Doug Masson is a lawyer in Lafayette, Indiana, and one of the most thoughtful and erudite Indiana bloggers. He has a post on the Democratic primary that is well worth reading in its entirety–and with which I entirely agree–but I was particularly struck by this quotation from Federalist 68
Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one quarter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union?”
The “desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant…by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union.”
Whatever propaganda Republicans employ to dismiss the findings of the Mueller Report or denigrate America’s Intelligence operations, the evidence is overwhelming that Russia raised a creature of its own during the 2016 election. That evidence was recently confirmed by a bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence committee, about which I will report more fully in due course.
As Doug says, Trump is “emotionally fragile, intellectually bankrupt, and utterly corrupt”.
He believes that the office of the Presidency is there to serve him rather than the other way around. His trading on public resources to induce foreign powers to meddle in our elections was exactly the kind of thing the Founders were concerned about when they wrote the Constitution.
Most readers of this blog have already joined me in my determination to “Vote Blue No Matter Who,” (I would personally cast my ballot for a potted plant if it was the alternative to Trump) but that doesn’t mean that most of us don’t have favorites in–and opinions about– the Democratic Primary. At this point in the process, I find myself agreeing with Doug’s analysis.
For my part, I don’t mind Biden, but I like Mayor Pete and Elizabeth Warren. I don’t have strong feelings about Bernie himself, but his online supporters have been fairly off-putting in a way that doesn’t seem nearly so common for supporters of other candidates. In a perfect world, I should be comparing policies, but Presidential campaigns are won or lost on the basis of personalities. The electorate says they care about policy, but when it comes time to vote, they mostly don’t understand the policies and have shaped their understanding of the policies to conform with their personality preferences. I may have better than average understanding of some of these issues, but ultimately, I don’t know enough about the ins and outs of federal laws, rules, and regulations to truly assess the candidates’ plans beyond a pretty superficial level. Nevermind the fact that whatever they propose will have to navigate the legislative process. I’m going to have to trust that the person will do the best they can and will generally make sound decisions.
I have previously called Bernie and Biden analog candidates for a digital age. Either would be immensely preferable to Trump, but I would prefer to see both of them as honored elder statesmen. I love Elizabeth Warren, but I worry that she would make a fairly easy target. Plus I’d hate to see her leave the Senate, where she has been such an effective voice for fairness.
And I really love Mayor Pete.
I’m ready to turn this country over to a new generation–to the people who will have to live with the results of the economic and environmental decisions they make, who grew up with and understand the immense impact of technology on everyday life, and who have the intellect and energy that the Presidency requires and that the current President so clearly lacks.
The men who wrote The Federalist and crafted our Constitution were young. I Googled it, and it turns out that many of the Founding Fathers were not yet 40 years old in 1776. The average age of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was 44 (Ben Franklin undoubtedly raised the average!), but more than a dozen of them were 35 or younger.
The impressive Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand was born in 1980 and elected at age 37, and Emmanuel Macron of France just turned 41.
On the other end of the spectrum, I’m Bernie’s age, and most days, I need a nap.
All that said–whoever emerges will have my activism and my vote. Whoever it is won’t have Russia’s.
Sheila, you have read my mind.
Yes. This extract from the Federalist Papers indeed explains the intent of our founders to eliminate exactly was our current creature is perpetrating and getting support from the totally, and fundamentally corrupt Republicans. Amazing. Is their re-election that important that they’re willing to throw the entire country under the bus? I guess so.
BTW, why aren’t more people listening to Amy Klobuchar? Hers is a voice of reason, intelligence and wit. She’s the right age with the right disposition. Warren fizzes too much, and Bernie and Joe, as you say are ready for the rocking chair. I say this because there is SO MUCH work to do to repair the destruction caused by the orange tornado and his dissembling pals. This country will NEVER elect somebody like Mayor Pete. Yes, he is erudite, glib and mostly correct. BUT, most of the country isn’t comfortable with his “baggage”. That concept still freaks out way too many people, especially the testosterone-laced gun fondlers.
Yes. Sign me up for Amy or the potted plant.
Mayor Pete does not present a break with the previous policies of his Democratic elders. His attack on Senater Warren’s health proposal bordered on vicious. He seemingly has accepted “the Deep State’s” control of our society as laid out in ChrisHedges’ column yesterday entitled “The Enemy Within.” “Our Revolution,” the Sunrise Movement, The Extinction Rebellion go unmentioned by Mayor Pete, as far as I’m aware. It is startling to be reminded The Founding Fathers were barely so. Their grasp of a vision of a democratic republic was remarkable. Yet when we compare it to the lack of vision in both parties, the GOP having been emasculated by Trump, and most Democrats clinging to their neoliberal ideals, I long for the challenge of Sanders and Warren to become reality.
My money will be on any blue candidate but my hopes are with Joe; experienced in the presidency and seasoned with the wisdom to recognize what has actually been done, or undone, by Trump & Co.
“These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one quarter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils.”
Regarding those “foreign powers”; Trump and the current unRepublicans have gift wrapped and handed parts of this government to those foreign powers. The current Formal Impeachment Inquiry is based primarily on the Ukraine episode; it is vital that we all pay attention to dates of this government’s involvement with Ukraine because President Zilensky was only elected on April 21, 2019 and won by 73% of the vote. He is a novice politician; Trump’s connections began with the previous Ukraine administration which was as corrupt, if not more so, than our own current government. Those dates and names are or hopefully will come out in the released portions of the Mueller Report not made public before. The timing of all things connected to Trump and Ukraine will tell the story; which seem to be coming out at this time.
PLEASE VOTE TODAY IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO!
Great post! One little phrase stuck out for me related to Bernie’s online supporters being off-putting. I noticed that my FB friends who are staunch Bernie supporters have been sharing memes that denigrate the Democratic Party and its candidates. I truly believe these memes originate from the “infiltrators” whether they be Russian bots or Radical Right cronies who are bent on dividing the Trump opposition. I am surprised, no alarmed, at my progressive friends who believe these memes they share. It seems many Bernie supporters are an easy target for brainwashing similar to the far right supporters of Trump. Is anyone else seeing this?
I must disagree. We have gotten in the mess we’re in because we were not careful who we put into office. Biden is a complete loser who is more Republican than Democrat and is showing signs of dementia. We have had enough of officials with mental problems.
Buttigieg is worrisome because of his donors. He happily takes all the corporate cash he can get his hands on and will pay that piper, to our detriment.
Centrism will fail as it is cowardice; candidates who are too afraid to do what they know they need to do for the betterment of this society. Centrist candidates are afraid of upsetting the rich in society who have interests in keeping average people in their place.
Bernie Sanders is only taking campaign money from small donors…regular citizens with whom he will owe his allegiance. He cares much more about us regular folks than he does about corporations. His plans are much more thought out than any of the other candidates. His policies are designed to point us in a better, more sustainable direction.
I want to see the bastard Trump gone as much as anyone, but we do ourselves little good by putting someone in office who is still beholden to the rich. “Any blue will do” won’t do. We have to be better than that.
Biden and Bernie are too old. Warren is a fighter for justice but too many of our voters are, frankly, sexist…witness what happened with Hilary, who would have been a hugely competent executive.
Warren is also trying to do too much too soon. Not that she isn’t right but let’s do evolution, not revolution. They aren’t asking the right question when they ask who I favor as the Democratic candidate though. My vote would be Mayor Pete all the way but can he get elected when we have a third of this country bowing down to Trump, Fox News and their ilk? They probably are not ready to elect a gay President and Trump simply must be defeated. Mayor Pete is more moderate, He advances progressive causes more slowly so that the undecideds don’t feel threatened. If he is not President this time, he will be in the future.
Thanks, Neal. Look into Amy Klobuchar’s policies. She’s not that photogenic, but neither was Lyndon Johnson.
Like many others, I like Warren’s ideas, but she will meet the same fate as Hillary did. If Buttigieg were the candidate, the Republican slime machine would go into high gear. Remember the rumor about Hillary running a child-sex operation in DC? That would be nothing. Bernie has good ideas, but the anchor that would be tied to him (Socialist) might be an effective disqualifier. I know too little about all of the others, because they don’t have to organizations needed to get whatever ideas they have magnified to the point that people have them in mind. Biden doesn’t impress me, but his age doesn’t bother me. After all, think about RBG. By now, he should have the most effective PR operation, but he doesn’t, and that makes him look weak and ineffective. But, like Sheila, I will vote for the potted plant rather than “The Orange One.”
What I would like to know is whether the Bernie supporters will stay home or vote for Jill Stein and condemn the country to another 4 years of hell, if Bernie is NOT the nominee. They don’t seem to be able to accept anything less than Saint Bernie. Personally, I like Bernie. He is just the kind of gadfly that we need to wake us up periodically, but he, just like everybody else, is a flawed candidate. His flaws, however, are those that most of the older voters can be made to fear. I hear the word “socialism” more and more from my right-winged acquaintances. It will be his undoing.
Vernon – I agree with you about Amy Klobuchar. Can’t understand why her campaign isn’t gaining momentum. Hopefully, the field will narrow soon, and the platforms of the remaining candidates will be more apparent.
I also think Amy Klobuchar is a candidate to consider. I have been a fan of hers for a long time. She is down to earth, intelligent, and heartfelt in her desire to serve the country in elected office.
Linda, I agree with your puzzlement as to why she hasn’t caught the attention of more voters. Perhaps as the field narrows she will gain more attention.
Thanks Sheila!! You’ve channeled my mind as well although I am still concerned about the direction of the DNC which comes close to the fiasco-laden version from three years ago. They threw that election away in more ways than one can count and a lot of the same people that did that are back in their saddles again. They had a bad candidate then and must not undermine the chances of having a good one this time that captures the votes of all those that sat on their hands in 2016.
What should come next is a concerted effort and strategy by our government and all of those across Western Europe and elsewhere to confront Putin and the efforts of his intel organizations and others that they employ and develop both a firewall against it and to also push back. Putin and Russia are clearly the aggressors here and need to be put back in their places non-kinetically. Their aggressive conduct must have consequences and with the Mango Mussolini still infesting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue none of this will happen much to our combined regret..
Looking at recent swing states polling is very discouraging. I don’t think any of the current top tier Dem front runners can pull it off. Just review the various criticisms of them from our commenters.
The two parties are here to stay, for now. Anyone who votes for another party is voting for The Duck and his friends.
If you decide not to vote, you have zero right to say anything about politics going forward – no skin in the game, folks.
Neal Smith @ 7:27 am >> I agree with your comments in total, especially, “Centrism will fail as it is cowardice; candidates who are too afraid to do what they know they need to do for the betterment of this society.”
Buttigieg is worrisome because of his donors. He happily takes all the corporate cash he can get his hands on and will pay that piper, to our detriment.
Also, I agree with, “Any blue will do” won’t do. We have to be better than that.<<
Warren and Sanders are two Progressives and yes the Reactionary Right Wing will do what it does best to use fear of the word Socialism. I trust Warren and Sanders who are both articulate to explain that they are not the second coming of Lenin or Stalin.
It seemed quite obvious that Donald Trump was the Muscovian Candidate, an infiltrator that the Republican party themselves Roiled over for decades (commies/pinkos). Now the infiltrator is their guy, so they all stay quiet, angling for position in the burgeoning regime.
The average person cannot swivel their head around fast enough to take note of all the trees hiding the forest. Make no mistake, this is definitely a coup attempt led by Vladimir Putin. Why else would anyone (Trump) try to weaken/dismantle NATO? Just as Mussolini ended up being a puppet of Hitler, Donald Trump is a definite puppet of Vladimir Putin. He was cultivated during his visits to Russia over the years, (not to mention Russian money keeping his businesses afloat) and whatever he was offered or whatever they have on him obviously is Rock solid.
The sad thing about it all is, there is a very large swath of Americans that know what is going on, and are fully and full-throatedly supporting an infiltrator.
It started in earnest with the birther movement that Donald Trump full-throatedly supported and promoted. In conjunction with Benghazi and Hillary Clinton. A coordinated effort that hit so hard, nobody realized that they were sucker punched. And too bad a lot of the muckrakers and watch dogs fell in line, unfortunately giving credence to the coordinated fallacy.
There were a few of us out there that connected the dots, but were called conspiracy theorists, now, not so much.
The courts have always been the key, that’s obvious, watching Mitch McConnell drag his feet during the Obama administrations bench nominees, and refusing to start confirmation proceedings for his supreme Court nominee. Now they are packing state and federal courts along with the supreme Court. After all, the courts have the final say.
You can’t overthrow government by yourself, you need allies, and Trump has plenty.
I prefer Warren because she truly is all about serving the public – meaning middle class and the poor – and turning back the clock on the wealthy being able to own our government while they continue to gain more riches by the day via tax loopholes.
I like Buttegieg for the first several months of his campaign, but I don’t like that he has been willing to take large donations from corporations, the wealthy and the health insurance and pharma industries. This has soured me on him. I also don’t like that he has no problem with private schools being funded by tax dollars that are taken away from public schools.
Bernie is great, but I think his chances became even more slim since his heart attack and Biden is far too beholden to Wall Street.
Sheila: “For my part, I don’t mind Biden, but I like Mayor Pete and Elizabeth Warren. I don’t have strong feelings about Bernie himself, but…”
I agree that the democrat voter mostly chooses a candidate by feeling, most likely assuming all the democrat candidates push for policies intended to help the lower and middle class.
Thus, the analysis the democrat voter employs boils down to Who is the most passionate and most eloquent about those policies. IT IS THAT PASSION AND ELOQUENCE THAT MAKES A GREAT DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE, one who can inspire voter turnout.
So, WHICH DEMOCRAT HAS THE PASSION AND THE ELOQUENCE?
Of the democratic candidates today, I see only two or three who demonstrate the passion that middle America wants in its candidate.
Warren and Bernie are ardent in their caring, but THEY CARE FOR APPROVAL OF THEIR IDEAS rather than for the people.
Biden is just passionate enough to go tongue-tied when it counts, SO ELOQUENCE IS MISSING.
Mayor Pete is getting there and brings eloquence with him, but he NEEDS TO ARTICULATE HIS FERVOR FOR PEOPLE A TAD MORE than mere zeal for definition and explanation.
Kamala Harris brings more passion than the others, but it now seems that HER INTENSITY IS MORE FOR A GOOD FIGHT than for the good people.
Booker SHOWS ONLY A GRINNING DYNAMISM for Can’t we all just get along.
Sadly, there is no Bobby Kennedy, who had it all.
I voted Blue No Matter Who last time and will again this time.
I worked for Bernie prior to the primary in 2016. Started before his “True Believers” began getting all snotty, or I might have rethunk my position. Then, when Clinton won the primary, I threw my energy and support behind her.
I plan to do exactly the same this time. Warren is my go-to at the moment and has been since 2016 when I was part of the movement that petitioned her to run. [How might things have turned out differently, had we succeeded?]
I WILL vote for a potted plant over Trump, Fortunately, that won’t be necessary. We have lots of good candidates to choose from.
I’m sorry about this comment from this “leading blogger in Indiana” is troublesome:
“I may have better than average understanding of some of these issues, but ultimately, I don’t know enough about the ins and outs of federal laws, rules, and regulations to truly assess the candidates’ plans beyond a pretty superficial level.”
If the leading blogger in the state admits to being an uninformed voter, think about the average citizen who gets informed about matters on the cable talk shows or nightly news.
And you still think Russia needs to influence our political processes? LOL
The healthcare industry owns mayor Pete — he’s a sellout at a young age. Sad, but he needed the money to buy influence and marketability.
Bernie isn’t for sale, and the under 35 crowds overwhelmingly supported him against Hillary. If you want to turn over the country to the young people, why not choose a candidate that best reflects their values and policy choices?
Wall Street owns the DNC. Wall Street owns the media in this country. If you want to vote for change, why would you possibly vote for a candidate approved by those two entities?
We don’t need a slight turn to the left in this country — we need an abrupt u-turn! Both parties and the media have moved this country so far to the right; we cannot afford incremental changes in policies.
The working classes are getting screwed by all “democratic institutions.” Look at the auto industry and the corrupt UAW negotiating on behalf of workers. The “leadership” at the UAW are clearly in the pockets of corporate executives. Their role is to manufacture the consent of the union workers via propaganda. When Wall Street applauds “contract negotiations,” you know it’s wrong and who’s getting screwed. Many of the workers are pointing this out only to be silenced by our Wall Street owned media.
If the last remaining unions are taking kickbacks to push through ridiculous contracts, the working classes are paying the prices. Meanwhile, the auto industry titans are seeking worker concessions; they are buying back millions in stock from Wall Street and paying out billions in dividends to the same.
Yea for capitalism and our wealth redistribution systems. (eye roll)
Larry- where is our Bobby? She is right in front of our eyes- Michelle…
The damage to the Republic that Putin was able to do in 2016 in partnership with Republicans who share his love for oligarchy is incalculable and incurable in my opinion. We may never get back to where we were before.
Undoubtably there are some Democrat candidates who will be able to pull off more of the repair work than others if elected but, as Sheila points out, a potted plant would contain the damage to what’s already done. Trump on the other hand would finish the work that he and Vlad the Bad have begun.
I have my opinions on the qualifications of each of the Democrat candidates and like Obama and Hillary they are all flawed by some feature that will be attacked by the GOP as a fatal flaw and rubbed raw by the extremist authoritarian/conservative mob that they created.
Reality is what it it is.
I am left with nothing but unity as a solution for our current existential problems.
To Pascal de Caprariis @ 7:55 AM:
I think we can take as a given that the Republican smear machine will go after whoever the Democrats field. Does that mean we don’t put forth our best candidate? What else can we do?
Who will they NOT smear? The answer is, “No one.”
Not only that, but the system is thoroughly rigged in the Republicans’ favor.
So we put forth the candidate we perceive as the best for the people and the nation, then we do our best to get out the vote. It’s what we can do.
My ideal ticket as of today would be Warren-Biden, a Biden who would bring balance to the ticket and who has had experience in the position who could help Warren institute some FDR thinking into how we are going to, among other things, distribute our economy’s resources. This is no time for Democrats to become Republican Lites, and as for who is the commie, Warren or Bernie, if Republicans want to go that route then bring it on, seeing as how it was demonstrably commies who elected the brainless one. Oh, Russia has changed and is now an example of a free market economy? False. Putin and his brand are communists at heart and are only pretending to capitalism until they have totally plundered the resources of the Russian Federation, meanwhile (with the aid of shell corporations, money laundering and other such devices) buying up land and other such assets in capitalist countries with their purloined troves.
That being said a year out from the election, and while I am open to voting for any Democrat over that mass of ignorant protoplasm currently masquerading as president, I am also mindful (in view of events past, present and future) that Trump may well not be the Republican candidate for president, that we may have a Jeb – Cruz – Marco – Haley in our future. I therefore think that it’s a bit early to set our preferences in concrete with such an unknown confronting us come next November. Time (and circumstance) will tell, and this has application to our own choice, i.e., I may be voting for a Democratic candidate who has not yet announced his or her candidacy for president. Again, time (and circumstance) will tell.
>>”but his online supporters have been fairly off-putting in a way that doesn’t seem nearly so common for supporters of other candidates. ” apparently the writer has never suggested that maybe, JUST MAYBE, hillary clinton wasn’t an ideal candidate in the presence of one of her supporters on line, i have been fervently attacked when commenting “yes she was the best qualified candidate i have seen in my 7 decades, but,remember, she lost to trump” and the like. the “angry “bernie bro,” is, IMO, AKIN TO AN URBAN LEGEND(FIRST PROMOTED BY A HILLARY FAN?)
Like you, I am a “vote blue no matter who” person. My current preference is Elizabeth Warren, but I am afraid that she can’t carry swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan, not to mention Ohio and Iowa. While I support some sort of universal health care coverage, “Medicare for all” is just a bridge too far for too many people. And I am troubled by her lack of a transition plan. Trump will call Warren “Socialist Pocahontas” or some such silly thing and many swing voters will just swallow that hook line and sinker.
Biden and Bernie are both past their “sell by” dates.
So, like many here, I am taking another look at my senator, Amy Klobuchar. She isn’t perfect, but she is popular in outstate Minnesota, a place that Trump won. And she is good at retail politics. And what I am mostly interested in is having a candidate who can win.
Many of today’s comments mention some sort of fear about being smeared by Trump and the Republicans. Come on. They smear everyone and everything that didn’t emit from their sewers. Let them smear. By now, it should be like listening to a clock ticking: after a while, you don’t hear it.
If a Warren-Sanders ticket succeeds, we’ll have a president and a VP over 70….and a House Speaker over 80. I think we need to consider this. The elder states people will be there to offer expertise, but we MUST elect someone to best represent our country and to lead the vast repair projects looming in 2021 and beyond. How long will Warren’s fizz last? Can Bernie’s heart make it through the coming horror show? And, does anyone think Nancy Pelosi can front the American people as President? Every one of these candidates is VERY capable, but we MUST elect someone with the energy and youth to last two full terms, and then campaign like hell for the next Democratic President.
For “Two Crows.” I agree with everything you said, but I think you underestimate the intensity that the Republican smear machine is capable of. Homophobia, Anti-Semitism, Misogyny, etc., etc., at levels we have never seen before. If Hillary had had a personality, and a little less assurance that she was a shoe-in, she might have won. This time, we need someone who can succeed in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida, and I don’t know who that would be.
Mayor Pete – the only candidate with a military record to point to – could win. Attitudes on sexuality have evolved rapidly in the U.S. and for younger people are not issues. No Republican will vote for any Democrat so a Buttigieg candidacy sacrifices nothing there. The undecided are persuadable, and persuasion is Mayor Pete’s ace-in-the-hole. Democrats who, for the most part, are open minded critical thinkers, will have a year to get used to the idea that this is a wise man who could move the country forward and will vote accordingly.
Buttigieg’s candidacy does not change the fact that if we have the energy to get out the vote, we will win this crucial election. It remains to be seen if Mayor Pete is made of the right Kennedyesque stuff, but if so, wouldn’t it be uplifting to be in a party that respects (and elects) its younger members? We need not only to win, but to build programs that prevent Ivanka and Jared and Don, Jr. from winning in the future. Now that we understand that 40% of Americans are proud troglodytes, we must work harder than ever to prevent them from returning to power. We owe that to the democracy that gave us a life style that enthroned the rule of law and is envied in distant places wishing to emulate us, including Hong Kong and South Sudan and even Iraq.
Foreign interference was almost an obsession with the founders. Mainly because they feared Britain, France or some other foreign power tried to annex the U.S. by treachery and cabal….ala Putin. Citizen Genet made Hamilton’s prophecy a reality less than a decade after its pronouncement. That is not the only time Republicans have ignored this fear of foreign subversion. They have twice allowed candidates who did meet the 18th century meaning of Natural Born. If you think the Russian-Trump cabal is threatening our peoples’ sovereignty , I wonder what those of you still around when the Republicans (or their descendant party) bring about the January , 2057 inauguration of Archie Sussex as POTUS.
Correction. DID NOT meet the 18h century meaning of Natural Born.
Amy Klobuchar is not getting any traction because she has no presence. Every time I see her on the debate stage I wonder how she got there. She is smart and thoughtful, but it will take more than that to get the nomination.
Bravo, Sheila!!! I, like you, have many more years in my past than in my future. And I agree with you about letting people younger than 70 be the leaders and decision makers forward. Those of us who are elders need to open up space for those youngin’s.
So much to say –
First, my favorite rumor – Fred Trump was paid a ton of money to take in this Russian kid named Donald – he is Putin’s illegitimate half-brother – Take that Donnie the Birther
People be real – Ike was re-elected after a heart attack, sexism hurt Hillary, but that isn’t why she lost, and nobody would vote for a Black man as President – these ARE different times – I have never seen a faster turn around on a social issue like happened for marriage equality – times are different
Bernie supporters come in many flavors, but some remind me of Gene McCarthy supporters who stayed home and gave us Nixon. I have met some Bernie people (I supported him) that don’t understand Democratic Socialism which formed to disavow ever using a third party – voting for Jill Stein is not the attribute of someone who supports Democratic Socialism.
Nancy – I didn’t vote for Obama in the Senatorial primary for that reason – he supported giving public money to religious schools
I am looking for a candidate who doesn’t spit on me – Clinton said that liberals/progressives were bad; Obama said that they were well meaning, but foolish — and still didn’t have a seat at the table – Amy is good, but she feels the need to denounce – I ain’t one of those lefty Democrats, I am one of the good ones, honest – I hate that kind of “proud centrist” who feels the need to denounce me — I still have old Democratic slates with pictures of FDR – I wonder how the “Centrists” would feel about him.
twocrows and others are correct – don’t worry about who they are going to label as godless communists or how vociferous they will be – this time we are ready and our side is more fired up than ever – look at tonight’s victories.
Some of us wish for a new Bobby Kennedy – but he was no angel either (I recommend Jack Newfield’s biography) – I can’t remember Newfield’s final comment about Bobby, but it reminds me of an old quote – “In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” – sorry if that sounds sexist – if is from the Jewish sage Hillel – they didn’t think about language 2,000 years ago – we just need someone who a a real human being – a good person, not a saint
I have always preferred my pet rock (it was a gift – don’t ask), but a potted plant would earn my vote – I got to talk with Pete one on one – no, he isn’t perfect, but I sensed intelligence and a general goodness – I trust that he will surround himself with truly top talent and have the right instincts – there is some policy that will come up that nobody has thought of – how will he decide that (my version of the 3 AM call)?
I’m a Republican who fears for the future of the Republic if Trump is re-elected. A Democrat will probably win the White House in 2020…unless the D’s decide to go very hard to the left. For God’s sake please my Democratic friends do not nominate Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders. If the D’s do that, those swing states Hillary lost in 2016, once again will be up for grabs and may well be won by Trump.
I know the argument that the D’s need a far left candidate to galvanize the base and juice turnout. I don’t buy that. Trump will make certain the D’s have high turnout. He’s great at that. Look at what happened in Kentucky last night. What instead is important is that D’s have a nominee who can connect with working class folks in the Midwest. Nominating yet another Massachusetts liberal (remember Dukakis and Kerry?) won’t get the job done.