Wednesday Open Thread [10.28.15]

Wednesday Open Thread [10.28.15]

Sen. Bernie Sanders says he will not attack Hillary Clinton “in harshly negative ways. But pollsters for his campaign are quietly testing pointed critiques of Mrs. Clinton as too close to Wall Street or as unreliably liberal for initially supporting trade deals and the Iraq war,” the New York Times reports.
“After weeks of inching toward a more aggressive posture against Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Sanders is now walking a fine line: He is trying to draw sharp contrasts between their records, yet not attack her on a personal level. He questions her political shifts on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, the Pacific Rim free trade deal and same-sex marriage rights, for instance, while trying to avoid impugning her honesty and judgment, a favorite Republican tactic.”
Bernie Sanders knows that if he goes too far, it will backfire. Hillary Clinton is beloved by Democrats. Her favorable ratings are at Barack Obama levels of popularity (which means extremely popular). So it is a very fine needle to thread. But it seems to me that his campaign is proceeding from a false mindset. They are trying to win. They shouldn't be. They should know that winning the nomination is extremely unlikely, and if it happens, it will be because of events far beyond their control (i.e. Hillary dying, being indicted, etc). The campaign should be focused on getting out the pure Progressive message so as to keep his numbers up and to keep Hillary moving left. That is the ultimate goal of the Bernie Sanders campaign: a more progressive Hillary.
Tuesday Open Thread [10.27.15]

Tuesday Open Thread [10.27.15]

First Read on the impending budget deal: “The budget deal that Republican and Democratic leaders reached late last night — to boost military and domestic spending, to keep the government open, and to raise the debt limit — appears to be a potential win for both parties. Especially when it comes to the 2016 presidential election. Think about it: Republicans get to avoid the possibility of a government shutdown and debt default, either of which would have further damaged the party’s brand heading into next year’s general election. Democrats, meanwhile, get to lock in economic certainty and avoid a drop in consumer confidence like what happened after July 2011 (the debt-ceiling debacle) and Oct. 2013 (the two-week government shutdown).” “The devil is still in the details, of course, but the deal seems to help BOTH parties as it relates to 2016. And guess what: The budget deal and debt-limit hike last until 2017, which means that the party that wins next year will have the upper hand in the next round of budget fights.”
Romney Got Trumped

Romney Got Trumped

The struggle was real for Donald J. Trump back in the day: “It has not been easy for me. It has not been easy for me. I started off in Brooklyn. My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars," Trump remarked. Parents take note, try not to make it hard on your kids. Keep your loans to them maxed out at $1 million a pop, okay? Let’s not spoil them. How else can they learn the true value of roll up your sleeves hard work? I didn’t think it was possible to out-Romney the ol’ Mittster himself. I stand corrected. And I’m all out of popcorn. Time to hit the grocery store.
EDIT: City of Wilmington Mayoral Cattle Call — Announcement Season Edition 2015

EDIT: City of Wilmington Mayoral Cattle Call — Announcement Season Edition 2015

This is the first Cattle Call I've written for the Wilmington Mayor's race, even though there has been a fair amount of public positioning and "listening" going on among potential candidates. My work has taken up way too much of my time over the past several months, but it is well past time to start thinking about the folks who say they are running and who are "thinking" of running. What is interesting right now, is that so very many candidates are declaring and are circling around declaring for what would be Mayor Dennis Williams' second term. This is a field that you would expect to see when a politician is term-limited out and the field is open, OR you would see this kind of field when the incumbent is widely seen as incredibly weak and mostly a failure. There's been a rush of candidates declaring recently, so let's take a look at the field so we can talk about this again come the New Year.
Monday Open Thread [10.26.15]

Monday Open Thread [10.26.15]

Mark Halperin says Republicans are in denial about Hillary Clinton: “A virulent strain of Clinton Derangement Syndrome, which scientists and Republicans thought had been wiped out at the end of the last century, is now inflicting millions of conservative Americans. Some Republicans so detest Hillary Clinton they are badly underestimating how likely she is, at this point in the campaign, to be America’s 45th president. "Their denial is just as strong now as it was a month ago, before Clinton began a run of political victories that have enhanced her prospects, all while the roller derby/demolition derby that is the Republican nomination contest has continued to harm the GOP’s chances of winning back the White House.”