Quote of the Day -- Prophetic Version

What'd she say? And when did she say it?

Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton

Just imagine Donald Trump in the Oval Office facing a real crisis. We can’t afford that kind of risk.

2:56 PM · Aug 8, 2016·TweetDeck

#thewomanwasright

Thanks, Republicans.

Links:

US confirms over 75,600 coronavirus new cases, breaking single-day record

GOP senators sound alarm as coronavirus surges in home states

Remember Hillary's 11 Hour Testimony on "Benghazi!"?

Me.  I'm right here.  My hand is up.

Thanks, Mr. President

Thanks, Republicans.

The Bad Hombre vs. The Nasty Woman

The Donald and Hill, songified. Hit it.



God forgive us.

The "Silver Lining" of This Donald Trump Candidacy

With all of the ugliness and sexism and hate and ignorance and racism and misogyny, etc., that has come for and to America with Donald Trump's Republican Party candidacy for the highest office in the nation, as horrible as it has been, there is, in fact, a "silver lining" for us all.

How ironic but how wonderful, too, is it that the Republicans would end up offering the worst candidate for the presidency ever, literally, in the history of our nation, this year so that the first woman to ever get the position and support as a candidate of a major party is not just elected but elected by a huge, historic landslide?

Because wait for it, that's what's about to take place, folks.

Wait for it.

But for the love of God and all that is good, take nothing, nothing for granted. Get out there and VOTE, folks!

A Deeply Conservative Republican On The Donald and This Race

"It is not acceptable to ask a moral, dignified man to cast his vote to help elect an immoral man who is absent decency or dignity.

If the consequence of standing against Trump and for principles is indeed the election of Hillary Clinton, so be it. At least it is a moral, ethical choice. If she is elected, the world does not end..."

--Glenn Beck

To All the Liberals and Left Wingers and Progressives

Think about this.

At minimum, at minimum, when Hillary Clinton takes office next year, this coming January 20, as president---and she will--she will, at the very least be appointing first one and then another or more Supreme Court Justices. At the very minimum.

And at that very least, the Democrats and Liberals and Progressives and anyone and everyone of any political stripe that realizes we need to get the money out of our politics will all get together and come up with a legal challenge to the earlier Citizens United ruling.

And it will be overturned.

So if you're maybe frustrated that Senator Sanders didn't make it to where we are now and to the White House, at least realize you have this. And it is no small thing.

Count on it.

One More Debate?

After these two debates between Donald Trump and Hillary Cliinton, what, now, is left to say? Okay, sure, they haven't really touched on climate change or equal rights for LGBTQ citizens or voter ID laws and no doubt a long list of other subjects but what, really, will be said or revealed in the next and final debate between these two?

Unless there's yet one--two? more?--horrific revelations about Trump that comes out between now and then, don't you expect we'll get more of the same from them in this last debate?

Mrs. Clinton will be facts and details with some history thrown in and he'll be the prancing, stalking, evading, emotional disaster he always is.

My question:

What will actually be revealed?

If people can still be behind the lying, bankrupting, shallow, racist, misogynistic, sexist, immature, irresponsible 70 year old that he is, given all that's been revealed on him, what hope is there anyone will change their minds?

And how could anyone be an undecided voter at this point?

What the hell else does one need to learn?

One More Huge Endorsement For Hillary

Last evening, another Democratic presidential candidate got yet another historic, even unprecedented  endorsement.

Foreign Policy breaks with tradition to endorse Hillary Clinton

For the first time in Foreign Policy’s nearly 50-year history, it has endorsed a candidate for president: Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

“In the nearly half century history of Foreign Policy, the editors of this publication have never endorsed a candidate for political office,” the editors wrote in its endorsement. “We cherish and fiercely protect this publication’s independence and its reputation for objectivity, and we deeply value our relationship with all of our readers, regardless of political orientation. It is for all these reasons that FP’s editors are now breaking with tradition to endorse Hillary Clinton for the next president of the United States.”

The editors of Foreign Policy called Clinton “one of the best qualified candidates this country has produced since World War II” who is “unquestionably well-prepared to lead this country.”

“Were she to be elected as this country’s first woman president, not only would it be historic and send an important signal about both inclusiveness and Americans’ commitment to electing candidates who have distinguished themselves on their merits, but she would enter office having already put down one great threat to the United States of America — the grotesque and deeply disturbing prospect of a Donald Trump presidency,” the editors wrote.

Meanwhile, in sharp contrast, is the Trump campaign, historic in its own, very opposite way.

Not a single newspaper has endorsed 

Donald Trump for President

Mr. Trump is going to take an electoral drubbing, folks.

Links:

Another conservative newspaper editorial page 

just endorsed Hillary

USA Today Makes Presidential Endorsement 

for First Time Ever

A newspaper that hasn't endorsed a Democrat for president in 7 decades shreds Trump as 'not qualified'

On Hillary, Us and Her Campaign

So much has been said and so much still should be said, of course, about any candidate for the presidency of the United States, but even more needs to be said about the first female to get this far in one of these races and here it is.

Dear Hillary: How Very Dare You!

A bit from the article:

Let me be as candid and transparent as possible: I was a very strong supporter of Bernie Sanders, and until the past four weeks, held out great hope that he would become our next President. Over the course of the past month, I have had to do a great deal of reflecting and ask myself where does this seemingly irrational antipathy for Hillary Clinton come from? Why have I participated in it? After doing some research and looking hard at systemic misogyny, I have had to confront myself with the truth that I bought into a narrative about Hillary Clinton that has been produced, packaged, and perpetuated by mostly the GOP with the help of many democrats and independents.

This narrative is a 30-year-old vilification of a woman who is bright, independent, wealthy, and powerful — a woman who asks for what she wants and needs. How very dare you, Ms. Clinton? How dare you have a mind of your own? How dare you be bright and powerful? How dare you ask for what you want and need? Don’t you know these rights are still exclusively for white, Christian, cisgender, able-bodied, heterosexual men?

My research indicates that the reality — the facts (I realize facts are immaterial when talking to many Trump supporters) — are that Hillary Clinton is one of the most honest politicians tracked by the Pulitzer Prize winning fact-checking project Politifact. I would also call upon Jill Abramson’s piece in the Guardian. Most of you probably know Abramson from the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. Abramson writes:

As an editor I’ve launched investigations into her business dealings, her fundraising, her foundation and her marriage. As a reporter my stories stretch back to Whitewater. I’m not a favorite in Hillaryland. That makes what I want to say next surprising. Hillary Clinton is fundamentally honest and trustworthy.

Members of the press, in their misguided attempt to be “balanced”, love to point out that we face a presidential contest between the two least-popular candidates ever. What they fail to do is analyze their own complicity in blindly adhering to the cartoon version of Hillary Clinton.

And it's so true. And it's so tiresome.

The Republicans and Right Wing have been investigating and attacking and publishing and printing and putting out material on first Bill Clinton, and now Hillary for years, undeniably. Virtually every bit has been fiction, at minimum, and frequently, far too frequently, out and out lies, fabrications and untruths. She and her husband have been investigated, honestly, more than any other two people in the entire nation and, very likely, the world.

Far too many have believed some or all of them, too, to all our loss.

This is, again, a hard-working, smart woman who wants good--maybe great?---things for her nation and for the people of this nation. She's been a Senator, she's been Secretary of State and in both she did good to great work. She's tested, God knows she's tested, and proven of worthy mettle.

So let's get over the misogyny. Let's get over the lies. Let's get over the untruths. Let's get over the fiction,  let's elect the first female president of these United States and let's get on with the work and progress or our nation.

Link:  Thinking About Hillary — A Plea for Reason

The Current, Nearly Unbelievable Presidential Election

Donald Trump speaks nearly exclusively of why Hillary is wrong for America.

Hillary Clinton only talks of how Mr. Trump is wrong for America.

Senator Bernie Sanders is the only one talking about what we, as a nation, need to do for Americans and America, about our problems, our challenges and solutions.

And there's a question of for whom we should vote?

Really?

A Simple But Fairly Accurate Description of This Presidential Election

Let's choose wisely, folks.

Decision 2016, In the Can

It's all over but the crying.

The Big Difference Between the Two Political Parties' Presidential Candidates

The big difference between the two political parties' presidential candidates is that two of them are discussing America's and American's problems and possible solutions.

The 3 candidates from the other political party are discussing the big ears of one, the stupidity of another, which one might be gay, one another and the like.

Oh, and Donald Trump just got some endorsements, yesterday, from some NASCAR drivers. That's got to mean a lot.

Right?

The One Sure Thing On This Presidential Election

Speaking with friends this weekend on our 2016 presidential election, I've come to the only one, sure conclusion.

If any person says they know how this election is going to turn out, they are wildly, wildly wrong.

This is, without doubt, one of the most quirky, even bizarre, unpredictable elections of the last 50 years, at least, and likely longer. To say they know the outcome shows they know little.

Another Historical Presidential Election

Just think of it.

Our last President, meaning our current one, the first black President of the United States.

Fantastic.

I wish I'd had the presence of mind a friend of mine had when he was first elected. He and his wife knew they wanted to be on hand for the acceptance speech in Chicago that November.

Now?

Now we're on the cusp of electing either the first woman President or the first Jewish, Democratic Socialist.

And some people say our best days are behind us. 

Bah.

Big Republican Problems Today, After Their 11 Hour Fiasco Yesterday

Republicans, today, this morning, don't just have one problem because yesterday's Benghazi interrogation/investigation/committee went badly. They have at least a few.  And they're not small.

The first is this--this poll came out just as yesterday's interrogation went down:

Poll: 3-in-4 say Benghazi panel politically motivated

Second, both Congressmen Trey Gowdy and Jim Jordan, at minimum, came across as attacking, impatient, rude people who then appeared slanted, biased, one-sided, negative and just ugly.

Next, what the media thinks and ends up saying will also make a difference. Last evening, reporter Carl Bernstein, of the Watergate Woodward/Bernstein crew, said last evening on CNN that this investigation of Benghazi today has become as abusive as Joe McCarthy and his McCarthy hearings, all those decades ago.

Fourth, the fact that this interrogation of former Secretary Clinton took 11 full hours yesterday will, I think, hurt the Republicans, since no new material was covered, factually. In fact, Congressman Gowdy said nothing new came from this 11 hours of interrogation, once it was over. All that and nothing new. If that doesn't spell waste of time and energy and, worst of all, money, nothing does.

Then there is the point I made here last evening---

According to PBS NewsHour last evening, there have been 22 individual hearings on Benghazi. For a sharp comparison, there were 21 hearings on the 9/11 tragedy. That's a lot of wasted time. And worse, money. Our government tax money.

Then there's this, for anyone who might think or say this isn't a political witch hunt:

Finally, this may be the most damaging, for the Republicans, of all, out of yesterday's hearings. Instead of hurting Secretary Clinton---

Fox's Ed Henry: Clinton "Did Look Presidential, She Did Look In Command Today, Just Like She Did At That Last Debate"

Besides finding nothing new and instead of hurting former Secretary Clinton/candidate Clinton, it likely, apparently helped, even strengthened her.

Ironically, even wonderfully, the Republicans were nearly immediately being pilloried in the media even during the hearings, let alone after, for this Benghazi grilling, ongoing and ugly as it is.

Followed, this week by last week's inability to even come up with a Speaker of the House quickly and easily, it's obvious, very obvious, the Republican Party is in worse shape internally and externally, both, than they ever imagined possible.

2016 looks better and better, doesn't it?

The Truth About the Democratic Candidates for President 2016

The fact is, the truth is, of the Democratic candidates for president this go 'round, for 2016, there is Bernie Sanders....    and then there is everybody else.

Senator Sanders has been fighting for most of America---the middle-, lower- and working-classes---for years and speaking up for and about us.

Everyone else in their campaigns just try to mouth more of the same things, just weaker. The best examples of this is in the front-runner, to date, Hillary Clinton, followed closely--in talking points only, not popularity--by Martin O'Malley.

Whenever I hear one of these candidates talking about supporting the middle class and fighting the wealthy gaining any more money, all I can hear is the essence of what Senator Sanders has been talking about for years and with far more conviction and original ideas.

How Americans like their politics

Americans seem to like our politics rather Captain Kirk-like--all emotional and "go get 'em!", clearly.

Between Fox "News" and now all the mainstream media outlets--CBS, NBC and ABC. If there are yelling and interrupting sessions and exclamation points and rude outbursts.

Sure, more of us could watch PBS and get good, intelligent, calm, two-sided information but, no, we want our screaming sessions.  We want to be entertained.

And we know it.

I am reminded of this nearly daily, if/when I am ever exposed to today's media.

Then I read things like the following, from The New York Times or nearly any news program on PBS, especially and including the Nightly News and/or Charlie Rose.

So with all the emotional hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth at and by Fox, it's always nice when I run across something far more logical, analytical, calm and logical--Spock-like---as here:

A Balancing Act on Iraq

President Obama has, so far, struck the right note on Iraq, where Sunni extremist militants are seizing territory and threatening the existence of the state. He has been cautious — emphasizing the need for political reform in Iraq and reaching out to other countries that could have an impact on its fate.

Trouble is, we don't want hard facts, really. We want conclusions. We also want articles and columns that already support our pre-supposed conclusions, sans supportable, actual data.

If Americans really wanted to learn about Iraq, Iran, Syria and the Middle East, as we should, they should watch this film clip, in full, totally undistracted.

Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell - Businessweek

Most Americans won't watch it, but they should.

The 2016 election

I'll be glad when we have a white president again, so people can just die and there won't be automatic conclusions that every death is some conspiracy by the guy in the White House.



Well, unless Hillary wins, in which case she'll be the new "Conspirator in Chief."

Next up, in Presidential elections...

Oh, yeah.

First black man elected president, next up, the first woman elected.

Bring it on.