Obama Endorses Hillary, First Campaign Appearance next week

Following a private meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday, Sen. Bernie Sanders announced that he is willing to work together with Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. "I look forward to meeting with her in the near future to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump and create a government which represents all of us and not just the one percent," Sanders told reporters outside the White House. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure Donald Trump does not become President of the United States." The Vermont senator, however, stopped short of endorsing Clinton, telling reporters he had no intention of dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination just yet. About 20 minutes ago, both the Clinton campaign and the White House released the above Obama Endorsement Video and announced that the Obama-Clinton duo will have their first joint campaign appearance on June 15 in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area.

Thursday Open Thread, June 9, 2016

Ed Kilgore sees two conditions that would need to be present before the GOP resorts to the nuclear option of dumping Trump:
The first would be a widespread abandonment of Trump by the very party opinion-leaders who have been climbing aboard his bandwagon in the last few weeks — a mass exodus on the “off-ramp” Graham is talking about. The second and more important development would be a radical change in the rank-and-file sentiment — which was strongly evident long before Trump appeared to have nailed down the nomination — opposing any kind of “coup” against the primary results.
Yeah, dumping Trump won't work because they you will piss off all those voters who elected him the nominee in the first place. You need them to vote this fall to keep Republicans across the land in office. If they stay home: Boom. Democrats sweep everything. The Republicans are in a no win situation of their own making and I am getting the popcorn:
Open Thread for Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Open Thread for Wednesday, June 8, 2016

So that's it. It's over. Pardons of course to the residents of the District of Columbia who get to vote next week, but it's over. Hillary won a rather commanding double digit victory in California, won close races in South Dakota and New Mexico, lost a close race in Montana, lost a caucus in North Dakota, and scored a Maryland-style blowout win in New Jersey. In so doing, she clinches majority leads in the popular votes, in states/territories won, in pledged delegates, in all delegates. By every single metric there is, she is the nominee. And I hope everyone takes a minute, to reflect on that. We have just nominated the first woman Presidential candidate to lead our party in American history. What took us so long? It is a historic moment that will be remembered by our great grand children. It will be in the history books. Indeed, we are living in an era right now that will be spoken of in 100 years with awe. The election of the nation's first black President followed by the election of the first woman President. Stop and appreciate it for a little bit. I fell asleep before Bernie's speech last night, but I have seen it described as a deescalation of tensions if not the beginning of a stand down. Senator Sanders is due to meet in Washington tomorrow, at his request, with the President of the United States and Senator Harry Reid. I expect that during both meetings with Obama and Reid, Bernie will be offered incentives to bow out gracefully now. Everything from certain platform concessions, changes to the primary process, and declarations that he will be the leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Progressive Wing of the party, and encouraging him and Jane to form a progressive campaign organization that will elect mini-Bernies across the land. Where there are carrots, there are also sticks to make it apparent to Bernie that if a graceful exit is not achieved, there will be consequences. But let's be positive and not speak of that right now. I choose to believe that Bernie, after resting and reflecting after some much need sleep, will do the right thing.

Obama Congratulates Clinton and Sanders

Just after mid-night the White House released the statement below. If they want it, I believe Clinton, Sanders and Obama can become be a three-headed destroyer of conservatism. The time is right to set the GOP back 50 years and re-establish fairness as a core national value and rational decision making, as a core national competency. Yes we can.

Congratulations to our Nominee.

20150725_wip016 Hillary has won New Jersey, is currently leading in South Dakota and New Mexico, and she has officially clinched the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. We still await results from the North Dakota caucus and the California primary.
Trump and Qaddafi: Housemates and Business Partners?

Trump and Qaddafi: Housemates and Business Partners?

If this Buzzfeed story has legs, then perhaps the Donald's may get cut off.
Overlooking terrorism that killed Americans, including the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, Donald Trump sought investment partnerships with Muammar al-Qaddafi and the Libyan regime. He rented his Westchester estate to the dictator, tried to set up a face-to-face meeting, and took the Libyan ambassador golfing.
I can't make this stuff up. Qaddafi was to be a house guest at one of Trump's opulent estates. Or, more accurately, he would pitch his opulent tent on Trump's opulent lawn. And sacrifice a lamb. Trump would get $200K. A bunch of Libyans had already moved in.  All went well until helicopters recorded what was going on. Trump later claimed that he had no idea that this was going on, and that he threw Qaddafi out. As if all these Libyans were squatting on the Trump grounds w/o permission. Uh, read the story. You decide who is telling the truth. More importantly, the story reports that Trump made every effort to strike various business deals with the Libyan dictator. Please. Read it.  I'm gonna stand by my prediction from earlier this week.  I don't think Trump gets the nomination.