Monday Open Thread, June 13, 2016

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Josh Marshall on the political fallout from the Orlando Massacre. Don't be so sure it helps Trump.
There appears to be a general consensus - met with glee by Trumpites and frustration by Democrats - that the atrocity in Orlando will be a boon to the campaign of Donald Trump. It will 'change the narrative' and play to Trump's call for a ban on Muslim immigration and general claim to be the only one tough enough to protect Americans. Put me down as skeptical about that assumption. [...] Trump's tweets [yesterday] morning were slashing but they were also preening, self-congratulatory and manic. There are ways to effectively politicize a tragedy. Trump appears psychologically incapable of doing so. He does sound 'tough' at some level. But far more he seems unsteady, erratic and self-obsessed. [Trump's speech today] will hurt him rather than help him. Because Trump is Trump. Most people have little appetite for a self-congratulatory and wildly politicized screed the day after a horrific attack. Some of you might be saying, You're being naive: fear sells. You're missing my point. Of course it does. But Trump's emotional instability, his temperament largely prevents him from effectively selling it. More than benefiting from a climate of fear, I suspect he is driving home what already worries voters, what is already his singular vulnerability: he lacks the temperament and emotional stability to be president. The other part of equation is Clinton. [...] When pollsters ask whether she has the temperament to be president and whether she is 'tough' and a leader she consistently and even today gets very high marks. That means she's well positioned to withstand hard attacks on this front. The same polls show that voters overwhelmingly believe Trump lacks the temperament to be president. If he acts now like he always acts he will confirm doubts and fears that are already at the forefront of the public mind.
Poppiti Proposes Pardons Fix

Poppiti Proposes Pardons Fix

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Last week I divulged my one essential candidate questionnaire question: Do you think that there is a “Democratic” approach to this office? Reading through some of the Lt. Governor candidates web sites, it appears to me that Poppiti's idea for giving the Board of Pardons direct legal authority to grant pardons for low-level, non-violent offenses is simple and rooted in Democratic principles of fairness. I can't cut and paste from the site, but click through here and give it a read.

Sunday Open Thread , June 12, 2016

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Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) joked at a conservative Christian event that he prays President Obama’s days will be “few,” the Huffington Post reports. Said Perdue: “We should pray like Psalms 109:8 says. It says: ‘Let his days be few and let another have his office.'” Perdue did not continue, but Psalm 109 is a death wish for one of David’s enemies. It continues: “Let his children be fatherless; and his wife a widow. Let his children wander about and beg; and let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes. Let the creditor seize all that he has; and let strangers plunder the product of his labor. Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him; nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; in a following generation let their name be blotted out.“ Hey Republicans, you want to know why Trump "happened" to you, it is because you act like Senator Perdue. Trump happened because you all are Trump.

The Weekly Addresses

In this week's address, President Obama discussed the crippling economic crisis harming 3.5 million Americans in Puerto Rico. In his weekly message, Governor Markell recognizes the progress Delaware has made in ensuring all people have the opportunity to be productive members of our community.

Friday Open Thread, June 10, 2016

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Matt Yglesias says the Warren endorsement of Hillary matters:
An early endorsement of Clinton by Warren could have helped the former Secretary of State in the primaries. This late in the process it can’t possibly make a difference, since Clinton has already won. But where it can make a difference is in persuading Bernie Sanders’ supporters to get over their campaign-season anti-Clinton feelings and hop on board. That’s because, like Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Warren is very popular with Sanders supporters, including Sanders supporters who say they won’t vote for Clinton in the general election. And while Warren’s support is less significant than Obama's in this regard, it carries more weight than Obama’s with a small but potentially influential group of thought-leaders and ideological activists. Anti-Clinton Bernie fans who also like Obama are basically confused about where the various politicians stand. Warren is different. Ideologically speaking, she’s considerably closer to Sanders than she is to Clinton or Obama. Specifically she is the most prominent enemy of Wall Street and big banks in American politics, and if she says progressives should get over Goldman Sachs speeches and back Clinton that carries weight.
Not everyone is happy about it. I had to unfriend someone on Facebook who called Warren a "sellout c---" for endorsing Hillary. And if you look at Warren's Facebook page, you will find similar if not identical sentiments. I am thankful beyond words that our Sanders supporters here at DL are nice and reasonable people. ;) And I am thankful that the vast majority of Bernie's supporters are reasonable people, who, in the end, will come aboard and unite as one campaign.