Thursday Open Thread [7.14.16]
RBG is responsible for nearly the entirety of equal protection doctrine based on gender classification but sure let's scold her like a child
— Dave Sund (@davesund) July 13, 2016
The Huffington Post “attempted to call the contact phone numbers for the Trump campaign in all 50 states. A few of the state operations had no websites or no numbers listed. Many of the other numbers didn’t work. When we left voicemails, we didn’t get callbacks.”
“On only six occasions did someone actually answer the phone. And in several of those instances, the person who picked up explained that a physical office would be opened up only after the convention.”
Ezra Klein has a great and lengthy interview with Hillary Clinton that you should check out. The full interview is here. His accompanying piece, called Understanding Hillary, tackles the Hillary Gap, which I have observed myself. The Hillary Gap is the distance between the Hillary you seen in public, and the Hillary seen when the press is not around.
This is an effort to answer a question I’ve been struggling with since at least 2008: Why is the Hillary Clinton described to me by her staff, her colleagues, and even her foes so different from the one I see on the campaign trail?
I’ve come to call it “the Gap.” There is the Hillary Clinton I watch on the nightly news and that I read described in the press. She is careful, calculated, cautious. Her speeches can sound like executive summaries from a committee report, the product of too many authors, too many voices, and too much fear of offense.
The Iraq War mars her record, and the private email server and the Goldman Sachs paydays frustrate even her admirers. Polls show most Americans doubt her basic honesty. Pundits write columns with headlines like “Why Is Clinton Disliked?”
And then there is the Hillary Clinton described to me by people who have worked with her, people I admire, people who understand Washington in ways I never will. Their Hillary Clinton is spoken of in superlatives: brilliant, funny, thoughtful, effective. She inspires a rare loyalty in ex-staff, and an unusual protectiveness even among former foes.
Obama administration officials, up to and including the president, badly want to see her win — there is something in the way she acted after the election, in the soldier she became and the colleague she showed herself to be, that has curdled the pride they felt in winning the 2008 primary into something close to guilt.
This is the Gap I set out to understand. While reporting this story, I spoke to dozens of people who have worked with Clinton in every stage of her career, going back to her time in the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion. Every single one acknowledged its existence. Many were frustrated and confused by it.
So, too, is Clinton herself.
This isn’t getting a lot of attention. But it should. Everybody took note when Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that American Muslims across the river in New Jersey celebrated and cheered as the Twin Towers fell on 9/11 – an entirely fabricated claim. Last night on Bill O’Reilly’s show and then separately at a rally in Westfield, Indiana he did something very similar and in so doing cemented his status an impulsive propagator of race-hatred and violence.
The details of the rapid-fire fulmination are important. So let’s look at them closely.
Trump claimed that people – “some people” – called for a moment of silence for mass killer Micah Johnson, the now deceased mass shooter who killed five police officers in Dallas on Thursday night. There is no evidence this ever happened. Searches of the web and social media showed no evidence. Even Trump’s campaign co-chair said today that he can’t come up with any evidence that it happened. As in the case of the celebrations over the fall of the twin towers, even to say there’s ‘no evidence’ understates the matter. This didn’t happen. Trump made it up. […]
A would-be strong man, an authoritarian personality, isn’t just against disorder and violence. They need disorder and violence. That is their raison d’etre, it is the problem that they are purportedly there to solve. The point bears repeating: authoritarian figures require violence and disorder. Look at the language. “11 cities potentially in a blow up stage” .. “Anger. Hatred. Hatred! Started by a maniac!” … “And some people ask for a moment of silence for him. For the killer.”
At the risk of invoking Godwin’s Law, if you translate the German, the febrile and agitated language of ‘hatred’, ‘anger’, ‘maniac’ … this is the kind of florid and incendiary language Adolf Hitler used in many of his speeches. Note too the actual progression of what Trump said: “Marches all over the United States – and tough marches. Anger. Hatred. Hatred! Started by a maniac!”
Police pulled over #PhilandoCastile not because of broken tail light but because of his nose according to police audio. @TheLastWord 10pm
— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) July 13, 2016
Donald Trump “is seeking $10 million in damages from a former senior campaign consultant, Sam Nunberg, alleging that Nunberg leaked confidential information to reporters in violation of a nondisclosure agreement,” the AP reports.
In a court filing, Nunberg accuses Trump of trying to silence him “in a misguided attempt to cover up media coverage of an apparent affair” between senior campaign staffers.
Yeah, this is normal. A Presidential candidate suing an aide for 10 million. How does he even come up with that figure?
WATCH: Carmelo, CP3, Wade and LeBron opened the ESPYs with a call for change in America https://t.co/WupiDjKn3L pic.twitter.com/G6FGwpTTft
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 14, 2016
James Hohmann says Pence is practically begging to be VP: “One of the bigger knocks on Mike Pence when he was in the House, whispered privately among some leading lights of the conservative movement, was that he comes across as inauthentic and a little phony. As a former radio host, he still sometimes talks with a bit of an affect and he’s prone to hyperbole. Lavishing over-the-top praise on Donald Trump over recent days in an effort to become his running-mate will only cement this perception.”
“For example, Pence declared last night that, ‘Trump understands the frustrations and the hopes of the American people like no other American leader in my lifetime since Ronald Reagan.’ This is a laughable comment when you consider that he endorsed Ted Cruz on April 29—just 10 weeks ago!—ahead of the Indiana primary. If Pence actually believes the above to be true, why didn’t he endorse Trump then?”
“Pence risks looking desperate as he all but pleads for the job. During their joint appearance outside Indianapolis, it felt at times like the governor wants to be rescued from having to stand for reelection this November.”
Yes, the oft-repeated CW about pushing HRC left is indeed "sanctimonious, paternalistic bullshit." https://t.co/31UKQnTJ4N ht @sarahkendzior
— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) July 13, 2016
Historian David McCullough, “raised in a Republican home and now aligned with no party,” told the New York Times that “the prospect of a Trump presidency so distressed him that he felt he could not remain publicly detached.”
Said McCullough: “When you think of how far we have come, and at what cost, and with what faith, to just turn it all over to this monstrous clown with a monstrous ego, with no experience, never served his country in any way — it’s just crazy. We can’t stand by and let it happen. The Republican Party shouldn’t stand by and let it happen.”
Sticking point in HRC/Sanders talks: which of his surrogates speak @ convention—they're not all popular in Brooklyn. https://t.co/unpzdVxkeU
— Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) July 12, 2016
Yeah, there will be no Cornel West or Susan Sarandon or Tim Robbins speaking at the convention. But Jeff Merkley and Tulsi Gabbard and Raul Grivijia, sure.
New York Times: “Republicans moved on Tuesday toward adopting a staunchly conservative platform that takes a strict, traditionalist view of the family and child rearing, bars military women from combat, describes coal as a ‘clean’ energy source and declares pornography a ‘public health crisis.’”
“It is a platform that at times seems to channel the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump — calling to ‘destroy ISIS,’ belittling President Obama as weak and accusing his administration of inviting attacks from adversaries. But the document positions itself far to the right of Mr. Trump’s beliefs in other places — and amounts to a rightward lurch even from the party’s hard-line platform in 2012 — especially as it addresses gay men, lesbians and transgender people.”
Black senator describes facing unfair scrutiny by police – https://t.co/4kGK7T758Y https://t.co/YAMm7mAHOQ
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 14, 2016
Fifty years ago, a senator from Vermont gave Lyndon B. Johnson the best advice that LBJ ever ignored. The country was just then getting waist deep in the Mekong and the gentleman from Vermont had a suggestion. “Just declare victory,” Senator George Aiken told the president, “and then get the hell out.”
If you want to know what happened on Tuesday in a high school gymnasium here, when another smart senator from Vermont endorsed the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, keep Aiken’s advice in mind. Because what Bernie Sanders did was to declare victory and then get the hell out of the race…
And it says more than a little about HRC that she allowed Sanders to take this extended victory lap in his speech prior to endorsing her formally, and that she and her campaign allowed a vigorous debate to take place over the platform. It was both personally classy and politically shrewd—especially since she had to know that the various phrenologists and seers in the campaign press corps were going to divine every blink of an eye on the podium for some hidden conflict or deeper meaning. She was also very gracious in her remarks toward his supporters, some of whom walked out in protest before she began.
The GOP convention starts in less than 5 days.
There is still no schedule of events/speakers.
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) July 13, 2016
Late on Wednesday night, the New York Times revealed the lineup, which it says was confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of convention planning:
Night 1: A Benghazi focus, followed by border patrol agents and [Jamiel Shaw Sr.]. Senator [Tom] Cotton, [Rudy] Giuliani, Melania Trump, [Senator Joni] Ernst and others.
Night 2: A focus on the economy: Mr. White, president of the U.F.C.; Asa Hutchinson, the governor of Arkansas; Michael Mukasey, the former United States attorney general; Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a vice-presidential possibility; Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader; Tiffany Trump; Donald Trump Jr. and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
Night 3: [Pam Bondi, the Florida attorney general]; [Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission]; Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker; Senator Ted Cruz of Texas; Eric Trump; [professional golfer Natalie] Gulbis; and the nominee for vice president.
Night 4: Mr. Tebow; Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma; Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman; Gov. Rick Scott of Florida; [Peter] Thiel; [Colony Capital’s Thomas ] Barrack; Ivanka Trump; Donald J. Trump.
Take a minute, because there’s a lot to absorb here, from Mitch McConnell’s remarks being followed by 22-year-old Tiffany Trump’s thoughts on the economy to the presence of billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel, who successfully funded the Hulk Hogan lawsuit to get revenge on Gawker Media. The schedule may also provide some clues about who Trump has selected as his running mate. Potential VPs Lieutenant General Michael Flynn and Newt Gingrich are named, suggesting they will not be speaking as the “nominee for vice president.” Governors Chris Christie and Mike Pence do not appear on the list, but the Times reports Trump is still inviting people and more speakers may be added.
Weirdly, House Speaker Paul Ryan is not on the list, though he told Politico he’d be delivering a speech. Also missing are several people Trump said he would invite, such as Don King, Sarah Palin, and Tom Brady.
Night 1 Benghazi focus. Ugh, so disgusting.
“22-year-old Tiffany Trump’s thoughts on the economy”
Every word in that phrase is funny.
“Yes, the oft-repeated CW about pushing HRC left is indeed “sanctimonious, paternalistic bullshit.”
LOL!
Mike Pence with the slight lead in the “Suck-Up of the Century” polling. Can you even imagine what happened to him in his childhood to leave him with such a yawning chasm where his self respect should be? The mind reels.
As for Hillary’s two sides, it is interesting because I heard something yesterday that was going to make me post something similar. In listening to Bernie’s speech at the endorsement, I let it run into Hillary’s. (I believe Deldem praised the same speech yesterday). I’ve heard conservatives use her shrillness against her… And to be honest, it was so bad, I had to turn down the volume. Later the feed became silent (no one ever watches videos, they just let them run on other tabs) so I clicked on the tab, she was still speaking and her voice was low… That part was amazing…. Then she started screeching again… the volume went down…
She as a flaw here that is serious and not some conservative talking point, and some on the inside need to pass it up to tell her about it.
I agree. When she shouts, it is not good. In a crowd like that, she feels the need to shout over them like Obama, but it doesn’t work. Her calm voice is amazing though. It pulls you in. I hate Bernie’s shouting too, and all he does is shout. 😉
I read the article referenced in Tom Watson’s tweet above. It includes yet another attempt to “prove” HRC is a progressive based on her voting record in Congress. Sigh.
Now that the Sanders campaign is over (I think), let me try one last time to explain the problem: Being progressive within the existing system is a tightly limited form of progressivism. It is summed up best by HRC’s call to equalize opportunity within this system; she wants everybody to have the opportunity to succeed.
The problem is that, within our regulated (some would say rigged) market-based system, there will always be more “losers” (people who are running in place or falling behind) than winners (people whose earnings exceed their parents’). Placing a female or POC face at the top of the pyramid does not make the system less oppressive. It reminds me of the “Lean In” type of advice — you can succeed in business, just act like the same kind of jerks successful men do!
Our system is based on competition. We are taught from a young age to value competition, so we never question its efficacy. Most of society’s problems, however, come not from a lack of competition but from a lack of cooperation. Cooperation does not spring from competition; it must be learned, and we for the most part do not teach it.
We preach that only winning matters, and then act surprised that a society full of people who didn’t win is not a happy one.
I don’t want diverse faces at the top of the pyramid. I want to flatten the pyramid.
Hillary’s priorities are to start working on Maslow’s hierarchy from the top of the pyramid. For those who already have their lower-level needs met, that sounds great.
A $15 minimum wage, paid tuition, and real Wall Street reform, and blocking TPP would do more to empower women and minorities than anything Hillary proposed during the primary.
Please stop with the voice policing. Pretty please? And I’ll point out that you don’t hear women making these voice comments. (yes, yes, there’s always a few). Do you ever wonder why that is? Think about it. Also, she doesn’t “screech”, but the use of the word is effective if you want to convey a negative message without substance.
“A $15 minimum wage, paid tuition, and real Wall Street reform, and blocking TPP would do more to empower women and minorities than anything Hillary proposed during the primary.”
That’s not completely true, and women and minorities have been trying to tell that to Bernie supporters since before Iowa. Imagine if you (general you) had listened.
Those who support her agenda would have a better point had HRC had embraced the Black Lives Matter movement — real systemic change to help minorities would be worth supporting. But she’s not bold enough to do that.
Don’t misunderstand, I think women will gain more ground in the next four years than they have in any four-year period in the past 100 years. But the changes will be bound by the existing power structure.
@pandora: Get over the voice thing, pretty please? If you want to reprogram your GPS to use HRC’s shouty voice, go right ahead. I don’t think it’ll be in high demand.
Hillary supporters not understanding how those changes would help them is just as big a problem as Bernie supporters misunderstanding how terrible women and minorities feel about being treated as second-class.
“Don’t misunderstand, I think women will gain more ground in the next four years than they have in any four-year period in the past 100 years. But the changes will be bound by the existing power structure.”
Agreed, and I’d add minorities to that statement as well, but this was the way it was always going to be – no matter who won the nomination.
Not getting over the voice thing and that’s probably due to my life experiences. Do you know how often women’s voices are critiqued? It’s right up there with telling us to smile. Here’s a small sampling:
You sound like: A fishwife, a bimbo, a nag, shrill, a porn star, a sorority “chick”, a Valley girl, a frigid b*tch, cold, unapproachable, hysterical, etc.
So yeah, I’d like us to stop policing women’s voices, especially since a man’s voice (a white man’s voice) is, yet again, the default setting.
oh wait… here comes the token ” _______(other woman’s name)’s voice is just fine! I only have a problem with HRC” comment.
Know what? I have, at times, thought… man, that voice is annoying. And realized I think that because I’ve had it beaten into my man-head that I’m supposed to. No one wakes up and decides to be a ___ist. They get that way by not catching themselves when they start down a path. Some people realize they are being a bigot and happily pluge down the rabbit hole… see.. any Trump supporter.
I don’t hold Hillary’s or Bernie’s voice against them. Hillary’s natural voice is fine, but like most politicians male or female, it becomes unappealing when she chooses to use that artificially stentorian oratorical tone and cadence. Same for Bernie, actually. Very few politicians sound good at loud volume. And in some of the rooms they speak in, they literally cannot hear themselves.
Looks like Pence:
Citing an anonymous source, Roll Call reported Thursday that Donald Trump would select Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) as his running mate.
Roll Call spoke with a “Republican with direct knowledge of the decision.” Trump said he would formally announce his vice president at 11 a.m. Friday in New York City.
Other people in the running for the VP spot include New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
From The Hill: Centrist Dems wary of public option push
and under that there is a picture of Tom Carper (of course).
Carper gives an awkward non sequitur quote but still manages to work in the word “bipartisan,” which makes it on-message (for Carper).
There could be some strategic reasons in picking Mike Pence ( never heard of him),but on face value, considering current political and pop culture; two woman trump two men, in this particular card game….. Hell, almost any combination the Hillary people choose now trumps two white men(at face value).
I dont think Trump has a strategic reason for doing anything. Pence has been a total ass-kisser and Trump is only an ego. I wouldnt be at all surprised if his first pick was replaced in the next month or so.
“I wouldnt be at all surprised if his first pick was replaced in the next month or so.”
You may be on to something there. Hillary and Trump could be like they are in one of those fixed gear bicycle races where they go around the track at like one mile per hour waiting for the other to make a move.
Two women may trump two white men, but maybe not a white man and a black man, or a white man and a woman of any race, but preferably a black woman.
Is Hillary waiting for Trump to make his choice before she chooses a choice that trumps Trump’s choice?
Crack-pot theory…. Pence will be the Nominee.
OK? Well, alrighty then.
Puck – Thanks for the link. In that picture they are all Red State D senators, save one. Hmmm….
I simply can’t get over the level of ass-kissery the supplicant must have been willing to engage in to get the “honor” of being Trump’s VP pick. I’m truly stupefied at the thought that someone beat out Christie and Gingrich in a contest of self-abasement.
It’s Pence. And right away the White House trolls Republicans by praising Pence for expanding Medicaid “under Obamacare.”
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/287766-white-house-praises-trumps-vp-pick-for-expanding-medicaid
Pence made national headlines last year when companies like Salesforce announced it would leave Indiana if the governor signed a proposed religious freedom bill that would have allowed businesses to discriminate against LGBT individuals. The governor later signed a revised version of the law. I don’t know what else he is known for.
You love to stir the pot…
Hillary’s priorities are to start working on Maslow’s hierarchy from the top of the pyramid. For those who already have their lower-level needs met, that sounds great.
A $15 minimum wage, paid tuition, and real Wall Street reform, and blocking TPP would do more to empower women and minorities than anything Hillary proposed during the primary.
Hillary must pick Booker.
I stop listening when anyone starts shouting. I think Hillary can make her points much better by not shouting, but, I think that with all people.
Liberals are such fools. Hillary should have Monica lewinsky and Vince Foster speak for her
Or maybe Chris Stevens can offer a national security recommendation?
@LI “Hillary should have Monica lewinsky … speak for her”
I’d love to see Monica on the stage with Hillary.
High drama there… good chance for redemption and closure.
….and a payoff for sure.
Nothing wrong with a speaking fee.
…and a whole lot better than forcing a woman to have sex with an infested dick so she can get the job she wants… Right??
You can’t watch Fox News anymore without wondering who she fucked to get that job…
@pandora: I thought the default setting for the human voice — based on how much voice-over work he got — was James Earl Jones.