Michigan |
March 8 |
130 (17) |
60 |
67 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Northern Marianas |
March 12 |
6 (5) |
|
|
N/A |
N/A |
|
Florida |
March 15 |
214 (32) |
130 |
63 |
Primary |
Closed |
|
Illinois |
March 15 |
156 (26) |
68 |
67 |
Primary |
Open |
|
Missouri |
March 15 |
71 (13) |
31 |
32 |
Primary |
Open |
|
North Carolina |
March 15 |
107 (14) |
59 |
45 |
Primary |
Semi-closed |
|
Ohio |
March 15 |
143 (16) |
76 |
57 |
Primary |
Semi-open |
I’m most pleased that Bernie is staying in the race, even though Hillary’s lead appears insurmountable. The longer he stays in, the more likely the ideals of his vision of Democratic Socialism will be adopted.
From Daily Kos: Samantha Bee’s new show Full Frontal is off to a hilariously good start. The late night host gathered a group of hardcore Donald Trump fans and tried to understand their logic behind their unwavering support for the xenophobic and racist Republican frontrunner.
When Samantha talks about Trump’s "roid" rage, I think she means hemorrhoid, because he’s such a defective total asshole.
From The New Yorker: In 1980, the third-party Presidential candidate John Anderson succinctly summed up Ronald Reagan’s promise to simultaneously cut taxes, increase defense spending, keep government services intact, and balance the budget: “Reagan’s budget is constructed with mirrors.” Sure enough, Reagan presided over eight years of deficits that tripled the national debt. Yet the Republican faith that you can tax-cut your way to deficit reduction has never dimmed. This year’s Republican race is dominated by candidates whose budgetary plans make Reagan’s look downright reasonable.
Not surprisingly, the most extreme plan is Donald Trump’s. He would slash taxes across the board, reducing revenues by nine and a half trillion dollars over the next decade, according to estimates by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. Yet he has also promised to balance the budget, protect Social Security and Medicare, and not cut services. How? Well, he says he’ll get rid of “waste and fraud and abuse,” and abolish the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency. And he thinks that the tax cuts would spur an economic boom, so that revenues will actually increase.
This is pure fantasy. Those spending cuts would save just a tiny fraction of what he claims, and the revenue projections have no basis in reality. Yet, unrealistic as Trump’s ideas are, they differ from those of his chief opponents only in degree, not in kind. Marco Rubio wants to couple a $6.8-trillion tax cut with significant increases in defense spending, while Ted Cruz has proposed an $8.6-trillion tax cut with—guess what?—significant increases in defense spending. Naturally, Rubio and Cruz have been vague about where they’d find the necessary trillions in cuts, and about how what the government does would be affected. This is par for the course. Paul Ryan’s infamous budget of 2012 would have effectively eliminated nearly all the federal government’s non-defense discretionary spending, even as he insisted that he wanted to “strengthen” the social safety net and keep the government investing in infrastructure.
The bottom line here is, when you strip away the window dressing, all the occupants of the Criminal Clown Car are just Republicans, armed with the same economic policies that Saint Ronnie Ray Gun proved were based only on lies. I call it Republican Tinkle Down Economics. Note, however, that the Clown Car just barfed-up Border Booter Bot. His campaign is no more.
Cartoon:
13 Responses to “Open Thread–3/16/2016”
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Bernie's campaign points out that the rest of the month's states are ones where he is expected to do better than Clinton and that she may be at her apex just now. Superdelegates are permitted to change candidate preferences, too.
A show worth watching more and more.
Anderson was correct and history reaffirms it…we have too many aspiring to leadership who fail to learn from history.
Poverty has been used as a weapon and/or means of control at times in history.
RCP: Texas: Clinton 145 to Bernie's 74. Hopefully, people will feel the Bern and vote!!
DK: She showed great restraint in the interviews, and it's hilarious to watch her facial expressions when interviewing the Drumpf supporters.
NYer: I wonder what will happen when the shoving starts in the Clown car, as Trump seems to driving. Wonder if Cruz or Kasich can overtake Trump. I doubt it. ugh!!
Cartoon: "The legacy of the War on Poverty policy initiative remains in the continued existence of such federal programs as Head Start, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), TRIO, and Job Corps." Wiki
Did anyone see this? I gotta say, Ms. Warren is spot on!!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/03/14/1501308/-Elizabeth-Warren-s-Takedown-Of-Donald-Trump-Is-Going-Viral?detail=email&can_id=410bc72da3b47bc69b3ea7945ab68c4e&source=email-elizabeth-warrens-takedown-of-donald-trump-is-going-viral-2&email_referrer=elizabeth-warrens-takedown-of-donald-trump-is-going-viral-2&email_subject=elizabeth-warrens-takedown-of-donald-trump-is-going-viral&link_id=1
I hope that Lu shows up, and that you don't have to do that yourself. Take good care, and also with your appt. tomorrow. Best of Luck to you. Take care, and Thanks, Tom.
3:34 Looks tasty.
That's CLIMATE CHAMPION'S BATH.
Real Clear – Yes, well after Michigan, he promised to stay in the race. It still ain't over till it's over.
FF – How in the world can anyone be expected to comment on hot air? There is literally no content here to address. Yes, I realize that's Sam's point.
New Yorker – And yet they have the label of "fiscally responsible conservatives." Sigh. Clearly we are a nation of economic illiterates. And history illiterates. And …
3:34 I was never very good at fishing.
3:14 It seems the Puddy Tat will have fishie fricassée tonight! His consolation because he was stood up twice?
Burp!!
The entire idea of the "Trickle down Economics" was bogus, only an excuse to slide more of the country's wealth into the wallets of the already wealthy. And none of the Republican economic ideas vary from that by a fraction of an inch.
Real Clear Politics: It does seem likely that Hillary will get the nomination, but Bernie has made a good showing and has caused her to rethink some of her positions. Therefore, he is a winner.
Daily Kos: Samantha Bee is a winner!
The New Yorker: According to this, the Republicans are trying to do the same thing as always and expecting different results. Cruz has not read enough Dr. Seuss! The Donald is so used to having it his own way he probably thinks he can bully the economy.
Cartoon: Part of that "war on poverty" was launched very near where I live. The only real outcome for this area was the availability of Food Stamps. Too many in this area still live in abject poverty because there are too few jobs. Coal mining was the only way to make a decent living and our government was so enthralled by the coal industry they did nothing to help diversify the economy here.
Puzzle — 3:14 It seems the Puddy Tat will have fishie fricassée tonight! His consolation because he was stood up twice?
Real Clear Politics — I too am glad that Bernie is staying in. If I understand correctly from a Maddow tape that Jim posted yesterday, delegates are not bound to vote for the person that 'won' them, or was that only for the RNC? The discussion went to the Rubio delegates that are now unbound because he dropped out.
Daily Kos — These people are so misguided.
The New Yorker — These Republican clowns are ignorant of economics and prudent fiscal policies. Allow them at the helm and the country will be worse off or technically non existent.
Cartoon — Republicans would impoverish everyone using their reverse Robin Hood schtick!
I hope you could manage to bathe yourself, TomCat, even if it was a bit of slab-dash at the sink. It's very annoying to have to go out in public when you're unsure of your personal hygiene, isn't it. I can't use regular deodorants, so on a warm day I feel a little like you do now, I suppose. Good luck with your doctor's appointment. I keep my fingers crossed your LIFT bus gets to you in time.
RCP: I can't get used to this delegates system and rather see the percentages of votes, but those would tell me too that Hillary will get the nomination. So be it! And I do hope ALL Democrats will accept it and vote for her even if she's their second choice or not their choice at all. They should realize that if they stay home, THEY WILL BE TO BLAME if Drumpf or Creepy Cruz wins.
Bernie's fight to the very end is magnanimous. It shows he really cares about America and he's not in this race for himself but to try and change the system and make people aware of what politics is really about these days. By being there he's created a great amount of awareness and has given Social Democracy an enormous boost. Kudos to you Bernie.
DK: Samantha Bee is really getting the hang of this and so does her editor, who makes it look like these people are all talking BS while she's pulling those faces at them. Don't get me wrong, it's really very funny and even insightful, but I just can't believe these young, well-educated people will continue to come up with such crock when confronted by Samantha and her "fact-checker". My guess is that half of the Drumpf fans were stooges. Hey, I'm clinging to a tiny bit of hope here.
TNY: Of course the Republican elite will keep on pushing for those tax cuts because they are the ones that have benefited from these cuts, not the other 90% of the country. And what do they care about budget deficits as long as they increase their share, just cut some more in Social Security and welfare of those who are cut-off from voting too. Their base has no patience for economics and dull bookkeeping, they want some preaching against gay-marriage or abortion, or some punch-ups at rallies, and a release for all their pent-up anger and hatred. They get that from Drumpf and Cruz but not from Bernie and Hillary, so guess who's getting their vote?
Cartoon: The War on Poverty has turned into the War on the Poor a long time ago.
TY TC. Sorry, feeling v poorly.
Sam Bee nailed them to THE WALL!!! I love her and she needs to be on another station so she gets MORE press! She carries on the legacy of Jon Stewart elegantly and succinctly!!! Comedy Central needs to put her in Trevor's place, or at least have her on his show, REGULARLY!!
The idea that "trickle down economics" works is only gonna get your leg wet!! And it is horrible on the bottom of the barrel!!! Loving hand to mouth is hard to live with right now!
Thanks all! Hugs!!