View Full Version : Wisconsin Primary
Even if I didn't know April 5th was the Wisconsin primary, the big influx of campaign ads would have disabused me. I like the feel-good Bernie ads. They sort of remind me of laxative commercials. Hillary's try to sound like a rousing call to action, but are more like your mom nagging you to clean up your room. The Republicans seem to be investing less in ad time, but what they do are nearly all delightfully negative. They have the dark tone of a slasher film teaser.
Sanders and Cruz are leading in the polls. Activists are frantically trying to get in Trump's way. The folks in Madison are treating Sanders like the Dalai Lama. Wisconsin is a weird stew of liberal and conservative zones, so you never quite know what to expect. I'm enjoying it.
Ultralight
3-29-16, 9:27am
Even if I didn't know April 5th was the Wisconsin primary, the big influx of campaign ads would have disabused me. I like the feel-good Bernie ads. They sort of remind me of laxative commercials. Hillary's try to sound like a rousing call to action, but are more like your mom nagging you to clean up your room. The Republicans seem to be investing less in ad time, but what they do are nearly all delightfully negative. They have the dark tone of a slasher film teaser.
Sanders and Cruz are leading in the polls. Activists are frantically trying to get in Trump's way. The folks in Madison are treating Sanders like the Dalai Lama. Wisconsin is a weird stew of liberal and conservative zones, so you never quite know what to expect. I'm enjoying it.
This sounds like it could be the basis for one heck of a letter to the editor!
Williamsmith
3-29-16, 12:21pm
What do you make of Scott Walkers endorsement of Lyin Ted?
What do you make of Scott Walkers endorsement of Lyin Ted?
The people who like Scott Walker tend to like him quite a bit, and the people who dislike him generally display a passionate hatred. They will never, ever forgive him for making public employee union membership voluntary.
I would say his endorsement for the April primary probably carries some weight in Republican circles. The people I talk to in my decidedly Republican area seem more interested in stopping Trump than supporting Cruz, however. In the general election, Wisconsinites who hate Walker probably feel much the same way about Cruz, so it would make little difference to them beyond some extra measure of spite.
There seems to be fairly fervent support for Sanders in college towns. Grown-up Democrats lean more toward Hillary with a great deal less excitement.
What do you make of Scott Walkers endorsement of Lyin Ted?
Payback time.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ted-cruz-scott-walker-campaign-debt
Payback time.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ted-cruz-scott-walker-campaign-debt
Great. I'm tired of getting the fund-raising letters.
Ultralight
3-29-16, 4:10pm
Great. I'm tired of getting the fund-raising letters.
When they ask me for money I always say: "I work for my money. I can't afford to be handing it out to politicians. Why don't you stick your hands out to the corporations again?"
I like that because it works for both Republicans and Democrats.
Williamsmith
3-29-16, 4:12pm
The people who like Scott Walker tend to like him quite a bit, and the people who dislike him generally display a passionate hatred. They will never, ever forgive him for making public employee union membership voluntary.
I would say his endorsement for the April primary probably carries some weight in Republican circles. The people I talk to in my decidedly Republican area seem more interested in stopping Trump than supporting Cruz, however. In the general election, Wisconsinites who hate Walker probably feel much the same way about Cruz, so it would make little difference to them beyond some extra measure of spite.
There seems to be fairly fervent support for Sanders in college towns. Grown-up Democrats lean more toward Hillary with a great deal less excitement.
Why should a politician like Walker have any need for a union, they just vote themselves state pensions after four years of service and fully paid healthcare in retirement. My Union participation was not voluntary. It was not without its warts, such as union representatives driving Cadillacs around the state Capitol. Oh and the union guy who lobbied to get bumped up from Trooper to Sergeant in his last year so that his retirement would get based on the increased pay scale. Chances of him getting killed on the job were limited to his choking on a piece of prime rib at a dinner with politicians. But without it, discipline would have been more unfair, work conditions harsher, equipment older.....You either love what they do or hate it. But like I said, What does Walkers retirement package look like?
Ultralight
3-29-16, 4:14pm
Why should a politician like Walker have any need for a union, they just vote themselves state pensions after four years of service and fully paid healthcare in retirement. My Union participation was not voluntary. It was not without its warts, such as union representatives driving Cadillacs around the state Capitol. Oh and the union guy who lobbied to get bumped up from Trooper to Sergeant in his last year so that his retirement would get based on the increased pay scale. Chances of him getting killed on the job were limited to his choking on a piece of prime rib at a dinner with politicians. But without it, discipline would have been more unfair, work conditions harsher, equipment older.....You either love what they do or hate it. But like I said, What does Walkers retirement package look like?
You liberal!
When they ask me for money I always say: "I work for my money. I can't afford to be handing it out to politicians. Why don't you stick your hands out to the corporations again?"
I like that because it works for both Republicans and Democrats.
I've given a few bucks to Bernie here and there because he doesn't solicit funds from corporations or from billionaiyahs.
ApatheticNoMore
3-29-16, 5:15pm
I've given a few bucks to Bernie here and there because he doesn't solicit funds from corporations or from billionaiyahs
How would we know if he did take money from billionaires? Ok if billionaires want to give $20 or something they are as entitled to that as much as anyone I suppose. But I mean REAL money - the kind that the average person could not afford to contribute and thus the kind that influences. One might hope at least it wasn't Wall Street money or fossil fuel money (both of which we know Hillary loves), but what about Silicon Valley money or Hollywood money etc.? How would we know?
Williamsmith
3-29-16, 7:53pm
You liberal!
I am a walking contradiction.
In a way, the billionaire thing is a little goofy. Think about it--Susan Sarandan campaigns for him, so he accepts her help. But if Julia Louis Dreyfus wanted to help him, then he would be accepting help from a billionaire.
Promoting and maintaining class envy/hatred is a tricky business.
Ultralight
3-30-16, 7:53am
Promoting and maintaining class envy/hatred is a tricky business.
Uh... It kind of promotes itself.
Suppressing class envy/hatred is trickier business. But right-wingers have mastered it in this country!
Promoting and maintaining class envy/hatred is a tricky business.
It's not class envy nor hatred at all. It's the idea of an oligarchy undermining the liberties of the people through the use of money and power. It's about refusing to be bought and refusing submission to a quid pro quo that is not in the best interests of the constituency.
It's not class envy nor hatred at all. It's the idea of an oligarchy undermining the liberties of the people through the use of money and power. It's about refusing to be bought and refusing submission to a quid pro quo that is not in the best interests of the constituency.
Well said, Catherine. I am not envious or resentful or any of the condescending adjectives neoconservatives like to hang on those of us who are angry that !% of our population makes the laws and rigs the game against the rest of us, the good of the country be damned.
Campaign contributions are limited to $2700 per person per election, and since it's all written down, I'd like to think someone's keeping track.
I would have thought that if money was really that invincible that the positions of the Bush and Sanders campaigns would be quite different.
We're reaching the crescendo here in Wisconsin. Hillary's parading around in her ill-fitting populist pants, promising to make it all better. Bernie is running an ad that sternly rebukes the game-rigging big money and all who take their filthy lucre, promising to make them "live by the president's rules". Ted has finally rolled out a soft-focus America-the-Beautiful ad just dripping with love for us all. Donald is assuring us that he's angering all the right people.
Municipal Clerks all around the State are stockpiling extra ballots to prepare for a heavy turnout.
Williamsmith
4-1-16, 9:05am
None of the Above !
None of the Above !
I don't see that as a reasonable option. I'm going to vote for Cruz as the best choice available. Bernie's platform of profligate giveaways seems like an affront to math. Hillary is about as trustworthy as a used car salesperson trying to win that trip to Hawaii. Donald is an embarrassment of historical proportions.
frugal-one
4-1-16, 10:32am
I don't see that as a reasonable option. I'm going to vote for Cruz as the best choice available. Bernie's platform of profligate giveaways seems like an affront to math. Hillary is about as trustworthy as a used car salesperson trying to win that trip to Hawaii. Donald is an embarrassment of historical proportions.
Walker endorses Cruz. The front page of today's paper says Cruz wants "right to work" all over the country. Look at the fiasco that caused in WI! He probably will make Walker the VP if elected. *shudder*
I would have thought that if money was really that invincible that the positions of the Bush and Sanders campaigns would be quite different.
This Time Magazine article (http://time.com/4270359/billions-continues-to-reveal-whats-really-wrong-with-wall-street/) outlines the issue about how the show Billions is not far from real life.--and this is what I mean when I say that Bernie is not about denying people their right to wealth or their choice to buy a yacht or a million hats--but he is about keeping the money in circulation.
Unfortunately, the real-life drama of Main Street’s subordination to Wall Street is getting worse. Experts including Adair Turner, the former head of financial regulation in the U.K., estimate that only about 15% of all capital flows within America’s financial system end up making their way into the real economy. The rest of that money just rotates around the high-finance microcosm, enriching the 1% as they buy and sell existing assets to one another, bidding up their value, while failing to invest in research, products, jobs or innovation.
That's the key point.
Of course, having the money and power in the hands of very few people is problematic in other ways as well--ways that have nothing to do with class envy, but let's start with addressing the way in which Wall Street plays chess with people's lives.
iris lilies
4-1-16, 11:19am
This Time Magazine article (http://time.com/4270359/billions-continues-to-reveal-whats-really-wrong-with-wall-street/) outlines the issue about how the show Billions is not far from real life.--and this is what I mean when I say that Bernie is not about denying people their right to wealth or their choice to buy a yacht or a million hats--but he is about keeping the money in circulation.
That's the key point.
Of course, having the money and power in the hands of very few people is problematic in other ways as well--ways that have nothing to do with class envy, but let's start with addressing the way in which Wall Street plays chess with people's lives.
Gee, and I just finished a post on another forum defendng The Donald about him using inherited millions to build things, employ people, make and move products in his many business ventures. His denegrators snidely remark that he would have made more money in index funds.
I am confused and cannot keep up. Which is it, good to hold financial instruments, or bad?
Walker endorses Cruz. The front page of today's paper says Cruz wants "right to work" all over the country. Look at the fiasco that caused in WI! He probably will make Walker the VP if elected. *shudder*
I guess "fiasco" is in the eye of the beholder.
Becoming the 25th State to pass a right to work law didn't create that much impact that I could see here. Private sector union influence was already fairly negligible.
The big kerfuffle was Act 10, which eliminated mandatory union membership for most public employees. The public service unions and the politicians they funded went berserk. Madison became a circus for a month or so. The voters, not so much. The recall election launched against Walker failed, although part of the reason for that was a distaste for using a recall for political purposes.
I'd like to hope that a President Cruz would have the good sense to select a guy like Walker for a running mate.
Teacher Terry
4-1-16, 1:07pm
I read that Donald inherited so much $ that he would be richer if he had put it in a savings account versus losing a bunch, making more etc. don't know if that is true.
--and this is what I mean when I say that Bernie is not about denying people their right to wealth or their choice to buy a yacht or a million hats--but he is about keeping the money in circulation.
Yachts are a funny thing. Held up as a class signifier of "The Rich", and an easy target to point at as needless conspicuous consumption.
Remember when the Feds imposed a "yacht tax" in 1991? This luxury tax on boats and airplanes was supposed to raise $31 million in revenue a year, and I suppose punish the rich.
Instead, it drove 1/3 of the US yacht builders out of business, and by the time the dust settled eliminated about 100,000 jobs in the boating and nautical supply industries, and thousands in the aviation industry. Some of those jobs never came back.
You see, yachts don't build themselves. It takes labor and raw materials, and that employs people, generates wages and taxes, and then those folks spend money. A yacht doesn't "take money out of circulation".
What takes money out of circulation is adopting policies that encourage capital owners to relocate their capital elsewhere. For instance, if I lived in Rhodesia some years ago, and saw the way things were developing, you'd bet I'd sneak across the border with a suitcase full of Krugerrands and diamonds, and never look back.
I read that Donald inherited so much $ that he would be richer if he had put it in a savings account versus losing a bunch, making more etc. don't know if that is true.
I've heard a similar statement made about the story of Manhattan being purchased for $24 worth of glass beads: that at a reasonable rate of interest that original bit of principal would have compounded to a greater value than the sum total worth of Manhattan real estate. I heard it variously used as an illustration of the power of compound interest and the importance of a consistent investment strategy.
In Trump's case, I'd like to believe the story was true.
A yacht doesn't "take money out of circulation".
I agree with you--but Wall Street incestuous shenanigans apparently do.
I don't have anything against yachts or people who buy them, as long my husband is not the purchaser. He's looked at poor man's yachts like 32' Boston Whalers and the cost of the boat would be bad enough but then there's fuel and docking fees. Yikes. Even if we had the money, a boat wouldn't be my splurge but it would definitely be DH's.
I guess "fiasco" is in the eye of the beholder.
Becoming the 25th State to pass a right to work law didn't create that much impact that I could see here. Private sector union influence was already fairly negligible.
The big kerfuffle was Act 10, which eliminated mandatory union membership for most public employees. The public service unions and the politicians they funded went berserk. Madison became a circus for a month or so. The voters, not so much. The recall election launched against Walker failed, although part of the reason for that was a distaste for using a recall for political purposes.
I'd like to hope that a President Cruz would have the good sense to select a guy like Walker for a running mate.
I agree that in the recall election Walker won again was because there was a distaste for the recall. He did win originally and he did not do anything illegal so there should not have been a recall. Walker has done nothing good for WI. He took money from the Transportation sector to cover his shortfall in the budget and boasted how he was "balancing the budget". His campaign promise was to bring jobs into the state but we are near the bottom in the country. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/promises/walk-o-meter/promise/526/create-250000-new-jobs/
It will be interesting to see how WI votes. Truthfully, this is the first election ever that I am tempted to stay home. All the candidates stink!
I guess "fiasco" is in the eye of the beholder.
Becoming the 25th State to pass a right to work law didn't create that much impact that I could see here. Private sector union influence was already fairly negligible.
The big kerfuffle was Act 10, which eliminated mandatory union membership for most public employees. The public service unions and the politicians they funded went berserk. Madison became a circus for a month or so. The voters, not so much. The recall election launched against Walker failed, although part of the reason for that was a distaste for using a recall for political purposes.
I'd like to hope that a President Cruz would have the good sense to select a guy like Walker for a running mate.
I don't know that I'd like to see Walker's economic policies spread nationwide. To be sure his anti-Union efforts aren't the only reason WI has had the biggest drop in middle class income of any state, but they surely didn't help the situation.
http://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-has-seen-largest-middle-class-decline-any-state-study-finds
I agree that in the recall election Walker won again was because there was a distaste for the recall. He did win originally and he did not do anything illegal so there should not have been a recall. Walker has done nothing good for WI. He took money from the Transportation sector to cover his shortfall in the budget and boasted how he was "balancing the budget". His campaign promise was to bring jobs into the state but we are near the bottom in the country. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/promises/walk-o-meter/promise/526/create-250000-new-jobs/
It will be interesting to see how WI votes. Truthfully, this is the first election ever that I am tempted to stay home. All the candidates stink!
I think you're right that he will be remembered more as the governor who ended government as a closed shop and required public employees to pay for half their pension contribution than the creator of an economic renaissance, but that itself is a fairly major achievement.
I heard this morning that Cruz is gaining a bit in the polls. The Wisconsin GOP rules allocate 18 of it's 42 delegates on a statewide basis, and the rest by congressional district, so Trump may still pick up a few here. I'm hoping that the State where the Republican Party was born may also see the beginning of the end of Trump's ambitions.
I don't know that I'd like to see Walker's economic policies spread nationwide. To be sure his anti-Union efforts aren't the only reason WI has had the biggest drop in middle class income of any state, but they surely didn't help the situation.
http://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-has-seen-largest-middle-class-decline-any-state-study-finds
Walker has never been particularly loved by the folks at Wisconsin Public Radio. I see the Wall Street Journal posted an editorial on Trump's criticism of Wisconsin's economic performance.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-vs-scott-walker-1459722449
The State's large exposure to manufacturing has been a drag on wages for the past several years, but the State still compares pretty favorably on unemployment and labor participation rates. We're not quite the basket case Walker's detractors like to portray. That doesn't mean there's no room for improvement. I think he could have handled the reorganization of the economic development effort a little better.
Ultralight
4-4-16, 12:25pm
Alas! The moment all the establishment Republicans have been waiting for...
Tomorrow Cruz takes the helm and Trump's campaign fades into memory.
Williamsmith
4-4-16, 12:42pm
Alas! The moment all the establishment Republicans have been waiting for...
Tomorrow Cruz takes the helm and Trump's campaign fades into memory.
Trump is not going to fade anytime soon. As a kid I had this inflatable Bozo the Clown toy and it was weighted in the bottom. You would punch him in the head and it would go down only to bounce right back up. Didn't matter how hard you hit him.....he'd bounce right back. Trump only needs to show up in Wisconsin. New York and Pennsylvania will put him right back on track. That weight in the bottom of the clown......that's the middleclass.
iris lilies
4-4-16, 12:46pm
Trump is not going to fade anytime soon. As a kid I had this inflatable Bozo the Clown toy and it was weighted in the bottom. You would punch him in the head and it would go down only to bounce right back up. Didn't matter how hard you hit him.....he'd bounce right back. Trump only needs to show up in Wisconsin. New York and Pennsylvania will put him right back on track. That weight in the bottom of the clown......that's the middleclass.
This is funny! As in, ironic truth funny.
Trump is not going to fade anytime soon. As a kid I had this inflatable Bozo the Clown toy and it was weighted in the bottom. You would punch him in the head and it would go down only to bounce right back up. Didn't matter how hard you hit him.....he'd bounce right back. Trump only needs to show up in Wisconsin. New York and Pennsylvania will put him right back on track. That weight in the bottom of the clown......that's the middleclass.
I think more like one of those antibiotic-resistant rashes that keep flaring up. Ultimately, he can't win, but he has the power to remain a chronic source of irritation and embarrassment.
I will hope that Wisconsin can set some kind of example of good sense for other Republicans to follow. Failing that, there is the bitter medicine of a brokered convention, or even the trauma of a Clinton administration. She's been going around the State calling Bernie a Democrat-come-lately and promising to "fight" a bunch of policies she used to support. She's also going to protect us from the rich, and has already begun by infiltrating their ranks.
...a Clinton administration. She's been going around the State calling Bernie a Democrat-come-lately and promising to "fight" a bunch of policies she used to support. She's also going to protect us from the rich, and has already begun by infiltrating their ranks.
LOL
Williamsmith
4-4-16, 3:14pm
I think more like one of those antibiotic-resistant rashes that keep flaring up. Ultimately, he can't win, but he has the power to remain a chronic source of irritation and embarrassment.
I will hope that Wisconsin can set some kind of example of good sense for other Republicans to follow. Failing that, there is the bitter medicine of a brokered convention, or even the trauma of a Clinton administration. She's been going around the State calling Bernie a Democrat-come-lately and promising to "fight" a bunch of policies she used to support. She's also going to protect us from the rich, and has already begun by infiltrating their ranks.
Hillary has been physically ill since hitting the campaign trail and was hoping to wrap things up by now so she could go home to New York and rest on the couch while her butler serves camomile tea, honey and chicken noodle soup in hopes she will look able to serve four years in the White House. Even Bernie looks like a spring chicken comparatively speaking. Bernie has plowed the field for the next generation of socialists and there are plenty. Conservatism will lie dormant for many winters. And with its lack of leadership, rightfully so.
Have you talked to the youth lately. It's all one big group hug. There is not a right and wrong way. Many ways....yours, mine, his, hers, ours, theirs, this and that but it's going to be different in four and a half more years. Could you imagine a charismatic personality with a Bernie Sanders message? Game over.
Have you talked to the youth lately. ... Could you imagine a charismatic personality with a Bernie Sanders message? Game over.
Spot on observation of the younger folks in my community.
Bernie has plowed the field for the next generation of socialists and there are plenty. Conservatism will lie dormant for many winters.
I hope you are right!
Could you imagine a charismatic personality with a Bernie Sanders message? Game over.
Yes!
Albert Hunt at Bloomberg agrees with you:
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-04-03/win-or-lose-sanderism-isn-t-going-away
I think the country has been turning somewhat to the left for the past few years. There's probably a number of reasons behind it: Aggressive thought-policing at the college level, feckless leadership within the conservative movement, the Cold War fading from memory, a new generation of everyone-gets-a-trophy voters, structural changes in the world economy, Comedy Central programming, the fallout of the recession, etc.
As far as "game over", I'm not so sure there's any such thing in politics. I'm hopeful we will revert to the center-right mean in God's good time.
Albert Hunt at Bloomberg agrees with you:
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-04-03/win-or-lose-sanderism-isn-t-going-away
I think the country has been turning somewhat to the left for the past few years. There's probably a number of reasons behind it: Aggressive thought-policing at the college level, feckless leadership within the conservative movement, the Cold War fading from memory, a new generation of everyone-gets-a-trophy voters, structural changes in the world economy, Comedy Central programming, the fallout of the recession, etc.
As far as "game over", I'm not so sure there's any such thing in politics. I'm hopeful we will revert to the center-right mean in God's good time.
Don't worry, Paul Ryan will save the day! But it might be when he is around 60 years old or so.
Don't worry, Paul Ryan will say the day! But it might be when he is around 60 years old or so.
Sadly, you may be right.
Albert Hunt at Bloomberg agrees with you:
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-04-03/win-or-lose-sanderism-isn-t-going-away
I think the country has been turning somewhat to the left for the past few years. There's probably a number of reasons behind it: Aggressive thought-policing at the college level, feckless leadership within the conservative movement, the Cold War fading from memory, a new generation of everyone-gets-a-trophy voters, structural changes in the world economy, Comedy Central programming, the fallout of the recession, etc.
I don't disagree with any of those reasons, but I'd add a couple more. The failure of trickle down economics to actually do much trickling, and the neocons' efforts to look for new places to fight wars so that the war profiteers can keep profiteering.
I don't disagree with any of those reasons, but I'd add a couple more. The failure of trickle down economics to actually do much trickling, and the neocons' efforts to look for new places to fight wars so that the war profiteers can keep profiteering.
I agree with you that there seems to be something of a bidding war on how much wealth can be trickled down from the undeserving rich in this election cycle.
The major participants in this campaign seem more interested in discussing trade wars than shooting wars, however.
Well, I cast my strategic vote this morning. I went with the guy Scott Walker endorsed. We also have a pretty contentious Supreme Court race going on (Wisconsin elects it's judges). Some of the presidential contenders have been putting their oar into those troubled waters. The lines were fairly long for a primary.
I went with the guy Scott Walker endorsed.
Sorry to hear that...
Sorry to hear that...
Not my first choice, but to my thinking the sturdiest available bulwark against the shame of a Trump candidacy and the ignominy of a Clinton presidency.
Not my first choice, but to my thinking the sturdiest available bulwark against the shame of a Trump candidacy and the ignominy of a Clinton presidency.
First time voting for a Canadian?
First time voting for a Canadian?
Call him a Canadian. Call him a Semipelagian, a Klingon or a Neopositivist. Call him anything you like.
What's important is that he's the least objectionable outcome.
Williamsmith
4-5-16, 11:15am
Call him a Canadian. Call him a Semipelagian, a Klingon or a Neopositivist. Call him anything you like.
What's important is that he's the least objectionable outcome.
Kinda like being asked to choose which method of execution you'd like applied in your own case. Hanging, firing squad, electrocution or lethal injection.......at least you get a choice.
Kinda like being asked to choose which method of execution you'd like applied in your own case. Hanging, firing squad, electrocution or lethal injection.......at least you get a choice.
I see it as more of a choice between the unpleasant and the unthinkable.
iris lilies
4-5-16, 11:50am
Not my first choice, but to my thinking the sturdiest available bulwark against the shame of a Trump candidacy and the ignominy of a Clinton presidency.
I voted for the Cuban Canadian as well, but I don't like him.
Ultralight
4-5-16, 11:56am
I voted for the Cuban Canadian as well, but I don't like him.
He reminds me so much of The Penguin from that TV show Gotham. haha
Williamsmith
4-5-16, 12:57pm
I see it as more of a choice between the unpleasant and the unthinkable.
Yes provided the reasons you assess he is unpleasant weren't underestimated and he turns out to be just as unthinkable and now you wish to Unpull he lever. A drop of water on the forehead starts out to be just unpleasant and soon becomes intolerable.
Yes provided the reasons you assess he is unpleasant weren't underestimated and he turns out to be just as unthinkable and now you wish to Unpull he lever. A drop of water on the forehead starts out to be just unpleasant and soon becomes intolerable.
We do the best we can with the information available to us.
He reminds me so much of The Penguin from that TV show Gotham. haha
I always thought of him as a fairly sympathetic character.
iris lilies
4-5-16, 4:05pm
https://www.google.com/search?sclient=tablet-gws&site=&source=hp&q=grandpa+munster&oq=grandpa+munster&gs_l=tablet-gws.3..0i131j0l2.7300.10485.0.10699.15.10.0.5.5.0. 216.1438.0j8j1.9.0....0...1c.1.64.tablet-gws..1.14.1475.4yfzOskdp0g#imgrc=xUwbJbbckW342M%3A
He reminds me so much of The Penguin from that TV show Gotham. haha
Nah, its Grandpa Munster he looks like.
https://www.google.com/search?sclient=tablet-gws&site=&source=hp&q=grandpa+munster&oq=grandpa+munster&gs_l=tablet-gws.3..0i131j0l2.7300.10485.0.10699.15.10.0.5.5.0. 216.1438.0j8j1.9.0....0...1c.1.64.tablet-gws..1.14.1475.4yfzOskdp0g#imgrc=xUwbJbbckW342M%3A
Nah, its Grandpa Munster he looks like.
LOL. You voted for him!
iris lilies
4-5-16, 4:50pm
LOL. You voted for him!
Well, we cant help what our face looks like.
The night turned out favorably. The movement conservatives weren't overwhelmed by masses of "Undocumented Republicans" in our open primary. The candidates the Governor supported by and large did pretty well, perhaps disproving the "Dead Man Walkering" meme. The chances for a brokered convention have increased, and Paul Ryan says he absolutely, positively won't be the GOP candidate. If he were to refuse his way into the White House, I wouldn't entirely mind.
Trump stumbled, perhaps offering an example for the big eastern states to consider over the next few weeks. Sanders will continue vexing Clinton with renewed energy and cash over the same period, although there seems little possibility he will ultimately be in a position to implement his mad schemes.
I'm all in all pleased with the outcome.
Williamsmith
4-6-16, 12:06pm
The night turned out favorably. The movement conservatives weren't overwhelmed by masses of "Undocumented Republicans" in our open primary. The candidates the Governor supported by and large did pretty well, perhaps disproving the "Dead Man Walkering" meme. The chances for a brokered convention have increased, and Paul Ryan says he absolutely, positively won't be the GOP candidate. If he were to refuse his way into the White House, I wouldn't entirely mind.
Trump stumbled, perhaps offering an example for the big eastern states to consider over the next few weeks. Sanders will continue vexing Clinton with renewed energy and cash over the same period, although there seems little possibility he will ultimately be in a position to implement his mad schemes.
I'm all in all pleased with the outcome.
The White House is Hillary Clintons residence for four years. The Democratic Establishment knows how to rig an election. The Bern flames out eventually. It's like a cat playing with a mouse. Does Hillary look worried? It's her turn.
And by the time the Republicans get done with their Championship game, what with all the bickering, the back stabbing, the delegate bribing ...... the midterms will go to progressives in a very helpful way.
Cruz will not get to 4 digits. Trump could get close enough to intimidate but whoever comes out gets stomped in the general. It's just plain demographics and human nature. Paul Ryan has already lost once. Nobody wants to be a two timer.
Ultralight
4-6-16, 12:19pm
It is her turn.
Well, if it is Hillary's turn, and I believe it is, at least I take solace in the fact that she may have learned something from Bernie. Did you see that SNL piece? It's a take-off on some of her recent speeches. It's almost as if Bernie is just writing speeches and handing them to her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cDxMVD6lfg
About one quarter of US Presidents lost a run for the White House before winning. There is some precedent.
While I find the odds somewhat depressing, I don't yet buy the Hillary-is-Inevitable line. There seems to be a palpable lack of enthusiasm for her on the Dems' part. There are also exogenous factors like the ongoing email investigations, not to mention a brittle nastiness and arrogance that may become more apparent to voters when it isn't being eclipsed by Trump's megalomania.
I don't see any groundswell of support for progressives at the congressional level now, and as for the midterms of 2018 we have only to look at recent history to see the impact that a progressive in the White House has on legislative elections.
I just wish Bernie and Hillary would run as co-candidates! Give up the egos and run on the strengths each has...
Well, if it is Hillary's turn, and I believe it is, at least I take solace in the fact that she may have learned something from Bernie. Did you see that SNL piece? It's a take-off on some of her recent speeches. It's almost as if Bernie is just writing speeches and handing them to her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cDxMVD6lfg
I have no doubt she will triangulate away from what Bernie's pushing her to say right now once the danger's past.
Ultralight
4-6-16, 12:34pm
There seems to be a palpable lack of enthusiasm for her...
Amen, brother!
Amen, brother!
I think it would be hilarious if Ted Cruz were somehow elected on the first round and Bernie did well enough to start snatching superdelegates and force a brokered convention. Joe Biden might reconsider his earlier decision, and the Warrens, De Blasios and Kerrys might come crawling out of the woodwork. It would be the most interesting convention since Chicago '68.
I think it would be hilarious if Ted Cruz were somehow elected on the first round and Bernie did well enough to start snatching superdelegates and force a brokered convention. Joe Biden might reconsider his earlier decision, and the Warrens, De Blasios and Kerrys might come crawling out of the woodwork. It would be the most interesting convention since Chicago '68.
If only something like that happened! haha
If only something like that happened! haha
Say what you like about this County's political system, but it's really, really fun.
Look at the cast of characters we have now: One economic nationalist who doesn't like foreigners and another one who doesn't like rich people, and neither of them seems much burdened by an understanding of economics or foreign policy. A hack's hack political dynast who wouldn't be out of place as a soap opera villain (can a President pardon herself?). A despised (by his own party) Senator being hailed as his party's savior. The one guy who seems to know what he's talking about comically ignored by everybody, sort of like a sitcom dad. And those are just the one's who've survived so far. Cue the white knights and dark horses!
We have an electoral system and party rules that virtually guarantee dramatic tension and fun surprises. You couldn't devise a game or reality show that comes close. Iowa probably has more influence over the world's future than France does, how did that happen?
God, I love this country.
Quote Originally Posted by LDAHL View Post
There seems to be a palpable lack of enthusiasm for her...
And ALL the candidates... especially Republicans.
Quote Originally Posted by LDAHL View Post
There seems to be a palpable lack of enthusiasm for her...
And ALL the candidates... especially Republicans.
I don't think that's true. In my State, we had a turnout rate over 47% for the primary. Among Republicans, there were extremely enthusiastic Trump supporters and equally enthusiastic Trump opposition. The Sanders people were positively fanatical.
For Clinton, not so much. Even for her supporters, she's the political equivalent of a dose of castor oil: perhaps necessary, but distasteful.
Say what you like about this County's political system, but it's really, really fun.
Look at the cast of characters we have now: One economic nationalist who doesn't like foreigners and another one who doesn't like rich people, and neither of them seems much burdened by an understanding of economics or foreign policy. A hack's hack political dynast who wouldn't be out of place as a soap opera villain (can a President pardon herself?). A despised (by his own party) Senator being hailed as his party's savior. The one guy who seems to know what he's talking about comically ignored by everybody, sort of like a sitcom dad. And those are just the one's who've survived so far. Cue the white knights and dark horses!
We have an electoral system and party rules that virtually guarantee dramatic tension and fun surprises. You couldn't devise a game or reality show that comes close. Iowa probably has more influence over the world's future than France does, how did that happen?
God, I love this country.
I agree. Makes me VERY conflicted about what to watch on my DVR: Downton Abbey, American Idol, or CNN's latest election headlines.
I don't think that's true. In my State, we had a turnout rate over 47% for the primary. Among Republicans, there were extremely enthusiastic Trump supporters and equally enthusiastic Trump opposition. The Sanders people were positively fanatical.
For Clinton, not so much. Even for her supporters, she's the political equivalent of a dose of castor oil: perhaps necessary, but distasteful.
We are in the same state and I don't agree. I also don't agree that this political system is fun. It is terribly flawed! I can't wait for the elections to be over. I am sick of robo calls already!
Robocalls. Ick.
I have an old-fashioned landline phone sitting on my desk here. It is an old-school honest-to-goodness red phone, built to survive a nuclear attack. The phone line it is attached to has a number that *nobody* has, except the emergency management folks for the county/state/region, and some radio communications organizations. It is never supposed to ring except in actual emergencies or tests.
It's been ringing off the hook for fake surveys, election come-ons, and whatnot.
Very irritating, as the ringer bell is uber loud.
We are in the same state and I don't agree. I also don't agree that this political system is fun. It is terribly flawed! I can't wait for the elections to be over. I am sick of robo calls already!
Oh come on, how fun is an election cycle where Hillary's campaign chair promises to get to the truth of the UFO issue?
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/07/politics/john-podesta-hillary-clinton-ufo/index.html
frugal-one
4-8-16, 11:52am
Oh come on, how fun is an election cycle where Hillary's campaign chair promises to get to the truth of the UFO issue?
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/07/politics/john-podesta-hillary-clinton-ufo/index.html
About as much fun as Cruz saying he is going to emulate Walker and do nationwide what Walker has done to Wisconsin! Totally sick of the b.s. I am sure I could find some goofy thing about Cruz and his Evangelical ideas too. Totally a waste of time.
About as much fun as Cruz saying he is going to emulate Walker and do nationwide what Walker has done to Wisconsin! Totally sick of the b.s. I am sure I could find some goofy thing about Cruz and his Evangelical ideas too. Totally a waste of time.
I've no doubt that's true. I think it's already interesting how the (arguably) most hated man in the Republican Party could wind up as the standard bearer.
That was probably a smart thing to say in Wisconsin, where Walker has something like an 80% approval rating among Republican voters. I'm not sure how you'd go about emulating Act 10 at the federal level. My understanding that federal employees unions membership were already voluntary.
Williamsmith
4-8-16, 2:52pm
I've no doubt that's true. I think it's already interesting how the (arguably) most hated man in the Republican Party could wind up as the standard bearer.
That was probably a smart thing to say in Wisconsin, where Walker has something like an 80% approval rating among Republican voters. I'm not sure how you'd go about emulating Act 10 at the federal level. My understanding that federal employees unions membership were already voluntary.
Cruz? Standard Bearer? He is the most hated Republican in DC. Or don't tell me you are buying that they are going to embrace Cruz just to deny Trump. They are using him to get a chance at a brokered convention. They can't afford to give Trump the lock before the convention. Because then Trump picks his own running mate and the establishment needs a Vice President on deck to retake the Party. So in a brokered convention, they tell Trump he's got the nomination only he has to let them pick his VP. Now Kasich, he's the late night sneaky uncle Pete. Trump/Kasich.........sends Lyin Ted back to Texas where he belongs.
Cruz? Standard Bearer? He is the most hated Republican in DC. Or don't tell me you are buying that they are going to embrace Cruz just to deny Trump. They are using him to get a chance at a brokered convention. They can't afford to give Trump the lock before the convention. Because then Trump picks his own running mate and the establishment needs a Vice President on deck to retake the Party. So in a brokered convention, they tell Trump he's got the nomination only he has to let them pick his VP. Now Kasich, he's the late night sneaky uncle Pete. Trump/Kasich.........sends Lyin Ted back to Texas where he belongs.
I'd say that if Trump fails to clinch it, it's about even money on Cruz getting the nomination. I think you're right that he's about as popular in Republican circles as Harry Reid, but there could be a fight over Rule 40 that wouldn't necessarily be a walkover. I think that if it gets thrown to the convention Kasich has no particular advantage over any other walk-on.
It could be a real madhouse in Cleveburg.
Lindsey Graham on the difference between Trump and Cruz: "It's like being shot or poisoned. What does it really matter?"
I'd be inclined toward Trump because he isn't the foaming at the mouth religionist Cruz is, but I tend to agree with Graham.
It could be a real madhouse in Cleveburg.
I would say that was a distinct possibility. I may take a couple days off work to binge watch.
Will defeated Trumpkins riot against the treacherous two thirds of Republicans who don't want to be associated with them? Will anti-globalist socialist social justice warriors riot against Trump Triumphant? Will nostrils be pinched on the second ballot and the odious Cruz lead the party into a battle of moralizing vs. mendacity in the form of Mrs. Clinton? Will the Donald play spoiler at the head of a newly constituted Make America Great Again Party? Will a white knight come riding in on a dark horse to break the spell of Rule 40 and redeem the soul of the Party of Lincoln? Will the California primary at long last matter?
I wouldn't want to be a pollster or a Cleveland police officer about now.
I would say that was a distinct possibility. I may take a couple days off work to binge watch.
This could be both fun and horrifying.
And... lots of good questions here, LDAHL. Lemme take a crack at them. haha
Will defeated Trumpkins riot against the treacherous two thirds of Republicans who don't want to be associated with them?
I am very doubtful they will. Rioting is not really a Republican pastime. Barring a few "pokes in the beak" administered by a Trump supporter to a liberal, I think they will remain largely docile.
Will anti-globalist socialist social justice warriors riot against Trump Triumphant? Quite possibly. But they might do this no matter who is up to bat. It is unfortunate.
Will nostrils be pinched on the second ballot and the odious Cruz lead the party into a battle of moralizing vs. mendacity in the form of Mrs. Clinton? Highly likely!
Will the Donald play spoiler at the head of a newly constituted Make America Great Again Party? This I hope for!
Will a white knight come riding in on a dark horse to break the spell of Rule 40 and redeem the soul of the Party of Lincoln?
This is a reason to call off work and watch every minute!
Will the California primary at long last matter?
Anyone's guess.
I wouldn't want to be a pollster or a Cleveland police officer about now.
Yup, wackiness is likely to ensue.
Rioting is not really a Republican pastime. Barring a few "pokes in the beak" administered by a Trump supporter to a liberal, I think they will remain largely docile.
Despite the sandbox they chose to play in, I'm not sure I would call the Trumpeteers Republicans in the conventional sense any more than I would call the Sandernistas Democrats. In both cases you see insurgencies against entrenched party leaderships, seeking a greater degree of economic isolation from the world at large and desiring an executive power less encumbered by the traditional checks and balances to provide for their welfare.
Williamsmith
4-18-16, 2:30pm
Tomorrow and later in Pennsylvania you will see some evidence of the effect urban liberalism is having on this country. The Republican Party is being prepared for nursing home status and once a month visits. The Democrats are going to have to euthanize their establishment monarchy. On the other side of this painful delegate wine and dine process is an electorate that wants to puke up their democracy and looking for some stomach settling ginger ale. Bernie is closing the gap on Hillary. Both might need oxygen by the time they hit the finish line. Lying Ted is busy scoffing up delegates while Trump has elected to just bribe them at the convention. It's a great time to be an Independent.
Ultralight
4-18-16, 2:38pm
Tomorrow and later in Pennsylvania you will see some evidence of the effect urban liberalism is having on this country. The Republican Party is being prepared for nursing home status and once a month visits. The Democrats are going to have to euthanize their establishment monarchy. On the other side of this painful delegate wine and dine process is an electorate that wants to puke up their democracy and looking for some stomach settling ginger ale. Bernie is closing the gap on Hillary. Both might need oxygen by the time they hit the finish line. Lying Ted is busy scoffing up delegates while Trump has elected to just bribe them at the convention. It's a great time to be an Independent.
It is also a great time to have a dark sense of humor!
I’ve found the whole drama to be educational as well as entertaining. I have learned more this year about the nominating process for both parties than I ever did before. I have learned that you can mask the unpleasant aroma of socialism with a spritz of “democratic”. I have also learned that a super-delegate doesn’t wear a cape. You can earn $6,000 a minute cooing sweet nothings to investment bankers and call yourself a populist. Nobody flip-flops anymore: they evolve, which is much more scientific.
You can think you talk to God. You can think you are God. You can fly to the Vatican and ask for God’s endorsement to turn the World’s most powerful country into 1972 Copenhagen. You can have 147 FBI agents assigned to your case. Big chunks of America will still consider you worthy of the nuclear launch codes and Janet Yellen’s direct number. Is this a great and generous country or what?
It’s like Game of Thrones with less attractive, more conservatively costumed actors and no text for the know-it-alls to refer to. It’s improv! I'm waiting for a surprise plot twist in the New York episode tomorrow. Maybe someone will summon a dragon.
Ultralight
4-18-16, 3:51pm
The headlines say Trump is on the ropes in NY.
Could he lose it?
The headlines say Trump is on ropes in NY.
I read yesterday he was polling 54% to Cruz's 21%, despite the latter's silver-tongued flattery.
The Sanders people are dismissing Clinton's lead as illusory, claiming many of their supporters disdain the rapacious corporate telephony oligopoly.
The headlines say Trump is on the ropes in NY.
Could he lose it?
He seems positioned to sweep all of the delegates in NY, not sure what headlines you are reading.
The Sanders people are dismissing Clinton's lead as illusory, claiming many of their supporters disdain the rapacious corporate telephony oligopoly.
You mean they don't have an old fashioned landline? It sounds so much more elegant with your phrasing, even though you avoided the tough French words this time.
You mean they don't have an old fashioned landline? It sounds so much more elegant with your phrasing, even though you avoided the tough French words this time.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Williamsmith
4-19-16, 9:23pm
Veni, Vidi, Vici.........three years of Latin is finally paying off.
Trump hands Lyin Ted and Jumpin John Kasich a humbling loss. Cruz will get nothing and like it. Kasich is going to struggle to get 20%.
Veni, Vidi, Vici.........three years of Latin is finally paying off.
Trump hands Lyin Ted and Jumpin John Kasich a humbling loss. Cruz will get nothing and like it. Kasich is going to struggle to get 20%.
And it looks like Clinton is going to win NY. Perhaps like WY, the superdelegates will all pledge for the loser and Bernie will come out with more delegates despite her win among voters...
Williamsmith
4-19-16, 10:46pm
A President Hillary Clinton would clearly be worse than any of the other options. And clearly almost a slam dunk. She is unmistakably the most militaristic leaning candidate and she has a record to prove it. It will soon be time to talk about a running mate.
A President Hillary Clinton would clearly be worse than any of the other options. And clearly almost a slam dunk. She is unmistakably the most militaristic leaning candidate and she has a record to prove it. It will soon be time to talk about a running mate.
I read an interesting opinion piece a couple of weeks ago that suggested that if Trump ends up being denied the nomination he should run as an independent, but only if Sanders also agrees to do so. The expectation of the author of the piece was that Trump and Sanders would come in first and second (the author didn't say who he expected would win) and that the "establishment" candidates of both parties would receive humiliating defeats and we could get on with establishing a multi-party system that better reflected voters rather than special interests with deep pockets.
Ultralight
4-20-16, 8:32am
I read an interesting opinion piece a couple of weeks ago that suggested that if Trump ends up being denied the nomination he should run as an independent, but only if Sanders also agrees to do so. The expectation of the author of the piece was that Trump and Sanders would come in first and second (the author didn't say who he expected would win) and that the "establishment" candidates of both parties would receive humiliating defeats and we could get on with establishing a multi-party system that better reflected voters rather than special interests with deep pockets.
:+1:
Williamsmith
4-20-16, 8:35am
As a member of the very middle middleclass , a species which is endangered, but gives a perspective from which I can few the poor below or behind me and the wealthy above or in front of me. I see pitchforks already in hand and moats already being built.
There has never been a time in history when income disparity did not spark a rebellion of the working class. There seems to be always time to avoid this but with every ticking second, less time.
I do not believe that Americans are jealous of people of wealth. But they are seriously resentful of the power that wealth has in this country. When money can be used to buy the services of politicians who then Legislate winners and necessarily make them winners by making others losers, the pitchforks are picked up. Democrats and Republicans alike are soft bodied and easily penetrated by farming tools.
Our politics do have to change. Right now things are just an irritation for most of the middleclass, but the irritation is turning into an open sore and soon the residual comforts will disappear and the complaining will be abandoned for action.
That may take a generation to pass that knew nothing of our prior greatness. But time is all that it will take.
Unfortunately, the wealthy and therefor the powerful do not see the worker as the foundation of this nation. They see the entrepreneur or businessman as the job creator. How is that working for us?
May I ask about that sucking noise coming from the jobs sector? If jobs are being outsourced to other countries, why aren't CEOs of large companies being found in other countries. I'm sure someone in China could be CEO of GE for much less compensation.
If a real revolution occurred, not of the political variety, but of the pitchfork kind, the powerful would not have time to get to the airport and would probably have nowhere to go if they could. Yes, I have heard it said right here, they are too lazy and timid to revolt. Not too lazy and timid to shoot each other day after day in the streets. What happens when someone comes along that can focus their attention on the "real" enemy? Not just an old hippie geezer, or an old liar, or a new liar, or a narcissistic entrepreneur but a real revolutionary.
Ultralight
4-20-16, 8:43am
Alcohol. Prozac. TV. Various other pacifiers and amusements will keep the rabble from being roused.
I don't see a revolution happening.
Williamsmith
4-20-16, 9:00am
Alcohol. Prozac. TV. Various other pacifiers and amusements will keep the rabble from being roused.
I don't see a revolution happening.
Given your track record on predictions just here in this forum........this could be my best evidence yet!
Alcohol makes people violent. Prozac makes them crazy. And TV is an outlet where a persons death is not wasted.....at least it had entertainment value. How many times have you seen Kennedys head explode in Dallas?
Our politics do have to change.
How?
Williamsmith
4-20-16, 12:41pm
How?
There was an old Indian in front of a cigar store. Every time somebody would walk in he would say, "Chance, Chance. chance." Finally, one lady says back,"Hey ain't Indians supposed to say How!" The Indian replied, "Me know How, ......Me Needum Chance!"
Same concept.
Ultralight
4-20-16, 1:28pm
As a member of the very middle middleclass , a species which is endangered, but gives a perspective from which I can few the poor below or behind me and the wealthy above or in front of me. I see pitchforks already in hand and moats already being built.
There has never been a time in history when income disparity did not spark a rebellion of the working class. There seems to be always time to avoid this but with every ticking second, less time.
I do not believe that Americans are jealous of people of wealth. But they are seriously resentful of the power that wealth has in this country. When money can be used to buy the services of politicians who then Legislate winners and necessarily make them winners by making others losers, the pitchforks are picked up. Democrats and Republicans alike are soft bodied and easily penetrated by farming tools.
Our politics do have to change. Right now things are just an irritation for most of the middleclass, but the irritation is turning into an open sore and soon the residual comforts will disappear and the complaining will be abandoned for action.
That may take a generation to pass that knew nothing of our prior greatness. But time is all that it will take.
Unfortunately, the wealthy and therefor the powerful do not see the worker as the foundation of this nation. They see the entrepreneur or businessman as the job creator. How is that working for us?
May I ask about that sucking noise coming from the jobs sector? If jobs are being outsourced to other countries, why aren't CEOs of large companies being found in other countries. I'm sure someone in China could be CEO of GE for much less compensation.
If a real revolution occurred, not of the political variety, but of the pitchfork kind, the powerful would not have time to get to the airport and would probably have nowhere to go if they could. Yes, I have heard it said right here, they are too lazy and timid to revolt. Not too lazy and timid to shoot each other day after day in the streets. What happens when someone comes along that can focus their attention on the "real" enemy? Not just an old hippie geezer, or an old liar, or a new liar, or a narcissistic entrepreneur but a real revolutionary.
The word "worker" always makes me think of Soviet Russia.
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