"Freedom Caucus" member Tim Huelskamp (R-KS 01) defeated in GOP primary. What's right with Kansas!?!

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Tuesday August 02, 2016 · 6:53 PM PDT

2016/08/02 · 18:53

He half-tied his boat to Trump. It sank. He sank. Lessons learned for the GOP?

Tim Huelskamp had his doubts about Trump. But he was equivocal about it — hey, fellow voters, maybe the sociopath Trump would be okay if he’d just modulate his insanity in a (let’s say) politically correct way?!?

Oops! He’s gone, now, from the political scene:

BREAKING: Freedom Caucus GOP Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R) unseated in #KS01 primary by ag group-backed physician Roger Marshall.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) August 3, 2016

Tim Huelskamp said:

The congressman said that Trump is better than Clinton, but noted that Mitt Romney was not able to defeat President Obama.

"I fear we’re going to have to vote for the lesser of two evils, and I don’t think that’s going to work out very well unless we see some clear, consistent changes from Donald Trump," he said.

(source: talkingpointsmemo.com/...)

Donald Trump is inherently flawed. Expecting him to change is not going to win over anyone. The platform of “maybe Trump will become human” is a losing platform. The GOP owns that platform now, though. And they’ll lose on that platform, across the board.

Who won the 1st district of Kansas? Roger Marshall won. What did Marshall have to say to the 1st district of Kansas?

But Marshall positioned himself as a “peacemaker,” someone who can reach across the aisle. In contrast, Huelskamp emphasized his unwillingness to waiver on his views.

Marshall, a physician from Great Bend, talked about examples of collaboration from his community leadership positions.

(source: www.kansas.com/...)

Huelskamp was unwilling to “waiver” on his views...unless it came to Trump? Then he’s not so sure. Well, you paid the price for that, Rep. Huelskamp! This is the price of half-allegiance to Trump in Kansas. Now, Roger Marshall is not a progressive, at all. For us this isn’t so much a celebration as a validation of proper democracy. Marshall is not some sort of mystery GOP establishment quantum-Trumpist, half-in and half-out of insanity. And that’s a lesson for the GOP. There isn’t a middle ground, here, GOP establishment. You can’t half-disavow a sociopath. Huelskamp lost his dignity and his race. Learn your lessons, GOP. Representive government, in the United States, is for the people who believe in America...not for those who want to half-defend those who despise it.

Donald Trump now the "proud owner" of a Purple Heart

Addison

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Tuesday August 02, 2016 · 4:33 PM PDT

2016/08/02 · 16:33

Owned not earned — the Trump way.

Eric Trump, the lesser Trump son, had this to tweet today:

Seeing this gesture in person brought tears to my eyes: Donald Trump is now the proud owner of a Purple Heart https://t.co/OowUNHiiWy
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) August 2, 2016

The wounded veteran can give replica medals of the one he earned to whom he likes, and with the political and moral message he likes. That is above questioning and above petty blogosphere politics. Good for him. This is not about that veteran.

But the New York Post deciding to word this as Donald Trump having “received a Purple Heart” after being “under fire” — what a twisted usage of the English language. They understood the words they used, and how topsy-turvy they were. What a disgrace from that paper.

And then his son, apparently totally clueless, quoting the paper and endorsing it, saying his father is now a “proud owner” of a Purple Heart, as if it’s just another asset in his portfolio, owned not earned; another piece of property to brand with TRUMP and point to as if he earned it. “Proud owner” of a Purple Heart.

Well...

I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier, but I tell you it was such an honor.

After all the disrespect to the Khan family — father, mother, and son — slime from top to bottom throughout the ranks of the #trumptrain. Enough has been written about that for us to understand, but perhaps it’s still not enough.

After he said this about John McCain:

“He’s not a war hero,” said Trump. “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

Et cetera.

It always comes easier for Donald Trump, I guess. Hero in his own mind, once he owns it. The easier the better. Owned not earned.

Come on, Trumps...you degrade us all. You can’t even fake patriotic humility and grace and honor when a veteran literally hands it to you.

The polls may be going our way, but this is getting harder and harder for America to watch.

The Hill: "Democrats vote to overhaul superdelegate system" — plan reduces superdelegates by 60%

Addison

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Monday July 25, 2016 · 2:31 PM PDT

2016/07/25 · 14:31

Republishing this diary from a couple days ago, as the DNC’s superdelegate compromise was just announced to the convention hall in Philly, with a minimum of dissent:

Only a handful of boos for the compromise "unity commission" on superdelegates. Very well managed by campaigns.
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) July 25, 2016

Thought a rundown of the proposal + some accompanying math for context might be useful.

Good news tonight from The Hill:

The Democratic Rules Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of a major shift in the superdelegate system Saturday night after a deal was reached between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters.

The committee approved nearly unanimously an amendment that preserves the existing superdelegate role for elected U.S. lawmakers and governors, but will bind the remaining superdelegates — roughly two-thirds — to primary and caucus results.

The new rule, which will still need to be formally approved by the DNC and won’t be in effect until the next presidential election, establishes a “Unity Commission” to make recommendations on the reforms.

(source: thehill.com/...)

This is a good compromise. It gets rid of over half of all the superdelegates, ensures that pledged delegates from the rank-and-file won’t be forced out of the overall process by newly vote-less elected officials, and ensures that elected officials can still act in a limited but present “safeguard” but without superdelegates as a whole totally swamping the process.

So, we still have superdelegates — for both good and ill — but far fewer and with far more personal accountability for their actions (as they are almost all elected officials).

For a more detailed view of what this likely means for 2020 and beyond, we can look at the breakdown of superdelegates from the 2016 nomination process.

437 elected members (with 433 votes) from the Democratic National Committee (including the chairs and vice-chairs of each state's Democratic Party)

20 distinguished party leaders (DPL), consisting of current and former presidents, current and former vice-presidents, former congressional leaders, and former DNC chairs

191 Democratic members of the United States House of Representatives (including non-voting delegates from DC and territories)

47 Democratic members of the United States Senate (including Washington, DC shadow senators)

21 Democratic governors (including territorial governors and the Mayor of the District of Columbia).

(source: en.wikipedia.org/...)

Around 15% of all delegates were superdelegates, meaning that (in theory) a candidate could have received 58.8% of the elected delegate vote but still not clinched the nomination due to superdelegates. Moving forward to 2020, the plan is that only around 6.8% of the all delegates will be superdelegates, and nearly all of them (93%) current elected officials.

Using the 2016 numbers as a baseline, the new reforms would cut the number of superdelegate votes from 712 down to 279 — a reduction of over 60%. To put it simply it eliminates the “elected” DNC superdelegates, and except for the “DPL” group leaves superdelegates who were currently accountable and would quite likely remain accountable to the voters in their districts and states.

A sensible reform, and a fair one. In one last quote from the article above: “Delegates from both the Sanders and Clinton camps spoke out in favor of the deal before the vote. No one spoke in opposition.”

Sounds good! Now, about those vote-suppressing caucuses...

A new GOP foreign policy led by Трампов and his pro-Putin team. The GOP agrees. History will judge.

Addison

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Sunday July 24, 2016 · 7:44 PM PDT

2016/07/24 · 19:44

Доналд Фредович Трампов gets his policy advice from the best on this topic, at least on the subjects of fearmongering and divisiveness and Russia’s interests. After all, his main man Paul Manafort learned from the...worst.

Trump has taken the usual GOP binding of “Terrorism + Foreign Policy = Votes” and made it into “Terrorism + Immigration = Votes.”

The GOP’s Foreign policy, now, is just pro-Putin policy haphazardly stated. The GOP owns that, until they can come to their senses. All of the GOP members endorsing or supporting Trump have no foreign policy except a pro-Putin one as of right now. That is their legacy once this fever breaks.

Immigration = Terrorism

Nonwhite = “Other”

Latinos = ISIS

NATO = Optional

EU = The Enemy

Oligarchs = Allies

Estonia = St. Petersburg’s suburbs

Putin = Strong

Putin = Right

Putin = Great

Putin = “...what next, Sir?”

That’s the GOP’s core foreign policy now. That’s all it is, until there’s a true disavowal of the Siberian Candidate Donald Trump by the GOP establishment. Until then, they own it. They will never disavow him.

So congrats, Putin’s Quislings. Congrats, Trump’s allies. Congrats Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Mitch McConnell, etc. etc. etc. etc. — virtually the entire GOP. This is you, now. This is your brand and who you’re campaigning for. A crazed and disjointed pro-Putin policy set. You own it. It is you, in the history books.

Keep in mind that the GOP doesn’t have to be FOR Hillary Clinton, here. There a choice available to them to avoid all this: just support NOBODY. They can’t or won’t. So Trump’s policy is theirs, now. Anti-American, anti-NATO, pro-Putin, all of it. They find themselves unable to abstain, and so they own it.

We Democrats need to be happy warriors for democracy and pro-American optimism. The GOP has no substantial willingness to confront Trump along these lines, but American interests must be defended against the “altright” anti-American and pro-Putin nuts. It’s up to us.

When the GOP had a chance to stand up to this, history will show they failed the test.

We're getting Tim Kaine the "Happy Progressive Warrior", not the "Safe Centrist White Guy" - CHEERS!

Addison

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Saturday July 23, 2016 · 12:40 PM PDT

2016/07/23 · 12:40

I wasn’t for Sen. Kaine’s selection as VP, at all. I didn’t even see him as the best “Kaine” of the Kaine type (i.e. boring, experienced, supposedly safe, centrist). And so I absolutely didn’t get why he’d risen to the top of the list. I didn’t want a supposedly “safe” pick, but even in that group there were even safer and more centrist and more boring ones — so what on Earth was the point of Kaine, a current Senator whose seat we’d have to defend twice in two years if he won?

Well...the Miami speech showed that he wasn’t picked to be the “safe” and “boring” type many of his proponents were arguing for; and he won’t be that on the trail. If Kaine had come out and given a speech designed to appeal to centrist white guys, we’d still have a major problem on the politics of the selection. But that’s not what we got, quite purposefully. We got a masterful Happy Progressive Warrior, not a Safe Centrist White Guy. We got a Happy Progressive Warrior in his biography, policy emphasis, political experience, rhetorical skill, and personal character.

The topics emphasized and presentation style showed that Kaine was picked as the VP nominee specifically to use his biography and experience to highlight progressive platform issues of immigration, gun control, and civil rights — NOT as a “safe” and “boring” appeal to centrist white males. And that matters a great deal, it really cannot be overstated. It changes the rationale and changes the calculus.

And during the Miami speech we learned something else that should give anyone with concerns about Kaine’s selection an easy night’s sleep. Kaine was 100% more natural and engaging today than I’ve seen him before. Serious issues I had about his presentation style are erased. He’s proven himself a capable vehicle for talking about his own bio and experience — the presentation-related arguments against him yesterday are not there today. If he can keep weaving his bio and experience into the politics at this level he’ll have proven himself a very, very, very, smart choice.

So, sure, there are some very centrist policy sets in there. and I would like to hear a little more (not a reversal, just more of his rationale) on some of the banking/trade stuff.

But we’re not being sold a DLC/Third Way 1990’s-era “safe” and “conservative” white guy here. That is not the Kaine we’re getting, and not the Kaine that Clinton wants. THIS Kaine is better than the Vilsacks and the Hickenloopers. THIS Kaine can rival Elizabeth Warren, albeit on a different set of issues. The speech proved that. Kaine’s role on the campaign is NOT going to be centrism, as many feared. It’s to more strongly push for some of the more progressive parts of the platform, using his upgraded presentation ability to talk about his bio and experience.

Ecstatic at the choice, the rollout speech, and the Clinton’s campaign’s wise framing and utilization of Kaine.

Trump's very clear, very plain convention speech message: Latino immigrants = ISIS

Addison

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Thursday July 21, 2016 · 9:15 PM PDT

2016/07/21 · 21:15

Well, not sure what to take from that long and incoherent speech from Trump. A Pat Buchanan speech delivered as poorly as possible. We can be thankful for his delivery, I guess?

If I had to figure out what he meant, though…

It was mostly about the weird intermingling, throughout Trump's speech, of the Trump-branded "Build the Wall" hatred of immigration (with specifically Latino examples) and ISIS barbarian terrorism.

One and the same, apparently?

It was a clear goal of the rhetoric.

The stock market is down since Bush took office?

Latino immigrants are flooding in.

Crime is supposedly up, long-term?

Latino immigrants are flooding in.

Terrorism is a problem?

Latino immigrants are flooding in.

American lives are being devastated?

Latino immigrants are flooding in.

Terrorists are killing people and Latino immigrants are killing people, as related by Trump. It was practically a call-and-response, albeit done entirely by the candidate.

Trump voters, if they hadn’t latched on to it previously, certainly have their universal and dehumanized domestic scapegoat now.

Immigrants, specifically Latino immigrants, are equivalent to ISIS...that was the only main throughline of this speech. Everything else was scattershot and pablum. That was the only internally consistent element. That Latino immigrants = ISIS.

Well, that, and the last minute updates to assure Putin that he could invade the Baltics without any problem.

Hillary for Prison...Turkish Prison?!? Vote Единая Россия!!! Uh, wait, where are we again?

Addison

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Tuesday July 19, 2016 · 9:46 PM PDT

2016/07/19 · 21:46

Oh, wait.

I’ve lost sense of my nationality, here. Too caught up in the GOP convention thrall, perhaps. Forgive me, the whole thing going on in Cleveland is a bit foreign.

I was perhaps a little too taken with Trump’s love of Putin, deep as it is. He seems a big fan, and a major ally.

For a moment I felt like we were in Turkey, where imprisoning our political opponents was the usual rhetoric for an election. That seems like the major talking point here, after all.

And I thought for a second that I was aligned with Trump quasi-manager Paul Manafort, and was promoting Putinism for money while pretending to be for Trump.

But I’m an American, not a Trumpist. Or a Putinist. Same thing?

My apologies.

Trump’s support of Putin, and for crazy Erdoğanism had me all turned around.

Trump is the candidate of the Erdoğans and Putins of the world.

Maybe we shouldn’t vote for him? As a country?

Maybe?

Trump is pro-Putin. His people weakened anti-Putin language in the GOP platform. End of message.

Addison

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Tuesday July 19, 2016 · 6:46 PM PDT

2016/07/19 · 18:46

Not sure what the hell the GOP speakers are talking about.

Anti-Russia? Huh?

During last week’s national security committee platform meeting, committee member Diana Denman introduced an amendment in support of Ukrainian opposition to Putin’s invasion of Crimea and backing military aid to the country. “Today, the post-Cold War ideal of a ‘Europe whole and free’ is being severely tested by Russia’s ongoing military aggression in Ukraine,” the amendment read. “The Ukrainian people deserve our admiration and support in their struggle.”

But Trump staffers in the room intervened. With the support of the pro-Trump delegates, they tabled the amendment to try to and block it later. Eventually they amended the amendment to remove Republican support for sending military aid, replacing it with language calling for “appropriate assistance.” The end result of the watered down language, the Post reports, is that “the official Republican party position on arms for Ukraine will be at odds with almost all the party’s national security leaders.”

www.mediaite.com/...

His campaign is anti-Putin?

For years, [Trump campaign coordinator] Manafort worked as a consultant to ex-Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, building what his own friends characterized as a “political love connection” with the pro-Russian leader. It was Yanukovych’s last-minute refusal to sign a trade agreement with the European Union in 2013 that sparked the Maidan revolution that ultimately drove him from power after his security forces murdered some 100 protestors in downtown Kiev. Yanukovych fled to Russia, where he remains.

Manafort was paid handsomely to clean up Yanukovych’s negative image, much as he is currently trying to do with Trump. But as is often the case with Western PR men hired to put lipstick on a pig, the pig is still a pig.

www.politico.eu/...

Friendliness or gullibility?:

Late last year, the world marveled at the budding bromance between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Putin, who is alleged to have ordered the jailing and murder of political opponents and journalists critical of his regime, heaped praise on the “absolute leader of the presidential race,” calling Trump “bright and talented.”

In response, Trump compared Putin’s Russia to President Barack Obama’s America, insisting the former is “running his country, and at least he’s a leader—unlike what we have in this country.”

In the golden days of 2015, this back-and-forth inspired lighthearted memes and sarcastic tweets. But now, as Trump ascends to the position of likely GOP nominee,Buzzfeed reports that intelligence agencies are taking note of potential conflicts of interest concerning Trump’s aides and their “ties to allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

www.alternet.org/...

See above, not much more to say.

Too confused.

Trump's VP selection circus, an...uh...update?

Addison

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Wednesday July 13, 2016 · 8:10 PM PDT

2016/07/13 · 20:10

PANIC and HORROR descends on the GOP’s method of deciding the VP.

From Politico (Tiger Beat on the Potomac):

The deliberations over who Donald Trump should pick as his running mate reached a fever pitch on Wednesday, as members of his inner circle scrambled to fly to Indiana because they were increasingly convinced Trump was leaning away from Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and toward New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, according to a campaign source with direct knowledge of the situation.

Trump remained in Indiana due to a "technical problem" with his plane, after having met with Pence on Sunday and appearing with him at a rally on Tuesday night.

"I am narrowing it down. I mean, I’m at three, potentially four," said. "But in my own mind, I probably am thinking about two."

Privately, Trump’s closest advisers are eager to sway him. Kushner [Trump’s son-in-law], the millionaire real estate developer who has emerged as a de facto campaign manager in recent weeks, is said to strongly oppose putting Christie on the ticket. Notably, Christie was the federal prosecutor who put Kushner's father in prison a decade ago.

[source: www.politico.com/...]

Oh good grief.

Read all of the above.

What even is the GOP anymore?

This is sub-Palin decision making here. Where is Kristol for terrible decision-making when you need him? At least he had some decisive stupidity in his pocket.

Plane “delays”, a son-in-law’s familial legal trouble swaying the decision, a spontaneous family reunion to decide it. Maybe four, or three, probably two VP candidates? Huh?

We’re talking about Pence, Gingrich, Christie, and Sessions. The top tier of the bottom tier of the never otherwise considered.

Tim Tebow or Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell or Johnny Manziel as QB of the Houston Oilers. It’s a tough battle and all of them want the job!

Just pick one, Donald. It hardly makes a difference.

BIPARTISAN BRAVERY from Rep. Scott DeJarlais (R-TN) on Clinton prosecution: "There is no precedence"

Addison

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Thursday July 07, 2016 · 7:11 PM PDT

2016/07/07 · 19:11

He asserts that "there is no precedence" for prosecution of Hillary Clinton.

Source: www.msnbc.com/… (at timestamp 3:46)

On a prosecution of Clinton:

There is no precedence.

Not too much to comment on, here.

Only a true American hero.

Scott DeJarlais (R-TN4) has vindicated the non-prosecution of Hillary Clinton, backing up the FBI’s determination, saying “there is no precedence.”

Wow.

Paging Politico, this is a truly sensational comment by a GOP Congressman.

Thank you, Rep. DeJarlais, for your bravery here. To stand up to your own party and say, publicly and on national television, that there is no precedence for a prosecution of Hillary Clinton...it’s a thing of wonder and we owe you a debt as a nation.

You are a true statesman, Scott.

A nation thanks you.

BREAKING VIDEO: Live Feed of the GOP's Anti-Hillary Witchhunt Brigade!

Addison

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Thursday July 07, 2016 · 5:36 PM PDT

2016/07/07 · 17:36

YouTube Video

Heckuva job, Trump! Google Trends chart of "Saddam Hussein" vs. "James Comey" for 7/5/16 7-11pm

Addison

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Tuesday July 05, 2016 · 8:06 PM PDT

2016/07/05 · 20:06

Above is the Google Trends chart for the search terms “saddam hussein” and “james comey” in the United States over the past 4 hours (so: 7-11pm on July 5th).

Wow.

Thanks, Trump!

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