Time to Suspend

Posted by TomCat at 2:40 pm Politics

Jun 082016

I am most proud to be a Bernie Sanders supporter. I have been since the moment I learned he was a candidate. However, the only way Bernie could win now, barring some extraordinary event, would require the Superdelegates to override the expressed will of Democratic voters, who chose Hillary Clinton through a majority of pledged delegates and through a difference of over 3,600,000 votes. That will not, and should not happen. Some of Bernie’s most prominent supporters agree.

Bernie Sanders has vowed for months to take the Democratic primary fight all the way to the convention, regardless of the results from the final states.

Whether he’ll actually follow through on that pledge has been the source of nearly endless speculation. Sanders did not concede the nomination after suffering a string of defeats last night — Hillary Clinton declared victory after winning New Jersey — and a profile from Politico suggested he’s personally determined to contest the inevitable until the bitter end.

What could help change his mind? On Wednesday, the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent reported that two key Sanders allies — Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva — are now publicly recognizing that Sanders "would have to accept the inevitability" of Clinton’s victory now that all paths to the nomination have been sealed off…

From <Vox>

Jeff’s opinion means a lot to me, considering that I worked to get him elected. He is the only Senator that had the courage to endorse Bernie. Jeff and Raul aren’t the only ones.

One of the largest advocacy groups to endorse Bernie Sanders on Wednesday gently nudged the Vermont senator toward the exit, arguing that the Democratic nomination can’t be won on the backs of "undemocratic superdelegates."

The liberal group MoveOn.org suggested in a statement that Hillary Clinton fairly earned the Democratic nomination after Tuesday’s primaries by clinching a majority of pledged delegates.

“MoveOn members believe, as we have long advocated, that the nomination should go to the winner of the majority of pledged delegates, and that undemocratic superdelegates should not overturn the will of the voters,” MoveOn Political Action’s Executive Director, Ilya Sheyman, said in the statement.

Sanders won MoveOn’s endorsement in January with over 78 percent of the 340,665 votes cast by the group’s members…

From <TPM>

I’m a MoveOn member and supporter, and I agree.

The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur has been one of the most visible and vocal supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and his bid for the Democratic nomination.

But on Tuesday night, Uygur urged Sanders to suspend his campaign in light of the fact that his rival, Hillary Clinton, has secured the delegates needed to cinch the party’s nomination.

“If I was Bernie Sanders, I would suspend the campaign,” Uygur said. “And so now Sanders supporters, before you freak out, here’s what it means. It doesn’t mean that I take all my delegates and I give them to Hillary Clinton preemptively… In this case it would be a literal suspension of the campaign. ‘I am not going to continue to run against Hillary Clinton because there aren’t any elections left other than the super delegate election at the convention. So for the moment being, I am suspending the campaign.’”

Uygur said unlike other candidates, where “suspending” a run functionally means dropping out of the race, Sanders should reserve the right to re-enter the race in case Clinton is indicted over her use of email and a private server while serving as Secretary of State…

From <Raw Story>

I can’t remember a time when Cenk was not an active member of the ABH (Anybody But Hillary) Party. This from him is a real shock.

In any case, I sincerely hope that Bernie requested Thursday’s meeting with Obama to offer his total support for putting a Democrat in the White House, even if that Democrat is Hillary.

Open Thread – 6/8/2014

Posted by TomCat at 2:39 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 082016

As usual, I’m running late, Julie was here. Killer Dawg loves his service animal vest. Julie went on a feist and did most of the housework tasks I planned for Saturday. Now that the heat wave is finally over, my shower was especially welcome. I’m waiting for my groceries to be delivered and for a former prisoner’s daughter to stop by. I’m helping them with a bus ticket to Portland. I look forward to a night’s sleep without needsing AC.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:07 (average 5:14). To do it click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Real Clear Politics:

State	Date ▾	Delegates	Clinton	Sanders	Delegate Allocation	Open/ Closed
(2,382 Needed to Win)	–	4763	2755	1852	–	–
Delegates Won	–	4051	2184	1804
Superdelegates	–	(712)	571	48
District of Columbia	June 14	20 (25)			Primary	Closed
California	June 7	475 (71)	257	188	Primary	Semi-closed
Montana	June 7	21 (6)	10	11	Primary	Open
New Jersey	June 7	126 (16)	73	47	Primary	Closed
North Dakota	June 7	18 (5)	5	13	Primary	Open
New Mexico	June 7	34 (9)	17	14	Primary	Closed
South Dakota	June 7	20 (5)	10	10	Primary	Semi-open
Puerto Rico	June 5	60 (7)	36	20	Primary	Open
Virgin Islands	June 4	7 (5)	7	0	Caucus	Closed

The fat lady has sung. Hillary has won enough delegates to be nominated. She has won a majority of pledged delegates. She has won the popular vote by over 3,600,000 voters. I have been a Bernie Sanders man from day one, but the time has come for me to admit defeat and urge Bernie to throw his considerable fire and skill behind the presumptive Democratic Nominee. The only other alternative is Rump Dump Trump.

From Daily Kos: Donald Trump’s GOP nomination isn’t a hypothetical anymore and he is proving even worse than originally anticipated, what with his repeated attacks on the ability of Mexican and Muslim judges to do their jobs. Unfortunately for Republicans, they’ve all pretty much caved and endorsed Trump and now they "own" him, reports CNN:

Veteran Republican strategist Rick Wilson warned this weekend that GOP leaders who have endorsed Trump "own his politics."

"You own his politics," Wilson wrote in a column for Heatstreet, adding later, "You own the racial animus that started out as a bug, became a feature and is now the defining characteristic of his campaign. You own every crazy, vile chunk of word vomit that spews from his mouth."

The GOP’s deepest fear: A Barry Goldwater effect that could last far longer than Trump’s political aspirations.

Goldwater, the Arizona senator who was the 1964 GOP nominee and a leader of the conservative movement, alienated a generation of African-American voters by opposing the Civil Rights Act — opening the door for Democrats to lock in their support for decades. Republicans fret that Trump could similarly leave a stain with Latino voters.

On the other hand, many Republicans continued to oppose AuH2O after the nomination, but today, virtually all Republicans are goose-stepping in lock-step behind Rump Dump. He says what they pretend not to support, but do support through their policies.

From The New Yorker: Upping the ante in his quest for the White House, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders vowed on Tuesday night to continue battling for the Democratic Presidential nomination even if Hillary Clinton is elected President of the United States.

“If, on November 8th of this year, Hillary Clinton is elected President, we will have only begun to fight,” Sanders told a packed rally in San Francisco.

Sanders acknowledged that continuing to fight for the nomination after Clinton is elected President would represent a “steep challenge,” but added, “When we started this race we were only at three per cent in the polls. Anything is possible.”

Oh Andy!!

FOMCROTFPIMPLMAO!!

Cartoon:

Squatch’s Open Thread 07/06/2016

Posted by Lynn Squance at 2:33 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jun 072016

Well, hear I sit with a free afternoon. My 2nd student called and is sick so I have more time. Tomorrow is busy with physio and a haircut — good thing I don't get charged by the kilo of hair that is removed! We Sasquatches have a lot of hair! It has been very hot here with Sunday at an unbearable 35 C (95 F) and yesterday 31 C (88 F) . . . and it isn't even summer yet! Today is 25 C (78 F) so a lot cooler, but still hot! I like 21 C (70 F) with sunshine and a gentle breeze. We are scheduled for rain later this week, and based on May's total rainfall (12% of normal), we need a deluge. From what I have read, Paris has been getting our rain as well as their own.

Short Takes

Texas Tribune — U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela took a poison pen to the Republican presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump, in an open letter Monday morning.

"Mr. Trump, you’re a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass," the Brownsville Democrat wrote in a lengthy missive to the real estate magnate.

Later Monday, Vela elaborated on his remarks in an MSNBC interview.

"Well, I would have liked to have spoken in a much more diplomatic fashion, but I felt like I had to speak to Donald Trump in language he understands," he said.

Vela notes in the letter that he agreed with Trump on some policies, like improving veterans' care, addressing Mexican drug cartels and deporting criminal felons who are in the country illegally. But he also savages Trump for his rhetoric on those of Mexican descent and his promise to build a wall on the southern U.S. border.

Kudos to Vela for speaking in words that Drumpf would understand, although if Drumpf comments on this, he likely to accsuse Vela of being rude, or worse.

Crooks and Liars — Glenn Beck was suspended for a week by Sirius XM for not reining in his guest, fiction author Brad Thor, who hinted that maybe President Donald Trump should be "removed from office" by a "patriot" because the "feckless Congress" won't do it.

Glenn Beck Suspended After Guest Suggests 'Patriot' Should 'Remove' Trump

Talking Points Memo:

“With the feckless, spineless Congress we have, who will stand in the way of Donald Trump overstepping his constitutional authority as President?” Thor said. “If Congress won’t remove him from office, what patriot will step up and do that if he oversteps his mandate as President, his constitutional-granted authority, I should say, as President.”

Too bad they couldn't make the ban permanent!

Politicususa — Donald Trump’s appearances on CNN’s State Of The Union and CBS’s Face The Nation were total disasters for the presumptive Republican nominee after both networks used the interviews to call out his lies.

The trouble began for Trump after he repeated his claim that he always opposed the Iraq war.

Lying is a lot like juggling. The more one lies, the harder it is to keep all the lies straight and in play, or in the world of a juggler, in the air. And such is the juggling act called Trump. Of course, like many liars, Trump claims to be misunderstood, or claims outright that he didn't say certain things. Is this the demeanor of a head of state? Trump is a pathological liar which is partly why The Huffington Post puts the following Editor's Note after articles about Trump:

Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar,rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.

CBC — Canada's immigrant communities are not breeding grounds for terrorists, as some would argue, but should be enlisted to reduce any violent radicalization in their midst, says a newly released report.

The research, ordered by the Harper government in 2014, appears to repudiate Conservative measures that alienated Muslim communities in the months before last year's election.

The authors examined four diaspora communities in Canada — Afghan, Somali, Syrian and Tamil — and found them to be willing allies for rooting out extremism among their often young and isolated members.

Phil Gurski, a former CSIS analyst, says trust between Muslim communities and security officials was damaged by Harper government measures last year. (Phil Gurski)

"More resilient diaspora communities represent the best line of defence against violent extremism," says the March 30 report, obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act.

The issue of radicalisation is complex. There is no "one size fits all" as conservatives would have us believe. And it is not an "Islamic thing" solely. As societies, we must work with all groups, all disporas, to make inclusive societies where all are welcome and safe. I find it particularly interesting that it was the Harper government that ordered the study, the very government that alienated Muslim communities.

Huffington Post — To defend real estate mogul Donald Trump‘s claim that a federal judge is biased against him because of his “Mexican heritage,” his campaign spokeswoman argued on Monday that it also would be acceptable to accuse a female judge of bias on the basis of gender.

“Well, it would depend on her past and decisions she made as a judge,” Trump’s national spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said.

I wonder what Drumpf would say if Antonin Scalia were to hear a Trump case and rule against him. Scalia was a very conservative Justice of the Supreme Court, and one that one would think would rule in his favour. Undoubtedly, Drumpf would likely say Scalia should recuse himself because he is the son of an Italian immigrant and a 1st generation American of Italian descent. Or what about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, admittedly a progressive, but very learned and respected. Would Drumpf insist that she recuse herself because she is a woman? Drumpf has a BIG problem with anyone who does not agree with him! It is great seeing part of the MSM calling him out.

My Universe — Is there anything cuter than purring, fuzzy kittens? Not to me! Look at all this lovin'!

SURVEY: DNC Platform Drafting Committee

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 2:17 pm Politics

Jun 072016

I received an email from Keith Ellison, Congressman from Minnesota, a true Progressive, and one of Bernie Sanders picks for the DNC Platform Committee. Since I am no one special (except perhaps to present company), I assume it was sent me because I have vocally – if you can use the term "vocally" about internet and email – supported Bernie throughout his campaign. Probably many who read and post here received it too, but not all.

[Incidentally, I also received a similar request from the DNC itself, but it was quite different. It just had one small box for me to put my thoughts into. I responded to it too – I said, “There isn’t room here to summarize my thoughts, but I did send them to Keith Ellison.” Wonder what they will make of it.]

Anyway, Keith invited me to share the email, so I quote it in full here:

Joanne-

It’s an honor to have been selected as one of 15 Democrats from across the country to serve on the 2016 DNC Platform Drafting Committee.

Our platform listening forums start this week and I want your input.

After all, this is your party, and you deserve to be heard.

That’s why I wanted to make it as easy as possible for you to give me your feedback: simply click here to fill out our short survey and tell me more about your priorities.

With strong public support for criminal justice reform, raising the minimum wage, and fighting for trade deals that put American workers first, it’s clear that the progressive message is resonating.

But it’s up to all of us, together, to keep up the momentum so we make sure the Democratic Party Platform reflects the urgent needs of the American people.

So please, take our short survey and tell me more about your priorities. I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you,

Keith Ellison

The survey itself starts,

What are YOUR PRIORITIES FOR THE OFFICIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM?

It's an honor to serve on the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee. Now I want to make sure your voice is heard as we draft the official 2016 Democratic Party platform

Together, I am confident that we will help to craft a platform that reflects the urgent needs of the American people.

Please fill out our short survey below and tell me about your top priorities!

It requests your email address, first and last name, and Zip code. Then it asks for one's first priority from a drop-down list, q.v.:

Raising the minumum wage
Civil rights
Making college more affordable
Protecting women's health care choices
Immigration reform
Protecting and expanding Social Security
Overturning Citizens United
Reducing economic equality
Wall Street accountability and consumer protection
Common-sense gun reform
Affordable housing
Criminal justice reform
Other

Then it gives you a type-in box to expand on your answer. It does the same for the second and third priorities (if you are a true ine issue voter, you can use the same one all three times), and then provides a fourth type-in box for "If your top priorities were not listed, or if you'd like to tell us more, please use the space below (optional):"

I gave as my first priority Overturning Citizens United, and used the box to explain that I include under that heading voting rights in general, civil rights, and immigration reform; and added how grieved I am that after all our work stating fifty years ago, we have so much more to accomplish.

I gave as my second priority Reducing economic inequality, adding that this includes the minimum wage, affordable college, Social Security, Wall Street accountability, and affordable housing. I mentioned that, with roughly 80% of my own income being Social Security, I am not able to contribute as much as I would like.

My third priority was Criminal justice reform, which I said includes common-sense gun reform as well as protecting women's health care choices, which should never be made part of the criminal justice system, but are being made so by certain legislation. (I could have chosen to include immigration reform here, but to me it's a civil rights issue first.)

Having gotten everything it, I was then able to discuss climate change and reference all the lies we have been fed by big oil, big ag, and big pharma, and state that, whether their subsidies are coming from bad tax law or from appropriations, they are obscenities.

Readers here are more than welcome to add their opinions – Keith said so. Don't hold back. You'll probably want to categorize things differently than I did, or add issues I failed to mention. That's great. Let's give them an earful. (Do remember that Keith is a real Progressive and be nice to him.) I duplicated the link being given twoce in the letter, but here it is again:

http://mn.keithellison.org/page/s/dncplatform

Lona (The Napster) asked me whether I expected any feedback. I replied, "Assuming you mean personal feedback, no. It's not impossible, but it would surely be significant if I did. I expect any feedback to be either in a blanket email with numbers on how many people said what, or simply reports on deliberations or on the final platform. Believe me, if I get any more, you will hear about it!"

And I promise all here that you will too.

Cross posted to care2 at http://www.care2.com/news/member/101612212/3991161

Flash BEEack

Posted by TomCat at 2:14 pm Politics

Jun 072016

Samantha Bee must have been on vacation, because I have not seen her in a while, but I’m pleased to have a clip from her show to share with you. However, I do have to warn you that she shows one image, which if acted upon, might be hazardous to your health.

Remember the days when Jeb Bush was going to be the nominee? Yeah, good times.

Samantha Bee takes us back through the debates, reserving her evil laughter for the media who all laughed at a Trump ticket while giving him $3 billion in free advertising.

And oh, the denunciations they made. Rick Perry’s was especially disgusting, given that he was one of the first to "roll over just like Melania Trump does after Donald dribbles out another unsatisfying midnight crotch tweet."

From <Crooks and Liars>

Sam got one thing VERY wrong. Printing Republican core principles on a roll of TP is hazardous. Anyone using it would need to see a Proctologist for a severely infested butt!

Open Thread – 6/7/2016

Posted by TomCat at 2:13 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 072016

My appointment with the Radiation Oncologist was very informative, and I’m proud to have resisted the temptation to use "well" in association with Dr. Hung’s name. I won’t glow in the dark or lose my hair. I have jumped through all my hoops. Now it’s just a matter of working out the timing and polishing the details with Shirley, who is Allison’s (my Ocular Oncologist) anal retentive assistant. She is better suited to a career as a Dominatrix than as a medical professional. She is one size fits all, talks through people, not to them, and does not listen well enough to hear. I’ve been very assertive, and have not blown up at her, but… Steaming mad I was completely exhausted and spent the morning using up my supply from Lona the Napster.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:11 (average 5:14). To do it click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Real Clear Politics:

State	Date ▾	Delegates	Clinton	Sanders	Delegate Allocation	Open/ Closed
(2,382 Needed to Win)	–	4763	2383	1569	–	–
Delegates Won	–	4051	1812	1521
Superdelegates	–	(712)	571	48

The fat lady will sing tonight, after Hillary gets 214 or more pledged delegates, but AP was out of line to declare it over last night.

From Daily Kos: Louie Gohmert, America’s dumbest Congressman (courtesy of disgraced former Majority Leader Tom Delay) proves once again why he is worthy of his title—this time with dire warnings about gay astronauts and the end of the world:

I really wonder how many people in this body who had the ultimate power to decide whether humanity would go forward or not, whether there was an asteroid coming or something that would end humanity on Earth as dinosaurs were ended at one time—okay …

If you could decide what 40 people you would put on the spacecraft who would save humanity, how many of those would be same-sex couples? You are wanting to save humankind for posterity—basically, a modern-day Noah. You have that ability to be a modern-day Noah. You can preserve life. How many same-sex couples would you take from the animal kingdom and from humans to put on the spacecraft to perpetuate humanity and the wildlife kingdom?

Yes, he really said that.

Go-Go-Goose-step. Does it again!! Actually, the best mix to save humanity would be to send all progressive lesbian couples with each woman pregnant from a different progressive man and also sperm samples from a completely different set of progressive men That would triple the gene pool on the space craft. The key is to keep the gene pool closed to Republican swimmers.

From Alternet: Political polarization in America is growing, and it’s not just due to the presidential election. But according to psychiatrist Gail Saltz, if we only knew how the other side’s brains work, we’d be able to communicate better.

"What’s really fascinating is that there have been a number of recent studies looking at brain structural differences between liberals and conservatives," said Saltz. "And what’s been found in several studies is that liberals tend to have a larger anterior cingulate gyrus. That is an area that is responsible for taking in new information and that impact of the new information on decision making or choices. Conservatives tended on the whole to have a larger right amygdala. Amygdala being a deeper brain structure that processes more emotional information—specifically fear-based information," Saltz explained.

We’ve seen similar studies before. Democrats tend to have brains that are better suited for problem solving and communications, while Republicans have brains that are better suited to fight of flight, or put another way, lizard brains. That’s why the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, keeps hyping fear

Cartoon:

0607Cartoon .

Mitch D. Has a BIG Mouth! ;-)

Posted by TomCat at 10:04 am Blog News, Politics

Jun 062016

79-MitchD

Although Mitch has been following Politics Plus and commenting for quite some time on Care2, where he has been active since 2010, he only started commenting here at the site a few months ago, so this is his very first Big Mouth Award. Consequently, I don’t know that much about him. He is a progressive activist and a devout Atheist. He hails from the state, where I grew up, NJ, so he has a B IG problem in the State House. His comments are dry, witty and cutting. His pet peeves seem to be toward religion, but he has no trouble coexisting with people with authentic faith. It’s people, who use their religion to promote bigotry and ethnocentrism that bug him. He’s an advocate for human rights of all kinds, and animal welfare. He has cats. Cat face He also has dawgs, but hopefully, he’ll learn that CAT is where it’s AT! Thumbs up

He is a most welcome asset to our community here. I certainly want to keep him around. Please pile on the kudos, He has earned them.

Open Thread – 6/6/2016

Posted by TomCat at 10:03 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 062016

Please pardon my brevity. I’m hurrying to get done before I have to leave for my appointment with a Radiation Oncologist.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:57 (average 5:52). To do it. click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From KP Daily Funnies: FOD News: Besides Getting Rid Of Minorities, How Would You Make America Great Again?

FOD News: Besides Getting Rid Of Minorities, How Would You Make America Great Again? from Funny Or Die

And they will be voting in November! God help us!!

From The New Yorker: Unless the United States builds a wall, Mexicans will swarm across the border, enroll in law school en masse, and eventually become biased judges, Donald J. Trump warned supporters on Monday.

At a rally in San Jose, the presumptive Republican nominee said that “making America great again” meant preventing the nation from becoming “overrun by Mexican judges.”

“We don’t win anymore,” he told the crowd. “We don’t win at judges.”

While Trump offered no specific facts to support his latest allegations, he said that he had heard about the threat of incoming Mexican judges firsthand from border-patrol agents.

LOL Andy!! Hilariously believable!!

From, NY Times:

On the night Barack Obama became the nation’s first black president, Leah Taylor, a fast-food worker and African-American mother of six, stayed up until 2 a.m. watching the election returns. “I knew that was history, and I wanted to be a part of it,” she said. But she did not vote.

Ms. Taylor, 45, has never voted. In 1991, when she was 20, she was stripped of her voting rights after being convicted of selling crack cocaine and sent to jail for a year. So she was stunned when an organizer from a progressive group, New Virginia Majority, showed up one recent afternoon at the church soup kitchen where she eats lunch and said he could register her.

“Your rights have been restored!” the organizer, Assadique Abdul-Rahman, declared with a theatrical flourish, waving an executive order signed in April by Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Ms. Taylor, so moved she nearly cried, promptly signed up.

Thus did Ms. Taylor join a wave of newly eligible voters, all with criminal pasts, signing up in Virginia. But what Mr. McAuliffe granted, the Virginia Supreme Court may now take away.

Top Republicans in the state legislature are seeking to block Mr. McAuliffe’s sweeping order, which re-enfranchised 206,000 Virginians who have completed sentences, probation or parole. Last week, the Supreme Court announced a special session to hear arguments in July — in time to rule before the November election.

The surest way the state can tell former felons to adopt crime as a way of life is to deny them a stake in their communities.

Cartoon:

50 years ago I was soooooooo young!

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