Monday Open Thread [5.16.16]
— andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) May 14, 2016
“Priorities USA, the big money pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC, will begin airing general election ads against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday,” CNN reports. “Priorities USA will spend $6 million on ads between May 18 and June 8, hitting Trump in Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Nevada, all general election battleground states. The ads will try to do what no Republican could: Take down the businessman who beat a scrum of veteran politicians to all-but-win the Republican nomination.”
Thomas Friedman: “If I were critiquing Trump’s foreign policy views it would not be on inconsistency, hypocrisy or lying. It would be that he shows no sign of having asked the most important question: What are the real foreign policy challenges the next president will face? I don’t think he has a clue, because if he did, he wouldn’t want the job. This is one of the worst times to be conducting U.S. foreign policy.”
“The days of clear-cut, satisfying victories overseas, like opening up China or tearing down the Berlin Wall, are over. U.S. foreign policy now is all about containing disorder and messes. It is the exact opposite of running a beauty pageant. There’s no winner, and each contestant is uglier than the last.”
Kevin Drum is bullish on the economy. I’ll let you go look at the charts he put together, but here’s his conclusion.
This is an unusual situation. Usually one party wants to badmouth the economy and the other wants to celebrate it. This year, both parties are insisting that the economy is listless and stagnant, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. The truth is that for the past year the economy has been in pretty good shape. We’re all just afraid to say so.
So, to summarize: Obama has to release his birth certificate and college transcripts but Trump’s tax returns are, meh.
— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) May 11, 2016
“Ignorance is not a virtue. It’s not cool to not know what you’re talking about. That’s not keeping it real, or telling it like it is.” — President Obama, quoted by CBS News, in an attack on Donald Trump.
“Hillary Clinton is considering a running mate who could make a direct appeal to supporters of Bernie Sanders, bridging a generational and political divide,” USA Today reports.
“Clinton’s chief requirements include a candidate’s resume and a fighter capable of hand-to-hand combat with Trump. The campaign’s vetting also prioritizes demographics over someone from a key swing state as she seeks to unify the Democratic voting base, said the individuals coordinating with the campaign, who were not authorized to speak on the record about early deliberations.”
On that note, Warren’s audition for the job has been noticed by Hillary. Huffington Post: “One close Clinton confidant said that she and her aides were ‘thrilled to see Warren get under his skin.’ Another senior Clinton adviser, who is advocating internally for Warren as a vice presidential pick, said the senator has ‘very influential people in the campaign pushing for her.’” Said one longtime Clinton veteran: “You want a running mate who can take the fight to the other side with relish. Geography does not matter, but attitude and talent and energy and bringing excitement to the campaign, Senator Warren does all that.”
“The attributes that Warren would bring to the VP slot extend beyond vigorous mocking of Trump. Top Democrats increasingly see a dual-female ticket as a potent response to a GOP nominee with a well-documented past of sexist remarks.”
Clinton-Warren 2016!!!
Ben Carson told the Washington Post that former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is being considered as Donald Trump’s running mate, along with many of the real estate billionaire’s former challengers.
God doesn’t love me that much.
“A band of exasperated Republicans — including 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a handful of veteran consultants and members of the conservative intelligentsia — is actively plotting to draft an independent presidential candidate who could keep Donald Trump from the White House,” the Washington Post reports.
“These GOP figures are commissioning private polling, lining up major funding sources and courting potential contenders… The effort has been sporadic all spring but has intensified significantly in the 10 days since Trump effectively locked up the Republican nomination.”
Their top recruiting prospects: Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Gov. John Kasich.
“After days of confusion over Donald J. Trump’s hints that he would change his tax plan to reduce its budget-busting cost and make it less generous to the rich, his spokeswoman on Thursday sought to clear things up: He plans no changes, Hope Hicks said, and advisers who say otherwise do not speak for him,” the New York Times reports.
“…veteran consultants and members of the conservative intelligentsia…”
LMAO. If they, the conservative intelligentsia, were superheros – their super power would be reducing enormous bails of money into dust.
nobody has any insight into the controversy over medical examiner’s report on death of howard student? or even informed speculation? or observations on medical examiner office’s past actions? experts all over say the report was bogus. it’s only, like, the hottest story in delaware right now. if not that, it’s the mcdole report. not much on that either.
Would you like to write a guest post?
I second EA. Anyone remember that it’s “Delaware” Liberal? Other than Cassandra’s reports on Wilmington, not a lot of Delaware these days.
What I enjoy about the responses when I mention local issues is that everyone just says, “Well, it’s Delaware, nothing we can do about it.” And then we go back to talking about the presidential election, which Delawareans cannot in any meaningful way influence.
I have an idea. Why don’t you crybaby motherfuckers start your own blog?
I’m not convinced that Warren would run with Clinton or that Clinton would want a VP candidate from “Taxachusetts.” Too much northeastern emphasis in the ticket. I think and hope she will consider Sherod Brown from Ohio. A real advocate for the working class, good Midwestern appeal, and could deny Ohio to Trump who leads Clinton now there in a recent poll.
I read that Newt Gingrich was a leading contender for the VP slot with Trump. It’s hard to say who’d be more devastating to Trump: Palin or Gingrich. But I’m sure the comedy would be best with Palin.
I love how fucking defensive you all get when somebody criticises this space. “Scroll past!” “Start your own blog!” (Notice comments like this are increasing in frequency as well. Ever wonder why?)
It’s funnier still because the commenters are correct. Maybe you should reverse your own advice. Shut down this blog and just post all your National Presidential Election rumour and gossip and trash on like Reddit or Instagram.
If you don’t want comments you can remedy that fairly simply. It is “your blog.”
If you don’t want a Trump Presidency, the best VP choices are:
4) George Zimmerman
3) Gingrich
2) Cheney
1) Palin
sorry, thought you folks put yourselves out in the public arena because you had some knowledge of and insight into the important issues. maybe you don’t. you are essentially asking people to give up their time because you would make it worthwhile. so if you solicit our attention without delivering on your implied promise, we have a right to point this out. if you don’t care about an audience, that’s fine. you can do what you want, maybe just fight among yourselves. still i’d like to have reasons to keep reading this blog. it has been interesting over the years.
Dorian,
LOL! It is fucking funny how defensive you get when I get “defensive” (which, BTW, isn’t even defensive, it is making an actual suggestion to improve the lives of some crybaby type people. The barriers to entry in this space are zero. Get out… live life… Don’t be a spectator. I think the problem is, I just like profanity. That must have thrown you off.)
I like Sherrod Brown as VP too but Kasich would appoint his replacement which could cost the Senate majority.
Well knock me over with a feather:
“One of Donald Trump’s former girlfriends says her comments were distorted in a New York Times piece alleging that the presumptive Republican nominee has a history of making “unwelcome advances” to women.
“I did not have a negative experience with Donald Trump,” Rowanne Brewer Lane told “Fox & Friends” on Monday”
It wasn’t the profanity that threw me. I actually think that somebody here should write about the Howard student’s death or the McDole killing before anyone else photoshops Trump’s hair on a pig’s head.
So what threw me is that your reply didn’t seem to communicate the fact that the commenters were correct in their criticism. I fail to see what the low bar to entry into the blogging game has to do with the criticism.
First, no one here is getting paid. We write what we want to write about when we have time.
Second, “Important issues” is a relative term. I know this because what I think is important isn’t always what other people think is important.
Third, every day DD puts up an Open Thread for people to write about what they want. There is no topic here. Start a conversation. When my life is busy (like it is now) I make time to read the comments on the Open Thread and if there is a good conversation/comment on there I’ll Comment Rescue it and give it its own post.
Fourth, if you want to write a guest post, just let us know.
I really don’t have anything useful to say other than outrage about the Amy Joyner-Francis and McDole deaths. I have opinions on both cases, but even I know my opinions are probably wrong at this point.
I get all that. Write what you want. But if you have 4 or 5 or 6 hours a day to argue with one person about the Clintons’ marriage or what Bernie Sanders’ “endgame” may be some commenters on the “open thread” are,like, open to criticise the manner in which you use your time.
It’s a perfectly fair critique that, rather than address as is, garners snark responses, defensiveness and explanations of things we already know.
By way the, I did write something on the McDole affair.
i might have come across as a little harsh in my two posts here. i know you put a lot of work into this, and good work. del dem’s round-up of the political scene is thorough and informative. cassandra and pandora know a whole lot and are interesting to argue with. el som is an expert on local politics (and i wouldn’t mind seeing even more from him on music). jason is funny and snarky (snark can be fun). not sure who else is part of the “core” staff, so i’ll stop there.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic Party civil war, it’s Bunk vs. the Bernie Bros!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/wendell-pierce-arrested-battery-atlanta_us_57396b82e4b077d4d6f369f0
Well damn, I thought I was accumulating airline miles by posting in here
OK so here’s why I have difficulty with Clinton as a candidate.
Two ABC News stories from the same day, separated by six hours, according to the time stamps.
One says Clinton is promising voters that Bill would be put in charge of the entire nation’s economic revitalization:
During a campaign event in Fort Mitchell today, the Democratic presidential candidate was more blunt than ever about what her husband’s role would be in a future Clinton administration — saying she plans to to put the former president “in charge of economic revitalization.”
“My husband, who I’m going to put in charge of revitalizing the economy, ’cause you know he knows how to do it,” Clinton told the crowd at an outdoor organizing rally. “And especially in places like coal country and inner cities and other parts of our country that have really been left out.”
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bill-clinton-charge-revitalizing-economy-hillary-clinton/story?id=39132832
The other reports her as mouthing the word “No” repeatedly in different venues when asked if Bill will be in her cabinet.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bill-clinton-charge-revitalizing-economy-hillary-clinton/story?id=39132832
Both stories are bylined from Kentucky.
So WTF? Either Bill is going to have czar-like powers beyond anything a single cabinet member will have, or he’s not going to be at the table. Parse it all you like, juxtaposing the two answers–in the same damn state–just looks like pandering, inconsistency, or Reagan-like dementia.
I think Hillary saying that she’d put Bill in charge of revitalizing the economy is a political mistake. It will just play into the misogynistic rhetoric that she’s in over her head and can’t do the job.
@SN “Either Bill is going to have czar-like powers beyond anything a single cabinet member will have, or he’s not going to be at the table.”
I don’t see why it needs to be one of the other. He could be a simple advisor who sits at the table and listens… and then advises Hillary.
I often send someone to a meeting in my stead and then have them act as my advisor. I don’t give them my powers, but I do listen to them before acting.
@DG “It will just play into the misogynistic rhetoric that she’s in over her head and can’t do the job.”
I’m sure she’s thought this out. There is a strong nostalgia for the economy we had under Bill. And there are a lot of people who trust Bill more than they trust Hillary. Why not use that?
And look at the other guys. Bernie’s supporters are making death threats in Nevada, and Trump seems to want to make money by enrolling students in the Electoral College and wants to hire John Miller as the WH press secretary.
I too have nostalgia for the Bill Clinton economy, but Hillary already has an economic agenda she is currently CAMPAIGNING on, remember? Is she saying there’s something wrong with her own economic agenda? Let Bill’s role be to advocate and implement Hillary’s plans.
As for me, I think Hillary’s campaign platform is weak and misses the point. Bill’s economic plan was right for its time but neither of them has articulated an economic agenda that meets today’s challenges.
@p “…but neither of them has articulated an economic agenda that meets today’s challenges.”
And Trump has put forth an economic plan where the numbers just don’t add up at all… not even close. It makes no sense for the challenges of any era.
And Hillary cannot implement an economic plan without cooperation from the GOP. She can plan all she wants, but in the end, it’s going to be a rather tough negotiation.
” Trump has put forth an economic plan where the numbers just don’t add up at all… not even close. It makes no sense for the challenges of any era.”
True, but that doesn’t help improve Hillary’s economic agenda. Is “Trump sucks” always going to be the answer?
“there are a lot of people who trust Bill more than they trust Hillary.”
If that’s true, it’s proof that suckers are now born several times a minute. She strikes me as truthful but evasive. He’s a flat-out liar — not Trump level, perhaps, but he looked us straight in the camera’s eye and said he didn’t have sex with that woman. You can’t pull that off unless you’ve had a lot of practice.
I’m not clear on what is really important to her. And it’s even worse with the other nut
@mouse: That one’s easy: Women and children. She has fought for them her entire career, and it’s the reason that even those who don’t like her respect her.
At least he didn’t talk on the phone while he was sitting on the crapper like Johnson
I mean from a specific agenda perspective