{"id":18198,"date":"2015-12-08T09:42:56","date_gmt":"2015-12-08T17:42:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=18198"},"modified":"2015-12-08T09:42:57","modified_gmt":"2015-12-08T17:42:57","slug":"on-the-edge1282015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2015\/12\/08\/on-the-edge1282015\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Edge–12\/8\/2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once again, this is today\u2019s only article, as I have much to do to prepare for tomorrow\u2019s trip home.  Color me in rush mode.  Expect only a brief Personal Update tomorrow.<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From The New Yorker<\/a>: <\/font>The billionaire Donald Trump\u2019s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States has sparked deep disappointment among his supporters, many of whom had hoped he was planning to ban a sizable number of other religions.<\/p>\n

In conversations with likely Trump voters across the country, reactions ranged from disenchantment to a sharp sense of betrayal as supporters tried to make sense of his decision to ban members of only one faith. <\/p>\n

\u201cI heard him on TV talking about banning Muslims and I was kind of like, \u2018Is that it?\u2019 \u201d said Carol Foyler, a Trump supporter from South Florida. \u201cI mean, banning Muslims is a good start, but I thought a smart businessman like him would be a lot more thorough.\u201d <\/p>\n

Harland Dorrinson, a Trump supporter from San Antonio, Texas, agreed. \u201cSaying you\u2019re only going to ban Muslims when there are so many other religious groups to ban just feels like politics as usual,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll give him a chance to explain himself on this one, but I\u2019d be lying if I said I didn\u2019t feel burned.\u201d <\/p>\n

Andy has it spot-on. Republicans would ban all beliefs, except Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christianity, with their gospel of hate, greed and violence.<\/font> <\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>President Obama\u2019s address to the nation Sunday was intended to reassure anxious Americans<\/a> that the United States will defeat the Islamic State, known as ISIS or ISIL, \u201cby being strong and smart, resilient and relentless, and by drawing upon every aspect of American power.\u201d But success, he noted, \u201cwon\u2019t depend on tough talk, or abandoning our values, or giving into fear. That\u2019s what groups like ISIL are hoping for.\u201d <\/p>\n

If that\u2019s true, ISIS must have been cheered by the presidential field, most of whom did their best to talk tough and stoke fear without advancing any workable ideas. <\/p>\n

Donald Trump, a bigot without foreign policy experience, showed that there is nothing he won\u2019t say or support to sow hatred. On Monday he outrageously proposed barring all Muslims<\/a> from entering the country. There is no precedent for denying immigration based on religion, experts say, and any such test would surely be used as an excuse to attack Muslim Americans. <\/p>\n

Ted Cruz, Twitter warrior, pledged<\/a> after Mr. Obama\u2019s speech to \u201cdirect the Department of Defense to destroy ISIS.\u201d He played soldier all weekend in Iowa, spouting<\/a> \u201cWe will carpet bomb them into oblivion,\u201d to a tea-party crowd in Cedar Rapids, adding \u201cI don\u2019t know if sand can glow in the dark, but we\u2019re going to find out,\u201d whatever that means. <\/p>\n

Marco Rubio took to Fox News [Faux Noise delinked<\/em>] to remind Americans that they are, or should be, \u201creally scared and worried.\u201d He also said that \u201cpeople are scared not just because of these attacks but because of a growing sense that we have a president that\u2019s completely overwhelmed by them,\u201d as if he alone had his finger on the pulse of America… <\/p>\n

That’s what I would expect from the Clown Car.<\/font> <\/p>\n

From Blue Oregon<\/a>: <\/font>Merkley calls it: The Worst Idea from a Presidential Candidate. Ever. <\/p>\n