Trump Won't Be the Nominee
First I wanted to add this Sanders campaign video from New York. This is how I expect Bernie would fulfill his promise to defeat Trump. That is by using the progressive agenda to destroy his bigotry. No mention of Clinton. Just our message against bigotry and racism.
I want to make a prediction, and am to lazy to link all the scattered information I have seen the past week right now but will say: DONALD TRUMP WILL NOT BE THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE. TRUMP WILL BE INDICTED OR OTHERWISE DESTROYED BY THE R MACHINE BEFORE THE GOP CONVENTION.
Please share (Republican media is best :-))headlines which support or refute this prediction. here are some:
Donald Trump Threatens to Self-Fund Campaign if GOP Support Wavers
Apple reportedly not supporting the GOP convention over Trump
Major companies decline to fund 2016 GOP convention
Donald Trump Paid Zero in Taxes.
Will Donald Trump be indicted for criminal charges related to Trump University before the GOP convention in July?
Even Fox News is Abandoning the Trump Disaster: Dozens of lawsuits accuse Trump of not paying his bills
So who do you think might be the replacement candidate they will choose? Who will wipe the floor with Clinton's 650 dollar a pop hair-doo? Who knows? Whoever (it won't be Cruz) it will be a relief to the Republicans.
If they had any brains at all the R Machine would nominate Susan Collins from Maine, also known as "the only moderate Republican" in the Senate.
Comments
The flag
Note: I am not fond of all the flag waving at the beginning of the video. In my vision the red stripes are the blood dripping from the murder of Black and Brown people around the world.
From the Light House.
It saddens me to vote this up
but it is the truth. Damn it.
Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.
Just read this am that Trump got 14 million votes in the
primary. I'm assuming Clinton got around that many too. That equates to less than 5% of the population, probably about 6-7% of the voting population.
Just one more reason this whole thing is a complete farce.
IMO Trump is another nauseating footnote to American History.
14,000,000 votes!! Why should they care? I don't think (for what it is worth, probably nothing) The R Machine is going to be stupid enough to allow Trump to destroy their party when they could sweep the floor with another candidate. To do that, they need to get their attack dogs on the case, and we know how good they are at that, to completely destroy Trump before the convention. They are already at it. Open convention! Trump in jail. Hee Haw! GOP beats the disgusting Democratic candidate and Addelson, Koch et al laugh all the way to colonizing (select a few poor countries).
Clinton is running against a phantom.
From the Light House.
There is another theory, Cass picked up on it.
The republicans had their chance during the primary so maybe its not that party that is upping the ante on Trump. Could be Trump is being set up to lose to Clinton, insure a Clinton victory. New accusations and pressure being put on Trump in the general could be for Clinton's benefit as opposed to the republican party trying to oust him as nominee.
Either way, ya, I don't think Trump has a chance, he's been a prop the whole time that will fade away with all the other props.
Could be?
Try "IS". I've been saying this for months, and I'm hardly the only one. We may differ on "how they got him there to begin with", but if this was a farce from the git-go, then Trump's entry into the race was always intentional, in order to help make Clinton look "less scary"...
I don't think anybody figured he'd be so popular, and it's still harder to say if he ever wanted it to begin with, but now that he's so popular--and was always so egomaniacal--perhaps he's not playing ball with them anymore?
Those are exactly my thoughts, luna.
Especially your last line - I think he likes this now and doesn't want to play ball anymore. As I've commented before, if they replace him, it will be interesting to see how his supporters react. These are the most volatile among us.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
They? You mean bubba, WS and the old guard GOP?
Because she got her clock cleaned in 08, my guess is the .01%, their media, and the Clinton machine left nothing to chance. From rigging the Dem primary to rigging the GOP nominee. There is no too low or too corrupt for the Clintons.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Except the part where it was supposed to be Jeb! v. $hillary.
That's what everyone thought the race was gonna come down to before Trunp came in and cucked Jeb!.
The oligarchy would've been fine w/ either Jeb! or the pandering Shillster winning the election, but Drunpf makes them nervous.
They tried
but Jeb!s heart just wasn't in it. He was so not interested in winning the GOP primary, there's a picture of him floating around the Internets where he's posing with a bunch of Sanders supporters ...
Hillary and Trump are both fringe candidates
From Counterpunch:
We get to pinch our nose and vote for the least fragrant shit sandwich.
The primary goal of our elitest political system is continuation of rule by the elites:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/05/27/by-the-numbers-hillary-clinton-an...
"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn
He should have buried her.
Bernie’s Tragic Flaw: Too Soft on Clinton
by ANDREW LEVINE
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/06/17/bernies-tragic-flaw-too-soft-on-c...
Whether Bernie and/or the Dems win or lose, Hillary is as bad as Trump. The world's cop is running two candidates for leader of the "free" world that are both under criminal investigation by the FBI. I do not understand how "we the people" or the rest of the planet allow the US to get away with it.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Don't think that would have mattered
overall, if the voting/counting was rigged against him to begin with.
He's way better off for it--even after it was obviously fixed, he still took the high road and isn't looked at as having sour grapes. Well, except by the most obnoxious partisans and folks who want to continue to make him look bad.
Sorry to say, I agree,
at least somewhat. I think his main problem though was the media blackout. People didn't even know he was running until well into the race. And, then when they did hear, they also heard he had no chance because Hillary had a bazillion delegates to his inconsequential number.
Perhaps if he had been more critical of Hillary early on, he would have gotten media attention. That's what they like. He can be critical without being mean and ugly, just truthful on the issues.
Whether one thinks the election was stolen or not, we sure were robbed.
To me, the media is responsible for Trump's rise, and Sanders' fall (or lack of rise. I guess they didn't let him get high enough to fall).
Agree, OLinda. Certainly, personal attacks would
have done more harm, than good.
But, considering the seriousness of FSC's official misconduct, whether it reaches the level of criminality, or not, I think that it was a mistake not to address this issue.
OTOH, I'm 'guessing' that the Dem Establishment would have gone after Bernie, if he had. And he knew it.
The Dem Establishment has always been fully supportive of bringing new voters into the Dem Party, according to their own words in print media, and in Press Conferences. OTOH, I 'imagine' that they would strongly object to words, or conduct that might hurt FSC as the eventual or presumptive Dem nominee, in the General Election.
Bottom line, he probably had little choice, but to ignore the issue--if he wanted to return to the Senate (if he lost).
Excellent piece--thanks for posting it, DK.
Mollie
In Tribute To 'Barabas'
Please Visit Save Our Street Dogs [SOSD]
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Let me clarify my previous
comment (instead of 'editing' it)--I was trying to say that I thought that educating the general public about FSC's 'misdeeds' would have been helpful, in the one sense, and even may have helped him electorally, since he has many Independent supporters; however, I do not blame Bernie in any way, for not going there.
(For the reasons that I stated above.)
Just wanted to make that clear.
Mollie
In Tribute To 'Barabas'
Please Visit Save Our Street Dogs [SOSD]
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Snark, I presume
Of course, the Dem establishment didn't go after him.
Of course, no one orchestrated the media blackouts
Of course, votes weren't suppressed
Of course, votes magically flipped
Of course, voters weren't disenfranchised
Of course, Obama kept his hands off the endorsements
Of course, the State Department is fully cooperating in Hillary's email messes
I dread to think what might have happened if the Dems DID go after Bernie. What did I miss?
Ummm
I'm thinkin' not....
Hey, AE, no argument that they didn't undermine him,
electorally.
But, there's no doubt in my mind, that the Dem Party Establishment/Leadership would have set out to viciously destroy Bernie--however they had to--if he had personally attacked FSC or WJC in regards to their dysfunctional past history, and/or odious personal conduct. Or, even if he had reasonably and seriously addressed the email debacle.
Now, from what I've observed, thus far, the Dem Leadership has been very laudatory in regard to Bernie's accomplishments--bringing in enthusiastic new voters, etc.
Of course, I don't have a crystal ball. But, that's my take.
Have a good one!
Mollie
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."--Lao Tzu
Visit Us At Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
I was at the People's Summit
I was at the People's Summit -- there is significant resistance to fusing many of the grassroots organizations that have formed around their issues (fracking, racial justice, housing, minimum wage, etc.) into a coordinated O R G A N I Z A T I O N with statewide reach and national reach.
Carmona (Sanders Campaign Political Director) was on the panel of a breakout session I attended on building independent political power. His basic message was Defeat Trump and fight TPP. I yelled out, Does Bernie have a strategy for that? He responded yes.
Then today, at the conclusion of the People's Summit, they had a discussion to come up with a National Day of Action in February 2017. WTF! What about a National Day of Action to defeat the TPP before the election? What are they waiting for? If this People's Summit idea was part of Bernie Sanders "build the political revolution" from the campaign momentum, why not move on the TPP vote looming NOW?
I was very discouraged by this sentiment.
Jill Stein's Comment on The People's Summit
From CNN.com here's a quote from Jill Stein, who was not invited to attend The People's Summit. The Green Party did have ballot access forms for various states (including Illinois, where I live) to gather signatures. I and my husband signed them.
Below is Jill Stein's quote:
With Sanders seeming to wind down his campaign, one live choice for the left is the Green Party's Dr. Jill Stein.
But her campaign said she was not invited and that her overtures to speak here were rejected.
The People's Summit "looks a lot like a Democratic Party-connected event and an attempt to keep enthusiastic Sanders supporters in the party," Stein campaign co-chair Gloria Mattera told CNN late Friday night in an email.
"Perhaps there was concern that a real independent voice for a political revolution, Dr. Stein, would derail their plan."
Why did you have to yell?
Perhaps there were some bad actors where you were?
Building Independent Political Power - The People's Summit
The building independent political power breakout session was in a panel format with a Q&A. The Q&A was set up for individuals to step up to the mic and ask the panelists a question.
During the Q&A, a question (which I can't recall) was posed to Arturo Carmona, and he responded by saying that Bernie Sanders wants to make sure the TPP doesn't come to the floor. I yelled out my question while Carmona was responding to someone else's question. Earlier in the Q&A, Carmona was asked a specific question about Bernie Sanders campaign plans regarding the convention, and Carmona said he wasn't at liberty to respond.
The representative from Working Families Party (Bob Master), said he disagreed with Bernie Sanders position (as expressed by Arturo Carmona during the panel discussion) that reforming the Democratic Party was an effective strategic path for the Political Revolution. Bob Master's comment was a response to another question during the Q&A.
If I were the cynical type
I might observe that if we have something to focus on in the future, we are perhaps less likely to interfere with what is going on now.
Watch the People's Summit on Bernie2016TV
The People's Summit is up on youtube.
My hope is Clinton won't be either
Think T-rump University is bad how about this:
http://nypost.com/2016/06/12/the-clinton-university-scandal/
Interesting CNN runs with this story:
Washington (CNN)Hillary Clinton's campaign is escalating its attacks against Trump University, releasing a fake infomercial mocking Donald Trump's controversial business venture as a scam.
Seems the media is working against T-rump and for the $hill.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
They are selling their bill of goods.
Vote hrc because I know every trick in the book to benefit us at the expense of the 99% and we've got Bill, to boot!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Trump is the only republican candidate
Shillary could beat.
Why would Bill encourage Trump to run?
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I asked the question of BBB on the GOS
What if TRUMP is not the GOP nominee
The response was to laugh.
But it's a serious question... Because it is a possibility
If you are a democratic political junky who reads democratic blogs and watches comcast/msnbc you have been fed practically NOTHING but trump for almost a year. Trump trump trump 24/7
There was even an FP diary yesterday about the multi millions in free media he got... But a majority of that free media was designed to insure HE would be the GOP nominee and it was pushed by democratic leaning media. You did not hear about or be exposed to the media push on the other side against this outcome. But it's there, it's real and it's serious.
Orwell was an optimist
I would love to see
the Trumpster run on the Trump Towers party line.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
I've sure noticed a change in tune in the
traditional media. Now they are reporting critically on Trump where they sure never did during the primary. Talking about his response to Orlando, I heard "unpredictable," "doubling down," and a few other negatives I can't recall at the moment. But, it did hit me how different it is all of a sudden.
Looks like they're going to try to take him down.
My view too
Do you think it's the TPP? I think it might be the MSM big interest in another Clinton administration...they delivered the telecommunications bill in the 90's. T-rump not a TPP fan, but I bet he's available for purchase.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
I agree totally that Trump will be jettisoned from the Repug nom
For the last week or two I've been imagining how completely derailed the meltdowns must be among the R restablishment cronies in offices and restaurants all over the country. It's hitting them like a ton of bricks, like shell shock. They tried to put a good face on it for the cameras and the sake of "party unity", but the truth is they've been punked. They deserve every bit of it too.
They have to have been looking at the internal polling numbers that point to just how many people will refuse to vote for such a boorish, piece of shit, ugly, narcissistic, dumb, racist, bigoted buffoon. Oh sure, there are some supporters out there. But they are a distinct minority in this country at large.
And the irony is that Hillary and her neoliberal corporatist minions are quaking in their boots at this possibility. "Be VERY AFRAID of Trump" is all they've got, after "It's The Woman's Turn." They need Trump to stay in.
As Alligator Ed was saying here, this is an unpredented time on the verge of constitutional crisis.
Iowanx's comment is right on too, laying out the context.
There's just so many weird scenarios to contemplate. I don't have the time to get into it now, with an infant son in tow who has had me up since 4:30 am (which led to one of those endless YouTube meanders from aTwilight Zone episode to Roger Waters on the Real News talking about a film he made about the West's propaganda about Palestine and blind allegiance to Israel, then to rare Black Sabbath footage...).
But suffice to say the jig is up, the people smell a rat - in both directions. Even people who want to believe in the system sense something is askew. "Clinton again; what is this a monarchy; we just got through with the Bushes; etc"? And when you throw in on top, the Clinton Foundation money laundering, her brazen Wall St ties and "speeches", the hubris and arrogance of endangering state secrets through her private email, the allegations of voter suppression/fraud, etc she's finished.
The whole charade is about to be exposed.
I'll just say this. Since Occupy I've been waiting for a cataclysmic moment that would galvanize the 99%. It just might be right around the corner.
And then there will be Sanders, as the "only adult in the room" of this election season.
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
Excellent comment and summary.
I'll add irony sauce to this one:
Although unlikely, the Democrats NEED Trump to be the nominee, so they are beating voters over the head with Trump early and often before he's gone.
The Republicans NEED Hillary and her negatives to run against, so they're not saying anything while Bernie is being dumped.
Voter's chains must be very sore from being yanked all the time.
Great analysis, Mark.
I, too, gave been wondering what would galvanize the people after OWS. I am so happy OWS occurred - it was the precursor to the next step. The end of the story has been revealed. They couldn't help but show their hand because Bernie Sanders was not willing to sacrifice his convictions for their endorsement like Obama did. The people were thirsty for hope and change and without it being quenched, they've turned to Bernie to help right our country. They never saw it coming. They thought we were satisfied with him. Next steps will be interesting. Anything can and will happen. Hang on.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
It doesn't look like Trump will be the nominee.
The GOP Party bosses have never regarded him as the nominee. They've dropped a half-dozen talking-point news releases containing interviews with party establishment over the past six weeks in Politico and the like — laying the groundwork. They emphatically call the Republican Primary a "Voter Preference Poll" and say, "It is one of many things we look at before selecting our nominee." It is not a binding election; the primaries are a poll. That hasn't changed. It's not a secret.
I've been holding off on writing about this because I wanted to see how many of the Dem bosses would pull the Trump card on voters before the conventions. It's such a cynical thing to do. I watched E. Warren hold up an effigy of Trump and beat it with a stick while breathlessly reciting bad, bad things about the bad, bad man — who has yet to be nominated by the GOP. Did it scare you? They are using Trump to break your spirit before he is replaced by a standard Republican candidate. They're in an awful big hurry; Hillary hasn't even been nominated yet.
I also wanted to watch Bernie play the Trump card. He was pretty clever about it, saying in effect, he won't let the boogyman get Hillary, if she's nominated. He will protect her. And not much more.
Glad you wrote this, Alex. While the reasons listed in your argument were known problems with Trump, I think the GOP bosses have been there all along. It's been pretty clear that Kasich sees himself stepping up and has been lobbying. But can he carry the day? I've been steadfastly predicting a Clinton-Bush ticket for two years now. But that's not the point.
The point is, are you voting for a Party or a Person?
Who will you vote against when you don't have an outsider (Trump) to kick around anymore?
Kasich/Nikki Haley
I have thought Kasich/Nikki Haley for quite a while. It will not be Jeb. The Trumpsters would revolt. Kasich is known to have an independent streak. That will be emphasized. He was the last to suspend his campaign & just recently said he would not endorse Trump. And he is from Ohio--it is difficult to get the White House without Ohio. Kasich won Ohio big in the Repub primary. Occasionally, a dark horse gets the nomination, especially when political events are volatile. Just my $.02.
I would vote this ticket to keep Killary out
My god, I can't believe I just typed that. But, I cannot vote for that bloodthirsty warmonger. I just can't! If she's the nom (or better, if Bernie is not the nom since some other corporate shill might take her place should hell freeze over and Her Highness be removed), and the ticket you posted actually be on the Republican ticket, I'd vote Republican for the first time in my life.
If it's Trump vs Shills or a replacement shill, I'll vote the good Dr. Stein.
Funny I posted
this in a thread at reddit earlier.
"I've been cruising through red state and some other unsavory sites. They still, by far, believe trump is in cahoots with the clintons. I wouldn't be one bit surprised if somehow, at the rnc convention, that romney or ryan comes out as the nominee. If that would happen clinton would be finished because the only chance she has is running against someone almost as distasteful as her across the political spectrum. BernieOrBust."
If the Republicans replace Trump,
they can take the high moral ground. There would be a lot of "See, we don't' put up with racism and corrupt behavior in our party." They will then hammer on HRC's and the Democratic Party's corrupt practices and having a candidate who has endangered national security. They also have all sorts of examples of the Clintons' racist policies.
The media has had a huge hand in getting HRC elected. It would be a slap in their face and a losing of power for them if she loses.
People who don't want a Trump or Clinton presidency should be writing to the Republicans and telling them they will win if they replace Trump with a moderate. I don't know much about Susan Collins, but I think there was another woman Republican (May have been the one who made the State of the Union "rebuttal" this year) recently who was mentioned as a possible VP. Nominating either one or another woman would really take the wind out of the Democrat sails.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
True, but with conditions:
The media only loses power if an Outsider wins. If a tool from either Party wins, then the media wins. The billionaire media buys will continue.
True, they win either way, but
they are betting the farm on HRC.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina gave the response to the 2016 state of the union address. She assisted in taking down the Confederate flag from the S.C. Capitol building and there was no blow back. Haley has a 81% approval rating in South Carolina. Her parents are Sikh immigrants from India, arriving in the U.S. before Nikki was born. She is no Sarah Palin.
I wish pols would stop lady-pandering.
The current crop is dismal. Albright and Steinem put a fine point on that.
We will know the One when we see her.
There's been no sign of her yet.
Amy Klobuchar
Take a look at Amy Klobuchar, senior senator from Minnesota. She keeps a low profile. Maybe that's a good thing. I'm going to study her more because I think she may have a future in time. I'm not fond of lady pandering either.
Okay, I will check her out.
Thanks for the tip.
Would you single her out to me if she were a man?
Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party Member
Yes, I would single her out if she were a man. She is a member of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor party, which is progressive. At one time, there were many progressives in the Midwest. Below is a link explaining about the party. Amy opposed the Iraq War and supports civil liberties. She was a legal adviser to Walter Mondale.
https://www.dfl.org/about-our-party/overview-dfl-history/
Impressive. Thanks again.
barbara lee
is the only person who voted against the September 14, 2001 AUMF. No one else voted against it. Not Bernie Sanders; not Ron Paul. Lee is therefore the only person then serving in the Congress even minimally qualified to try to be the president.
Ah, thank you very much.
I had only heard a couple of things and hadn't paid much attention to the name. Can we clone her?
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
We don't want to clone Nikki Haley
I only emphasized Nikki Haley's positives because she would be a formidable Repub VP candidate. She came in on the Tea Party wave, but is Repub establishment. More neoliberal stuff. Nikki is smart and her "story" plays well today. Dems have Amy Klobuchar in the Senate. She's the senior senator from Minnesota and is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party. She keeps a low profile, but I think she has charisma. Nikki Haley doesn't try to stand out and has charisma too.
On cloning, I was only thinking of
injecting some more sane people within the Republican Party, not that she would be any kind of progressive. More as an antidote to Trump.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
Trump is the only likely GOP nom she could beat
And if she doesn't have "I'm not Trump" to run on, she is toast against say a Romney 2.0 run. The DNC establishment has no "Plan B"...
It's professional wrestling
Trump is the bad guy. He's scheduled to take the fall. Expect someone to hit the other over the head with a folding chair. Expect rude comments about the outfit H wears into the ring.
But it's all predetermined. Trump takes the fall. Hillary wins. All-out war with Russia by April.
Yeah, April is perfect weather
for mass troop mobilization.
March is too windy.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Obama has already started moving troops
There were articles like this a couple of months ago:
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-05-04/russia-hikes-border-troop...
Many other articles reported the same. Of course, it was always about Putin moving troops, but it was NATO that poked the bear.
It's insanity.
It's looking increasingly likely that he won't be.
And if that happens, Hillary will crash and burn. Moderates and center-right voters will run from her toward whoever the Republican nominee is. The left will still refuse to support her and she'll be left with nothing. Right now, most establishment Republicans are in full out rebellion against Trump's presumptive candidacy, and I wouldn't be surprised if his own delegates throw him under the bus at the convention, which will just solidify how corrupt and undemocratic both parties are.
The bigger question is what happens if Trump gets ousted? Does he run third party? If so, what does Bernie do in response? Does he stand by while Trump divides the Republicans and Hillary still potentially loses, or does he run as an independent? I think the only way he jumps into the race on the Green ticket is if this exact scenario plays out.
I'll go you one better
Trump won't be the nominee, I agree with that and have felt that way from the start. Whether Trump himself has been in on this rouse by the republicans or not I can't say.
Note: this is my theory and mine alone, and my theory is of a conspiracy by the republicans, so if I'm violating any rules let me know and I'll take it down.
Let's look at the polling throughout the primary season, specifically the "who would you vote for in the general election if it were held today" polls.
Early on these polls showed that Hillary would lose to all of the republican primary candidates with the exception of Trump. In those polls showing she would beat Trump, the numbers were often within the margin of error i.e. it could go either way. Those same polls showed that Bernie would win against any of the republican candidates handily, by margins of up to 20 points.
As the primary season trudged forward and one by one the republican potentials started dropping out, Hillary's numbers as preferred in a head-to-head matchup inched upward, but only slightly, while Bernie continued to win in the head-to-head poll by comfortable margins. Skip forward to the time when Trump was the last republican standing, and the polls stayed pretty much the same. Note that all this time the republican meme was "we support the republican nominee", with many well-known and high-ranking republicans endorsing trump by name.
Until...
California. Hillary is now the presumptive nominee. Even if after the votes are all finally counted and the results show that Bernie did in fact win the state, it won't be by a large enough margin to overtake Hillary and become the presumptive nominee. To the republicans Bernie, the one who in poll after poll would beat whoever they nominated, was finally out of the way.
It was only AFTER Hillary apparently had things locked up that the republican uprising against trump started. Many who'd previously stated they were endorsing him have rescinded their endorsements or now saying they will not endorse him. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell both say they "won't speculate" on how further developments might influence their decisions regarding their endorsements. The pledged delegates themselves are now searching for a way out and this is how it will happen.
In other words, the republicans wanted Hillary, the weaker candidate, to win the nomination, they got their wish, and now that they no longer need the "OMG TRUMP!" hysteria they can get rid of it.
And Trump himself? I'd have thought it impossible until it happened, but he has become even more absurd than before. Trump's not doing poorly, he's not even running.
All this since Bernie was seemingly out of the way. The candidate who'd beat any and all comers the republicans could come up with, denied the win by the DNC in favor of the candidate who'd be beaten by any of the republicans.
Score at halftime: RNC 50, DNC 0.
Nature is my religion; the earth is my temple.
Polling data doesn't really support that narrative.
e.g. Clinton has consistently led Cruz and Trump, often outside of the margin of error.
Sanders has lead by larger margins. Typically not +20, but +10, which is significant.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/2016_presidential...
The one candidate who consistently beat Clinton was Kasich, Sanders typically had a small advantage over Kasich. The Clinton argument is probably that Kasich's numbers would fall once voters got to "know" him. Think that's probably a safe bet, although I suspect he would still probably beat Clinton and his numbers in Ohio might be decisive.
I think it's clearer at this point that Sanders is the stronger candidate. But a couple months ago that was an open question. The GOP definitely would have preferred running against Sanders. They might have regretted that choice later, but Sanders probably would have been great for their fundraising with rich mega-donors. Clinton neutralizes that advantage in a race against Trump. She may not be the top choice, but some GOP big money donors who might be able to live with a Clinton presidency if the alternative was Trump.
Trump isn't running a serious race, but I think the GOP leadership is probably willing to let the cycle play out, try to hold on downballot and then regroup in 2020 in the hope that Trump loses. Spend the next four years going after Clinton who will be 74 in in 2020.
Maybe Bill Clinton has something nice lined up for Trump once he finishes throwing the election.
GOP does not want Bernie Sanders as the Dem Nominee
Bernie Sanders attracts a lot of Independents. Independents are the key, since there are more of them than Dems or Repubs. GOP would fear Bernie more than Clinton. Bernie runs as a populist/maverick. Americans love that combination--it's in the DNA. Why do you think Trump was so attractive to some of the GOP base? I know he was a fake Rebel, but people liked it.
Good points
And it didn't help either Mittens or McCain when the richest GOP donors dumped billions of $$$ trying to defeat Obama.
Nature is my religion; the earth is my temple.
The US elections are 100 percent rigged.
The dialectic of not this one serves so many purposes.
The bottom line is this: no one can be trusted, and we are easily fooled.
Every organization is selling something.
Caveat emptor.
The United States all about money. There is nothing else.
Act accordingly: do not give in to anyone's bait-and-switch.
Grow some local improvement with some friends, and hope for the best.
Peace and love be with you, reader.
We're overanalyzing.
The GOP plan was to run a "stealth moderate", (someone the public didn't know was really a fascist - this is how GWB was… well) say Kasich, against Hillary. The Dem vote has been in steady decline for a decade; 2016 would have been their year. (or very close)
Then 2 things happened - Bernie and Trump. Bernie showed up and exposed Hillary - actually beat her - and Trump mopped the floor with all the potential Reptiles. (Cruz did his share of exposing Republican sliminess as well) Suddenly instead of another Bush v Dukakis they were looking at FDR v David Duke. Fortunately for Team Evil, the Dems solved their Bernie problem for them - in the best possible manner, by blatantly stealing the nomination. Now Hillary can't defeat David Duke, much less a "legitimate" Republican, so the Rs think they can go back to Plan A, they just have to get rid of Trump. The funny thing is that stealing the nomination from Trump is probably the only way they can lose. What they're missing is that Trump is another Reagan - a "transformational" candidate, that's tapping into everything that's evil in (white) America. Don't laugh like you did in 1980, you just might be in for a rude awakening.
If I were the Rep… fascists I would let Trump run. If he wins, and he will unless Republican Secretaries of State rig the election for Hillary, (which serves their purposes as well) America will become a third world apartheid police state - exactly what the Rs want - and if Hillary "wins" then even if she's not impeached in 2018 a fascist will be elected in 2020, and the Rs get what they want, just 4 years late.
On to Biden since 1973
I don't know.
My niece is a die hard trump fanatic. Her and her husband. Both exmilitary with a lot of ex military trump supporting friends. She is now waffling on the donald. A month ago she said that she would quit the repub party if they stole trump's nomination. Now, because of donald's diarrhea mouth, I think she and her friends are hoping the repubs put someone in that can beat clinton.
The Republicans’ Big Hot Mess
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/19/opinion/sunday/the-republicans-big-hot...
From the Light House.
Sounds like wishful thinking.
Trump will likely be the nominee and Trump will likely beat Hillary. All this nonsensical talk about stealing the nomination away from the guy that won 38 of 50 states in the Republican primary is just idle gossip.
Alex, you should be ashamed of yourself for buying into and spreading the current media narrative.
Think about it this way: If Trump was a sure loser in November, wouldn't the Hillary-loving media be working to make sure he stayed in the race? Why would they turn a slam-dunk into a contest Hillary could lose should the Republicans put up a supposedly electable candidate?
Another thought, or:
the same thought phrased differently.
We all make up stories to account for what we observe but do not understand.
I think it is important not to give in to storymaking.
One can be fact-based, and get lost in the storymaking.
Better to do something concrete, even if it is to wash the windows.
Peace and love be with you, reader.
Trump Accused of Raping 13-Year-Old Girl in Federal Lawsuit
Jeffrey Epstein again... Same jailed registered sex offender’s whom was big buds with Billy: Flight logs show Bill Clinton flew on sex offender's jet much more than previously known
Who the heck knows what is real anymore??? This whole election is some alternate ubiverse.
http://usuncut.com/news/trump-lawsuit-13-year-old-rape/
From the Light House.
Illussions
If the mass media story is the "reality" they are trying to create its worth observing. Doesn't mean I believe any of it, just that the story (the illusion of a story) is being created out there and gives me a hold on the latest propaganda for the masses.
Nobody gives a damn about who won the elections anymore. Fucking fraud from beginning to end anyway. If the corporation wants to dump Trump, they'll dump Trump and make up a damn good cover story.
From the Light House.
I cannot see either Trump or Clinton
in the Whitehouse. I have on idea who it will be but I've had a strong gut feeling since the beginning that it won't be one of those two.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire