The Democratic party had its last debate before the convention last night. The Republicans have this one tonight on CNN and a final one on March 21. After that it is off to the places where people wear funny hats, carry signs, and somehow manage to produce the candidates for the most important job in the country. For that exercise we will have four more debates in September and October.
Have a go at expressing your attitudes toward a follow-up of last night, your attitudes towards the combatants, and your fear and loathing of the process.
Jamie's Place for Stuff 
Too many debates all packed too closely together for my tastes. But it was great reading the comments. And OD… it’s really good to see you here!
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Feel free to chat about anything that strikes your fancy instead of yammering politicians
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Thank you!
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Yes, way too many debates now.. Hi OD, glad you’re here..
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I would almost feel sorry for the Republicans if it weren’t for the fact that I think each of the contenders might have people who would actually vote for them. In any case here is my rundown:
Donald Trump – Your basic egomaniac with no real substance who says nothing about anything but says it loudly.
Ted Cruz – A totally unlikable God addicted dictator wannabe
Marco Rubio – A rather lazy man who has skated by for years on being glibly pleasant but actually accomplished almost nothing.
John Kasich – The seeming adult in the room who unfortunately seems to be living somewhere in the a 1950s in his willingness to control women and keep others his definition of well behaved. He would probably make a better next door neighbor than President. Either that or a starring role in Pleasantville
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Bernie Sanders’ Free Trade Mythology
Steve Chapman
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thought hill was very good last night responding to the trust question. her unscripted answer was truthful, humble – an interesting peek at the person she is.
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Katheleen, i agree, spot on answer.. Still, reading this morning, the media narrative on Hillary and Michigan, so dramatic.. Always the same..
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Trump Says He Never Pledged To Kill Family Members Of Terrorists
“I didn’t say kill. We have to go after them.”
Sam Stein
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-terrorists_us_56e0d7cde4b065e2e3d4d82d
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The clarification was pretty lame just like all of his explanations for the simple reason that he doesn’t have a clue what he is talking about and when called on it just makes grandiose noises.
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So what does he do when he catches them? Enhanced interrogation perhaps? Lord…
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Feel free to post links to other pages just by pasting them if you like, but If you don’t want the connection for a link to appear but just the description there is a code that can be found here: http://shell.cas.usf.edu/mccook/uwy/hyperlinks.html
For videos, just past the link and the video will appear as above.
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great article tony, he seems to exist in the land of myth and dreams quite often
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Patd just posted an update of where we can be found. Hope she drops in at some point.
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Jamie, here/hear you are, once again shouldering democracy’s burden. Thank you.
Your thread last night during the debate was certainly active. That poor woman with her clutch of children separated from her deported husband and their father was heart wrenching. So many stories. Langston Hughes..are you listening, are you watching?
I finally figured out how Bernie was able to go to Brooklyn College then move over to UofC. My surmise is, his parents, by living in their rent controlled hovel and being frugal as the dickens, managed to amass a substantial estate which financed their family’s future.
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Apparently in his last year he did get an inheritance of some sort following his father’s death, but that is the only record of any money and no real dollars I can find. Lots of talk about sleeping on couches of friends but any reference to where the funds came from seems to have been wiped out of existence including how he supported himself for the first 40 years of his life.
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Hi Flatus, good see you, i’ve missed your posts.. Good catch on Bernie’s education..
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Robert Reich: Donald Trump is a 21st century American fascist
Former secretary of labor explains why the demagogue and GOP frontrunner is so profoundly dangerous to our republic
http://www.salon.com/2016/03/10/robert_reich_donald_trump_is_a_21st_century_american_fascist_partner/
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Did y’all see the nice shots yesterday on MSNBC of USF St Petersburg? They were taken facing the College of Marine Biology looking straight across their harbor towards the Salvador Dali Museum. St. Pete is the place where I earned my BA in finance.
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It does look like a beautiful part of the world. Loved your tip of the hat to one of my favorite poets Langston Hughes. When things slow a bit, I’ll play around with another W. H. Auden
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As pointed out below on my post about over population, there simply aren’t enough jobs to go around. Today WaPo had an article Mr. Sanders Peddles Fiction, trade deals simply are not the major cause of job loss in the US. That particular sad note in the economy is mainly the result of advancements in technology and it is going to get worse.
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hey guys and gals! please don’t give up on craig. we’ve all gone thru dark days and bad bottoms. or even if you can’t forgive the temporary insanity, at least don’t leave us on the trail abandoned and without your wisdom. it’s lonely and scary. wolves and coyotes are surrounding us, fangs bared.
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Not gone forever. Just couldn’t take the temporary view that my favorite candidate belonged behind bars.
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Hey, I hear ya. I’m hanging in over there but choosing to ignore the negative crap about HRC by followers of the new messiah..
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Sandinmyshoes cleared that up over on TM. Apparently, HRC gave or lent in-kind donations to the Campaign. On one side of the balance sheet is is the donation, and on the other side is the payback as an expenditure. Craig expressed relief that it was finally explained.
As I see it, republicans have made wild accusations against Clinton since before her husband was even elected president. From luggage, to travel planning, enemies lists, commodity futures, Vince Foster, rudeness to staff, trashing the White House, Benghazi, and emails, the barrage has been endless plus 99.98 % libel. After a while even a few some folks who supported her in the past begin to see her through the lens of “She did WHAT ???”, while others, who like me didn’t support her back then, now customarily dismiss any accusation against her as just one more ripuplican crying wolf.
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Coming this August probably just in time to save us all from political insanity whose Republican nephew once told me about his liberal relative: “We don’t talk about Auntie Meryl”
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patd… good to see you here. I just don’t feel like posting over on TM. I’d tried to read the back and forth between Craig and Blue from last night’s debate and found I couldn’t do it. It now feels like TM of 2008 to me… back then there were several people I completely ignored. It made life easier and was the only way I could stay there back then. I don’t know if I’ll go back if Craig winds up supporting Trump during the general election. I do have friends that I know will vote for Donald, but we simply don’t talk politics… I know where they stand, they know where I stand. I’m not sure I’d want to be blogging at a place where the host supports someone I consider to be a total slimeball.
I’ll see how I feel as time goes on. In the meantime… I do wish Craig and others there the best.
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Hope you’re OK with a re-post from TM.
Of course we’ve recently seen that polls can be WAAAAAY off, but if you can trust the FL polls, Rube is close to riding off into the sunset – as he said to Chuckie, there’s nothing wrong with being a regular citizen (which is condescending and ironic on so many levels, and all at the same time). I really never appreciated his gift for economy of words. Hope he enjoys his new job more than his current one.
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Feel free to cross post your comments or any articles. Rube has always impressed me as the basically lazy student who has glided by on glib until he finally comes up against actual work being required and says, “I Quit you don’t appreciate me”. Just a spoiled boy in a man suit.
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Honestly… I’ll miss poor little Marco when he’s no longer on the campaign trail. I miss Ben Carson. It was fun watching those early Republican debates with 15 people on the stage. Now it’s just sad and pathetic watching them.
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How generous you are, Renee. The red debates are disgraceful. Where is michael medved when he is actually needed to point out how utterly shameful the republican pissing matches are ?
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Hello, missed you all on Trail Mix, was so glad someone posted that link to Jamie’s blog. I am here to stay and read. Going to see Hillary tonight in Illinois. So sorry for what is happening to Craig, I hope he recovers soon.
Mamaknows
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Jamie, do I register for your blog, tried using my WordPress account, but no luck. I really don’t want to use my Facebook account.
Mamknows
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Mama
So glad you made your way here.. Stick around and tell us how you feel!
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Flatus – I found something in The Chicago Tribune archives for U if Chicago in 1960. It was not expensive, and, if your parents made less than $5,000 you were reimbursed for your tuition. The good, old days.
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All those parents who had lived through the Great Depression and WW II wanted their children to have a better start in life than they had and were willing to pay much higher taxes to buy it for them.
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Unfortunately, because of the way the GI Bill of rights was set up, every few of the black WW II veterans received the benefits of either education or housing purchases which contributed to the higher institutional unemployment and home ownership 20 years later.
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I think when I went to school and college in that period tuition was typically something like $2,200 yr plus expenses such as laundry, medical, etc.. Pay in a metropolitan area for a semi-skilled worker would be $3 and up depending on union affiliation. Even at $3 hr annual pay for a 50-week yr would be about $6 thousand. So that would rule out most city kids.
UofC was a school with a national rep that attracted students from a world-wide pool. As a private institution, it would choose its scholarship candidates carefully in the hope that they would be wonderful additions to the University community. What percentage of the student body would be free-ride scholarships based on parental income? I dunno–I suspect one-in-twenty max.
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mamaknows -what luck, have a marvelous time, bring back photos for us!
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renee, you said earlier: “I don’t know if I’ll go back if Craig winds up supporting Trump during the general election…….
I’m not sure I’d want to be blogging at a place where the host supports someone I consider to be a total slimeball.”
not to worry, here’s what he wrote on the trail later this morning
“craigcrawford says:
March 10, 2016 at 11:46 am
We ran off our Clinton pals? Missing them already. And just when I was about to come around (by default).”
if he’s teetering toward hillary then he’s sure enough not going drumpf on us.
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As some of the feelings heal or just general interest, I hope people will go back and forth. I will wait until I see the direction the winds might be blowing. You don’t have to love my candidate but throwing the unproven mud of 30 years of insults and accusations belongs on Faux Spews & Limpballs. It just doesn’t fly with me so it will be awhile before I’m ready to return.
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Thank you. I have spent considerable time having to research to rebut unsubstantiated accusations – such as the notion that Bill Clinton signed NAFTA and Hillary supported it – just one example.
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pogo, according to these guys who should know http://www.naftanow.org/about/default_en.asp here’s how they lay out its history (to be picky about it, history.com says bill signed it into law 12/3/93):
NAFTA ~ Chronology of Events
◾June 10, 1990: Canada, the U.S., and Mexico agree to pursue a free trade agreement
◾February 5, 1991: NAFTA negotiations begin.
◾December 17, 1992: NAFTA is signed by leaders from Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
◾August 1993: Additional side agreements on labor and the environment are negotiated.
◾January 1, 1994: NAFTA enters into force
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oops that was 12/8/03 but wiki puts it earlier as 12/17/92 when bush tried to fast track)
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Then there is the small matter that the only two things I know of where Hillary assumed responsibility was Hillarycare that finally evolved into SCHIP and the trip to China on behalf of women’s rights. Blaming her for everything that happened during her husbands time in office is ridiculous. She has shared responsibility with President Obama while Secretary of State as long as you take into consideration “Serving at the pleasure of the President”.
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And while Bill might want to claim credit for NAFTA, in the cold light of day, GHWB negotiated and signed it. Bill signed the enacting legislation. Who shoudl get credit or blame? You can make the call.
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Pat,
Bush signed the Agreement on 12/17/92. Clinton signed the law enacting it on 12/8/93 after Congress ratified it (NAFTANow left that out).
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noting that back in 2008 “Hillary herself tossed Bill under the bus for NAFTA” craig just posted this link:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3705441&page=1
here’s an excerpt from that link: “Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton distanced herself Monday from one of her husband’s signature White House achievements, saying NAFTA should be reassessed and “adjusted” and any new free trade agreements postponed.
“I think we do need to take a deep breath and figure out how we can make it work for the greatest numbers of people,” she told USA TODAY. Clinton said NAFTA’s benefits have gone to the wealthy and cost jobs for working people. She said a “timeout” in new accords would last until she felt the issue of trade in the 21st century had been adequately studied.”
so, pogo, does this help or muddy things more?
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It seems to be that she is approaching Trade agreements with the same purpose as just about everything. It may not be exciting, but “I’ll study, evaluate, and try to come up with something that benefits the most people. Then I will try to work with Congress to get enabling legislation.” It may not be waving flags, patriotic marches, and fireworks but it sure seems like a good way to run a government.
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Pat,
Nice to see you.. Thanks for posting that link. Yet another quality of Hillary’s i appreciate, caution.. It’s not everyone’s favorite quality but it is who she is, a thinker and problem solver..
As far as TM, i have been in touch with Craig. I’m waiting to see how things go over there.. The constant negative bashing for me was over the top. I haven’t scene that directed against Sen. Sanders. Anything that changes my mood on a regular basis to down i move away from.. I felt this was coming because of Craigs anger and my 2008 fear has actually happened..Although, if he supports Trump in the General i could not participate in any blog that would seek to elect that vile man..I love Craig and definitely haven’t given up on him..
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tony, didn’t see this ’til now. so glad you’re anticipating giving the trail another chance. looks like drumpf’s reluctance to turn off his bullying brownshirters and remounce the violence has finally put our friend back on track. around 10 last night he commented “Ok, I am ready for Hillary. Tonight Trump showed me he is clever enough to win. Can’t let that happen.” amen and welcome back, boss.
hope to see you back on the trail soon. we miss you and the rest of the gang that followed you.
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Fr folks who think NAFTA was a bad deal it helps Hillary I think.
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I waited 8 years for these exhillarating 🙂 events and frankly couldn’t take any more of the bitterness and would like to enjoy the Primary ride as much as possible. For instance- last Tues or Sat., can’t keep the primaries all straight- but Hill did great- want to be where that is acknowledged at least. The GOP is bat shit crazy right now and would like to be able to express that as well without taunting.
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Sea, is it too late to make miniature tear-dropped chocolates holding a couple of peanuts for our Republican candidates? And, we really need something awesome for Hillary. Bernie can be a simple chocolate, with a couple of spindly arms waving to catch flies or a moderator’s attention, capped by frantically arranged coconut.
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I agree with you.. “Don’t rain on my parade” comes to mind.. I have nothing against people supporting their candidates and reasonably criticizing Hillary. Ah, but what we have seen is really extreme accusations that basically come from right winger Fox so-called news, right wing radio and the like..
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flautus- lol! very funny!!!
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“I think Islam hates us” – Trump There’s some brilliant foreign affairs theory so worthy of the Commander In Chief. Hillary will make mince meat out of him.
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Yes Tony, however its not just Fox! In 2008 I found Fox to be more fair and balanced towards Hillary- during the primaries- than CNN and MSNBC. I have been tuned into CNN and they are zinging her again. I # #TurnOffCNN sometimes even. I don’t know of a channel that is unbiased at this point. Tuesday night was horrific- a landslide win and an 8 tenths loss (which with another candidate it surely would have been referred to as a virtual tie) and no coverage of her speech. NOTHING! Oh yes, a 1 hour uninterrupted Trump infomercial . Shame on them all!
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Obama: For All The Things Republicans Blame Me For, Getting Blamed For Rise Of Donald Trump Is “Novel” Video
Tim Haines
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/03/10/barack_obama_polarized_political_climate_rise_of_donald_trump_not_my_fault.html
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GOP chair-elect in Texas pledges to speculate wildly about hypocritical closeted gay Republicans
By Kerry Eleveld
“And now, more from the fantastical world of Robert Morrow, that insane local GOP chair in Texas and most vile tweeter who has pegged Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Rick Perry and George W. Bush as all being either gay or bisexual.
Time Warner Cable has a new interview out with Morrow in which the outlet found it necessary to add this chyron: “This raw interview does not reflect the views of this new station, or its parent company.” Anyway, Morrow is now promising to expose the hypocrisy of his fellow Republicans, reports John Wright:”
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/3/10/1499275/-GOP-chair-elect-in-Texas-pledges-to-speculate-wildly-about-hypocritical-closeted-gay-Republicans
Oh my, another bat shit crazy Republican.
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Bernie definitely requires coconut. Maybe divinity rolled in coconut. They could be called Bernie Balls.
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Haha, divinity sure fits! The coconut creates quite a vision, what a pisser.
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Reminder: A half hour in to the GOP debate on CNN, Rachel will have the interview with Hillary.
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Thanks, will look for the Hillary interview..
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thanks for that jamie,didn’t know.
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I can’t watch that GOP debate either. All I need is Alexandra Petri’s recap on WaPo… it’s much more entertaining.
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MSNBC seems to be on some sort of mea culpa. Hillary will also be with Tweety on Monday.
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Polling roundup, closing in on March 15
By Kos
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/3/10/1499189/-Polling-roundup-closing-in-on-March-15#read-more
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GOP Senator: Of Course We’d Consider SCOTUS Nom If Obama Were Republican!
Caitlyn McNeil
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ron-johnson-republicans-scotus?utm_content=buffer75130&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
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Donald Trump Encourages Violence At His Rallies. His Fans Are Listening.
Here’s how Trump is drawing on insults and brutality to build his brand.
Sam Stein
Dana Liebelson
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-violence_us_56e1f16fe4b0b25c91815913?07umobt9
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Speaking of bias, here’s an interesting development Congressional Dems send State Dept. letter about allegations of bias against Clinton
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Republican Admits Supreme Court Blockade Is Unprecedented
“We are setting a precedent here today,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lindsey-graham-supreme-court-blockade_us_56e1a57fe4b065e2e3d504b4
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The Obama Doctrine
The U.S. president talks through his hardest decisions about America’s role in the world.
Jeffrey Goldberg
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/471525/?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange
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Senate Inches Closer To Confirming First Openly Gay Army Secretary
The Armed Services Committee unanimously approved Eric Fanning.
Jennifer Bendery
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/eric-fanning-gay-army-secretary_us_56e1be93e4b0b25c9181193c
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NEW THREAD
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